The Village Belle Everyone Loves

[Selected for special attention on the 2023 Spring Realism Channel Writing Contest shortlist] At thirty, Yang Butong finally reached the peak of her career, only to be diagnosed with brain cancer. She quit her job and broke up with her boyfriend. Planning to wander until she died, she changed course after a call from her younger brother and returned to the countryside she had wanted to escape since childhood. She planned to leave and die after attending his wedding, but a string of unexpected events unfolded during her time back in the village.

First, she rescued her cousin, who had nearly been tricked into going abroad. Then her brother, tricked into a sham marriage, drank pesticide in an attempt to kill himself. Later, after her mother started a fire, Yang even became the top trending topic...

During this time, despite one disaster after another and constant battles with her mother, she found healing in the love of two childhood friends. One was Shu Hong, who had to return from the big city after her mother suffered a stroke. The other was Song Zhaohui, a forest ranger whose parents had both died, but who refused to leave the village. Faced with new friendships and love, Yang found them healing, but they were also a torment for someone who was about to die. Should she take the risk and undergo surgery, or simply wait for death? The question kept her awake at night...