Chapter One: After the Glasses Come Off

She took a portable eye chart from the cabinet, stepped behind the measured line, and covered her left eye. The fourth row, formerly a set of black blots, now had discernible openings. She felt no relief. Severe myopia that had remained stable for a decade did not improve overnight. Her phone chimed. Tang Qi, the paper conservator, had sent a voice message. “Curator Lin has asked for you three times. If you don't get here, he'll remove the backing from Homeward in Rain himself. This is the man who once suggested ironing a Song painting. I can't hold him off forever.” “Twenty minutes,” Yanqiu replied. She put away the chart. Before closing the drawer, she removed her glasses and looked at the ceiling once more.