Li Zishu

3.71221 learners

Set in the bustling Malaysian Chinese community of Xidu, *Land of Ordinary Customs* weaves a tapestry of quiet dramas and lingering memories. When Dahui, a man presumed dead for a decade, suddenly reappears, he stirs old wounds and buried secrets among his family and neighbors. Blind radio operator Yinxia recognizes his voice first, triggering a chain of recollections: the tight-knit life in the Jinta Apartment, where childhood friends Xihui and Lazu navigated schoolyard triumphs and family hardships; Hui Lan, Dahui’s abandoned wife, struggling to raise their kids amid financial strain and societal judgment; and the slow fade of neighborhood bonds as time and life changes pull people apart. Through vivid, intimate vignettes, the book captures the rhythm of ordinary life—births, deaths, marriages, and quiet rebellions—while reflecting the shifting tides of Malaysian society, from economic booms to political upheavals. It’s a heartfelt exploration of how the past shapes the present, and how even the most forgotten souls leave indelible marks on the lives they touched.

Dan Bao

3819 learners

Fulfillment weaves together eight intimate, unflinching stories of ordinary people navigating the messy, often unspoken corners of life. From a couple whose marriage frays under unmet expectations and a false pregnancy scare, to grieving parents grappling with the loss of their child and failed attempts at starting over; from a geologist confronting his declining mental health and past infidelities, to an expat artist in Beijing juggling financial precarity and a fractured sense of belonging, each narrative lays bare the quiet struggles, hidden sorrows, and small, fleeting moments of hope that define what it means to seek fulfillment. These stories don’t offer easy answers—instead, they mirror the raw, relatable reality of loving, losing, and learning to live with the gaps between what we want and what life gives us.