A few nights later, after I visited the bureau on an errand, I received a guest at the store. Luo Youyou said mysteriously, "Song Yang, there’s someone here to see you."
When I walked into the store, there sat Song Xingchen. Upon noticing me, he stood up and said, "The Song family has responded!"
"What did they say?" I asked.
Song Xingchen pulled out two train tickets and placed them in front of me, "The elders want us there in person!"
The train tickets were for Jianyang, Fujian, which was a long way from here. "Why didn't they buy plane tickets?" I wondered out loud.
"Because airplanes aren’t safe!" cried Song Xingchen.
I smiled at his conservative thoughts. "I’ll get ready then," I nodded.
I informed Xiaotao that I was going away to deal with some family affairs. "What family matters do you have to deal with?” she asked in amazement. “Do you have to go back and inherit the mantle?"
"What the hell are you talking about?” I clicked my tongue. “Don't worry, it's no big deal. I’ll be back soon!"
At the time, I never imagined this might have been my last time seeing Xiaotao.
On the day of our departure, Song Xingchen hired a cab to pick me up early in the morning before the store opened. Xiaotao couldn't come to see me off because she was too busy with work so Bingxin dropped by with a big bag of food and drinks. Aside from the snacks I usually liked to eat, there were more than a dozen cups of instant bubble tea for Song Xingchen. When I thanked her, Bingxin smiled, "There’s no need to thank me. I prepared this with Xiaotao-jiejie. Be safe!"
After I got into the cab, I sent a text to thank Xiaotao. Surprised by my message, she wrote: “I didn't help prepare anything. It was all Bingxin."
The little white lie Bingxin made up really touched me.
The next day, we arrived in Jianyang and took a bus to the town known as Huifu. "This is where our ancestor, Song Ci, is buried," explained Song Xingchen.
"So the Song family has people here!” I exclaimed. “Did you grow up here?"
Song Xingchen nodded.
Past the mountains and rivers, we finally made it to Huifu Town in the deep mountains. From a distance, we could see ancient mansions from the Ming and Qing Dynasties with the white bricks and black tiles against the misty backdrop. On the terraced fields in the mountains, there were farmers driving big cattle to plow the fields. It was as if we had traveled across time and space.
When we alighted from the bus and entered the village entrance, I felt a sense of déjà vu! The Song family's old manor that stood in front of us had the exact same feng shui pattern and architectural style as the family home in my hometown. Despite being thousands of miles apart, the two Song family's old manors seemed evident of the shared blood relationship.
When we walked to the door, the main entrance creaked open, and a man and a woman slowly approached us. The man was in his mid-forties, with gray hair at the temples and kind eyes while the woman was skinny with bright eyes and rather resembled my aunt.
The woman smiled, "Xiao Song Yang, it’s been a long time since I last saw you!"
I asked in amazement, "Have we met before?"
"When you were born, I carried you in my arms. My name is Song Heting and this is my husband Di Yi'an. In terms of seniority, I’m your aunt."
"My aunt is also named Heting!" I stared in wide-eyed surprise.
Song Heting smiled, "What a coincidence! Perhaps my parents’ generation liked the word ‘he’."
Right then, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen suddenly jumped out and called, "Mom, do we have guests?"
Song Heting introduced, "This is the little girl, Song Jie.” She turned to her daughter, “And this is your cousin Song Yang!"
Her daughter’s surname was also Song which meant that Di Yi'an had married into the family. Song Jie bit her finger and whispered, "Hmm, why are two of my cousins named Song Yang?"
I was rather surprised to learn of this, but Song Heting quickly changed the subject. "You’ve been on a long journey. Come in and rest for a bit!"
Song Xingchen and I walked into the manor which had the exact same layout as my old home. It was already noon and several cold dishes were placed on the dinner table. Song Heting invited us to take a seat and asked if we wanted anything to drink but I shook my head.
Then, Song Heting busied herself in the kitchen while Di Yi'an sat with us. He seemed like a nice guy and made polite conversation, though his position within the family wasn’t high. On the other hand, Song Jie was a spirited little chatterbox who asked me questions about everything. She was very interested in Honor of Kings and invited me for a game after lunch.
The clang of a spatula against a wok came from the kitchen. Song Heting asked her husband to serve the food. "Oh don’t worry about us. There’s enough food on the table to fill us up!" I assured my aunt.
"Oh, it’s nothing!" smiled Song Heting.
Song Jie blinked her big, misty eyes at me and said, "My mother is a good cook but she seldom makes the effort. Today, she’s made so many dishes at once. Looks like you’re a distinguished guest. By the way, Song Yang, do you practice martial arts?"
"No, I’m terrible at that," I smiled bitterly.
"So you are a civil Song.” Song Jie nudged my arm, “Wow, you must be very good at solving crimes. Show me your skills!"
Right then, Song Heting walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of soup. "Xiao Jie!” she shouted. “Why are you so chatty? Haven’t I taught you anything? You shouldn’t talk at the dinner table!"
Song Jie pouted, "It’s not like we’ve started eating yet!"
The bowl of soup in Song Heting’s hands was milky white. "Try our ancestral snake soup. Song Ci loved drinking this,” she said. “Speaking of which, you do resemble Song Ci. Doesn’t he, Yi’an?"
"Yes,” echoed Di Yi’an. “We have a portrait of Song Ci in our home. All you need is a beard to look just like him!"
"Not only do you look alike, but your skills are also very similar. The elders have praised you as the most capable Song family member in your generation!"
Although I knew these words were meant to flatter, hearing them still made me happy.
Song Xingchen interrupted, "Aunt Song, is this what the elders have decided?"
"That’s enough from you!" chided Song Heting.
I wasn’t sure what they were talking about so I tasted the soup instead. It was really delicious and Song Heting told me to finish the entire bowl which she made especially for me.
After lunch, I asked, "Aunt Song, are you the only Song family member living here?"
"Nine out of the ten families in this village are surnamed Song," she explained.
"So you’re all descendants guarding the mausoleum of our ancestor Song Ci?" My eyes lit up.
"Well, at first that was so. In the past, they lived here free of rent and a village was slowly formed. During the war, one of the Song families moved over. This place is far away from the bustle, a paradise where we can train."
"Yeah, there’s no cable TV, no bookstores, no music stores… What a paradise!" grumbled Song Jie.
"What are you complaining about!" rebuked Song Heting.
"Do the elders live here as well?" I asked.
"There’s a Taoist temple on the mountain where the elders live, but they rarely get involved in family affairs. So you don't have to see them. They’re just three old men."
"So the reason I’m here..." I trailed off.
"The elders know what you’re doing out there! They have decided to give you a test, and if you pass that test, you can act according to your own wishes. But if you fail, you must obey the family’s arrangement and stay away from the outside world." Song Heting’s expression turned solemn.
"What?!" I cried.
"Don't get all excited. This test should be very simple for you. In fact, this village isn’t as calm as it seems. There’s an old case here that we’d like for you to solve. As long as you do that, you pass the test."