Lin Wanxia drew a deep breath.
“Come… come with me.”
She led Zhou Yu’an into her room, her heart pounding.
Showing him the jadeite meant placing her greatest secret in his hands. She had already trusted him with her future by agreeing to marry him. Now she was about to discover whether she could trust him with her fortune as well.
Zhou Yu’an followed without questioning her.
The room was dim, illuminated only by a small kerosene lamp on the table. Lin Wanxia closed the door and slid the wooden bolt into place.
Zhou Yu’an stood beside the table, leaning on his cane.
He waited patiently for her to explain.
Lin Wanxia said nothing.
Instead, she walked straight to the bed and crouched beside it.
After feeling around beneath the bed frame, she lifted a loose floor tile, revealing a small hollow dug into the earth underneath.
From that hiding place, she carefully retrieved a bundle wrapped tightly in several layers of old cloth.
The bundle was small enough to hold in both hands, yet Lin Wanxia handled it as though it were priceless.
She carried it to the table and carefully unwrapped the layers of old cloth.
Zhou Yu’an watched in silence.
When the final layer fell away, a magnificent piece of imperial-green jadeite emerged.
Its rich, vivid color seemed almost unreal. Beneath the kerosene lamp, the translucent green stone gleamed with extraordinary clarity.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Zhou Yu’an’s breath caught in his throat.
Zhou Yu’an had witnessed enough danger during his military service to remain calm under extraordinary circumstances.
Yet the jadeite genuinely surprised him.
He studied its flawless green color and remarkable translucency.
Even without being an expert, he recognized that this was no ordinary gemstone.
Its value could be enormous.
And in the wrong hands, it could become a deadly source of trouble.
The room fell utterly silent.
For a long moment, time itself seemed to stand still.
Lin Wanxia watched Zhou Yu’an nervously, studying every slight change in his expression.
She saw the shock in his eyes.
But she didn’t see greed.
Not even a trace of it.
He was stunned, certainly, but once the initial surprise faded, his gaze returned to her face.
The expression in his eyes became extraordinarily complicated.
There was curiosity.
There was scrutiny.
But above all, there was a deep, almost overwhelming concern.
“Where did you get this?”
Zhou Yu’an finally broke the silence.
His voice was unusually hoarse, with a faint tension beneath his words.
Lin Wanxia had already rehearsed her answer countless times.
“At the market.”
Lin Wanxia hesitated before continuing.
“You remember the stone you carried for me? I bought it from that merchant for fifty cents.”
Zhou Yu’an nodded.
“After we returned, I noticed the crack had widened. I carefully broke away the outer layer, and this was hidden inside.”
She gestured toward the jadeite.
“At first, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
That much was true.
What she hadn’t told him was that she had known about the jadeite long before purchasing the stone.
Zhou Yu’an studied her expression.
“Did you know what was inside when you bought it?”
Lin Wanxia’s heart skipped a beat.
“I thought there might be something valuable,” she admitted. “But I never expected anything like this.”
It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was close enough to what he had witnessed.
Zhou Yu’an remained silent for a moment, then looked back at the jadeite.
Zhou Yu’an looked at her for a long time.
He said nothing.
His gaze was so sharp that Lin Wanxia almost felt as though he could see straight through her, uncovering every secret she had buried deep within her heart.
A nervous chill crept across her scalp.
Her palms were slick with sweat.
She knew perfectly well that this man wouldn’t be easy to deceive.
He had once served in an elite military reconnaissance unit.
A man trained to observe the smallest details and detect inconsistencies could easily notice the flaws in her story.
Lin Wanxia began to wonder whether she should add something more.
But the more she thought about it, the more nervous she became.
Just as she felt she could no longer maintain her composure, Zhou Yu’an unexpectedly looked away.
His gaze returned to the imperial green jadeite.
“This thing could get you killed.”
He spoke slowly, his voice as cold as ice.
“Its value is far beyond anything you can imagine.”
“In the south, especially in Hong Kong, this could be exchanged for enough money to last several lifetimes.”
His expression darkened.
“But here, possessing something like this will only bring disaster upon you and your family.”
His warning was like a bucket of icy water poured over Lin Wanxia’s head.
Whatever excitement she had felt about owning such an extraordinary treasure vanished instantly.
He was right.
She had been so focused on the enormous wealth the jadeite might bring her that she had overlooked the terrifying dangers surrounding it.
A treasure valuable enough to change her life was also valuable enough to cost her that life.
“I know.”
Lin Wanxia bit her lower lip.
But when she looked up at him again, her eyes were filled with determination.
“That’s why I showed it to you.”
She held his gaze.
“Zhou Yu’an, I trust you.”
Zhou Yu’an studied her face.
She was frightened. He could see that clearly.
Yet she had chosen to reveal a treasure that could change both their lives.
For a man accustomed to betrayal and danger, such trust was not something he took lightly.
He had accepted responsibility for her when they married.
Now she was asking him to protect something that could place them both in danger.
He understood what that meant.
He remained silent for a long time.
So long that Lin Wanxia began to fear he might refuse.
Then, at last, he moved.
He reached for one of the old pieces of cloth and carefully covered the jadeite again, concealing its breathtaking green brilliance.
“Leave it with me for now.”
His voice had returned to its usual calm, deep tone.
“Your room isn’t safe enough.”
Lin Wanxia finally released the breath she had been holding.
The heavy stone pressing against her heart seemed to disappear.
He had accepted it.
That meant he was willing to help her.
“Then… what should we do next?” she asked eagerly.
“We can’t sell it here in the country,” Zhou Yu’an replied firmly.
“Especially not in the north. The risks are too great, and we wouldn’t get anywhere near its true value.”
He paused, considering their options.
“The only practical solution is to find a reliable connection who can move it south, perhaps even all the way to Hong Kong.”
His words confirmed what Lin Wanxia had already suspected.
“But we don’t know anyone who can do that…” she said worriedly.
“Connections can be found.”
A sharp glint appeared in Zhou Yu’an’s eyes.
“When I was in the army, I served with several men from the south. Some of them might be able to help.”
He paused.
“The problem is that getting in touch with them now will take time.”
“And money.”
Money.
Lin Wanxia’s excitement faded.
They possessed a treasure worth a fortune, yet they barely had enough money to travel to the county town, much less arrange its sale.
The irony was almost unbearable.
She had hoped the jadeite would solve their financial problems. Instead, turning it into money presented an entirely new challenge.
Zhou Yu’an noticed her disappointment.
Zhou Yu’an seemed to notice her growing distress.
He lowered his eyes, thinking quietly for a moment.
Then he suddenly spoke.
“Tomorrow, come with me to the county town.”