At 22, history major Lin Wei is forced to put her studies on hold and take over a failing business when her grandfather falls gravely ill and the century-old antique shop teeters on the brink of closure. After an accident, she awakens a supernatural ability called “Antique Empathy” when she touches antiques with both hands. Not only can she accurately judge their value, she can also see fragments of the history buried within them. From finding a Ming dynasty Xuande porcelain shard for 10 yuan at a flea market to buying a Republican-era wooden chest hiding jadeite from a relative for 800 yuan, Lin Wei relies on her gift and her knowledge of history to navigate the murky world of antiques. She must contend with malicious rivals, counterfeiters’ traps, and collectors’ tests, while also unraveling the mystery of how her grandfather’s “mistake in judgment” led to the shop’s decline. In the end, she restores the glory of Boguzhai and becomes a one-of-a-kind woman proprietor in the antique world. Through her conversations with antiques, she also comes to understand the weight of history and the human heart.
