Chapter Fifty-Two: The Jade Pendant

An Ming Shan said, “What exactly have you discovered? Hurry up and tell me!”

I replied, “What have you found out again?”

An Ming Shan said, “These photos are from when I was little. Don’t you think they’re adorable?”

I said, “Poor thing, no one loves you!”

An Ming Shan retorted, “You… hmph!” Then she turned her head away and ignored me.

Just as I was about to burn the photos and papers, An Ming Shan said, “Hey, what are you doing?”

I said, “Can’t you see? I’m going to burn them.”

An Ming Shan asked, “Why?”

I said, “I don’t want others to know.”

An Ming Shan said, “What about me? Can’t I know?”

I thought for a moment and said, “Do you really want to know?”

An Ming Shan nodded, “Yes.”

I asked, “No regrets?”

She said, “No regrets.”

I said, “Alright.” Then, I recopied my translation results and showed them to her, watching her expression closely. Her face grew darker and darker; I knew a storm was brewing. After reading it, An Ming Shan tossed the paper onto the table and sat on the bed, fiddling with the three jade pendants.

I said, “I’m going to burn them!” Looking at An Ming Shan, she said nothing. I continued, “Hey, I’m really going to burn them!” Still no response. I flicked open my lighter, slowly moved the paper higher, eyes fixed on her, and said, “I’m really burning them!” Suddenly, I smelled something burning. Looking down, sparks had landed on my pants—they were catching fire! Seeing this, An Ming Shan rushed over and poured water from a thermos onto my pants, extinguishing the flames. But the water was scalding hot! I felt the burn; not only were my pants singed, but they were soaked through. I had no choice but to ask An Ming Shan to get me a new pair. This pair was ruined.

I decided to keep the photos and the paper to continue studying them later. After tidying up, I began examining the three jade pendants. Unexpectedly, when An Ming Shan and I held the two yin-yang fish pendants—one in my left palm, the other in her right—the pendants began to melt! I noticed the subtle changes and slowly brought our hands together. I felt the pendants gradually vanish, only releasing my grip when I touched her thick calluses.

What surprised me even more was that Liu Shan and his group came in at that very moment! His explanation was that he came to “check on” me, and that he had used a lock-opening talisman to bypass the door’s security! No matter how much I calculated, I never expected that chubby fellow to pull such a trick.

They came in just as we were loosening our grip, and then said in unison, “You two…” while nodding knowingly.

We hurriedly pulled our hands apart. An Ming Shan said, “It’s not what you think. Actually, the two of us…”

Liu Shan interrupted, “Looks like we came at a bad time. You two continue; we didn’t see a thing.” Then he gave me a sly grin.

After they left, I looked down at the faint shadow of the Taiji symbol on my hand. An Ming Shan and I compared our palms—the two halves of the Taiji symbol were split between us. But after a few seconds, the patterns on both our hands vanished simultaneously. I picked up the bagua-shaped pendant to examine it and found that half of the yin-yang fish pattern had appeared on it! I passed it to An Ming Shan, and the complete yin-yang fish design was restored.

I clearly saw the pendant change color! With the yin-yang symbol in the center, the pendant shifted from green to multicolored. The central Taiji symbol’s outline was raised, displaying its original black-and-white hues. Each trigram line of the bagua was slightly embossed in a faint gold, encircled by a raised border. Above the Qian trigram, there was a tiny hole, its thickness no more than half the width of my little toenail. The back was flat, engraved with a golden Taiji line. The entire reverse side was reflective; judging by the material, it was probably made of brass used by ancient craftsmen. I hadn’t expected this piece to be copper beneath its jade-green surface.

I put it away, and after An Ming Shan completed the discharge procedures, we began packing to leave the hospital and head home.

Reader Q&A:

Q: Dear author, which cartoons do you like?

A: I enjoy various Chinese animations such as “Mr. Incredible,” “Boonie Bears,” “Old Master Q,” “A Chai,” “Lolo Adventures,” “Divine Soldiers,” the “Super Beast Armor” series, the “Magic Horn Detective” series, “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf,” and “The Jelly Three Musketeers.” I also like foreign cartoons like “Jackie Chan Adventures,” “Olympus Guardian,” “Phineas and Ferb,” the “Spider-Man” series, “Garfield’s Happy Life,” “Doraemon,” and “Detective Conan,” among others. Cartoons, like films and novels, have taught me so much. I love cartoons.