Back to the City 1978: Starting from the Utility Room

In 1978, former sent-down youth Han Yu returns to Beijing only to find his world shattered. His father, the former director of a heavy machinery plant, died in an alleged suicide during the Cultural Revolution, taking his mother down with him. Stripped of his home by a predatory uncle, Han Yu is relegated to a tiny utility room with no household registration, no job, and no prospects. While sorting through his parents' meager belongings, a drop of Han Yu’s blood falls upon an ancient, blank book left by his grandfather, awakening a supernatural artifact capable of consuming antiques and gold in exchange for worldly secrets. Through the book, he gains the "Eyes of Past Ages"—a mystical sight allowing him to perceive the lingering echoes of time on objects and the swirling aura of desires surrounding the living. Armed with this extraordinary vision, Han Yu navigates the gritty underworld of Beijing, unearthing hidden treasures, forging alliances with street-smart locals, and fighting to reclaim his ancestral home. But when he discovers his father's final, hidden letter, he realizes his uncle's betrayal is merely the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the turbulent surface of a society on the brink of economic reform lurks a shadowy conspiracy involving a mysterious one-armed monk, a Sanskrit-inscribed alms bowl, and an enigmatic syndicate known as "Return to Ruins." With his childhood sweetheart waiting in a distant Gansu farm and loyal friends bleeding by his side, Han Yu must race against ruthless adversaries to expose the truth, reclaim his family's honor, and carve out a path to survival in the crucible of a changing nation.