Novels like A Few Stories from Life on the Factory Floor
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as A Few Stories from Life on the Factory Floor, best match first.
- 1 Making It Big, Starting with Heading South for Work 出人头地，从南下打工开始 Wang Qi spends his days loafing around. When he turns eighteen, he heads south to find work with his grandaunt from the same village. Little does he know that, by chance, he is about to begin a story of defying fate and changing his destiny. From that moment on, the gears of his fate begin to turn... 12Reads—Score—14d adds
- 2 Drifting Through Guangdong 广东漂流记 A Drifter’s Journal in Guangdong 8Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 No Talk of Love on the Road to Revenge 复仇路上不说爱 Ten years ago, Zhou Yang’s father, a bank loan officer, fell to his death. A huge sum of cash was found in his office, and he was branded a guilty man who had taken his own life. Zhou Yang refused to believe it. After enduring countless hardships and following the clues piece by piece, he finally uncovered a vast conspiracy. The revenge plan begins. On the road to vengeance, there is no talk of love... 10Reads—Score114d adds
- 4 Years as a Migrant Worker: Dongguan, 1995 打工岁月之东莞1995 Your hometown cannot keep your body, and a foreign land cannot accommodate your soul! Working away from home is an eternal topic that cannot be avoided or sidestepped. This book paints an honest picture of the ordinary lives of migrant workers. Perhaps it reflects what your parents once experienced, or what you are going through now! Millions upon millions of migrant workers uphold the glory of the “world’s factory,” but behind that glory lie their sweat, tears, and helplessness... Feel free to 2.6kReads—Score13814d adds
- 5 My Husband's Scheme to Stay Child-Free 丁克老公的阴谋 [Everyday Family Drama]+ [Brutal Revenge on Scumbags]+ [Satisfying Read]+ [Realistic Marriage] After five years of marriage, Ning Zhi earns over a million a year running two flower shops. She is gentle and generous with her in-laws and sister-in-law, bought her husband a 300,000-yuan car as a dowry gift, and lives with him in a wedding home worth several million. Yet he has been sneaking around with his first love, even plotting to take her life and seize her assets. When the truth comes out, s —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 To Steal My House and Demolition Compensation, My Adopted Daughter Spread Rumors That I Was Having an Affair with Our 38-Year-Old Nanny 为了谋夺拆迁款和房产，养女四处造谣我和三十八岁保姆有染 I died on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival! The adopted daughter I had raised from childhood blamed me for not giving her the five million yuan in demolition compensation and my property. She spread rumors everywhere that I, bedridden and paralyzed, was having an affair with the caregiver who looked after me. She claimed I refused to give her money because I wanted to give it to the caregiver. She even brought her whole family to the caregiver’s home to make a scene. Unable to bear the humili —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 The Security Guard and the Golf Course Beauty 保安与高尔夫球场美女 Set in 2002, this is a realistic coming-of-age story with no idiotic characters or over-the-top drama. It focuses on the everyday life of an ordinary guy and moves along with humor and laughs... Zhou Mo drops out of high school and takes a security job at a golf course, where he meets three beautiful women with very different fates: Tang Jingqiu, Hao Ruyan, and Su Manqi. Zhou Mo is just a lowly security guard who wants to do his job well, with no intention of getting caught up in the power strug 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 City Life of a Working Couple 打工夫妻的都市生活 [Not a Power Fantasy] [Growth-Oriented Protagonist] [Working Couple + Realistic Life] [Ensemble Cast + No System + No Pocket Dimension + No Transmigration + No Golden Finger] At the dawn of the new millennium, a sweeping tide of change between the old and the new washed across the country. Countless villagers left their hometowns behind and headed to prosperous yet cold cities to make a living. Twenty-year-old Liu Fengxia was one of the most ordinary among these countless migrant workers. A litt 77Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 A Few Stories from an Ordinary Worker’s Life 小人物的打工两三事 From “Am I the one getting laid off?” to “I got a better offer,” Yang Sanyue's growth isn't a matter of suddenly getting lucky. She got there one step at a time. Her boyfriend, whom she sees once a year, is hard to reach by phone, but his love is always there. It's not domineering, over-the-top pampering, but tenderness in the little things. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 10 The Sunset Is Still Young 夕阳不晚 The Sunset Is Not Late 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 The Wicked Commander of the Guochao PR Department 国潮公关部的恶女司令 [Women’s growth + workplace ensemble + team spirit + niche professions + comeback and face-slapping + business warfare] “I’m not fighting tooth and nail to win. I just refuse to accept defeat.” Yan Yue is a formidable career woman known as a “villainess.” She leaves a fashion magazine to become PR director at DOM, a streetwear brand rooted in Chinese culture. Despite the title, she’s actually a one-woman department. She thought she could ride the wave of a new era, but reality turns out to be no 9Reads9.0Score—14d adds
- 12 The Contract Marriage Player's Handbook 契婚玩家手册 [Standalone stories + no overarching plot + marriage first, love later + winning back a wife + punishing scumbags + everyday life + healing] Forty-three love stories about marriage. Using the unconventional “contract marriage” as a starting point, these stories explore relationships and the love and regrets of adulthood. They don’t exploit anxieties and confusion about marriage, but focus on personal growth and positive emotional journeys. There’s sweetness and heartbreak, topics to discuss 25Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 13 My Years Working with Factory Girls 我和厂妹打工那些年 These days, the ratio of men to women is badly unbalanced, and there are plenty of bachelors. I had only just graduated from junior high when I chose to work at an electronics factory. I never expected to meet the girl I liked on my very first day at the factory... 378Reads—Score—14d adds
- 14 Twenty Years of Marriage 结婚20年 The familiar hurts of marriage, the casual disdain, indifference, and manipulation... They have the power to wear away even stone, drop by drop... Watch as three middle-aged couples, Chen Zhu and Fang Wenqing, Hong Chunying and Ji Changhua, and Ren Yan and Yu Bin, fight their way out of their emotional dead ends... 865Reads8.1Score10314d adds
- 15 The Female Heart: A Study of Women’s Psychology 女人心一女性心理研究 Hello, everyone! Li Yuanrong, a healer with over 20 years of clinical counseling experience, an advanced practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation therapy, and an energy healer, has released a new psychological novel, A Woman’s Heart: A Study of Women’s Psychology. You’re welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. This new work explores the psychological traits and mental health of modern urban women, women’s personal development, infertility, family education, and family culture. It 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 Starting Work at a Factory at 35: They Call Me Uncle Fan 35岁进工厂：他们叫我凡大爷 [Factory Work + No System + Dongguan Factory Girls + Heading South for Work + Everyday Life] Fan Bo spent ten years writing novels full-time back in his hometown, but never made it big. The villagers looked down on him and gossiped about him, and even his girlfriend thought he was useless and wanted to break up. After much soul-searching, Fan Bo decided to head south and earn money. He had assumed that he was too old to get hired at a factory, but the life of a migrant worker turned out to be ev 8.4kReads—Score57014d adds
- 17 At Thirty-Six, I’m Sorry, I Ruined Everything 三十六岁，抱歉，我全搞砸了 At thirty-six, I had become a complete joke. I’d been with my girlfriend, Lin Xue, for sixteen years. She stayed by my side as we struggled up from nothing until I became head of sales at my company, yet I came to resent her for growing old and being a nag. The night I got drunk at a business dinner, she clutched the pregnancy test she’d just taken and tried to talk to me about getting married. I found her annoying and shoved her to the ground. The back of her head struck the edge of the coffee —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 18 The Post-Marriage Era 后婚姻时代 The novel follows Zhuang Jing through thirty years of work and life, telling the story of marriage, family, and career from the perspective of a professional woman. The book recounts the protagonist's experiences in three stages of life. The first stage, from age 22 to 30, is marked by the passion and stumbles of starting a career, and the happiness and struggles of falling in love, getting married, and having a child. The second stage, from 40 to 45, sees the pressures of her career gradually e 335Reads8.9Score10414d adds
- 19 One, Two, Three, Take Your Seats 一二三儿，请对号入座 In this world where values had gone mad, Xu Yiyi was like so many women in marriages today, trapped in a miserable, abnormal relationship that was like being widowed while still married: she left home but didn't divorce. Her turning point came after she greedily enjoyed the pleasures of being with Luan Han, a college student in his early twenties. Then she unexpectedly ran into her first love, Song Ning, who had “come back from the dead,” and paid a price for it. The appearance of her first love 126Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 20 A Cruel Father, a Cursed Fate, and an Unyielding Little Flower 狠心的爹，被诅咒的命和不屈小花 (Countryside + school life + city life + friendship + romance + family + human nature + striving + female growth) Zhao Xiaohua was born on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, under a full moon. Because of a fortune-teller's words, everyone saw her as a jinx, and her grandmother died on the day she was born. Her father feels no affection for her and abandons her time and again. Her mother gives her life so Xiaohua can go to school. Her life seems to be under a curse. Faced with blow after blow 10Reads6.7Score—14d adds
- 21 Wage Slave 打工人 Li Zhen left his teaching job, and his family cut off his financial support. With a family to feed, he had no choice but to become a migrant worker. A former teacher with no particular trade, he could only earn money through hard labor. He had heard that it was easy to make money in Beijing, so he chose it as his first stop. But in Beijing, he had no connections and struggled to find work. Fortunately, he met Wang Yang, who had failed the college entrance exam, at an inn. The two traveled togeth 574Reads9.4Score3414d adds
- 22 Cat Life I 猫生I This is the story of a cat born in England and the life it lived. From escaping an unloving birth family to becoming a stray; from being adopted by humans several times to being abandoned again and again... For a time, it joins a stray-cat organization called “Northwest.” During its time with Northwest, it has all sorts of interesting adventures with the other cats. This book features many different animal organizations that together form a complex social system. The protagonist must survive in —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 23 I Want to Marry a Beautiful Wife in Shenzhen 我想在深圳娶个美娇妻 In 2009, Zhou Yuewen took a train south to Guangdong and arrived in Shenzhen. In Shenzhen, a saying has always been popular: Once you're here, you're one of us. Like so many others, Zhou Yuewen arrived in this vibrant, bustling city with dreams in his heart. Through the twists and turns of his working life, he experienced every facet of life, including its strangest and most dazzling sides. There were vows of eternal love between domineering CEOs and gentle, refined women, as well as ordinary pe 293Reads—Score—14d adds
- 24 They All Call Me a Fool 他们都叫我傻子 [Childhood, school, love, memories, partings and deaths, reflections on life] When I was young, I thought that if I stuck with something, I could surely make it happen. Only later did I understand that everything ultimately comes down to fate. When Cao Lina and I hooked pinkies and made our promise, I was sure I could keep it. In the end, though, nothing went as I had hoped. When Han Jiayi told me, “I’ll wait for you at university,” all that awaited us in the end was a curtain call and a crowd d 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 Simple-Minded Ni 憨妮 Hanni is a woman who seems a little dim-witted to outsiders. She marries three men: the first is an ordinary man, the second a tycoon, and the third a young hoodlum. This is the story of her and the people around her, and how Hanni changes her fate... 77Reads7.0Score—14d adds
- 26 The Man Next Door 男邻居 Qiao Mai, a country girl, endures a rough journey from her wedding and childbirth to miscarriage and divorce. Over the course of twelve years of marriage, the special sweetness of being each other’s “darling” fades amid her husband’s disrespect and inaction. Her affection is gradually extinguished by the havoc wreaked by her mother-in-law and three sisters-in-law, until the marriage finally ends in divorce. The story begins with a man living downstairs listening to his neighbors having sex in th 84Reads9.5Score—14d adds
- 27 A Side Job in Search of Love 兼职谋爱 At twenty-two and a half, Lin Enjie is just starting her career and doing everything she can to survive when she gets tangled up with her boss’s son, Cheng Tianchu, whose status is worlds above hers. She loves him, but he does not love her back. She and her future mother-in-law can’t stand each other, and every meeting ends in mutual distaste... 1.6kReads8.7Score15214d adds
- 28 The Abandoned Wife Xiumi: Painting Smiles with Tears 弃妇秀米：蘸着眼泪画笑容 Xiumi's story is based on the true story of my neighbor's mother and was adapted with her permission. At seventeen, Xiumi became an abandoned wife just six months after getting married. Her husband ran away with someone else, and Xiumi gave birth to his child. Decades later, Xiumi had seen her parents-in-law off and raised her daughter. Her daughter was studying for a master's degree in Shanghai, while Xiumi remained in the old house until her husband returned... But after coming back, her husba 11Reads—Score—14d adds
- 29 A Little Story About Buying a House 买房的小故事 Among almost everyone I know, apart from only daughters whose parents help them buy a home, daughters in families with both sons and daughters have to work toward buying a home on their own. Many parents even stand in their way. And when a daughter gets married after buying a home, they may throw all kinds of obstacles in her path, hoping she will transfer the property to her brother. They believe a daughter’s home should belong to her parents’ family. This book tells four short stories about wo 93Reads—Score—14d adds
- 30 My Little Sister from Dongguan 我的东莞小妹 My Dongguan Girl 22Reads—Score—14d adds
- 31 An Eighteen-Degree Evening Breeze 十八度晚风 Meng Lan once believed that even if every man in the world made a mistake, Shen Ke would never betray her. This novel follows three families with children taking the college entrance exam, revealing the bitterness and helplessness of middle age, as well as the pain, confusion, and growth of middle-aged women after losing the protection of marriage. 5.1kReads9.3Score62514d adds
- 32 The Working World: A Close-Up Look at 10 True Workplace Stories 职人江湖：直击10段真实职场故事 A look at the hidden side of all kinds of modern professions: a restaurant chef’s secrets, a bar hostess’s romance, a down-and-out painter’s means of survival, online scammers’ traps and lies, a tour guide’s life in chains, counterfeit money production, beauty and ugliness beneath the surgeon’s scalpel... Beneath those glossy surfaces may lie a stubborn struggle, covered in mud! Told in the first person, this takes you face-to-face with lives that are both harshly real and fiercely alive. 96Reads9.3Score—14d adds
- 33 The Runaway Housewife 逃跑的家庭主妇 At forty, Su Meng was manipulated by her husband into having a second child. Her younger daughter’s birth was an impulsive decision, and the start of a nightmarish life. Standing on the balcony of her home on the eighteenth floor, she suddenly thought that jumping might be the only way to find true release… The loneliness, helplessness, pessimism, despair, and weariness with everything made her realize she was ill, seriously ill. And the only thing that might cure her was to run away… Escape, ge 1kReads—Score10214d adds
- 34 Real Life: A Middle Schooler's Journey as a Writer 真实人生：一个初中生的写作路 A real life, a painful past: I grew up poor and frail, plagued by illness. At fifteen, I dropped out of school and began pursuing my literary dream at home. After having my work rejected time and again, I finally saw my first-ever piece published. It also became the last thing I ever published in print. Then I turned to the internet and began my journey as a web novelist. 21Reads8.0Score214d adds
- 35 The Language of He Flowers 禾之花语 A love story about Ye Xihe, a talented and beautiful landscape architect who cares for her older brother, Ye Chen'an, who was born with autism, as they both search for true love... Because of her brother's condition, she was hurt and abandoned. Zheng Jiawei does everything he can to win back the pure love he and Ye Xihe have shared since their school days... Zhou Ye, Ye Xihe's second older brother and someone she considers family, remains devoted to protecting the Ye family... Because of her fam —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 36 Shuying Carves Out Her Own Place Amid the Mess of Married Life 淑英在婚姻鸡毛中闯出姐的一片天 A child who never felt loved by their parents believes that the small kindnesses shown by Zhou Xiaotian, the man they meet as an adult, are love. Desperate to hold on to happiness, they never expect Zhou Xiaotian to change completely on their wedding day! The heroine, Shuying, keeps yielding, only to face increasingly brutal beatings and insults. When she finally comes to her senses, the true face of Zhou Xiaotian, the man before her, is gradually revealed. Shuying begins a struggle to resist he —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 37 Love in a Rental Apartment 出租房里的爱情 Chen Mo comes from a poor village deep in the mountains. After someone else takes his place at university by intercepting his college entrance exam admission letter, he has no choice but to head to the prosperous Pearl River Delta, where he struggles to survive and pursue his dreams. This book paints a sweeping portrait of the stories of young men and women born in the 1970s and 1980s who went south to work in Guangdong in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The era captured in these pages is both a 46.1kReads8.3Score4k14d adds
- 38 A Gambler's Road of Regret After Being Reborn 赌仔之重生的追悔路 The Gambler’s Road of Regret After Being Reborn —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 A Working Girl’s Life Through Wind and Rain 打工女孩的风雨人生路 In the 1990s, a wave of migrant workers swept across the country, and countless young people left their hometowns for the big cities. The dazzling neon lights of the metropolis conjured one fantasy after another, while burying the youth of so many. Longing for a fresh start, the naive young Zhou Jie joined the great wave heading south. From getting a factory job to running away, from falling on hard times to fighting her way forward, she had to tread carefully at every step. She thought that a 259Reads8.2Score—14d adds
- 40 Blueberry, the Leftover Woman 剩女蓝莓 Blueberry is an unmarried woman who’s still living at home. She has two unreliable best friends: Mihua is a bit of a flirt who teases men and ended up kicked out by her husband with nothing, while Feifei loves mahjong and dreams only of marrying into a wealthy family… Three women, and plenty of drama. Love, ethics, human nature… They say hotpot is all about the lively world around the table. Our story begins with a hotpot meal… The story is a slow burn. I hope you’ll enjoy it! 42Reads—Score—14d adds
- 41 Housewife: My Husband Wants a Divorce 家庭主妇：老公想离婚 Chen Mofei is the head of the hospital's gynecology department, and Tao Yan is a housewife. They were once a harmonious couple, but Tao Yan has a sharp tongue and a kind heart. Her cutting, hurtful words repeatedly push her husband's patience to the limit... The messy, petty troubles of ordinary people! The story takes its time getting going. I hope you'll enjoy it! 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 42 Dongguan Doesn't Believe in Tears: My Love Life as a Migrant Worker 东莞不相信眼泪，我的打工情史 [This novel has two main parts: factory romance and cultivation through the fortunes of nine sons] After graduating from university, I joined an electronics factory and became a wage laborer. I had a bachelor’s degree, was a management trainee, and was pretty handsome. The factory girls fought each other over me. A month later, the factory’s prettiest girl, my girlfriend, suddenly told me she was pregnant. I faced the biggest decision of my life: take responsibility, or choose my own future? In 261Reads8.6Score—14d adds
- 43 A Heartfelt Deal 心动交易 [Sweet romance with angst + healing] [Exclusive devotion, a polished but depraved top lawyer × a money-loving junior lawyer] Jiang Ran met Gu Shencheng because he casually pointed her out from a line of beauties. She wanted his money; he wanted her body. Once she was through her rough patch, Jiang Ran pulled up her pants and acted like nothing had happened. “Attorney Gu, let’s not keep in touch from now on.” Gu Shencheng gripped her chin. “Jiang Ran, you used me and now you’re tossing me aside?” 88Reads7.1Score—14d adds
- 44 The Fleas 跳蚤们 The Fleas is a crime novel about the struggles and ambitions of new Chinese immigrants in Flushing and Manhattan, New York. Set in the early twenty-first century, it follows three ordinary men, Li Xiaodong, Gao Wanli, and Xie Yuan, who came to America as immigrants, undocumented migrants, and international students. Through starkly realistic storytelling, it portrays their hardships and desires as they confront the challenges of building new lives overseas, revealing the difficulties of immigran 7Reads9.5Score314d adds
- 45 The Story of Fei Xin’s Daughter 飞新的女传 [Marriage + Domestic Abuse + Divorce + Blind Date + Online Romance + Finding True Love + Sweet Romance + Silent Treatment] At twenty, Fei Xin was set up by her parents, went on a blind date, got married, suffered domestic abuse, and divorced. At twenty-three, she met an online boyfriend five years younger than her. They got married and had a child! Married Life + Sweet Romance + Silent Treatment —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 There Is No Winter in Shenzhen 深圳没有冬天 There Is No Winter in Shenzhen 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 47 Our Lost Love Rekindled 逝去的爱又复燃 Wang Xiaorong and Wang Guangming were childhood sweethearts, but their love was full of twists and hardships. After each married someone else, married life brought them not happiness, but endless pain. Once Wang Xiaorong and Wang Guangming had both emerged from the shadows of their tragic marriages, their love rekindled. 3Reads—Score—14d adds
- 48 The Woman Who Loves Square Dancing 爱跳广场舞的女人 Her name was Qiao Jinzhen, but the villagers called her Enoki. After her husband died, she and her two daughters had only each other. The food she could dig up from the fields was barely enough to fill their stomachs, and sending both girls to school cost money. With no other choice, she followed others to the big city to find work... where she met Zhao Shuanwa, who loved dancing and singing just as much as she did. 74Reads—Score—14d adds
- 49 My Days Living with the Nightclub Goddess 我和夜店女神同居的日子 [Not reborn]+ [Not a wish-fulfillment story]+ [No System]+ [Urban romance]+ [Multiple heroines] I just graduated this year. Before graduation, my girlfriend dumped me, so I went to a bar to drown my sorrows. But when a friend acted on impulse, I got dragged into a dispute, setting off a chain of events. How is a fresh-faced college graduate like me supposed to handle all this? I met a beautiful girl at the bar. What might happen between us? The first problem after graduation is finding a place t 22Reads—Score—14d adds
- 50 The Desperate Wife 绝望的妻子 Housewife Li Wenqing had been living a comfortable, affluent life. She had an adorable son and got along well with her stepdaughter. But on the eve of their seventh wedding anniversary, Li Wenqing discovered that her husband was having an affair. Longing for a whole and happy family, she endured a painful inner struggle and hoped her husband would see the error of his ways and return to the family. Instead, he went down a path of no return. Betrayed by her husband and stabbed in the back by her 167Reads7.2Score—14d adds
