Set in modern China, the main characters are a pair of brothers, Zhang Mengda and Zhang Xida, and two women, Zhu Liang and Qi Ye. The main story in The Seat on the Veranda and Other Short Works tells about land reformation. It displays the bloody and cruel world of the male, which is represented by the two brothers, while at the same time, shows the female world filled with love and gentleness. The book not only successfully deconstructs the male world, but it also helps readers understand the intricate mentality of women concerning sex. The stories show the unique style of Chinese women's straightforwardness in speech. About the Author Lin Bai has also written An Individual's War, Fatal Flight, and The Records of Women's Gossips. She was sent to the countryside as an "educated youth" at seventeen and started writing poetry. In 1977, she passed the college entrance exams and went to Wuhan University. From 1985 to 1990, she worked in Guangxi Film Studio as an editor and screenwriter. She migrated to Beijing in the early 1990s to work for the newspaper Chinese Cultural Forum. Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/LinBai