Meet Me Where the Oak Tree Grows

I rambled on, throwing out every possibility that came to mind, each one more jumbled than the last.
"Oh, and I forgot to mention, I've been thinking about getting into forensic science. Once I graduate, we could work together, side by side. Who
knows, maybe I could help you crack cases like they do on TV.
"I promise I won't be a bother. I'll be on my best behavior, I swear.
"Jonah, please take me with you?" I finally pleaded, my voice cracking with emotion.
"You are so smart and thoughtful." He sighed, gently cupping my face, and tenderly kissed away the tears from the corners of my eyes.
Our foreheads touched, and the dampness seeped into the pillow, making it impossible to tell whose tears they were.
The unease in my heart grew stronger, and I clutched my hands until my knuckles turned white.

He lifted his head, softly patting my back, as if comforting a child. His voice was thick with emotion as he forced a playful tone, "Don’t cry so much in
the future. You're too young to ruin those beautiful eyes."
The tears stopped, but my heart kept aching. I wasn't sure if calling his name over and over again could keep him with me, or if nothing could.
Suddenly, he said, "Want to hear my parents' story?"
Without waiting for my reply, he started: "My mom had it tough. She was the middle child, with an older brother four years ahead and a younger one
by ten years. In their family, boys were favored, so she had to do all the chores, even looking after her siblings.
"They didn't plan on sending her to school. But when national education campaigns kicked in, she’d sneak over to the nearby school, lugging a small
basket for collecting wild herbs, and eavesdrop on lessons from the window. The teacher never chased her away. From ages six to eight, she taught
herself the first and second-grade material just from those stolen moments, and eventually, the teacher made an exception and let her in.
"She managed to study without slacking on her chores, and the teacher even convinced her folks to let her keep going, pointing out it didn’t cost them
a dime. Back then, educated people were highly respected.
"Right before she was set to take her college entrance exams, a massive flood hit down south, wiping out crops overnight. Her family was broke.
They planned to marry her off to the village chief. My mom refused, tearfully begging them. She insisted that she could earn enough money by going
to college to help her brother get married. But they wouldn't listen.
"So, she ran away with nothing but her hopes, heading to the train station in the dead of night. There were street performers and beggars around.
She was too proud to beg, so she danced—a dance she had learned from a school teacher. But no one paid her any mind, and by the end of the day,

Meet Me Where the Oak Tree Grows
Chapter 52
Under the Veil I Rule
Chapter 305
she hadn’t even earned enough for a bottle of water. As the last train was about to leave, she panicked.
"That's when a man in a military uniform appeared. He complimented her dancing and asked where she was headed. As payment for watching her
performance, he offered to buy her a train ticket. She didn’t know where to go, so she asked where he was headed and pretended their destinations
matched."
Reading History