Chapter One: A Death Date for Twenty Yuan

Shen Yan found his own name in a heap of watches sold by weight. It was November 17, the first cold rain of the season in Linjiang. Blue awnings snapped above the Old Goods Market, and dirty water seeped through the cracks between paving stones. Crouching at the last stall, Shen Yan turned over a brass pocket watch. Two freshly engraved lines marked the inside cover. SHEN YAN. DIED NOVEMBER 17, 2025, AT 11:40 P.M. He checked his phone. November 17, 2024, 4:03 p.m. Exactly one year. “Engraving usually costs extra,” said the vendor, a woman in a red scarf whose face hid beneath her umbrella. “Twenty for the watch. The words are free.” “Is the name common?” “Every dead man's name is common.”