I didn't bicker with Hendrix. Instead, I smiled and said, "How are you today? Is it raining in Jarold City?"
It was the rainy season, which was a good thing as it was an excellent season for planting crops in Ucrebury.
He hummed in assent and asked in a deep voice, "How was the auction?"
After thinking for a moment, I replied, "I saw the box. It's exactly the same as the one my grandmother gave me."
"Why didn't you bid for it?" he asked lightly.
I was stunned for a moment. I wanted to ask him how he found out that I didn't bid for it, but I suddenly remembered that Evan must have told him.
I paused for a while before saying, "The price was too high. I felt that it wasn't worth it."
He said, "It's worth the money if you like it. What's more, it holds a special meaning for you."
Knowing that he was wealthy, I didn't refute him and just said, "A man called Elmore Balton bought it. I asked Evan to leave him a message. After I settle everything here, I would like to contact him to open the box."
He answered by saying, "Alright. When are you heading out tomorrow?"
"I may have to go out earlier because the cemetery is somewhat far away."
"Alright, I'll wait for your return."
I smiled faintly and felt as if he was a child. After hanging up on the call, I also went to bed early.
The next day.
We got up relatively early because we were going to the cemetery. Anne was half-asleep. When we got in the car, she continued to sleep, slumping on me.
Evan was the one who drove, and his eyes were a little puffy. It was probably because he had to wake up early, and he hadn't slept well the night before.
Evan watched the cars on the road. After a moment of silence, he said lightly, "It's hard to say."
It was already noon when we arrived at the cemetery. The drizzle had stopped, and the sun had risen. A rainbow hung above the cemetery, and the air was particularly refreshing.
Anne had an excellent memory. She had only been there once, but she managed to find the ancestors' graves on her own despite the fact that new graves had been added to the cemetery.
We went to pay respect to the elders first. It had been five years, and Dalton Roberts' portrait had become a little blurry. I almost couldn't make out his appearance from the portrait anymore.
Anne asked me, "Mommy, are we all going to die?"
I nodded. When I was a child, I failed to understand what death meant. After I grew up, I realized that all the people around me would leave one after another. We had no idea when we would have the time to meet and talk to each other again after our goodbyes.
Some people had left before we even had the time to say goodbye.
I said, "We will all die, but we won't disappear forever."
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