In 1996, in a small northern town, the old street market concealed the difficult livelihood of countless ordinary people.
Chen Jinghe relies on a small cotton sock stall to make a living. He comes from a poor family and has a gentle temperament. He just hopes to live a stable life, protect his sweetheart Su Wanqing, and help Zhao Qiang, a young man who bears the burden of the whole family.
The laid-off and unemployed Wang Laosan has been asking for protection money at the market all year round, bullying the stall owners again and again. Chen Jinghe repeatedly tolerated it, but in exchange for the injustice of those around him one after another. In desperation, he had to learn to deal with favors and walk through the gray cracks to protect himself. Behind the short-term stability was the guilt and suffering day after day.
Lin Zhou, a grassroots policeman, comes from an ordinary farmer's family and has no backers. He keeps the order of the town passionately. He knew that it was not easy for the people at the bottom to make a living, and he felt sorry for Chen Jinghe who couldn't help himself, but his responsibility came first and he could never give in to the bottom line. The two understand each other, but they always stand on two completely opposite paths.
Market vendors, wandering orphans, local business snakes, and women working hard to make a living, everyone in the town has their own difficulties.
This book wants to tell everyone: Suffering is worthy of empathy, but it must not be used as an excuse to break through the bottom line; taking shortcuts may seem easy for a while, but you will eventually pay a long-term price. Keeping your heart is the foundation for a stable life.
