Summary of the novel "Chang Family Courtyard"
Zuo Mi, a writer from the Yi ethnic group, returns to his hometown to collect stories and wants to uncover the secret history of the Chang Family Courtyard. However, he is rejected by the villagers. He also confronts Chang Yue, an ancient architecture scholar who holds a genealogy to trace his roots, because of his right to investigate. The ancient house was lit by candles late at night, and anonymous threatening letters came one after another, forcing the two to join forces. While exploring the house, a trap was triggered, and a secret message in Yi script was accidentally discovered in the wall. This led to the involvement in the family orthodoxy dispute a hundred years ago. They cracked the light and shadow mechanism to find the secret room, found the Yi embroidery map and the family separation contract, and even discovered the ruse of the cultural relics dealer who used ultrasound to forge the sound of copper bells. In the process, the mutual support on the rainy night corridor, the ambiguous circulation of embroidery pieces repaired in the embroidery workshop, and the confession and heart-to-heart conversations at the critical moment of life and death made the two people move from antagonism to mutual understanding and love. In the end, the two set up a scheme to find out the mastermind behind the scenes - Chang Yue's academic rival, and helped the ancient house be designated as an intangible cultural heritage. They revived the vitality of the ancient house by "restoring the old as before" combined with "living inheritance", and settled down for life in the traditional rituals of the Yi people. Five years later, the courtyard has become a cultural research base, and a lost volume of classics returned overseas has laid a new mystery for this guardian legend.
