“Is our old home still there?” Yu Yao suddenly asked out of the blue.

Although Jiang Zhonglin wasn’t sure why she brought this up, he quickly responded, “The old neighborhood is no longer there. Most of the buildings in the area were demolished over a decade ago. Now, there’s a green park and a Phoenix Square there.”

“Do you want to go see it?” he asked.

Yu Yao nodded, and the two of them soon headed out. Their current home wasn’t far from their old one; it took just over twenty minutes by car. From a distance, Yu Yao could see the expanse of lush greenery. As they walked in, the various ornamental plants were trimmed into beautifully arranged shapes, exuding a sense of neatness that had been meticulously planned, much like the entire city of Haishi.

On a weekday morning, there weren’t many people around. Yu Yao saw mostly mothers with strollers, leisurely elderly people, young couples walking, and a few students who hadn’t started school yet.

Jiang Zhonglin seemed very familiar with the area and led her down a cobblestone path where there were even fewer people—almost just the two of them. Yu Yao noticed that many phoenix trees were planted around, but unfortunately, the flowers had already fallen.

In their old neighborhood, there were also two phoenix trees. These trees had beautiful, fiery-red flowers that were strikingly bright under the sun, but Yu Yao had only seen them bloom for one year.

Jiang Zhonglin noticed her gaze and said, “Since there are many phoenix trees here, the nearby square is called Phoenix Square. Every year, many people come to take photos. From a distance, it looks like a sea of red. The flowers have already fallen this year, but you can come back next year.”

As they talked and walked, they arrived at a small pavilion in the green park, surrounded by ornamental bamboo.

“This is the place,” Jiang Zhonglin pointed to the pavilion. “This spot was where our old building used to be.”

He sat down in the pavilion and invited Yu Yao to join him. When Yu Yao walked over, she saw a small plaque outside the pavilion indicating that it was donated by Mr. Jiang.

Mr. Jiang…? Could this Mr. Jiang be the same Jiang Zhonglin sitting in front of her?

Yu Yao didn’t ask. She sat down beside Jiang Zhonglin. The pavilion was plain and unremarkable, and the surrounding scenery was ordinary, so apart from passersby resting their tired feet, almost no one stayed there.

But Yu Yao could imagine Jiang Zhonglin sitting alone in this small pavilion over the years. With the people and the old home gone, only this old site remained as a place for nostalgia.

Noticing how familiar Jiang Zhonglin was with the area as they walked, it was clear he came here often.

They sat there for a while. A few people passed by on the path in front of them, glancing at them disinterestedly before moving on. Only a sanitation worker wearing a green park staff badge stopped and greeted Jiang Zhonglin.

“Mr. Jiang, it’s been almost two months since we last saw you!” The man, appearing to be in his fifties, spoke in a familiar tone, followed by a hovering garbage collection device.

Jiang Zhonglin smiled at him, “I’ve had some things to deal with recently, so I haven’t been coming.”

“Oh, I see.” The man looked at Yu Yao with curiosity, “I’ve never seen Mr. Jiang come here with someone else before.”

Yu Yao asked with interest, “Does Old Jiang come here often? How long have you worked here, uncle?”

The uncle smiled, “I’ve worked here for several years. I often see Mr. Jiang come alone. Sometimes he even helps me clean up the garbage around this pavilion. Ah, some people just throw trash on the ground instead of using the nearby bins…” He complained for a while.

Yu Yao glanced at Jiang Zhonglin, who was shaking his head with a wry smile, and asked, “Does he come here in winter too?”

The uncle answered honestly, “Yes, he comes even in heavy snow!”

After the enthusiastic uncle left with his trash, Yu Yao crossed her arms and looked sideways at Jiang Zhonglin, “In the cold winter, you sit here in this chilly pavilion?”

Jiang Zhonglin cleared his throat, “The scenery here is nice when it snows, with the bamboo forest reflecting the snow.”

Yu Yao shook her head, not wanting to argue. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the steps, “There’s nothing special here. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Jiang Zhonglin tried to pull his hand away as she led him forward.

Yu Yao looked at him and said, “Fine, if you don’t want to hold hands, I won’t insist.” She released the old man from her grip and then wrapped her arm around his waist.

Jiang Zhonglin: “…” How did he forget the lessons?

He seemed to walk stiffly, as if he was being abducted. The scene of a young woman holding an older man’s waist drew the attention of passersby. The way they were positioned looked like a couple. Jiang Zhonglin noticed two couples approaching, giving them curious glances, and looked down at Yu Yao.

Yu Yao seemed completely oblivious.

Jiang Zhonglin sighed inwardly and said to Yu Yao, “Can you let go for now? Let’s just walk properly, okay?”

His tone was soft, but Yu Yao’s was firm. She said, “There will be a news headline tomorrow.”

Jiang Zhonglin was taken aback by the sudden change of topic. “What news?”

Yu Yao said seriously, “A headline like ‘Young Woman Kisses Sixty-Year-Old Man in Green Park’.”