Novels like A Cruel Mother, a Broken Home, and Me, Unbroken
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Cruel Mother, a Broken Home, and Me, Unbroken, best match first.
- 101 Green Vine 绿萝 This book is for everyone who has ever waited. This is a novel about all the things left unsaid: not saying you like someone, not saying you are waiting, not saying whether it was worth it. But all those unspoken words are tucked inside candy wrappers, hidden in a tin box, and buried in the beeping sounds of a phone booth. The bravest thing Lin Dong ever did was not repairing that imported machine or saving enough for a down payment on a house with a courtyard. It was telling Su Xiyue, “It's t 6Reads—Score—14d adds
- 102 Upholding Justice 公义立身 Xu Zhiqiang was born into a poor rural family in the 1960s. Through sheer hard work, he got into university. After graduating, he was assigned to work at a steel mill, where he brought a near-bankrupt factory back from the brink. Later, an anonymous letter changed the course of his life once again. After enduring setbacks in life as well as pressure and blows at work, Xu Zhiqiang entered the real estate business and rose to the pinnacle of success. 15Reads—Score—14d adds
- 103 The Men I Met After My Divorce 离婚后，我遇到的男人们 We had known each other for 26 years and been married for 20. We went from having nothing to building an estate worth tens of millions, and from being alone to having a son and a daughter. To outsiders, our marriage looked enviably perfect. At last, after all my years of waiting, it came to a happy ending. At last, I’m divorced and completely free. Now I can observe the men around me as an outsider. Men come in all kinds. There’s a type for everyone. This is my new book. If you happen to come ac 531Reads6.5Score—14d adds
- 104 Reborn in 1991: Starting with a Bankrupt State-Owned Enterprise 重生1991：从破产国企开始 In the summer of 1991, Chen Mo is reborn at a turning point in his life. In his previous life, he was assigned to the near-bankrupt Hongxing Textile Mill. He wasted ten years there, was laid off, and saw his family torn apart. This time, he chooses to walk through the factory gates again. Others see a death trap, but he sees gold lying everywhere. With nothing more than an official approval for a “Labor Services Company,” he starts with the factory's little shop, then builds a logistics network, 409Reads—Score—14d adds
- 105 Three-Inch Golden Lilies 三寸金莲儿 The 1960s. In a dilapidated mansion in Northeast China, the Fan family had eight children, and Fan Jinlian'er became their only source of money. The girl with tiny bound feet supported the entire Fan family. To feed the whole household, Fan Jinlian'er became the family’s bargaining chip. They married her off again and again in exchange for bride prices. They didn’t care whether the groom was blind, lame, or an old man. As long as the betrothal gifts were generous enough, Fan Jinlian'er had to ma 121Reads—Score1414d adds
- 106 Dongguan Memories: The Girls Who Loved Me Back Then 东莞往事：那些年爱过我的女孩 [Urban Slice of Life + Multiple Heroines + Underdog’s Rise + Workplace] In 2006, Lin Yu arrives in Dongguan just after graduating from college. The city is said to be full of opportunities and romantic adventures. There, he meets the women who warm and support him as he grows, while he slowly rises from a rookie who can’t even tighten a screw to a workplace elite. He struggles and fights for his dreams in the face of reality, but growth always comes at a price. No System giving him cheat powers, 905Reads—Score6114d adds
- 107 In 1975, I Went to the Countryside to Escape Disaster 1975年我下乡避祸 This is not a feel-good power fantasy. There is no pocket dimension, no System, no rebirth, and no transmigration. The times are turbulent, and the road ahead is uncertain. To protect Li Chengxiao, his family bears the pain of sending him to the countryside for an assigned rural posting, away from danger. Alone, he puts down roots in the village, enduring hardship and lying low with quiet resolve. With his unique insight and steady temperament, he establishes himself amid adversity, discreetly b 89.5kReads8.5Score10.9k14d adds
- 108 A Romance at a Shenzhen Factory 深圳工厂情缘 My new story is here! You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I’ll do my best to tell every story well! 3kReads8.9Score21814d adds
- 109 Reborn in 1985: I'm Focused on Making Money, but Young Master Lu Is Chasing Me 重生八五：一心搞钱，陆少追疯了 [Rebirth + Period Setting + No Golden Finger + Comeback + Business Battles + Mystery of Her Origins + Power Couple] In her previous life, Su Hanxue gave everything for her family, only to be forced into a marriage that served their interests. She suffered abuse after the wedding, until her husband pushed her into the freezing river and drowned her. He then used the payout from her accident insurance to live it up with his mistress. In this life, she fights with all her strength to refuse the mar 83Reads—Score—14d adds
- 110 Died by the River 逝于江河 Two years into their marriage, Meng Ran became pregnant with Yang Peng's child, but something about it all felt wrong. Those choices that seemed so firm were really just hesitant attempts to weigh the pros and cons. “How wonderful it is to be young” was nothing but an illusion. We all once held lofty dreams, but now we live ignobly. Can Meng Ran and Yang Peng clear away the fog, cross the wilderness, and make a steady passage into the real world? Or are they headed for ruin? 7Reads—Score—14d adds
- 111 Those of Us Who Don’t Want to Go to Work 不想上班的我们 There are three protagonists in this story: a young man who only wants to open a bar, a young woman who drops out of school to become a livestreamer, and me, someone who always played by the rules but eventually became thoroughly disillusioned with office life. This is a story about a group of young people, just like you and me in our youth. We don't want to go to work, but society beats us down and grinds us into the floor. After enduring hardship, a band of little good-for-nothings rises up to 608Reads—Score10014d adds
- 112 Foolish Mother 傻娘 My father was dead, my mother had gone mad. The day I came home, I saw someone destroying it... 43.1kReads9.0Score1.3k14d adds
- 113 Leaving on the Journey South 南下归途离开 Every so often, a generation leaves home to make a living, leaving its youth behind on construction sites and streets far from home. Our fathers left the mountains with worn-out woven-plastic bags on their backs, heading south to find work. They knew nothing of polished talk. They only knew to keep their heads down and work hard, relying on brute strength to feed their families. They lived in cramped shacks, endured grueling day and night shifts, and swallowed their homesickness and grievances. 27Reads—Score214d adds
- 114 Things That Happened When I Was a Kid 我小时候的事 I really don't have much talent for writing novels. I simply pieced together people and events from my childhood, along with scattered fragments of memory and everyday trivialities, as best I could. It's like sewing a patchwork garment out of scraps of floral fabric: from a distance it looks colorful and busy, but up close the seams are obvious, and it never quite comes together. Even so, I weighed every word and poured my passion and love into it, because I wrote it for my daughter. 56Reads—Score—14d adds
- 115 A Lifetime for Her and Me 我和她的这一生 In 1992, at the age of twenty, I left my hometown. My family was crippled by illness and poverty. We were on the verge of starving to death. If I stayed, we would all be trapped on that patch of barren soil. If I left, there might be a way for them to survive. The southern wind, laden with cement dust, swept into that big city filled with construction sites. This place had no name, only countless steel bars, scaffolding, and faces waiting to sell their labor. We came here to fight for our lives. 13Reads—Score—14d adds
- 116 The Chinese Bodyguard 国产保镖 54Reads6.3Score87714d adds
- 117 The Rules of the Children's Home 儿女家的规矩 To help their children raise the grandchildren, a couple in their sixties were forced to live apart. From the day Zhao Youlin moved to the city to help care for his son's child, he became a “guest” in his son's home. A man from a small town, he couldn't fit into life in the big city. He had to speak softly, keep the TV muted, and even watch his son's expression before giving his grandson a piece of meat... Though Zhao Youlin was careful about everything, he still couldn't avoid falling into conf 11kReads8.6Score53414d adds
- 118 The Long-Suffering Younger Sister 苦妹 This is a bloodcurdling, suffocating epic of female suffering. It tells the tragic story of a woman called Ku Mei, whose life was mercilessly crushed by fate over more than half a century, from the early 1960s to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In 1960, during a famine-stricken winter, she was born the second daughter in her family and named Pan Di, “Hoping for a younger brother.” From then on, her grandmother saw her as a “jinx” and branded her Ku Mei, “Bitter Girl.” In a family that 3.7kReads8.8Score43214d adds
- 119 They Stole My Credit, So I Slacked Off and Made the Whole Industry Panic 抢我功绩？我摆烂后卷哭全行业 When your boss takes credit for your work, when the results of your all-nighters become someone else's reward, what do you do? Lin Zhou's answer: he slacks off on the spot! He refuses 996 work schedules and empty promises, and vanishes the moment quitting time comes. Everyone thinks he's washed up, but little do they know that the instant he smashes the sign proclaiming him a "workaholic," he awakens the [Anti-Grind God-Tier System]! The harder he slacks off, the bigger the rewards! He uses a te —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 120 After Kicking Out My Scumbag Husband, I Became the War King’s Most Cherished One 踹开渣夫后，我成兵王心尖宠 [Period Setting + Strong Female Lead + Military Marriage + Light Ensemble Cast + Reborn + No Golden Finger] [Bold, Spirited Go-Getter + Devoted, Straightforward Man] Everyone in Xingping Village had heard the news: Chai Yubing, the youngest daughter of the Chai family, who had been cherished beyond measure, was dating a self-employed businessman who had served time in jail. Those who were jealous of the Chais, resented them, or were on bad terms with them were secretly waiting for the family to 1.3kReads8.4Score13714d adds
- 121 Middle-Aged in Shanghai: I’ve Hidden My Medicinal Wine Ability for 20 Years 上海中年：我藏药酒异能苟20年 In 2006, Shanghai was swept up in a wave of reform. Large numbers of veteran workers at state-owned enterprises were laid off, and a lifetime of stability vanished overnight. At forty, Zhang Jianguo saw his eighteen years of service wiped out. His buyout compensation was slashed, and in middle age he had no one to rely on while raising a young daughter. To feed his family, he took grueling construction jobs, did backbreaking labor, suffered wage deductions, and endured bullying, struggling eve 88Reads—Score—14d adds
- 122 Love Among the Mountains and Rivers 山水情 (Urban slice of life, inspirational growth, a nostalgic era, rich in detail) The beauty of mountains and rivers, the many faces of humanity, the fickleness of the world. The protagonist, Jiang Nan, knows right from wrong and values loyalty and affection. He grows from a poor boy who suffers humiliation into a fine young man admired by everyone. This story is grounded in real life, with family bonds, friendship, romance, and a deep love for his hometown. He leads the villagers to prosperity, ris 14.6kReads9.1Score1.6k14d adds
- 123 Childhood in the Old Days 旧时光里的童年 The author recalls a rural childhood in Wuchang County, Heilongjiang Province, during the 1970s and 1980s. The book describes rural life and the changes brought about by the household responsibility system in the early days of reform and opening up, along with the joys and hardships of the author’s childhood before the age of ten, major family upheavals, and the warmth and coldness of human nature. 39Reads—Score314d adds
- 124 The Woman with Five Marriages 五婚女人 Among contemporary Chinese literature's portrayals of rural women's lives, Zheng Guozhen's story grips readers with its astonishing realism and tragic depth. Through an ordinary rural woman's five failed marriages, this novel sketches the hardships of rural women's lives and inner worlds during China's social transformation in the 1990s. From an arranged marriage imposed by her parents to a self-serving union built on dependence on power, from an emotional wasteland scarred by violence to a brie 1.9kReads7.9Score23814d adds
- 125 Hai Nange's Second Book 海楠哥的第2本书 [Work + romance + plot + personal growth + lighthearted everyday life] Xu Liangfeng had just graduated from high school when he went to the big city to look for work. He ran into setback after setback, but he didn't lose heart and kept working hard. As he changed jobs frequently, he learned plenty of practical skills. Still, at every workplace, his managers both loved and hated him. They loved his competence and his humble, sincere nature, but hated how argumentative he could be. “Liangfeng, can 276Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 The Brash Stepmother from the Eighties Becomes a Nobody 八零泼妇养母成了路人甲 Liu Peiyun was ready to enjoy a quiet retirement, but instead transmigrated into a book as Lu Xuebi, a village girl whose engagement had been broken off in the 1980s. Since she was already here, Lu Xuebi decided to make the best of it. She studied for college entrance exams while leading her whole family to seize the opportunities of the times. Only later did she learn she had transmigrated into a book: she was the heroine’s shrewish adoptive mother, an obstacle on the heroine’s road to wealth a 646Reads5.8Score11614d adds
- 127 Reborn in 1959: Startling by Each Step 魂穿59，步步惊心 The novel is being revised... (One heroine, spatial abilities, mild violence, family life, a gradual build, steady growth.) The story mainly has three stages. In the early part, he helps his family escape poverty. In the middle, he gets a job at a steel mill, working on equipment and supplies, with some familiar courtyard-life elements mixed in, though they are not the main focus. In the later part, he helps the country develop its national defense. His spatial abilities are controllable, and he 134Reads—Score—14d adds
- 128 Reborn 20 Years Ago: From Street Tough to Upstanding Young Man 重生20年从顽主到四有青年 [Reborn] [No System] [Ensemble cast] [Everyday life] [Business rivalry] [Romance] [Martial world] Does being reborn count as rebirth if you have no memories of your past life? In 2024, business tycoon Chen Yuanping is framed and sent back to the autumn of his nineteenth year. A completely different life begins... At the foot of the imperial city, in Liulichang. A group of young people born in the sixties and seventies leave the crowded courtyard houses in the hutongs, carrying their dreams 4.2kReads7.5Score23114d adds
- 129 Late at Night, I Fell Under His Spell 深夜，对他着了魔 Their late-night story… It’s thought-provoking, and leaves you filled with regret. Was she too devoted, or was he too heartless? What can you even say about love? 212Reads—Score—14d adds
- 130 Shanghai People Eat Rice Porridge 上海人吃泡饭 In the middle of the night, Wang’s Granny was being beaten so badly she could barely move, and could only call for help. Uncle Huang was still fuming over how she had humiliated him during the day, so angry he couldn’t sleep. He heard what sounded faintly like a cat meowing, but when he listened more closely, he realized it was a cry for help coming from Wang’s Granny’s house. He was about to go save her when his wife grabbed hold of him... 510Reads8.1Score—14d adds
- 131 The Light at the End of the Road 穷途的光辉 How many generations of hardship and joy must a poor family endure before they can finally get ahead? How much suffering must a girl witness before she understands life? How many trials must a family face before the younger generation understands how hard things were for their ancestors? 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 132 The Three Treasures Pagoda and Purple Gold Mountain 三宝塔与紫金山 The story unfolds slowly between Sanbao Town in southeastern Yunnan and Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties. Yun Kun, a young man from southern Yunnan, dreams of escaping the mountains. Through sheer perseverance, he rises from a poor boy to a faculty researcher at a military academy. Ning Xiang, who lives east of Nanjing, once enjoyed a peaceful, ordinary life, but the tides of the times bring a drastic turn: her household registration is falsified, and she is forced to move to the co 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 133 Reborn in 1970: Divided from the Family from the Start 重生70，开局被分家 In the first half of his previous life, the protagonist lived recklessly and did every kind of evil, ending up with his family destroyed... In the second half, he worked hard and diligently. Just when he had finally managed to buy a house in the city, his nephew pulled out his feeding tube... Reborn just before the family split up, Chen Wein 7.4kReads8.2Score46914d adds
- 134 Reborn in 1993: Helping My Family Grow Rich 重生93：我助家人发家致富 Alternate title: My Whole Family Supported My Engagement After I Was Reborn in the 1990s Ye Lan, suspected of having caught the flu, suddenly dies at work and is reborn in her middle school days. She reunites with the man who was her husband in her previous life, and they fall in love, get engaged, and marry. But using her knowledge of the future, she chooses a different path in life. She helps her family grow fruit and agarwood, making them rich. She skips grades to attend university, then buys 33Reads—Score—14d adds
- 135 My Life: Saving Myself 我的人生，渡己 I moved from the countryside to the big city when I was twenty. On my first day at the factory, I was five minutes late. Those five minutes felt like a slap in the face, waking me up and changing my life. More than ten people crammed into one dorm room. For breakfast, I could only bring myself to buy a tea egg and soy milk. Watching others eat fried rice noodles, I secretly vowed to work hard and make a solid place for myself in the city. There was no sudden wealth and no romance, just a country 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 136 The 1970s: The Family's Darling Was Jilted from the Start 年代70团宠的我开局被退婚 A special forces soldier from another world transmigrates into the body of a teenage boy with the same name in a parallel world in the 1970s, and their souls merge. The System arrives, gives him a pocket dimension and a set of skills, then leaves to pursue happiness. How will Chen Feng grow up with courage and joy in this era? A harmonious family, beautiful women all around him, and an extensive network of connections. 6.1kReads8.2Score52114d adds
- 137 Neither Storm Nor Sunshine! 也无风雨也无晴！ Marriage Before Love, a realistic urban romance about everyday married life! Su Qin and Zhou Xinping marry after being introduced through a matchmaking arrangement, and they bicker constantly. Just as Su Qin feels disappointed and lost, a new dawn arrives. She discovers that her husband truly cares for her, and together they take on a new stage of life! 418Reads—Score—14d adds
- 138 Professor Lin from a Poor Family 寒门林教授 [No System + No Rebirth + Poor Family + Inspirational + Tearjerker + Passionate + Nostalgic + Suitable for Middle Schoolers] Education is the fairest thing in the world. Lin Dongsheng, a student from a poor family, unexpectedly discovers that he has an extraordinary memory. Though he usually doesn't even dare eat his fill, he changes his fate through his studies, achieving one miracle after another. He wins prize money at all kinds of competitions, eventually gets into Tsinghua University, becom 6.9kReads7.7Score44014d adds
- 139 Breaking the Bottom Line 打破底线 In the eyes of others, he has it all: an executive title at a branch company and a happy family. But he also has plenty of secrets he can’t let see the light of day… A routine audit at the head office becomes the turning point in his fate… 14.3kReads8.2Score73414d adds
- 140 Transmigrated to a Bygone Era, My Beast Companion Is a Vampire 穿越年代，我的御兽是吸血鬼 A grounded tale of rural life and farming, adventure in another world, beast taming, and immortality. After transmigrating to an impoverished village in 1955, Zhou Jiasheng becomes the family outcast, the eldest child no one wants! His parents take his siblings to the city to get a job with a state-owned enterprise, leaving him behind in the countryside with food but no money, to fend for himself. Just when he is at his wits' end, the troublemaking System that caused him to transmigrate is alrea 73.8kReads8.4Score9.2k14d adds
- 141 The Little Bridge Cave Family Compound 小桥洞家属院 [Period Setting] [Ensemble Cast] [Everyday Life] The results came out a few months after it was completed. This novel is fantastic! Zhang Yan and Deng Yang were born in the Xiaoqiaodong factory compound and grew up beneath the chimneys of the State Chemical Plant. There was no glamour or respectability here, only the bustle of daily life, sweat, arguments, and warmth. In 1997, as firecrackers exploded to celebrate Hong Kong's return, they still thought their parents would wear their work uniform 645Reads8.1Score10214d adds
- 142 Wild Lilies of the Mountain Village 山村野百合 An eighteen-year-old village beauty married a thirty-three-year-old simpleton. A month after their wedding, her husband drowned, and she was branded a woman who brought death to her husband… This story offers a true-to-life account of the loves and hatreds, joys and sorrows of ordinary rural people. It faces the ugliness and greed of human nature head-on, while reflecting on the sincerity and warmth found in this world. 270Reads—Score—14d adds
- 143 The Freezer 冰柜 In today's restless society, people's innate kindness can easily be lost amid rampant materialism. Sometimes, love and devotion are repaid with betrayal, or even death. Based on real cases, this book warns readers that the dark side of human nature is always present, and that desire and dissatisfaction can corrode even the deepest bonds. 42Reads—Score—14d adds
- 144 Xia Hua, the Village Girl 村女夏花 [Realistic rural life + slow burn + heroine’s growth + family and everyday life + face-slapping the scoundrels] Lin Xiahua’s husband is dead. With two children and a dimwitted older brother to support, she has become the most tempting target in Hama Gou Village. Burdened with her family, without a single plot of land, and with her mother-in-law threatening to sell her by the pound to an old widower and his son! To survive, Xiahua learns to navigate all kinds of men and women. She smiles and char 81Reads7.0Score10514d adds
- 145 At Forty, I Remarried a Commander. My Ex and His Mistress Are Both on Their Knees 40岁二嫁首长，前夫小三全跪了 The rating has only just come in, and it’ll rise later! [Second-chance military marriage + era-set comeback + two powerful, devoted leads + rugged man spoils his wife] Lying on the operating table, Jiang Wanning finally learned that her marriage had been a trap: her husband had tried to kill her for the insurance money, and the son she had raised with so much effort was actually the illegitimate child of her scumbag husband and cousin! To survive, she climbed into the bed of Commander Gu Yuanzhe 263.2kReads8.6Score11.8k14d adds
- 146 After Tricking My Husband into a Divorce, I Was Fleeced for a Million by a Puppy-Like Boy 骗夫离婚后，我被小奶狗掏空百万 Urban suspense + sham marriage + a gentle trap + younger puppy-like man + a battle of wits Her marriage was cold, her life suffocating. Liang Qiuyue struggled through half her life, asking only for a peaceful existence. Then the gentle, warm-hearted Jiang Zhihao appeared, doting on her, protecting her, and helping her support the family. Believing she had found salvation, she bravely divorced and was reborn. Little did she know... He seemed mild-mannered and harmless, but behind the scenes he 100Reads—Score—14d adds
- 147 Shi Shun's Growth 石顺的成长 About Growth At the foot of the Dabie Mountains, a young man named Shi Shun journeys forward, one step at a time. Over the first half of his life, he experiences sincere family affection, treasures friendships forged through hardship, encounters tender love, and strives to build an ordinary career. He grows from a naive, awkward youth into a steady and responsible man, tempering his character amid the everyday bustle of life and coming to understand what life means through the companionship of 4Reads—Score114d adds
- 148 Wrongly Married in 1975: The Rugged Man and the Sophisticated Beauty 错嫁1975：糙汉与御姐 [Period setting + military marriage + marriage first, love later + farming + cuisine] [Realistic and down-to-earth + slice of life + light comedy + heartwarming] Qiao Yujie, a 34-year-old elite doctor. During the Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, she bowed nine times to her ancestors, and five thousand strings of firecrackers burned to ash Then she was gone. When she opened her eyes again, it was 1975, and she was being "packed off" to marry a man in a military district. Her fiancé had gone fro 181.2kReads8.3Score25.7k14d adds
- 149 The Great Pagoda Tree at the Village Entrance 村口那棵大槐树 The 1960s: too few clothes and too little food! In remote Tianshui Village, everyone was struggling to stay alive! Every character is a vivid reflection of that era. They have no golden fingers and they don't transmigrate... so they can only fight tooth and nail against life and fate just to survive! Girls especially had a harder time of it in those days. Listen to the names: Dai Xiao, Huan Xiao, Zhaodi... You can tell at a glance they were named by parents hoping for a son. Back then, many girl 62Reads—Score—14d adds
- 150 The Lingering Warmth of the Earthen Bed 土炕上的余温 The quarry in the hills behind Laojing Village buried the men from half the village. All that remained were a village full of widows and children crying from hunger. Thirty migrant miners moved into the workers' barracks, all strapping bachelors. The widows cursed men to their faces, then dug out their floral jackets at night and deliberately walked past the barracks. Each of the three widows had her own reasons: one wanted a protector to help raise her child, one hoped to get some rice and flou 13kReads8.9Score83214d adds
