After looking at each photograph, Jiang Yao would flip it over to see if Lu Xingzhi had written anything down.
Some had writings on it, some did not.
Jiang Yao tried to imagine Lu Xingzhi writing these notes on the photograph. He must have gone to her house and listened to every story behind the photographs told by her mother. Then, he probably requested for the negatives, developed them, and printed them out before looking at them again and writing down these words himself.
These photographs must have been given to Lu Xingzhi after their marriage as both Jiang Yao's parents would not casually give out their daughter's pictures to a stranger.
Life after their marriage was busy. Jiang Yao rarely visited both Lu Xingzhi's family and even her own parents. As a son-in-law however, Lu Xingzhi made it a point to visit the Jiang family even when Jiang Yao was too busy to go with him.
He could only stay for a short while each visit, and she did not remember seeing him looking at her pictures.
He loved her with all he had, never showing it to anyone else.
If she were not by his side when he left, would he have hidden everything from her?
What about her previous life? Did he request that his comrades burn everything away if he were to die?
Some books could be found in the other half of the drawer.
These were Jiang Yao's notebooks way back in school, pages filled with notes written by herself.
Some of the books were from her elementary school days, while the others were from her high school days. On the cover of each book was a big stamp, with the word "Excellent" printed on it. It was Jiang Yao's pride to use these books in her class. She would write carefully and make sure her notes and handwriting looked tidy.
After she finished them, her parents could not bear to throw them away. They would keep the books as mementos and would show it to relatives and friends whenever they visited.
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