Collected Works of Yu Hua. Xiu Shuanguan's Story of Selling Blood

Author: Yu Hua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-01
Features: A national bestseller that caused a huge sensation both domestically and internationally, and has been translated into Korean, German, Italian, and other languages for publication abroad. Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out portrays the struggles of life with profound warmth, while its intense narrative form expresses the desire for survival in the face of adversity. It is a continuous road, an eternal river, a rainbow after rain, an endless memory, an unfinished folk song, and a life. All of this is like a bundle of ropes coiled together, gradually pulled out by Yu Hua's narration to the end of the road. In fact, it is a very long folk song, its rhythm the speed of memory, its melody gently jumping, rests hidden by rhymes, the history of two people awakening the memories of many in this spirited song.
Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out tells a heartbreaking story. The book repeatedly depicts the protagonist Xu Shuang's experience of selling blood, for his wife, his children, his mistress, time and again. And in the final time, when he thinks of selling blood for himself, the blood bank no longer accepts his blood, leaving only tears streaming down his face. The story takes place in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the protagonist Xu Shuang was still young. He was constantly oppressed by his surroundings, forced to work tirelessly for a living, yet still unable to secure it. He could only rely on selling blood to sustain himself, turning to it whenever he felt helpless. As the years passed, Xu Shuang's health deteriorated day by day. To pay for his son's treatment, he persistently sold blood every 15 days to settle his debts, ultimately leading to a serious illness.
The novel revolves around the experience of selling blood, unfolding the trivialities of Xu Shuang's life and reflecting the responsibilities a man should bear—perhaps this is also a kind of helplessness in life. The novel is filled with sorrowful experiences but also lacks humor, such as drinking eight bowls of water before selling blood to increase the amount of blood in his body. Such strange ideas are numerous. The author personally believes that the final section of the novel is particularly brilliant. Xu Shuang craves pork liver but has no money nearby, so he decides to sell blood for himself. However, when he arrives at the hospital, the doctor says his blood can only be sold to a painter for furniture. At this moment, he feels his life has reached its end, that there is nothing left...