Storm in the Northeast: Return from the Border

In the winter of 1998, Chen Xiangdong, a Yunnan border reconnaissance soldier, returns to his hometown after retiring from the military. Carrying his comrade's ashes and trudging through snow that covers his ankles, he arrives at Wutong County in Songjiang, Northeast China. The wave of layoffs sweeps the city, the old streets have changed hands, his sister is bullied, and his childhood friend is pushed to the brink. Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes; where there are rivers and lakes, there are rules. He used to guard the national border, but now he must guard the people around him. From the county's butcher shop to Songjiang's Wangjiang Tower, from street thugs to provincial big shots—Chen Xiangdong, wielding a military bayonet, carves his own path across the land of Guandong. — Description from novelcodex.org