18: Chapter 18 The "Sweet Water" Next Door: A Question

The iron roof of the green-skinned train was scorching under the sun. The breeze slipping through the window cracks carried a smell of coal smoke, mixing with the aroma of tea leaves wafting from the enamel mug of the middle-aged woman in the neighboring seat, swirling together in the sweltering carriage.

Chen Jie rested his backpack on his legs, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the canvas—the spot where the jade stone had "sifted" out the smell of smoke last night was now emitting a faint coolness, feeling somewhat like the pebbles in the streams of Suiyu Slope.

"Young man, could I borrow some water to drink?" the elderly man sitting diagonally opposite suddenly spoke up, his plastic bottle so empty it crinkled when squeezed. "The water in my bottle has a metallic, rusty taste; I really can't swallow it."

Just as Chen Jie was about to reach for his own water bottle, he saw Zhao Kai had already unscrewed his cap and handed it over. "Use mine. It's hot water I just got at the platform; it's cooled down to a warm temperature."

The old man took it and gulped down two mouthfuls, then suddenly let out an "Eh?" sound, his brows knitting into a knot. "That's not right. Why is this water a bit sweet? It tastes just like the water from the well at home—did you have sugar water in this bottle before?"

Zhao Kai was stunned. He snatched the water bottle back to taste it, his eyes suddenly widening. "It really is! This was tap water I got this morning; how did it turn sweet?" He suddenly glanced at Chen Jie's backpack. "Is your lousy jade stone playing tricks again?"

Chen Jie's heart stirred, and he pulled the jade stone out of his tool bag. In the sunlight, the patterns on the stone's surface emitted a very faint green light, like jade stone submerged in water.

He dropped a piece of rock sugar into Zhao Kai's water bottle. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the rock sugar swirling and melting in the water. The originally murky sugar water actually became clear, and the sweetness wafted out with the steam, three times purer than regular sugar water.

Even the woman in the neighboring seat leaned over. "What's going on with this water? My grandson loves sweet water, but even with a Water purification device, you can't filter out this taste."

"It's a stone I picked up in the mountains; maybe it can perform Water purification," Chen Jie said vaguely.

When his fingertips touched the jade stone, he suddenly remembered the earthenware jar at Old Zhou's house—white stones could make murky water clear, so could his green jade stone make ordinary water sweet?

The old man took another two sips and smacked his lips. "This sweetness isn't cloying; it tastes like mountain spring water. When I was young, I used to fetch water at Suiyu Slope; the water in the streams had this exact taste. After the reservoir was built, I never tasted it again."

He glanced at Chen Jie's jade stone. "Could this stone of yours have been picked up from Suiyu Slope? The older generation used to say that the stones on that slope were tainted with the Spiritual Qi of the Jade God, which could make water sweet."

Chen Jie didn't respond and brought the jade stone closer to the water bottle. The water in the bottle suddenly bubbled, and the tiny Impurities floating on the surface seemed to be attracted by a magnet, gathering toward the jade stone.

They condensed into a small mud ball at the bottom, spun twice, and then disappeared. Zhao Kai stared, his eyes wide. "Amazing! Has this stone become a sentient Water purification device? We should use it for Wang Lei's braised food stall later; I guarantee the meat braised with it will be ten times more fragrant than it is now."

The woman in the neighboring seat suddenly pulled an apple from her bag and handed it to Chen Jie. "Young man, could you help me wash this? The water on this train looks filthy."

Just as Chen Jie was about to take it, he saw the green light on the surface of the jade stone suddenly brighten. He dipped the apple into the water bottle.

Before he even had a chance to rub it, the dirt stains on the peel seemed to be washed away by the water, sliding down along the texture to reveal the bright red skin underneath. Even the dirt in the stem was completely clean, as if it had just been picked from the tree.

"This stone is even more effective than dish soap!" The woman laughed, wrinkles crinkling at the corners of her eyes. "My husband always says tap water doesn't clean vegetables well; I'll go to the mountains and pick up a stone myself later."

Chen Jie handed the apple back, but his heart was surging with waves of thought. This jade stone could absorb smoke, remove odors, make water sweet, and now it could remove stains. Its hidden abilities were likely far greater than he had imagined.

Just like the old items he had repaired, where he would always discover hidden, unseen parts when taking them apart, this stone, once picked up from the stream, was like a machine that had been activated, slowly revealing its functions piece by piece.

The train had just passed through a tunnel, and the light suddenly dimmed. Chen Jie saw the surface of the water in the bottle emitting a faint blue glow, like scattered broken stars; it was the patterns of the jade stone reflecting through the bottle.

He suddenly recalled the legend of the Jade God that Old Liu had told—the Jade God, in order to plug a breach, had thrown all the jade stones he had refined into the stream. Those broken jade stones sank to the bottom of the water and turned into the stones all over the mountains.

Could it be that these stones were originally "Water purification devices" refined by the Jade God, each with its own unique abilities?

"We're almost at the station." Zhao Kai stuffed the water bottle into his bag. "When I get back, I'll have to thoroughly disinfect my phone. It fell into the stream earlier, and who knows how many bacteria it picked up—maybe if I soak it in a cup of water with your stone, I could drink it directly."

Chen Jie smiled and didn't respond. He touched the jade stone in his pocket. The green light on the stone's surface had faded, but it felt even more warm and smooth than before, like a pebble that had been soaked in mountain spring water.

He gazed at the city buildings flashing past the window, suddenly feeling a bit of anticipation—the tap water in the Old neighborhood always had a smell of bleaching powder, and the bottom of Grandma Zhang's old teapot was always coated with scale. Perhaps, when this jade stone reached the city, it could be put to even more use.

The old man in the neighboring seat was still muttering about the mountain spring water of Suiyu Slope, while the woman was peeling her apple. The peel fell onto the floor, emitting a fresh, sweet fragrance.

Chen Jie tightened his backpack on his shoulders. The jade stone inside the bag gently bumped against a wrench, making a "clinking" sound, as if responding to something.

He knew that what he had brought back from this journey was not just a stone, but also the secrets hidden within it, like a freshly brewed pot of sweet tea, just waiting to be slowly savored.