Looking for a Down-to-Earth Period Drama with No Golden Finger or Pocket Dimension 求本土年代文，无金手指，无空间。

1. 1 七 A Warm Marriage in the 1970s: She Marries a Rough Rascal and Is Spoiled Like a Treasure 七零暖婚：嫁给痞气糙汉被宠成宝 Sunflower Ah Hua向日葵啊花Modern Romance1.2M WordsCompleted Everyone says the bad-tempered rascal from the Xie family is a shameless layabout. How on earth did he get so lucky as to marry Jiang He, the woman everyone in the surrounding villages wants for a wife? The young men who have a crush on Jiang He are all so jealous they could grind their teeth over Xie Shenqing. And yet, despite having such a kind and lovely wife, Xie Shenqing is always shouting at and scolding her. Even the neighborhood aunties whisper that it's a shame and that Jiang He has had 5.8kReads8.9Score35914d adds

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   A period drama set in a local area! The male lead initially thought he didn't really like the female lead that much, but actually he adored her! Later, he went away for several years to work for the country, and when he returned, their child had already been born! The child is incredibly cute, and the author is a master at writing about children! The little one calls his mother "Hehe."

2. 2 金 A Golden Marriage 金婚 IMCModern Romance442k WordsCompleted One is a fool in everyone's eyes, the other a young hoodlum in the village's eyes. Yet fate ties them together. Zhou Xing always thought himself above others, but never imagined he'd marry a fool and fill a whole house with children, boys and girls alike. What's more, in this life and the next, and the life after that, he only wants to be with her. At first, Li Zhi'an was terrified of living under the same roof as Zhou Xing, that bad man. Gradually, she came to accept him. In the end, she decide 14.4kReads9.3Score1.4k14d adds

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   One is seen as a fool by everyone, the other as a petty rascal by the villagers. The female lead's mental age is only that of an eight or nine-year-old in the early stages, but she gradually matures. The male lead is initially irresponsible, but after witnessing the female lead's difficult pregnancy, he slowly becomes a responsible person. The setting perfectly fits the historical context of the period novel; the three-year famine is described very realistically, prices are not exaggerated, and the male and female leads do not suffer from severe famine. It's a story of "ordinary people" striving for a better life in a period novel. The relationship between the male and female leads also grows throughout, from mutual dislike to dependence on each other; the ending is somewhat tear-jerking.

3. 3 八 Married First, Fell in Love Later: A 1980s Couple’s Road to Riches 八零先婚后爱，夫妻暴富日常 Success in the East东成茜就Modern Romance280k WordsCompleted [Period setting + love after marriage + sweet married life + building a fortune] Jin Dede, the textile mill's beauty, married a man who rushed off to enlist on their wedding night. The couple lived apart from then on. Five years later, her husband returned from the army. Longing for “freedom and liberation,” Dede put on a show as a troublesome little wife, determined to get a divorce. But before they could sign the papers at the civil affairs office, the textile mill underwent reforms, and Jin 275Reads—Score—14d adds

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   The male and female leads are quite a good couple, they have great chemistry! It's a local story! There are just too few of them ❤️

4. 4 从 The Swallow Who Crawled Out of the Dark Abyss 从黑暗深渊中爬出的燕子 A Lifetime of Xiuer秀儿一生Modern Romance509k WordsCompleted Tell me, just how unlucky can one person be? Her own father married four women, and her stepmother treated her like a thorn in her side. In the prime of her youth, she was tricked by a villain and taken away. At long last, she found a little warmth and thought she’d found love, only for it to turn out to be another ill-fated relationship. She got married, thinking she’d found a home, but her life became a complete mess. And that wasn’t the end of it! One by one, all her loved ones disappeared... 95Reads—Score1114d adds

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   Beautiful, beautiful, really beautiful

5. 5 母 Mom Has Been Paralyzed for Fifteen Years, and the Whole Family Panics When Big Sis Marries 母亲瘫痪十五年，大姐出嫁全家慌 Feng Jiaojiao Is Not Delicate冯娇娇不娇Modern Romance560k WordsOngoing The rating has just come in, and it will rise later. [1980s] [No Romance] [Strong Female Lead] [Everyday Family Life] [No Golden Finger] [A Touch of Ensemble Cast] [爽文] [No Forgiveness] [Reborn Elderly Woman] Back to 1982: Xu Chunlan's Life of Striving An accident left her mother paralyzed. Xu Chunlan gave up the college entrance exam and devoted herself to caring for her for fifteen years. By the time she was thirty-five, she was past her prime and wanted to get married and enjoy a few peaceful 86.6kReads8.5Score7.7k14d adds

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   That has to be it! No cheat codes, no romantic pairings, no stupidity issues, and it's not overpowered from the start. You should check it out!

6. 6 丑 The Ugly Daughter-in-Law Takes on Her Cruel Mother-in-Law 丑媳妇大战恶婆婆 Pan Yu盘语Modern Romance3.5M WordsOngoing The print edition is titled The Fading Embers of Mortal Life and is available on Taobao. [Satisfying highs and heartbreaking lows] [Traditional period setting] [Family drama] [The hardships of real life] This is the story of the joys and sorrows of three generations of women in a dysfunctional family, and how they grow amid the chaos of family life. Fu Ying is born into desperation. Her mother is a gambler, and her father is violent. When she reaches marrying age, no one dares take her as a wife 57.6kReads9.1Score2.1k14d adds

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   It's amazing, incredibly good! It's a thrilling and heart-wrenching story of family life, love, hate, and drama—both satisfying and heart-wrenching! You'll be hooked after watching it!

7. 7 七 Seventies Sweetheart Marriage! The Policewoman Punches a Soldier King to the Ground 七零宠婚！公安军嫂一拳打倒兵王 Yuan Xingzhen鸢星珍Modern Romance543k WordsCompleted [Alternate historical setting + native-born protagonist + military marriage + no transmigration + no rebirth + everyday family life + love that grows over time + sharp-tongued, handsome male officer vs. beautiful, strong female police officer] When Li Mingyue was thirteen, the Li family saved her from being sold off by her relatives to an old bachelor. From then on, the Lis raised her well for nine years, and even helped her become the only girl in the village to graduate from high school. Just 5.7kReads8.7Score84614d adds

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   The male and female leads are both native to the area. The female lead is the adopted daughter of the male lead's parents. When the male lead is seriously injured, his parents take the female lead with them to care for him. After his recovery, he tells his parents that he loves the female lead and wants to marry her… and over time, they develop feelings for each other…

8. 8 穿 I Crossed Time and Space to See You 穿过时空来看你 Yuqing Sky宇晴天空Modern Romance594k WordsOngoing A girl who hates studying transmigrates into the family of an ordinary farming household in a small town in the 1990s. Her family is kind, and they all get along well. Unwilling to spend her life in the countryside, she insists on going to the city to find work. She cherishes her job, meets all kinds of interesting people, and finds love. She and Liu Qi dream of a bright future and are determined to put down roots and build a life in the city. Her father's sudden death casts a shadow over the —Reads—Score—14d adds

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   No cheat codes, no special abilities, the female lead is independent, and the story is interesting.

9. 9 重 Reborn Tour Guide Strikes It Rich! 重生导游来吸金！ Le Muxi乐沐昔Modern Romance459k WordsCompleted Tour guide Ji Luoyi’s tour bus plunges into a reservoir on the way back from dropping off her group. When she opens her eyes, she has been reborn as Luo Yi, a high school student in 2002. The thought of going through high school all over again gives her a headache. Her parents were tricked into going abroad for work and haven’t been heard from in years, while her relatives are constantly picking on her, unable to stand seeing her do well. Ji Luoyi thinks, “I had a house, a car, and a cat-son, an 68Reads—Score—14d adds

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   The story of a top female tour guide's comeback

10. 10 重 Reborn in the 1990s: Is It Really Too Much to Want to Be a Rich Second Generation? 重生九零：想当个富二代不过分吧 Still Water 11静水11Modern Romance3.2M WordsOngoing Born in 1990, Luo Ye is 28 this year and works herself to the bone. She works 14 hours a day, puts in two hours of overtime, and never gets a day off. Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, she's at work. After grinding away for years, she finally manages to buy two homes with loans. Then her family home and land in her hometown are requisitioned, making her a member of the demolition-and-compensation generation. If only she'd known, why work so hard? Hahaha, she's finally got money! Is th 595Reads—Score—14d adds

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    Opening her eyes, she was met with complete darkness. Then she heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice say, "Baby, be good, okay? Don't fuss in Mommy's tummy. Wait until Mommy carries this basket of pig feed back home, then you can play." Hearing this somewhat familiar scene, Luo Ye remembered. This was something her mother, Wu Shurong, often mentioned—that on the day she went into labor, she carried a basket of pig feed home. Then, her father, Luo Wen, her uncle-in-law, Li Qing, and her second uncle, Luo Guogui, carried her on a sedan chair for over half an hour to reach the town hospital. However, the doctors there said the baby was breech and couldn't be delivered naturally, so they had to take her to a city hospital that night. So, the group carried her mother, Wu Shurong, on foot to the city hospital. At the hospital, they met a nurse who was a student of the village secretary, Li. Hearing that her mother and her family were from the same village as Li, the nurse quickly arranged for her mother's admission and even helped find a doctor to deliver the baby. Mom endured the pain for two days, and finally Luo Ye was born—a baby girl. Every time Mom talks about it, she sighs with emotion. In the end, the doctor said it had taken too long and if she couldn't be born naturally, she would need a C-section.

11. 11 小 Memories of a Small Town 小镇记忆 Nan Zhu楠铢Urban212k WordsCompleted A story of ordinary life in a small town in Northeast China, charting the town's changing fortunes over the thirty years of reform and opening up. No detail is too small to matter. Joys and sorrows come together in a song. A vivid portrait of the town's many residents and a lifelike panorama of life in a changing era slowly unfold. 115Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    It is a masterpiece among period novels. It is intelligent, logical, and not idiotic or exaggerated. It has good creativity, avoids forced copying, has a smooth and natural writing style, uses plain and humorous language, and has a positive outlook without making things up. It only has a real sense of the era and a strong sense of everyday life.

12. 12 听 Songs of the Listening Wind Tower 听风楼歌 Splashing Water from the Far Bank隔岸拍水Urban186k WordsOngoing Why does Xiangju run a business that only loses money and never makes a profit? She treats relationships just as carelessly, elbowing her way to the top of the airport’s Twelve Most Beautiful Women. She has Hong Zhi and Brother Gen fighting over her in a jealous brawl, and instead of being ashamed, she’s proud of it. After her eldest daughter gets into a prestigious university, she works hard and becomes independent. She tutors and models cars in her spare time, and accompanies her professor to 790Reads—Score—14d adds

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    A heartfelt account of a bygone era, a song of hardship sung in the Wind-Listening Pavilion. The most ordinary of scenes are those of everyday life, yet who can soothe the extraordinary heart of a man?

13. 13 我 I Am a Scout: Zhan De 我是侦察兵一一湛德 Splashing Water from the Far Bank隔岸拍水10k WordsCompleted I’m a Scout: Zhan De —Reads—Score—14d adds
14. 14 范 The Rise and Fall of Boss Fan 范老板的沉浮人生 Liu Ningduochang刘宁多昌Modern Romance736k WordsCompleted This story follows 1980s entrepreneur Fan Chenhui through the ups and downs of the business world in Shenzhen. It explores real-world issues including financial crises, family conflicts, workplace rivalries, and tangled relationships, portraying human nature and the changes of the times in vivid detail. 116Reads8.2Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    Authentic and engaging local realistic period drama

15. 15 稻 When the Rice Flowers Bloom 稻香花开 Liu Ningduochang刘宁多昌Modern Romance368k WordsCompleted The novel follows the hardships endured by farmers in two villages in Xiangnan County, Dongyuantun and Da’ai Village, from the Republican era through the founding of the People’s Republic of China and on through the people’s commune system, the Cultural Revolution, the household responsibility system, and the Reform and Opening-Up period. The villagers endure one hardship after another and witness the changing times. The protagonists, Zhang Yiping and Zhou Xueyun, are forced to leave school beca 233Reads8.1Score—14d adds
16. 16 年 Those Days on the Production Team 年代，生产队里那些事 Lone Shepherd独牧人Urban201k WordsCompleted Set in the 1970s, this book tells the story of the family life of Wu Changgui and Jiang Xueqin, an ordinary couple from a small village, and their children. In an era of material scarcity, life was simple and unpretentious, yet full of complicated love, hatred, and heartbreak... 41Reads6.3Score1614d adds

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    Rural life in a realistic period drama

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