Jian Qiao was made to wear a precious garnet ring while Rege’s hand gently squeezed his fingers.
Rege couldn’t take his eyes off the work of art before him. He hadn’t spoken for a long time.
The courtesan exclaimed from the bottom of her heart, “It’s so beautiful!”
The ring was beautiful, but the hand wearing the ring was even more beautiful. It was curved as if there were no bones, each finger was long and tapered, the skin on the back of the hand was white as snow, but the fingertips were smudged with a bit of dust. The deep crimson stone on the ring finger was like a flame burning on a pure white field of snow.
White, pink, red. Three of the world’s purest, loveliest, and most passionate colors blended together to form a work of art.
And only a hand like this could truly express the luxury and brilliance of the gem.
Rege gently toyed with this finger, and sensing that Jian Qiao wanted to retract his hand, he pinched the other man’s fingertips.
“Don’t move!” He said in a low voice, “Let me take another look.” After he spoke, he turned the band of the large garnet ring, pretending he was seriously studying its appearance.
The customer is God, and since the customer wanted to take a good look, Jian Qiao could only wait silently.
Rege put the lithe, slender, snowy, delicate hand in his palm and caressed the ring finger from top to bottom again before he let out a sigh of satisfaction.
“I’ll take this one too,” he said briskly.
“How generous of you,” Jian Qiao praised.
He really liked this type of customer who bought things on impulse without asking the price.
The courtesan, who thought the ring was for her, immediately raised her hand and said, “Wait! This one—” She pointed to a ring on the counter. “It must be a ruby ring, right? I want to see it, is that all right?”
“Yes, it’s a ruby ring. Of course. You can look at anything you want.” Jian Qiao took off the garnet ring and put it to the side in a velvet box, then took out the ruby ring.
Rege picked up the garnet ring and checked it against the light from the window. He wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt it didn’t appear as bright anymore.
Now that it was no longer on the gentleman Earl’s finger, in the blink of an eye it seemed to have lost its alluring luster.
Rege pursed his lips. He’d already lost interest in this ring.
He put it back in the velvet box.
But the courtesan picked it up and placed it side by side with the ruby ring for comparison.
“I don’t know if it’s just my eyes, but I keep thinking this garnet ring is prettier and sparkles more than the ruby ring. But it’s clearly cheaper, isn’t it?” she said with a torn expression.
Jian Qiao patiently explained, “No, you’re not mistaken. It’s indeed true that garnets are more dazzling and eye-catching than the average ruby.”
He placed the two rings in his palm, moved them into better light, and said, “Do you see the difference? Because of its higher dispersion, a garnet’s fire has more exuberance. The light passes through, is released again, and transforms into an array of colors. It’s not just a deep crimson, there’s a touch of gorgeous purple in the red. It leaps like it’s alive, like a burning flame. When I hold it I almost feel in a daze that my palm is hot.”
The courtesan looked stunned.
When the precious garnet ring lay on the black velvet, although it sparkled, it was far from stunning.
But when it was held in Jian Qiao’s supple hand, the reflection of his white skin made it come to life in a flash. Just as Jian Qiao described, it began to burn as though releasing a scorching heat.
It stole everyone’s breath and eyes in an instant.
Rege felt that it had once again miraculously revealed a gorgeous brilliance. Only in Jian Qiao’s hands could its splendor be released.
“It’s indeed beautiful!” Rege couldn’t help but sigh.
Hearing these words, the considerate Jian Qiao handed the ring to Rege. Then he lifted the ruby ring and said, “The dispersion index of ruby is lower than garnet, so the light that penetrates doesn’t fully bloom, and its color and scintillation naturally appear a little dull. Look, you can see it’s a very deep red, like the sinuous flow of blood. Its main characteristic isn’t liveliness, but luxury.”
Indeed, without the dazzling garnet for contrast, the ruby looked deep, dignified, and sumptuous.
“Which one do you prefer?” Jian Qiao handed the ruby ring to the courtesan.
The courtesan was only seventeen or eighteen years old, just in the bloom of youth. She naturally preferred the fiery, sparkling garnet to the deep and luxurious ruby.
The garnet glittered on her hand, so beautiful!
Although she was holding the ruby ring, she glanced at the garnet ring in Rege’s hand again and again. Only after a long time did she grit her teeth and say, “I like the ruby ring.”
Because the ruby ring was more expensive, that was the only reason she chose it.
Jian Qiao had understood her thinking long ago, but didn’t say anything.
“Well, let me wrap up the ruby ring for you.” He took out a delicate velvet box.
Rege returned the garnet ring at the same time. The thing only looked good on Jian Qiao’s hand, it wasn’t much at all when he held it up alone to appreciate it. Rege, who was used to seeing all kinds of treasures, naturally lost interest.
Seeing Jian Qiao put the flame-like gem in the display case, the courtesan couldn’t help but bite her lip.
She really liked the garnet ring. Her heart wanted it as desperately as a desert waiting for rain. But she really shouldn’t pick the cheaper one, so even if her heart was dripping blood she decided to abandon it.
There was no way Jian Qiao could turn a blind eye to a young girl in distress. As he took out a ribbon to decorate the gift box, he said softly, “There are so many jewels in the shop. Do you want to know which one I like the most?”
“Oh, which one is that?” The courtesan, who was staring dead at the garnet ring, replied absentmindedly.
Rege, however, immediately looked over. He was extremely interested in this topic! Which jewel did the gentleman Earl like best? He had to buy it!
It must be a very precious, beautiful gemstone, right? Like the Angel’s Tear.
Everyone in the room thought so.
However, when Jian Qiao took the treasure out of the safe, housed in an extremely expensive sandalwood box, it was a multicolored piece of agate.
And everyone knew agate wasn’t worth anything at all.
“This is my favorite.” Jian Qiao lifted up the agate in his white palm.
Rege and the courtesan looked at him with an expression beyond words. They obviously regarded Jian Qiao as a fool.
Jian Qiao extended his fingertips, gently tracing the dark lines on the milky white agate, and said, “Look carefully at what’s inside. Does the pale, smoky gray color look like a mass of clouds in the sky, and the black color underneath look like the earth? And does this thin, needle-like bloom of brown lines look like a tree? The mist shrouds the earth, a tree stands alone in the distance. What a beautiful picture it is, and what a profound artistic conception. This isn’t a piece of agate but a world in itself.”
Jian Qiao carefully wiped this piece of landscape agate with a velvet cloth.
Without knowing it, Rege and the courtesan were brought into this small world by his description. The dense fog, the black soil, the solitary tree, and perhaps the pastoral song of a farmer echoed in the air.
Such a scene instantly stirred up their longing for the distant place.
When they looked at the agate again their eyes were full of love.
Jian Qiao put the landscape agate gently into the velvet-lined box. He continued, “All gemstones have traces of artificial carving, this alone is a gift from nature. Its lines are naturally formed yet it’s as beautiful as an oil painting. Hidden quietly in the darkness of the earth, waiting to meet someone who can truly understand it, appreciate it, and cherish it, what a romantic thing.
The courtesan cupped her cheeks and listened with rapt attention.
This was not an ordinary agate, but a living creature. Both heaven and earth have a soul, and all things contain love.
It was this soulfulness, and Jian Qiao’s love for it, that made it a unique treasure in the world.
As she stood entranced, an indistinct flash of light erupted within the courtesan’s heart.
Rege’s gaze had withdrawn from the agate. He stared intently at the gentleman Earl, unable to tear himself away, and his eyes coalesced with a dazzling light. Compared to this precious stone, the gentleman Earl who was telling his innermost feelings was obviously more beautiful, more unique, and more romantic.
If only I could buy the Earl.
This ridiculous thought suddenly occurred to Rege.
“Can I buy it?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“No!” Jian Qiao flatly refused. He immediately fastened the lid of the box.
“I see.” Rege exhaled a breath and his heart pounded. The gentleman Earl had no idea what he actually wanted to buy.
Jian Qiao put the landscape agate back in the safe, locked the door, then came back. He said quietly to the courtesan, “So you understand? The way you treat the things you love is a reflection of how you think about yourself. As long as you think something is beautiful, it’s priceless. Just as you might have ten thousand flaws in the eyes of someone else, but in your own eyes, or in the eyes of the person who loves you, you’ll always be the best and most unique in the world. So no matter what, please don’t give up on yourself, and don’t give up on the person or thing you love. Only then will you be truly happy.”
He took out a large box and opened it in front of the courtesan.
The social flower’s eyes snapped open. She was unable to suppress a gasp.
There were many precious gems in the box, golden, deep purple, light pink, dark green….
Jian Qiao gently fiddled with them with his long, thin fingertips.
Clatter, clatter. It was the sound of countless gems colliding with each other, and it was the most beautiful music in the world.
At the same time, these gems absorbed the light from the outside world and burst out in countless sparkles like stardust.
Colorful spots of light reflected on everyone’s face, and the already opulent jewelry store suddenly became glorious and resplendent.
The courtesan covered her wildly beating heart and felt like she was going to faint. She’d never seen such a fortune! God, it was so exciting! It was crazy!
But Jian Qiao shook his head and said, “They’re not worth anything.”
Courtesan: “…”
After the dead silence, the courtesan’s heavy breathing turned into an embarrassed cough.
Rege began to laugh secretly. He certainly knew this box of gems wasn’t worth much money.
“This is fluorite.” Jian Qiao ran the gems through his tapered fingers. “Its hardness is very low and it’s easily scratched by metal, so it’s not suitable for jewelry.
“But these gemstones are extremely rich in fire, brilliant in color, and dazzle the eyes. Put them in the enchanted box and the resurrected Pandora, even if she knew it contained disaster, would still choose to open it.
“For the sake of these treasures she’d rather become a sinner again. This is the charm of fluorite. That’s why many people treat fluorite as a collector’s item, not to wear but just to admire. Although the price is cheap, it’s loved by many people because of its unique beauty.”
Jian Qiao took out a piece of pink fluorite, placed it in the courtesan’s hand, and said gently, “Beautiful miss, this is a gift for you. Go ahead and choose the jewelry that you really like. For me, your satisfied smile and happiness are the most valuable things. And those two things are what I really want to sell you.”
The courtesan tightly clutched the pink gem. Her whole person was frozen.
Every word Jian Qiao said to her was like a massive wave lashing repeatedly at her heart.
For some reason, she suddenly shed two lines of tears, but the corners of her mouth lifted in a happy smile.
“No. I don’t need the jewelry anymore.” She held up the pink gemstone in her palm and said with mixed tears and laughter, “This is what I truly like. Thank you, Your Lordship, thank you!”
She buried her face in her palm and pressed her forehead against the jewel, and she couldn’t stop crying.
Jian Qiao sighed and stroked her head.
Rege looked dumbfounded. It took a while before he suddenly realized what he should do.
That’s when he took the gentleman Earl’s hand and gave a stern warning, “Don’t touch her!”
TL Notes:
哗啦啦 – clatter – “hua la la”, the sound of rustling, crashing etc.