Looking for High-Quality Republican-Era Novels. I’m Desperate for Something to Read 求高质量民国文，严重书荒中

1. 51 猎 The Spy Hunter 猎谍 Sharp Hatchet锋利的柴刀Urban5.9M WordsOngoing Espionage is an ancient profession. Ever since wars first began, spies have been the only way for opposing sides to obtain each other's intelligence. Some say that spy warfare is the only kind of battle in the world without gunpowder smoke. But the truth is that almost no battle in this world is free of it. Even covert struggles are full of bloodshed and sacrifice. My surname is Tang. My name is Tang Cheng, though you can also call me Tang Wulang. My father was with the Juntong, the organization 2kReads8.6Score202Shelves
2. 52 民 Republican Era: Transmigrating to Manchuria, Unmatched with Gun and Horse 民国：穿越关东，枪马无双 Wang Runtu Of Guandong关东王润土Urban2.2M WordsOngoing In the Northeast in 1916, the fifth year of the Republic of China, Old Zhang commanded Fengtian Province, sharpening his blades as he set his sights on unifying the three northeastern provinces. The Royalist Party plotted to divide Manchuria and Mongolia and restore the Qing dynasty. The Japanese were ambitious, the Russians greedy and overbearing, and the British Empire was at the height of its power. In the capital, the power struggle between the Beiyang government and the presidential adminis 5kReads8.7Score305Shelves
3. 53 召 Summoning Famous Generals of the Resistance to Reclaim the Lands of the Begonia Leaf 召唤抗战名将，收复海棠叶疆域 Just a Steamed Bun一只馒头啊Urban1.4M WordsCompleted The Great Shun Empire in the steam age. This is a parallel world. I graduated from the Northeast Military Academy, and my class monitor's name is Chu Shixin? Guarding the bay at Huluko, I intercept 40 million worth of munitions meant for the Zhili Governor-General? I become a regiment commander and already dare to reclaim two provinces of the grasslands? Then I expand the army by four brigades. Once you become the Governor of the Northeast, won't you end up ruling the whole world? 99Reads7.6Score—Shelves
4. 54 乱 Love in a Chaotic Era: Young Marshal, Your Wife Wants a Divorce 乱世婚宠：少帅，夫人要退婚 Mu Yi Xiaoxiao木易萧萧Modern Romance1.8M WordsCompleted My half-sister sent me a message, asking me to catch her in the act. In a cramped wardrobe, a man whispered in my ear, “That position looks pretty good. Shall we try it too?” Hiding from his pursuers, the powerful young marshal took refuge in a wardrobe at an inn. He never expected to be trapped with a woman, watching a steamy scene unfold. Worst of all, he tried to flirt with her, only to have her flirt back! P.S. Before meeting Gu Wan, Huo Xizhou thought, “Women are soft, timid, delicate, and 674Reads8.4Score100Shelves

   Reader note

   [Heart] The south wind knows my heart, blowing my dreams to the west. [Sending Heart] Gu Wan and Huo Xizhou, can we? Spring is here and flowers are blooming. 🌸 Can we? The dust has settled. [What?] Can we? May our lives be peaceful and serene. 🌸🌸 [KISS] A Yuan recommends [Heart] It's definitely a classic. [OK]

5. 55 民 Republican Era: The Shanghai Tycoon 民国：上海滩枭雄 Thirty-Five叁拾伍Urban719k WordsCompleted 1. The protagonist is decisive and ruthless, with a sharp mind. 2. He starts out in the martial world, builds a business, establishes a base of operations, and saves the country and its people. Han Kaijia's soul travels back to old Shanghai in 1915. When others scheme against him, he seizes the opportunity and strikes back with razor-sharp precision. From then on, he understands one thing: When you're out in the world, you make your own name and status. The powerful figu 1.2kReads6.5Score—Shelves
6. 56 岳 Young Marshal Yue's Beloved Miss 岳少帅的卿卿小姐 Three Spring Peaches三春桃Modern Romance1.5M WordsCompleted (The animated series is now available) A love story between a military governor's son and a general's daughter~ He dotes on his wife without restraint in this sweet romance. In the turbulent Republican era, when warlords battled for power, Qin Qing only wanted a peaceful life: to protect her family and hold on to the family fortune. Young Marshal Yue lived for pleasure. He was a notorious playboy who treated women like clothes, always seeking someone new and never returning to an old flame. At t 12.6kReads9.3Score1.3kShelves

   Reader note

   These three books are the best to read about the Republican era; they are well-written and convey emotions effectively.

7. 57 南 Nanyang, 1933 南洋1933 Still Haihai Books依然海海书Historical777k WordsCompleted Transmigrates to the Republican era, develops agriculture and industry overseas, and builds settlements for immigrants. There are also military strategies, and the timeline is historically accurate. He does not return to develop the Central Plains. In 2012, 24-year-old Zi Baozhong transmigrated. He brought the Barefoot Doctor's Handbook, the Militia Training Manual, and the Farmland Irrigation and Water Conservancy Handbook with him to northern Myanmar in 1932. In this turbulent era, Zi Baozhong 6.6kReads8.8Score221Shelves
8. 58 一 Waiting Twenty Years 一等二十年 At the Beginning of Lifeo人之初o13k WordsCompleted Waiting Twenty Years 141Reads—Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   A heart-wrenching story set in the Republican era, incredibly moving, bringing tears to my eyes, and leaving me with a deep sense of unease.

9. 59 北 The Beipingside Barber: From the Start, I Opened the Ghost Gate for the Japanese 北平剃头匠，开局给鬼子开天门 Yi Ran Zou Chen Shuang弈然走沉霜Urban1.6M WordsCompleted Unable to afford a haircut, university student Wen Pan, who works at a construction site, decides to buy some clippers and cut his own hair. At a street stall, he buys a pair of vintage clippers and a dragon-patterned razor. While trying to shave himself, he accidentally nicks a pimple and is sent straight to the moment when the Japanese invaders breached Beiping. He becomes a barber there and, in order to survive, takes over his predecessor’s work. Then he discovers that the dragon-patterned ra 18.4kReads8.2Score1.8kShelves
10. 60 最 Retirement Diary of the Last Qi Refiner 最后一个炼气师的养老日记 Love's Breeze Blows on the Water情风吹水Urban197k WordsOngoing [Playing the Fool to Fool the Tiger] [Cultivation] [Power Fantasy] [Ensemble Cast] Shanghai, 1925. Yu Nuanyang, a qi-refining master who has spent three hundred years in seclusion, has barely come down from the mountain when he runs into Lin Nuo, the eldest daughter of the Lin family, who has been kidnapped by Japanese pirates. He meant to be a bystander and watch the show, but those tear-filled eyes stopped him in his tracks. He can roast fish, take down tigers, set bones and heal injuries, and 3Reads—Score—Shelves
11. 61 回 Back in the Republic of China as a Socialite 回到民国当名媛 The Jiao-Wei Zither's Song焦尾琴鸣Modern Romance669k WordsCompleted Gu Shuyao, a repatriate translator fluent in several foreign languages, transmigrates to the Republican era after a car accident and becomes Gu Shuyao, the daughter of a local gentry family. Gu Shuyao comes from a good family, has a pretty face, and is engaged to a handsome, ambitious young warlord. At first glance, she really seems to have won at life! But Gu Shuyao was born into a declining old-fashioned family. They are conservative and ignorant, and she narrowly escapes having her feet bound 6.5kReads8.9Score761Shelves

    Reader note

    High-quality Republican-era novels are all well-written, with well-developed characters and tight plots. Novels featuring young marshals, warlords, and villains who get their comeuppance are all appealing to female protagonist lovers.

12. 62 桀 The Rebellious Young Marshal's One and Only Love 桀骜少帅的绝色白月光 Five Little Cats五只小猫Modern Romance355k WordsCompleted [Both Chaste + Peerless Beauty + Feel-Good Story + Sweet Romance + Many Children + Obsessive, Possessive Hero] {Exquisite Jiangnan Beauty vs. Cold, Proud Young Marshal} Before he met Tang Lichu, Li Juechen had impossibly high standards. Refined and arrogant, with a cool, distant gaze, he was unmoved by even the most beautiful women. After meeting her, the lofty Third Master Li fell in love at first sight. From then on, everyone knew that Young Marshal Li had found a precious sweetheart to cheris 6kReads8.9Score552Shelves

    Reader note

    Nine out of ten love stories in the Republican era end in tragedy, but he gave her a constant sense of security [almost crying]. It has few ratings but is truly excellent. The female lead lost her mother at eight and was later adopted by foster parents. To pave the way for her future, she was sent to the male lead's place, believing herself to be a plaything he used when he was bored. In reality, the male lead had already recognized her and simply saved her. The female lead had no identity, and later the male lead's mother made her leave. The male lead always wanted to be good to her alone and worked hard to improve himself. Later, he went to England to find her. After having four children, war broke out. Three years later, peace was restored, and the female lead gave birth to twins in England, leading to a happy ending.

13. 63 穿 Transmigrate to Republican-Era China: From Straw-Sandal Soldier to Red General 穿越民国：从草鞋兵到红色将军 Old Heart, Young Medicine老心不老新药Urban806k WordsOngoing He opens his eyes to find himself a low-ranking soldier among the dead in the Sichuan Army of the Republic of China era. Warlords clash, and a human life is worth less than a dog's. Relying on the tactics he remembers, he claws his way out of a mountain of corpses and advances one step at a time, from a squad leader to an officer in the Whampoa clique. In the Battle of Shanghai, Sichuan Army soldiers in straw sandals stand against elite Japanese troops with their flesh and blood. In the Defense 52Reads—Score114Shelves

    Reader note

    On the banks of the Yangtze River in 1949, he burned his diaries from decades past to commemorate all his fallen comrades. These were the young Sichuan soldiers who had crawled out from piles of corpses, fought bloody battles, infiltrated enemy camps, and carried the lives of countless others on their journey.

14. 64 民 Shaking as I Work as an Assassin in the Republic of China 民国之抖着手当杀手 Mom of Junjun and Tongtong珺珺彤彤的妈Modern Romance882k WordsCompleted Shen Wenjiao was just an ordinary girl who had grown up doted on by her parents. A sudden accident separated her from them and sent her to the Republic of China era. An old-fashioned household, conservative and ignorant grandparents, and a mother caught up in feudal thinking. Faced with a nation torn apart, even she, who had always lived in peacetime, picked up a gun with trembling hands and tears in her eyes. She would become one of those who shouldered the burden and pressed on~ An ordinary, t 1.2kReads8.0Score117Shelves

    Reader note

    ① Is a novel about assassins during the Republic of China era; ② is a novel about warlords during the Republic of China era; ③ and ④ are novels about espionage during the Republic of China era.

15. 65 溺 Drowning in the Wind 溺风 No Parking Spaces Left车位已满Modern Romance105k WordsCompleted [Eldest young madam Shen Yuan × overseas-trained doctor Ye Cimian] [Modern romance + premium fiction + emotional drama + possessive love + reunion after years apart + Republican era + childhood sweethearts + amnesia + period setting] [The man Ye Cimian loves has forgotten him and married someone else, but that person is a faithless scoundrel...] If not for that rainy night, Shen Yuan’s life would have gone on just as it always had. Inside the high-walled, locked-down Du residence, she could neve 630Reads9.3Score106Shelves

    Reader note

    These are all beautiful!

16. 66 开 Divorced from the Start! She Remarries the Young Marshal and Lives in Glory 开局离婚！再嫁少帅她风光无限 Yan Gui'er燕归尔Modern Romance1.1M WordsCompleted Her husband went abroad to study. Xie Fuguang paid for his education, cared for his parents, and helped him restore the Shen family's standing. Three years later, Shen Zhizhang returned after completing his studies, holding the hand of a fashionable woman. He told her, "Yunzhi is a remarkable woman, a female officer personally recruited by the Marshal. We love each other, and I want to marry her." Xie Fuguang replied, "I saved your Shen family from ruin. Doesn't that make me a remarkable woman?" 204Reads9.3Score100Shelves
17. 67 活 Living as a Model Citizen in Republican-Era China 活在民国当顺民 Spanish Mackerel Dumplings鲅鱼饺子Urban1.4M WordsOngoing From the start, it's 1945. The war against Japan is over, and the times are in turmoil. After Yang Fuping's grandfather closes his eyes for the last time, he leaves behind a letter of prophecy and a coffin no one can touch. His family tends to daily life in their little courtyard, ignoring the shifting tides of history and simply keeping their corner of the world warm and peaceful. Ensemble cast + Republican-era setting + not a wish-fulfillment story + miniature storage space 38.6kReads8.9Score2.3kShelves

    Reader note

    This is the most unique story I've read among all the Republican-era novels. There's no espionage, no underground Communist Party. It's simply about survival in a chaotic world, with a slower pace, almost like a rural life story. The protagonist has parents, a wife and children, and a mentally challenged younger brother. The plot device is also quite impressive; the grandfather's coffin gets bigger and bigger each time! Highly recommended!

18. 68 李 Li Ergou and the Landlord’s Women 李二狗和地主家的女人们 Cat Winter Melon猫冬瓜Urban1.8M WordsOngoing (Good news! The comic drama adapted from this novel, The Courtyard of War, is now online. Check it out!) Li Ergou is a penniless nobody who happens to enter a landlord’s manor. Through a twist of fate, he becomes its steward and gets caught up in a number of stories with the landlord’s women. After the landlord dies, Li Ergou becomes the manor’s de facto master. He actively supports land reform, leads everyone in fighting the Japanese invaders and rooting out traitors, and throws his support beh 40kReads8.2Score2.4kShelves

    Reader note

    The story of Li Ergou will definitely not make you feel like you've wasted your time; it's worth reading!

19. 69 穿 Transmigrated as the Villainess: My Whole Family Has a Secret Identity 穿越成恶毒女配：我全家都有马甲 Li Yin黎音Modern Romance1.1M WordsCompleted Qin Yan transmigrates into a book set during the chaotic warlord era of the 1930s. The original owner is a vicious cannon-fodder female supporting character. Her whole family are lackeys of the Japanese, and she herself is a despicable, universally hated bully: a traitorous collaborator who used her power to abduct civilian women and men. Qin Yan? But soon, she realizes something is off. Her father: a secret intelligence agent Her stepmother: an undercover spy in Japan Her third uncle: a Communi 1.2kReads7.1Score102Shelves
20. 70 谍 Espionage: From the Start, I Could Hear People's Thoughts and Expose Japanese Spies 谍战：开局偷听心声，识破日谍 Daily Ten-Thousand-Word Writer日万小写手Urban3.7M WordsCompleted Su Mu wakes up one morning and finds he has transmigrated to the Republic of China, becoming a low-ranking agent for the Military Statistics Bureau! Just as he’s losing hope, he gains the ability to read people’s thoughts! Agent at No. 76: Damn it, how did our secret plan to arrest the deputy chief of the Military Statistics Bureau get leaked? Chief of the Special Services Section: Damn it, who exposed the top-secret agent infiltrating Mountain City? I’ll kill him! Headquarters of the Plum Bloss 66.2kReads8.8Score5.1kShelves

    Reader note

    1️⃣Following the barbed wire fiasco, here comes another masterpiece: the male protagonist travels back to the Republic of China era and becomes a peripheral member of the national defense force, gaining the ability to listen to others' thoughts (his cheat ability isn't very strong). The plot is thrilling, full of twists and turns, with clear logic and constant foreshadowing. You won't be able to put it down! ~(˶╹ꇴ╹˶)~

21. 71 重 Reborn in the Republican Era: From the Start, I Was Kidnapped by Bandits and Dragged Up a Mountain 重生民国：开局被土匪绑上山 Six-Cornered Patrick Star六角派大星Urban1.3M WordsOngoing [Republican Era] [Warlord Warfare] [Pocket Dimension] [Multiple Heroines] [Modern Supplies] [A Common Soldier's Rise] [Watch a scumbag from the 21st century charm his way across the Republican Era.] Xu Lang, a top personal trainer, unexpectedly dies in a wealthy woman's mansion! Was it a distortion of human nature, or the collapse of morality? When he opens his eyes again, Xu Lang finds himself in the Republican Era, a hostage kidnapped by bandits and taken up their mountain! The bandits are now 2.7kReads6.9Score125Shelves

    Reader note

    It offers a fairly realistic glimpse into the Republican era, depicting war, daily life, and emotions. Anyway, keep watching, it's definitely worth a look.

22. 72 风 A Wind of Cranes and the Rustle of Grass 风声鹤唳 Jun Bu Jian君不贱Urban1.1M WordsCompleted A cuckoo cannot build its own nest. It can only take over the nests of other birds. What Feng Chen took over was not a nest, but someone else’s identity and name. Even the Military Statistics Bureau’s confidential files in Section Eight contained no photograph of him, only a codename known to no one: Red Cuckoo. A top Kuomintang agent, Feng Chen was ordered to infiltrate the Shanghai underground Communist Party to obtain the list of Communist agents embedded in the Military Statistics Bureau’s u 1.4kReads9.3Score171Shelves
23. 73 半 Half a Lifetime of Enduring, Half a Lifetime Beloved 半生隐忍半生卿 Ling Luyao泠璐瑶Ancient Romance304k WordsCompleted When Gu Yan was nine, his dying father entrusted him to his old classmate, Shen Dean. From then on, he lived under the same roof as the Shen family, growing up alongside their daughter, Shen Wan. She was the cherished daughter of the household, while he was the child of an old friend. An invisible wall separated their stations in life. Yet she had warmed him with porridge on cold nights, and he had shielded her from the rain that poured across the city. Love took root in their everyday closenes 216Reads8.2Score103Shelves

    Reader note

    A masterpiece set in the Republican era, poignantly depicting the agonizing struggle of unrequited love. The old social norms oppress the two lovers, leading to one crisis after another, yet with tender, unseen protection. After countless trials and tribulations, they finally confront their feelings and spend the rest of their lives together. A truly worthwhile read! [Top Post]

24. 74 谍 Spy Games: I Infiltrated the Enemy and Became a Japanese General!? 谍战，我潜伏成了鬼子将军！？ GLANGUrban1.8M WordsCompleted (Japanese nobility, safety first, no female lead, willing to sell out when necessary) In the 21st year of the Republic of China, by a twist of fate, a thoroughly patriotic young Chinese man was taken to Japan and somehow ended up with the status of a Japanese noble. After being trained by Japanese militarists, he was ordered to return to China to carry out the “Lighthouse Plan.” What outsiders didn't know was that this young Japanese noble was actually a true Chinese patriot, a secret agent for 28.5kReads8.5Score2.4kShelves
25. 75 民 The Young Detective of Republican-Era China 民国小侦探 Hai Ling海凌Mystery1.2M WordsOngoing (No romance) Fu Ning is a small-time nobody trying to scrape by in a chaotic age. He takes whatever work can put food on the table for his family, but ever since he encountered a black cat, his fate seems to have taken a turn, and all kinds of strange, baffling cases have begun to haunt him. In these troubled times, knowing too much is no good. But charging ahead is the only path he has left. Then charge ahead he will. The heavens are watchful, and good and evil will be repaid in kind! (This sto 3.3kReads8.5Score399Shelves

    Reader note

    Novels from the Republican era, good read

26. 76 雁 Two Autumns, the Cry of Wild Geese 雁鸣双秋 Author Qing Hezi作者卿和子Modern Romance761k WordsCompleted The story takes place during the turbulent warlord era of the Republic of China. From the Shen family in a small fishing village in the northeast, two beautiful sisters step out into the world, where a series of tales of love and hatred unfolds. Beautiful women and heroes vie for one another in troubled times, while warlords fight over gold and cultural relics... This story is grounded in everyday life, with a twisting, turning plot and characters who are loyal and true... 4.7kReads9.2Score639Shelves

    Reader note

    A journey back to the Republican era, witnessing the joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, loves and hates of the people who lived through that time… 🌹 Different authors create characters with different personalities, and heroines with different styles—sharing these with you, hoping you enjoy them! 👌😊

27. 77 抗 War of Resistance: From the Start, I'm Surrounded by 100,000 Japanese Soldiers 抗战，开局被十万鬼子包围了 Happy Little Heihei快乐的小嘿嘿Urban1.2M WordsCompleted The moment he opened his eyes. He had transmigrated to the start of the War of Resistance Against Japan. The bad news: He was born inside the enemy's encirclement, with hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops surrounding him. Zhang Xing'an had no choice but to change into Japanese army clothes on the spot. With his golden finger, he successfully infiltrated the enemy ranks on the battlefield. Starting out as a soldier with a “noble” status, he rose step by step to become a senior Japanese comma 10.2kReads8.4Score643Shelves
28. 78 谍 Espionage: A Fake Mother and Son, Truly Undercover 谍战：假母子真潜伏 One Little Orange一只橙橙橙子Ancient Romance857k WordsOngoing [Espionage] [War of Resistance] [Transmigration] [Secret Identity] "I don't want to suffer, but I never wanted to eat dirt either..." Forty-two-year-old Zhao Cuihua transmigrates. She wakes up in the body of a young widow in Dazao Village, in the thirty-first year of the Republic of China. From the start, she has only one life, and she nearly starves to death. The land is scorched for a thousand miles. There's no grain in the fields, no bark on the trees, and people have barely a breath left. He 43.7kReads8.2Score5.4kShelves
29. 79 清 A Junior Banner Soldier in the Late Qing 清末小旗兵 Hai Ling海凌Historical1.4M WordsCompleted Transmigrating to the late Qing was bad enough. To make matters worse, I became a soldier in the Eight Banners! Fu Ning thought he'd reached the end of the road, but since he was here, he might as well leave something behind. This is the story of a university student in an obscure field struggling to survive in a time of chaos, and of an ordinary person striving to change things in that era. 12.1kReads8.7Score926Shelves
30. 80 谍 Espionage: You Were Told to Go Undercover, but You're Thriving 谍战：让你潜伏，你混得风生水起 Traveler in the Mortal World红尘阡陌客Urban1.0M WordsCompleted [Spy thriller + no female lead] Lin Jiang transmigrates into the body of a peripheral operative at the Shanghai station of the Military Statistics Bureau, code-named Catfish. His handler is killed, the Shanghai station is wiped out, and the new station chief is another notorious traitor to the Bureau, at least according to Lin Jiang's memories! [Ding! Congratulations, Host, on awakening the Big Data Deduction System!] Special Higher Police School: “Who exactly is Catfish?” Military Statistics Bu 19.2kReads7.9Score1.4kShelves
31. 81 军 Warlord: The Feng Family’s Eldest Son, Feared by Warlords and Foreign Powers Alike 军阀：冯家长子，军阀列强都怕我 Loves Rice Balls爱吃饭团团Urban2.1M WordsOngoing [Warlords] [Rise to Power] [Feel-Good] [Republican Era] [Ruthless] [Invincible] He woke up to find he had transmigrated to a parallel world called Longguo, an era of warlord strife, and become a warlord’s son. With national humiliation and family hatred before him, Feng Yong spent ten years carefully laying the groundwork. At last, the day came for him to make his name known. A weak army? Build a powerful one! A chaotic system? Reform it! A lack of infrastructure? Build it! A struggling industry 179.5kReads8.2Score13.3kShelves

    Reader note

    That's quite interesting.

32. 82 抗 War of Resistance: I Keep Offering Poisonous Strategies, and Old Li Tells Me to Stop 抗战：我屡献毒计，老李劝我收手 Fireworks Fade烟火人渐Historical1.7M WordsCompleted Jia Xu, a brilliant mentor at the National Defense University, transmigrates to the world of Bright Sword and becomes an unremarkable staff officer under Li Yunlong. He also activates the Poisonous Strategist System! The more vicious the scheme, the greater the reward! From the start, during the Battle of Cangyun Ridge, Li Yunlong is ready to take on the arrogant Sakata Regiment head-on. Jia Xu only lets out a cold laugh and offers a devious plan. “Commander, burn down their mountain and cut of 18.8kReads6.9Score1.9kShelves
33. 83 囚 Caged Love: The Young Marshal's Captive Bird 囚爱，少帅的笼中雀 Light Rain on Fresh Tea微雨点新茶Modern Romance318k WordsCompleted [Possessive love + mutual devotion + groveling redemption] “Zhou Wanqing, don’t you like making people suffer? Then let’s make each other suffer!” “Lu Sihan, you’re insane! Let go!” “Let go? What if I don’t?” In 1923, Jiangcheng was in turmoil. Professor Zhou Mingyuan of Jiangcheng University was assassinated, and his daughter, Zhou Wanqing, was arrested by Young Marshal Lu Sihan and imprisoned in the French Concession. He was the son of a powerful warlord, cold and ruthless, with brutal methods 2kReads6.3Score125Shelves

    Reader note

    The male lead, a warlord, is a madman who uses force and ruthlessness. A top-tier, insane warlord, his hands are stained with blood, and he's involved in all sorts of insidious and cruel methods! He forcefully takes the female lead from the start, causing immense physical and emotional abuse in the early stages, leading her to cry and beg him (he does physically assault her, but he doesn't really use force!). At times, he genuinely dotes on her, comforting and kissing her as she cries, before the emotional torment resumes! In the end, he experiences a dramatic "wife-chasing" moment, spoiling the female lead for life.

34. 84 明 I'm Supposed to Be a Spy, but Everyone Thinks I'm the God of Wealth 明明是卧底，活成别人眼中的财神 Listening to Rain in the Night Wind夜风听雨Urban1.8M WordsCompleted Traditional spy thriller + no System + no pocket dimension + no transmigration or rebirth (if you don’t like that, don’t read) [I’ve seen quite a few comments lately pointing out typos and missing words. I’m truly sorry. I wrote the whole thing by hand, and even though I checked it in the backend before uploading, some errors were unavoidable. Also, completed novels can’t be edited, so it’s not that I’m deliberately refusing to fix them. If you enjoy the story, please bear with it. May you get p 42.5kReads9.0Score4.7kShelves
35. 85 春 Blood of the Spring Champion 春魁血 Born Under a Lucky Star八字过硬Modern Romance810k WordsCompleted [Republican-era setting + gloomy warlord male lead + earth-mother-style assassin heroine] [Happy ending + dark humor + ensemble cast + everyone is a little crazy] [Business before romance + no good men or women + high-stakes warning] Long Chun was delighted when she married Han Ziyi. At last, she thought, she was no longer the unlucky assassin who made a living taking lives. With Han Ziyi’s army protecting her, she could pursue lucrative ventures without holding back and become a respectable bus 10.5kReads9.3Score1.5kShelves

    Reader note

    This is great. All of this author's books are well-written. Highly recommended.

36. 86 流 City of Glimmering Light 流光之城 Mi Bao靡宝Modern Romance573k WordsCompleted In Shanghai, everyone knew the Rong family was fabulously wealthy, and everyone also knew that the eldest young master, Rong, was aloof, eccentric, and impossible to control. Feng Shizhen walked straight into danger, overcame every obstacle, and successfully became the Rong family’s tutor. Meanwhile, a conspiracy that would ensnare everyone slowly began to unfold. In this opulent world, utterly unlike the one beyond its walls, in this glittering city within a city, they tested and pursued one an 1kReads9.3Score135Shelves
37. 87 长 The Long Night Is Like the Stars 长夜如星 Nowhere to Escape无处可逃Modern Romance255k WordsCompleted A masterwork of Republican-era romance from the “Queen of Healing Songs,” Wu Chu Ke Tao. A steel-willed young marshal versus an innocent, lovable military doctor. Inspired by real people! Through the endless night, you are my one and only starlight! He is the marshal’s orphaned son, cast out and weathered by hardship. She is the cherished daughter of the scholarly Liao family. They first met as children. A tiny red mole made him remember her. When they met again amid the chaos of war, he was tar 711Reads9.4Score110Shelves

    Reader note

    The most moving aspects of Republican-era literature are never the love-hate entanglements, but rather the helplessness of being swept along by the tides of the times, the juxtaposition of national righteousness and personal affection, half war and political intrigue, half tender romance, vividly portraying the diverse lives of people in that era. These are some of my personal favorite Republican-era novels.

38. 88 千 A Boat Sailing a Thousand Miles, a Lifetime of Peace 千里行舟，一世怀安 Juxingli聚星里Ancient Romance124k WordsOngoing [#Transmigration #Late Qing and early Republican era #Daughter of a minor official #Making money #Light comedy #Saving the country through industry #Family life #Slow burn] Lu Xingzhou vs. Ye Huaian In her previous life, Ye Huaian earned a monthly salary of at least 12,000 yuan. After transmigrating to 1900, she becomes the daughter of a wealthy Shanghai family. In reality, she’s so broke it’s almost laughable. She has to report to her family before spending even a single copper coin. Her father 395Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Slow-burning story, won't lower your intelligence

39. 89 戏 A Dream of Love in the Lord's Heart 戏梦入君心 Jiang Yuyu江遇遇Two Male Leads242k WordsCompleted [Male-Male Romance + Republican Era + 1v1 + Mutual Fidelity + HE + Bittersweet Romance + Redemption + Intense Push and Pull + Mutual Devotion + Spoiling Each Other] [Reserved, Icy Powerhouse x Alluring Performer with a Surprising Side] Pei Meng'an is an orphan, a rootless duckweed abandoned at birth. With no one to love him, he stumbles through life until he is fortunate enough to become an apprentice to a master and join the opera troupe. In this world, performers have low status. They can su 5.4kReads9.4Score890Shelves

    Reader note

    Beautiful, beautiful, really beautiful

40. 90 谍 Espionage: I'm Only 20, So What Is This Old Geezer's Comeback? 谍战：刚20，老登逆袭什么鬼？ The Law Is Unknown刑不可知Urban850k WordsCompleted [At 20, you graduate from a special training program in Hangzhou, join the Bureau of Secret Services, and become an agent] [At 22, you turn down a hint from the female head of the 76th Division’s secret service, losing your chance to take a shortcut] [At 25, after the Shanghai branch of the Military Statistics Bureau suffers a devastating blow, you rise rapidly through the ranks and become head of the intelligence team] [At 28, through years of effort, you become deputy chief of the Shanghai bra 14.3kReads8.6Score1.1kShelves
41. 91 穿 Transmigrating Back to Republican-Era China to Raise My Little Brother 穿越回民国养弟弟 Lin Zhaojin林昭烬Two Male Leads589k WordsCompleted [Main story complete] Transmigration + two male leads + older top + mutually devoted + period setting + Republican era + history + patriotism + coming-of-age + historical storytelling Gentle, cultured top x naive, scatterbrained shut-in from the 21st century Transmigrate into a penniless life? Compulsory education saves my hide! The moment Lin Jin opens his eyes, the stench of a ramshackle hut nearly knocks him out. Would you look at that, he’s transmigrated straight into 1930 on hard mode! Wher 686Reads8.9Score110Shelves
42. 92 谍 Shadows of Espionage: Starting as a Patrol Officer 谍影暗杀：从巡警开始 Seeking Poetry in the Evening Glow晚照寻诗Urban1.4M WordsCompleted “Instant Mission: Kill Wang Mingchu, a traitor to the Fuxing Society. Reward: +50 combat skill experience.” Enhanced physique, martial arts, marksmanship, spatial abilities, disguise... When the Special High Commission discovers that collaborators are being killed one after another, when the Military Statistics Bureau cannot fathom how the Japanese army’s arsenal was blown up, and when the Red Party’s contact point suddenly receives an anonymous warning... No one would have guessed that the guy 20.1kReads7.3Score1.5kShelves
43. 93 铜 The Bronze Sparrow Locks the Golden Hairpin 铜雀锁金钗 Brewing Tea with Life's Flavors世味煮茶Two Male Leads320k WordsCompleted To love someone painfully is to wish you could lock them away with a golden lock. The first time Duan Yelin saw Xu Hang, he wanted to keep him locked up in a gilded cage, and that was exactly what he did. He took Xu Hang by force, the robber; Xu Hang was the helpless victim, enduring it in silence. Xu Hang was unwilling, but he wanted to live. There was still so much he hadn’t done, so in the end, he went into the Little Copper Pass. Years of entanglement. After fou 42.3kReads9.7Score12kShelves
44. 94 所 Solomon's Perjury (Complete in Three Volumes) 所罗门的伪证（全三册） Miyuki Miyabe宫部美雪984k WordsCompleted A timeless classic of Japanese mystery fiction! The wounds hidden by lies will never heal. Only the truth can bring healing. A group of ordinary teenagers face a bizarre death at their school during the summer they turn fourteen. Fearlessly, they challenge the rules of the adult world. In that summer, malice twists human nature, but the truth the teenagers unearth together will ultimately heal their hearts. Part One: The Incident A boy's death is a mirror, reflecting good and evil, falsehood and —Reads8.6Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    These are all mystery novel series that I personally enjoy. The first one is Miyuki Miyabe's masterpiece, *Solomon's Perjury*. The middle one is written by a famous Western guide to mystery novels, which is also very good. The last one is a representative work by the Japanese mystery novelist Otsuichi, which I highly recommend.

45. 95 浮 Prisoners of Worldly Passion 浮世囚欢 Gu Changan顾长安Modern Romance298k WordsCompleted [Republican-era tragic romance + obsessive, unhinged characters + love by force] How can two madmen not be a perfect match? The infamous, unhinged Governor’s daughter VS the obsessive opera star whose fame resounds throughout Donghua. The latest Republican-era masterpiece from Gu Chang’an, author of "My Heart Shines Bright" and "Mist Locks the Long River"! She once pulled him out of the mire, and she also pushed him into the abyss. His love became a cage that confined her and sealed him away, to 1.3kReads9.3Score172Shelves
46. 96 乌 The Man from Crowtown 乌鸦镇的男人 Modest and Refined Zi Ru谦谦子儒Historical129k WordsCompleted A historical literary novel written in a pure literary style, aimed at the level of acclaimed classics. It tells the story of Laifu over more than forty years in Crowtown, from the late Qing and early Republican periods through Liberation. Set against real historical events, each era brings its own stories, together painting a vivid portrait of rural and small-town life before Liberation. 36Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Witness how a down-on-his-luck young man writes a legend in the Republic of China era!

47. 97 我 I'm Dying, Yet the Paranoid Young Marshal Begs Every God and Buddha with Red Eyes 我快死了，偏执少帅红眼求遍神佛 A Sword Drawn, Wind Rises引剑风生Two Male Leads293k WordsCompleted [Two Male Leads + Warlord + Devoted Love + Angsty and Satisfying + Regret and Redemption + Both Pure] [Obsessive, Violent, Devoted Warlord Top x Resilient, Gentle, Kind Beggar Bottom] Jiang Yushu was a fraud who had carefully plotted his way into the governor’s mansion in disguise. Shen Changye had always known that the fraud pretending to be his younger brother was a lowly beggar. At first, he treated the beggar like a puppet on strings, tormenting him at will. But when Jiang Yushu truly gave u 4.9kReads9.4Score547Shelves

    Reader note

    This book shouldn't be overlooked!!! It's really worth reading!!! It's one of the best books I found on Tomato Bookstore!!! It's incredibly high quality!!! Don't be fooled by the title... It's so tragic and heartbreaking. It's a Republican era novel, and I can't imagine their survival, hence the saying that nine out of ten love stories in the Republican era end tragically. The writing is excellent, the scope and overall perspective are superb. If you like stories about sickly characters, you won't regret reading it (I especially love it). I originally read it because of the sickly characters, but... This is the second time I've cried while reading it [crying]. My heart aches, but I can't help it given the background. I think the best ending for them would be a heroic sacrifice for their country. Tianming, Xuanhe, now our country is peaceful and strong, no one can bully us, and the good days you imagined have become a reality. 😭😭😭 You two can get married now, and be healthy and happy together [crying][crying][crying]. I'm going to catch my breath now 😭😭

48. 98 谍 Espionage: I Can Eavesdrop on Everything 谍战：我能窃听万物 The Scholar with a Brush执笔的书生Urban397k WordsOngoing He's an agent for the Military Statistics Bureau, yet his superiors have ordered him to save the son of a Japanese military bigwig. He's a marginal figure in enemy intelligence circles, yet time and again he gets wind of the Japanese side's top-secret plans. He's timid, greedy, and lecherous, yet he repeatedly becomes the key to foiling the enemy's schemes. And the only reason he can do all this is that he has an extraordinary pair of ears, able to hear the sounds around him... 9Reads6.5Score—Shelves
49. 99 回 Memories of 1931: Hunting, Fighting the Japanese, and Raising a Family 回忆一九三一养家打猎打鬼子日子 Broken Little Toe骨折得小脚趾Urban2.9M WordsOngoing In 1931, the Japanese invaded China. Ling Feng hunted to feed his family and fought the Japanese to capture supplies. He and his good brothers enjoyed the good life, built houses, and got married. 17.6kReads8.5Score1.2kShelves

    Reader note

    Hunting texts from the Republican era

50. 100 谁 Who Let Him Join the Military Statistics Bureau? 谁让他来军统的？ Time, Please Slow Down时间你慢些走Urban4.0M WordsCompleted Transmigrating to the years of the War of Resistance, He Yuan takes on two identities and four faces, moving between light and darkness. To the Communist Party, he is an elusive master at eliminating traitors and its greatest source of funding. To the Nationalist government, he is the “Japanese Spy Ender” and the “Whampoa Military Academy’s God of Wealth.” To the Japanese, he is a “demonic asura” who stops at nothing! 23.8kReads8.1Score2.2kShelves

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