To the Love of My Life

Such an energetic Ruby Gregory, she’s as vibrant as she was many years ago…

Steve Burton’s steps halted in place, his gaze fixed on Ruby’s lively expression. Her clear, haughty words from her mouth and her occasional laughter provoked his thoughts, and he couldn’t resist tracing back to the past.

After Steve first met Ruby, four-year-old Steve often sat in the courtyard, engrossed in a comic book.

However, his thoughts weren’t on the plot of the comic, but rather, he was attentively observing the movements in the courtyard next door.

Ruby Gregory’s movements.

At four, children couldn’t discern beauty from ugliness, but in Steve’s memory, Ruby of that time resembled the Barbie doll in his older sister’s room, always dressed in a colorful princess dress, her sparse hair combed into two neat braids, each tied with a butterfly bow.

Occasionally, when Steve would sneak a peek at Ruby, the little girl would meet his gaze. But the one-year-old girl, having seemingly forgotten who he was, was quickly lured away by the toys and snacks in the hands of adults.

Like that, about a month passed, transitioning from summer to early autumn. The leaves in the courtyard gradually turned yellow, and the weather outside became chilly. Ruby increasingly stopped coming outside.

When he sat in the courtyard with his comic books, he would be called back into the house by the servants.

Autumn in Ciawell was always short. A gust of northern wind would sweep through, and the fallen leaves would blanket the ground.

The temperature dropped rapidly too, and Steve increasingly spent less time in the courtyard.

At that time, Steve had started going to kindergarten. Although he was only four, his learning task was already quite heavy.

Steve saw Ruby again during the Chinese New Year that year.

As the saying goes, a snowy year is a prosperous year.

A Chinese New Year in the north without snow feels lifeless.

That year during Chinese New Year, a heavy and moist snowfall occurred.

Though Steve was born with responsibilities and appeared more mature than his peers, he was still a child at heart. Seeing the courtyard covered in a blanket of snow, he ran out in his new clothes, carrying a child’s shovel, and began to build a snowman.

Possibly due to the Chinese New Year, many housekeepers had returned home for the New Year, so house chores were left to the family, leading to Ruby, who was alone, to emerge from the house.

She was playing by herself in the snow but noticed Steve making a snowman in the neighboring yard.

At that time, Ruby was able to walk steadily. She had grown a bit taller but could still crawl through the fences.

Steve was concentrating on his snowman, oblivious to Ruby’s approach..