After greeting the old woman, Song Jie watched her slowly walk over the ridge. Tugging my sleeve, she whispered, "We’ll take our time. Let’s not walk with her!"
"Why?" I asked.
"Just listen to me," Song Jie refused to explain further.
Since Granny Yan walked slowly, Song Jie took us around from the side in order not to walk ahead of her.
We soon arrived at a hill overlooking the entire village. The rows of ancient buildings looked very pleasing to the eye. There was a big banyan tree in the center of the village, the leaves wide like a veil that covered the sky and some colored cloth was tied onto the branches. Song Jie pointed and said, "What you need to investigate is in that banyan tree."
"In the tree?" I asked in amazement.
"That's what my mother said, though I'm not very clear about the details. As far as I know, this is a sacred tree in the village. You'd better not let the others see you investigating, especially that old woman!" Song Jie warned.
When Granny Yan finally entered one of the houses, we slipped into the village. It was foggy in the morning, so I wasn’t worried about being seen. I circled the tree while Song Jie sat on a big millstone next to me, eating wild fruits she had picked along the road.
I instructed Song Xingchen to thump on the tree trunk slowly with his scabbard as I placed my ear on the trunk to listen. After switching from several different angles, I heard something in the tree. Sound traveled at different speeds through different objects and whatever was in that tree sounded like… a corpse.
"There is a corpse inside!" I exclaimed.
Song Jie looked surprised. "That’s amazing. You can tell just by listening? Are you a dolphin?"
"Echolocation is a basic skill of the civil Songs."
"Wow! If only I had this sort of listening ability, I could cheat on the exam. Hehe!"
I chuckled, I’ve certainly never done such a thing!
But how were we supposed to remove the skeleton from within? The banyan tree had extremely tenacious vitality. Even if one hanging branch reached the earth, it would slowly grow into a tree. In Southeast Asia, some temples were often completely wrapped in banyan trees.
Since this was a sacred tree of the village, I would certainly anger the villagers if I sawed the tree in half. If I wanted to pass the Song family’s test, I would have to abide by the rules.
After staring at the trunk for a considerable amount of time, I frowned, "I need something sharp!"
Song Xingchen asked, "What about my sword?"
"Is your sword resistant to heat?" I asked.
"Yes!" Song Xingchen nodded.
However, none of us had a lighter so we decided to head back first. Right then, a commotion sounded in the village. A crowd wearing white belts poured out of one of the houses, the cries of several women filling the air. Granny Yan walked in front, tossing yellow joss paper all around while she uttered, "Come back to us! Return to your home. The world out there is filled with thieves and traitors!" She seemed to be chanting a passage from the Verses of Chu, Summoning Of The Soul.
"Is this a funeral?" I whispered to Song Jie.
"No!" Song Jie smiled, "This is called the bone-seeking burial. You’ve probably never heard of it. Let’s watch the excitement!"
We followed the crowd to a large cemetery outside the village, only to see two young men walking out of the crowd and digging away. Granny Yan knelt down and removed the skeletons with bamboo tongs while chanting prayers to pacify the soul. She placed the bones put on a mat, cleaned them with soju, and then put them in a jar.
According to the local folk customs, the bones had to be removed three years after their death and they had to be buried separately. The final burial ground was considered the real resting place of these bones.
Before the ceremony ended, Granny Yan walked to another grave with the jar and removed the second set of bones. Placing both bones in the same jar, she slaughtered a big cock, poured the chicken blood in the jar and sealed it with a red cloth before solemnly handing it to the family.
Song Jie explained that the bone-seeking burial and ghost marriage were performed at the same time. The deceased were an unrelated young man and woman before their death. In local folk customs, those who died before marriage were considered children. Thus, the two families arranged a ghost marriage so the man and woman’s souls could have each other as companions in the netherworld.
Song Jie muttered, "If the couple were reincarnated, they would probably be brother and sister in their next life. Don’t you think so, Song Yang-gege?"
“Perhaps!" I nodded.
"Don't get me wrong,” Song Jie blushed. “I didn’t mean anything."
I wasn’t sure why she had such a strong reaction; I didn’t think too much of her words.
When I asked Song Jie if the village head was among these people, she pointed to an old man. After the ceremony, I walked up to him and greeted, "Hello, village chief. I’m a relative of the Song family. I’d like to ask you something."
The village chief said in amazement, "Whose relatives are you?"
I forgot there was more than one Song family here. Song Jie grabbed my arm and said, "Uncle Song, he’s my cousin from the city. He’s a famous detective who knows many policemen and officials!"
The village head looked at me with starry eyes. "Oh yes! I heard Heting mention you. You’re Song Zhaolin's grandson, aren’t you?"
"Yes!" I replied.
The village chief smiled, "In fact, we’re of the same blood. Those surnamed Song in this village are all either relatives or friends. Just tell me if you need anything."
"Has anyone disappeared in the village over the past ten years?" I got straight to the point.
The village chief frowned, "In the past ten years? That’s too long for me to remember."
"Do you have the household registration files for the entire village?" I added.
"Yes, you can drop by and look at them if you like," the village chief readily agreed.
"I'll visit you tonight then!" I smiled, cupping my fist.
Song Jie tsked at my reply, "The village chief probably wants to sleep at night. This is a rural area. Unlike your city, there’s no nightlife here. Tomorrow is better! Uncle Song, we’ll visit you tomorrow morning."
“Alright then, you can come over at noon. I'll let make you lunch," nodded the village chief.
I couldn’t help lamenting at life in the countryside. Things moved at a snail’s pace and I would be wasting a day. But as they say, when you’re in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Song Jie pulled my arm, "Song Yang-gege, it's still early. Let's go explore the cannon building!"
I wondered out loud, "What’s the cannon building?"
Song Jie's cheeks reddened once more. "It’s the cannons which they used to fight enemies. Song Xingchen-gege and I used to play there when we were little. There’s even an old cannon still standing there!"
We walked up the mountain path to the cannon building which was actually two small buildings made of bricks–nothing special at all. The river in front flowed in sweeping meanders, the waters so clear you could see the playful fish chasing each other.
Song Xingchen and I stood by the river. "The air here is great. It’s so rich in oxygen," I sighed.
Song Xingchen turned around abruptly to face Song Jie who was about to sneak up on him from behind and kick him into the river. "Geez, aren’t you too old for such tricks?" he scoffed.
Making a face, Song Jie shoved Song Xingchen, causing the latter to stagger a few steps backwards. As Song Xingchen backflipped from the riverbank, Song Jie threw a few stones and shouted, "Look out for hidden weapons!"
The water splashed when the stones crashed onto the surface. Song Xingchen swept the water away with a wave of his sword, without so much as a drop on his clothes.
Thus, the two broke into a duel on both sides of the river while I stayed away for fear of being accidentally injured. I never imagined such a side to Song Xingchen. He and Song Jie probably grew up together like childhood sweethearts.
An Anthology of Ancient Chinese Poetry by Qu Yuan and other poets.