Lin Shen's pawnshop is on the verge of closing, but he has an unknown family heirloom of a skill: he can restore not only antiques, but also the memories attached to them.
As he repairs a shattered porcelain bowl, he witnesses a woman in the Republican era smash a plate to declare her resolve. As he touches an ancient jade, he experiences firsthand the tragic fate of a Warring States general, wrapped in his horse's hide after death. He only wants a quiet, uneventful life, but one “impossible” restoration drags him into a maelstrom. Powerful forces come knocking, all searching for the legendary Mirror of Tracing Light, said to reveal the past.
Every clue points to a century-old secret of the Lin family and a national treasure mystery never recorded in the history books.
From then on, the laid-back young shopkeeper is forced to get to work. By day, he is an inconspicuous shop owner on an old street. By night, he is a restorer wandering through the mists of memory. Every antique holds a buried story, and every restoration brings him one step closer to the truth.
When the last national treasure is returned to its place, what appears in the mirror is the family's blood and tears, and an ultimate choice he never imagined he would face...
Five-star recommendation! The author uses memory as a needle to stitch together the cracks of hundreds of years. It is the most amazing urban supernatural suspense work I have read this year. From the current point of view, the core setting of the story - the ability to repair memory, is not only to repair artifacts, but also to repair history and emotions, which is very profound. In terms of characterization, Lin Shen's transformation from laziness to concentration and his interaction with Su Wanqing are very interesting. There is also the arrangement of suspenseful clues, from porcelain plates to pocket watches to jade congs, all interlocking. The writing style and the creation of atmosphere are quite picturesque. It is a rare masterpiece.
The "Weight of Memory" setting is great! What Lin Shen restored was not only the artifacts, but also the emotions and promises buried by time. Lin Xiulan's determination to fight for the broken jade, and Lin Henian's tragic story of sinking into the river to protect the treasure are presented through memory flashbacks, which are more impactful than direct narration. The author has successfully constructed an attractive world: on the surface, it looks like a down-and-out small shop in the city, but deep down, centuries-old family memories and national context flow. Lin Shen's ability is both the skill he relies on for a living and the fate he cannot escape. This contradiction makes the character immediately stand up. I'm quite looking forward to the follow-up story to see how the author further expands on the rules and costs of "memory repair", and how Lin Shen and Su Wanqing will work together to uncover the truth behind Lin Henian's disappearance. The whereabouts of the national treasures that migrated south and the secrets hidden in the jade congs are all exciting. Come on, author!