Chapter Twenty-Four: Uncorrupted for a Thousand Years, Unperishable for Ten Thousand

This sudden change caught Zhang Can off guard. In the past, whenever he wanted to use his ability to see through objects, he had to focus his mind with intense concentration. Yet in that instant, it happened involuntarily, as if some kind of premonition or ominous sign had manifested itself.

Within the black-and-white world of his vision, Zhang Can's eyes were drawn solely to the four black wooden pillars rising from the water. When his mind grasped the molecular structure of the wood, a name flashed through his thoughts: "Golden-threaded Nanmu."

Having spent more than three years in the antique market of Brocade City, Zhang Can had heard of this Golden-threaded Nanmu. It was an extremely precious and now extinct type of wood, ranked alongside purple sandalwood as one of the most valuable timbers. But since he'd never actually seen it, he couldn't recognize it, nor did he know much about it.

Now, with this result from his vision, Zhang Can shuddered, and the black-and-white world gradually faded, returning to a full spectrum of color. He looked again at the pillars—they were a deep blackish green—but now he understood these four posts in the river were no ordinary objects. Still, he had no idea of their specific value, having never seen Golden-threaded Nanmu before. After some thought, he took out his phone, found Zhu Senlin’s number, and called him directly.

A few seconds later, Zhu Senlin’s voice came through: “Xiao Zhang, how’s it going? Is your mother feeling any better?”

Zhang Can glanced around—the women washing clothes nearby weren’t paying attention to him—but he still moved away before lowering his voice. “Old Zhu, let me ask you something. Do you know anything about Golden-threaded Nanmu?”

Zhu Senlin was surprised. “What? Golden-threaded Nanmu? I’ve seen it once, in Hong Kong—a small piece worth over a hundred thousand. Back in the old dynasties, it was a forbidden material, reserved for the imperial family. You know, the emperor’s dragon throne was made of Golden-threaded Nanmu. But it’s extinct now—almost impossible to find. If any exists, it’s likely in old houses or as stumps and roots left in forests where it once grew. Golden-threaded Nanmu is famed for resisting decay for a thousand years, even buried underground. Xiao Zhang, why do you ask? Do you have some?”

Zhang Can chuckled softly. “Old Zhu, I’ve got four pieces, each about four meters long and thicker than a man’s waist. How much do you think they’re worth?”

Zhu Senlin paused, dumbstruck. “Four pieces? That big? … Well…”

He seemed to contemplate for a while before replying, “If they’re just raw timber, their value is less than finished pieces. Judging by your description, each is worth at least a million. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll fly over tomorrow. I’ll pay eight hundred thousand per piece, and two hundred thousand per piece goes toward expenses and a little profit for the shop. Will that work?”

Zhang Can laughed without hesitation. “Of course. Old Zhu, you’re keeping too little profit for yourself. You could take more!”

Old Zhu refused immediately. “Xiao Zhang, don’t say that. Twenty thousand is enough; it mostly covers shop expenses. Otherwise, I’d feel bad taking more. And from now on, don’t think of me as your boss, and I won’t think of you as my employee. We’re brothers. Honestly, you have a bright future ahead, and I doubt I can keep you around forever. While we’re together, let me make it up to you a bit.”

Zhu Senlin’s sincerity touched Zhang Can. Indeed, Old Zhu had let go; Zhang Can had originally agreed to work in his shop to spite Old Su, but now, with the power of the black-and-white vision, he realized his world would only become more extraordinary, whether he wished it or not.

“All right, Old Zhu. Come tomorrow. I’ll show you some hospitality. I might get engaged or married soon…”

“What?” Old Zhu was surprised, then delighted. “Say no more—I’ll definitely come. In that case… hmm, I might be a day later.”

“No problem. Take care of your affairs first—no rush.” Zhang Can smiled, hung up, and returned to the riverbank to examine the stone steps and pillars more carefully, scraping at a post with his fingernail.

After he scraped away the green moss, a bit of the interior showed through. The surface remained pitch-black, but his nail met something hard—harder than stone.

These pillars had stood in the water since Zhang Can was a child, at least several decades. If they were made of any other wood, even houses exposed to wind and sun would have their surfaces rot, and you could easily scrape them with a nail. But these, after decades submerged, were as hard as steel and utterly uncorroded. They were no ordinary thing.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Can asked his sister-in-law Zhu Hongyu, “Sis, I’d like to renovate the riverbank’s washing area by replacing the pillars with concrete ones. Would that be all right?”

Zhu Hongyu was taken aback, and several women nearby laughed. “Oh, the second Zhang really is rich now. You’re willing to spend money fixing up a public spot—even if you do, the villagers probably won’t thank you.”

Zhu Hongyu said, “Exactly, little uncle. If you’re going to fix something, fix your own house. Why bother with this? No one’s done anything to it for years.”

Zhang Can just smiled and said nothing more, pulling the little Liangliang from the water and waiting quietly until Zhu Hongyu finished washing the clothes. Then he handed Liangliang to her, picked up the bucket of laundry, and went home.

At the doorway, as Zhu Hongyu hung up the clothes, she said to Zhang Can, “Little uncle, do you have so much money you don’t know what to do with it? Why spend it needlessly?”

Zhang Can checked that no one was nearby and smiled. “Sis, when Mom, Dad, and my brother get back, let’s have a family meeting. I have something to tell you all.”

Zhu Hongyu was surprised. “A family meeting? That’s new. If you have something to say, just say it—why the formality?”

She seemed amused by the idea and kept chuckling as she did the laundry.

Zhang Guonian and Liu Chunju took their son’s marriage very seriously. Now that there was money, they bought several large bags of goods with their children; the bed of Zhang Kuan’s Chang’an truck was half-full on their return.

Zhang Can and Zhu Hongyu hurried to help unload, carrying things inside—even little Liangliang helped with a small bag. Zhang Kuan was envious; not even during New Year’s did they buy so much. You had to have money for this. Besides, Zhang Can’s fiancée was so beautiful he’d been jealous all day and didn’t even want to go out driving for money.

When everything was inside, Zhang Can handed Zhang Kuan two hundred yuan and patted his shoulder. “Kuan, buy some drinks for the kids.”

Zhang Kuan laughed awkwardly but accepted the money. There was no helping it—Zhang Can was just that much more impressive. All he could do was envy him.

Zhang Guonian and Liu Chunju were all smiles, surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Zhang Guonian called to Zhang Jiye, “Jiye, come with me to gather some firewood. It’ll come in handy when the fiancée arrives.”

“Dad, Brother, don’t worry about that. I have something to discuss with you all,” Zhang Can quickly interjected. He then said to his younger sister, Zhang Hua, “Third Sister, watch the door. If anyone comes, let us know—I need to discuss something important with Mom, Dad, Brother, and Sis.”

Seeing Zhang Can’s serious expression, Zhang Hua nodded at once, carrying Liangliang to the main hall door to keep watch, her eyes fixed on the alleyway.

Zhang Guonian, noticing his son’s gravity, was puzzled as he sat down. “Second, is this about Xiaoqin coming to see the family or the wedding? Don’t worry—your mom, your brother, and your sister-in-law have all agreed. We’ll make sure you marry Xiaoqin.”

Zhang Can laughed. “Dad, it’s not about that. Everyone come here—I have something to say.”

Zhu Hongyu, still amused by the idea of a family meeting, walked over and sat down.

Zhang Can looked around at his family, then at his sister-in-law. Finally, he said, “Sis, you know about this. I’m telling you all now so we can discuss it, but don’t mention it to anyone outside the family. My focus is on the four pillars standing in the river at the washing steps.”

His words left the family baffled. Everyone knew about the four pillars at the riverbank. Zhu Hongyu had been guessing it was about his marriage—no one could have imagined it concerned those posts.

“Second, what use are those pillars? They’ve been in the river for years—soaked through. If you gave them away, people would be too lazy to carry them home—too wet and rotten to even burn. Why do you want them?” Zhang Jiye was the first to ask.

Zhang Can smiled. “Brother, listen to me. Those four pillars—before, I wouldn’t have recognized them either. But after learning antique appraisal in Brocade City for several years, I recognized them while washing clothes with Sis today. It’s our family’s good luck; they’re not ordinary wood. They’re Golden-threaded Nanmu.”

“Golden-threaded Nanmu?” Zhang Jiye was stunned. “What’s that? Even if it’s good wood, it’s still just wood, right? How much could it possibly be worth? A few hundred at most.”

Zhang Can grinned. “A few hundred? Each piece is worth a million. Four pieces—four million. I spoke to my boss; he’ll pay eight hundred thousand per piece, twenty thousand for his shop expenses. He’s coming the day after tomorrow to collect them, so we need to retrieve the four pillars in the next two days.”

A million per pillar, eight hundred thousand net—four pillars, three million two hundred thousand. Such a huge sum!

When Zhang Can named the figure, his parents, brother, and sister-in-law were dumbfounded.

After a long silence, Zhang Jiye stammered, “S-Second… Are you sure? Those four pillars are really worth that much?”

“Absolutely,” Zhang Can replied without hesitation. “I’m not mistaken—they’re Golden-threaded Nanmu. This wood doesn’t rot for a thousand years and has always been reserved for emperors. For example, the dragon throne was made of it.”

Zhang Jiye and Zhu Hongyu were left speechless, mouths agape. Liu Chunju simply couldn’t believe that a piece of wood could be worth so much.

But Zhang Guonian paused, then said thoughtfully, “If what Second says is true, it’s possible. I remember your great-grandfather mentioning, back in the late Qing, when he was young, he was conscripted by the authorities to go deep into the mountains to collect Golden-threaded Nanmu. At that time, in Hubei, Sichuan, and Guizhou, local officials saw collecting this wood as a merit for promotion, but it was already extremely rare. After half a year, they found only a dozen or so trees. Because the wood is as hard as iron and very heavy, transport was difficult, so they floated logs down the Qingjiang River. One year, a flood overturned a boat on the river. As for whether the four posts at the village riverbank are Golden-threaded Nanmu—I wouldn’t know. But as far back as I can remember, those four posts have stood in the river, right where they are, to this day.”