7: Chapter 7 Dark Green Jade and Oily Hands

The ripples of the creek were still spreading from his fingertips. As Chen Jie stood up, clutching that dark green stone, the machine oil on his palm mixed with the creek mud and smeared onto the surface of the stone.

He had intended to wipe his hands on his overalls, but he saw the patterns on the stone's surface suddenly emit a faint green light, like ink soaking in water and slowly spreading.

"It actually glows?"

Zhao Kai limped over, his phone camera almost pressing against the stone, "I told you that you didn't see it wrong just now... Hey, why did it go dark again?"

"Who knows,"

Chen Jie scraped the mud out of the patterns with his fingernails; the texture was much finer than an ordinary pebble.

"Maybe it's a lighting issue."

He weighed the stone in his hand, "The density of this thing isn't right; it's half as heavy again as a stone of the same size. Could it be an Ore?"

Uncle Liu was squatting by the creek washing his hands, his copper kettle set aside, the rust on the spout darkened by the water.

"There are all kinds of stones in the mountains,"

He shook the water droplets off his hands, "A few years ago, a geological team came to take samples and said there was some old stuff hidden under our creek bed. They dug for three days and didn't find anything, but they did startle the snakes in the mountains."

Zhao Kai scoffed, "Uncle Liu, stop trying to scare us with these legends.

Jie-zi, are you planning to take this broken stone back?

I think it would be more practical to pick up a couple of wild walnuts."

"What do you know,"

Chen Jie didn't even look up as he rummaged through his tool bag for a piece of chamois leather to wipe the stone, "What if it's something rare?

Remember Grandma Zhang's old radio last time? Didn't that look unremarkable too?"

Where the grease was wiped away, the dark green color became increasingly translucent. Faintly, at the intersection of the patterns, one could see a depression the size of a fingernail, shaped exactly like the tuning knob of the radio he had repaired.

When his fingertip touched the depression again, the stone suddenly became slightly hot, like holding a freshly peeled chestnut.

"It's hot!"

He let go abruptly, and the stone fell into the creek with a "thud," the splashing water wetting Zhao Kai's canvas shoes.

"Damn it!"

Zhao Kai jumped back, "Did you do that on purpose?

If this broken stone is really problematic, throw it away!

It better not be some radioactive material."

Chen Jie was also stunned.

He clearly remembered that when he pried the stone out earlier, there was still half a withered leaf stuck to the bottom, but now there wasn't even a trace of mud left; it was as if the creek water had automatically given it a bath.

He reached out to fish it out, and the moment his fingertip touched the stone, he felt the thin callous on the crook of his thumb get stung by something.

As he looked down, he saw a wisp of extremely fine blue smoke emerge from the stone, snake up his wrist, slip into his sleeve, and disappear at the crook of his elbow.

"What are you staring at?

You look like you've lost your soul."

Zhao Kai threw the stone back into Chen Jie's arms, "Put it away quickly, just in case it's an egg of some protected animal; we'll be fined if the Forestry Bureau catches us."

The stone's temperature had already faded, and it sat heavily in his palm like an ordinary, stubborn rock.

Chen Jie stuffed it into the innermost layer of his tool bag.

When he had pulled the zipper halfway, he remembered the wisp of blue smoke from earlier and, as if possessed, pulled out a spare piece of chamois leather, wrapped the stone carefully in three layers, and put it back in the bag.

Uncle Liu packed up his bamboo basket and walked toward the mountain Dao, the copper kettle swinging and hitting the basket, making a "clang, clang" sound.

"If you dawdle any longer, it'll be dark,"

He called back, "The mountain wind at night carries knives; you city kids' delicate skin won't be able to withstand the scraping."

"Coming, coming,"

Chen Jie replied, pulling Zhao Kai, "Let's go, if we don't leave now, we'll really end up feeding the wolves in the mountains."

Zhao Kai shook off his hand, "Who cares to walk with you?

If it weren't for the fact that you might get lost alone, I would have found a hotel by myself long ago.

By the way, if this stone is really useful, you have to split the benefits with me."

"In your dreams," Chen Jie laughed and scolded, "Wait until you can figure out what it is first."

After walking just a few steps, Chen Jie suddenly stopped and felt his tool bag.

Through the canvas and the chamois leather, he seemed to be able to feel the stone vibrating slightly, as if someone inside was gently tapping out Morse code.

He looked up at the mist-shrouded peak.

Where the wisp of blue smoke had slipped into his sleeve earlier, there still remained a lingering, faint warmth.

"What is it now?"

Zhao Kai asked impatiently, "Why are you acting so weird today?"

Chen Jie shook his head and caught up quickly.

He didn't say that the moment the stone became hot earlier, he seemed to hear the wrench in his tool bag make a soft "click," as if it had been sucked by something.

The sound was very faint and almost inaudible mixed in the mountain wind, but it reminded him of the sound of gears re-engaging when he repaired a grandfather clock.