Danfeng Street

[Bitter Emotional Essays of the Republic of China｜Novel of Chivalrous Group Portraits of the Lower Classes] In Danfeng Street, Nanjing during the Republic of China, the lives of poor people were not worth half a bag of rice. Xiu An, a comely orphan girl, keeps to herself, and has a mutual affection for Tong Laowu, a down-to-earth hawker who just wants to live together with simple meals. Unexpectedly, his greedy uncle owed usury, and was instigated by the matchmaker Xu Qiaofu. He planned to sell Sister Xiu to the elderly deputy chief as a second house to pay off the debt, and set up traps step by step to force the mother and daughter to compromise. The brothers on the street who relied on their own strength to make a living couldn't stand it anymore, so they spontaneously gathered to stand up for Sister Xiu, causing troubles to stop her, and collecting money to save others. They refused to bow their heads even if they offended powerful people. Zhang Henshui jumped out of romance routines and completely recreated the life of the market, teahouses and narrow alleys in the Republic of China. He did not deliberately sensationalize but every word was heart-breaking. It not only showed the passionate loyalty of the low-level people who hugged each other for warmth, but also wrote about the tragic fate of women in the old society who could not control themselves. The plot has twists and turns and dense conflicts, making it heart-wrenching and moving to read.