Synopsis of Folk Tales and Strange Occurrences: The Shadow in the Inkstone
Lin Yan, a folk customs reporter, can glimpse strange phenomena in the countryside thanks to half a talisman inkstone left behind by her grandfather. To uncover the truth behind his unfinished manuscript, Records of Folk Customs and Strange Occurrences, she travels from old houses and narrow alleys to desolate villages and remote hills, becoming entangled in twenty eerie cases rooted in Chinese folk taboos: a locust-wood comb steals souls with every stroke; a bloodstained paper figure walks through the night in red shoes; a reflection in an antique mirror shows one person too many... Born of customs broken, these wicked entities are neither ghosts nor demons. They are living things woven from resentment, obsession, and the rules of folk tradition. The way to defeat them lies hidden in the loopholes of the rules passed down by the elders.
From the gray-white strands caught between the teeth of the comb in "The Locust-Wood Comb," to the ownerless red shoe prints in the muddy ground of "The Paper Bride," and finally the ultimate revelation in "The Soul in the Inkstone": the source of every strange occurrence is the choice her grandfather made years ago to break with tradition in order to save someone. Guided by the inkstone, Lin Yan follows a cycle of encountering the uncanny, investigating customs, and overcoming calamities. Beneath the eerie surface of folk taboos, she uncovers the obsessions of the human heart and gradually pieces together the truth about how her grandfather spent half his life protecting the old customs.
When the final chapter of the twenty strange cases comes to a close, Lin Yan burns the manuscript to dispel the resentment. Yet deep within the inkstone, the fading shadow of her great-grandmother holding a child still remains. This journey to preserve tradition across generations weaves together the mystery and warmth of Chinese folk customs, leaving a lingering tale of rules, redemption, and the human heart.
