**Era Background**: 1933-2023, a century-old family epic in southern Sichuan that spans the troubled times of the Republic of China, the war of resistance against Japan, the founding of the People's Republic of China, land reform, reform and opening up, and the revival of the new century.
**Core Main Line**: The ups and downs of the four generations of the Wu family, a family of salt merchants in Zigong, Sichuan, are based on the four major tokens of salt, cloth, horses, and locks, intertwining the secret history of the folk, the intrigues of business wars, the feelings of family and country, and the changes of the times.
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### **Volume 1: Shu Embroidery Split Silk (1933-1949)**
**Keywords**: **Salt Bandit Rebellion·Family Disintegration·Blood Curse**
In 1933, the wealthy businessman Wu Dabao owned a silk and cloth shop and a bloody BMW, but his family fell into ruin after his eldest daughter Jinsuo was kidnapped by bandits. Jin Suo died tragically, and Wu Dabao became addicted to gambling, eventually losing all his family property and dying in depression. The youngest son **Wu Benchang** and his sister **Wu Benxian** were orphaned and suffered from the hardships of the world.
**Hidden Thread**: Behind the death of Jin Suo, there is a shocking secret of child labor in Zigong Saltworks and the infiltration of Japanese spies. The "Picture of One Hundred Sons and Thousands of Grandsons" she embroidered was actually a diagram of the secret road of salt transportation, which was later used by the underground party of the Chinese Communist Party.
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### **Volume 2: Commoner Spring and Autumn Period (1950-1978)**
**Keywords**: **Land reform situation·Red marriage·Awakening of salt workers**
After liberation, **Wu Benchang** was trained as a land reform cadre, in charge of material distribution, and married **Yu Shuhua**, a revolutionary widow. The two protect their home in turbulent times
