Chapter 63: Blood Ties

Inside the main hall of Xin Yi An, sandalwood incense curled in thin wisps.

Xiang Yan sat in the seat of honor, his fingers tapping the armrest without pause, his gaze drifting toward the main door every now and then. His temples had gone grey, but his eyes were still sharp as an eagle's.

"Ah-Yan, don't be too nervous." Wu's father sat to one side, consoling him softly, "Qian-Zai is a sensible child. He'll understand."

Wu's mother nodded as well, saying gently, "That's right. All these years, even though he never said it out loud, in his heart he's always been thinking about his birth parents."

Xiang Yan drew in a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly: "Ten years... I've been searching for him for a full ten years..."

Footsteps came from outside the hall.

Xiang Qiang and Xiang Sheng brought Xiang Qian in.

"Dad? Mom?" Xiang Qian saw that Wu's father and mother were also there, and was briefly stunned. "Why are you here?"

Wu's father stood up and patted his son's shoulder: "Qian-Zai, there are some things — it's time you knew."

Xiang Qiang gave Xiang Qian's back a push: "Haven't you always wanted to know about your origins? Go on in. The answer is inside."

Xiang Qian frowned, an inexplicable unease welling up in his chest, but he still stepped into the inner hall.

The inner hall was dimly lit, candles and incense flickering.

Xiang Qian saw the man seated in the place of honor at a glance — that face, he seemed to have seen it countless times in his dreams, yet he could not recall it no matter how hard he tried.

Xiang Yan slowly rose to his feet, his lips trembling: "Ah-Fei..."

"Ah-Fei?" Xiang Qian was stunned. "Who's Ah-Fei?"

Xiang Yan's eyes were red-rimmed, his voice choked: "Your real name... Xiang Fei..."

In an instant, memories came flooding back like a tide.

— That year, age five, the carousel at the amusement park.

— A man lifted him up over his head, laughing loudly as he called him "Ah-Fei."

— Then came the screech of tires, screams, darkness...

Xiang Qian stumbled back a step, his face bloodless: "You... you're..."

"I'm your old man..." Xiang Yan could no longer hold back, tears streaming down his face, "Ah-Fei, your old man is sorry to you... back then, after the servant lost you, I thought you..."

Xiang Qian's mind went blank. He instinctively looked toward Wu's father and mother, his voice shaking: "Then they..."

Wu's mother wiped her tears and stepped forward: "Qian-Zai, back then on our way back, we found you unconscious, and no one claimed you... We couldn't bear it, so we took you home and raised you..."

Xiang Qian's legs went weak; he could barely stand. The questions the original host had carried for ten years had finally found their answer at this moment.

Xiang Yan staggered down the steps, hands trembling as he reached out, wanting to touch his son's face: "Ah-Fei..."

Xiang Qian instinctively dodged.

The hall fell deathly silent.

Xiang Yan's hand froze in midair, the light in his eyes gradually dimming: "You... hate me?"

Xiang Qian clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms: "I... I don't know..."

"Ah-Fei," Xiang Yan's voice was hoarse, "these twenty years, I've regretted it every single day... regretted letting the servant take you out that day... regretted not finding you sooner..."

Xiang Qian jerked his head up, his eyes bloodshot: "Then why are you only showing up now?!

His roar echoed through the hall, and everyone fell silent.

Xiang Yan dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Big Brother!" Xiang Qiang and Xiang Sheng cried out.

Xiang Yan raised a hand to stop them, looked up at his son, tears streaming down his face: "What your father owes you, I can never repay in this lifetime... I don't ask for your forgiveness, only for a chance to make it up to you..."

A single tear hit the ground.

"... Get up." Xiang Qian said in a hoarse voice.

Xiang Yan looked up in disbelief: "Ah-Fei..."

Xiang Qian reached out and helped his father to his feet, his voice choked: "I... I need time..."

Xiang Yan held his son tight, wailing loudly: "Good... good... your father will wait for you... your father will wait for you his whole life..."

Night fell, the rear courtyard of the Xin Yi An main hall.

Xiang Qian sat alone on a stone bench, gazing at the star-filled sky.

"Have a drink?" Xiang Sheng walked over and handed him a can of beer.

Xiang Qian took it, popped the tab, and took a long swig: "Should I be calling you little uncle now?"

Xiang Sheng sat down, smiled briefly, then sighed: "Last year, after you took Kowloon, we all knew. But Big Brother said... we had to wait until you'd made your name, then we could acknowledge you — couldn't let it affect your career."

Xiang Qian gave a bitter laugh: "Really... ridiculous."

"Ah-Fei," Xiang Sheng looked at him seriously, "these twenty years, Big Brother never gave up looking for you. Every hospital, every orphanage in Xiangjiang, even the mainland... he practically turned the whole place upside down."

Xiang Qian was silent for a long while, then suddenly asked: "Where's my mom?"

Xiang Sheng's expression stiffened: "... The day you went missing, your sister-in-law was hit by a car and killed looking for you..."

The beer can was crushed out of shape.

"Ah-Fei," Xiang Qiang walked over at some unknown point, "the reason Xin Yi An is what it is today is because Dad swore he'd build a force that could protect his family..."

Xiang Qian stood up, drew in a deep breath: "... Take me to see Mom."

Green Mountain Cemetery, moonlight like water.

Xiang Qian knelt before his mother's tombstone, looked at the gentle smiling face in the photo, and finally broke down sobbing.

Xiang Yan stood to one side, tears streaming down his face: "Ah-Zhen... I've brought our son back..."

The night breeze brushed past, as if someone were softly answering.

Xiang Qian wiped his tears dry and kowtowed heavily three times toward the tombstone: "Mom... I'm back..."

When he stood up, his eyes had become resolute.

"Dad," — the first time he had called out this title in twenty years — Xiang Qian's voice trembled slightly, "I want... to start using the name 'Xiang Fei' again."

Xiang Yan was so moved he couldn't speak, and could only nod his head vigorously.

Xiang Qiang put an arm around his nephew's shoulder: "Welcome home, A-Fei."

Back at the main branch of the Xin Yi'an gang, Wu's father and Wu's mother were waiting anxiously at the door.

"Qian-zi..." Wu's mother hesitated, wanting to say more but holding back.

Xiang Qian stepped forward and hugged them tightly: "Dad, Mom, thank you... In this life, you will forever be my parents."

Wu's father, tears streaming down his aged face: "Good child..."

Xiang Yan stepped forward and bowed deeply to Wu's father and Wu's mother: "Thank you... for raising A-Fei so well..."

Under the moonlight, three pairs of hands clasped tightly together.

Xiang Qian—no, he should be called Xiang Fei now—looked at the family around him and finally showed a relieved smile.