The wooden plaque from the past was given to her by Gu Nian'an, warm from the sweet potato he'd been holding. “Wanwan is mine,” he said. The wind at the village entrance whipped at his clothes but couldn't blow away his promise: “Wait for me.”
The pocket watch from the Republican era was given to her by Shen Yanzhi in a rainy alley. Its hands moved softly as he shielded her from the storm of a chaotic world. The word “Forget me not” was engraved inside, but the look he gave her was heavier than the rain.
The sketches from the old lane were filled with rabbits, drawn by Lu Shiyan, who said, “Let's draw a hundred first.” When the osmanthus bloomed, he gave her the unfinished picture. In it, she was embroidering a rabbit, and the empty space seemed to hold the unspoken words, “Don't go.”
The deep-sea scale was tossed to her by Ling Yue, its surface gleaming coldly. He complained that she was a bother, yet always protected her when danger struck. The sound of the scale hitting the ground was like a hidden “Take care” from the depths of the sea.
The golden thread in the attic was wound around a necklace by Lin Mo. Holding a doll, her, he drew the sun and said, “Big sister is my light.” As an adult, he held up the necklace, eyes red. “I've been looking for you for years.”
She watched Gu Nian'an grow up, helped Shen Yanzhi endure the chaos of war, stayed with Lu Shiyan until he finished his last painting, saw the light of the deep sea with Ling Yue, and stayed by Lin Mo from childhood until his hair turned white.
At last, amid the scent of osmanthus, he held her hand and closed his eyes. The five keepsakes suddenly grew hot. The System said, “In the moonlit grass sea, he waited for you through five lifetimes.”
