Page 13 of Heir to a Curse
“Yes. No pressure,” she joked.
I laughed. “Right?”
“So you need stuff for the house?” She asked. “Sofia’s style was mostly European.”
“I actually need stuff for the cabin near the shrine. It’s sort of Old World Japanese, I think? Or Chinese. The floors look bamboo, but not tatami mats. I’m not sure of all the distinction. My few weeks abroad did not give me enough knowledge in Asian furniture styles to know. But there is really not much in there. I want to do a few changes to make it more comfortable, but not completely Westernize the place.” I pulled out my tablet and opened it up to a handful of pictures I’d taken. Including the single cabinet.
“So are you going to put up walls or keep it as a multifunctional living space?”
“The latter,” I said. “I don’t need four poster beds or giant kitchens. I just need it usable.”
She nodded. “I have a few pieces in mind.” She led me toward the far end of the shop that appeared to mostly be Asian designs. “More Chinese than Japanese, but they should work just fine. You know the house is cursed?”
I sighed.
She giggled. “It makes sense though. All the weird stuff that happens. The story is so sad.”
“What story?” I asked as she dug through a few pieces to show off what she had in mind. One was actually a basin type cabinet with a water bowl on top which would work for the bathroom. “Oh I like that. How many millions do I need?”
“Stop. You know you’ll get a deal from me. A lot of these are reproductions. Made like the real thing, but not ancient. That cabinet already in there, that was the real thing. Ming Dynasty, I believe. I remember Sofia buying it.”
“Meaning it’s worth a fortune?”
“Possibly,” she agreed.
I pulled the little dragon out of my pocket and showed it to her. “Found this in it. Your father-in-law said it’s a netsuke?”
She took it and examined it. “Looks more like a piece to aguan. Jade. Very well done. Probably part of a dynasty collection.”
“Guan?”
She pointed to her hair. “Guanwere the head pieces that Chinese men wore inhanfu. Sort of hats or caps for the bun that they used to pull the front back.” She turned it over and pointed to the small hole near the back. “Looks like it fit into a pin or stick that would be threaded through theguan. This is where you can see the original jade green. Very beautifully carved. Only the very wealthy would have been able to afford workmanship like this.”
I took it back from her and examined it. The weight made sense now, knowing it was jade. “So this is worth a fortune too?”
“Not without the rest of it. I mean you’d probably find some collectors who’d want it, but that was probably why it was left behind. I bet the original was glorious, full of precious stones, something a prince or even an emperor would wear.”
I examined the little dragon, trying to picture it. Having watched a bit of Chinese historical drama in my life, I could sort of understand how it went. And now that I studied it, it looked less like a dragon and more like some sort of scaled horse? Face sort of dragon-like, body bunched up, but not like the coiled snake of Chinese dragon mythology.
“It’s probably lost some of its color over the years too,” Madison added, showing me to the bedroom section of the store. “Qilinwere known for multicolor scales, iridescent as they danced on air.” She pointed to the tiny fluff carved near its feet. “Or clouds. They were good luck. Considered ‘guardians of the just’ sort of thing. Choosers of the rulers of the kingdoms.”
“Qilin?” I whispered looking at it. Loving it all the more.
“Could have been a gift. Men used to give the one they loved a piece of jade to proclaim their affection. Perhaps that’s why it’s not part of the set anymore.” Her eyes got wide. “Oh, what if it was a forbidden love? A prince in love with a commoner? Then he may have given it away and proclaimed he lost it. The commoner would have had to hide it of course. She wouldn’t have even been allowed in the harem unless she had the right connections. Can’t soil the bloodlines.”
“You’ve been reading too many romance novels,” I teased her.
She laughed. “Probably.”
I pointed to a simple platform bed made with that similar dark color wood like the original cabinet. “Can I use that? Or doesn’t it match?”
“It’s a traditional Japanese style bed. Brand new, not an antique at all,” Madison said. “The Chinese had more of the canopy style.” She pointed to one that looked like a large framed box.
“Simple is better for me, I think. And I’m a giant, so I’d like to not have expensive and easily broken things. That looks solid.” I indicated the Japanese bed.
“It is,” she agreed. “If a little plain.”
I squinted at her. “Cause I look like a frills type of guy?”