That time's love

Author: Qingqiuzi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This is a long romantic love story with the charm of a Chinese "Juyu Fragrance," pure and melancholic. The story takes place in a picturesque rural village in Hainan. Bai Ruochuan, an employee of a company in Haikou, is temporarily assigned to supervise the company's turtle farm, where he meets the village girl Liulian and her father, Old Wu. Bai develops close interactions with Liulian and her father, discovering their innocent and beautiful inner worlds, while also feeling pity for their difficult living conditions. During this period, Bai Ruochuan and Liulian develop a faint yet sincere affection, but they are ultimately hindered by the obstacles of society, leaving their love as an illusion like a reflection in the mirror or ripples in water. For a while, Old Wu suffers from continuous illness and misfortune, disrupting the tranquility of their life. Liulian is unwilling to waste her time in the lonely village and yearns to start a new life with Bai Ruochuan in Haikou, but in the end, this sole hope also becomes a mirage. The turtle farm where Bai Ruochuan works, due to various conflicts with local villagers, is also filled with unrest. The desires and interests of diverse characters intertwine, presenting a vivid picture of contemporary rural life. The novel's style is elegant and pure, with a subtle charm reminiscent of Shen Congwen. It offers unique descriptions of local customs and natural scenery. The main characters are vividly portrayed, rich in personality, as if they are right before your eyes. Other characters, such as the village head Huo Ban, the turtle farm worker Old Jin, the supervisor Xiao Guo, and the rural individualist Ma Widow, are also full of vitality and embody the typical traits of rural figures. The novel reflects the various changes and contradictions in rural life in the late 1990s, revealing the inner world of the underprivileged. Through a small corner, it depicts the entirety of rural life, truly making it a rare and outstanding work of rural literature in recent years.