Chapter 30 – Night Vigil

From Tang Can she learned that the silver bracelet on her wrist was different from the ones available in the general market. The bracelet that she had was made by someone from the Miao ethnic group. The engraved design and the bell were all examples of fine Miao-style workmanship. Silversmiths who were not of the tribe would not be able to make something of that caliber. Furthermore, the metal in the bracelet was actually mostly copper and only a little bit of silver. This is a hallmark of Miao craftsmanship. Bells made out of different metals have distinctive types of tones. A copper bell would have a sharper and crisper tone compared to one made out of pure silver. That is why the bell on her bracelet always had a clear and sweet tone when it rang.

Tang Can asked Shen Yu if she could take off her bracelet again so he could show it the the branch secretary. The middle-aged man inspected it carefully. After Shen Yu put the bracelet back on her wrist, she found out from him that her silver bracelet was actually crafted by Song Geng. The decorative designs on it showed the Miao ethnic group’s signature totem butterflies. Embedded within the butterfly design was Song Geng’s family name in the Miao script.

The branch secretary explained to them that when Song Geng was still working as a silversmith, all of his creations contained that exact same name, to mark them as his. In fact, all of the people living in this village knew what it looked like. To prove that he was telling the truth, the branch secretary had his wife bring over a couple of silver bracelets and necklaces that were made by Song Geng. Shen Yu and Tang Can inspected those pieces and compared them to her bracelet. The same design showed up on all of the silver jewelry.

What did all of this mean? Shen Yu’s head started to spin but quickly settled down as she started to consider the impact of the new information. Her deductions quickly led her down new pathways. She now seemed to understand how her mom mysteriously knew about an “Old Longtan” in the southern part of the country. Other curious facts became clearer. Her mother had always claimed she didn’t have any living relatives, but perhaps that was not true. Shen Yu regarded her silver bracelet in a new light, it was no longer as ordinary as she used to think.Shen Yu suddenly felt a shock zip through her entire body.

“You’re awake now?” Tang Can had noticed that Shen Yu had woken up. He smiled, revealing a set of spotlessly white teeth.

Surprised and embarrassed, Shen Yu sat up in a flash, and a strangled sound came out of her throat. She lowered her head, too shy to look at him. But her efforts couldn’t prevent Tang Can from seeing a faint blush cross her pretty face.