1985: A Tableful of Folks from North and South

Reader’s guide: A story set in a bygone era, with an ensemble cast, food, everyday family life, and the journey to prosperity. No golden finger, no transmigration or rebirth, just a slow and steady story. [Theme] A foreign land can become home. Wherever someone leaves the door open for you, that’s home. In 1985, Wang Yinlan set off from a rural village in Longdi for Shencheng, carrying half a basket of corn and potatoes and bringing her relatives along to find her husband. Who could have guessed she’d be slapped in the face the moment she arrived? The man she was looking for had become the kept man of a wealthy woman in Hong Kong City! Not only had he abandoned them, he wanted to cut ties with them, too! She couldn’t return to her hometown. In Shencheng, she had no one to turn to, and her pockets were emptier than her face was clean. Just when she was at her wits’ end, she was lucky enough to find a courtyard overflowing with human warmth. There were kindhearted landlords, the local Chen family, “Northeast Tiger,” who specialized in trading goods, Brother Fu and Sister Liu from Xiangdi, Brother Zhou and Sister-in-law Zhou from Qianzhou, and the Su family of tailors from Jiangnan... With everyone’s help, Wang Yinlan started out selling lunchboxes at construction sites. A bowl of hot rice, a plate of home-style cooking, a pot of hearty food: it warmed the workers’ stomachs and helped her save up her first nest egg. From a roadside food stall to a little neighborhood restaurant, then to a chain of grand restaurants... Years later, Brother Fu became a construction foreman, and Sister Liu opened a beauty salon. Brother Zhou and Sister Zhou became Shencheng’s biggest wholesalers of mountain delicacies. Zhao Hu stopped trading goods between north and south. He opened a clothing factory and department stores, transforming into a major tycoon. The Su family of tailors opened a studio, and their designer became a luxury-label favorite of Hong Kong stars. The Chen family opened herbal tea and soup shops, bringing warmth to the whole city. Ten, twenty years later, that little courtyard is still there, always offering a sheltering roof to those who come to Shencheng in pursuit of their dreams. The stories of the courtyard continue.