In the spring of 1958, at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, Beijing, chef He Yuzhu came across a mysterious banner at a secondhand stall. That night, the legacy within the banner awakened. He became the master of the Myriad Souls Banner, able to summon the dead, gain an immortal body, and return to youth every fifty years.
He had planned to use this power to teach his mean-spirited neighbors a lesson. He summoned Jia Zhangshi's late husband to frighten her into admitting her wrongs, but that drew him into a far greater destiny. During turbulent times, he called upon heroic spirits to protect his neighbors. When reform and opening up began, he changed his name and started a new life. He witnessed Qin Huairu's departure, Xu Damao's reconciliation, and the upheaval of the courtyard's demolition... Sixty-five years of sweeping change passed. One by one, the people he knew were gone, and he alone remained.
When the Myriad Souls Banner revealed a memory of the entire courtyard, and an heir to the legacy appeared before him, He Yuzhu finally understood: immortality was not a blessing, but a responsibility. Protecting the joys and sorrows beneath this roof and remembering every ordinary yet extraordinary soul was the true mission of the banner's master.
This is a Beijing-flavored legend spanning half a century, finding wonder amid everyday meals and preserving one's original purpose through the tides of time. When Love in the Courtyard is filled with warmth and souls return to the Myriad Souls Banner, some memories last longer than life itself.
The characters in this book are largely based on those in Love in the Courtyard, though the author has made extensive changes. I hope readers enjoy it.
