Section 3
Luna Wu possessed only a few belongings. Despite Lindy Qiu's repeated offers to assist her with the move, she graciously declined. Their friendship had been limited to their time as classmates during their undergraduate years, and this request for temporary lodging had surpassed Luna's expectations of Lindy's goodwill, instilling a sense of obligation within her.
The agent informed her that the landlord had hired a professional cleaner for the property. Upon entering, Luna found the accumulated dust absent, replaced by a pristine environment. Though the furniture was worn, Luna, who had frequently relocated with her mother during childhood and had never had a permanent home, remained unperturbed by the rental's simplicity. She swiftly began organizing her belongings.
As she opened the wardrobe door, she noticed an ancient sword and an old wooden chest still inside. Standing before the cabinet, Luna pondered why the items had not been removed if the landlord had arranged for cleaning.
Suddenly, a curious impulse gripped her, and her hand instinctively reached for the chest beneath the sword, driven by a desire to uncover its contents.
Just then, a loud birdcall pierced the air outside, startling Luna and causing her to retract her hand and close the cabinet door.
After neatly stowing her belongings, Luna ventured to a nearby supermarket to procure some essential supplies. Later that evening, after dining at a quaint eatery, she strolled alone to the seaside, partly to enjoy the view and partly to familiarize herself with her new surroundings.
On her first night in the new home, Luna was too exhilarated to sleep. It was midsummer, and every household in Shenzhen had turned on their air conditioning. Aware that she hadn't officially begun earning yet, she hesitated to use the AC, opting instead to rely on open windows for ventilation. The sounds of passing cars mingled with the gentle lapping of waves outside; she strained to distinguish the rhythmic ocean sounds amid the urban cacophony, gradually drifting toward slumber.
Suddenly, her phone rang, jolting her awake just as she was on the brink of sleep. Glancing at the screen, she noticed it was past midnight and the incoming call was from an unfamiliar number. Assuming it was a telemarketer, she hung up and turned back to sleep, only to have a WeChat voice message appear—it was from her landlord.
Luna was instantly alert as she answered the message. A stranger's voice greeted her, "I apologize for the late hour, Miss Wu. I have an urgent matter and need your assistance in confirming something."
"What is it?" she inquired.
"It concerns your room and the items in the wardrobe. An elder in the family wishes to verify if everything is intact."
"What about the ancient sword?"
"Yes, if possible, could you send me a video?"
Under normal circumstances, Luna would have politely declined, suggesting she would handle it in the morning. However, the landlord's gentle voice and demeanor compelled her to comply.
She opened the wardrobe and recorded a nine-second video to send.
The landlord quickly replied: "Received. Please confirm the contents of the chest as well."
His written request lacked the urgency of his voice, prompting Luna to remember the potential implications of this request. She replied, "You previously mentioned not to disturb your personal items. Just to clarify, I have not touched the wardrobe since moving in. If anything inside is damaged, it is certainly not my responsibility."
Landlord: "Any damage to the items within is not your concern."
His swift response reassured her, and with her worries eased, she reached for the wooden chest.
The chest was secured with a clasp but not locked. Fearing it might be an antique, Luna hesitated to move it. Carefully, she lifted the lid, inhaling the rich aroma of aged wood. The light in the wardrobe was dim, and as she considered using her phone's flashlight, she noticed a soft glow emanating from inside.
Intrigued, she leaned in to examine the contents. Beneath a layer of yellow silk lay a white porcelain pillow, about the length of a small arm, adorned with a hint of green. It featured a natural curvature, wider at both ends and slightly narrower in the middle, its surface smooth and lustrous like jade.
With sufficient light now, Luna captured an image, ensuring the landlord could see it clearly. Without moving the pillow, she focused on getting a detailed shot, ultimately sending a thirty-two-second video.
The landlord replied: "The video is very clear. Thank you, Miss Wu. Please refrain from sharing it."
Luna Wu: "I will delete it."
Landlord: "Much appreciated."
Luna Wu: "Is there anything else that needs confirming?"
Landlord: "Not at the moment. Goodnight, Miss Wu."
Luna Wu: "Goodnight."
Before deleting the video, Luna took one last glance at the porcelain pillow on her phone. The camera captured details the naked eye could not; it appeared more like a jade pillow, with its material not a solid white but rather a hue reminiscent of jade, the green flecks blending seamlessly, resembling seaweed or delicate cracks. Lacking expertise in antiques, Luna couldn't discern whether the pillow was made of jade or porcelain.
Having fulfilled the landlord's request, Luna found it difficult to fall asleep, the heat and her active mind keeping her restless. She found herself pondering whether the late-night disturbance was due to the immense value of the two antiques inside.
Section 4
With the commencement of the school year in September and after securing her rental accommodation, Luna Wu found herself with over a week to acclimate to the city.
Strangely, ever since that evening when she examined the antiques for her landlord, her sleep had been restless, her mind plagued by an insatiable curiosity regarding the wardrobe. On the verge of slumber, she frequently dreamt of the verdant porcelain pillow.
Though Luna Wu had brought long-sleeved pajamas from home, the stifling nighttime heat became unbearable. After enduring several sleepless nights, she resolved to find a lighter short-sleeved shirt to wear.
The wardrobe held only a few garments, and after a brief search, she quickly located a cotton short-sleeve shirt. Just as she intended to change in the darkness, her hand brushed against a cool object, and without a second thought, she pulled it out.
It was the silk scarf sent by Mia Wu.
A sudden birdcall from outside startled Luna Wu. Having researched this species online, she recognized it as the southern noise cuckoo, known for its incessant calls day and night in search of a mate.
Regaining her composure, she turned off the lights and, in the dark, changed into the short sleeve. She tucked the scarf into her embrace, finding it soothing against the heat.
Whether due to the mystical properties of the scarf or not, Luna Wu soon slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The following morning, she was once again awakened by the persistent calls of the cuckoo. As she regained her senses, her first thought was to express gratitude for the scarf, only to discover it had vanished.
The heat was oppressive, and with no covers on her bed, the entire mattress lay bare; she searched thoroughly, inspecting both the mattress and beneath it, yet found no trace of the scarf. She even turned back to rummage through the wardrobe and her suitcase, but the scarf was indeed missing.
Recalling past experiences of misplacing items, Luna Wu initially assumed the scarf would reappear in a few days.
However, as the subsequent days unfolded without its return, something even stranger transpired: although it remained absent, the refreshing sensation it had previously provided lingered. Each night, as soon as Luna Wu lay down and turned off the lights, she felt no warmth—her body remained cool and comfortable.
Baffled by the mysterious disappearance of the scarf, Luna Wu found herself unable to quell her imagination one restless evening when a WeChat voice message from her landlord arrived.
Upon answering the call, she heard Leo Lee's voice: "I apologize for disturbing you at this hour, Miss Wu. I have an urgent matter to discuss."
"What is it?" she inquired.
"It pertains to the jade pillow in the wardrobe. I need you to retrieve it from the chest and send me a video."
"Is that a jade pillow?" Even though Luna Wu was not well-versed in the distinctions between jade and porcelain, she recognized that jade typically commanded a higher price.
"Yes," Leo replied casually, as if such a valuable artifact were no different from an ordinary pillow. "I must reiterate that any damage to the items within is not your responsibility. If it eases your mind, you may record our conversation."
Following his suggestion, Luna Wu quickly activated her phone's recording feature. "Simply recording might not suffice. If I remove the jade pillow and accidentally drop or damage it—Mr. Lee, perhaps it would be best if you came to retrieve it yourself. I cannot afford to compensate for something so precious."
"My family needs it urgently, and I cannot return at this moment. Please do not worry; it is not easily broken," Leo reassured her. "I suggest you carefully move the chest out and place a soft pad underneath it, perhaps the mattress from your bed. And yes, during this process, you should record both audio and video."
Luna Wu hesitated, uncertainty swirling within her.
"Are you concerned that the jade pillow is too valuable and afraid of damaging it?"
"...After all, it is a jade pillow."
"Do you possess any knowledge of jade?"
"Not really."
There was a moment of silence on the other end before he spoke again: "This jade pillow is a family heirloom made from ordinary jade; its market value is not high."
"Not high... How much would that be?"
"Not exceeding a thousand dollars."