The Cloisonne Factory's Belle: A Story of Getting Rich in the 1980s

The story is complete! My next book will launch in May 2025. Please add it to your collection!

One moment, Lu Qingyu was working overtime at a 21st-century publishing house, racing to finish a manuscript. The next, she had become an unemployed young woman in the 1980s.

A father who died young, a mother working odd jobs, a younger sister still in school, a grandfather nearing retirement... and a box of battered cloisonne tools.

The belief that sons are more valuable than daughters is rampant. Her relatives eye the family covetously: "Your family has no grandson. The old man's job and house should go to my son."

Even the cloisonne workshop shuts its doors to her: "We don't take female apprentices."

Why shouldn't a woman be able to make a good life for herself?

Lu Qingyu refuses to accept it. She knocks on every door, from the labor union to the women's federation, from newspapers to the cultural center: "The cloisonne workshop is discriminating against women. Are you going to do something about it?"

And in the end, she really does knock open the door to the trade!

This eighteen-year-old young woman sets off a storm in the cloisonne industry, and her life becomes a roller coaster.

She gets the job, but the people in power monopolize the technology and refuse to share the profits!

She draws the designs, only to have them altered and credited to a male designer!

She completes her work, only to be falsely accused of seducing a male supervisor for personal gain!

She even uncovers the truth about her father's death at a crooked workshop, along with his missing work...

Facing slander and suppression, Lu Qingyu gives a cold laugh. "Line up one by one. I'll deal with you all in turn. No rush."

Riding the wave of reform and opening up, the young woman leads her female coworkers in turning export goods toward the domestic market, winning awards and making a fortune. She transforms a small family workshop into an international corporation! Devoted to her craft and serving her country, she becomes a master artisan of a great nation, a shining star of her era!

The roller coaster becomes a high-speed train, speeding toward a bright future.

Then one day, she meets Su Yuanchen.

A new researcher at the cultural center, handsome and aloof, with a heart full of passion and a pen that can traverse a thousand mountains.

Driven by ambition, he seeks out a legendary "master artisan" to learn about cloisonne craftsmanship.

But the legendary master artisan turns out to be an eighteen-year-old young woman.

"A young woman can make cloisonne?"

"Are you doubting me because I'm a woman?"

"I, Su Yuanchen, have always upheld the law and been fair. How could I discriminate against women?"

"Then, esteemed magistrate, please bear witness for me, so no one can turn around and accuse me of seducing a 'male comrade' again."

Su Yuanchen: ...This girl is trouble.

From then on, their bickering and teamwork go hand in hand, as their careers and romance advance together.

He watches her turn the tables against the odds, forge through every obstacle, and climb step by step to the top. In the end, she stands beneath the lights, dazzling like the cloisonne she crafted with her own hands, gleaming brilliantly.

And he is more than willing to use his pen to hold up a sky for her.

At last, the brilliance and splendor give way to tranquility, leaving only soft murmurs in the night breeze.

"Qingyu, was the poem I just wrote any good?"

"Stop reciting it. I have to get up early tomorrow to serve up some face-slapping!"

[Reading Guide]

1. This novel focuses on the plot, with romance woven in as a secondary element. The leads spend the story flirting and drawing closer, with a satisfying mix of sweetness, angst, and catharsis. It has everything you'd hope for, so look forward to it.

2. Given the unusual time and setting, outdated ideas and speech are only natural. Please don't get upset. Just trust that the heroine knows what she's doing, and go easy on her.

3. Some professional knowledge is included, all of it drawn from specialist books and an online encyclopedia. Please forgive any inaccuracies.

Coming in May 2025: my upcoming period novel, "The Five-Year-Old from the 1980s Takes Her Mom to Remarry." Add it to your collection!

At a Sichuan embroidery factory in the 1980s, Wen Lijun is a highly praised master embroiderer. Her hibiscus flowers look lifelike, and she earns far more than her husband.

But because she gave birth to a girl, her in-laws give her grief every day. Her husband beats her when he's drunk, and her mother-in-law dumps leftovers into her bowl. She grits her teeth and endures it all.

She does it only so her daughter can have a complete family, and grow up carefree.

Meanwhile, Yuan Jinyue is overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. After more than twenty years of struggle, she has finally escaped hardship and made a name for herself. But at the celebratory banquet, she thinks of her mother, who died young, and drinks herself into a stupor.

When she wakes and opens her eyes, she has somehow returned to the age of five.

Seeing her mother alive again fills her with both joy and sorrow. Given another chance, she will make sure her mother is happy and keep her away from the people who bullied her. She will help her live with dignity and purpose, surrounded by love and companionship, free to do whatever she wants and go wherever she wants.

It's just that, looking at her tiny fists, Yuan Jinyue realizes the road to making her dream come true may be a long one.

One day, Wen Lijun picks her daughter up from kindergarten as usual, only to find that the girl seems like a different person.

Her usually well-behaved little dumpling has turned into a clingy little shadow. Whenever she can't see her mother, her eyes turn red and she starts crying pitifully.

But whenever she's around the other members of the family, she instantly becomes a fierce little tiger, warning everyone not to bully her mother.

One day, while Wen Lijun is tying her daughter's hair into little braids, the little dumpling suddenly grabs her wrist. "Mom, did Dad pinch the bruises on your arm?" Before she can answer, the girl bursts into tears. "I don't want you to be bullied for my sake. We don't want Dad or this family!"

Late at night, Wen Lijun looks down at her daughter's little hand gripping the hem of her clothes. Feeling the bruise on her collarbone, she suddenly realizes the truth: her child understands everything.

She knows about the birth control pills Wen Lijun secretly takes, the certificates she keeps hidden, and the tears she swallows.

What Wen Lijun thought was "for her daughter's own good" had only made her daughter suffer humiliation alongside her. If that's the case, she really should escape this living hell and choose a different life.

Her daughter wants her to be healthy and beautiful, so she eats well, drinks well, and wears pretty dresses.

Her daughter hopes she'll be strong and independent, so she studies hard and strives to be a model employee.

Before long, her daughter mysteriously drags her to a book club at the library. A man in gold-rimmed glasses bends down to offer her a book wrapped in brown paper, speaking with gentle refinement. "Yueyue mentioned you like Fang Zhou, by Zhang Jie, a female author. This is her latest short story collection."

Yuan Jinyue looks up at her, eyes sparkling. "Mom, would you be happy with this man as my stepdad?"

Theme: Don't let others define you. Defy the odds and build a fortune