What is the flavor of past rapport? Can we truly savor it? This year, my mother specifi‐cally reminded me to visit my grandmother's neighbor—we all call her Grandma. With this advice, I embarked on my journey.
To my surprise, the decades-old house, with its once-elegant style, remained un‐changed from the outside. The layout of the furniture inside was also intact. The chair, coated with creases from decades of resting touches, witnessed the passage of time, holding moments of sorrow and exhilaration. As I sat on the chair, I exclaimed to Grandma, “Every‐thing in the room has remained intact. You see, the chairs are still serving us well.” Grandma nodded with a smile, fetching me a plate full of dry dates and candy. “Help yourself with some dates; I wish you a sweet new year.” She placed the plate of candy right in front of mewhile sitting beside me.
At this moment, the sun poured in through the balcony. Grandma’s house, built in the traditional style of a quadrangle courtyard, welcomed morning sunlight from the right and the evening sunset beaming into the main hall. Warm and cozy, the entire hall hosted only Grandma and me, making it feel like the loveli‐est place on earth.
While Grandma was busy, I strolled to my favorite balcony. The sun shone brightly above, and the spring breeze brushed my face, gently caressing the flowers and grasses that are almost as old as I am. I was surprised to see that the pot of camellia, which usually blooms vigorously during the Spring Festival, had delayed its flowering this year.
As I wandered in the yard, I caught sight of the old cartoon pictures on the wall of themain hall. The faded characters of children re‐minded me that I was no longer a kid. Con‐stantly, I searched for traces of my past exis‐tence in the hall and balcony. Had I left any remnants in this childhood playground? I ex‐plored the crevices of the stone walls around the balcony, uncovering hidden proofs of my mischievous childhood—beautiful pebbles and glass beads, among other treasures.
The arrival of Grandma’s friends sig‐naled that it was time to say goodbye. In that moment, I had rediscovered my childhood self, my laughter, and fond memories in the court‐yard and balcony. The precious love and genu‐ine neighborly support will linger in my mind, growing fonder with the passage of time.