Mr. Gongsun Goes to Yunnan

The novel's central plot revolves around a family property dispute. Zhi Zhongxin, from Huanglou Village, plans to sell a storefront in Huizhou County to pay for medical treatment for his daughter-in-law, Wang Xiaoju, who urgently needs care for uremia. However, the property does not legally belong to Zhi Zhongxin alone; his two younger brothers also have a claim to it, though they don't know it exists. To keep all the proceeds from the sale for himself and prevent his brothers from claiming their share if word gets out, Zhi Zhongxin carefully devises a series of actions, creating a maze of confusion spanning more than two thousand kilometers. His scheme is closely tied to Gongsun Yangui's trip to Yunnan.

Gongsun Yangui was once a beggar in a big city who built a high-rise in his hometown of Huizhou County. When changes to the city's management policies forced him to return home and retire, he heard there were plenty of opportunities in Yunnan and followed fellow villager Zhi Zhongxin there, setting the main story in motion.

The story has a complex structure, with multiple plotlines and a large cast of characters. It involves the investigation of a death, the uncovering of family secrets, struggles among characters, and plans that span provincial borders. In the end, all the threads come together in the chapter “The Continuation of the Family Line,” bringing the story to its conclusion.