Deep in Relic Lane, in the old part of town, there is an inconspicuous little shop called the Mundane Treasures Studio. Chen Fan, a young restorer, inherited his grandfather’s craft. But on the day the shop opened, he unexpectedly awakened a special ability: whenever he touched an old object, he could see the “shadows of time” clinging to it. Unfulfilled wishes, buried regrets, and forgotten obsessions all took shape as apparitions, calling out to him for help.
From a Republic-era pocket watch stopped at six, to a fountain pen that wouldn’t write, to a pair of scissors that always clicked in the middle of the night, Chen Fan restored both old objects and people’s hearts. With the most ordinary tools, he resolved the most extraordinary obsessions. Every time he completed a restoration, he gained a “skill fragment” from the lingering shadow: watchmaking, calligraphy, woodcarving, massage… These seemingly ordinary crafts became his “superpowers” when it mattered most.
But as his reputation grew, a mysterious organization called the Shadow Snatchers emerged. They captured lingering shadows and stoked people’s obsessions, turning emotional energy into a source of profit, even going so far as to destroy the entire Relic Lane. To protect the old objects and the residents, Chen Fan joined forces with Lin Xi, a journalist specializing in folk traditions; Wang Xiaopang, a tech enthusiast; and Old Master Zhong, a retired expert in lingering shadows, to form the Shadow Guardians and stand against the forces of darkness with a craftsman’s heart.
This is a story about restoration and redemption. In a cold city, every old object holds a warm memory, and every restoration is a tender response to time gone by.
