Chapter Forty: A Newfound Respect

Seeing Zhang Can’s expression, Zhou Nan’s aunt was momentarily stunned and asked nervously, “What’s wrong? Is this thing worthless?”

Zhang Can pondered for a moment before nodding and replying, “Let me explain the difference between zircon and diamond. Diamond is the hardest substance in the world; I won’t speak about its value, you understand that already. Let’s talk about zircon. Because diamonds are precious and valuable, anything of value tends to attract counterfeits and substitutes. Zircon is the best substitute for diamond. In appearance, zircon is the gemstone most similar to diamond. Pure, natural zircon isn’t without value; gem-grade natural zircon is also considered a gemstone. Though it doesn’t match diamonds, it still has some collectible worth. However, in the marketplace, almost ninety-nine percent of diamond substitutes aren’t natural zircon, but a synthetic version called cubic zirconia, abbreviated as CZ in English. Its value is far below that of natural zircon, and it can’t be compared to diamonds at all. For maximum profit, fakes usually use this synthetic cubic zirconia.”

Zhang Can’s explanation was hard to bear for Zhou Nan’s aunt and uncle, especially her aunt, who was so angry her hands trembled as she muttered, “Those swindlers! I’m going to report them, I’ll sue them!”

Xie Jiacheng was also frustrated. The jewelry of his elder and second sister-in-law was genuine, though not particularly valuable and worth less than the purchase price, but it was authentic, leaving nothing to be said. Ironically, he and his wife, supposedly the most affluent, kept running into embarrassing mishaps; he felt utterly humiliated and could only vent his anger on the merchant who sold them the items.

Only Xie Yong and Zhou Nan remained impartial, not sharing their indignation, but finding Zhang Can’s explanations intriguing. They asked him in turn:

“Zhang Can, how do you tell zircon apart from diamond?”

“Big Brother Zhang, do you want me to bring another basin of water?”

Zhang Can couldn’t help but laugh and waved his hand, saying, “Water is only useful for testing rosewood; you can’t use water to test zircon. For this...”

He paused, then said to Xie Yong, “Alright, go fetch a piece of glass. It doesn’t need to be large, just a small mirror used by girls will do.”

“I have one in my room!” Xie Yong replied excitedly, jumping up and quickly returning with a glass mirror about the size of a cutting board.

Zhang Can reached out to Zhou Nan’s aunt, “Auntie, may I borrow the ring?”

She hurriedly handed him the diamond ring. Zhang Can took it, and instead of testing it right away, he explained while holding the ring, “Look, the difference between diamond and zircon is hard to distinguish with the naked eye. Whether by sight, light, refraction, or observing from the side, zircon became the best diamond substitute precisely because it’s so similar; you can’t tell them apart by eye. If you want to determine whether a diamond is real, there are several points to consider. First, zircon is an anisotropic crystal. Looking down through the table facet of a well-cut zircon, you’ll see a clear double image at the pavilion facets, but a true diamond won’t have this doubling.”

As he spoke, Zhang Can placed the ring flat on the coffee table and looked down at it through the light. Zhou Nan leaned in and exclaimed, “Wow, there really is a double image!”

The others came over and, following suit, looked through the ring tip down into the base, indeed seeing the clear double shadow.

Zhang Can continued, “Second, this is the simplest and most practical method. Diamond, also called adamantine, is the hardest known substance, with a Mohs hardness of ten. Zircon’s hardness is only eight. To be completely sure, you’d use something with a hardness of nine to scratch it—true diamond can mark it, but zircon cannot, and may even get damaged itself. But we don’t want to damage Auntie’s ring, so we won’t use a level nine material. Glass has a hardness of about six and a half, far below nine, but it’s not drastically different from zircon. Testing with glass is convenient and won’t harm the zircon. Have you ever seen a glass cutter?”

Nearly everyone nodded. Cutting glass isn’t high-tech; most have seen artificial diamond cutters at hardware stores. Though artificial diamond isn’t quite as hard as natural diamond, it easily scores glass, leaving a crisp line with little effort.

Zhang Can took the ring and lightly scratched the surface of the glass mirror with the tip of the zircon, producing a grating, unpleasant sound. The glass was scratched and cracked, but the noise was harsh, and it was obvious that the ring’s “diamond” didn’t cut the glass as smoothly as a real one would.

At this point, everyone truly trusted Zhang Can; no matter how eloquent the explanation, nothing beats a demonstration. Seeing it firsthand is more convincing than hearing a thousand pretty words.

Zhang Can smiled, “There’s a third point, though most people don’t know it: specific gravity. Diamond’s specific gravity is 3.52, zircon’s is over 4.2. So for the same size, zircon is much heavier than diamond. But unless you’re familiar with diamonds, you wouldn’t be able to tell.”

“That’s true. I didn’t understand diamonds or zircon at all. If you hadn’t explained it so clearly just now, I’d never have known!” Zhou Nan nodded in agreement. At the jewelry store, Zhang Can had only said the diamond in the ring was a ruined cut, but hadn’t mentioned zircon, so she found this explanation fresh and fascinating. If Zhang Can were a teacher, she would certainly consider his lecture a success—he had everyone captivated.

The grandmother waved her hand happily, “Alright, enough looking. Today is my birthday, and Xiao Zhang is a guest. You’re not guests, are you? The host should act like the host!”

After sitting back down, the Xie brothers viewed Zhang Can differently, each moving closer to ask him about antiques. They’d never been interested in their father’s lifelong hobby, but Zhang Can had managed to enthrall the whole family in just half an hour.

Xie Jiacheng was now thoroughly convinced by Zhang Can’s assessment of his watch and had decided to go to an authorized store to have it opened and checked.

Zhou Nan was radiant with a gentle smile. She hadn’t expected that this Zhang Can, whom she’d met by chance, would have such insight. Her grandmother liked him genuinely, and that made her happier than any expensive gift; if good things were to be given, her three uncles had already given plenty.

Judging by the family, their situation was evidently quite good. The three Xie brothers all appeared to have solid financial means, and Zhou Nan’s parents, from occasional remarks, seemed to be officials—perhaps in economic management or some bureau, with real authority. Otherwise, they wouldn’t speak in that tone. Yet Zhou Nan herself showed no hint of the arrogance or ostentation of a privileged daughter or a second-generation rich kid. If not for the way she had outbid him for the gold bracelet, he’d never have guessed she came from wealth. For this reason, Zhang Can had a favorable impression of her.

Grandmother disliked lavish banquets and extravagant celebrations. For her eightieth birthday, she only wanted her children to gather at home and spend time together.

Zhou Nan had quietly told Zhang Can this. Over the next hour or two, the children of the eldest and second uncles arrived, calling out “Grandma” and presenting gifts, which she accepted with cheerful smiles.

Meanwhile, Xie Yong confided to Zhang Can that although his cousins gave gifts to Grandma, they often received far more from her; she was their protector and financial support. Whenever they had troubles or difficulties, they didn’t turn to their parents but sought out Grandma; only she was their true refuge.

After a while, Xie Yong whispered again, “Actually, that’s true for me as well. Grandma nags me, but I know she genuinely cares.”

Grandmother was a wise and kind elder; Zhang Can could sense this from their brief conversation and interaction.

The aunts were busy cooking in the kitchen, the uncles chatted in the living room about business, and Zhou Nan, along with a cousin, two younger cousins, and a younger female cousin, teased and joked together, occasionally glancing at Zhang Can and whispering in Zhou Nan’s ear, followed by bursts of laughter.

Zhou Nan blushed, and Zhang Can could easily guess what they were saying. Though her cheeks reddened, she didn’t protest, but that didn’t mean she was infatuated with him. Despite the short time they’d spent together, Zhang Can felt he understood her well.

This girl was truly proud and aloof inside. Their meeting was mere chance; perhaps, because he had let her have the bracelet and made her grandmother happy at her birthday, she had warmed to him. But this was not love.

Zhang Can wasn’t naive enough to think Zhou Nan had fallen for him at first sight. He knew his own status and level, and with her beauty and family background, she wasn’t someone he should pursue. It was still Liu Xiaoqin... Whenever he thought of that girl, Zhang Can’s heart trembled.

He felt a pang. There was no denying Liu Xiaoqin was a good girl; for her father, she had sacrificed her own future without hesitation. That filial piety and courage were qualities Zhang Can admired. Yet deep down, he was always pained by her deception.

Such deception, in any other situation or in a movie, he would have felt nothing amiss and believed he could accept it. But when it happened to him, he found he simply couldn’t bear it.

After finishing a cup of hot tea, Zhang Can rose and said to the grandmother, “Madam, I won’t disturb your family any longer; I have some things to take care of.”

“No, young man, you mustn’t leave!”

Grandmother waved her hand, refusing outright and laughing, “You’re Nan’s friend. Since you’ve come to my home, you are my guest. I don’t like extravagance; my sons want to go to big restaurants but I disagree. No matter how good the food, nothing beats a homemade meal shared with family. What I want is a sense of reunion. Look, I’m eighty now, nearing the end of life; seeing children and grandchildren gathered around is the happiest thing of all!”

Zhang Can turned and glanced at Zhou Nan. She smiled, lifted her lovely chin, and shook a slender white finger.

He couldn’t leave!

Grandmother suddenly stood and addressed Zhang Can, “Xiao Zhang, come with me to my room. I’d like to chat with you some more.”

“Oh...” Zhang Can was taken aback; her expression clearly indicated she wanted only him in the room, perhaps to appraise some other treasure. At the thought that there might be something even more rare, excitement welled up inside him.