Old Letters from Huai Alley

The old letters at the bottom of Grandma's camphorwood chest drew Chen Yan into the mist surrounding Huai Lane on the outskirts of the city. An envelope with no recipient, a white-haired old man knocking at midnight, and half a copper lock engraved with a moon pattern all pointed to the secret Grandma had buried here twenty years ago. When the old clock chimed on the night of the full moon and the walls of Huai Lane began to peel away, revealing cracks in time and space, she clutched the copper lock and finally understood: this was no chance encounter. Their reunion had been written long ago.