"Because," she gently wiped away that tear, "because all of this was what your little aunt used to play with and left behind!"

On the hottest evening of this summer, everyone stayed at home, getting ready to watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Zoe Young brought three bouquets of flowers to the cemetery on the outskirts of her hometown.

For Grandpa Green, Michael, and for Mom and Uncle Quinn.

She gradually began to believe in the world after death, not sure if it's because believing makes her feel more at ease. When burning paper offerings, she started to mumble, imitating Andrew Lane, and said to Michael, "Landlady, what I'm giving you now is the down payment, you take it, and every year after this I'll keep paying you back..."

Then she buried the last sentence in her heart—by then, Benny would be the landlord, right?

See, in the end, everyone will still be together.

Never separated.

Zoe Young sat beside her mother's tombstone. Between her mother's and Uncle Quinn's tombstones, a red ribbon was tied, weathered by wind and rain, a bit dirty now, but still tightly bound.

Zoe Young never really knew what she should say to her mother. If her mother had a spirit in heaven, then she would already know everything about her.

"Mom, I've always been doing well."

Always.

"Even though it's impossible to always be happy, there will always be unhappy things..." Zoe Young paused, thinking of the series of conflicts in the department caused by scholarships and opportunities for overseas exchange, as if such things had never ended since elementary school.

Later, she met many more Sean Sherman, many more Ray Cindy, many more Charlotte Lee, and even many more Emily Xavier.

"Sometimes I feel like life is like a spinning top, turning round and round, and sometimes you find yourself back at the starting point."

Year after year, week after week, the ending: "Every time I grow up a little, I think things will be very different, but in the end I realize it's just a more advanced kind of copy."

The old times that flowed away in torrents actually made a circle and washed over every one of them again.

But.

"But I still feel that I've lived a wonderful life."

The world isn't perfect, but they still have the ability to choose and to change. At worst, she could just reach out and create a new world.

Just like when she was a child.

Braving thorns and thickets, her little universe would always have its day to explode—she would never give up her Athena.

"Mom, are you doing well over there? I'll come see you in sixty years."

She thought for a moment, tilted her head and smiled.

"No, no, no, make it seventy years. I want... to stay a few more years."

Because life is just too beautiful.

(End of main text)

Mia Waters's life never had any musts or nevers, just like the sea, never thinking of gathering strength to destroy all the shores of the world. Friends coming and going, like rivers flowing into the sea, like water vapor evaporating—they never took anything away, nor did they ever change anything.

------------

Epilogue: Year after year, week after week

Fastest update of the latest chapter of Hello, Old Times!

"Come on, be good, don't mind Daddy, come play with your little aunt!"

Zoe Young clapped her hands, and Sophie Young rolled her eyes at her father Joel Young, wiggled her hips, and threw herself into her aunt's arms.

"You just spoil her!" Joel Young glared for a moment, then sighed helplessly and walked away.

Back in the day, Uncle Jack, who used to punish Joel Young at the drop of a hat, suddenly became especially good-tempered. Together with Aunt Jenny, who always doted on the child, and the ever-mischievous Zoe Young, these three made five-year-old Sophie Young stand especially tall and dare to glare and puff her cheeks at her father face to face.

"Great-grandma fell asleep again."

"Good girl, let's not disturb great-grandma, let's go play in the living room." Zoe Young led Sophie Young out of grandma's room. When closing the door, she paused for a moment and looked back at her grandma lying on the bed. Having just finished her IV, she had already sunk into sleep, only a ring of white hair showing at the edge of the quilt.

Year after year, week after week, the ending: Grandma, always the clearest and most lucid, now, because of Alzheimer's, could hardly recognize anyone. In grandma's world, Zoe Young was still the little girl who would sneak money from grandma's coin box after losing money "fishing," but Zoe's mom had already married Uncle Quinn, and Joel Young had graduated from college, married, and had a child.

In grandma's world, there were no longer any ties to time. Everyone she loved stayed in the most beautiful moments, happily living around her.

Sophie Young always acted mysteriously, pulling her little aunt over to her own little table and taking out a pink sketchbook.

Then, as if presenting a treasure, she held it up for Zoe Young to see.

Zoe Young opened it. The drawings were crooked, the bodies round and looping, seemingly sheep.

Sophie Young excitedly explained at her side, spittle flying.

"This is the grassland, and on the grassland lives a group of especially brave sheep."

She turned to the second page: "This is Pleasant Goat."

Third page: "This is Lazy Goat."

Fourth page: "This is Boiling Goat."

Fifth page: "This one is..."

Zoe Young laughed, "I know, this one is... wait, let me think, what other goats are there... oh, right, this is Beautiful Goat."

"No!" Sophie Young suddenly got excited, put her hands on her hips and shouted, "That's not it, this sheep is the smartest, kindest, most beautiful, most... most... most pure white on the whole grassland, and her name is Snowy!"

Zoe Young almost fainted.

Why isn't the name in the "× Goat" format? And, what does "most pure white" mean?

Sophie Young was still immersed in her anger, continuing, "And Pleasant Goat and the others all like Snowy!"

Then she saw her little aunt grinning slyly.

She always knew that her little aunt was actually much scarier than her dad.

"窈窈," Zoe Young smiled, pointing at the crooked sheep on the page, "this Snowy, is actually you, right?"

Sophie Young was shocked, her face turning red as she protested, "It's not me, how could it be me, it's not me, not..."

But her voice got softer and softer, "...how did you know?"

Zoe Young gently tapped Sophie Young's nose. As she laughed, she suddenly felt tears at the corner of her eyes.

"Because," she gently wiped away that tear, "because all of this was what your little aunt used to play with and left behind!"

On the hottest evening of this summer, everyone stayed at home, getting ready to watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Zoe Young brought three bouquets of flowers to the cemetery on the outskirts of her hometown.

For Grandpa Green, Michael, and for Mom and Uncle Quinn.

She gradually began to believe in the world after death, not sure if it's because believing makes her feel more at ease. When burning paper offerings, she started to mumble, imitating Andrew Lane, and said to Michael, "Landlady, what I'm giving you now is the down payment, you take it, and every year after this I'll keep paying you back..."

Then she buried the last sentence in her heart—by then, Benny would be the landlord, right?

See, in the end, everyone will still be together.

Never separated.

Zoe Young sat beside her mother's tombstone. Between her mother's and Uncle Quinn's tombstones, a red ribbon was tied, weathered by wind and rain, a bit dirty now, but still tightly bound.

Zoe Young never really knew what she should say to her mother. If her mother had a spirit in heaven, then she would already know everything about her.

"Mom, I've always been doing well."

Always.

"Even though it's impossible to always be happy, there will always be unhappy things..." Zoe Young paused, thinking of the series of conflicts in the department caused by scholarships and opportunities for overseas exchange, as if such things had never ended since elementary school.

Later, she met many more Sean Sherman, many more Ray Cindy, many more Charlotte Lee, and even many more Emily Xavier.

"Sometimes I feel like life is like a spinning top, turning round and round, and sometimes you find yourself back at the starting point."

Year after year, week after week, the ending: "Every time I grow up a little, I think things will be very different, but in the end I realize it's just a more advanced kind of copy."

The old times that flowed away in torrents actually made a circle and washed over every one of them again.

But.

"But I still feel that I've lived a wonderful life."

The world isn't perfect, but they still have the ability to choose and to change. At worst, she could just reach out and create a new world.

Just like when she was a child.

Braving thorns and thickets, her little universe would always have its day to explode—she would never give up her Athena.

"Mom, are you doing well over there? I'll come see you in sixty years."

She thought for a moment, tilted her head and smiled.