When the old man spoke my father's name, I was stunned.
Did he know my father?
“What did you just say?” I stared at the old man. “You know Xiang Tian?”
The old man squinted, observing me, and muttered, "So... so much alike..."
"Like what?"
"You're Xiang Tian's son, aren't you?"
"Who exactly are you?" I asked.
The old man chuckled, revealing a row of yellow teeth. "Kid, by seniority, you should still call me Uncle. Since you're Xiang Tian's son, you're naturally not an outsider anymore."
Saying this, he extended a dirty hand, clearly expecting me to help him up.
After a moment's thought, I reached out and helped him to his feet.
The old man glanced at me, smiled with satisfaction, and said, "Let's go, we can talk outside."
He led us back from the original passage to where we had descended. It turned out there were two passages in the corridor, but he had blocked the other one with wood, creating a diversion, which was why we hadn't found the way back earlier and had gone to another tomb chamber.
We returned to the small wooden house the way we came, and the old man had us follow him to a cave.
The entrance to this cave was very small, requiring people to stoop to get in, and inside there was a wooden door.
After passing through the wooden door, I discovered it was another world within.
The cave was filled with many self-made furniture items and some pottery he had fired himself, like bowls and teacups.
It turned out this was his residence. The environment was decent, but living alone in the depths of the mountains, I'd probably have gone mad from loneliness.
"Sit down," the old man gestured for us to sit and went to pour us some tea.
Fatty surveyed the surroundings and then asked me, "Master Xiang, where do you think he hid the treasures from the tomb?"
I didn't expect Fatty to still be thinking about the tomb's contents. I said to him, "Can you stop thinking about treasures all day long?"
Perhaps sensing my impatience, Fatty shrugged and didn't say anything further.
Soon, the old man poured each of us a cup of tea and then introduced himself.
The old man’s original name was Zhao Chengyuan, and he was a doctoral graduate in archaeology. He had participated in the excavation of many valuable ancient tombs in his early years.
He and my father met at an exchange conference and became friends thereafter.
As he spoke, he looked at me, "Your father was in his prime back then. He mentioned to me that he had a son in his hometown... I even said I'd visit if I had the chance. Who knew so many things would happen later, and that we'd meet in this way."
"Uncle Zhao, were you and my father on an archaeological team back then?"
He glanced at me. "Did your father tell you that?"
I shook my head.
Zhao Chengyuan took a sip of his tea, seeming hesitant to speak. "May I ask you a question?"
"Please do."
"Your father, is he now..."
"He has passed away."
Zhao Chengyuan was taken aback, his pupils constricting slightly. "Was it them?"
"Uncle Zhao, my purpose for being here is to find out what my father did back then, and who those people who went looking for him were," I said, looking at him intently.
"Didn't your father tell you?"
"No, he didn't tell me anything. Before he died, he even told me not to investigate his affairs."
Zhao Chengyuan gave a bitter smile. "Since he said that, why did you..."
Before he could finish, I said, "Uncle Zhao, if it were you, what would you do? I can't just watch my father die without knowing why!"
"Alas, Xiaofei. Your father was actually doing it for your own good..."
"Uncle Zhao, there's no need to say such things. I'm not a three-year-old child anymore. I know what I should and shouldn't do."
I took a deep breath, took out a pack of cigarettes, offered one to each of them, and lit one for myself.
Whenever I felt agitated, my desire for a cigarette grew significantly.
Zhao Chengyuan took a cigarette, held it in his hand, and examined it for a moment before letting out a bitter laugh. "I haven't smoked this brand in many years..."
I lit it for him, and he took a slow puff. "You came here and found me, which must be fate. Since that's the case, there's no need for me to hide anything from you. I'll tell you anything you want to know."
Hearing this, I felt a surge of excitement.
For years, I had been searching for answers, constantly on the move, all to understand my father's past.
Now that it was finally happening, I felt a touch of fear.
But I knew I absolutely couldn't back down from this!
"Uncle Zhao, please start by telling me how you met my father," I said, exhaling a puff of smoke.
Zhao Chengyuan glanced at Fatty and Ah Shui beside me, seemingly asking if they should leave.
Ah Shui was clever and stood up. "I'll go outside and see if I can find any wild game. We can have something with meat tonight."
Fatty, however, lingered, clearly curious about my father's affairs.
After all, during the time we'd spent together, I had told him quite a bit.
After Ah Shui left, I said to Zhao Chengyuan, "Uncle Zhao, Fatty is one of us. Please tell me."
He nodded and pointed to the cigarettes on the table. "It's been a long time since I smoked, give me another one."
I directly handed him the rest of the pack. He lit one and began to smoke, a look of deep emotion on his face. "Alright, I'll start from when your father and I met..."
...
'79 was the last year of the twentieth century. In that year, China welcomed many developmental opportunities, and with the revival of numerous long-standing businesses, the once sluggish antique market gradually began to boom.
Quanjude, the world's largest roast duck restaurant, also reopened that year.
Also in that year, Xiang Tian, far away in Jiangdong, embarked on his life's journey.
By then, he had already gained some renown in Jiangdong, known to many in the antique circle.
He had two reasons for leaving Jiangdong. The first was his father. Due to a conflict between his father's old-fashioned beliefs and his own ideas, he wanted to venture out and broaden his horizons.
The second reason was that he felt he had become quite skilled as a treasure appraiser in Jiangdong, with no room for further growth. He needed to connect with more formidable treasure appraisers.
Thus, his first stop was Yanjing.
As a treasure appraiser from the countryside, he plunged into this vast metropolis, finding everything incredibly novel.
It was also in that year that he met many archaeologists and antique enthusiasts from Yanjing.