After Fengzi learns the secret seasoning recipe for “Dry Pot Soft-Shelled Turtle,” his industry expertise and dedication to developing dishes lead him to create a uniquely flavored “Turtle Grilled Fish.” This becomes the starting point for a new chapter in his life at the age of thirty-five.
Before that, after leaving the mountains, Fengzi did whatever it took to survive. He stole chickens and once ran off without paying the noodle shop owner after a meal because he had no money, a shameful thing to do. He installed security doors and worked as a guard. Later, trusting a friend too easily, he was tricked into joining a pyramid scheme. After losing his savings of many years, he was hit by a car while dazed and physically spent, and was left with lasting aftereffects.
He returned to his hometown to recuperate for two years. Unwilling to give up, Fengzi decided to head north again.
With his dreams in mind, Fengzi had no choice but to use food delivery work as a stepping stone. His life finally began to turn around when he met the benefactor who would change everything: a dry-pot chef.
One day, by chance, his former lover reappeared. More than a decade earlier, she had been a restaurant waitress; now she was the highly successful owner of the Golden Sun Karaoke Lounge. From then on, Fengzi's fortunes took a complete turn, ushering in the high point of his life as he gradually made his comeback.
His second trip to the capital also cleared away years of confusion: a friend had set a trap for him back when he became caught up in the pyramid scheme, waiting for inexperienced people like them to fall in.
Through its characters' experiences, this book subtly shows that some people can plunge you into an abyss of suffering and even ruin your life, while others can lift you straight into the sky.
It also explores how different marital relationships can profoundly affect a man's life and career.
