This is a school-life novel about youth, following Xu Hui, a trainee teacher, and what she sees and experiences at Liujiang Middle School. It is divided into two parts: the first is a romance, focused on love, and the second is a wuxia tale, centered on action.
The romance follows Zhang Shouyi, a king among working men, as he searches for his wife and children. Against this backdrop, it recounts his entrepreneurial journey and a forty-year feud between two wealthy families: the history of the Wen family's grudges and rivalries. Zhang Shouyi marries Wen Wenhui, the daughter of a wealthy family. Her father, Wen Zhangyuan, inherits the family business and vows to revitalize national industry. Wen Zhangyuan's father had an illegitimate son, Wen Hong. Because of historical circumstances, he had no choice but to abandon Wen Hong and his mother and flee abroad. Wen Hong grows to hate the Wen family, and his business battle against Wen Zhangyuan and Zhang Shouyi, his son-in-law, is told in just a few strokes but is still gripping. In the end, Wen Hong causes Wen Zhangyuan's death and seizes control of the company. Zhang Shouyi eventually turns things around with the help of lawyer Zhou Tian, and, with the help of Xu Hui, a trainee teacher in Class 05(2), rekindles an old love.
The wuxia section tells several stories in turn: a street brawl between rival gangs, with a touch of Ma Ge's swagger; Cui Jun's night-time slaughter at a bar; a basketball game rendered in Jin Yong-style wuxia, with dazzling action and plenty of humor; and Zhang Zhenzhen's culinary skills, which reveal the flair of a master chef.
Though the two parts have very different narrative styles, nearly all the stories are connected, making the whole feel varied but cohesive. The second part's wuxia section is even more adept at tugging at the heartstrings than the romance in the first. After all, the first part spends more time laying the groundwork.
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