Period Novels That Are as Realistic as Possible 尽可能写实的年代文

1. 51 胭 The Rouge Spinster 胭脂剩女 Writer Lu Tao作家鲁涛Modern Romance117k WordsCompleted Through the emotional journey of Yang Jingjing, a single woman past the age traditionally considered ideal for marriage, the story offers glimpses of every facet of society and the warmth and coldness of human life, exposing the ugliness and greed of human nature. Full of twists and turns, it paints a penetrating portrait of the realities faced by women like her. 2kReads—Score15014d adds
2. 52 看 Seeing Through Half a Lifetime 看破浮生过半 Writer Lu Tao作家鲁涛Modern Romance170k WordsCompleted Life is a journey of self-cultivation. As we keep moving forward, we correct our mistakes in time and gradually become better versions of ourselves. Life is full of suffering, and we can only save ourselves. If only we could live our lives over again. At the very least, we could avoid a lot of detours. 623Reads—Score—14d adds
3. 53 为 A Career in Public Service 为民官路 At Ease and Unrestrained安心无忌Urban1.8M WordsOngoing [A gritty, realistic tale of ambition and struggle in the government ranks] In 1990, top student Zhen Weimin offends the wrong people and gets kicked down to a poor rural township. Everyone thinks his life is over. But he is determined to make flowers bloom among the thorns. He breaks through obstacles with his knowledge and grounds himself in his conscience, with every step in sync with the pulse of the times. Starting in the township, he moves forward one step at a time. This is a true chronic 26.9kReads9.2Score2.7k14d adds

   Reader note

   Realistic novels about officialdom, recommended.

4. 54 洲 Fireworks on the Islet, Where People Make Their Homes, Starting in the 1970s 洲上烟火有人家，从七十年代开始 He Xinhe何心荷Modern Romance593k WordsCompleted [Rural Romance] [Family Life] [Educated Youth Teacher] [Neighborly Disputes] [Eerie Shadows in the Village] [Country Living and Laughs] This book has no pocket dimension, no System, and no transmigration or rebirth. It tells only of ordinary people’s rural lives and the hard-won warmth and bustle of everyday life through years of hardship. The story begins in the 1970s and follows several families living in the countryside. Among them are educated youths sent to work in the villages, militia mem 109Reads8.3Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   A very good period drama, featuring simple and honest rural people.

5. 55 有 There Was a Girl Named Xiaohua 有个女孩叫小花 My Little Warm Jackets我的小棉袄们Modern Romance420k WordsOngoing My new work is here! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! This book captures some of the culture and food of rural northern Fujian in the 1980s and 1990s. Follow Xiaohua and her family as they work hard and lead warm, ordinary lives. No exaggeration, melodrama, or foolish antics. It’s not a feel-good power fantasy, and there’s no rebirth or transmigration. There’s no golden finger, just 33Reads8.9Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   A realistic portrayal of the indigenous era 👍👍

6. 56 最 The Strongest Clan: No One in the Yu Family Backs Down 最强家族：郁家无怂人 A nomi阿nomiModern Romance549k WordsCompleted Yu Yu thinks the sky has fallen. She turns out to be the fake heiress. The real heiress is coming in hot. What should she do? Sniffle, Dad, are you still going to care about me? Oh, good. As long as you still do. Boohoo, Big Brother, you can't treat her better than me. Fine, I won't. And just like that, the sky clears again. In a turbulent era, great families struggle to survive. The Yu family alone stands firm, unyielding! When family members scheme and the world turns ruthless, the Yu fami 7.2kReads8.0Score36914d adds

   Reader note

   This is very close to life in the 1950s and 60s.

7. 57 年 1982: I'm Really Not a Good-for-Nothing 年代1982，我真不是二流子 gJoyg欢喜Urban978k WordsOngoing [Rebirth + period setting + entrepreneurship + social savvy + everyday life + largely an ensemble cast] The rating has just appeared and is climbing. The audiobook and animated series are now available. Give them a try! Back in 1982, Lu Zhigang decided to make up for his regrets and give his family a better life. But why did none of them believe him...? He took over a brickworks, opened a food factory, and led Lujia Village racing down the road to prosperity. 11.6kReads8.3Score48514d adds

   Reader note

   To create a realistic historical novel, there can be no system or spatial elements. The protagonist has to work hard to help his family become wealthy step by step, encountering many setbacks along the way and overcoming them one by one. The book below is one I'm currently reading; it's very good and you can add it to your bookshelf.

8. 58 平 A Peaceful Family Affair in 1979 平安家事1979 Lingxiao Beyond the Window窗外凌霄Rural Life224k WordsCompleted [Period Setting] [Countryside] [Hard Work] [Ordinary Life] [No Golden Finger] [Neither Rebirth nor Transmigration] [Told in warm, down-to-earth prose, a story about an ordinary life filled with warmth] Ji Ping'an always wanted to escape the countryside, turning his "unwillingness to settle" into "having no regrets." But even after the parachute tower stood weathered and abandoned, he was still trapped on his hometown's soil. Ji Manling always said she would repay her family's devotion, yet she r 13Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   This is a very realistic piece of fiction that recreates the social landscape of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It places the fates of ordinary people within a grand historical narrative, giving it a touch of the ordinary world.

9. 59 黄 Human Life Lies Deep in the Loess 黄土深处是人间 Lei Yunao雷予闹Modern Romance256k WordsCompleted This is a collection of true stories from the countryside. One book captures a century of life in all its variety on the Loess Plateau. Brotherhood, the warmth and coldness of family, partings in life and death, and the changes of an era: one independent story after another weaves together the fates of several generations. There is hardship, pain, tears, and warmth, portraying the struggles of those at the bottom as well as the resilience of ordinary people. There are no chosen-one advantages an 116Reads—Score—14d adds

   Reader note

   Absolutely true, it just finished airing.

10. 60 重 Reborn in the Nineties: A Country Girl's Rise to Riches 重生九零，农女逆袭当富婆 Lucky Cat 000403招财猫000403Modern Romance741k WordsCompleted Reborn + a rural woman's rise + making a fortune + taking down scumbags At the entrance to a garment factory, reborn Wu Xiaolan's grape juice stand becomes a hit. Her rivals cut prices? She launches a new product: cold skin noodles. Management makes things difficult? She leads the way in securing the first license for a mobile food stall. Short on workers? She brings together a feisty girl who sells eggs on the black market, a quick-witted young woman who works at a snack shop, and the village c 134Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    A Northeastern Chinese rebirth story set in a bygone era, featuring an ordinary person starting a business from a street stall. Humorous and entertaining, it's very engaging.

11. 61 她 The Age of Their Happiness 她们的幸福时代 April Taoyao四月桃幺Modern Romance341k WordsCompleted A coming-of-age memory for those born in the 1960s. In 1986, the youngest daughter of the celebrated Guo family graduates from university and returns home in triumph, only to face a string of family upheavals: her eldest sister's divorce, her second sister's pregnancy before marriage and her boyfriend's imprisonment, and the revelation that her own love rival is actually her “missing sister”... Watch as the sisters lean on and comfort one another, wade through life's muddy waters, find happiness 128Reads8.1Score1114d adds

    Reader note

    A realistic story with a heartwarming plot, a lovely female lead, and depicting the everyday lives of ordinary people, full of warmth and life. The writing is good, and the details are incredibly moving. Highly recommended!

12. 62 上 Shanghai People Eat Rice Porridge 上海人吃泡饭 The Writer Who Writes in Shanghainese用上海话写作的人Modern Romance627k WordsCompleted In the middle of the night, Wang’s Granny was being beaten so badly she could barely move, and could only call for help. Uncle Huang was still fuming over how she had humiliated him during the day, so angry he couldn’t sleep. He heard what sounded faintly like a cat meowing, but when he listened more closely, he realized it was a cry for help coming from Wang’s Granny’s house. He was about to go save her when his wife grabbed hold of him... 491Reads8.1Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    The everyday life in the alleyways, the casual conversations at doorways, the joys and sorrows of ordinary people—things that few would normally know—are fully expressed in this novel. It lets you experience the joys and sorrows of ordinary people. This book, described by the media as an online version of "Blossoms," is being published by Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House.

13. 63 重 Reborn as a Top-Tier Star Heiress: The Rich Fight Over Me 重生商界顶流千金：豪门疯抢 Light-Sugar Jinjin微糖金金Modern Romance581k WordsCompleted [Revenge against scumbags + forced possession + reborn heroine + romantic rivals competing] [Sweet-faced, scheming seductress × unhinged heir / abstinent CEO / rugged military king / refined but depraved bureau chief / financial predator] [In her past life, she was abandoned by her own family, betrayed by the one she loved, and bullied and framed, until she lost her reputation and died with bitterness in her heart!] [Reborn in the year 2000, Li Muan returns from the ashes with memories steeped i 661Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    Surrounded by wolves, she was able to unleash her full potential and wisdom.

14. 64 极 The Ruthless Social Climber’s Guide to Getting Ahead 极致美丽心机女的上位手册 Tan Hui谭徽Modern Romance668k WordsCompleted Everyone who has met Chen Shiyun is amazed by her beauty. Before her mother died, she entrusted her to Shi Yu, a young director just starting to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Later, Chen Shiyun's father in S City fell gravely ill. On his deathbed, he wanted to see her one last time. And so, at seventeen, Chen Shiyun left impoverished G City for bustling S City. This is the story of an incredibly beautiful, calculating woman who climbs step by step into high society and 1.4kReads8.7Score16214d adds
15. 65 重 Reborn in the 1980s: I'm a Heartbreaker, So What? 重生八零，我是渣女我怕谁 One Cat, One Leaf一猫一叶Modern Romance1.4M WordsCompleted [Transmigration to the 1980s] [Cunning Bad Girl] [Powerful Men Bow to Love] [Everyone's Favorite] [Men Are All Stepping Stones] [Ageless Youth Golden Finger] Power and money are a woman's best tonics, a real boost... Zhao Wenwen, a minor celebrity who got her start as an internet influencer, is a polished, self-serving opportunist who moves between men. By a twist of fate, her soul transmigrates to the 1980s. Reborn, she seizes the tailwind of the times and launches her entrepreneurial journey. 245Reads8.9Score—14d adds
16. 66 熬 She Outlived the Other Woman, Then Was Reborn 熬死小三，她又重生啦 Meow, Meow猫啊咪啊Modern Romance621k WordsOngoing [Not a palace-intrigue novel, not a farming novel: the heroine's growth and the redemption of a life.] Bai Chunyu had a miserable life in her previous life. When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to the 1970s, before any of those tragedies had happened! She decisively cut ties with her family, severing them once and for all. She would protect her genius little daughter with her life. Her family's ancestral silver bangle concealed a pocket dimension, stocked to the brim with supplies. S 281Reads7.7Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    Try it and see.

17. 67 金 The Award-Winning Nanny Reborn with a Professor's Book Collection! 金牌保姆带教授藏书重生啦！ Meow, Meow猫啊咪啊Modern Romance1.5M WordsCompleted [Reborn + family bonds + everyone’s favorite + healing + mystery] The main story is complete, with some bonus chapters in the works. Feel free to dive in. Lin Chuyi was a top-tier caregiver who spent more than a decade looking after an elderly professor and his wife. They treated her like their own daughter. Before they died, they left her an inheritance and a jade pendant, which sent her back to the age of eighteen. The pendant is a key, and the library is a space connecting her past and future 501Reads9.2Score10014d adds
18. 68 重 Back to the 1990s: I'm Done Being a Good Girl 重回九零，不做乖乖女 Meow, Meow猫啊咪啊Modern Romance583k WordsCompleted [Lighthearted Comedy + Inspirational Youth + Reborn and Doted on by Everyone + Healing] Completed. He Laifa still hasn’t woken up. No one knows if she ever will, but her passion, her hard work, her determination, and her kindness and intelligence have all affected the people around her. The people of Yangjiatun will never forget her. The people of Hejiabao will never forget her. He, and all the others, keep striving in their own posts, shining brightly. She is strength. She is hope. She is their 231Reads8.9Score—14d adds
19. 69 清 The Breeze Won't Cross, and the Wheat Grows 清风不渡，麦禾生 Meow, Meow猫啊咪啊Modern Romance158k WordsOngoing When Shen Maihe was fifteen, she received an acceptance letter from a prestigious high school. She thought it was happy news, but her poor family couldn't afford the steep tuition. While she was trying to raise money, her younger brother was injured. She decisively married, exchanging her bride price for his medical expenses. Everyone said she was lucky to have married well. But who knew it was a black hole, with a cruel, vicious mother-in-law, a shrewd, hypocritical father-in-law, and a timid, 259Reads—Score13914d adds

    Reader note

    It's very realistic; everything else is secondary.

20. 70 沉 Years of Quiet Reflection 沉淀的岁月 Li Xinxin李馨欣Modern Romance560k WordsCompleted The story follows the lives of three high school girls from rural backgrounds. In the fall of 1964, the confident, ambitious “top student” Yu Hongying, the warmhearted and forthright “knight-errant” Li Chunfen, and the reserved, introspective lady Yue Shuqian unexpectedly meet in their first-year dormitory, along with the “campus belle” Yang Yuhuan and the “fake Marxist-Leninist” Wu Lihong. This sets off a series of stories, some serious, some amusing, some bizarre, and some full of joy and sorr 568Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    Based on real people and their real experiences.

21. 71 重 Reborn in 1960: I Have a Divine Cauldron Space 重生60，我有神鼎空间 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban2.8M WordsCompleted Zhao Guoqiang died alongside the demolition crew, never imagining that the incense burner in his own main room was a divine artifact. After accidentally becoming the master of the Bronze Divine Cauldron, he was reborn as another man named Zhao Guoqiang. Inside the cauldron's space were towering mountains, lakes, and mighty rivers. What delighted him even more was that the cauldron could condense holy water. Time already flowed ten times faster inside the space than in the outside world. With the 394Reads7.4Score9114d adds

    Reader note

    Here are a few different period novels for you to read.

22. 72 日 Paying One Billion in Taxes a Day, and You Call This a Village Collective Enterprise? 日交税十亿，你说这是村集体企业 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban523k WordsCompleted Zeng Fanchao, the richest man in Beihu Province, catches the eye of people who want to seize his family fortune for free. When he refuses, Liu Batian, a prison warden who holds the low ninth rank, sends men to sever his tendons, force-feed him a drug that robs him of his voice, and throw him from a cliff over a hundred meters high. He crashes down onto the land temple beneath the cliff, smashing it to pieces. His own body is shattered, too, but the blood flowing from him is mysteriously absorbed 659Reads6.4Score—14d adds
23. 73 四 Siheyuan: From the Start, I Control the Life and Death System 四合院：开局掌控生死系统 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban1.8M WordsCompleted From the start, he gets a Life and Death System and hypnosis abilities, sending him straight to the top. The Life and Death System can extract life force from anything alive, including animals, plants, fish, and humans. It can also pour life force into any living thing, though the effect is halved. Extracting life force from a century-old tree yields fifty years' worth, which can be poured into a sapling to instantly make it grow to the size of a fifty-year-old tree. Animals work the same way: e 14.7kReads8.1Score80914d adds
24. 74 重 Reborn in 1960: The System Helps Me Rule the Hunting Grounds 重生60：系统助我猎界称雄 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban345k WordsCompleted Li Changsheng became a thirty-year mortgage slave after buying a home with no down payment. With housing prices falling and his job gone, he was on his way home when he kindly helped an elderly person who had fallen, only to be extorted by them. So he simply dragged them along to die with him, ridding the world of two bad people. Unexpectedly, he then received a Cloning System and transmigrated, reborn into the body of another Li Changsheng in 1960. See how Li Changsheng uses the Cloning System 990Reads6.1Score—14d adds
25. 75 我 In 1979, I Helped the Whole Village Become Ten-Thousand-Yuan Households 我在七九帮全村成就万元户 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban267k WordsCompleted Chen Sheng and seven good friends explore the Nanshan Cave and obtain the innate spiritual treasure, the Boundary-Breaking Pearl, which lets them travel back and forth to an era thirty years in the future. From then on, they begin a career smuggling goods between the two worlds. Back home, they open brickworks, a sand quarry, clothing factories, and furniture factories. They buy up centipedes and leeches, and become the first in the world to cultivate bamboo fungus commercially. Once every house 615Reads8.0Score—14d adds
26. 76 我 I Fish with Dragon Blood, and Every Fish and Shrimp in the Sea Goes Wild 我用龙血钓鱼，海中鱼虾都疯了 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban1.3M WordsCompleted Fishing with dragon blood sends every fish and shrimp in the sea into a frenzy. Tempering my body with dragon blood and making a name for myself with dragon fists. I use dragon dung and urine in my space to grow ginseng and tea plants. Every year, I drip another drop of dragon blood beneath the tea plants. Regularly drinking the tea they produce delays aging, strengthens the body, promotes longevity, fortifies the bones and sinews, beautifies the skin, turns white hair black, and even boosts vir 711Reads8.6Score17114d adds
27. 77 何 How to Chase Away Worries? Fish Until Your Cooler Overflows 何以解忧钓鱼爆护 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban744k WordsCompleted Zhang San used to be a street vendor selling leather shoes. When the city launched a campaign to become civilized, street vending was banned. Just as he found himself out of work, his girlfriend betrayed him and ran off with the savings he had built up over six years of selling at his stall. Drunk, Zhang San went fishing by the river and unexpectedly hooked a Shanhe Ring. The ring had been forged by the Primordial Immortal Venerable from fragments of worlds and various heavenly treasures. It con 1.4kReads8.7Score10314d adds
28. 78 钓 A Fisherman Across Time and Space: A Blood-Soaked Fight Against Japan 钓者跨时空：浴血抗日行 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban130k WordsCompleted In a parallel world, in Heishui Town, Hanjing City, a false nation on the Dark Star, Zhou Jianhua accidentally discovers a time machine created by the previous civilization in its final days in an attempt to save the world. The time machine can take him to worlds from the past, but it cannot reach the future. Inside the machine, Zhou Jianhua obtains the Repentance Fishing Boat, which can be upgraded. The Confession Time Machine itself can also be upgraded, and he can travel through time three ti 55Reads—Score—14d adds
29. 79 莸 I Gain the Water God's Inheritance, and Fishing Is No Longer Hard 莸得水神传承，钓鱼不再难 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban300k WordsCompleted Nan Canghai had his achievements stolen and was fired from his job, so he went out for a walk to clear his head. Caught in a sudden downpour, he happened upon an old, dilapidated Water God Temple by the river. Curious, Nan Canghai ducked inside to take shelter and look around. By a stroke of fate, he merged with the remnant soul of an ancient Water God. Not only did he inherit the Water God's legacy, he also obtained a treasure that controlled water: the Black Tortoise Banner, one of the Four Di 752Reads8.6Score—14d adds
30. 80 重 Reborn as a Cow: Ruling the Dark Planet 重生成牛：称霸黑暗星球 Fourth Master Nan Gai南丐四爷Urban113k WordsCompleted Ye Daniu transmigrated and was reborn in the body of an African buffalo that had just been killed by a lion. Using human intelligence, he killed the lion and became the King of the Buffaloes. From then on, the African buffaloes began practicing martial arts and forming battle formations, wiping out prides of lions and packs of wolves. They exterminated the hyenas, unified the grasslands, and became its overlords. When the apocalypse arrived, the King of the Buffaloes led herds of buffaloes, zebr 144Reads—Score—14d adds
31. 81 重 Reborn in the 1960s: I Find Myself a Stepmother 重生60年代：我给自己找后妈 Gu Yue Er Dong古月耳咚Modern Romance702k WordsOngoing When Chen Guoping died of lung cancer, his mother was busy having a grand old time gossiping with the neighborhood women! In his previous life, she had kept him under her thumb since childhood: she wouldn’t let him take the college entrance exam, forced him to hand over his wages, and criticized every woman he wanted to marry. Ignoring the nature of his work, she insisted that he and his wife risk having a third child. In the end, he was fired for exceeding the birth quota, and his family of fiv 21.5kReads8.4Score1.3k14d adds

    Reader note

    The male protagonist of this book wasn't killed by anyone in his past life; he was verbally abused to death by his own mother! After being reborn, the first thing he did was find a good stepmother to protect him. His stepmother treated him like a treasure, while his biological mother was so angry she rolled around the whole village! 100,000 Words have been updated. The beginning is infuriating, but the ending is incredibly satisfying. A must-read if you're looking for something to read!

32. 82 重 Back to the 1970s: A Village Girl's Path Beyond the World 重回七零年代，村女的破界之路 Green Grain Shining on the Fields青禾照野Modern Romance270k WordsOngoing [Elderly woman + reborn + 1970s + dumping a scumbag + no romance + family life + spatial storage] After being angered to death at the age of seventy, Zhou Qiuying is reborn in 1975. In 1975 in her previous life, Zhou Qiuying was an eighteen-year-old country girl. She gave up her secure job as an elementary school teacher to marry an educated youth sent down to the countryside. In return, her husband cruelly abandoned her after passing the college entrance exam, and her loved ones died tragical 179Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    This is a good book. It's a female-led, no-romance story with a slow pace. It's mostly about everyday family life in rural Northeast China. The female lead is very clear-headed and gentle, and her character isn't overly exaggerated.

33. 83 行 Somebody Somewhere in the Crowd 行走在人海中的某某某 I Promise You the Best Years我许年华Modern Romance309k WordsCompleted There is only one true heroism in the world: to see life as it is and still love it. Whether it’s the wind blowing through a valley, clouds drifting over the sea, poplar trees by the roadside, foxtail grass on a hillside, or people, Zhao Xiaoqiu thinks they’re all much the same, aren’t they? 2.1kReads9.2Score12214d adds

    Reader note

    [I also highly recommend it][OK] 😘🥰

34. 84 南 The South Wind Knows My Heart, and I’ll Never Walk Alone Again 南风知我意，从此不孤行 I Promise You the Best Years我许年华Modern Romance356k WordsCompleted Some people say dandelion seeds look like pretty little parachutes, drifting lightly in the breeze, utterly romantic. But Xu Nanfeng thinks they look more like homeless children, wandering everywhere with nowhere to settle. Just like her: no real kin, no true friends, arriving without a ripple and leaving without a sound. There's an old saying: you reap what you sow. But I, Xu Nanfeng, refuse to believe it. I'll grow into the very person you all thought I could never become! Nanfeng knows my hea 1.1kReads9.3Score10314d adds

    Reader note

    😘😄[I also highly recommend it][OK]

35. 85 浮 Life Is Like a Dream: I Take the Blame and Transmigrate to the 1950s 浮生若梦，我顶缸穿五零 I Promise You the Best Years我许年华Modern Romance309k WordsCompleted (Fictional setting! Fictional setting! Please don't compare this to reality!) History's number one scapegoat, Xu Duoduo, has grievances she can't voice. When disaster comes from heaven, it can still be avoided. When you bring disaster upon yourself, there's no escaping it. So what if life is hard? If you can stomach eating bitter greens, you can do anything. I'll give it my all! Come watch a post-2000s girl living the '50s version of a wild-vegetable-foraging life. Let's go! 1.8kReads9.2Score12614d adds
36. 86 快 Quick Transmigration: The Art of Splitting into Clones 快穿之：分身有术 I Promise You the Best Years我许年华Modern Romance416k WordsCompleted The most important thing in life is not where you stand, but the direction you face. In the real world, some people laugh, some cry, some shout, and some remain silent. Life is, in essence, an exercise in endurance. Beauty and ugliness, good and bad: everyone has their own feelings about them. Faced with this tumultuous world and the countless selfish thoughts crowding our minds, we often find ourselves wanting to do more than we can, because there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. But what 60Reads8.6Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    💕🥺😄🤔

37. 87 重 Reborn in 1982: This Rogue Refuses to Become a Street Loafer 重生八二：浪子绝不做街溜子 What Is There to Eat吃的是什么Urban1.9M WordsOngoing Chen Weiguo is reborn on October 24, 1982, the day before his family falls apart. In his previous life, he was a no-good drifter: idle and irresponsible. He caused his wife and daughter to die tragically, and after his family was shattered, he had no choice but to leave home. He worked hard all his life, only to die alone. This time, he has the chance to start over. Life may be tough, but he's determined to shake off his reputation as a drifter and give his family a good life. Once despised by e 43.1kReads7.9Score4k14d adds
38. 88 三 The Three Treasures Pagoda and Purple Gold Mountain 三宝塔与紫金山 Muzi Surong木子苏蓉Modern Romance114k WordsCompleted The story unfolds slowly between Sanbao Town in southeastern Yunnan and Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties. Yun Kun, a young man from southern Yunnan, dreams of escaping the mountains. Through sheer perseverance, he rises from a poor boy to a faculty researcher at a military academy. Ning Xiang, who lives east of Nanjing, once enjoyed a peaceful, ordinary life, but the tides of the times bring a drastic turn: her household registration is falsified, and she is forced to move to the co 8Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    No need to try to. It's simply real, completely real.

39. 89 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

    Social realism and life of the era

40. 90 1 Another Spring of the 1977 College Entrance Exam 1977年高考又一春 Young Master Xiaoxiao孝孝公子Modern Romance3.6M WordsOngoing [A story-driven take on history. Note: There is no single fixed protagonist. Multiple leads reflect the changes of the era and offer a full picture of the 1977 restoration of the college entrance exam.] [The story focuses on several main characters: Hu Wei and Wang Ting, Pan Xia, and Lu Xiaoyun. Their stories weave in and out according to the timeline. If you prefer to follow one character at a time, you can read their chapters in sequence for a complete biography. The other characters may only 5.8kReads8.0Score41014d adds

    Reader note

    [May Good Fortune Come Soon] Time-travel to become the top scorer in the college entrance exam, seize the opportunity to get rich! Beautiful wife, warm bed and children! Everyday life, tight plot, heartwarming story! Highly recommend this book 👍 You might think it's a novel, but it's actually a very interesting historical record. Its strength lies in its focus on ordinary people. Among the hundreds of typical characters, all are based on real people and real stories. People born in the 50s, 60s, and 70s should take a look. Perhaps you can find your own story or a story that reflects your era. The story is touching, and the plot is well-arranged. It should be said that it is a good novel within a historical record, and a good historical story within a novel.

41. 91 小 The Little Bridge Cave Family Compound 小桥洞家属院 Miss Lego乐高小姐Modern Romance500k WordsCompleted [Period Setting] [Ensemble Cast] [Everyday Life] The results came out a few months after it was completed. This novel is fantastic! Zhang Yan and Deng Yang were born in the Xiaoqiaodong factory compound and grew up beneath the chimneys of the State Chemical Plant. There was no glamour or respectability here, only the bustle of daily life, sweat, arguments, and warmth. In 1997, as firecrackers exploded to celebrate Hong Kong's return, they still thought their parents would wear their work uniform 591Reads8.1Score10214d adds

    Reader note

    A true portrait of people from that era!

42. 92 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

    Reader note

    Rural life in southern Hunan

43. 93 荒 Seeking Immortality in a Year of Famine: While Others Starve, I Feast on Meat and Fish Every Meal 荒年求仙别人挨饿我顿顿大鱼大肉 Thoughts Without Light念念无明之Rural Life253k WordsOngoing [Picking My Way to Immortality in a Famine! Pick Up a System! Pick Up a Powerful Wife!] Transmigrated into a desolate land during a year of famine, with starving corpses littering the ground. As Xue Zhan lay on the brink of death, he picked up a Hound System. At the entrance to Luofeng Village, he picked up an Immortal King wife, a princess of Great Yan, an army, divine cultivation techniques, and treasures! With a musket in hand, he strides through a chaotic age. In this barren land, he picks u 55Reads6.6Score10014d adds

    Reader note

    These two books are worth reading.

44. 94 开 Reborn from the Start: I'm Just a Scrap Collector 开局重生：我就一个收废品的 Thoughts Without Light念念无明之Urban1.6M WordsOngoing From the start, he collects scrap! Lin Zan, the Eternal Immortal Emperor, wields the Great Dao of Dust, sweeps across the outer realms to crush countless strange beings, personally restrains the Ancestor of World-Destroying Evil, and ascends to the highest peak of the heavens. Though his Great Dao makes him invincible throughout the ages, he cannot protect the loved ones by his side. His wife, children, and kin all perish in the outer-realm calamity. Having seen through the joys and sorrows of m 1.7kReads8.6Score15114d adds
45. 95 重 The Reborn Tycoon's Rise 重生之首富行 Young Master of the Yu Family于家少主Urban540k WordsCompleted Back to the turbulent 1980s! Opportunities abound, and so do wolves. In his previous life, he was honest and diligent, crushed by big business and cheated by unscrupulous merchants. He spent his life struggling to get by, only to end up with nothing and meet a miserable end. Now reborn, he brings forty years of business foresight and knows every trend before it takes off. He tears up his mediocre old life and starts over! He starts out selling goods at a vegetable market, taking advantage of his 194Reads—Score—14d adds

    Reader note

    "Rebirth of the Richest Man" is a fast-paced and exciting entrepreneurial novel set in the 1980s! The protagonist seizes the opportunities of the times, starts from scratch in a vegetable market, and rises to become the richest man. It's a fast-paced and addictive story.

46. 96 人 Middle Age, and My Marriage Is an Empty Shell 人到中年，婚姻只剩空壳 Miss Wanqing晚晴姑娘Modern Romance406k WordsCompleted From innocent young love to an unexpected pregnancy before marriage, she blundered into a marriage she’d never truly wanted. Before the wedding, her mother-in-law schemed constantly and was stingy, refusing to give even a penny in bride price. From the moment she entered the family home, she felt wronged and began to harbor resentment. After the wedding, her husband proved to be a complete mama’s boy: mediocre, unambitious, and incapable of taking responsibility. He did whatever his mother told 3.4kReads—Score16814d adds

    Reader note

    Great, down-to-earth, and very relatable. I love it! [Thumbs up][Thumbs up][Thumbs up]

47. 97 致 A Deadly Romance 致命情缘 Miss Wanqing晚晴姑娘Modern Romance300k WordsCompleted In the 1990s, a stream of villagers headed south to find work on construction sites. The pain of leaving home, the hardship of being alone in a strange place, and the tangled ways of the human heart were all crammed into tiny workers’ sheds. Li Guixiang escaped after her husband used her to pay off a debt, while Chen Jianjun left his family and everything he owned behind to earn a living. Two people, each burdened by their own troubles, met and kept each other company, thinking they were only of 2.6kReads—Score18414d adds
48. 98 夜 The Night Is Hungry, and There’s No Escaping His Possessiveness 夜色贪婪，逃不开他的占有 Miss Wanqing晚晴姑娘Modern Romance134k WordsCompleted After her fiancé and best friend joined forces to take everything from her, Su Xiaoran fell from the clouds into the mud. In her moment of despair, she stumbled into Gu Haifeng's arms. The man gripped her chin and said in a low voice, “From today on, you're mine.” The scumbag and the bitch? She'll make sure they lose everything and end up disgraced! As for this powerful tycoon? Su Xiaoran only wants to run, but he pins her in a corner, possessiveness overflowing. “Running? Where do you think you 614Reads—Score—14d adds
49. 99 男 My Man Cheated with My Best Friend, and Now He’s Desperate to Win Me Back 男人出轨闺蜜，我转身他追疯了 Miss Wanqing晚晴姑娘7k WordsCompleted My Man Cheated with My Best Friend. I Walked Away, and Now He’s Desperate to Get Me Back 329Reads—Score414d adds
50. 100 签 Sign-In to the Top: I Rule the World with the Power of the Ordinary 签到登顶，我以平凡镇世间 Miss Wanqing晚晴姑娘Urban302k WordsCompleted Dumped by his girlfriend in public and humiliated at will by a rich second-generation heir, Ye Chen thought his life could only rot in the dust. Then, at the brink of despair, he unexpectedly awakened some kind of “special fortune.” From that moment on, luck was on his side and his power soared. The mockery and contempt he had once endured became stepping stones for his face-slapping comeback. He kept a low profile and bided his time, playing the pig to eat the tiger, yet had already become invi 14Reads—Score—14d adds

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