After finishing this trip, she returned to her slightly cold home, put down her backpack, and threw herself into the sofa. Zuo Xiaoyao closed her eyes for nearly half an hour before picking up the phone and ordering a takeaway.

After eating well and sleeping well, most of the fatigue from the journey was gone, Zuo Xiaoyao got up refreshed, put on her home clothes, and went to the bathroom to freshen up briefly. Only then did Zuo Xiaoyao think about the harvest of this trip.

This was a trip of extraordinary significance. She hoped to fulfill her grandma's wish that she had never been able to realize. She expected her grandma in heaven to experience this trip with her. With her heart full of nostalgia, Zuo Xiaoyao had no intention of having fun during the trip, and naturally she could not bring back any special products.

In addition to the gifts brought back, several completed paintings and a large number of pictures from the digital camera, there was also a rusty but well-preserved iron box, not much bigger than a palm, locked by an extremely small copper lock. Without a key, it would take a lot of effort to open it.

"Grandma, look, these are the scenery of x city and x town. Some places are still very beautiful, just like what you said, but many of the places you said are beautiful have changed drastically! If you saw these with your own eyes, how would you feel? Would you be very disappointed?"

"Fortunately, the temple you mentioned is still there, but it is more dilapidated and has been set up as a tourist attraction. It is really tiring to climb up those stone steps. Fortunately, the box you and grandpa hid in the beginning is still in the crack of the stone wall. Otherwise, it would be a waste for me!"

"...But that place is really hard to find. I really don't know why you were so leisurely and romantic in the first place! You see, I even took photos of the rocks, ponds, and stone steps..."

While looking at the pictures of grandma's hometown taken on the camera, Zuo Xiaoyao, with a smile on her face, shed tears and murmured to herself in the cold air of the room.

After looking at the photos, Zuo Xiaoyao raised her hands to cover her eyes, imagining her grandma's reaction over and over again if she were here and could see these pictures.

I guess she would point to each picture to introduce to herself what it used to be like there, and what she and her grandfather had talked about there. How happy she must be!

Taking a deep breath, after putting down her hands, she looked up at the 'family portrait' of just her and her grandmother hanging on the wall directly opposite the sofa. Zuo Xiaoyao took out the extremely small copper key hanging on a red string around her neck, rubbed it twice and said, "Grandma, what's in this box?""Why don't you tell me first? If you don't tell me, I'll take it to ask someone. If it's valuable, I'll sell it. Then I won't have to do anything, and I'll enjoy it every day. Anyway, you said it's a dowry for me! If it's not valuable, then I'll just... keep it!"

As an abandoned baby who was abandoned on the roadside just a few days after she was born, Zuo Xiaoyao was raised by her grandmother who found her. Her grandmother lost her husband in middle age, and the only son she had raised through hard work also fell into the water and died in that special era more than thirty years ago. Not even a body was found.

For twenty-two years, the grandfather and grandson have been dependent on each other. Less than a year after she graduated from college, her grandmother, who was nearly eighty years old, passed away due to illness. For Zuo Xiaoyao, this was definitely the biggest blow she had ever encountered in her life.

No matter how poor her life is, how difficult her conditions are, even if she has been alienated from her peers since childhood due to her special status, the precocious girl has always been able to face it with a straight back and a smile. With enough love from her grandma, she feels that no difficulty in the world can overwhelm her. Therefore, her grandma has always been her spiritual support and the only person she can unreasonably confide in, who never shows weakness in front of others.

Carefully opening the box that her grandma told her before she died, even though she said naughty words, she saw that the 'dowry' contained in this humble box was also her three favorite things among the betrothal gifts given to her by her grandfather. Carefully holding the mirror, a comb and a hairpin, Zuo Xiaoyao could not help but burst into tears again. This was the first time she had cried so unscrupulously since she sent her grandma's ashes to her grandfather's grave for burial.

Zuo Xiaoyao, who has engraved the strength taught by her grandma into her bones, knows that this will be the last time she allows herself to grieve so deeply for the passing of her grandma. From now on, she will only keep this memory in her heart forever, and will no longer be immersed in her own world like a zombie like the previous period, always imagining that her grandma is still living well with her.

Live well, live well!This is the last wish that Zuo Xiaoyao promised her grandma. She will definitely realize it, definitely!

The old man who was sitting behind the desk in the store and reading a book with reading glasses looked up when he heard the sound. What he saw was a long-haired girl who had just walked into the store with a backpack on her back. She was in her early twenties. She was greeting him with a smile. She was obviously an acquaintance. He subconsciously smiled and replied, "Oh, it's Xiaoyao here, but I haven't seen you for a while!"

After pausing for a moment, the old man who looked to be in his sixties continued with a solemn expression, "As for your grandma, you have to be considerate and considerate, and you have to be open-minded. I said last time that if you need help with anything in the future, just come to me or her parents, we are not outsiders!"

The moment the old man mentioned her grandma, Xiaoyao, who smiled for a moment, looked dim, but then smiled and thanked her, "Thank you, Grandpa Wang. Thanks to your help, Uncle Wang, and Aunt Zhao, grandma's funeral will be so smooth. Don't worry, I know grandma also hopes that I can live a happy life instead of being immersed in the pain of her departure, so I will not stay in the past and be unwilling to face this reality."

The old man nodded with satisfaction and sighed, "You have been sensible since you were a child. Yes, your grandma's biggest wish is to see you well. In the past few years, although you have worked too hard, you have been very successful. Not only did you let her enjoy her old age in peace, but she also passed away peacefully. It was not in vain that she worked hard to bring you up."

Speaking of this, the atmosphere was inevitably a little sad. After blinking a few times, Zuo Xiaoyao replied with a smile, "Grandpa Wang is right. In addition to being a little regretful about not seeing me get married and have children, grandma also said she wanted to thank God for calling her to reunite with her grandpa and uncle. She finally got her wish! And no matter how uncomfortable I feel in my heart, I have to smile and wish her, grandpa, and uncle in heaven a happier life!"

Except for the grandmother who raised her but passed away, no one can know better than the old man who watched her grow up how strong the weak girl in front of him was. Except for the person involved, no one can know better than him how deep the relationship between the grandfather and grandson who depended on each other was. Even though this young girl who had just stepped out of college less than a year ago was smiling brightly, he could see the tears hidden behind the girl's smile at a glance.

Not wanting to continue this sad topic, the old man picked up the teapot and prepared to make a tea ceremony. "You sit down first. Where have you been during this time? Listen to J Jia's complaint. You quit your previous job and suddenly ran away. I can't find you. When I call your mobile phone, the signal is always poor. After a few words, the connection is disconnected."

"Don't be busy, I'll do it. I went to P City before. When grandma was here, I thought about taking her out for a walk. But when she was in good health, I didn't have the ability. When conditions permit, she can't stand it. Now that she is gone, I will go back and visit for her. Anyway, even if she goes to heaven, she will never forget to see me from time to time. Speaking of which, this is a different way for us to travel together!"

Taking the teapot from the old man's hand and taking the tea leaves to steep in a familiar manner, Zuo Xiaoyao smiled and explained calmly that although she knew the old man's good intentions in changing the subject, she did not feel that the topic related to her grandma needed to be avoided. Even though she felt heartbroken every time it was mentioned now, she never intended to escape this reality.

P city is her grandma's hometown. After marrying her grandfather, she rarely had the chance to leave S city. She only returned to her hometown a handful of times. Although she didn't say it, from the nostalgia of her hometown when she told her many times, Xiaoyao knew that it was not only the place where she and her grandfather fell in love, but it was also a place that she had never forgotten. Even though everything there had been completely changed, this was still an obsession.

After shaking his head with a speechless wry smile, he took a sip of the tea Zuo Xiaoyao handed him. The old man said with a clear face, "Tell me, what's the matter with coming today? Don't tell me that you came here to see me, an old man, I don't believe you!"

Zuo Xiaoyao said with a depressed look, "Grandpa Wang's words are so hurtful. I've often come to see you in the past!"

"Come on, I don't know about your little thoughts. If nothing happens, when will you step through this door! If you want to visit me specially, you must have gone home. By the way, tell Jijia's parents that you went to see them specially!"

Is it that obvious?While secretly reflecting on the time when he was too imprudent and actually betrayed himself in front of the old man, Zuo Xiaoyao smiled rather flatteringly and changed the subject: "That's not because I often come here to see you. I go home to see my uncle and aunt less often! Although today I mainly came to visit Grandpa Wang, but I brought a few paintings along the way. Please help me taste them!"

When it came to painting, the perky old man was obviously very interested. "Forget it, forget it, I never said I beat you! Take out the painting quickly and let me see if your painting skills have improved recently!"

As the four paintings she randomly drew during this trip were unfolded, the old man looked at them one by one and made quite pertinent comments on them, and then said with regret, "Not bad, really good! I have always felt that you have a high talent for painting. I used to teach at the school.In those years, I have seen many talented children, but no one has ever been able to draw works of this level at this age. Even some of them have already held art exhibitions in the name of young painters, but you...sigh... Speaking of which, I just..."

Zuo Xiaoyao did not show joy because the old man, a professor-level art master, thought so highly of his work. Zuo Xiaoyao just smiled and said, "Okay, okay, thank you Professor Wang for the compliment! Please stop praising me. You know my situation very well. I remember back then.", before I could read, I started drawing on the ground with a stick. Grandma is your master, and you know her level. With the guidance of you and grandma, I have been drawing for nearly twenty years. Even if I have no talent, I can still make up for my shortcomings!"