Chapter Thirty: Half a Grain Nail

“Hehe, it really is thick, and quite heavy,” I said with a smile to Professor Jiang.

“Is it really genuine?” Yue Qianling whispered in my ear.

“Does it matter whether it's real or not? You're not going to buy it anyway, just have a look,” I muttered quietly.

“Are you going to tell me or not?” Yue Qianling anxiously clutched my arm.

“Careful now, grabbing and pulling me in broad daylight—where are your manners? Besides, men and women shouldn’t touch so casually. You’re educated, you ought to know better,” I grumbled as I tried to pry her hand off my arm.

“Oh? Now you lecture me about propriety between men and women. But when you barged into my bathroom, I didn’t see you acting so righteous then.”

Her words struck a sore spot; I bowed my head, embarrassed.

“To ruin someone’s business is like killing their parents—that’s the rule. Why must you force me?”

“So you’re not going to say anything?”

I nodded firmly.

Yue Qianling didn’t argue further, releasing my arm and turning to the vendor.

“I’ll buy this jade disc!”

All eyes instantly focused on her, and a wave of astonishment swept through the crowd. Fifty thousand yuan was a staggering sum, and no one had expected a young woman to make such a purchase so casually. I knew Yue Qianling was serious—others might see fifty thousand as astronomical, but to her, it was nothing.

I hurriedly tried to drag her away, but she stubbornly shook off my hand.

“I want it, so what?”

“If the young lady is interested, and Professor Jiang has valued it at fifty thousand, I won’t ask for more. An item like this is certainly worth at least that much,” the vendor replied calmly, having heard Yue Qianling’s intent to buy.

“Qianling, I know you’ve always loved jade. This disc is indeed a fine piece, and with your financial means, buying it is no difficulty. Whether for collection or investment, it’s a good choice,” Professor Jiang said with a smile, knowing her family’s wealthy background.

Yue Qianling turned her head and flashed me a provocative grin.

“Hey, I’m actually going to buy it.”

I bit my lip, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and shot her an annoyed look.

“It’s a fake!”

The crowd, encircling us several rows deep, erupted at my declaration, as if a barrel of gunpowder had been ignited. Voices overlapped, everyone staring at me.

Professor Jiang was taken aback for a moment, finally understanding why Yue Qianling had pressed me to examine the jade. He hurriedly asked,

“You only handled the jade disc for less than half a minute—how can you tell it’s fake?”

Yue Qianling later told me that she didn’t know why, but if it had been any other day, she would never have doubted Professor Jiang’s judgment. Yet seeing me remain silent made her uneasy, and when I pronounced it a fake, she was secretly delighted. Professor Jiang was a specialist in jade authentication at the Archaeological Research Institute, a true authority, known as “Jiang One Look”—a nickname for his ability to discern authenticity at a glance.

Now, with me openly challenging his verdict, she was thrilled to witness someone confronting such authority—something she’d always wanted to see. Yue Leiting often praised me to her, claiming I was peerless, so to see me go head-to-head with “Jiang One Look,” she was eager for my embarrassment.

“You can’t just say it’s fake and leave it at that. You need a reason, right?” Yue Qianling fanned the flames, smiling.

I understood the meaning behind her smile. Powerless, I picked up the jade disc and walked over to Professor Jiang.

“I was just guessing blindly. Your eyesight is sharp—please, look here.”

Professor Jiang adjusted his glasses and peered at the spot I indicated on the disc. His face grew somber, and he slapped himself heavily.

“Shameful, truly shameful. I missed this flaw,” he said, heartbroken.

Yue Qianling was baffled—just moments ago, Professor Jiang had been confident, yet after another look, his demeanor changed completely.

“Professor Jiang, is the jade disc genuine or not?” someone in the crowd asked.

“Ah… I made a mistake. Sorry, everyone. It’s a fake!” Professor Jiang answered, head bowed.

Hearing this, the vendor could no longer sit still. He jumped up, nervous.

“How… how could it be fake? I had it authenticated—it’s definitely genuine. I paid over ten thousand yuan for it, Professor Jiang, you must explain!”

Yue Qianling picked up the jade disc again and looked at me in surprise.

“What exactly is wrong with it?”

I pointed to a spot on the edge of the disc for her to examine. She leaned in and studied it for a long moment, finally noticing that one of the grain studs along the edge was only half present.

“A grain stud that’s only half… Does that really matter for authenticity?” she asked, still puzzled.

“Does it matter?!” Professor Jiang’s face was stern. “It matters a great deal. The craftsmen would never produce a half stud.”

“Maybe it was just a flaw in the craftsmanship. That alone can’t determine it’s a fake, can it?” Yue Qianling persisted.

“This is a Song dynasty imitation of a Han dynasty jade disc—the craftsmanship was already highly advanced. Such a glaring flaw would never occur,” Professor Jiang explained earnestly.

The vendor was sweating profusely, his hands trembling, speaking in panic.

“Professor Jiang, please look carefully. Don’t frighten me—couldn’t it just be a mistake?”

“It’s impossible for such an error to happen. Ancient craftsmen were meticulous, never careless. The arrangement of grain studs was always precise; the space would be calculated beforehand, knowing how many could fit given the disc’s diameter. Never would there be half a stud—it’s clear that the maker miscalculated during production,” I said quietly, seeing the vendor’s distress.

At my explanation, the crowd dispersed abruptly, showing neither sympathy nor lingering interest. In this ghost market, such incidents happened daily. No matter how beautiful the jade disc, a fake was just another among countless others—utterly unremarkable.

The vendor collapsed onto the ground, staring blankly at the jade disc, his expression pitiful.

“How sad. Looks like he was swindled too—spent over ten thousand yuan on a fake,” Yue Qianling said sorrowfully.

I lowered my head, dragging her away, annoyed.

“To ruin someone’s business is like killing their parents—I’ve told you before. Every trade has its rules: observe but don’t comment. What use is your pity now? If not for you, he wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“But… but it’s a fake. He can’t just sell counterfeits to cheat people,” she said defiantly.

“This is the ghost market—a place where skill and judgment are your livelihood. No one forces anyone to buy, and there’s no bullying. Business here is between willing buyers and sellers. Authenticity is determined by one’s eye alone. If your judgment fails, you mistake real for fake, or fake for real—it’s commonplace, and no one else is to blame.”

Yue Qianling was about to retort when Professor Jiang approached.

“This ghost market is full of wounds—those awake laugh at the drunk, those drunk laugh at the awake, each finds their own joy. Black and white share the world,” Professor Jiang sighed deeply. “Qianling, many things aren’t so simply about right and wrong, or true and false. Yan Hui is correct: today I made a mistake, but you forced him to reveal the truth in front of everyone, disrupting the rules here.”

Hearing the usually honest and erudite Professor Jiang speak so, Yue Qianling blushed and lowered her head in silence.

“Yan Hui, I’ve spent a lifetime in the business of jade authentication, known as ‘Jiang One Look.’ How mortifying—if not for you, my reputation would have been ruined by my own hand. Decades of experience, yet you saw what I missed. ‘Jiang One Look’—what nonsense. The younger generation is truly formidable,” Professor Jiang said, shaking his head in gloom.

“Professor Jiang, please don’t say that. People can judge jade with three parts accuracy, but jade judges people with one hundred percent. Whether one can determine authenticity is minor. For someone of your stature to openly admit a mistake before so many, that is true integrity,” I replied, laughing self-effacingly.

Professor Jiang patted my shoulder in gratification, then spoke meaningfully to Yue Qianling.

“Qianling, you might outdo me in judging jade, but when it comes to seeing people, I must concede. You’ve found such a fine companion—oh, not boyfriend, but friend. Your eye is exceptional. Cherish him; he’s a remarkable young man.”

“Professor Jiang, since you’re here alone at the ghost market, why not join us?” Yue Qianling said, her face flushed as she changed the subject.

“Hehe, that sounds wonderful. Though I wonder if this old man might intrude on the two of you,” Professor Jiang laughed, hesitating.

“Oh, what are you saying? There’s no intrusion at all. With you around to guide me, my thesis will surely be published. Usually, people have to pay a fortune for you to give a lesson—now I’m getting a bargain,” Yue Qianling replied, looking up with a smile.