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....