Keeping the books by lamplight takes place in Yuncheng, an ordinary city in a modern society just like ours.
There is no fantasy here, no superpowers, only countless ordinary people just like you and me.
Chen Jianjun and Liu Mei are the most ordinary working-class couple.
He works rotating shifts at a factory, while she takes odd jobs at a supermarket. In their entire lives, they have never worn clothes that cost more than 300 yuan or eaten at a proper restaurant even once.
Their only hope in life is their son, Chen Yang.
To make sure their child does not fall behind at the starting line, they pay for a school-district home, tutoring classes, school-selection fees, learning materials, extracurricular activities...
One expense after another piles up like mountains, pressing them down until they can barely stand upright.
What others call "doing it for the child" means sleepless nights, meals they skip to save money, shifts they dare not take a break from, and grievances they keep buried in their hearts.
Their child's grades rise and fall. The rules hidden from view at school, the competition among social circles, and the casual remark from someone nearby, "No matter how poor you are, you can't afford to neglect education," all cut to the heart.
They give everything they have, hoping to pave an easier road for their child, yet in the day-to-day grind, they become specks of dust unseen beneath the lamplight.
This is not the story of just one family. It is a portrait of millions of working-class families.
In this book, you will see yourself, your parents, and every ordinary person who gives everything they have for their children.
