Strictly speaking, The Sutton Family is not a counterfeiter, because according to Chinese tradition, reproductions of antiques are also considered antiques. In fact, reproduction itself is sometimes a state-sponsored activity, called “the rescue of lost traditional crafts,” and is recognized as exemplary.

The Sutton Family, when selling reproductions to outsiders, always solemnly informs buyers that these are “our family’s reproductions.” However, because The Suttons’s craftsmanship is so superb, only true experts can find the “The Suttons” mark in a specific location, so buyers always flaunt them as genuine pieces and resell them. This has become an open secret in the industry.

Those who know where to look for the mark are all former buyers of The Suttons, so they remain silent. It is precisely this silence that has established The Suttons’s status in the world of antique reproductions.

Experts all know The Suttons’s secret and know where to buy from them, but they tacitly keep quiet, only responding with a question: You want one too? Only three or four pieces are released each year. If they’re gone this year, you’ll have to reserve early for next year. Oh, and the price isn’t cheap. Foreigners, well, it’s always foreigners who buy them!...

It is precisely because The Sutton Family’s actions skirt the edge of morality that Charles Sutton developed a split personality in his early years, eventually leading to rebellion. Everyone in The Lane Family knows about this, except for Wendy Lane, who is kept in the dark, which is why the adults are tolerant of Charles Sutton’s mischief.

The previous generation’s inheritor of The Sutton Family’s craft was Charles Sutton’s father. As the only son, Charles Sutton was ultimately expected to inherit the family business. But later, Charles Sutton’s rebelliousness forced his father to consider the continuation of the family craft. So, after Wendy Lane, his father chose the loyal and plain-looking Yvonne Quinn, grooming her as a daughter-in-law with full dedication.

When Charles Sutton’s parents met with misfortune, Yvonne Quinn, though unfamiliar with the specific porcelain-firing techniques, was thoroughly versed in the sales channels for antiques. This was her capital for continuing to run the antique shop, and also the reason The Lane Family chose to support Yvonne Quinn. Supporting Yvonne Quinn was the only way to protect The Sutton Family’s secret.

As for Wendy Lane, who was unaware of the truth, Yvonne Quinn’s presence allowed her to escape the nightmare of living with Charles Sutton day and night. Naturally, she was unwilling to let go of such a perfect scapegoat, which is why she spared no effort to keep Yvonne Quinn around. Supporting Yvonne Quinn was, in fact, saving herself.

That inheritance dispute lasted for more than a year, during which Yvonne Quinn became genuinely grateful to Wendy Lane for sharing her hardships. Later, the missing Charles Sutton was rescued from a deserted island, hailed as a modern-day Robinson Crusoe, abruptly ending the inheritance lawsuit.

Afterwards, Wendy Lane retreated back to school, leaving Yvonne Quinn to manage the The Sutton Family business, while Charles Sutton continued to drift abroad for over a year, returning home full of sorrow.

During this period, the city where The Sutton Family was located underwent old town redevelopment. The antique shop run by Charles Sutton’s father was requisitioned, and all the elderly staff left for other jobs while waiting for relocation, leaving only Yvonne Quinn to keep things going. After returning home, Charles Sutton simply closed the antique shop and, using the bartending skills he had learned while wandering, opened the now-infamous Demon Bar after the relocation.

As for his father’s assistant or “quasi-wife” Yvonne Quinn, Charles Sutton neither agreed nor objected—after all, now he just wanted to rebel, even if his target was no longer alive. And Yvonne Quinn’s loyalty in holding things together meant that The Sutton Family’s only supporter, the ever-indulgent Uncle Lane, could not tolerate any dissent.

Thus, Yvonne Quinn’s presence became an ambiguous element in the bar. She held the keys to all the rooms in the courtyard, managed Charles Sutton’s finances, ran the bar’s daily operations, could come and go from Charles Sutton’s bedroom without concern, cared for him like a wife, and responded to his teasing with gentle tact. Yet Charles Sutton never took the final step to define their relationship...

While wandering outside, Charles Sutton had saved up some money. He originally intended to use it to repay the study-abroad expenses he had stolen from home, but when he finally wanted to care for his parents, they were already gone. Later, facing the situation at The Sutton Family, Charles Sutton took out this money, added some of the relocation compensation, and bought an old house on the outskirts of the city at the time, building a courtyard home in the Ming and Qing style.

At first, while waiting for relocation, this courtyard was used as a rental property, and he and Yvonne Quinn lived off the rental income. Later, when the commercial buildings were completed, the original owners all received government-compensated storefronts, and the vacant rooms in the courtyard became employee dormitories.

With the support of the courtyard’s rental income, and since the bar’s property rights belonged to him, there was no rent to pay. As a result, Charles Sutton’s bar became a temporary resting place for new employees. They lived in the bar’s staff dormitory, job-hunted during the day, and worked at the bar at night to earn a living.

Some of them quit the bar after finding good jobs, while others continued to work night shifts at the bar, holding two jobs and earning two salaries. However, their common choice was to continue renting their former dorm rooms. As the city rapidly expanded, the former outskirts became part of the city. The street where the courtyard now stood intersected perpendicularly with a major city thoroughfare at the end of the lane. High-rises lined both sides of this main road, their lights never dimming. Yet the small street where the courtyard was located remained far from the bustle, still retaining a bit of its old suburban atmosphere. This made the courtyard both conveniently located and a quiet haven amid the noise.

Besides this, there was another reason tenants were reluctant to give up the courtyard—the residents had all once been colleagues and were familiar with each other. In the indifferent city, the warmth that existed among them was something to cherish.