Episode Summary

Xia Mo and Tang Zhenyun discover a 15-year-old indenture contract that leads them to suspect a cold case is the origin of their current investigation.

Spoiler Alert

Rosefinch Episode 7 Spoilers

The investigation takes a sharp turn towards the past. Early in the morning, Xia Mo and Tang Zhenyun search Miao San's home, uncovering a stack of indentureship contracts. One document, 15 years old, catches their eye: Zheng Meiyun, the former owner of No. 25 Hui'an Li, sold her 15-year-old son, Zheng Zukang, to Miao San for a single silver dollar.This strange contract leads them to believe the root of the case lies fifteen years in the past.

They take the contract to Gao Ying at the Rosefinch Hall (Zhu Que Tang), which is swarming with young women hoping to be chosen as dancers.Inside, the singer Zhu Yuhe throws a fit after being passed over for a spot in the beauty pageant, proclaiming herself the irreplaceable "nightingale" of the hall. Gao Ying coolly proves her wrong by having another girl take the stage, demonstrating to everyone that "no one is irreplaceable."

After examining the contract, Gao Ying calmly informs the men that Miao San is already dead. She reveals she has bribed a certain Song Mama for information about the events of 15 years ago. Song Mama told her that Zheng Meiyun, who had developed an opium addiction, once tried to sell her son. Shortly after, the house at No. 25 became known as haunted, and Zheng Meiyun vanished overnight. Her son, Zheng Zukang, was never seen again.

The group proceeds to No. 25 Hui'an Li, where Xia Yingqi is already overseeing renovations. The investigation takes a horrifying turn when a worker smashes open a second-floor wall and discovers the skeletal torso of a woman. A further search of the house reveals more remains: leg bones inside a first-floor wall, arm bones on the second floor, and finally, a skull hidden in the attic.Attached to the skull is a dirty cloth resembling a "corpse puppet mask." The gruesome discovery jogs Xia Yingqi's memory of a ghost story she once read about a son who murders his mother and hides her body in the walls of their home. Gao Ying helps her find the exact book, solidifying their terrifying new theory.