This novel describes the life changes of the Zhou Houde family in Zhouzhuang Village on the north bank of the Shu River in the past 20 years. There are no earth-shattering events here, only the most real fireworks and struggles of ordinary people are hidden here. The anxiety of not being able to raise the down payment, the embarrassment of having a lie exposed, the courage to fight against family members for love, the choice between son and daughter, and the compromises that have to be made for life. Everyone is trying their best to "live a good life", but life always inadvertently gives them hardships - disputes over demolition, scams about buying a house, obstacles to love, embarrassment in survival, and the obsession to have a son to carry on the family line. They are like a net, trapping Zhou Houde's family and countless ordinary people like them. But even so, they still choose to forgive after quarreling, find hope after despair, and move forward slowly while holding on to their obsession with "home" in their trivial lives. This is the story of Zhouzhuang people, and also the story of countless ordinary people who are struggling at the bottom but never give up on life.
Purpose: By depicting complex human emotions and multi-faceted human nature, the novel neither avoids the cruelty of reality nor denies the goodwill in the hearts of ordinary people, and presents the contradictions and warmth of human nature in real society. At the same time, it also explores the transformation pains of rural society in the changing times, as well as the confusion and choices of ordinary people between tradition and modernity, ideals and reality.