The Book Artisan of the Small Town

A graduate of a normal university, Yi Dong, arrives at Yanji Township Middle School, where he experiences a series of eerie events: a haunted rainy night, stolen lesson plans, a venomous snake attack, and a nighttime assault. Interwoven with his emotional entanglements with Lin Ruomei and Yin Ruyu, the story also depicts the school's teacher shortage, teaching reforms (such as high-quality demonstration lessons and lesson plan evaluations), local power struggles, and teacher development (including the conversion of substitute teachers to regular status, further study, and professional title promotion). From a township middle school to a county middle school, and then to a private middle school, the novel commemorates those who dedicated themselves to grassroots education. Ultimately, it presents the perseverance and growth of grassroots educators, as well as the human relationships and social ecology of a small town. — Description from novelcodex.org