How to pronounce "早先"

[Footprints of Change]

[Episode 21]

Hello, Mr. Wen.

Hello.

You're here.

I called you many times but couldn't get through.

I knew you must be busy.

I was planning to visit you after submitting my manuscript.

Let me make you some tea.

No need.

I have to leave soon.

In such a hurry?

I came to see you.

Besides,

I want to give you a hug.

What happened?

Nothing.

I've just been too busy lately

so that I can't visit you often.

No matter how busy you are, you should take care of yourself

I will.

You should take good care of yourself too.

I will.

Well,

I have to go.

Let me see you out.

No.

Carry on with your work.

Are you going to sit there?

Here.

Get some fresh air.

Before I came here,

I called Jiang.

Everyone at home is doing fine.

Huzi

pulled a female classmate's braid

and got reported to the school by her parents.

Among all your sons,

Huzi resembles you the most.

That little rascal takes after me.

He is as mischievous as I am.

In the future,

please help me keep an eye on him.

Yes.

Scholar.

Thank you.

I heard that

for my sake,

you've asked every officer

in the entire division for help.

Yes.

I've borrowed money from everyone I know.

I also learned that

as long as I can repay the money,

it will be beneficial for me.

That's right.

I've borrowed most of it already.

I'll figure out how to get the rest.

By the way,

this afternoon,

Ms. Fang mentioned that

she

discussed with Political Commissar Yan.

He will also help find a solution.

So, don't worry.

Don't carry such a heavy burden.

I'm not worried.

It's fine even if you can't raise the money.

At worst, I'll stay here a few more years.

I can start over after I get out.

Bullshit! You're such an idiot.

If you had listened to me earlier, things wouldn't have developed like this.

Alright.

I read your self-criticism letter.

It was quite sincere.

But there are

typos

and grammatical mistakes.

You have correct to them.

The wording is imprecise.

I'll fix it.

I'll make whatever changes you suggest.

Now you're listening to me, huh?

I've always listened to you.

From now on,

I'll seriously reflect on myself

and turn over a new leaf.

Don't worry.

It's a good time

for you

to calm your mind here

and read more books.

Reading books. You always say

through diligent study,

you can gain wealth and...

Be imprecise again.

Don't misuse phrases.

Ms. Fang said she would visit you in a few days.

She'll come here.

Jiang and I will also visit you regularly.

If you need anything, let me know.

I'll bring it for you.

Actually, I'm doing fine here.

I don't need anything.

Chief,

time's up.

Don't worry.

I'll figure everything out.

-Go back. -Go back.

I'm leaving.

Scholar.

My watch

has been

running inaccurately.

Fix it for me again.

Okay.

I'll bring it back next time I come.

Hello?

It's me.

Xiurong.

Hangong, he...

What happened?

Hangong passed away.

He hanged himself with a belt.

He left a note for you,

saying he couldn't live like this.

It's too shameful.

Mrs. San.

Where is Minister Wen?

He's in the study.

Once he starts working, he is untiring.

What's in this bag?

I brought tablecloths, mattress pads,

and curtains.

You should live a decent life.

We have to change the curtains?

Look, the curtains are torn.

He doesn't get a say in this.

I'll make the decision.

You know, Secretary Zhao

served in the same troop as Minister Wen.

Why are they so different?

Secretary Zhao understands the principle that

only by living well can one work well.

Yes, yes.

Come help me.

Let's change the curtains first.

Okay.

Look, Mrs. San. Isn't it beautiful?

It's beautiful. Very beautiful.

Right?

In life,

you should be frugal where necessary.

But where it's not needed,

you don't need to be hard on yourself.

Make sure you're comfortable where it counts.

How can he keep sleeping on that hard bed?

If he refuses,

when Secretary Zhao comes,

we'll persuade him together.

Zhao Hangong made a mistake.

What do you want to learn from him?

Right is right.

Wrong is wrong.

A Party member should stand firm in his position.

What is this? What is this?

I don't need these things.

I don't need these to decorate my life.

I don't need these.

I don't need it. I don't need it.

Don't need it.

Get out!

Get out!

[Shanghai Municipal People's Government]

Director Fang.

Come in.

Remember this.

How can I help you?

This is Political Commissar Yan, my husband.

He was also Wen Pu's former Chief.

Hello, Mr. Yan.

Perhaps

I should come back another day.

It's fine.

There are no outsiders here.

Just tell me what's on your mind.

I wanted to ask

if something happened to Minister Wen.

Minister Wen is fine.

It's Zhao Hangong.

He passed away

last night.

He passed away?

How could this happen?

I saw Secretary Zhao a few days ago.

Did he

have some kind of acute illness?

It seems Minister Wen hasn't told you anything.

Your mindset

and Minister Wen's

have never been on the same level.

So, he would rather torture himself

than let you share his burden.

If Rumei were here,

Wen Pu would definitely have told her.

Hello?

Ms. Xia?

Okay.

I'll be right there.

What happened?

Minister Wen has been taken to the hospital.

What happened to him?

He might have accidentally fallen

and hurt his back.

Yi.

You can't visit him now.

Let him have some peace

and recover.

It's an old injury from his time on the battlefield.

It's fine.

You didn't know about this, did you?

Why do you know nothing?

Alright, go back now.

I need to go check on him too.

All this time,

I thought I understood Wen Pu better than anyone.

I believed we were partners

facing all difficulties together.

But when he was at his most vulnerable,

he chose to hide it from me.

Whether it's the death of his close friend

or his physical pain,

he chose to bear it alone.

I realized I've never entered

his inner world.

Madam.

Excuse me,

who are you?

I'm Zhou Yunqing.

I'm bringing something for Minister Wen.

Come in, come in.

Please.

Thank you.

Sir.

Zhou.

my sister asked me to bring you something.

Where is she?

She left.

Where did she go?

Northwestern region.

She left the plasters for your back pain.

She also made some clothes for Yuanyuan and Changjiang.

Which part of the Northwest?

She didn't tell me.

When did she leave?

This morning.

I took her to the train station.

Sir.

I'll leave these things here.

I'll leave now.

Because I feel those heroes and gods

are all too distant from me.

Apollo

loved Marpessa.

He promised her immortality.

But she gave up immortality.

She chose her own kind.

She said she was just an ordinary person.

She wanted to grow old with her husband.

I think the ancient Greeks

are truly remarkable

to have such awareness

in love and marriage.

[Six months later]

Who is it?

Mr. Yang, it's me.

Coming.

Comrade Yunqing,

hello.

I come to visit you on behalf of the committee.

Please come in.

Comrade Yunqing, you must be hungry.

If you haven't eaten,

I can cook for you.

No need.

I brought you some food.

I made it myself.

I can cook now.

Comrade Yunqing,

I'm so glad

that

you came to see me.

Did you hear anything?

You must have heard it.

I won't hide it from you.

The committee

asked me to take a few days off.

But I think it's unnecessary.

You know me well.

Not being allowed to work will make me sick.

It's really absurd.

The committee moved my home from the fourth floor to the first floor

in the name of caring about me.

What kind of care is that?

Mr. Yang, please calm down.

The committee cares about you very much.

You need to rest well.

Only with proper rest can you work effectively.

Yes.

But I'm feeling perfectly fine.

Comrade Yunqing.

I want to apologize to you.

Last time,

you mentioned my mother.

Due to that,

I lost my temper.

I spoke harshly

and said some harsh words to you.

I want to apologize to you.

But

my apology

is not meant to salvage anything.

Mr. Yang.

You are with great inner strength.

No matter what difficulties you face,

I believe you can overcome them.

I brought you a folk remedy for insomnia.

Give it a try.

If you still can't sleep,

I'll search for another solution.

I have something to attend to.

I'll be going now.

I'll visit you again when I have time.

Yunqing.

I'm a bit scared.

When you're not working,

please spend more time with me

and talk with me more,

okay?

The doctor said you should not drink alcohol.

Wait until you're better.

Take care, Mr. Yang.

How did I end up like this?

Qing.

Yi, you're back!

-Xiurong. -Yi.

We've been waiting for you to come back.

Did you miss me?

Missed you terribly!

Yi.

On your trip to the Northwest,

which places did you visit?

I traveled all over the Northwest this time.

Was it fun?

The local people are simple and sincere.

They were all very kind to me.

It gave me many new inspirations for my work.

Was the food delicious?

You only care about food, huh?

Yi,

congratulations.

Your design at the exhibition

received unanimous praise.

Many senior leaders will

attend the meeting.

Really?

Ms. Yi.

I'm really sorry.

After you left, this place

became a reading room for the female workers.

But don't worry.

I'll have them clean it up soon

and restore it to how it was for you.

Don't bother.

I'll leave after the meeting.

For these few days

I'll stay at Qing's place.

I went on a field trip.

The factory has been giving me funds for research trips.

It makes me feel a bit embarrassed.

The factory doesn't have the money.

It must be from someone who cares about you.

You'll leave right after the meeting?

I got accepted into graduate school.

Really?

You're going back to school?

I like the campus environment.

I have class this afternoon.

Come with me and look around?

Okay.

Let's go now.

Now?

Come on.

Goodbye, Xiurong.

Bye, Xiurong.

This is your classroom.

They're having class.

Go to class.

I'll just look around by myself.

No,

I want to show you someone.

Today's lecture

See?

is about Chinese traditional culture

and ancient Greek civilization.

Minister Wen sometimes teaches at the university

because someone told him the story

of

Mar…

Anyway, a story of a goddess.

Marpessa.

Yes.

Was it you who told him that story?

Some students ask me this question:

We are Chinese.

China has 5,000 years of civilization.

Why do we need to study ancient Greek civilization?

What I want to say is

that ancient Greek civilization

is the origin of European civilization.

And in the course of historical development…

Mr. Wen!

Everybody.

Please study by yourselves for a while.

You're back.

I'm back.

You won't leave, right?

Yes.

When did you come back?

♪ The pain is real, my heart's a mess ♪

Today.

I got back today.

♪ Happiness has been lost ♪

♪ Regret won't be in short supply ♪

Aren't you going in to continue your lecture?

I have something more important to tell you.

♪ The smile is sweet, but my heart aches ♪

What is it?

♪ I'm of the night ♪

♪ You're of the sunlight ♪

I want to apologize to you.

♪ To love someone ♪

♪ Comes in ten thousand ways ♪

You don't want me to feel burdened,

right?

♪ Yet I have to swallow the words ♪

What I want to share with you

♪ To love someone ♪

is not just happiness.

♪ You find ten thousand ways to stay ♪

I'm willing to bear

all the pain with you.

♪ But I can't help hiding my words of love♪

I understand.

♪ If love can't be spoken ♪

♪ Then write a song ♪

I want…

♪ Sing out your love and courage ♪

♪ May you be forever in love ♪

♪ May the rest of your life be happy ♪

♪ May you never forget me ♪

Later on,

neither Wen Pu nor I ever expected

things would turn out this way.

Changjiang.

How have you all been lately?

I asked you to come here

because I have something to tell you.

We want to cut ties with you.

Your father and I

completely understand.

Tell my father that

my daughter won't take his surname anymore.

She'll take her mother's surname

and be called Ye Xining.

He won't be upset about

his granddaughter not taking his surname.

He only cares whether it might cause trouble for you.

Is it okay for us to

write to Ning?

Send the letters to my workplace.

I'll read them to Ning.

Okay.

Later, when the situation improved,

you returned to Shanghai.

Our family

finally reunited.

[Shanghai, 1993]

You were so fond of your grandfather then.

You followed him around all day, asking him to play with you.

I remember my grandfather was so funny.

He read me a very thick book,

called "Jean-Christophe."

When he read it to me, I couldn't understand it.

So, I fell asleep.

I miss Grandpa a bit.

That day,

I wanted to visit Grandpa.

[1984]

When I got to the door,

I only saw the ambulance taking Grandpa away.

I didn't get to see Grandpa one last time.

He left me a letter

and his salary bankbook.

[To Ye Xining]

Xining.

This is your Grandpa's back pay.

I left it for you.

You must get into college

and become a valuable talent to our country.

It's a pity

that Grandpa didn't see me go to college.

Nor did he see me graduate.

Grandma,

thank you for telling me

your story with Grandpa.

In this old house,

too many things have happened.

I told you these things

because I hope you would gain some insights.

Grandma,

I actually understand what you mean.

I won't do foolish things anymore.

It's not worth it.

In a few days,

I'll go to your Aunt Yuanyuan's place.

I've told you everything I wanted to tell you.

Take good care of yourself.

Grandma,

if you're worried about me,

why don't you stay here a few more days?

I won't stay.

Let's go.

Let's go home.

Xiang Beichuan!

Why are you leaving?

You're late.

What?

Should I jump into Suzhou Creek and swim a lap?

I'm just a few minutes late.

I don't think you teach literature.

You must teach math. You're so calculating.

You weren't just a few minutes late.

To be precise,

you were 55 minutes late.

Let me buy you a popsicle.

Do you want mung bean or cream flavor?

No need.

During those 55 minutes waiting for you,

I've already had three popsicles.

Then, have one more with me.

One more won't hurt. Sir!

Alright, Ye Xining.

Let's talk about what matters.

After you left the interrogation room that day,

I never saw you again.

Shang Yunfei and his fiancée, Huang Yahui， are missing.

They're suspected of embezzlement

of over 350,000 yuan.

We're currently looking for them.

We'd like you to cooperate with our investigation.

After that,

did you manage to contact Huang Yahui?

Even the police can't find her.

How would I know where she is?

That's true.

Shang Yunfei has disappeared too.

How did things

get to this point with those two?

Now we can only hope they turn themselves in soon.

Why would they embezzle money?

Were they that desperate for cash?

Shang Yunfei is a stock trader.

Police said he misappropriated funds to trade stocks

and lost a huge amount.

So he married Yahui

just to use her for money?

What a bastard!

Your classmate is a scum.

No.

Try not to think the worst of him.

I'd rather believe they were desperate.

Xining,

how did your wedding dress fitting go?

It really looks beautiful. I'll let you see it later.

Let me introduce you.

This is Xining, Ye Xining,

my best friend

and also my maid of honor.

Beichuan. His name is Xiang Beichuan.

He's Yunfei's best friend.

He'll be our groomsman,

as well as our wedding officiant.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

Beichuan is a professor of Chinese literature.

He is a scholar.

I'm just a teacher, not a professor.

Nothing to brag about.

There's nothing to be modest about.

Your friend is quite honest.

Xining is also quite remarkable.

The position in Shanghai Textile Bureau headquarters

never accepted female candidates before.

But they made an exception for her.

Oh, you flatter me.

Why don't you stay for dinner?

No need.

I have some matters to attend to at school.

Come on, we've all been busy all day.

You've worked hard too.

Next time.

Alright then,

next time.

Okay.

I'll leave now.

Okay.

Bye.

Let's have dinner together next time.

Okay.

Let's go.

Is this dress really okay?

Doesn't it make my waist look thick?

Not at all.

Your proportions are perfect. It looks beautiful.

Isn't this color too bright?

Not at all.

You'll be the most beautiful bride.

I was worried I wouldn't look good in this dress.

Look at your perfect figure.

If it were me, I couldn't even fit into it.

You're teasing me.

It really looks beautiful.

I do love this place.

Your grandmother used to live here.

Then your grandma must have been quite wealthy.

These old Western-style houses, at the Republican era,

were all owned by wealthy families.

Well, from what she told me,

her family was quite wealthy back then.

But later her father squandered their wealth

and even sold the house.

However,

my grandmother worked here for some time

and this is the place she fell in love with my grandfather.

I remember you told me

your grandparents had a happy marriage.

So if I live here,

I'll be happy too, right?

Absolutely.

I wish you an early arrival of a precious child.

I'm not ready yet.

Although...

Though I've been looking forward to this day,

when it's actually here,

I'm still...

Still nervous, right?

You'll understand when it's your turn.

I'll throw the bouquet to you first,

okay?

That's great!

Pass this good luck to me.

I'll pass it to you right now.

Everything was fine at first.

She seemed to cry in the middle of the night.

I was so tired

that I didn't even bother to get up and comfort her.

I thought she was just excited.

If that's the case,

Shang Yunfei was indeed

acting a bit strange during that time.

Once,

we college classmates were drinking together.

He was the only one who didn't touch a drop of alcohol.

That day, my US visa had just been approved.

I was probably too excited

and didn't pay attention to it.

Professor Zhong,

I have good news for you.

My visa has been approved.

That's impossible.

US visas are so hard to get.

Beichuan, I'm happy for you.

Shang Yunfei

borrowed 60,000 yuan from the Faculty

using my name.

The Faculty demanded

that I repay the money within two months.

Because of this,

my trip to America fell through.

The school also suspended my classes.

That's terrible for you.

Yahui told me

that Shang Yunfei needed temporary funds for his business

and he could pay it back within a month.

That's why I guaranteed for her.

You even guaranteed for her?

How much did you guarantee?

50,000 yuan.

So what happened to the money?

Did you pay it back?

My grandmother gave me a pocket watch.

I sold it.

No, I pawned it

and used that money to pay the money back.

A watch worth 50,000 yuan?

Seems like your family is well-off.

If we're comparing,

you're much luckier than me.

My monthly salary is only 200 yuan,

and the school suspended my classes.

I might soon have to

ask my classmates

to help me find a way out.

Has your work been affected?

Yes. Things are not good.

But I have to stay positive.

Don't follow my example.

What happened to you?

I'm fine.

I just took a swim in Suzhou Creek.

But I made it to shore.

Seems like you're a good swimmer.

Well,

what should we order?

Would you like a drink?

No, thanks. You go ahead.

Would you like a cola?

No, thank you.

Boss, a mung bean popsicle please.

I'll be going back by the end of the year.

Don't worry.

Are you doing well with food and accommodation there?

Good. Just tell me if you need more.

I'll mail it to you right away, okay?

Excuse me, could you hurry up?

Why are you rushing me?

Who were you talking to just now?

What do you want?

What are you doing?

Do you know who I am?

No, I don't.

I'm the boss of Junlong Company on the second floor.

Got it?

Anything else?

No, nothing.

Then get going.

I'm sorry.

What are you sorry for?

Who are you apologizing to?

He's apologizing. How dare you talk to him like that?

What are you doing here?

I asked what you're doing here.

I paged you.

Why didn't you call me back?

Everyone of importance in Shanghai

uses a cell phone.

No one uses pagers anymore, bro.

Besides, I gave you my number last time.

Why didn't you call me?

You never gave me your number.

Of course I did.

You were too drunk to remember, right?

Get a pen and paper. I'll write it down for you now.

Okay, okay. No need.

Besides, when you got here,

why didn't you come up to find me?

You only told me where you are.

You never told me your room number.

I told you the room number.

You forget everything when you drink.

What's with all this stuff?

What's going on?

All these bags. Are you moving?

What's that?

Don't touch it.

This is the only

valuable thing I have.

You actually have something valuable?

Let me see.

Don't mess with it.

It's the most advanced personal computer.

You've never seen one.

Chuan.

If you had money to buy it,

you should have bought a cell phone.

Now that you've left school,

you need to network.

How will you contact them?

By pager

and then stand around here?

I told you many times.

You need brains, business smarts.

Enough.

Why are you so nagging?

Hurry up and take me to get something to eat.

I'm starving.

Sure. Chinese or Western, whatever you want.

Let's go.

You're treating?

Wait a minute.

Why should I treat?

I bought you plenty of meals when I was in school.

Now you're a big boss.

Why don't you treat one meal for me?

Let's go. You're my bro.

Let's go.

Help me carry this.

I must have owed you a fortune in a past life.

Then, help me carry this upstairs.

[Footprints of Change]

[Episode 21]

Hello, Mr. Wen.

Hello.

You're here.

I called you many times but couldn't get through.

I knew you must be busy.

I was planning to visit you after submitting my manuscript.

Let me make you some tea.

No need.

I have to leave soon.

In such a hurry?

I came to see you.

Besides,

I want to give you a hug.

What happened?

Nothing.

I've just been too busy lately

so that I can't visit you often.

No matter how busy you are, you should take care of yourself

I will.

You should take good care of yourself too.

I will.

Well,

I have to go.

Let me see you out.

No.

Carry on with your work.

Are you going to sit there?

Here.

Get some fresh air.

Before I came here,

I called Jiang.

Everyone at home is doing fine.

Huzi

pulled a female classmate's braid

and got reported to the school by her parents.

Among all your sons,

Huzi resembles you the most.

That little rascal takes after me.

He is as mischievous as I am.

In the future,

please help me keep an eye on him.

Yes.

Scholar.

Thank you.

I heard that

for my sake,

you've asked every officer

in the entire division for help.

Yes.

I've borrowed money from everyone I know.

I also learned that

as long as I can repay the money,

it will be beneficial for me.

That's right.

I've borrowed most of it already.

I'll figure out how to get the rest.

By the way,

this afternoon,

Ms. Fang mentioned that

she

discussed with Political Commissar Yan.

He will also help find a solution.

So, don't worry.

Don't carry such a heavy burden.

I'm not worried.

It's fine even if you can't raise the money.

At worst, I'll stay here a few more years.

I can start over after I get out.

Bullshit! You're such an idiot.

If you had listened to me earlier, things wouldn't have developed like this.

Alright.

I read your self-criticism letter.

It was quite sincere.

But there are

typos

and grammatical mistakes.

You have correct to them.

The wording is imprecise.

I'll fix it.

I'll make whatever changes you suggest.

Now you're listening to me, huh?

I've always listened to you.

From now on,

I'll seriously reflect on myself

and turn over a new leaf.

Don't worry.

It's a good time

for you

to calm your mind here

and read more books.

Reading books. You always say

through diligent study,

you can gain wealth and...

Be imprecise again.

Don't misuse phrases.

Ms. Fang said she would visit you in a few days.

She'll come here.

Jiang and I will also visit you regularly.

If you need anything, let me know.

I'll bring it for you.

Actually, I'm doing fine here.

I don't need anything.

Chief,

time's up.

Don't worry.

I'll figure everything out.

-Go back. -Go back.

I'm leaving.

Scholar.

My watch

has been

running inaccurately.

Fix it for me again.

Okay.

I'll bring it back next time I come.

Hello?

It's me.

Xiurong.

Hangong, he...

What happened?

Hangong passed away.

He hanged himself with a belt.

He left a note for you,

saying he couldn't live like this.

It's too shameful.

Mrs. San.

Where is Minister Wen?

He's in the study.

Once he starts working, he is untiring.

What's in this bag?

I brought tablecloths, mattress pads,

and curtains.

You should live a decent life.

We have to change the curtains?

Look, the curtains are torn.

He doesn't get a say in this.

I'll make the decision.

You know, Secretary Zhao

served in the same troop as Minister Wen.

Why are they so different?

Secretary Zhao understands the principle that

only by living well can one work well.

Yes, yes.

Come help me.

Let's change the curtains first.

Okay.

Look, Mrs. San. Isn't it beautiful?

It's beautiful. Very beautiful.

Right?

In life,

you should be frugal where necessary.

But where it's not needed,

you don't need to be hard on yourself.

Make sure you're comfortable where it counts.

How can he keep sleeping on that hard bed?

If he refuses,

when Secretary Zhao comes,

we'll persuade him together.

Zhao Hangong made a mistake.

What do you want to learn from him?

Right is right.

Wrong is wrong.

A Party member should stand firm in his position.

What is this? What is this?

I don't need these things.

I don't need these to decorate my life.

I don't need these.

I don't need it. I don't need it.

Don't need it.

Get out!

Get out!

[Shanghai Municipal People's Government]

Director Fang.

Come in.

Remember this.

How can I help you?

This is Political Commissar Yan, my husband.

He was also Wen Pu's former Chief.

Hello, Mr. Yan.

Perhaps

I should come back another day.

It's fine.

There are no outsiders here.

Just tell me what's on your mind.

I wanted to ask

if something happened to Minister Wen.

Minister Wen is fine.

It's Zhao Hangong.

He passed away

last night.

He passed away?

How could this happen?

I saw Secretary Zhao a few days ago.

Did he

have some kind of acute illness?

It seems Minister Wen hasn't told you anything.

Your mindset

and Minister Wen's

have never been on the same level.

So, he would rather torture himself

than let you share his burden.

If Rumei were here,

Wen Pu would definitely have told her.

Hello?

Ms. Xia?

Okay.

I'll be right there.

What happened?

Minister Wen has been taken to the hospital.

What happened to him?

He might have accidentally fallen

and hurt his back.

Yi.

You can't visit him now.

Let him have some peace

and recover.

It's an old injury from his time on the battlefield.

It's fine.

You didn't know about this, did you?

Why do you know nothing?

Alright, go back now.

I need to go check on him too.

All this time,

I thought I understood Wen Pu better than anyone.

I believed we were partners

facing all difficulties together.

But when he was at his most vulnerable,

he chose to hide it from me.

Whether it's the death of his close friend

or his physical pain,

he chose to bear it alone.

I realized I've never entered

his inner world.

Madam.

Excuse me,

who are you?

I'm Zhou Yunqing.

I'm bringing something for Minister Wen.

Come in, come in.

Please.

Thank you.

Sir.

Zhou.

my sister asked me to bring you something.

Where is she?

She left.

Where did she go?

Northwestern region.

She left the plasters for your back pain.

She also made some clothes for Yuanyuan and Changjiang.

Which part of the Northwest?

She didn't tell me.

When did she leave?

This morning.

I took her to the train station.

Sir.

I'll leave these things here.

I'll leave now.

Because I feel those heroes and gods

are all too distant from me.

Apollo

loved Marpessa.

He promised her immortality.

But she gave up immortality.

She chose her own kind.

She said she was just an ordinary person.

She wanted to grow old with her husband.

I think the ancient Greeks

are truly remarkable

to have such awareness

in love and marriage.

[Six months later]

Who is it?

Mr. Yang, it's me.

Coming.

Comrade Yunqing,

hello.

I come to visit you on behalf of the committee.

Please come in.

Comrade Yunqing, you must be hungry.

If you haven't eaten,

I can cook for you.

No need.

I brought you some food.

I made it myself.

I can cook now.

Comrade Yunqing,

I'm so glad

that

you came to see me.

Did you hear anything?

You must have heard it.

I won't hide it from you.

The committee

asked me to take a few days off.

But I think it's unnecessary.

You know me well.

Not being allowed to work will make me sick.

It's really absurd.

The committee moved my home from the fourth floor to the first floor

in the name of caring about me.

What kind of care is that?

Mr. Yang, please calm down.

The committee cares about you very much.

You need to rest well.

Only with proper rest can you work effectively.

Yes.

But I'm feeling perfectly fine.

Comrade Yunqing.

I want to apologize to you.

Last time,

you mentioned my mother.

Due to that,

I lost my temper.

I spoke harshly

and said some harsh words to you.

I want to apologize to you.

But

my apology

is not meant to salvage anything.

Mr. Yang.

You are with great inner strength.

No matter what difficulties you face,

I believe you can overcome them.

I brought you a folk remedy for insomnia.

Give it a try.

If you still can't sleep,

I'll search for another solution.

I have something to attend to.

I'll be going now.

I'll visit you again when I have time.

Yunqing.

I'm a bit scared.

When you're not working,

please spend more time with me

and talk with me more,

okay?

The doctor said you should not drink alcohol.

Wait until you're better.

Take care, Mr. Yang.

How did I end up like this?

Qing.

Yi, you're back!

-Xiurong. -Yi.

We've been waiting for you to come back.

Did you miss me?

Missed you terribly!

Yi.

On your trip to the Northwest,

which places did you visit?

I traveled all over the Northwest this time.

Was it fun?

The local people are simple and sincere.

They were all very kind to me.

It gave me many new inspirations for my work.

Was the food delicious?

You only care about food, huh?

Yi,

congratulations.

Your design at the exhibition

received unanimous praise.

Many senior leaders will

attend the meeting.

Really?

Ms. Yi.

I'm really sorry.

After you left, this place

became a reading room for the female workers.

But don't worry.

I'll have them clean it up soon

and restore it to how it was for you.

Don't bother.

I'll leave after the meeting.

For these few days

I'll stay at Qing's place.

I went on a field trip.

The factory has been giving me funds for research trips.

It makes me feel a bit embarrassed.

The factory doesn't have the money.

It must be from someone who cares about you.

You'll leave right after the meeting?

I got accepted into graduate school.

Really?

You're going back to school?

I like the campus environment.

I have class this afternoon.

Come with me and look around?

Okay.

Let's go now.

Now?

Come on.

Goodbye, Xiurong.

Bye, Xiurong.

This is your classroom.

They're having class.

Go to class.

I'll just look around by myself.

No,

I want to show you someone.

Today's lecture

See?

is about Chinese traditional culture

and ancient Greek civilization.

Minister Wen sometimes teaches at the university

because someone told him the story

of

Mar…

Anyway, a story of a goddess.

Marpessa.

Yes.

Was it you who told him that story?

Some students ask me this question:

We are Chinese.

China has 5,000 years of civilization.

Why do we need to study ancient Greek civilization?

What I want to say is

that ancient Greek civilization

is the origin of European civilization.

And in the course of historical development…

Mr. Wen!

Everybody.

Please study by yourselves for a while.

You're back.

I'm back.

You won't leave, right?

Yes.

When did you come back?

♪ The pain is real, my heart's a mess ♪

Today.

I got back today.

♪ Happiness has been lost ♪

♪ Regret won't be in short supply ♪

Aren't you going in to continue your lecture?

I have something more important to tell you.

♪ The smile is sweet, but my heart aches ♪

What is it?

♪ I'm of the night ♪

♪ You're of the sunlight ♪

I want to apologize to you.

♪ To love someone ♪

♪ Comes in ten thousand ways ♪

You don't want me to feel burdened,

right?

♪ Yet I have to swallow the words ♪

What I want to share with you

♪ To love someone ♪

is not just happiness.

♪ You find ten thousand ways to stay ♪

I'm willing to bear

all the pain with you.

♪ But I can't help hiding my words of love♪

I understand.

♪ If love can't be spoken ♪

♪ Then write a song ♪

I want…

♪ Sing out your love and courage ♪

♪ May you be forever in love ♪

♪ May the rest of your life be happy ♪

♪ May you never forget me ♪

Later on,

neither Wen Pu nor I ever expected

things would turn out this way.

Changjiang.

How have you all been lately?

I asked you to come here

because I have something to tell you.

We want to cut ties with you.

Your father and I

completely understand.

Tell my father that

my daughter won't take his surname anymore.

She'll take her mother's surname

and be called Ye Xining.

He won't be upset about

his granddaughter not taking his surname.

He only cares whether it might cause trouble for you.

Is it okay for us to

write to Ning?

Send the letters to my workplace.

I'll read them to Ning.

Okay.

Later, when the situation improved,

you returned to Shanghai.

Our family

finally reunited.

[Shanghai, 1993]

You were so fond of your grandfather then.

You followed him around all day, asking him to play with you.

I remember my grandfather was so funny.

He read me a very thick book,

called "Jean-Christophe."

When he read it to me, I couldn't understand it.

So, I fell asleep.

I miss Grandpa a bit.

That day,

I wanted to visit Grandpa.

[1984]

When I got to the door,

I only saw the ambulance taking Grandpa away.

I didn't get to see Grandpa one last time.

He left me a letter

and his salary bankbook.

[To Ye Xining]

Xining.

This is your Grandpa's back pay.

I left it for you.

You must get into college

and become a valuable talent to our country.

It's a pity

that Grandpa didn't see me go to college.

Nor did he see me graduate.

Grandma,

thank you for telling me

your story with Grandpa.

In this old house,

too many things have happened.

I told you these things

because I hope you would gain some insights.

Grandma,

I actually understand what you mean.

I won't do foolish things anymore.

It's not worth it.

In a few days,

I'll go to your Aunt Yuanyuan's place.

I've told you everything I wanted to tell you.

Take good care of yourself.

Grandma,

if you're worried about me,

why don't you stay here a few more days?

I won't stay.

Let's go.

Let's go home.

Xiang Beichuan!

Why are you leaving?

You're late.

What?

Should I jump into Suzhou Creek and swim a lap?

I'm just a few minutes late.

I don't think you teach literature.

You must teach math. You're so calculating.

You weren't just a few minutes late.

To be precise,

you were 55 minutes late.

Let me buy you a popsicle.

Do you want mung bean or cream flavor?

No need.

During those 55 minutes waiting for you,

I've already had three popsicles.

Then, have one more with me.

One more won't hurt. Sir!

Alright, Ye Xining.

Let's talk about what matters.

After you left the interrogation room that day,

I never saw you again.

Shang Yunfei and his fiancée, Huang Yahui， are missing.

They're suspected of embezzlement

of over 350,000 yuan.

We're currently looking for them.

We'd like you to cooperate with our investigation.

After that,

did you manage to contact Huang Yahui?

Even the police can't find her.

How would I know where she is?

That's true.

Shang Yunfei has disappeared too.

How did things

get to this point with those two?

Now we can only hope they turn themselves in soon.

Why would they embezzle money?

Were they that desperate for cash?

Shang Yunfei is a stock trader.

Police said he misappropriated funds to trade stocks

and lost a huge amount.

So he married Yahui

just to use her for money?

What a bastard!

Your classmate is a scum.

No.

Try not to think the worst of him.

I'd rather believe they were desperate.

Xining,

how did your wedding dress fitting go?

It really looks beautiful. I'll let you see it later.

Let me introduce you.

This is Xining, Ye Xining,

my best friend

and also my maid of honor.

Beichuan. His name is Xiang Beichuan.

He's Yunfei's best friend.

He'll be our groomsman,

as well as our wedding officiant.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

Beichuan is a professor of Chinese literature.

He is a scholar.

I'm just a teacher, not a professor.

Nothing to brag about.

There's nothing to be modest about.

Your friend is quite honest.

Xining is also quite remarkable.

The position in Shanghai Textile Bureau headquarters

never accepted female candidates before.

But they made an exception for her.

Oh, you flatter me.

Why don't you stay for dinner?

No need.

I have some matters to attend to at school.

Come on, we've all been busy all day.

You've worked hard too.

Next time.

Alright then,

next time.

Okay.

I'll leave now.

Okay.

Bye.

Let's have dinner together next time.

Okay.

Let's go.

Is this dress really okay?

Doesn't it make my waist look thick?

Not at all.

Your proportions are perfect. It looks beautiful.

Isn't this color too bright?

Not at all.

You'll be the most beautiful bride.

I was worried I wouldn't look good in this dress.

Look at your perfect figure.

If it were me, I couldn't even fit into it.

You're teasing me.

It really looks beautiful.

I do love this place.

Your grandmother used to live here.

Then your grandma must have been quite wealthy.

These old Western-style houses, at the Republican era,

were all owned by wealthy families.

Well, from what she told me,

her family was quite wealthy back then.

But later her father squandered their wealth

and even sold the house.

However,

my grandmother worked here for some time

and this is the place she fell in love with my grandfather.

I remember you told me

your grandparents had a happy marriage.

So if I live here,

I'll be happy too, right?

Absolutely.

I wish you an early arrival of a precious child.

I'm not ready yet.

Although...

Though I've been looking forward to this day,

when it's actually here,

I'm still...

Still nervous, right?

You'll understand when it's your turn.

I'll throw the bouquet to you first,

okay?

That's great!

Pass this good luck to me.

I'll pass it to you right now.

Everything was fine at first.

She seemed to cry in the middle of the night.

I was so tired

that I didn't even bother to get up and comfort her.

I thought she was just excited.

If that's the case,

Shang Yunfei was indeed

acting a bit strange during that time.

Once,

we college classmates were drinking together.

He was the only one who didn't touch a drop of alcohol.

That day, my US visa had just been approved.

I was probably too excited

and didn't pay attention to it.

Professor Zhong,

I have good news for you.

My visa has been approved.

That's impossible.

US visas are so hard to get.

Beichuan, I'm happy for you.

Shang Yunfei

borrowed 60,000 yuan from the Faculty

using my name.

The Faculty demanded

that I repay the money within two months.

Because of this,

my trip to America fell through.

The school also suspended my classes.

That's terrible for you.

Yahui told me

that Shang Yunfei needed temporary funds for his business

and he could pay it back within a month.

That's why I guaranteed for her.

You even guaranteed for her?

How much did you guarantee?

50,000 yuan.

So what happened to the money?

Did you pay it back?

My grandmother gave me a pocket watch.

I sold it.

No, I pawned it

and used that money to pay the money back.

A watch worth 50,000 yuan?

Seems like your family is well-off.

If we're comparing,

you're much luckier than me.

My monthly salary is only 200 yuan,

and the school suspended my classes.

I might soon have to

ask my classmates

to help me find a way out.

Has your work been affected?

Yes. Things are not good.

But I have to stay positive.

Don't follow my example.

What happened to you?

I'm fine.

I just took a swim in Suzhou Creek.

But I made it to shore.

Seems like you're a good swimmer.

Well,

what should we order?

Would you like a drink?

No, thanks. You go ahead.

Would you like a cola?

No, thank you.

Boss, a mung bean popsicle please.

I'll be going back by the end of the year.

Don't worry.

Are you doing well with food and accommodation there?

Good. Just tell me if you need more.

I'll mail it to you right away, okay?

Excuse me, could you hurry up?

Why are you rushing me?

Who were you talking to just now?

What do you want?

What are you doing?

Do you know who I am?

No, I don't.

I'm the boss of Junlong Company on the second floor.

Got it?

Anything else?

No, nothing.

Then get going.

I'm sorry.

What are you sorry for?

Who are you apologizing to?

He's apologizing. How dare you talk to him like that?

What are you doing here?

I asked what you're doing here.

I paged you.

Why didn't you call me back?

Everyone of importance in Shanghai

uses a cell phone.

No one uses pagers anymore, bro.

Besides, I gave you my number last time.

Why didn't you call me?

You never gave me your number.

Of course I did.

You were too drunk to remember, right?

Get a pen and paper. I'll write it down for you now.

Okay, okay. No need.

Besides, when you got here,

why didn't you come up to find me?

You only told me where you are.

You never told me your room number.

I told you the room number.

You forget everything when you drink.

What's with all this stuff?

What's going on?

All these bags. Are you moving?

What's that?

Don't touch it.

This is the only

valuable thing I have.

You actually have something valuable?

Let me see.

Don't mess with it.

It's the most advanced personal computer.

You've never seen one.

Chuan.

If you had money to buy it,

you should have bought a cell phone.

Now that you've left school,

you need to network.

How will you contact them?

By pager

and then stand around here?

I told you many times.

You need brains, business smarts.

Enough.

Why are you so nagging?

Hurry up and take me to get something to eat.

I'm starving.

Sure. Chinese or Western, whatever you want.

Let's go.

You're treating?

Wait a minute.

Why should I treat?

I bought you plenty of meals when I was in school.

Now you're a big boss.

Why don't you treat one meal for me?

Let's go. You're my bro.

Let's go.

Help me carry this.

I must have owed you a fortune in a past life.

Then, help me carry this upstairs.