Echoes of Old Things

Lin Yanzhi, a restorer of ancient books, has a secret: she can hear old objects speak. From her grandmother’s magnolia hairpin to a worn old pocket watch, for ten years she has listened to objects recount the past. But everything changes when she encounters a copper bell covered in verdigris. Its choked voice speaks of “a pomegranate tree in the fire,” alerting her to a long-buried story hidden in the whispers of old things.

A fragile letter from her longtime client, Mr. Chen, becomes the key. A woman’s voice saying, “When the war is over, let’s go see the lotus flowers at West Lake,” overlaps with the bell’s anguished cry, “It’s his scent,” revealing the wartime love story of Chen Jingming and Su Yutang. As Lin restores the letter, other old objects emerge: a vermilion magnolia seal, a faded photo album of pomegranate blossoms. Piece by piece, they reconstruct the bond between two people that endured even death.

Lin Yanzhi mends paper, and mends the emotions held within the years. In this mystery spanning past and present, the love and longing preserved in old objects will finally cross time and reach the person they wish to see.