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墨書 Inktalez
"I already know; it was a misunderstanding." The man sitting by the window casually gestured to the wicker chairs on either side of the table. "Please, have a seat."
The room was well-lit, and despite the backlight, I could clearly see his features. His hair was completely white, with a bundle of it tied up in a bun on top of his head, shining brightly in the early morning sunlight. It looked glossy, not at all dry, and quite thick.
I suddenly realized that many men from this village had long hair tied up, including the two guides we encountered in the underground cavern. As far as I remembered, only the Hakka people who had led us earlier had short hair. This was indeed a rather peculiar ethnic group with an ancient charm. Initially, I thought those two Hakka people had a rock-and-roll vibe.
The man had dark skin, with deep-set wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes, seemingly caused by years of exposure to wind and sun. His eyes were not large but sparkled with clarity, unlike those of typical elderly individuals. He wore traditional loose clothing typical of the Hakka people.
He gently picked up the teapot and poured tea for me and Fatty, his hands thin yet strong.
The guiding Hakka person did not enter the room; after we went inside, he closed the door behind us. I didn’t hear him descend the stairs; he must have remained outside.
"My name is Wu Weize, and I am the chief here. The children in this village call me Wu Bo; given my age... you won't lose out by calling me that," the elder said as he placed two cups of tea in front of me and Fatty.
I readily called out "Wu Bo" and then sat down to pick up my teacup.
Fatty sat down with a forced smile. "A misunderstanding? That’s quite a big one. Lucky for you it’s me; if it were him..." Fatty nodded toward me. "I fear there wouldn’t be a head left to drink tea with you."
Upon hearing this, my expression changed slightly. It seemed things were not as lighthearted as Fatty initially suggested. He had merely mentioned that the other party had made a move; it appeared they were intent on causing serious harm, which I hadn’t anticipated. At that moment, my foot was stepped on—by Fatty —who nearly crushed my toes.
In front of outsiders, I couldn’t lose my temper, but I immediately understood Bai Ta's meaning; his eyes were fixed on the cup in my hand, reminding me that I didn’t need to exert so much force.
"I have already punished those two. And I know that some of your words angered them; there are certain taboos here. Didn’t you also break one of Luo Family Child's arms? It’s better to resolve enmities than to deepen them; let bygones be bygones."
Fatty remained silent, yet the smile on his face was neither bright nor dark.
No wonder during our time in the Underground Cavern, Fatty only had one Hakka person climbing up and down. It turned out that another had his arm broken. However, that Hakka person was quite resilient; I hadn't noticed it at all along the way.
"Wu Bo. You are the chieftain here, so why are there other surnames?" I broke the tension and monotony with a question, casually setting down my cup.
"Heh heh, at our peak, there were Ten Clans here. Now it has declined to just five surnames. I was elected as chieftain by the five families."
"So, this Village has quite a history?"
"One could say that. Recorded history can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. There are records of our ancestors' activities from that time."
Historical records indicate that the Hakka people migrated south five times, according to Wu Bo's account. Therefore, this Village must have been established at least during the second migration of the Hakka people, which coincided with the chaos of Huang Chao's uprising at the end of the Tang Dynasty.
Establishing a Village here isn't difficult, but constructing a massive underground water storage facility would be nearly impossible for just ten households. Although I hadn't noticed any signs of human alteration in the Underground Cavern, there were clear signs along the path taken by the Hakka people. The entrance to the Underground River was even more evidently a man-made structure.
A profound smile appeared on my face as I conveyed to him that his lies were too shallow and lacked credibility.
Wu Bo chuckled lightly, "It seems Mr. Zhang has many misunderstandings. The Tang Family Girl has some questions for you; I will answer them all today."
I wasn't in the mood to share a laugh with him. "According to your initial claim, when your Ten Clans settled here, how many people did they have? The underground Stalactite Cave could be explained as a natural formation, but what about that entrance? I'm not talking about the entrance in your Village but rather one resembling a pit vortex in the swamp, along with its surrounding Water Inlet. Could your Ten Clans have accomplished this?"
"We certainly couldn't have done it. But who told you it was us?" Wu Bo's slender fingers lightly tapped on the table. "Our Hakka ancestors came here to escape war; they were mostly elderly women and children. How could they possibly undertake such a massive project?"
At this point, Wu Bo looked up at me and then glanced at Fatty. "When our ancestors arrived here, that pit already existed. We don't know why it exists or who constructed this grand project; it's a mystery to us as well."
I could accept this explanation because I couldn't believe such a feat could be accomplished by so few people. However, I still had many questions to ask. Habitually leaning forward slightly, I hoped to exert some pressure on him. I wasn't sure if it would work; he seemed far too calm and unhurried.
"But your people often go down there. Why?"
Wu Bo nodded, though his expression grew serious. "When our ancestors came here, this place was still barren land."
"It still is," Fatty lazily interjected.
I shot Fatty a fierce glare and tried to step on his foot but missed. It seemed he had anticipated my move and pulled his foot back just in time.
Wu Bo could only shake his head in disappointment. "Mr. Song is right. You two can imagine how difficult it was back then. This place was filled with miasma, and wild beasts and strange insects were everywhere. The only good thing was that there was no war. Our ancestors entered the Underground Cavern during a drought to search for food, killing a few monsters and solving their hunger problem at that time.
Afterward, this Underground Cavern became our Hakka People's refuge during years of famine. There were fish in the water and beasts on the ground; it was a blessed cave bestowed upon us by the heavens. This custom has continued to this day. Every time there is a great famine, my people still enter the underground to hunt. The entrance you came out of was excavated by us Hakka People."
Fatty and I exchanged glances, and I could see disbelief in his eyes. To be honest, I didn't fully believe Wu Bo's words either, but they seemed reasonable and almost flawless.
"Why let Tang Yumo go down? Two men are enough as guides. I can't believe she's the only one who knows the way," I posed my second question after a brief pause.
"Hehe." Wu Bo smiled calmly, showing no signs of embarrassment. "The Tang Family Girl has a special ability; you should credit her for your safe return."
Fatty suddenly exclaimed, "Is she a keen listener?"
Upon hearing this, I felt a sense of dread. (To Be Continued...)
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