(A word of caution before you read: This is a period novel that begins in the 1980s, telling the story of a family of five siblings from birth through school, work, and marriage. It's not a wish-fulfillment story, and it has a slow pace and a long timespan. If this isn't your kind of book, please think twice before reading. Thank you.)
The gentle Ping Shui River flows through Ping Shui County, Jiangkou City, Jiangdong Province.
In Chenghuangtan, a place in Jiangkou City, the bricklayer An Yunfa and Liu Lan, one of the few high school graduates of her era, had four daughters and a son: An Qing, An Nuo, An Che, An You, and An Chen. Their names express the hope that they will live safe and happy lives, that their daughters will be bright and carefree, and that their son will have a brilliant future.
Time flies, and the children gradually grow up, go to school, find jobs, and settle down in different places. Life flows on like the Ping Shui River, past arguments and misunderstandings, and past bowl after bowl of hot soup served late at night and the embraces shared at every reunion.
People come and go. That's just everyday life. What matters is having one another.
This is a story about five siblings. Life isn't a wish-fulfillment novel: it's the everyday warmth of life by the Ping Shui River, and family who, before you know it, have walked alongside you for a lifetime.
Narrated, real stories of ordinary people
Homely stories are short and very real.
It's about my hometown. It's very friendly.
The writing is very good and true, but no one reads it.
The story of the 1980s and 1990s is very interesting.
A very realistic representation of rural life in the Hunan and Jiangxi regions in the 1980s