Letters & notes

The letters and notes you come across, in full. Find one by who it's to or from, or by a line you remember.

• Green StrandsRiverweed twisted into a wet bundle, still dripping.
• Black PathScorched copper coins. Their square holes are choked with the ash of joss paper.
• Yellow DuskWithered paper flowers. The paper is yellowed and curling at the edges.
• Red JoyAn empty offering plate. The bottom is stained with crusted blood.
• Records of Water Palace RitesThe Five Offerings of the Water Temple: White Mouth, Green Strands, Black Path, Yellow Dusk, and Red Joy. White Mouth: Offer cold rice. Green…
• Crumpled PaperMother said the sick must not stay with the healthy. The temple's old monk said the well had run dry, that people could live underground now. The…
• Torn DiaryMother said she isn't leaving us. She's playing hide-and-seek. She said when she gets better, she'll come find us. When she does, she'll take us to…
• Novice Monk's NoteThe miasma grows heavier. Master said the sickness follows not only people, but also water. In Jiangnan, all wells and springs are connected. The…
• Old Monk's Torn Record IIn the first year of Qiande, war broke out in Jinghu. Refugees fled along the river, seeking to enter Qiantang. Yet the plague was already among…
• Old Monk's Torn Record IIThe living remain temporarily in the temple. For the dead, we bind paper effigies as bodies. When one dies in a strange land, the soul cannot find…
• Half-Destroyed LetterMy dear, By the time you read this, I will have left Hangzhou by boat. I shall travel far, and I will not return. A man from Jiangning recently…
• Among the jagged rocks lies the skeletal remains…Among the jagged rocks lies the skeletal remains of a monk. His robes are blackened by rain and mud. His leg bones are snapped, and his ribs are…
• To the Benevolent Healers of Spring's Return Hall:Yours respectfully, JingxuanI am Jingxuan, Abbot of Reflection Temple. Recently, a multitude of refugees have sought shelter in our temple, fleeing the disaster in Jinghu. Upon…
• Cannot open from this side.Cannot open from this side.
• This door requires a key.This door requires a key.
• Nameless RemainsSeveral small skeletons lie curled at the bottom of the well. They appear to be the remains of children.
• Nameless RemainsTwo child skeletons of similar size lie side by side on the ground. Their withered hands still rest together.
• Nameless RemainsBones lie scattered among the dead grass, belonging to men, women, and children alike.
• Nameless RemainsA child's skeleton slumps against the mountain gate, as if it has stood watch there for a very long time.
• Nameless RemainsA skeleton sits upright before the altar, its hands still pressed together in prayer.
• "Essential Skills for a Top Waiter"Preface Do your customers finish their meals and leave without a word of praise? Do you envy the endless crowds at the tavern across the street?…
• "Essential Skills for a Top Waiter"... Second: The Right Lighting They say a beautiful face looks lovelier by candlelight. Dead wrong! Candlelight is wasted on faces. Save it for the…
• "Essential Skills for a Top Waiter"... Third: Song and Dance People dine out for a good time. Don't wait for them to ask. Take the initiative! The moment an honored guest sits down…
• A Crumpled Marriage AgreementMy eldest daughter, Shuqing, has just turned eighteen and still has much to learn of proper conduct. I understand that Ding Hong of your esteemed…
• A List of TransactionsOne ram, age thirty. More bone than meat. Two strings of coins. One lamb, age eight. Tender and intact; even the bones cook soft. One string of…
• Tattered PaperSeven lamps burn tonight in memory of the dead. Everything you see is an echo of the past. ...If everything remains exactly as it was, proceed…
• Tattered PaperSeven lamps burn tonight in memory of the dead. Everything you see is an echo of the past. If anything shifts or changes, reveal it with the mirror…
• Strange PageAll seven lamps blazed to life, banishing the shadows from the tiny room. A single tree may rot, but ten thousand will grow into a forest. Now that…