Mindy was notoriously bad with directions. It wasn’t just in this big garden; she often got lost even in small, unfamiliar alleyways. “Mom, how did you find the way?” Miranda asked, puzzled. Mindy seemed momentarily stumped by the question. “… I’m not sure. I just had a feeling that we should go that way, so I decided to give it a try. Somehow… we ended up finding our way out.” Lionel chuckled. “They did say always listen to your wife! Hehe!” Lionel and Miranda both assumed Mindy just got lucky and stumbled upon the right path. But Mindy couldn’t help glancing back at the beautiful garden and the hidden little gate, as if the images existed somewhere in the recesses of her memory.

At the same time, Sam was there with his grandparents in the same garden, retracing old steps. After so many years, the two elders looked at the furnishings in the main house, which remained the same as they remembered. A wave of nostalgia washed over their faces. When they handed over the property, they had only one request–that nothing in the main house should be moved. In case Minnie ever returned, they didn’t want her to find a place that felt unfamiliar.

Fiona squinted her eyes, trying hard to take in the sight of the place where their family had lived for over a decade. Her mind was filled with memories of little Minnie playing in the garden. “Look at the fish, Minnie. Why are you gathering bamboo leaves, and making cups? Who’s it for?” The sound of her daughter’s laughter seemed to echo in her ears, and it was as if all those memories had happened just yesterday. “Even after all these years, I feel like our daughter is still right here with us, Aren,” Fiona said, running her fingers over the marks etched into the porch column. “Look, Minnie’s drawing is still here.” If she could turn back time, Fiona wished she could relive those moments. If given another chance, she would never let her daughter out of her sight, not for a second. “Minnie, where are you? Are you doing well? Mommy misses you so much…” Seeing her turn away and secretly wipe away her tears, Aren felt both angry and heartbroken. Although he was just as devastated as she was, he forced himself to put on a stern voice. “Do you want to lose your eyesight for good? Didn’t you promise not to cry before we came here?” Sam quickly stepped forward, gently holding his grandmother’s shoulder. “Grandma, your eyes were just starting to get better. If you keep crying, all the progress you’ve made will be lost. Aunt Minnie wouldn’t want to see you like this. She’d be so worried and sad.”

After Mindy disappeared, Fiona cried day and night in grief, damaging her eyesight in the process. Despite trying every treatment, both conventional and traditional medicine, the improvement was minimal. Conventional medicine only offered temporary relief. Before long, her condition would worsen again. Even the most renowned herbalists they consulted eventually had to admit that medicine alone couldn’t heal her broken heart. After a thorough examination, one elderly doctor said with a sigh, “A broken heart needs a remedy for the soul. No medicine can help if the patient continues to cry. The damage to her eyes is only on the surface; the real harm is being done to her liver and spleen.” “Alright, alright. I’ll stop crying.” Fiona nodded, wiping her tears and taking a deep breath. Sam was right–if she damaged her eyesight, how would she ever see her daughter again if she came back? Aren chuckled. “That’s the spirit. Remember how, when Minnie was little, every time she cried, you’d tear up too? Then she’d just cry harder?” “How could I forget?” Fiona replied, a faint smile appearing through her tears. “And you were always so strict with her, scolding her over every little thing.” They had searched for so many years despite everyone subtly hinting that they should give up. After all, when someone vanished without a trace for so long, the outcome was usually clear… but they refused to believe it.