After the accident in the old city, Shen Linzhou ran a junk shop, specializing in items that were "not valuable but cannot be thrown away".
A broken pocket watch, a cracked picture frame, a desk lamp that didn't work, and a wooden horse with a broken leg.
Others thought he was repairing old things.
Only he knows that some things cannot be repaired, some people cannot come back, and some doors will never be knocked again once they are closed.
Until Lin Zhixu appeared in front of him again.
The man who was supposed to die on the seventh day of the old city walked into the junk shop with the secrets, incomplete memories and unexplainable injuries left behind by the White Tower.
He said: "Shen Linzhou, I'm back."
Shen Linzhou looked at him, remained silent for a long time, and only asked:
"Are you leaving this time?"
Lin Zhixu smiled.
"I'm not leaving. Unless you chase me away."
Later, they searched the old city together, demolished the White Tower, and retrieved the children whose names had been replaced by numbers.
Someone named An An.
Someone yelled a little.
Someone asked me to count.
Some people call it half half.
There is also a lamp that once shouted "wake up" in the dark night.
Finally, it was allowed to call "not awake".
Because not all wounds need to be awakened, not all silences need to be answered.
Shen Linzhou finally understood that restoration is not about making everything go back to the way it was before.
Cracks can be there.
Old nails can be left behind.
The door can be opened or closed.
And Lin Zhixu stood at the door of the second-hand shop, holding the key and his name engraved on the door number.
He said, "Will it be open tomorrow?"
Shen Linzhou said: "Open."
They don't arrive forever.
Just opened today.
It will open again tomorrow.
Intent: Trauma will not be easily erased, but people can still regain their names, boundaries, and the courage to continue living in the process of being respected, listened to, and allowed to choose.
