After finishing their meal, the three of them headed towards the bus stop, with Su Hongyan and Lu Jianzhao continuing their conversation.

As they walked, they passed a free market; there were also stalls set up along the tree-lined path in front of it. Su Hongyan’s eyes happened to fall on one of the stalls, so she stopped and asked, “Grandpa, what is this?”

Upon hearing this, Chu Wan looked over and saw an old wooden box filled with various odds and ends at the next stall covered with an old floral cloth bundle. The box was yellowish-red in color and shiny; it should be a Qing Dynasty official box made of huanghuali wood with a missing lid.

Inside that old wooden box were various odds and ends: several worn-out seals, a jade pendant, an old tobacco pouch, and an old pocket watch.

Chu Wan looked over and realized that this was not the usual antique market.

The sellers in the antique market were all shovels; they collected old rural items and came to the city to resell them for a profit. But these were old Beijingers from the city; they rummaged through the remnants of the ‘Four Olds’ (old ideas, old customs, old culture, old habits) in their homes and were now taking advantage of the current favorable policies to sell them outside.

It was hard to say what kind of people these sellers were. Some felt they didn’t have much capital, so they could sell their own stuff for a pittance. Others, however, knew their stuff and wanted to get a good price.

Su Hongyan seemed quite interested. She squatted down, picked up a pendant tied with a red string with the inscription ‘Fortune, Prosperity, and Health’, and pointed to the jade pendant on it. “What is this?”

The stall was run by an old man. Hearing this, he glanced at her but ignored her.

Su Hongyan was a little unhappy, but she had clearly taken a liking to the jade pendant, so she rubbed it with her hand.

Chu Wan glanced at it; the jade pendant shone with a luminous white light, like mutton fat.

Su Hongyan then asked, “How much does this jade pendant cost?”

The old man said, “80 yuan.”

Su Hongyan, “So expensive?”

The old man said dismissively, “This is a legitimate item, it has a history. It was brought out from the palace before, but it was confiscated and only returned in the last two years. The government wanted to buy it for a hundred yuan, but I was in a bad mood and refused to give it to them.”

Upon hearing this, Su Hongyan thought it made sense. She knew that during those ten years, many old items were confiscated from various households, and they had been returned in recent years. Many old Beijingers were now taking them out to sell, and these items were unlikely to be fake—where would they get fake goods from?

Seeing this, Lu Jianzhao knew that Su Hongyan liked it, so he immediately helped her bargain. After the two parties talked for a long time, the old man finally agreed to sell it to them for 40 yuan.

Just as Su Hongyan was about to pay, Chu Wan spoke up, “Isn’t 40 yuan too expensive?”

As soon as she spoke, all three of them turned to look at her.

The old man squinted, “Expensive?”

Chu Wan said, “It’s just a plaque, 40 yuan?”

The old man raised his eyebrows. “Wow, I’ve really seen something new today. There are people who look down on my wares?”

Lu Jianzhao was a little embarrassed, so he quickly said, “Wanwan, don’t talk nonsense.”

Seeing this, Su Hongyan quickly smiled apologetically. “Grandpa, she doesn’t understand. She’s from the countryside and doesn’t know any better. We agreed on 40 yuan.”

Seeing this, the old man became somewhat presumptuous and said, “Do you know what this is? This is a white plaque. Don’t underestimate this plain white piece; it has a special meaning. People who are not knowledgeable would not understand this. It has no words or pictures on it, so it is called a plain plaque. It is a homophone for ‘no worries,’ which is for good luck. It was made in the Qing Dynasty court and has been passed down through generations. A white plaque like this must have been tucked into the waistband of a prince.”

The old man was speaking with great enthusiasm, and at that moment, several people who had come from the free market gathered around, curiously looking him over.

Su Hongyan became a little anxious. She really liked it and knew it was valuable. Her father collected these kinds of things, so she had some knowledge of them. She felt that she had probably gotten a bargain today and was afraid that someone else would snatch it away. However, she didn’t have enough money on her, so she asked Lu Jianzhao to help her. The two of them pooled together 40 yuan and quickly stuffed it into the old man’s hand.

The old man became even more aloof. “Young lady, if you feel it’s not suitable, it’s fine, we won’t do business today. Think it over carefully!”

Upon hearing this, Su Hongyan became anxious. “Grandpa, this was agreed upon, 40 yuan. We have to keep our word. She’s my friend’s relative. She can’t run my household. What does it have to do with me if she says something!”

Lu Jianzhao was also somewhat helpless. He glanced at Chu Wan and signaled her to keep quiet.

Chu Wan said, “I happen to know the origin of this thing… Sister Su, do you want to hear it?”

Fearing that she might anger the old man, Su Hongyan quickly said, “Wait a moment, please wait a moment!”

Lu Jianzhao quickly tugged at Chu Wan’s arm, signaling her to stop talking.

Chu Wan listened and remained silent.

You couldn’t reason with a stubborn person who’s determined to die; let them spend their money.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

After Su Hongyan paid the money and received the jade pendant, she looked at it with delight and satisfaction. “I’ll show it to my dad later. He loves jade the most!”

Chu Wan didn’t even look at it and said casually, “That’s not jade.”

Lu Jianzhao smiled wryly, feeling that Chu Wan has particularly embarrassed herself today. “Wanwan, if you don’t understand, don’t talk nonsense—”

Su Hongyan wasn’t annoyed. “You’ll know once you touch it. It feels like mutton fat, so smooth! That old man is an expert. He’s right. This is called a ‘no worries’ plaque. Back in the Qing Dynasty, only princes would carry such a plaque. ‘No worries’ means having no troubles and bringing good luck!”

Chu Wan said, “Sister Su, this is called ‘glass’.”

Su Hongyan asked in confusion, “Glass? What do you mean? This is jade!”

Chu Wan, “During the Qing Dynasty, there was a saying that glass was better than jade.”

Su Hongyan asked, “Does that mean glass is good jade?”

Chu Wan explained, “’xiao zi huo (nitrate-glass)’, also known as ‘liao qi (glassware)’, refers to jade-like artifacts fired from minerals, a practice dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Later, glass was used to imitate it. This piece is made of glass, artificially fired. Compared to natural jade, it naturally appears more vibrant, hence the saying ‘glass surpasses jade.’”

She glanced at the white jade plaque in Su Hongyan’s hand. “This is indeed a good imitation. It was made in the palace. Normal glass tends to produce bubbles and has a prism effect when held up to the light, but this one doesn’t. It’s almost indistinguishable from the real thing.”

Su Hongyan was stunned. She looked at Chu Wan, then at the white jade plaque in her hand. “That’s impossible, right? According to you, I paid 40 yuan for a piece of glass?”

Even if it was a replica made in the palace, it was still glass. That 40 yuan was one month’s salary. These days, there were plenty of real jade everywhere. Who would buy a replica glass for no reason?

Chu Wan said, “Jade has a warmer texture and a softer luster. Take a closer look at this glass. The vitrified light is dazzling and the luster is too bright. It lacks a bit of warmth and smoothness, and there is a bit of a floating sheen in its luster. Or you can weigh it. Glass feels a little lighter than genuine jade.”

Of course, you generally couldn’t tell the difference by just holding it or feeling it.

Su Hongyan listened to Chu Wan’s eloquent explanation and stood there stunned.

She stared blankly at Chu Wan, at her slightly yellow hair and at her shabby clothes. After a long while, she finally picked up the white jade plaque in her hand and examined it carefully in the sunlight.

Perhaps it was because Chu Wan had pointed it out, but no matter how she looked at it, she felt that the light on this white jade plaque was indeed a bit too dazzling, quite different from the other jade she had seen at her father’s place.

She weighed it again, and no matter how she weighed it, it definitely felt too light.

Perhaps Chu Wan was right?

Seeing her seemingly skeptical yet somewhat disappointed expression, Chu Wan comforted her, “It’s nothing. This glass imitation jade is still an old item, from the Qing Dynasty court. If you leave it for a while, it will probably be worth something in a few years.”

In another ten or so years, a piece of glass jade like this could probably sell for thirty or forty thousand.

Of course, if it’s genuine jade, it would cost at least several hundred thousand; the value was different after all.

Rich people could buy whatever they wanted, they didn’t care about the money, but those who didn’t have money should think carefully and not let these kinds of things use up their money.

Su Hongyan looked at Chu Wan with an unusually complicated expression. “If it really is glass, isn’t it worth less than forty yuan?”

After thinking for a moment, Chu Wan spoke the truth. “After all, it came from the palace. A prince might even have tucked it into his belt. It should be worth ten or eight yuan, right?”

She looked at Su Hongyan and comforted her, “It’s not bad, you didn’t suffer too much of a loss.”

Su Hongyan’s face showed obvious regret.

Why would a young woman like her buy a glass item that a prince would tuck into his belt?

Pearls and Jade Beside Me in the ’80s translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

---

T/N: The two ‘glass’ things Chu Wan mentioned are actually different things. Shoushi/Xiaozi (硝子) has evolved in modern days to mean the high-quality, beautifully crafted glassware from Japan, or—at the other end of the spectrum—the cheap glass jade bracelets that you see being sold by street hawkers. Both are, at the end of the day, just glass.

The making of the other one, liao qi 料器, is considered a Chinese intangible cultural heritage. During the Qing dynasty, there was an Imperial Glass Factory tasked to make this kind of glass for the imperial family’s use.

The imitation jade plaque that Su Hongyan bought was such a glass; not jade—but still considered a collection-worthy antique. 

Enjoying my translations? Check out my Patreon to get advance access to all ongoing translation works, single work only, or bundled works. Or just leave a tip! Thanks for your support.

Here are this story’s advance postings per Patreon Tier:
…Devoted 2nd Male Lead
Chapter 15.1 — Solicitous
Chapter 15.2 — Solicitous
Chapter 16 — Became a Hot Commodity
Chapter 17.1 — Explore the Courtyard
… Awakened Villainess
Chapter 17.2 — Explore the Courtyard
Chapter 18.1 — The First Stirrings of Love, Save the Day
… Unattainable White Moonlight
Chapter 18.2 — The First Stirrings of Love, Save the Day
Chapter 19.1 — Four Men, One Drama

Or you can subscribe to this story only and be 4 weeks ahead of the website.