Chapter 105: Recalling the Past

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Recalling the Past

Lu Zhengchuan got up and went to his luggage bag. He pulled out an old wallet, and from it, an old black-and-white photograph.

The photo had degraded over time, the figures in it somewhat blurry. It was a picture of a couple.

"This is the only photo I have. It’s of my parents together."

"I actually went to see my dad’s supervisor after I grew up. He was a researcher, so his identity was classified. If I hadn’t been his biological son, I wouldn’t have been allowed to keep this photo."

"But his supervisor told me that because of my dad’s status, I couldn’t conduct a large-scale search. I couldn’t put an ad in the paper or post missing person notices."

"The country has been looking for him, but there’s never been any news."

Lu Zhengchuan’s spirits fell for a moment, but he quickly pulled himself together. "But I’m used to it. Maybe I’ll get the chance to find him someday."

"Whether he’s alive or dead, I’ll bring him home."

"Mhm! We can’t put an ad in the paper, but we can make a drawing from the photo, frame it to keep it safe, and hire a private investigator to look for him."

"It’s just that hiring a private investigator is very expensive. We’ll just have to work hard and earn a bit more money."

Lu Zhengchuan reached out and stroked her head, his heart filled with warmth. "Yeah, I’ll work hard. There’s no rush. The fact that he hasn’t been found after all these years at least means there’s no bad news. I can stand to wait a little longer."

"Then I’ll go draw the portrait. This is the first time I’ve ever seen your parents."

Su Wan got up to get her drawing paper.

It was still early, and she couldn’t sleep anyway.

Lu Zhengchuan wanted her to rest.

"It’s fine, I’m a fast artist. It’ll take an hour at most." Su Wan wanted to get it done while she had the chance.

"What do you need me to do?"

Lu Zhengchuan was mainly concerned because she was pregnant and didn’t want her to get too tired.

"Just stay here and keep me company."

Seeing that he really couldn’t sit still, Su Wan thought for a moment and said, "You can give me a shoulder and back rub when I get tired."

This was a task he could not only do, but was very good at.

A smile spread across Lu Zhengchuan’s face as he immediately began massaging her.

The shoulder rub didn’t affect Su Wan’s drawing. It was just a little ticklish, but she could bear it.

She gazed at the yellowed, faded photograph and started by drawing Mrs. Lu. In the picture, Mrs. Lu wore a white shirt, brown trousers, and a pair of black cloth shoes. Her hair was done in a braid, and her large eyes were complemented by a gentle smile. Despite the smile, Su Wan could still sense a trace of cool detachment about her.

It seemed she must have been in a good mood when the photo was taken to be smiling like that.

Su Wan could see traces of Lu Zhengchuan in Mrs. Lu’s face, especially her expressive eyes. Lu Zhengchuan’s eyelashes were just as thick as his mother’s.

As for Father Lu, parts of the photo had faded, so Su Wan couldn’t be sure of his exact appearance.

She had to ask Lu Zhengchuan.

"Your dad has thick brows and big eyes, right? I just drew his eyebrows and eyes symmetrically."

In reality, most people have slightly asymmetrical faces or uneven eyes; some even have one monolid and one double eyelid. Perfectly symmetrical people are extremely rare.

"No, my dad has monolids. His eyebrows are thick, but his left eye is a little smaller. It’s not obvious, but if you make them symmetrical, he looks different."

Su Wan adjusted the drawing according to his description.

"Like this?"

Lu Zhengchuan glanced at the portrait and pursed his lips. "You made him too handsome. He wasn’t actually this good-looking. The real guy was pretty ugly."

Su Wan was speechless for a second. ’Why does his tone sound so laced with personal grudges?’

"Are you sure? Should I redraw it, then?" Su Wan made a show of reaching for the eraser to wipe away her work.

A large hand grabbed her delicate fingers. "You’ve been drawing for so long and you’re pregnant. You don’t need to erase it. Let’s just leave it. It still looks a lot like him, anyway."

Hearing the insincerity in his voice, Su Wan had to suppress a laugh. She nodded with a straight face. "You’re right. I’m tired of drawing. Since it’ll work for its purpose, we’ll leave it as is."

"Mhm." Lu Zhengchuan pursed his lips, placing his hands on her lower back and continuing to massage it.

Su Wan felt the ache in her back begin to ease.

With a final burst of effort, she quickly finished the rest of the drawing.

Unlike Mrs. Lu’s delicate beauty, Father Lu had a more cheerful face, but he was dressed very casually.

He wore a pair of shorts and straw sandals, and was flashing a big, toothy grin. You could even tell that his white shirt was a bit too large and ill-fitting, as if he had borrowed it from someone just for the picture.

Su Wan was a little curious. "What did your father research? The way he’s dressed, he looks like a farmer."

"I don’t know. The higher-ups said it’s classified and couldn’t be discussed." Lu Zhengchuan shook his head.

"Then he must have been researching some kind of secret weapon. Only that kind of research would be kept completely under wraps."

’She remembered her time at the military research institute developing mine detectors,’ she mused. ’That wasn’t even considered a major project, just small-scale research. Institutes like that were scattered throughout military districts all over the country.’

’For research to be kept that secret, it would have to be something on the level of the ’Little Boy’ atomic bomb.’

"It’s okay. Dad dedicated himself to serving the country. We should be proud of him."

Su Wan handed the finished drawing to Lu Zhengchuan.

"Take this to get framed tomorrow."

"Mhm." Lu Zhengchuan took the portrait, studying it for a long while before carefully putting it away.

「Early the next morning」

When Su Wan woke up, Lu Zhengchuan was already gone.

Aunt Zhao said, "Zheng Chuan left after breakfast."

Su Wan nodded. ’Looks like he really couldn’t wait,’ she thought, ’especially after acting so nonchalant last night.’

Breakfast was rice noodles.

They were made from the dried noodles they had brought back from the Southwest.

Aunt Zhao was originally from Southern Sichuan. She had married and moved to the Capital a long time ago. After her daughter went missing, she never returned to her hometown.

But her excellent cooking skills remained.

Su Wan ate the pickled vegetable rice noodles, finding them incredibly fragrant. They had the unique flavor of the Southwest, and the noodles were soft, smooth, yet perfectly chewy.

It was a very satisfying breakfast.

Just then, someone came to the door.

It was an elderly man.

"Hello, excuse me, is this Sister Zhao’s home?"

Hearing his voice, Aunt Zhao came out of the kitchen. When she saw the old man, she wiped her hands on her apron and hurried over.

"Brother Wu, what are you doing here? Do you need something?"

"Sister Zhao, yesterday I saw you with a portrait of your daughter..." Old Wu said, his expression hesitant.

But before he could finish, Aunt Zhao interrupted him excitedly. "Brother Wu, has someone in your family seen my daughter?"

"No, I came to ask who drew that portrait for you." Old Wu shook his head. Seeing her mistake, he quickly waved his hands to clarify his intentions.

He was also looking for someone and knew how painful such a misunderstanding could be.

Sure enough, after a flash of disappointment, Aunt Zhao pulled herself together. "Our Wanwan drew it."