Dumb House

Dumb House is a full-length fantasy novel by Xuan Se, first serialized in Manke Fiction Illustrated from August 2010 and published as a standalone volume by Changjiang Publishing House in April 2011. As the first main volume of the series, the book consists of twelve unit stories built around twelve dusty antiques: the fish-pattern mirror, the Fragrant Concubine chain, the mermaid candle, the yellow millet pillow, the Sword of the King of Yue, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the water-green jade, the witchcraft doll, the Concubine Yu, the white snake umbrella, the longevity lock, and the red dragon robe. The central setting is an antique shop called Dumb House: rare treasures that are by turns real and legendary in myth and lore, lost and found across the long river of history, now lie quietly displayed here, each bearing a story no one has heard. The shopkeeper is a man of mysterious origins who has lived for more than two thousand years, endlessly searching the ages for the crown prince he once followed. Whether the young doctor who stumbles in is coincidence or destiny becomes a hidden thread running through the book. Through one antique after another, this volume links the joys and sorrows of different eras, writing about the history behind the objects and about the human heart and fate behind the history.