Old Tales of Jianmen

This work chronicles the lives of Zhao Guihua and Huang Anran, detailing their interactions with others at different stages of their lives. Later, the two work together in officialdom, cooperating with, restraining, and struggling against each other. The story portrays the brilliance and complexity of human nature, bringing to life typical characters in their particular settings and capturing their distinctive personalities. Two-faced people, multifaceted people, and insignificant nobodies, all sorts of characters leap off the page.

The descriptions of their appearances are meticulous and original, reflecting close observation of each character's defining traits. The details are rendered with care and precision. The dialogue ranges from rustic village speech to refined language. The characters' inner lives are portrayed with subtlety and depth. The story is compelling and full of twists, using its tales and characters to reveal vivid portraits of ordinary people in society.

This book is the life's work of its author, a retiree who poured their heart and soul into writing it.