Miss Shen Jinxin of the Shen Jiu family has kept the dowry left by her mother, but the secret left by her mother has not yet been found.
An embroidery book with key pages torn out, a Yue Cave Gate that had been blocked in the 28th year of Guangxu's reign, and an embroidery shop signboard that read "Yan's Old Collection" - they are scattered between the French Concession and the old streets of Suzhou, like an unfinished chess game.
The stepmother comes in, the aunt seizes power, the late-night phone call from the father, the land deed sent and taken back by the uncle. Every entry in the Shen family's account book is written, but underneath each entry is another layer of ink.
Jinxin does not fight for position or bicker. She just picked up the pieces piece by piece and put them back together.
Some secrets are sewn into the embroidery. Some secrets are hidden in paper dust. The secret of Miss Shen Jiujiu is that she saw the complete map one step earlier than everyone else.
