Don't Forget Your Root

My father’s unfulfilled wish was to look for my grandfather’s hometown in Xinpu, China.

I saw there was a longing incredibly radiated from his eyes. As a filial daughter with Chinese upbringing I always remembered the meaning of filial piety which refers to the extreme respect that Chinese children are supposed to show their parents.

We decided to start a blind search on 21 September 2011.
I and my father left for Guangzhou by Garuda Airlines. By chance the person who was sitting across my father unexpectedly offered to accompany us.

We arrived at Baiyun International airport after five hours flight. Our journey to Jiaoling took six hours by bus and we continued by car to Xinpu village and we were welcomed by a scenery of the debris of old houses almost collapsed.
We were shaken by the bumpy roads. So quiet and simply heartbreaking. Oh, this felt as if I was directly watching Kung Fu movies of Jacky Chan set in 1930. My heart sunk.

It was so difficult to find someone on the roadside to ask for the address. There was an old lady farmer but she didn’t know the address. We were disappointed and increasingly nervous.
We saw another old lady who showed the direction behind her house. The route taken was a shortcut. There was a duck pen packed with the free roaming ducks. It was terribly wet and had unbearable foul smell. My poor luggage and new shoes.

Came from the small house an old man. He was the far relative of my grandfather. He read from the genealogy book my grandfather’s name and my father’s. Chinese people are so smart the same generation carry the same middle name.

My father’s cousin and nephew were driving to fetch us from Jiaoling. The old man show us my grandfather’s house next to his. I suddenly sensed the presence of my grandfather’s occupied all corners of the house. He smiled exactly the same reflection that hanging on top of my father’s bedroom door.

The old man took a few incense sticks from the praying table, he gave three sticks and lit it for my father. My father raised and made the motion of three times. The tips of burning incense sticks glowing red turned gray. I was standing still at the corner and tears poured against my dry pale cheeks.

My father’s cousin and his nephew just arrived. They couldn’t believe that we were standing in front of them. My father’s cousin approached my father, hugged him and planted kisses on his cheeks. They sobbed tears of joy as I watched the catching moment, blood is thicker than water.