Small-Town GL 乡镇百合

1. 1 岁 The Years Pass Like Time 岁聿经年 Li Xin Yin Li离心引栗Baihe (GL)605k WordsOngoing I'm not very good at writing blurbs. It's more or less a story set in a small town. Some place names are based on real ones. Extremely, extremely slow burn. The version with all the details: 1. Winter 2010 A bird started flying around Lan Mengyun. Little bird, Little Egret, Zhang Lu. Innocent and carefree, knowing nothing about the world, always circling her and offering her unreserved devotion. She could shape Zhang Lu inside and out into the perfect lover. Lan Mengyun once thought she could s 870Favorites275Clicks/ch3.6kGifts

   Curator note

   Nice

2. 2 逢 Spring Returns 逢春 A Little Furry有毛儿Baihe (GL)529k WordsCompleted [My next book, "Top Hater", influencer x CEO. Click the column link in the top right to add it to your reading list!] Cen Xi didn’t like An Dong. And An Dong was quietly growing to hate Cen Xi, too. Ten years after they’d gone their separate ways, they met again at a class reunion. After an unexpected drunken night, they crossed a line they shouldn’t have. Cen Xi got dressed and said coldly, “Let’s pretend it never happened.” An Dong agreed. Then one day, Cen Xi suddenly stormed into An Dong’s h 61.7kFavorites63.4kClicks/ch89.1kGifts

   Curator note

   A love story between a proud and arrogant girl and an honest man. The author's character portrayals are incredibly vivid, not just for the protagonist, but for every supporting character, whether good or bad, their personalities are developed through the plot, rather than being mere plot devices to drive the main couple's romance. The two protagonists also have clear growth arcs in this story. They don't know how to properly love themselves and each other from the beginning; they redeem each other through repeated interactions, ultimately escaping the feudal patriarchal town of White Stone together, becoming better versions of themselves and venturing into a wider world… The author's depiction of the local customs and culture of White Stone also starkly exposes the ugly underbelly of patriarchal society, and the reading experience offers feminist insights through the female characters' growth. A bittersweet but uplifting story with profound meaning, well worth reading. [Hugs]

3. 3 南 The Old Winds Have Vanished from the Southern Island 南岛不见旧时风 Lin Zizhou林子周Baihe (GL)293k WordsCompleted Nan Island is an island. Off the coast of Guangdong, south of Nancheng, separated from the city by a narrow stretch of sea. Nan Island Middle School is a boarding high school ranked first in the city. It’s known as “the island’s pride,” yet it is directly administered by the city’s education bureau, and 90% of its enrollment places go to children from the city across the water. The island is poor, and its schools are short on qualified teachers. That year, only two students from Fangkou Village, 46.3kFavorites30.3kClicks/ch49.9kGifts

   Curator note

   New customs prevail over old traditions; girls grow upwards.

4. 4 平 Tones and Rhymes 平仄 Tart Shark蛋挞鲨Baihe (GL)256k WordsCompleted Chang Pan has known since childhood that she's adopted, but she's still spoiled and willful. When she's fifteen, her adoptive parents bring their biological daughter home, and Chang Pan has no choice but to return to her birth mother. Going from a rich kid to a poor kid, Chang Pan hates everything about her new surroundings. But she discovers that she can't bring herself to hate Fang You. A sister with no blood ties to her, the pillar holding their broken family together. Fang You's quiet char 20.7kFavorites27kClicks/ch11.4kGifts

   Curator note

   Nice

5. 5 远 Near and Far, High and Low 远近高低 Half-Spitting Clouds半吐云Baihe (GL)985k WordsCompleted Official couples: Yu Yuan and Yin Bai; Su Huai. Most people see themselves as the center of the world. But if you truly look, you find that you're just a collection of fragments scattered across places near and far, high and low. After decades of being taught how to behave, Yu Ren has finally been polished into a taciturn deputy director, stuck in a research institute. He leaves politics for business, but Yuan Liu, the girl he's known since childhood and never saw clearly, keeps pestering him. 18.8kFavorites10.4kClicks/ch25.5kGifts

   Curator note

   "Near and Far, High and Low" is an exceptionally excellent literary work in my mind. With nearly a million words, author Ban Tuyun perfectly sketches a story spanning over thirty years. This article vividly depicts the customs and traditions of Baizhou, encompassing its rural, urban, and suburban areas, and also perfectly portrays the friendship, love, and family bonds within the main characters. The main storyline revolves around Yu Ren, showcasing his growth trajectory from childhood to adulthood through his three romances. Another protagonist, Yin Xiu, shares similarities with Yu Ren in terms of personality; both are strong, independent, and possess a calm core with strong ideals and ambitions. However, due to their different backgrounds, Yu Ren, with his better circumstances, is more confident than Yin Xiu, while Yin Xiu demonstrates greater drive and ambition. But among all the characters, my favorites are Yue Opera master Wang Li and the little fox Yuan Liu. As an outstanding Yue Opera performer, Wang Li gives me the impression of being calm, broad-minded, and rational, yet she dares to pursue love, harboring genuine affection for her junior sister Zhao Lan with gentle restraint. She's practically an ideal. The little fox Yuan Liu's background evokes my pity. Born into a family that favored sons over daughters, she was adopted before the age of two. Before meeting Yu Ren, she lived a cautious life in her foster family, mistreated by her gambling stepfather. This upbringing shaped the precocious and sensitive little fox until she met Yu Ren, finally finding someone who would show her affection. She grew up following in her older sister's footsteps, becoming a clever, self-reliant, and goal-oriented fox. After discovering her own unique love for her sister, she used her "schemes" to gradually approach her, until even Yu Ren had to acknowledge her love for this little fox he had watched grow up. This story actually has many highlights; the author's literary skills are very strong. I even learned a lot about Yue Opera from this book. Unfortunately, my writing skills are not good enough to fully showcase its charm. Those interested in realistic literature are welcome to read it!

6. 6 空21+ The Empty Boat 空船 Niu Er'er牛尔尔Baihe (GL)244k WordsCompleted 17.4kFavorites13.2kClicks/ch18.9kGifts

   Curator note

   I really love Teacher Niu Er'er's articles! I just regret not having met her sooner [crying emoji]

7. 7 灯 A World of Mortals Beneath the Lamplight 灯下有红尘 Niu Er'er牛尔尔Baihe (GL)205k WordsCompleted Theme: The richness of an ideal world will not wither because real life is barren. Instead, it is nourished by our unremitting efforts, becoming something as worthy of admiration as the starry sky, and supporting us as we face life’s hardships with a more positive and optimistic attitude. 14.7kFavorites19.5kClicks/ch10.4kGifts

   Curator note

   I don't remember the plot very well; I'll write a review after rereading it.

8. 8 捡 Jian En Doesn't Know 捡恩不知道 Tart Shark蛋挞鲨Baihe (GL)340k WordsCompleted 1. Lu Liang inherited her family's stone-carving business. They took on a fairly wide range of jobs, from roadside markers to temple merit steles. Tombstones weren't a major part of the business: the commission was high, but the take-home pay was low. She'd do one, but it would cost extra. One day, a friend referred a job to her. The client wanted the full-service package. Transportation, rental housing, tombstone engraving, cemetery selection... [AAA Lu Family Stone Carving]: That'll cost e 8.8kFavorites8.4kClicks/ch15.8kGifts

   Curator note

   It's a good read, the characters are great, and the writing style and prose are excellent. [Thumbs up] The county town has a rich literary style and a strong local flavor. [Heart emoji]

9. 9 一 Love at First Sight 一见喜 Half-Spitting Clouds半吐云Baihe (GL)289k WordsCompleted After four years of repeatedly switching between civil service and graduate school exams and still failing, Yan Long crashes into the car of Wang Yanyan, a former real estate agent who looks like she's returned to her hometown in glory but has actually been unemployed for half a year. The two have never gotten along, and their collision dredges up years of grievances between their families... The “good-for-nothings” in their parents' eyes gradually come to understand each other and develop a fri 5.3kFavorites4.8kClicks/ch6.2kGifts

   Curator note

   I really enjoyed this piece of county-town literature. Teacher Ban Tu Yun is a master of realism. [Continued]

10. 10 坏 Bad Habits 坏毛病 bqalBaihe (GL)320k WordsOngoing Fifty years ago, a remarkable figure emerged in Shuicheng. After Liu Heying personally sent her husband to prison, she founded Yingda Real Estate and changed her surname to Zhu to establish her own household. Everything in the Zhu family has been passed down from mother to daughter ever since. Zhu Weiying is extremely strict about her choice of heir, and her daughter, Zhu Changqing, was once hailed by the Shuicheng media as the boldest businesswoman the city had seen in thirty years. As the thir 1.2kFavorites291Clicks/ch4.8kGifts

    Curator note

    Bqal's writing is truly excellent. I started following her after reading "Rising in the Rainy Season." Her writing has a very distinctive style and unique thoughts, and this book is rich in feminist reflections. Compared to "Little Rainy Season," this book has a much richer plot and is full of suspense... I'm really looking forward to the rest of the story and the mysteries surrounding the protagonist. The author mentioned that this book will include elements of folklore related to the fear of wind, which is exactly what I'm looking for, haha! [Thumbs up]

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