When Ren Zong heard Guan Tao's request, he immediately said to his son, "Ren Zuo, what are you waiting for? Go get the photo album for Uncle Guan Tao to look at, and introduce the things inside to him."
"Ah, all right, Dad. I'll go right away." Ren Zuo answered and hurried into the inner room to fetch the photo album for Guan Tao. Guan Qing quickly moved over as well. Although she had already seen it before, photographs were such a rare novelty that she could not resist taking another look.
Guan Tao sat on a small stool as Ren Zuo brought over an exquisite black wooden box. Words had been carved into the lid and painted with red lacquer. They read, "Han Tribe's Commemorative Photo Album for the Qiongzhou Immigrants—Household Head Ren Zong," making the box look exceptionally elegant.
Ren Zuo opened it, revealing photograph after photograph inside. Although it was called a photo album, the pictures had not been mounted. They were all loose inside the box, perhaps to make it easier for the immigrants to take them out and look at them. Besides, mounting them all would have been far too expensive, and there had not been enough time. In the end, they had simply made an exquisite wooden box as the packaging.
Ren Zuo took out several photographs and handed them to Guan Tao, then placed a few more on the table before beginning his introduction.
"Uncle Guan Tao, please have a look. This is the photo album. When we first moved here, the Chieftain specially sent people to make these commemorative albums for us. They contain photographs of some of our family members and belongings, as well as the distinctive scenery of the eight northern commanderies. There are even photographs of the Chieftain in