Shi Heng followed her and slowly visited each room.
In the kitchen, Lisa's floral apron was still hanging neatly behind the door;
In the study, Alan's oak pipe still sits on the upper right corner of the desk;
There was even their favorite tea set on the coffee table in the living room.
Everything was kept as if the owner might return at any moment.
After reaching the second floor, Gu Youran stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor.
"This is my room."
Open the door and a bedroom full of childlike fun appears before your eyes:
The small bed was covered with a star-patterned sheet, the walls were covered with faded cartoon stickers, and several fairy tale books were neatly placed on the desk.
"I haven't spent the night here since I was nine." Gu Youran said as she stood at the bedroom door, her fingers unconsciously stroking the doorframe. "I miss them so much, I don't dare live here alone..."
Her voice became smaller and smaller, and her eyes became slightly red.
Shi Heng gently held her in his arms and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I'll stay with you tonight, okay?"
Gu Youran nodded in his arms, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Shi Heng looked down and saw her tears. He held her face with both hands and gently wiped away the tears with his fingertips.
"I'm a little hungry. Can you take me to your favorite restaurant when you were a child?"
Gu Youran sniffed and nodded in agreement, "Okay."
She wiped the remaining tears from her face with the back of her hand and stood up from Shi Heng's arms.
"The restaurant is just two blocks away," Gu Youran said as they walked. "Alan always says the beef pie there is the best in town."
They walked out the door together.
Mark immediately followed with five bodyguards, keeping a distance of about ten meters from them.
There were not many pedestrians on the street.
Although sixteen years have passed, the town's buildings and streets seem to have hardly changed, but the faces walking on the streets are all unfamiliar.
After walking for about twenty minutes, Gu Youran stopped at the corner of the street and pointed to a building with a red brick exterior. "That's the 'Old Charlie's Restaurant'. Every Friday night, Alan and Lisa would bring me here for dinner."
The exterior of the restaurant looked exactly as I remembered.
Gu Youran pushed open the heavy wooden door, and the bell on the door made a crisp sound.
The interior decoration of the restaurant has not changed much, except that it is no longer old Charlie standing behind the bar, but his son.
Gu Youran took Shi Heng straight to the second booth by the window.
"This is our regular seat," Gu Youran said, gently stroking the scratches on the wooden tabletop with her fingers. "I accidentally scratched it with a fork when I was seven."
A young waiter came over with a menu.
Gu Youran ordered directly, "Two signature beef pies with mashed peas and gravy."
Then he turned to Shi Heng and asked, "Would you like to try Alan's favorite way of eating it? Pour some whiskey on the pie."
Shi Heng nodded in agreement.
After the food was served, Gu Youran picked up a small glass of whiskey and slowly poured it on the puff pastry of the beef pie, "Alan said this will make the beef more..."!
He suddenly stopped talking in the middle of his words and stared at the plate in a daze.
Shi Heng immediately picked up a piece of pie with a fork and handed it to Gu Youran's mouth, "Try it and see if the taste has changed."
Gu Youran forced a smile and opened his mouth to eat the pie.
After dinner, the two walked out of the restaurant.
Gu Youran took Shi Heng across the town square and pointed to a wooden bench and said, "Lisa often sits here knitting sweaters and waits for me to get out of school."
She pointed to an old oak tree in the center of the square. "When I was six, I climbed this tree for the first time and broke my wrist. Alan scolded me while he carried me six blocks to the hospital."
When passing by a candy store, Gu Youran stopped and looked at the colorful candy jars in the window.
"When I behaved well, Lisa would buy me a bag of candy here every week as a reward." Her voice was soft, as if she was talking to herself.
Shi Heng looked at her profile and felt a pang of heartache.
He noticed that the look in her eyes as she stared at the candy was both nostalgic and fragile, as if she was seeing the past through the candy.
He gently put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Let's go back."
On the way back, Gu Youran held his hand tightly.
This was the first time she shared her childhood memories in full with someone else, and with the person she loved most.
Talking about the past that has been accumulating in my heart for sixteen years now gives me an indescribable sense of relief.
Shi Heng looked at her slightly red eyes, feeling touched that she was willing to open her heart to him, but also distressed that she had to endure the longing alone for so many years.
He quietly increased the strength of his handshake, hoping to convey some warmth to her.
The sky gradually darkened and the street lights came on one after another.
Turn the last corner.
Gu Youran looked at the familiar house and suddenly felt that those heavy memories seemed to have become lighter.
She let go of Shi Heng's hand and walked quickly to a big tree.
Shi Heng followed her and saw her squatting down, her fingers gently stroking the soil at the roots of the tree.
"The day I left at the age of nine, I buried an iron box here. Inside was a family photo and a letter I wrote to them."
Thinking of the little girl who buried the secret while crying sixteen years ago, her eyes became moist again.
Shi Heng squatted down beside her and looked at her slightly trembling fingertips.
How he wanted to bear this heavy longing for her.
So, he asked softly, "Do you want to dig it out and take a look?"
Gu Youran looked at the piece of soil, struggling internally.
She really wanted to know whether the photo was still intact and the handwriting on the letter was still clear.
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