[2019 “Toward a Better Life” Realistic Fiction Writing Contest]
Even the outlying suburbs of Beijing have poor villages. Why can’t they benefit from being so close to the capital? The old folks say, “The rich have their ways, and the poor have their reasons. In a place nobody looks after, you won’t catch even a drop of dew from beneath the emperor’s feet.” But Dong Lan, a demobilized female soldier, refuses to accept that. She leads the villagers in building a happy home against all odds.
