Novels like At Dusk
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as At Dusk, best match first.
- 151 Stubborn as a Mule 硬颈种 [Not a Power Fantasy, No Cliches, No Stupid Characters, Mutual Devotion, Striving for a Better Life, Realistic Growth] In Hakka, someone stubborn to the core is called a "hard-necked sort." When Wang Lili was ten, she snatched a big chicken leg at the dinner table. Her father ordered her to give it to her younger brother. She said, "I won't." When Zhao Ruxun was ten, he was forced to let his mother beat him fifteen times in public for protecting his younger brother. He gritted his teeth and didn 10Reads—Score—Shelves
- 152 Those Years as a Young Hooligan 小痞子的那些年 The strong grow stronger when challenged. The weak are only more wounded by defeat. Growing-up memories of people born in the 1970s and 1980s, and the distinctive flavor of Sichuan and Chongqing in the 1990s. Amidst a deep nostalgia for the era, see how wild grass grows. This book is full of nostalgia and offers an unvarnished glimpse of ordinary life. Looking back, you finally understand: those who master themselves are strong, and those who know themselves are wise. 1.7kReads8.9Score167Shelves
- 153 Chunfen 春芬 Ni Chunfen had known since she was little that her parents were different from other children’s parents. They both spoke with sign language. But they lived a happy life. After Ni Chunfen graduated from college, her parents told her a secret: she was adopted. Now that she was grown up and looking for a job and a boyfriend, they decided to tell her. They didn’t want their daughter to become romantically involved with one of their biological sons. If she ever got serious about a boyfriend, she had 54Reads—Score—Shelves
- 154 Those Years in Dongguan 在东莞那些年 This book tells the story of an ordinary loser who finds love while working at a factory. After his future mother-in-law demands an outrageous bride price, he works hard, sets out to build a business, and pursues his dream. Giving up a high-paying job, he leads his friends back to their hometown to start a business, transforming a place so poor that no one could find a wife into a place young women are eager to marry into. 87Reads7.6Score—Shelves
- 155 The One Who Returned Home 返乡的人 An ordinary young man with no education, connections, or family background, going from the countryside to the city and then back again. We are the ones born in the seventies and eighties, running as fast as we can... The accident seemed to have been foretold, but so much still took us by surprise. For example: losing our jobs... 21Reads—Score—Shelves
- 156 Life in a Little Courtyard 小院儿生活 When Taohua married into the family, her mother told her that the Xiao family would most likely split up. But Taohua never expected it to happen so soon. (No rebirth, no transmigration, no golden finger: just working hard to live and striving to make a life.) 19.4kReads8.8Score1.8kShelves
- 157 The Family's Hidden Guards 家族暗卫 A story about rural revitalization, bringing a family back together and creating an ideal life. Before the Spring Festival in 2025, my second uncle asked me to return to the village to meet him. He handed me a black stone passed down through our family and told me to inherit the duty of the family’s secret guards, protecting our family’s development from the shadows. I also inherited a fortune passed down through the family, along with the friendship of eight families who had been close to o 9.2kReads—Score1.2kShelves
- 158 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—Shelves
- 159 The Old Woman Killed by Her Eldest Daughter Is Reborn 那个被长女干掉的老妇重生了 In her previous life, Chunhua was muddleheaded and unlucky. She spoiled her younger brother, favored boys over girls, and grew estranged from her husband. After her eldest son went missing, she spent the rest of her life in a daze. It wasn’t until she lay alone in a hospital bed, ignored by everyone, and saw her badly injured eldest daughter scream at her in despair that she finally understood how terribly wrong she had been. When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to the day her eldest 248Reads8.1Score—Shelves
- 160 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 13.7kReads9.1Score1.5kShelves
- 161 Foolish Mother 傻娘 My father was dead, my mother had gone mad. The day I came home, I saw someone destroying it... 43.2kReads9.0Score1.3kShelves
- 162 The Ugly Daughter-in-Law Takes on Her Cruel Mother-in-Law 丑媳妇大战恶婆婆 The print edition is titled The Fading Embers of Mortal Life and is available on Taobao. [Satisfying highs and heartbreaking lows] [Traditional period setting] [Family drama] [The hardships of real life] This is the story of the joys and sorrows of three generations of women in a dysfunctional family, and how they grow amid the chaos of family life. Fu Ying is born into desperation. Her mother is a gambler, and her father is violent. When she reaches marrying age, no one dares take her as a wife 57.8kReads9.1Score2.1kShelves
- 163 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… 14.1kReads8.2Score678Shelves
- 164 Sweet Romance in the 1970s: The Mountain Man Treats Me Like Royalty 七零甜婚：山里汉把我当祖宗宠 After the Xu family girl tries to hang herself, she's carried to the Cheng family's home. The Xu family says, “In life, you belong to the Cheng family; in death, you'll be their ghost!” The Cheng family's young carpenter is kindhearted: “Once you enter my family, I'll treat you like royalty!” The Xu girl, who transmigrated here, is happy to take him up on it. A few flirtatious glances, a few tender sighs, and the young carpenter is lovestruck. You farm, I'll work as a carpenter. You manage the h 3.1kReads9.0Score338Shelves
- 165 Tales from a Tiny Office 小破单位的故事 The sorrows of community social workers: the stories that have unfolded since I started the job. So many stories come together to paint a picture of life at the very bottom, lived for ourselves and for others. In the end, though, some invisible force keeps pushing us forward. 3Reads—Score—Shelves
- 166 The Taste of Life 人间味道 This is a collection of short stories about family, friendship, love, and devotion to one's country. Life has no answer sheet; it is a journey. Every ordinary story celebrates the brilliant moments of ordinary people. My new work is out! You're welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you enjoy it. Your support motivates me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! 61Reads—Score—Shelves
- 167 Four Seasons in the Mountain City 山城四季 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Three Gorges Dam beginning to store water. The Three Gorges migrants of that time left their hometowns with reluctance and hope, and years later, some returned for one reason or another. Xiao Ying was born in the reservoir region and moved to another province with her family as a young child. After graduating from university, she worked in Beijing, but when a misdiagnosis led her fiancé’s family to look down on her, she angrily called off their engagement. 2.1kReads9.5Score209Shelves
- 168 The Taste of Being Alive 是活着的味道 The taste of being alive. 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 169 Middle-Aged and Alone, With No One to Lean On 人到中年，无人可依 A middle-aged couple have no sex life and barely communicate. With elderly parents to care for and children to raise, they hit a dead end at work and struggle through a life full of endless chores. Then suddenly, an unforeseen and terrifying crisis sweeps them into a storm. What should they do next? Can they keep going? How can they turn things around? 240Reads7.4Score129Shelves
- 170 Liu Cheapskate’s Daily Life 刘抠门的日常生活 [Period drama, not reborn, no transmigration, no golden finger] Liu Xiaoyun has been stingy since she was little. Her family is poor, but not so poor that they can't afford food. She's the stingiest one in the family, and her mother dreams of marrying her off. Better to have her make life difficult for someone else's family than their own. Read on to see how Liu Xiaoyun makes married life a roaring success. 12.7kReads8.6Score1.1kShelves
- 171 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 513Reads8.1Score102Shelves
- 172 Lotus Shadows over the Capital 莲影京华 Village beauty Shi Cailian has had a life bitter enough to pickle vegetables, but she's blessed with a face of unparalleled beauty. Educated youth Wan Changce falls for her at first sight and takes the college entrance exam four times. When the results come out, Shi Cailian has just fallen out with her biased family, so she packs her bags and goes with him to make it in the capital. He studies hard and becomes a top student, while she uses her beauty to land a secure job at the Friendship Store. 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 173 A-Dou’s Comeback 阿豆的逆袭 He was born with a disability: no neck, his head almost resting on his shoulders... On top of that, he lost both his parents as a child. Yet this very man eventually made a comeback like Forrest Gump. He not only married the village beauty, but also found success in his career. How did he turn his life around and rise to the light? Was it luck? Character? Talent? Maybe it was a bit of everything. 10Reads—Score—Shelves
- 174 Reborn in the 1960s: I Became Grandma’s Little Sister 重生六零：我成了外婆的妹妹 [When an ordinary person is reborn in a rural village in the 1960s, forget about getting ahead or making grand plans. First, stay alive.] [1960s rural life + family and neighborhood affairs + education and growth + ensemble cast] [Not a wish-fulfillment story, not a wish-fulfillment story, not a wish-fulfillment story. Please don't read if that's not your thing. Thank you.] When Zhu Yan wakes up in the body of her grandmother's second-youngest sister, who died young, she vows to change her grand —Reads—Score—Shelves
- 175 The Internet Takes the World by Storm 网事成风 She was born in the 1980s and sent away to be fostered soon after birth. Her greatest childhood hope was to live with her parents. She spends her life healing from her childhood wounds. After enduring one heartbreak after another, she finally finds the right person. This is a healing story, but it is not a clean romance. Read with caution if that bothers you. 8Reads—Score—Shelves
- 176 My Mother, Wang Juzhen 俺娘王菊珍 [Based on real life + hardship + historical era + the struggles and perseverance of ordinary people at the bottom of society] This is not a feel-good power fantasy. The protagonist of this book is my beloved and respected great-grandmother, a poor old woman who struggled through the surging tide of an era. Wang Juzhen never had an easy life. Her parents starved to death while fleeing famine, her own sister sold her for a mouthful of grain, and a landlord lusted after her. Only Wang Long gave her 106Reads—Score—Shelves
- 177 First Love? Who Cares! The Chinese Teacher Has Big Plans 初恋算个屁，语文老师要干大事 (No System, no golden finger, no being reborn, just slow growth) After getting back together with her first love, being smacked by a parent, and getting stabbed by her own boyfriend, she lost the ability to have children. Then, after finishing her graduate school entrance exams, her mother died unexpectedly. Xia Shinan decided, “First love can go to hell. Building a career and making big money are what matter most!” Xia Shinan (a pun on “born female”), a 26-year-old woman, comes from a family t 5Reads—Score—Shelves
- 178 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 1.3kReads8.4Score139Shelves
- 179 Let Me Build You a Home 我来给你装个家 Who would lose the house they worked so hard to earn just because they fell in love? Jiang Ning. Who would scrimp on everything, from food and clothes to housing and travel, just because they fell in love? Yang Wu. They were both willing to do it for each other. The road may have been hard, but together they were always happy. In the end, they found a home and a life together, sharing three meals a day through all four seasons. 1.5kReads9.4Score149Shelves
- 180 Yun He of the Post-80s Generation 八零后的云禾 A story of an ordinary person from the bottom rung striving to rise, a youth that can only be remembered and never spoken of, and an all-or-nothing gamble whose outcome is unknown. A life in this world, half hardship and half sweetness. [I’m committed to telling every story well. Your subscriptions are what make it possible for me to tell them.] 10Reads—Score—Shelves
- 181 I Married My Best Friend’s Boyfriend 我嫁给了闺蜜的男友 They were high school classmates. She was an ugly duckling living under someone else’s roof, while her best friend was an elegant swan, high above everyone else. After dating the swan for a long time, he told the ugly duckling that she was the one he loved. This book tells the story of their love, friendship, and family ties in their youth. 129Reads—Score—Shelves
- 182 When Fate Arrives, Love Is Just That Sweet 缘分到了，就是那么甜 When Shen Yuyan was twenty-two, she had just started her teaching internship. A blind online date turned into a real-life meeting (though the male lead had already seen her) and she somehow ended up with a college student boyfriend. They began with a long-distance relationship, then moved in together, and went from her family opposing a marriage far from home to eventually giving their blessing. After a winding journey, they got married and had children, with plenty of little stories about getti 60Reads—Score—Shelves
- 183 The Secrets of My Wife: The Truth Behind the Phone Calls 妻子隐秘：电话背后的真相 Liang Xiaojun had always worked for his father-in-law. One day, after returning home from the construction site, he heard his daughter, who was gaming, say she’d received a strange blackmail call. After looking into it, he uncovered a huge secret about his wife. Faced with a cruel reality, what choice should he make? 687Reads6.8Score100Shelves
- 184 Wang Meili, Unemployed 失业的王美丽 Wang Meili, in her early thirties, has lost her job. Doubt and despondency consume her, and she has no idea what to do next. Then one day, she figures something out, and from that moment on, nothing is the same. 1Reads—Score—Shelves
- 185 Rose Works as a Tutor in a Wealthy Household 玫瑰在豪门做家庭教师 [Awakening through divorce + elite-family tutoring + a comeback through political maneuvering + mutual salvation + a strong female lead's growth] Rose was once an elementary school Chinese teacher in the public sector, holding onto the coveted “iron rice bowl” of a secure job, until life forced her to break out of her safe routine with her own hands. Divorced, raising a child, starting over: she had her fears, but for her child and herself, she had to build a better life. When things were at t 277Reads9.3Score100Shelves
- 186 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? 8Reads—Score—Shelves
- 187 Fifty Years of Bride Price: In 1974, It All Began with a Broken Engagement 彩礼50年，1974从悔婚开始 In the bitter winter of 1974, Zhao Shuangzhu publicly called off his engagement and was given three days to come up with a hundred yuan for the bride price. He swallowed his pride and borrowed from every neighbor he could, took the old folks’ burial savings, and went into the mountains at night to hunt rabbits and trade them for cash on the black market. Dodging the market inspectors, he stumbled through the hardest hurdle of his life. He spent the rest of his life marrying, raising children, an 93Reads—Score—Shelves
- 188 Reborn, I Became My Family's Pride 重生后我成了全家的骄傲 In my previous life, I was set up. My embroidery workshop was stolen, my grandmother's secret pattern book went missing, and my life became a string of hardships. In this life, reborn with max-level embroidery skills, I turn the tables with my craft and reclaim everything that belongs to me. I rise from a small county workshop to become a nationwide top-tier star, the pride of my family. But only when I reach the summit do I learn that the man who has always protected me is the son of the master 14Reads—Score—Shelves
- 189 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 587Reads—Score108Shelves
- 190 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, 988Reads—Score—Shelves
- 191 No Mercy for the World 不赦人间 For the first twenty years of her life, Chen Qingxing lived by one rule: never count on a miracle. When someone else took the spot she had earned as a student in need, and her part-time wages were withheld, she signed a harsh sponsorship agreement. Her benefactor would pay for her to finish college, and after graduation, she would repay the debt with a marriage of convenience. There was no romance involved. It was a deal with a clearly marked price. She relied on careful calculations to plan eve 22Reads—Score—Shelves
- 192 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 7Reads—Score—Shelves
- 193 Scholar or Tyrant: Who Can Have a Good Life? 学霸和枭雄，什么人能过上好日？ (Dual male leads. Period story. Urban.) One is a poor scholar, the other a big shot in the underworld. They struggle for fifty years. What does it take to live a good life? And what is a good life? 4Reads—Score—Shelves
- 194 Two Abnormal Humans and a Motorcycle 两个非正常人类与摩托车 Love that defies social norms has often been seen as a symbol of courage and freedom, admired and celebrated. This is the one kind of love people will always despise. This is not a novel, just a story from real life. There are no thrills, no climaxes, no pacing, only despair and oppression. It might be of some small help to people who truly love motorcycles, but be prepared to be mocked. This story has an unconventional outlook on life, values, and the world, and portrays a world of abnormal peo 1.3kReads—Score214Shelves
- 195 A 200,000-Yuan Bride Price to Marry a Construction Worker 二十万彩礼，嫁给工地男 [The rating has only just opened and will rise] [Dowry Controversy] + [A Marriage Full of Misery] + [Multiple Male Leads] + [A Tense Push and Pull] + [Desperate, Obsessive Love] (Not reborn, not transmigrated, no golden finger) After more than six years of working, He Sui still hadn't paid off her online loans. Instead, her debt kept growing. Every New Year, her father nagged her about getting married until she was numb to it. Finally, He Sui steeled herself and got married. She had her own litt 117Reads8.1Score109Shelves
- 196 I Became a Billionaire, but They Sent Me to a Mental Hospital 成了亿万富翁，我却被送进精神病 In the early 1980s, Dugu Feng's father lost his iron rice bowl, and the family was so poor they could barely put food on the table. With no other choice, Dugu Feng gritted his teeth and took his whole family out to do backbreaking labor, starting by taking on the small construction jobs no one else wanted from contractors. He was an honest man who never cut corners, and his work was excellent. Little by little, he made a name for himself in the trade. From a small-time contractor to founding a 253Reads7.7Score124Shelves
- 197 One Glance, A Lifetime of Love 一次回眸，一世情 [Workplace Romance] + [Modern Romance] + [Family] + [Love at First Sight] + [Secret Crush] This is a tangled love story between one woman and three men. Ouyang Bo, a top student from a prestigious university, gives up his promising future to follow her to a remote mountain village and continue a love they both chose. Cheng Xi, the city’s top official, remains true to his first love for twenty years, letting the feelings sparked by their first meeting deepen into a profound love. Rich and handso 1.8kReads9.4Score222Shelves
- 198 The Dust of Mortal Life 尘事 This book chronicles a family across a hundred years. An illiterate country woman is forced to abandon her newborn child, then wanders from place to place amid the chaos of a turbulent era, struggling to survive in the cracks. Told as a work of documentary fiction, this story depicts the joys and sorrows of several generations of an ordinary family, bringing a long-buried past to light. Let posterity decide who was right and who was wrong! 1.9kReads8.9Score175Shelves
- 199 Half Making Do, Half Living Well 一半将就，一半美好 [The print edition is now available] Fear of marriage is the last thing on Ou Xiaolin’s mind. She and Xie Tao have been happily dating for five years, and their families get along well too. She assumes everything will fall into place and they’ll live happily ever after. Who could have guessed that the moment the families start discussing the bride price, one conflict after another would erupt? Lowbrow provocations come at her from every direction. Do they really think she’s that easy to push ar 13.6kReads9.3Score1.3kShelves
- 200 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? 2Reads—Score—Shelves
