Chapter 325 - Old Photo (1/2)

Zhang Heng bent and picked the photo from the floor. Unlike the other pictures which were fixed in their slots, this one was clipped instead, hence the reason it fell out. Thus, it should be a more recent addition to the album. There were more than 20 people in the picture, and they looked to be from the same organization. Everyone was in winterproof clothes, hats, and snow boots. At that time, they were standing on a glacier with a dozen sled dogs beside them.

In a single glance, Zhang Heng instantly spotted his parents in the crowd. They looked to be very young at that time. Standing on the left of the first row, his father had made a V gesture at the camera. His mom, on the other hand, was busy stuffing snow into his collar. They were both smiling and seemed really happy.

However, Zhang Heng’s gaze stopped at the rightmost person in the second row. His pupils contracted instantly the moment he saw the Tang costumed man who had given him the extra 24 hours. Zhang Heng quickly noticed that his appearance almost hadn’t changed at all. In the photo, he wasn’t in that Tang suit but had on ordinary clothes that every westerner wore. It appeared he was attempting to look as inconspicuous as possible, seeing how he was behind the others. He wasn’t that tall too, which was why half of his face was blocked. In the photo, his eyes were trained on the others while he smiled.

Zhang Heng looked to the timestamp printed at the bottom right of the photo. It was taken 17 years ago. At that time, he should be more than a year old.

“Oh,” grandpa replied as he put on his reading glasses. “This was taken on the last research project they participated in before returning home. It was in Greenland. They said the temperature could get down to minus 70 degrees. Someone apparently found some ancient ruins, and a large part of it related to ancient myths. When your parents were invited, they didn’t waste a second.”

“What were the results?” Zhang Heng asked.

“I don’t know. I have never cared for these sorts of nonsense. In fact, I disagreed with your mother when she chose this course as her major. She’d always been interested in weird stories and legends since young. At that time, your grandma took her side. Convincing two women were way more difficult than convincing one. Fortunately, they took you back to China after the project ended. I though they’d finally settle down here, but they left after two years. When you become a parent one day, you’ll know how eager your kids can be when it comes to venturing the world.”

“Can I take this photo with me?” Zhang Heng asked.

“Of course, but remember to inform your parents when they are back. Anyway, I have lots of other photos of them.”

Grandpa glanced at the sweet-smiling woman in the photo before finally closing the album in his hand.

“Let’s put these memories aside and finish the work at hand. There are too many places to clean. Thank goodness you got home early. I knew I couldn’t count on your parents.”

“Okay.”

Zhang Heng put away the photo and pointed at the pager, asking, “Do you still want this thing?” “Hmm, this was given to me by your grandmother. I have a special box for the things she gave me. I’ll look for it later.”

……

The two cleaned the house from morning to night. Now, the study, master bedroom, and bathroom were finally done. There were two more bedrooms, and then, it was the kitchen, the most troublesome spot in the house.

The next morning, Zhang Heng turned over a small plot of land in the backyard, intending to grow some produce when the weather became warmer. Grandpa seemed a little surprised as he saw how Zhang Heng turned over the ground.