The rain in Wutong Lane, Beicheng, is always sticky, and even the cracks in the bluestone slabs seem to hide unspoken words.
Shen Yan's restoration has been going on for five years, and he has touched countless old objects with his fingertips, but for the first time he was shocked by the burning of half a pocket watch part - the branch pattern on the part, and the half piece locked into the iron box by the master before his death, could spell out the complete word "sin". Lu Ze, who came to deliver parts, was even more anxious. He wanted to find his brother who had been missing for three years, and the parts were the only clue left by his brother.
They didn't expect that asking about the pocket watch would alarm the whole alley: retired Aunt Chen turned pale when she saw the parts, saying that before Lu Heng disappeared, she always asked about "things underground in the Republic of China"; Sister Lin from the convenience store hid an old photo frame, and the words "Given by Lu Heng" were scratched out on the back; in the paintings of wandering painters, there was always a silent man standing at the entrance of the alley, his collar stained with the same patina as the parts.
What's even more strange is Shen Yan's ability - when he touches the remains of the pocket watch, he can always hear intermittent warnings: "Don't touch the ground, someone is waiting..." It wasn't until late one night that the door of the repair shop was pried open, the master's iron box was missing, and the sound of a wooden box being dragged was heard at the end of the alley. Only then did they understand: Lu Heng's disappearance was not an accident. Under Wutong Lane, there was a secret heavier than the pocket watch.
The rain was still falling, and the gears of the pocket watch turned half a circle in Shen Yan's palm. Lu Ze was holding his brother's old book. The two of them looked at the darkness deep in the alley. They were looking for not only people, but also shady things that had been buried in the old alley for decades.
Purpose: Use old things as a mirror to see the redemption and fetters of human nature