A Property Consultant's Ten-Year Journal

Told from the first-person perspective of Zhang Xiaoyu, a seasoned property consultant, this book chronicles the ups and downs of the real estate industry and the many sides of life during the ten years after she entered the field in 2004. The story begins with her training in Wenzhou, then takes her through sales offices in Lin'an, Haining, Yuhang, and other places. She witnesses the full cycle of China's housing market, from its golden age through successive rounds of regulation: the frenzy of investment groups buying up properties in bulk, the fierce clashes of homebuyer protests, the market freeze under purchase restrictions, and the buying frenzy when the market rebounds. Every facet of the times is distilled into the greetings and farewells exchanged beside miniature property models. The book captures every bitter and sweet aspect of property sales: the frustration of having colleagues steal her deals, the fear of being harassed by unscrupulous clients, the absurdity of falling for scams, as well as the warmth of earning clients' trust, the joy of closing her first sale, and the deep bonds she forms with her colleagues. Through it all, the protagonist stays true to the people-first ideal she held when she entered the profession, seeing the ordinary lives behind every home: an elderly couple remarrying in their later years, migrant workers doing everything they can to bring their child to the city, and a young person giving up their wedding home to pay for their grandmother's medical treatment. Every longing and struggle tied to the idea of home takes root through her witness.