What Do Books for Middle-Aged Men Actually Look Like? 适合中年大叔看的书到底长什么样

1. 801 官 The Realm of Officials 官家天下 Uncle Pie馅饼大叔Urban5.9M WordsOngoing First, this is a genuine political novel, written by one of the genre's most experienced authors. The story is logically sound and highly readable. Quality guaranteed! Second, the story starts at the prefecture-level city from the very beginning. The protagonist will not be sent down to the towns and villages. This book will not spend hundreds of chapters at the township level. Third, there is political maneuvering, economic development, satisfying revenge, and, naturally, personal life as well. 203.1kReads9.3Score16.8kShelves
2. 802 一 The Awakening of a Middle-Aged Woman 一个中年女人的觉醒 I'm Yanzi我是艳子Modern Romance300k WordsCompleted [Family of Origin vs. the Fortress of Marriage] Chen Qingchen, an only child, is madly in love. She steals her household register and marries Lin Jiaxin, a man from a poor family who has made it on his own, unaware of what awaits her: a sharp-tongued mother-in-law who makes her life difficult, her father’s sudden death, her mother being forced out of the home, and underhanded attacks at work. When she hits rock bottom, two women become her lifelines. Her tough mother stands firmly behind her, wh 7.9kReads8.5Score764Shelves

   Reader note

   The book has the wrong title; it should be called "The Awakening of a Middle-Aged Man." It tells the story of a man caught up in his family of origin, facing various helplessness and rebirth in marriage, love, and children. A group of mothers-in-law in the book feel sorry for the male protagonist.

3. 803 乡 The Invincible Little Farmer of the Countryside 乡村无敌小农民 Shangguan Xuanjiang上官玄疆Urban1.2M WordsOngoing Cao Xiaofeng, an orphan from Niuhuang Village, endured endless bullying before going to his grandfather's grave to pour out his heart. His tears fell on a miraculous spirit stone, which granted him extraordinary powers. From then on, his life became a spectacular success! 91Reads6.2Score—Shelves
4. 804 求 Please Stop Cursing Me, There'll Soon Be No One Left in the Industry! 求求你别骂了，圈内都快没人了！ Feeling Constrained局促着Urban767k WordsOngoing [After the first hundred chapters, the story's ideas are unlike anything else online!] [No Female Lead, No Flirting, I Swear + Sharp Critiques and Debates + A Master of One-Liners + The Modern-Day Lu Xun, a Mentor of Ideas + Idealism, a Peerless Patriot + An Adult Fairy Tale + Guaranteed Writing Quality] Bad movies shoved in your face, pretty young actors' expressionless performances polluting your eyes: in his fury, Jiang Li unexpectedly awakens the “Public Enemy of the Internet System” and be 8.1kReads8.7Score527Shelves

   Reader note

   "I hope that one day, when any ordinary person's legal rights are violated, they won't need to rack their brains to orchestrate a media storm, nor will they need to force themselves into a hexagonal warrior knowledgeable in law, communication, and psychology. They can simply pick up the phone, calmly dial a number, or walk into a department, hand over some documents, and then go home peacefully to await the inevitable, just outcome. That would be a society worth fighting for." The author even created a special section for the protagonist's memorable quotes in Chapter 3's discussion forum; those interested can check it out. Don't be put off by the entertainment industry content in the first hundred chapters; the best parts are in the later chapters. Just look at the table of contents; you can glean some insights from the chapter titles. [Salute]

5. 805 带 The Thorny Rose Blooms in Silence 带刺的玫瑰静悄悄地开 Flowers Bloom Along the Road陌路花开Modern Romance677k WordsCompleted A beautiful young woman from a remote mountain village goes through several relationships and gradually grows stronger and braver, becoming a rose with thorns. Determined to seize control of her fate, she works tirelessly and perseveres until she finally puts down roots in the city, where she also meets the love of her life. The successive deaths of loved ones and the hardships of life help her mature, and by middle age, she has finally built a remarkable life. 56Reads8.8Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   I stumbled upon this book by chance, and it's incredibly good. It's suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, spanning from the 70s and 80s to the present. It's very inspiring, and the more I read, the more I love it!

6. 806 伏 Ambush 伏杀 Mo Bai1莫白1Historical1.4M WordsCompleted [Original title: Ambush] Beneath the awe-inspiring might of Heaven, all living beings are mere ants. And yet he dares, with the strength of an insect, to turn the world upside down. For family, for friends, for the burning hatred in his heart, for the nightmares that haunt him year after year, for justice, and for fairness. This story is set in an imaginary world and has no connection to actual history. Everything in it is fictional. Any similarities are purely coincidental. 14kReads8.3Score890Shelves

   Reader note

   It's a completely fictional story with no time travel elements. The court intrigue is mind-bending, and the revenge plot is both ruthless and nuanced.

7. 807 血 A Blood-Oath Journey 血誓征程 Yu Yangzi渔阳子Urban1.8M WordsCompleted This book follows the protagonist Yang Yi as he grows through combat during the Red Army's campaigns, the War of Resistance against Japan, and the War of Liberation. It unfolds like a magnificent panorama, as stirring as a grand anthem. In those years of raging flames and bloody battles, countless outstanding sons and daughters of China gave their lives with honor for national liberation, and for the peace and security of their country. They fearlessly fought the despicable enemy, defending the 9.5kReads9.1Score739Shelves

   Reader note

   I recommend reading Yu Yangzi's physical novels; they're definitely worth a read.

8. 808 修 A Guide to Cultivation Civilization 修真文明指南 Crispy Pork Belly香脆五花肉Eastern Fantasy1.5M WordsOngoing The laws of physics in the world of cultivation, the periodic table of chemical elements along the path of cultivation, the theory of biological evolution among fantasy races... See how the protagonist uses his golden finger, a kaleidoscope of lives, to keep acquiring other people's cultivation realms and venture ever farther into an unknown world of cultivation. The book features a huge cast of supporting characters, including Lord Niu (Newton), Xiao Ai (Einstein), Lord La (Lavoisier), and Lord 9kReads—Score819Shelves

   Reader note

   This book is more suitable for middle-aged men. There are several reasons why it is worth reading. First, the setting is excellent (it breaks through the traditional cultivation world and has an extremely vast world view). Second, the character details are very well written (it does not follow the usual path). Third, the supporting characters are very memorable after reading (the names of the supporting characters are all very well chosen).

9. 809 俏 The Beauty Is Actually a Man 俏佳人竟是男儿身 Old Plum Tree老李树Urban1.8M WordsCompleted The Beauty Is a Man, also known as I Agreed to Be a Woman for Six Months, So Why Do You Want Me to Marry You? *Urban novel*Career novel*Romance novel*Gender-bender novel*Imaginative novel* A temporary female supervisor, a temporary female elite, a temporary genius young female doctor of Chinese medicine: both someone’s fiancée and someone’s fiancé. A beautiful, charming woman with long hair, a long skirt, high heels, a necklace, earrings, and red lips. She’s alluring and captivating, 2.2kReads6.5Score122Shelves

   Reader note

   "I Promised to Be a Woman for Six Months, But You Want Me to Marry Someone Else" is a modern, workplace, cross-dressing, and imaginative story. A charming woman in disguise, with long hair, a long dress, and high heels, exudes allure. She is a temporary woman, a temporary female elite, a temporary prodigy of traditional Chinese medicine, and simultaneously serves as both fiancée and fiancé.

10. 810 草 A Nobody's Rise Begins with an Acceptance Letter 草根逆袭从录取通知书开始 Yu Yangzi渔阳子Urban1.3M WordsCompleted As Heaven moves with vigor, a gentleman strives tirelessly to improve himself; as Earth is broad and steadfast, a gentleman bears all things with great virtue. At eighteen, a poor country boy from the mountains got into college with a stroke of luck. Through sheer grit and relentless hard work, he endured and overcame one hardship after another: poverty, hunger, a weak educational foundation, contempt from others, and misunderstandings from his superiors. Though he completed four years of colleg 6.6kReads8.8Score470Shelves
11. 811 十 Ten Socializing Techniques 十神社交术 Philosopher Cat哲学猫Urban130k WordsCompleted This is an unconventional guide to the art of social interaction, inspired by the author’s insights into “Daoist Eight Characters fortune-telling” and “Western pickup artistry.” It is completely different from the books on relationships you see in everyday life: not only is it easy to understand, it is also highly practical. Let’s look at the true nature of human beings in social interactions from a different perspective… 41Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Only those with broad knowledge and rich social experience can understand it.

12. 812 武 The Martial Emperor Comes to Qing: Wielding Dream of the Red Chamber to Restore the Ming 武皇临清：手执红楼复大明 Shu Yao Jiu舒窈纠Ancient Romance472k WordsCompleted “My empire! Who’s kneeling down and handing it over to someone else?!” Outraged by the late Qing’s incompetence and treachery, Wu Zetian and Zhu Di rise from the dead and travel through time in a fury. With the cipher key to Dream of the Red Chamber in hand, they restore the Ming dynasty… 46Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    "Who is kneeling and offering up my empire?!" Zhu Di, Empress Wu Zetian, Shangguan Wan'er, Di Renjie, and others travel through time... A novel concept, brilliantly written! Highly recommended! [Thumbs up][Thumbs up]

13. 813 修 A Guide to Cultivation Civilization: Prologue 1, The Prelude to the Mystic Thunder 修真文明指南——序章1，玄雷前传 Crispy Pork Belly香脆五花肉11k WordsCompleted A Guide to Cultivation Civilization: Prologue 1, The Prelude to Xuan Lei 2.2kReads—Score130Shelves
14. 814 三 The Principles of Ternary Consciousness and Memory Mapping 三元意识与记忆映射原理 Philosopher Cat哲学猫Sci-Fi & Apocalypse102k WordsCompleted This book deciphers the secrets of human longevity through philosophical reasoning. Tomato's number one original philosophical masterpiece, The Threefold Consciousness and Memory Mapping Principle, explores ideology, human nature, the secrets of human longevity, the truth behind ancient history, the origin of the moon, the mystery of the Great Flood, reasoning about past-life memories, an analysis of homosexuality, depression, multidimensional worlds, the differences in how men and women are att 1.5kReads9.2Score487Shelves
15. 815 穿 Transmigrating to the Southern Song to Become the Iron Sword Hero 穿越南宋成为铁剑大侠 Bright Moon Ten Thousand Miles Away万里明月Ancient Romance1.1M WordsCompleted I transmigrated to the Southern Song dynasty and became Yang Yunxiao, a descendant of Yang Zaixing! As the nation falls and families are torn apart, Wen Tianxiang raises an army against the Yuan, Jia Sidao wreaks havoc at court, and the Xuanming Sect stirs in the shadows. I endure humiliation at Wudang for over a decade, while Daoist Chongxu secretly teaches me martial arts. With the Xuanyuan Sword, I face the Xuanming Sword, righteousness overcoming evil; with the Primordial Chaos True Art, I c 7Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Wish me luck and prosperity in the Year of the Horse! First, watch a grand martial arts drama filled with the clash of swords and the thunder of horses, cultivating a spirit of righteousness and lofty ambition! Against a grand historical backdrop, witness the struggles of the martial world to save the court and fight for power, and admire the heroes who save the nation and uphold justice! The drama incorporates elements of the *Tui Bei Tu*, *Tao Te Ching*, *Yi Jin Jing*, Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, and Qimen Dunjia into both righteous and evil martial arts! Then, explore the Republican era, a time of national turmoil, where gold, power, beauty, and wealth vanished amidst chaos!

16. 816 车 The Young People of Chemen Courtyard 车门院里的年轻人 Hermit of the Ink-Growing Mountain砚耕山人Modern Romance283k WordsCompleted This is a symphony of destinies spanning generations. In a small courtyard in northern China in the 1970s, several families struggle and drift with the tides of the times. Lei Shaxiao, an orphan whose parents died young, falls in love with Aiai, another orphan from the neighboring courtyard. They were an ordinary couple, but amid the raging currents of the era, Shaxiao rises to become a renowned lawyer who commands the room. Money, power, and desire come one after another. He loses himself in th 25Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Suitable for middle-aged men, it tells stories from their youth.

17. 817 修 A Guide to Cultivation Civilization: Prologue 2, A Lonely Road to Immortality 修真文明指南——序章2，仙途陌路 Crispy Pork Belly香脆五花肉31k WordsCompleted A Guide to Cultivation Civilization: Prologue 2, The Immortal Path Diverges 768Reads—Score105Shelves
18. 818 分 Dumped and Back on the Island, the Ocean Becomes My Golden Fishing Ground 分手回岛，大海成了我的黄金渔场 I'm Not Peppa Pig's Mom我不是佩奇妈妈Urban2.1M WordsCompleted [Everyday life + seaside foraging + lighthearted + tycoon] I spent four years fawning over her and gave her everything. After Ye Tiantian got into graduate school, she dumped Jiang Han without a second thought. Heartbroken, Jiang Han decided to return to the island. Everyone had written him off, but then he unexpectedly awakened the Extreme Scanning System. Beneath the sand, under the rocks, on the seabed... He could see all the precious seafood others would never find. Mantis shrimp, moon snail 30.5kReads8.4Score2.6kShelves

    Reader note

    It's really good. Many beachcombing novels are dragging on and on, but this one is truly well-written. It doesn't feel like filler or padding; it's not just there to make up the numbers. It's a book you'll want to keep reading.

19. 819 王 Wang Ergou's Fortuitous Encounter in Great Beauty Village 王二狗大美村机缘巧得 Crossing the Chasm逾鸿沟Urban1.5M WordsOngoing (The animated series is now available. Stay tuned.) In the 1980s, Wang Ergou was orphaned in Demei Village, living in a bare-walled house and enduring the villagers' contempt and disdain. Then, after a mishap, someone set him up, making his already miserable life even worse. But the trap turned out to be a blessing in disguise: Wang Ergou awakened an extraordinary eye, learned to identify medicinal herbs and uncover hidden secrets, and became a master of both medicine and martial arts. From then 82.5kReads8.4Score5.6kShelves

    Reader note

    Try this one.

20. 820 民 The Ethnic Alchemist 民族炼金术士 Bright Moon Ten Thousand Miles Away万里明月Modern Romance105k WordsCompleted When international gold prices surged by more than 70% in 2025, surpassing U.S. Treasury bonds for the first time in 30 years to become the world's leading reserve asset held by central banks, the real-world rush to “hoard gold in troubled times” echoed the battle over gold in this novel. Amid geopolitical upheaval and the restructuring of the monetary system, gold's value as a safe haven is once again in demand. Yet The Nation's Alchemist had already revealed the truth in its story: what people 60Reads—Score—Shelves
21. 821 天 Tianyan Divine City 天衍神城 Tempering the Heart in the Wilds焚野砺心Xianxia635k WordsOngoing [Xuanhuan] [No System] [Smart Protagonist] [Resolute and Passionate] [One Female Lead] A village boy finds a mysterious divine city in the depths of his mind. By chance, he is drawn into a battle between a sacred cultivation ground and the divine beast Black Tortoise. He tempers his Yin-Yang Dao Body, awakens an unparalleled ancient scripture, and discovers that he carries the bloodline born of the union of Heaven's Dao in the realms of gods and demons. Cultivating both divine and demonic arts, 252Reads8.3Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Legend of Xuancai is the top choice for veteran bookworms. It's a pure classic fantasy novel. The title is uninspired, but the content is full of surprises. The chosen one rises from humble beginnings to fight on all sides and break the schemes of fate.

22. 822 游EN Game Invasion: Addicted to Snatching the Male and Female Leads' Destinies 游戏入侵：抢男女主机缘会上瘾诶 The Cat Isn't Bald猫不秃Sports3.1M WordsCompleted [Game Invasion + No Romance + Leveling + Lone Wolf + Gaming] (Also known as: Game Invasion) After being reborn, the first thing Yu Xunge did was go home and make her younger brother down a bottle of liquor, causing him to miss the first game beta test. In her previous life, she didn't learn until she was dying that he had been scheming against her from the shadows all along. She was merely the villainess in a wish-fulfillment novel about a live-in son-in-law... Every bit of malice she suffered w 969.1kReads9.5Score83.2kShelves
23. 823 寒 A Humble Family’s Path to Officialdom, Part One 寒门仕途【一】 Yan Yunfei闫云飞Urban1.4M WordsCompleted New Book: The Humble Official’s Path [Realistic Period Drama] [Rise from Poverty] [Political Intrigue] [Ambitious Struggle] [Rural Cadres] [Urban Life] In the 1970s, in Xiaochenzhuang, southern Henan, a family of three siblings lives in poverty. They are supported by the state, their father died young, and their mute mother is forced to remarry, leaving them to fend for themselves. The sisters choose Chen Shouzheng to continue his studies, and he devotes himself to his books, eventually becoming 6.8kReads8.8Score652Shelves

    Reader note

    No rebirth, no system, just an ordinary person's career path in the modern world. In 1997, Chen Shouzhen, from a poor family, graduated from university and entered the system. His family was poor from a young age; his father died early, his mute mother remarried, and he and his two siblings relied on each other. His eldest sister and three younger sisters sacrificed their studies to support him. Starting as a grassroots clerk, he worked his way up through townships and government offices, eventually becoming a high-ranking official. Simultaneously, he chronicled the joys and sorrows of his family's life over several decades.

24. 824 打 A Working Stiff's Little Journal 打工小记 The Village Is Not Late村不晚Urban270k WordsCompleted Urban daily life + earning a living through hard work + multiple heroines + healing The story of an ordinary wage earner: from drifting to Guangzhou to drifting to Beijing, from Shaoxing to Foshan and then to Majiaqiao in Beijing. Fifteen years in all. See how a worker at the bottom makes his way through life... I went south at fifteen and drifted north at thirty. The fiercest gamble of my life took fifteen years to pay for. Over those fifteen years, I worked in an electronics factory, served 51Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Stories of working-class people

25. 825 龙 Tales of Dragon City: Stories of a Small Town 龙城往事之小城故事 Sound of Wind and Rain风雨声Urban156k WordsCompleted A realistic portrayal of northeastern China from the late 1980s to the present, full of grudges, grievances, and social change. Follow a group of impressionable young people as they face a host of challenges and opportunities and discover what it means to grow up. Realistic fiction, not a wish-fulfillment story, with a slow build. 84Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    It realistically recreates the complex relationships and grievances in Northeast China from the late 1980s to the present.

26. 826 自 Surrender 自首 Glazed Luanhua琉璃栾华Mystery691k WordsCompleted (Now streaming on iQIYI. Starring Xu Weizhou, Guo Junchen, and Xiao Yan. A criminal police captain, played by Xu Weizhou, teams up with a psychologist, played by Guo Junchen, to solve cases and capture the monsters of the human heart. Mystery + deduction + psychologist + episodic cases + serial murders + high-IQ crimes + revenge plots + strange tales and records + best partners + light horror + suitable for the faint-hearted) “I killed someone.” A girl turns herself in, claiming that she killed 19.8kReads9.4Score2.7kShelves
27. 827 先 Married First, Love Later: The Passionate Soldier Devotes Himself to Her Alone 先婚后爱，烈爱兵锋独宠她一人 Old Zhu老朱Urban1.8M WordsCompleted [Top-Tier Wealthy Family + Both Leads Are Inexperienced + Marriage First, Love Later + Intense Push and Pull + Ruthless and Decisive] What Qin Huanhuan regrets most is giving herself to Xiao Zhan when she was left with no other choice. They spent one night together, each getting what they wanted. She thought they would never have anything to do with each other again, but fate brought them together once more. One wants money, the other craves beauty, and so the two become entangled again. Their r 12kReads8.1Score1.5kShelves
28. 828 末 Apocalypse Mythology: Summon the Three Great Rebels of the Heavenly Court 末日神话：请出天庭三大反骨仔 The Drunken Yellow Weasel喝醉的黄皮子Urban1.2M WordsCompleted The apocalypse arrives, and gods clash. The Huaxia Kingdom has lost more than 120 battles in a row. Now ghosts and monsters are descending upon the land… With the Investiture of the Gods, Classic of Mountains and Seas, and Book of Life and Death in hand, Yi Xiaochuan summons the gods to slay the lesser deities of the West! A rock, two catties of lotus root, three eyes, and a dog! Do you know the most handsome monkey of Flower-Fruit Mountain, who wreaked havoc in Heaven and earned the title “Heav 17.6kReads8.5Score1.9kShelves
29. 829 霓 Neon Taipei: My Seven-Year Descent 霓虹台北：我的七年堕落实录 Only Knows How to Dream只会作梦Urban1.2M WordsCompleted 6.7kReads7.4Score488Shelves

    Reader note

    In 2000, a 20-year-old boy from mainland China ventured to Taipei alone, and went from being a clueless teenager to holding the well-maintained hand of the landlady.

30. 830 战 My Saber Is Sheathed, Yet I'm Still Number One Under Heaven 战刀入鞘，我依旧天下第一 Old Zhu老朱Urban753k WordsCompleted [Unmatched in slaughter + absolute power + surrounded by beauties + steamrolls all the way] He once ruled over hell. The name King of Hell made the world's powerful tremble in fear! The moment he emerged, three Black Hawks cut across the sky as forces from every direction knelt to welcome him! He could wipe out a powerful family with a snap of his fingers, slay formidable foes with a wave of his hand, and win the devotion of beauties who would follow him to their deaths! In this chaotic age of h 2.2kReads9.2Score173Shelves
31. 831 寻 The Legend of Qin: Trails of the Dream Immortal 寻秦记之云梦仙踪 Gray Cat, Gray Cat灰猫灰猫Xianxia2.3M WordsOngoing Transmigrated into the Warring States era, only to become an ingredient for immortal cultivation? Why keep this Heavenly Dao around until the New Year? Watching the "immortal seed" squirm in his dantian, Xu Shenwu finally understood that ascension was all a lie. The spiritual energy ordinary people painstakingly cultivated for a thousand years was nothing but fertilizer for the great medicine grown for the immortals of the Upper Realm! The year he transmigrated to Yunmeng Mountain, he spent a wh 7.9kReads9.5Score705Shelves

    Reader note

    Okay!!! Fantasy, cultivation, rich imagination, slow pace, nonsensical humor, lots of inner monologues, and various supporting characters who are out of place! If you like it, you can watch it; if you don't, scroll away!?

32. 832 官 A Meteoric Rise in Officialdom: I Use Medicine to Reach the Pinnacle of Power 官途狂飙：我靠医术问鼎权利巅峰 Old Zhu老朱Urban2.4M WordsCompleted [No transmigration, no rebirth, no System, political scheming, ruthless, single-mindedly focused on treating the sick and saving lives, and even more determined to help ordinary people live better lives] Three years ago, Li Qiushui, born into poverty, graduated with a degree in traditional Chinese medicine from Capital Medical University! To care for and treat his seriously ill father, Li Qiushui resolutely gave up the opportunity to work at a major hospital. He returned to Taohuawu Village to b 9.7kReads8.8Score1.3kShelves
33. 833 重 Back to 2010: Starting as a Township Clerk 重回一零，从乡镇科员开始 Red Lantern Festival元宵红Urban1.0M WordsOngoing This book is grounded in reality and rooted in everyday life. The world of officialdom is no ivory tower; it is where the bustle of ordinary life is most intense. The story begins at the grassroots and draws on real life, with the daily grind of food and bills alongside the twists and turns of power struggles, and the struggles and steadfastness of ordinary people set against the upheavals and transformations of a changing age. The world today is undergoing changes unseen in a century. Official 793Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    This one is suitable.

34. 834 凡EN Mortal Bones, Immortal Destiny 凡骨 Master of One Update壹更大师Eastern Fantasy8.3M WordsCompleted (The print edition is now available to buy online) The world's spiritual bones are divided into four grades. First grade: Heavenly Spiritual Bones. Second grade: Golden Spiritual Bones. Third grade: Mystic Spiritual Bones. Fourth grade: White Spiritual Bones. All the rest are ordinary bones, unfit for cultivation. Xu Taiping is an ordinary man with ordinary bones, yet he swears to prove to the cultivation world that ordinary bones can slay demons, ordinary bones can vanquish evil, and ordinary b 566.7kReads9.3Score73.5kShelves
35. 835 网 Online Game: Rebuilding My Life 网游之重塑人生 Wang the Fool王呆子Sports1.3M WordsOngoing Qin Feng used to be a hopeless romantic. He gave his girlfriend his whole heart and treated her like a queen. And what did he get in return? She casually tossed out, "You can't give me the life I want," then turned around and walked away. Qin Feng was completely crushed. He holed up in his rented apartment every day, questioning his whole existence and wondering what the point of living was. Eventually, with nothing else to do and no other options, he plunged into an online game to kill time. 492Reads9.5Score343Shelves

    Reader note

    When you reach middle age, you must learn to make choices and judgments so that you can live a better life.

36. 836 狼 A Clash of Wolves 狼性的较量 Proud Snow, Cold Plum傲雪冷梅Urban1.7M WordsCompleted The author enjoys putting stories told by the elderly into clear, accessible prose, turning spoken words into black and white on the page for readers to see, hear, and feel with their hearts. It is a way to experience the brutal years of Japan's invasion of China, and all those painful memories that can never be revisited... 1.7kReads9.2Score223Shelves

    Reader note

    This book, "The Battle of Wolfish Temperament," tells a story of resistance against the Japanese invasion of China. It depicts the various emotions of the Japanese people and is popular not only with young people but also with middle-aged and elderly readers.

37. 837 剑 Sword, Moon, Zither, and Star 剑月琴星 Wutong Youyou梧桐悠悠Eastern Fantasy5.1M WordsOngoing [Xuanhuan] [Mortal Protagonist] [No System] [Slow Burn] [Swordsmanship] [Mystery] After a war that lasted ten thousand years, heaven and earth shattered, three races stood side by side, and divine artifacts sank into oblivion. A mountain boy with no spiritual roots sets out from the mortal world to avenge a great wrong, enduring hardship after hardship. With one sword, he forges ten thousand; with his Dao heart, he enters a demonic tribulation! Wielding the sword in his hand, he cannot kill ever 116.4kReads8.9Score7kShelves
38. 838 我 My Dongguan Dream: Sister Mei 我的东莞梦：媚姐 Zeng Yi曾呓Urban2.4M WordsOngoing Sister Mei's advice to me: The women at entertainment venues are just for looking. Don't get serious with them. Sister Mei also said: Don't get any ideas about me, either. [A story about working for a living, perhaps with a little of me, you, and him in it.] 179.3kReads8.9Score9.9kShelves

    Reader note

    This realistic novel [laughs][thumbs up][admiration][thumbs up]

39. 839 欲 Peach Blossom Desire 欲桃花 Jing An y净安yRural Life656k WordsOngoing A woman from the city is abducted and taken to a mountain village, where no one hears her cries for help. Zhao Fei steps in to save her but takes several blows to the head. Mistaken for dead, he's abandoned at a ruined temple, where he unexpectedly gains an unparalleled opportunity. When he returns to the village in triumph, he takes down the local tyrant, builds a fortune, and leads the whole village to prosperity. 22.4kReads7.8Score1.5kShelves
40. 840 走 Taking the Road No One Has Taken 走别人没走过的路 Good Jade Beats Gemstone好玊胜玉Urban31k WordsOngoing Life's road is full of hurdles. Getting over them means moving forward; failing to do so means falling behind. On an untrodden road, there are no boats to cross the sea of life and death, and no lamp to pierce the endless night. To grow beyond yourself, you must pass through self-awareness, the comfort zone, the fear zone, the learning zone, the growth zone, and the freedom zone. Those at the bottom live in their emotions, those in the middle live for their worth, and those at the top live with —Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Is the story after the 1970s suitable?

41. 841 返 The Man Who Grew Young Again 返老还童的男人 Yin Qianchen银千臣Urban1.1M WordsOngoing A baby adopted by a widow was born looking seventy years old. Then he began to age backward, slowly growing younger. At eighteen, he looked like he was in his fifties. In the end, he became a baby and died in the arms of the person he loved most. 1.7kReads7.9Score107Shelves

    Reader note

    Urban slice-of-life fantasy novel with multiple female protagonists.

42. 842 隔 The Play Next Door 隔壁戏 User26182811用户26182811Historical2.8M WordsCompleted The Neighboring Stage is an expansive collection of ancient occupational parables, told across 360 standalone chapters. Together, they weave a grand panorama of 360 trades. Each chapter focuses on a different profession, from street storytellers and frontier beacon guards to imperial chefs and wandering mystics. Through the lives of people in the past, the stories reflect the world of today. The collection is united by the timeless theme that sincerity triumphs over cunning. Every story is a tes 14Reads—Score—Shelves

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    "The Neighbor's Play"—Dedicated to all the lost and surviving stories of human life—How long has it been since you heard an old man's heartbeat? Not the kind captured by a stethoscope in a clinic. It's the kind where he recounts an ordinary evening decades ago, the fire in the stove illuminating his mother's face, and he suddenly turns his head away, silent for a long time—at that moment, a faint, thread-like tremor rises in his throat. "The Neighbor's Play" is about those who hear this kind of heartbeat. --- [The Gravekeeper]: The grave is the root, he is the signpost for wanderers returning home. Old Zhou has guarded the ancestral graves for sixty years. Seventy-two graves, he can recite the life of the person buried in each grave with his eyes closed. Which family's ancestor was a carpenter, which family produced a scholar, which family's daughter married to someone on the other side of the mountain, died and was buried back in her parents' home, with only the three words "Zhou's Daughter" inscribed on the tombstone. On Qingming Festival, when wanderers returning from afar cannot find the location of the ancestral graves, he leads them there. After everyone had finished burning the paper money, he asked, "Would you like to hear who's buried here?" He pulled out a worn-out notebook from his pocket and read it aloud, word by word. He read about the whip marks on his great-grandfather's back, about his great-grandmother exchanging her dowry silver bracelet for her husband's life, about that name, ground to dust by time, how it once belonged to someone who had lived, loved, and suffered. The wanderer knelt before the grave, head to the yellow earth, tears streaming down his face. Later, villagers moved graves, some moving to the city, others settling there. Old Zhou's notebook was filled with the stories of seventy-two graves, but fewer and fewer people came to listen. Someone asked him: "What do you gain from guarding these graves?" He said, "Graves are roots. The gravedigger isn't guarding the dead, but the signposts for wanderers returning home." —This article is for all those who have left their hometowns. You're not cutting the kite string, you're severing the last connection between yourself and your origins. --- [The First Word Teacher]: The First Word is the Foundation of Life. Chen Jinyan taught thirteen thousand babies their first word. She never taught them "Dad" or "Mom," only "thank you" and "love." Parents would come with their children, offering money, asking favors, and pleading, just to get her to change her ways. She wouldn't. She said, "The first word is the foundation of life. Titles are about taking, gratitude is about giving. If you teach them to take, they'll spend their whole lives expecting the world to revolve around them; if you teach them to give, they'll know how to offer themselves." Some left with their children. Some stayed. Many years later, those children grew up. Some became doctors, some became teachers, some sold sweet potatoes on the street, and some gave up their seats for the elderly on the subway. Their parents had long forgotten the awkwardness of "not teaching Mom and Dad," only remembering that their children, from the moment they could speak, knew how to say "thank you." The three-year-old boy who took off his shoes for the tenant farmer's child, the six-year-old girl who called her mother and said, "Take care of yourself," the ninety-year-old man lying in a hospital bed, confused but still thanking the caregiver—the first foundation of their lives was painted stroke by stroke by an illiterate tailor, leaning against the window, in the softest of voices. —This article is for all anxious parents. The first word you teach your child isn't a pronunciation, but their perspective on the world. --- [The Funeral Garment Tailor]: She sewed 1,237 funeral garments for Su Nianci, allowing those who passed to leave with their own stories. For each garment, she would ask, "What did the old man love most, what did he cherish most, what could he not let go of most in his life?" Once she found the answer, she would embroider it on the lining. Embroidered in places no one could see—the inside of the collar, the folded cuffs, the back of the garment, the layer closest to the chest. Old tutor Zheng Shenzhi, who taught the Analects his entire life, was labeled a rightist and died on a farm. His burial shroud was embroidered with the words: "To learn and at due times to practice what one has learned, is that not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar, is that not a joy?"—These were the sentences he had taught for forty years. He left wearing these sentences, as if wearing his own life. Lin Fengying, a silk reeling worker, was widowed and raised four children alone. During the hardest years, she saved her own food rations for her children, her legs swollen from hunger, yet she still took odd jobs at the embroidery factory, earning three cents for a single peony. Her burial shroud was embroidered with a wild, untamed peony, its petals not perfectly regular, only a touch of crimson spreading at the tip—those were the tens of thousands of flowers she had embroidered. She left wearing the flowers she had embroidered herself, opening the door to a world filled with spring. Su Nianci said, "A person's life is like a book. The cover is given by parents, the back cover by children. What I do is merely to paint a page for him, a page he can see."—This article is written for all those who fear death. Death is not about wearing a generic burial garment, but about bidding farewell to the world wearing the stories you cherish most in your life. --- [Oral History Collector]: Paper may burn, but heartbeats will not. Xu Huaiyuan recorded 3,724 oral accounts and wrote in small regular script for 68 years. He recorded his seventh grandfather's account of the whip marks on his great-grandfather's back—in the second year of the Tongzhi reign, soldiers beat the clan chief, and his great-grandmother kowtowed until her head bled, stuffing her dowry silver bracelet into the soldier's pocket. He recorded his third aunt's account of her wedding day—the red veil was made by her mother from her own wedding dress, the bridal sedan chair was carried by relatives in turns, and on the other side of the bridge stood her illiterate husband, grinning foolishly, his palms sweating. He recorded his second aunt's account of breaking her arm when she was seven years old while climbing a tree to steal magpie eggs—her mother carried her for thirty miles to get her bone set, crying as she went; that was the last time her mother left the village in her life. These notes were burned during the War of Resistance Against Japan, and he rewrote them. They were confiscated during the Cultural Revolution, and he rewrote them again. Submerged in a dry well for fifteen years, the paper was dug out covered in mold. He dried, mended, and rewrote each page. Someone asked him: What's the use of recording these? He couldn't answer. He just felt that there was a light in the eyes of those old people when they spoke those words. He remembered them his whole life, simply not wanting that light to be extinguished. —This article is for everyone who feels "unimportant." Your heartbeat is remembered, your story is passed down. As long as one person remembers you, you are not truly dead. --- These four stories describe four professions on the verge of extinction: gravedigger, oral history teller, shroud tailor, and oral history collector. None of them are lucrative. None will be listed on "high-paying job rankings." None will be printed on college brochures to attract young people to apply. But these four professions concern each of us—concerning where we come from and where we go. Concerning our first cry upon entering the world and our last garment upon leaving. It's about names soon to be forgotten, and heartbeats that shouldn't be scattered. *The Neighborhood Play* isn't about extraordinary people or events, but about ordinary people in alleyways who dedicate their lives to one thing. They don't think they're doing anything particularly remarkable. Old Zhou simply feels he's been tending those graves for decades, he knows them well, and it would be desolate if he didn't visit. Chen Jinyan simply feels that when white cloth falls into a dye vat, the first dye is the most effective; if dyed correctly, the base color will be perfect for a lifetime. Su Nianci simply feels that when people leave this world, they should be wearing their own stories. Xu Huaiyuan simply feels that when those old people say these things to him, there's a light in their eyes. They have no grand pronouncements, no grand narratives, no ambition to change the times. They simply do what they should do. One year, ten years, sixty years, a lifetime. Then they grow old. They leave. But what they left behind—the white paper slips before the seventy-two graves, the "thank you"s uttered by thirteen thousand children, the subtle patterns on the linings of one thousand two hundred and thirty-seven burial garments, the three thousand seven hundred and twenty-four oral histories—those things still remain. Like the one hundred and twenty-three-year-old camphor tree at the village entrance, it bears no fruit and cannot serve as a pillar. Yet every person who leaves their hometown looks back at it and knows where to go. — How long has it been since you heard the heartbeat of an old man? Open "The Neighboring Play." Here are three thousand seven hundred and twenty-four heartbeats, still between the pages, gently, one beat at a time. — They are waiting for you to listen.

43. 843 欺 They Mocked Me for Having No Heirs. The Foolish Old Man Gained Divine Powers and Took Revenge on the Whole Village 欺我无后，傻老汉通神，报复全村 Chu Liuxiang楚柳香Urban191k WordsOngoing [Countryside] [Invincible] [Divine Doctor] [Cultivation] Bao Da spent his whole life a bachelor, with no children. After the village bully tormented him, he lost his mind and became a lunatic, enduring endless abuse from the villagers. One day, while begging for food, he unexpectedly inherited the immortal arts of the Goddess of the Nine Heavens. From then on, he became invincible on the path to immortality, with medical skills that could perform miracles. 465Reads—Score100Shelves
44. 844 万 All Paths Lead to the Netherworld 万法归宗幽冥路 The Later Generation Clan后人一族Urban441k WordsCompleted The male lead regains his youth and cultivates immortality while working as a gatekeeper at an art school. He has eight immortal senior sisters from the Maoshan School’s Zhengyi Sect, an adorable little fox from Qingqiu Mountain, and Jiegeng, a thousand-year-old demoness. The capital’s number-one Grand Princess comes looking for a hug from him every night. 182Reads—Score106Shelves
45. 845 无 The Invincible Divine Doctor Cultivates Immortality and Wins the Hearts of Beauties 无敌神医修仙护美爽飞了 Catch Fire Once More再火一次Urban1.4M WordsCompleted (Rural farming + building wealth + business development + decisive ruthlessness + tangled romance) A young village peddler caught San Lai Zi harassing Qiao Lian, a woman from the village. He stepped in to help and drove San Lai Zi away, but the man retaliated with a dirty trick, pushing him and his cart into Dragon God Pool. Song Xiaoye thought he was going to die, but unexpectedly received the Dragon God's legacy! From that moment on, Song Xiaoye soared to the top, unstoppable! 14.2kReads8.2Score1.6kShelves
46. 846 骑 Confessions of a Fence-Sitter 骑墙者自白 Buddhism and Daoism in Tangled Practice佛道缠修Urban864k WordsOngoing An affair blossoms beyond the garden wall, as neither the men nor the women can resist the temptations outside it. Some sever their ties with love, some sink into ruin, and others chase after one lover after another to satisfy their desires. A human drama of shameless behavior. 5Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Books about midlife crisis

47. 847 川 The Sichuan Army Fights the Japanese, Slaying a Million Invaders to Forge an Unrivaled Army 川军抗日，屠百万鬼子铸傲世强军 Eagle on Sanxing Bridge三星挢上的鹰Urban1.1M WordsCompleted In 1937, ghosts haunted the land of Huaxia. The country was shattered, smoke billowed from the battlefields, and rivers ran red with blood… Three and a half million Sichuan soldiers, wearing thin clothes and straw sandals, some barefoot, covered in blood and mud, carried old rifles and machetes as they left Sichuan to fight the Japanese… The Nationalist Army’s 800,000 troops fought the Battle of Shanghai and were routed for miles. The Sichuan Army knew death awaited them, yet vowed to fight to 5.1kReads8.7Score264Shelves

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    [What][What][What][What][What][What]

48. 848 寒 A Poor Scholar's Tribulation of Great Tang's Beauties 寒门状元大唐红颜劫 Yin Qianchen银千臣Historical356k WordsCompleted Li Guo’er, the Tang Dynasty’s most beautiful woman, is Princess Anning and the youngest, most beloved daughter of Emperor Zhongzong, Li Xian. The most seductive princess in the Tang Dynasty, she is strikingly similar to the protagonist’s wife. After the male lead transmigrates to the Tang Dynasty, he discovers that Li Guo’er looks exactly like his wife. Determined to save the only person in this world who reminds him of family, he works tirelessly and vows to save Li Guo’er, who was killed at ju 384Reads—Score—Shelves
49. 849 镜 The Tragedy of Mirror City 镜城之殇 Buddhism and Daoism in Tangled Practice佛道缠修Marriage & Romance26k WordsCompleted The Fall of Jingcheng —Reads—Score—Shelves
50. 850 逍 The Carefree County Baron: From the Start, I Was Given Seven Wives 逍遥县男：开局被塞了七个老婆 Tiantai Duoduo天台朵朵Historical1.5M WordsCompleted Carefree County Baron: From the Start, He Was Saddled with Seven Wives Synopsis: Shen Yi transmigrates into the Great Qing dynasty as a scholar. Before he can even get his bearings, the court forces seven beautiful wives on him and throws in the post of magistrate of Qinglan County, a godforsaken backwater. Looking at his seven wives, including a fallen noblewoman, a fierce daughter of a military family, and a merchant family's precious pearl, Shen Yi feels his head about to burst. “How am I sup 36Reads6.4Score—Shelves

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    Here it comes...

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