Chapter 325 Old Photo
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.
“The educated youth from the universities are taught to work like this?”.
Grandpa passed him a cup of warm water. Zhang Heng simply shrugged and took a sip from it.
As he looked at the land he plowed, he remembered how it previously took at least an hour and a half to dig through a small area. Now, it was only half an hour, not to mention workmanship was definitely better than before. Zhang Heng was no expert, nor did he deliberately venture into agriculture. It was just one of his hobbies. That said, sustenance had always been the eternal pursuit of mankind, no matter time or place. Out of the need to survive, he gained farming experience on the deserted island and later, in the Black Sail quest. Although the skills were probably at LV o, it was good enough for him.
“We are progressing a lot faster than I thought. If this is the case, we should finish cleaning everything by tomorrow morning.”
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Zhang Heng was wearing his old clothes when he dug the ground, and his shoes were all muddy, so grandpa went for the door. A young woman was standing outside. She was the resident of the unit opposite theirs, and there was a worried look across her face. After listening to her, grandpa became serious as well. He then nodded.
The young woman thanked grandpa profusely. After a while, she brought a little girl over.
“Old Chen hurt his leg while shopping for vegetables. No one else is in the house except for his daughter-in-law and his granddaughter. The daughter-in-law requested us to watch over her daughter for half a day. She needs to go to the hospital to look after Old Chen. Chen. Still remember Tian Tian? She kept following you around during your summer holidays.”
Grandpa started with a brief introduction.
“Tian Tian, do you remember brother Zhang Heng?”
The little girl seemed a bit shy, instantly hiding behind her mother after hearing what grandpa said.
“Anyway, I’ll leave her in your good hands. Please take care of her,” the young woman said gratefully. “Don’t worry. I watched her grow all the way up. She can make herself at home. By the way, is Old Chen okay?”
“It wasn’t a bad fall, but he’s been suffering from osteoporosis, and they estimate it’ll take a while before he recovers. Anyway, the hospital has been calling us, and I’ve to rush there now. Tian Tian has brought her homework with her. She’ll be preoccupied with it.”
“Okay.”
Grandpa nodded and said nothing after that. After he sent the young woman off, he led Tian Tian to a coffee table and moved her to a small stool to do her homework. At the same time, Zhang Heng didn’t leave the backyard, deworming the laurel tree instead. When he put the canister down, he received a message from Ding Si.
The two had met at the auction and exchanged contacts. Although Zhang Heng rarely interacted with other players, he wasn’t against keeping good ties with commerce chambers like Fulou. They could prove handy with exchanging game points and selling game items. With their help, he wouldn’t need to wait until the auction to sell his game items. Moreover, Fulou had often sold him useful game items and provided valuable information.