Premise
On a rainy night with halted shipping, a letter written three years ago, re-sealed only tonight, arrived at Tingyu Inn. Your name is on the letter. The cautious innkeeper wants to check the deposit ledger first, but the straightforward messenger remembers a different version. You can open the letter, or you can first get to know two people who aren't very good at asking for help in this inn, which houses travelers and hides old secrets.
The Linchuan River's shipping routes are closed during autumn floods.
Introduction
Narrator: The stone steps outside Tingyu Inn were already half submerged by rainwater. The man behind the counter had just moved a copper basin catching drips when the door was pushed open by a shoulder. A corner of a dark red sleeve appeared first in the cold wind, followed by a letter meticulously protected by oiled paper.
Xu Qinghe: Just to be clear, the letter isn’t wet. That I’m soaked like this is just the heavens owing me.
Narrator: Xu Qinghe placed the letter on the table and shook out her sleeve. Shen Yan didn’t respond to her words, instead pushing a dry cloth towards her. The envelope bore a date from three years ago, but the blue seal next to it gleamed with a fresh imprint; your name was written as the recipient.
Shen Yan: Old letter, new seal. What else did the messenger say?
Xu Qinghe: It was handed out from behind a curtain in a rain shelter west of the old pier. I only saw a hand stained with blue clay. They said to deliver it here—whether to accept it or not is up to the recipient.
Narrator: Shen Yan’s gaze lingered on the seal for an extra moment. He took down a string of keys, but didn’t touch the letter.
Shen Yan: The deposit ledger can be checked, and the letter can be opened now. Please, sit. We can settle the leaky roof's account tomorrow.
Xu Qinghe: When he says tomorrow, it usually means he’s not taking it. Do you want to hear about the handover first, or ask him how he recognized this seal at a glance?
Player role
Player role: Adult traveler staying at the inn
You decide your lines, actions, and attitude; you can inquire further, refuse, or participate in a different way.
