Chapter Fifty-Eight: Swapping the Shuttlecock

“Hmph... Those with a guilty conscience know it themselves!” Su Xiu grumbled indignantly, but Old Su suddenly interrupted her, barking, “Xiu Xiu, what nonsense are you spouting? You’re a grown-up now, still so thoughtless!”

“Uncle, why are you—” Su Xiu asked Old Su in confusion, but he gave her a fierce glare, and she could only swallow her words, turning her head away in a huff to sulk alone.

Zhang Can chuckled, showing no sign of anger. This was not yet the time for him to lose his temper, nor was it wise to startle Old Su, or even let slip the faintest hint of resentment toward him.

Though Su Xiu had been silenced by Old Su, she was still far from satisfied. Just then, the door opened, and a man in his thirties entered, leading a little girl of about six or seven by the hand.

Zhang Qiang hurried forward to greet him, “Sir, please, have a seat...”

The middle-aged man set the bag he was carrying on the counter and looked at Old Su, saying, “I have something to sell. Please take a look.”

He opened the bag and carefully produced a small box. Within the box lay a white jade seal, about the size of a thumb. Its surface gleamed milky white, looking rather fine.

However, with a single glance, Zhang Can’s discerning eyes saw through it. The seal’s appearance—its whiteness, skin tone, and luster—all closely resembled Hetian white jade, one of China’s five great jades and reputed as the national jade. A genuine, top-grade Hetian jade seal, even one the size of a thumb, would be of inestimable value.

Yet, with a moment’s scrutiny, Zhang Can saw that this was not true Hetian jade, but a piece of “Ba jade,” so called for its origin in Pakistan. Also known as Qingbai jade, Ba jade is a type of hard metamorphic rock—a kind of marble with relatively strong radioactivity. Wearing it or keeping it close for long periods can be harmful to the body, so within the trade, Ba jade is rarely valued.

Still, Ba jade closely resembles Hetian jade in both whiteness and luster, and given the high value of quality Hetian jade, countless profiteers have used Ba jade to forge imitations.

Having recognized the fake at a glance, Zhang Can lost interest. His gaze drifted to the little girl the man had brought, who was playing alone in a corner of the shop, kicking a shuttlecock. The shuttlecock was made from a fabric-wrapped coin, tied with string, a chicken feather tube sewn on, with five or six beautiful long rooster tail feathers inserted. She counted aloud, “One, two, three, four...” as she kicked.

Watching the girl play, Zhang Can became intrigued and kept his eyes fixed on her.

Meanwhile, Old Su examined the seal carefully for a while, then flipped it over and over with a magnifying glass. The middle-aged man continued, “This is a Hetian jade seal my father bought in Suzhou years ago, paying a high price. It was once the private seal of a wealthy Suzhou merchant. They said the merchant himself spent six hundred thousand on it in Xinjiang for the raw stone, then had a master craftsman carve it. Six hundred thousand in the nineties wasn’t what it is today...”

Old Su, being an old hand, would not be swayed by the man’s words. After a while, he shook his head and said, “Sorry, sir. This seal—perhaps try another shop. We’re doing very little jade business these days.”

Zhu Senlin, standing aside, understood perfectly. Old Su’s claim that they rarely dealt in jade was just an excuse—a shop takes whatever turns a profit. His refusal meant the piece was a fake, so Zhu Senlin lost interest; the man was simply trying to make some easy money.

Disappointment clouded the man’s face. He frowned and said, “You really won’t make money when it’s right in front of you? This is Hetian jade, the finest there is...”

But when he saw Old Su’s lack of interest, he relented, saying, “Fine, fine. Name your price. I’ll take the loss, as long as it’s reasonable.”

Old Su only smiled, remaining silent—a clear rejection.

The man gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, ten thousand—how about that? No? Five thousand? You really won’t take it for five thousand? How much will you pay? How about a thousand?”

Still, Old Su said nothing. The man bargained himself down step by step, but Old Su was determined not to buy.

Dejected, the man cursed under his breath, snatched up the seal, and called to the girl, “Xiang Lin, let’s go. All you do is play!”

“Okay...” The little girl answered, hurriedly scooping up her shuttlecock before running to his side.

“Wait a moment!”

Zhang Can suddenly spoke, nodding to the man. “A thousand—I’ll take it.”

The man was taken aback, then delighted. “You want it? Isn’t a thousand too cheap?”

The moment anyone showed interest, his greed surfaced.

Zhang Can said coolly, “A thousand. Take it or leave it. If not, be on your way.”

“Yes, yes, a thousand it is. You pay, I’m gone!” Sensing Zhang Can’s indifference, the man gave in at once.

Zhang Can fished a hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Qiang. “Ah Qiang, go to the supermarket across the street and buy a hundred yuan’s worth of shuttlecocks. Hurry!”

Zhang Qiang was taken aback. “Shuttlecocks?”

Zhang Can smiled. “Yes, shuttlecocks—the kind children kick. Go quickly, I need them.”

Zhang Qiang acknowledged and left. As the manager and with the boss Zhu Senlin present, he had no say—running errands was his job.

Zhang Can’s behavior left everyone in the shop bewildered, especially Old Su. Having examined the seal thoroughly, he was sure it was fake—Ba jade, with which he was quite familiar. After careful checking, he was certain: it was just marble, white stone that looked like jade but was not.

Why, then, would Zhang Can spend a thousand on it? Of course, it was a small sum and hardly worth mentioning, but a mistake was a mistake—a blunder, a loss of face. So Old Su kept silent, content to let Zhang Can make a fool of himself. Seeing Zhang Can trip up would be a blessing.

But Zhu Senlin was puzzled. With Old Su’s verdict clear, why did Zhang Can insist? Judging by his recent performance, Zhu Senlin actually trusted Zhang Can more—if he did this, he surely had a reason.

Old Su kept his mouth tightly shut, inwardly delighted, hoping Zhang Can would embarrass himself. Once the deal was done, he would be sure to expose the truth and make Zhang Can lose face.

After Zhang Qiang left, Zhang Can said leisurely to the man, “Don’t worry, I’ll buy it. Once the transaction is recorded, you’ll get your money. Wait a bit.”

Then he turned to Su Xiu. “Xiao Su, record the transaction, then withdraw a thousand yuan.”

Seeing Zhang Can purchase something her uncle had already rejected, Su Xiu was reluctant. But Old Su quickly turned and whispered, “Xiu Xiu, hurry up and do it.”

Su Xiu fell silent. Her uncle’s eyes were bright with excitement, and she realized: Zhang Can buying a fake was his loss and her uncle’s gain! Why hesitate? For such things, even if it were ten thousand or a hundred thousand, she’d hand over the money without delay.

The man pulled out a cigarette and lit up, waiting for the money, while the little girl resumed playing in a corner with her shuttlecock.

Zhang Qiang soon returned, carrying a large bag, breathless. “Manager Zhang, here—they were two-fifty each, I bought forty...”

Zhang Can took the bag, inspected the contents. The shuttlecocks, made of plastic, were bright and beautiful. The little girl’s eyes lit up with delight the moment she saw them.

“Do you like them?” Zhang Can asked her gently.

She nodded enthusiastically, too excited for words. The commercial products were designed to be attractive, after all.

Zhang Can smiled at her. “Little one, these are all for you. Take your time and enjoy them—you’ll have enough to play for ages!”

“Really? All for me?” The girl could hardly believe it. One would have made her happy enough, let alone a whole bagful.

“Of course, all for you. But I have a small request—could you give me your old shuttlecock as a keepsake?” Zhang Can smiled, offering her the bag.

Happily, the girl handed over her shuttlecock and took the bag, pulling one out to admire, overjoyed. Clearly, her parents seldom gave her pocket money; she rarely had toys.

The man paid no attention to Zhang Can’s exchange with his daughter; he was solely focused on the thousand yuan. Getting it in hand was what mattered.

Urged by Old Su, Su Xiu quickly recorded the transaction and handed over ten hundred-yuan bills to the man.

He counted them quickly—correct amount, all good. He beckoned, “Xiang Lin, let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

The girl, clutching her bag of shuttlecocks, followed him to the door. After a few steps, she turned and waved to Zhang Can, calling, “Goodbye, Uncle!”

Zhang Can waved back with a smile.

Once the pair had left, Old Su tapped his fingers on the table, pondering how best to reveal the truth.

But before he could decide, Zhang Can spoke first.

“Heh, Old Su, Old Zhu, I’m sure you’re both wondering why I bought this Ba jade seal, aren’t you?”

Old Zhu wasn’t surprised—he trusted Zhang Can’s judgment, and a thousand yuan was nothing to him.

But Old Su was caught off guard. He had assumed Zhang Can had mistaken the Ba jade for Hetian, but Zhang Can’s words made it clear: he knew perfectly well it was a Ba jade counterfeit!