"Xu Shuang's Blood Chronicle"

Author: Yu Hua
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Publishing Time:
Features: A national bestseller that has caused a huge stir 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 resilience of humanity amidst adversity with profound warmth, while its intense narrative form expresses the instinct for survival in the face of misfortune. It is a continuous path, an ancient 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 unwound by Yu Hua's narration, leading to the end of the road. In fact, it is a very long folk song, its rhythm the pace of memory, its melody gently jumping, rests hidden by rhymes, the history of two people awakening the memories of many in the spirited singing. Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out tells a heartbreaking story, repeatedly depicting the protagonist Xu San's experience of selling blood in both thought and detail—first for his wife, then for his children, then for his mistress, and finally, when he considers 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 1950s and 1960s after the liberation, when the protagonist Xu San 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 San'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 San'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 bitter experiences but also lacks humor, such as drinking eight bowls of water before each blood donation to increase the amount of blood in his body. Such strange ideas are numerous.