Jade

Author: Haiyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: It was the winter of the year 2000, the eve of the Chinese New Year in the new millennium. Yet here, in Hawaii, it was all about palm trees of summer, dazzling sunlight, the azure sea, and scorching sandy beaches. In the early morning, I stood on the curved balcony, watching a lone seagull glide awkwardly past my feet. Beibei was still fast asleep in bed, giving me a moment of true solitude for reflection. I began to savor last night's dream carefully, greedily, as if starved for it. — Was it you, Anxin? Are you laughing? The background of the dream was too hazy for me to recall where we were, where we had ever laughed so heartily together? Amidst the cheerful atmosphere and lively rhythm, your face seemed extremely blurred, almost indistinct, but I knew it was you, you were Anxin. Where are you? Do you still remember me? The Jade Beauty is another work by Haiyan that portrays romantic love through a realistic style. Compared to Haiyan's previous works, this novel shows significant changes in character portrayal, language style, lifestyle, and plot structure. However, these changes do not affect the readability and appeal that Haiyan's novels are known for. It is a lyrical work that celebrates the kindness and tolerance of Chinese women, blending ingenuity with simplicity, softness with strength, and maintaining delicate qualities without sacrificing grandeur. In The Jade Beauty, Haiyan tells a dramatic love story. Anxin, a female police officer, has her life turned upside down after an accidental "affair." Torn between family and enemies, emotion and law, she endures the cruelty of death and rediscovers the sweetness of love, ultimately growing into a strong and complete woman who dedicates herself to the extremely tough and dangerous work of anti-narcotics. Anxin's hometown is Qingmian in Yunnan. During her middle school years, she won the provincial women's taekwondo championship. After the college entrance exams, she was admitted to the Guangping Police College in the first round. While caring for the ailing principal, she met Zhang Tiejun, a journalist, and fell in love with him. After graduating from university, she insisted on being sent to the grassroots Nande Police Bureau for training. There, she had an encounter with Mao Jie, a handsome and passionate man, which led to a transgression and pregnancy. This shattered her marriage to Tiejun. During an operation, she discovered that Mao Jie was a drug dealer. The anti-narcotics team eradicated the drug trafficking network led by Mao Jie's parents. After learning Anxin's true identity, Mao Jie began a frenzied act of revenge, and Tiejun died at his hands. Out of care and compassion, the organization allowed Anxin to go into hiding and helped her find a job at a building materials company in Qianbei City. However, due to the unreasonable harassment of the company manager, Anxin had to leave again, taking her child to Beijing. Through a mutual acquaintance, she found work as a cleaner at the Beijing Taekwondo Club. Later, she was falsely accused and forced to leave, working for two days at a small restaurant before ending up at Sanhuan Furniture City, helping to sell furniture. Yang Rui was in charge of a construction project at Guoning Company and was arrested for suspected corruption. Anxin fought tirelessly to clear his name, and he was eventually acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Yang Rui, who had never taken responsibility for love, was deeply moved by Anxin's character and integrity and fell deeply in love with her. They decided to get married. On their way to Yunnan to obtain marriage certificates, they encountered Mao Jie again. With Anxin's help, the Nande Police Bureau killed Mao Jie, but he had already killed the child he had kidnapped. Anxin and Yang Rui returned to Beijing, believing that time would heal Anxin's wounds and that their happiness would eventually come. However, a few days later, Anxin disappeared after leaving a letter saying she would take responsibility for her dead husband and son. Yang Rui found the anti-narcotics team in Nande and learned from Captain Pan that Anxin was pursuing a cause she was willing to die for, a path of her own choosing. Before parting, Captain Pan handed over the Jade Guanyin, a symbol of kindness, ideals, and motherhood, which Anxin always carried with her, to Yang Rui.