In the late autumn of 2021, in the jade carving studio on Xiangwang Road in Suzhou, the sun shines through the old wooden windows, casting mottled light and shadow on the work surface scattered with jade chips. I held a polished carving knife and ran my fingertips over a piece of unfinished Hetian jade seed material - the outline of half a lotus flower had just been carved on the material, and the curvature of the petals still needed to be carefully polished. The screen of the mobile phone is on, and it stays at the end of the 100th chapter of "The Dream of the Jade Insect". The word "consummation" between the lines is like a wisp of warm smoke, gently lingering in my heart.
Suddenly, I remembered that afternoon during the rainy season in 2019. At that time, the roof of the studio still leaked, and I was squatting on the ground to collect the jade carving drawings that were wet by the rain. My fingertips were stained with jade powder mixed with water, which was sticky and cold. The rain outside the window was pattering, making a clicking sound on the iron eaves. Suddenly, an idea came to my mind: Why not write a story about jade carvings?
