Prosperity on the Left

The novel tells the story of Chen Zhongsheng from Chenjia’ao, Heling, western Jiangxi, who dies at the age of sixty, leaving behind a string of unanswered questions. His son, Chen Youliang, marries four times, but the circumstances surrounding the deaths of his wives are eerily similar, bringing a “curse” upon the family. Chen Youliang dreams of saving lives and healing the wounded, but to study medicine, he breaks his father’s pledge to “serve the country with unwavering loyalty” and “send his son to join the army.” After reform and opening-up begins, a fortune-teller claims that his family has been cursed: one of his two sons must stay by his side, while the other must leave home for a distant land. Chen Youliang therefore keeps his eldest son, Chen Jianzhong, in their hometown, while his younger son, Chen Jianguo, goes away to work. His grandsons, Chen Daoming and Chen Daoliang, join the army and defend the borderlands. A series of events follows, and the story spans more than a century.