Problem with Software Serial: no response
SoftwareSerial cannot transmit and receive at the same time.  So even if you connected pin 8 to 9 with a wire, your sketch will not receive what was transmitted.  That's a guess without your wiring diagram.

NeoSWSerial can simultaneously transmit and receive.  It is a drop-in replacement for SoftwareSerial.

However, AltSoftSerial is even better, and it only works on pins 8 &amp; 9.  Use that instead!

This answer compares all 4 serial types, including HardwareSerial.