I started to tidy up the house, picking things up one by one and putting them back on the shelves, and at this moment, an old-fashioned photo album came into my eyes.

I had never noticed this photo album before. It was probably sandwiched between books. I opened it and looked at it. Most of them were photos of the old man and a woman.

The photos were all in black and white. The old man looked very young at that time, while the woman in the photo looked younger than the old man and very beautiful. The two stood together and looked very intimate.

Who is this woman? It seems to me that I have never seen her before. Could it be that she was a friend of the opposite sex when the old man was young?

Could she be my grandma? Such a weird idea came to my mind. I had never seen my grandma. The old man said that I was not born when my grandma passed away. When I asked my dad, he didn’t say clearly.

However, I thought that the old man had never lied to me, so I never paid attention to it.

"Maybe she is really grandma." I touched my face. The old man was quite handsome when he was young. The woman in this photo is also very beautiful. How can he have such a handsome descendant like me! I feel so intoxicated with myself.

I muttered to myself, then turned back.

It wasn't until the last page that a photo caught my attention. The photo was a little out of date, obviously because it took too long.

There are three people on it, all of them look very young and about the same age as I am now. The one in the middle looks very much like my grandfather, the one on the right is very thin and looks a bit like Blind Man Chen, and the one on the left is a short and fat man who is grinning.

, looks a bit vulgar. I think I have never seen him with such a distinctive face. If I had seen him, I would never forget him.

Who is this person? I saw that the old man had a hand on his shoulder. He was obviously closer than Blind Chen. Is he a relative of mine?

"Isn't that right? How could I have such ugly relatives?" I murmured to myself, subconsciously pulled out the photo, turned it over and saw a string of small words on it.

"Zhang Yisheng, Fuyang, Anhui. Chen Yunsheng, Nanjing, Jiangsu. He Tao, Yutang Village, Hanzhong North, Shaanxi."

"Bei Yutang Village, Hanzhong, Shaanxi?" An idea flashed in my mind. I remembered the two mailed dragon bone rubbings. One of the addresses was from Hanzhong, Shaanxi. Could it be that he was the person in the photo?

I got a little excited. This was really an unexpected discovery. I didn't expect that the old man would have such a photo with an address. Maybe he had forgotten it, but for me, it was really important.

The old man has been missing for so long. He must be doing something very important. Should he ask for help? If he wants to ask for help, will he find the person in the photo?

This is very possible, otherwise the old man would not have mailed a keel rubbing from this place just after he disappeared. He may have kept in touch with the old man.

This is a very important clue. After being silent for more than a month, I can no longer keep calm. The address is so clear. How can I feel at ease if I don't give it a try?

I packed up my luggage overnight. I didn't tell Monkey about this. He was working outside with Fatty now, so I decided to go alone.

The next day I bought a sleeper to go to Shaanxi. The journey from Shanghai to Shaanxi is very long. It takes two or three days to get there by train. I prepared enough things, including clothes, food, and most importantly, convenience.

It's money.

I got on the train that night. When I arrived in Xi'an, it was already the morning of the fourth day. I took the direct train from Shanghai to Xi'an. I rested near the train station for a day, and bought another ticket to Hanzhong the next day.

of tickets.

Hanzhong is close to the corner of Daba Mountain in Sichuan Province and Gansu Province. To the north is the Qinling Mountains. This is a very famous place. It was one of the nine states in China in ancient times. The source of the Han River is also here.

It was the evening of the same day when I arrived in Hanzhong. I found a hotel nearby to rest for the night, and started looking for Fish Pond Village the next day.

It is undoubtedly very difficult to find a village in a big city, especially since there are many mountainous areas here. Some places are hidden in the mountains and few people know about them, making it even more difficult to find.

I could only ask people one by one, but after two days, the answers I got were either that they didn’t know or they had never heard of this place. My legs were almost broken and there was no progress at all. I couldn’t help but blame the old man, why didn’t he

It would be easier to find the address if it is clear which county or town it is.

Just when I was about to lose my patience, the words of an old man scavenging turned things around. The old man spoke in a local accent, and it took me a long time to understand what he meant.

This old man was originally from a mountain village on the edge of the Qinling Mountains. His parents were farmers there. In the past few years, some tourist areas were planned to be built near his village. Many villages were ordered to be demolished. His village

The villages were not spared.

There is a village in a mountain nest more than ten miles behind their village, which seems to be called Yutang Village. There are not many people in that village, only a few dozen households, but I don’t know if it still exists now.

Regardless of whether it exists or not, you will find out if you have to take a look. I started immediately, and under the guidance of the old man, I got on the bus heading north. More than three hours later, I arrived at a place called Yu in Liuba County.

The town of the Imperial Temple.

This already belongs to the Qinling Mountains. It is very close to Taibai Mountain. There is a large tourist area. I asked an old man who worked in the tourist area and he said that he only needs to walk north along this town and it will be less than two kilometers away.

I can get to the Fish Pond Village in a few hours. That village is still there, but I don’t know if there is the person I’m looking for.

It was already two o'clock in the afternoon, so I hurried on the road before I had time, but it still took longer than expected. By the time I found the place, it was almost evening.

As the old man said, this village is very small, with only thirty-four households at full count, and some of the houses are still empty.

Most of the people in the village are old people and children, and the young people have gone out to work. Only those who are too old, too young, and those with limited mobility stay here. It is deserted and depressing.

There must be very few outsiders coming here. They looked at my large and small bags, and they were unfamiliar faces. Both the old and the children looked at me curiously. I found an old man at the entrance of the village and asked: "Old man, what do you want me to do?"

Does Thao live here?"

"What?" The old man was sitting at the door of his house dozing off. When he heard my voice, he looked confused. I asked. There was a smell of vegetables in the house. It seemed that dinner was almost ready.

"He Tao, is there an old man named He Tao here?" I repeated in an accentuated voice.

The old man looked like he suddenly understood, waved his hand and said: "No, no, we don't grow walnuts here, you can go outside and ask!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This old man's ears were really good. It was estimated that my voice could be heard by people in the whole village, but he was still confused.

I just wanted to go to another house to ask, when a voice came from inside the house: "Young man, you don't have to ask him. He has been deaf for decades. If you want to know anything, just ask me."

I looked up and saw an old woman walking out of the room. She had silver hair and a very kind face.

I thanked him and repeated the question I just asked.

The old lady lowered her head and thought for a while, then finally showed a look of realization and said: "Oh, it turns out you are looking for He Tao, but he hasn't been back for ten years. I don't know what happened, and he disappeared completely.

Already."

I felt a chill in my heart. After working on it for many days, it all came to nothing. I felt very unwilling and asked, "Where does he live? Is there anyone else in his family?"

"Oh, his house is at the end of the village, slave, it's the two tile-roofed houses." The old lady pointed to the two red brick houses at the end of the village, and then said: "He also has a son and a granddaughter, and the daughter is very beautiful.

, but their family all went out to work a few years ago, for nearly ten years, right? They have never come back, and the house is still empty. By the way, young man, who are you from the He Tao family? "

"Oh, I'm a distant relative of his. I haven't moved around in more than ten years. This year my grandfather asked me to come over and see him." I said perfunctorily, but I was extremely disappointed. I didn't expect that all the hard work for a long time would be in vain.

.

I looked at the sky and wanted to leave, but the old lady stopped me and said, "Son, don't leave today. It's already so late and you can't go out even after dark. The days in winter are short, so at night

The road is even more difficult, so you can stay one night. Rest at Xiao He's house that night. When his family left, he left me the key and asked me to help take care of it. The house was still very clean, which was just right.

I've also prepared dinner, so you can eat some while it's hot to keep warm!"

The old lady was so kind that it was difficult for me to refuse. At this moment, I also thought of something. Although He Tao is gone, the house is still there. Maybe I can find some clues there. Even if it is delayed, it is not bad.

Not for one night.

I nodded in agreement. After running around for a day, my stomach was already deflated, so I stayed at my grandma’s house to eat some food. The grandma cooked authentic local dishes, which were very delicious, but the portion was not enough, so I couldn’t bear it.

I was only half full after eating.

After dinner, the old lady led me to He Tao's house with the key. When I opened the door, I asked about a faint musty smell. However, the house was very clean. The quilt was neatly placed on the bed. I came in.

It can accommodate people, which saves a lot of trouble.

After the old lady left, I observed the house. There were only two rooms in the house. The front room was the main room. There were two beds in the bedroom, separated by a curtain. There was a wooden table and cabinet placed in front of the bed on one side.
Chapter completed!