Set in Tongguan from the seventeenth year of the Republic of China (1928) to the eighteenth year of the Republic of China (1929) as the background, through the perspective of the playboy Zhao Jizu (nicknamed "Jiazi"), it shows the rise and fall of the family and the transformation of human nature under a natural and man-made disaster. The opening chapter begins with the extravagant life of the shopkeeper of Jiang Yuan in "Ancient Living". He is addicted to listening to operas and squandering his family wealth, and is completely unaware of the crisis of drought. As the drought in Guanzhong intensified, food prices soared, and bandits plundered, the Zhao family fell from prosperity to desperation. Jiazi was forced to flee the famine with ten yuan. On the way, he met the orphan Cui'er and experienced the hardship of survival amid hunger and cold.
The novel skillfully combines historical events and fantasy elements. Because Jiezi accidentally touched the ancient magic "Taotie Lock Technique", he was punished by Zhulong and traveled to the Dadiwan primitive tribe 8,000 years ago and the Banpo matrilineal clan 6,000 years ago. In the wilderness, he gradually lost his dandy habits, learned farming, pottery making, and grain storage, and established a deep relationship with the tribal women Ahe and Ayao. The work explores the redemption of human nature in troubled times through the dual-line narrative of "food, sex" and "love": from the extravagant banquets in the sauce garden of the Republic of China to the warmth of food shared by primitive tribes, Jiazi finally understands the true meaning of "fireworks in the world".
The full text has vivid language and full of details, such as the salty aroma of the sauce vat, the golden color of the millet fields, and the vividness of the fish patterns on the painted pottery, creating a fireworks picture that spans time and space. It contains both a realistic description of the social turmoil of the Republic of China and a poetic imagination of primitive civilization. In the end, "Yuan Datou" is used as a link to connect Jiazi's redefinition of family, love and survival.
Purpose: The purpose is to explore the redemption of human nature in troubled times and the deeper meaning of "fireworks on earth" through the protagonist's transition from a dandy young master in the Republic of China to a survivor in ancient times. The novel uses "food" as a clue to connect two time and space: In Tongguan of the Republic of China, the protagonist Jiezi was born into a wealthy family but was extravagant and indifferent to the suffering of the people, symbolizing the decadence and disconnection from reality of the aristocratic class in the old era; In Dadiwan eight thousand years ago and Banpo six thousand years ago, he was forced to learn farming, pottery making, and grain storage in the wilderness. He ate and worked together with the tribe, and gradually understood the hard-won food and the emotional connection between people. This comparison of time and space highlights the core theme of the work: the real "banquet" is not in the extravagant ostentation, but in the warmth and responsibility of a porridge and a meal. When Jizi grew up from a "Jizi" who only knew how to enjoy to a survivor who knew how to protect, he finally realized that the so-called "fireworks in the world" are mutual support in ordinary days, perseverance in the face of disasters, and the most authentic respect for life. This is not only the growth of an individual, but also a poetic tribute to the continuation of civilization: no matter how the times change, it is never money or power that maintains human society, but the "friendship, labor and empathy" hidden in daily life.