Spring Returns to Shixigou

In 1975, Shixi Gou was still in the grip of the lingering chill of early spring. Shi Hao was an utterly ordinary young man from the countryside. His parents had died early, and his family was so poor its means were paper-thin. Matchmakers had arranged several prospects for him, but they all fell through because his family lived in three drafty mud-brick rooms. His only hope was Su Yuqing, who was just as poor but every bit as resilient.

Su Yuqing was a young woman from the neighboring village, with deft hands and a heart that refused to give in. She wasn't afraid of being poor; she was only afraid that life would never get any better.

Shi Hao knew that tending a few acres would never change their fortunes. Rumors of loosening policies drifted in like spring rain, and he resolved to be the first to take a bold step. He gathered his courage and said to Su Yuqing, “Yuqing, trust me. As long as we're willing to work hard, life will get better.”

From secretly reclaiming wasteland by the river to grow sweet potatoes, to braving accusations of profiteering to trade eggs for salt; from learning to weave bamboo baskets to working up the courage to raise the village's first breeding sow… Every step brought confusion and mockery from those around them, and was soaked in the couple's sweat and ingenuity.

They were never reborn, and had no golden finger that let them see the future. They never transmigrated, and knew no knowledge beyond their time. All they had was the honest grit of farmers, the courage to seize an opportunity, and the devotion of a couple who stood together, their combined strength unbreakable.

This is an epic tale of ordinary people striving to make their way. See how Shi Hao and Su Yuqing use their hardworking hands to build a home brick by brick and cultivate a happy life inch by inch, protecting the simple comfort and warmth of having enough in an era surging forward like a mighty river.