-Lay down. Take your pants off. -Why?
-How can she give birth with her pants on? -Isn't she giving birth at the hospital?
Her water broke. It's too late now. The baby could come before we get there.
Are you trying to get them killed?
Can we handle a home birth?
Well, it's better than having the baby on the side of the road.
I mean, can we do this without a doctor?
If you can get a doctor, great. Otherwise, we have no choice.
-Where do I find a doctor? -Stop arguing!
Is the baby coming?
Take off her pants.
Get up.
My goodness! I see the baby's hair, very dark hair.
Can you do this?
You two, go fetch a bucket of warm water.
Also... paper. Yes, parchment paper.
And...
What are you doing staring at me?
Go fetch the water, find the paper!
Stop screaming. Bite this.
-You... what are you doing? -What am I doing?
Delivering the baby, of course.
-I mean, can you? -Why not?
I've seen women back home deliver babies several times.
I've had three babies myself.
All of them were home births.
They were all successful home births, too. Let's begin.
Why are you washing your hands? It's me who's delivering the baby.
I thought I'd help you out.
That won't be necessary. I don't want distractions.
-You didn't use soap. -We don't have time to do all that.
No, you must.
What a hassle.
All right. That's enough.
-Enough. -Dry your hands.
Your family is such a pain in the ass.
I can see the baby's head.
I'm coming. Hurry up.
What should we do?
Seriously.
Do we need to cut the umbilical cord?
Oh, that's right. I forgot about that.
-Quick. Find a pair of scissors. Hurry. -What kind of scissors?
-The kind for cutting umbilical cords. -We don't have any of those here.
Whatever scissors you have will work just fine.
Hang on.
Stop screaming!
Here they are.
-They must be disinfected. -I'll wash them.
Washing them isn't enough. You must boil them in hot water.
There's no time. The baby will be out before the water boils.
-What should we do? -Is that all you know how to say?
Find some liquor, strong liquor...
Hurry. The baby is coming. Hang on.
-Bring me the liquor! -Coming, coming.
-Is this all right? -As long as it's hard liquor.
What are you doing?
Disinfecting the scissors.
It's coming. Take this.
Hang on. Push!
My goodness, the baby is coming.
-Push harder. -I can't.
You have a good diet, but it hasn't helped with your stamina, has it?
Push harder, like you’re pooping.
Push.
Hold down your sister-in-law's leg.
Don't move, and push!
It's another big, chubby boy.
My goodness, this is harder than having my own babies.
Look to the right.
Look to the front. Dismissed.
Forget going home. Let's go grab a bite to eat.
No, I must go home to check on things.
Does your wife insist that you report to her daily?
Well, she's pregnant and I must check on her.
She isn't going into labor any time soon, don't worry.
Well, my son was a couple of weeks early. So, one can never be too careful.
What if she goes into labor early again?
This shows that you're both impatient by nature.
If you must get back, then I'll come with you.
What use are you being there? It's not like your wife needs you there.
My wife has been suffering from low self-esteem because of your wife.
She believes I'm useless compared to you.
Frankly, there is a huge difference between you and me.
What's that noise? Is that a baby crying?
Did my wife already give birth?
Are you kidding me? it's impossible that your wife would have given birth at home.
Mr. Jiang, congratulations on fathering another big, healthy son.
What? What did you just say?
Listen. The baby is crying.
That was fast, like giving birth to a rabbit.
Our neighbor just had a baby. Another boy.
Hey, I'm talking to you.
I said our neighbor just had a baby. Did you hear me?
What are you yelling about? I heard you. I'm not deaf.
What are you staring at me for? Don't you recognize me?
No, I don't.
Well, who are you?
I'm your wife. What? Do you want to disown me?
In fact, I do. But it's too late now.
You'd better not dare disown me.
But seriously, they have a new baby boy.
How come you're not expressing your opinions?
You're overly excited about this baby. You can't stop talking about it.
Are you looking for a fight?
Did I say something wrong? Fine. Come on. Hit me, hit me.
Go ahead...
What are you laughing about? Crazy woman.
Who are you calling crazy?
Could a crazy person deliver a baby?
What? What did you say? Whose baby did you deliver?
Brother.
Brother!
Are you all right? Are you shocked?
-Let me check. -What are you doing?
Your brother wants to make sure the baby is okay.
All arms and legs are there. What are you checking for?
Don't wake the baby.
It was brave of you to have the baby at home.
You even let her deliver the baby.
Brother, watch what you say. If it wasn't for her,
your baby would've been born on the side of the road.
Are you all right?
You're really asking me that? What do you think?
I see how you twitched your lips. I know you're fine.
Stop twitching your lips. Do you think you look cute doing that?
-You're back. -Yes, I'm back.
Let me tell you something special. An Jie just had another baby boy.
Jiang Defu had another baby boy.
Nothing special about that.
I thought they had twins, a boy and a girl.
You don't have to keep reminding people that you have a talent for having twins.
Isn't it a talent, though? Think about it. I saved you so much trouble.
You didn't have to suffer another pregnancy.
Look at the others. They'll have to have them one by one.
We only had to do that once.
That's the only thing you can brag about.
Well, Jiang Defu was aspiring to be like us.
Now they've caught up with us.
Well, they've caught up in quantity.
What about in quality?
I had twins.
They must have twins to catch up.
Hey, I haven't finished.
-Guess where the baby was born. -Where?
At home.
At home?
Do you want to know who delivered the baby?
-Not the doctor? -That's why I said it was a special thing.
I'll tell you. Their neighbor delivered the baby.
The one that Nanny Sun dislikes. That officer's wife who is illiterate.
-How's An Jie doing? -She and the baby are both great.
The doctor checked on them both. They're doing well.
Isn't that a rare event?
They who know nothing, fear nothing.
Ignorant people do silly things. But stupid is as stupid does.
Your poor younger sister.
She's so proud and arrogant.
Poor woman.
It's time for the team to gather. Wake up.
Wake up.
You were fast asleep.
It's our new-born baby. It cries all night and sleeps during the day.
I haven't been sleeping well because of the baby.
Your baby's a night owl.
In our hometown, anyone who has a baby that doesn't sleep at night,
that family should put up a sign that says, "A night owl baby lives here."
Those passing through should say the line three times, then they'll sleep well.
-Why don't you try that? -Nope. That's superstition.
I think you suggested a bad name for my boy.
He cries non-stop, day and night.
I don't think the baby likes his name.
If you don't like it, don't use it. No one is forcing you at gunpoint.
Jiang Junqing is too common.
It's not as good as the name Jiang Guoqing.
What do you mean?
Do you prefer the Principal's wife's name suggestions?
Well, there's nothing I can do.
The Principal's wife suggested a good name for your older son.
Junqing (military) should come after Guoqing (nation), right?
-What comes after military? -People.
Certainly.
Well, I'll continue to have boys one after another.
Whatever makes you happy.
One after another, I will continue to make babies.
You've had both son and daughter. That's nice.
If we get another girl, we'll stop there.
If we have another girl, she'll be named Xiaoyang,
and we'll stop having babies.
You have everything planned out, I see.
Secretary Yang, You ride a bicycle to work, don't you?
My bike tire is punctured, so, I'm taking the bus today.
Why don't you ride a bicycle to work?
-I can't ride one. -You should learn.
It's not that difficult to learn, okay?
I fell off a few times, which discouraged me.
That's not very adventurous.
An, are you accompanying Colonel Jiang to the island?
Island? What island?
Don't you know?
Colonel Jiang has been assigned to a station on Songshan Island.
He got promoted to be Chief of Staff.
Isn't he staying at the school?
The shrine they're staying at is too small for them.
They don't want to stay there.
So, they recommend that your neighbor continues to station there.
Are they referring to our neighbor, Ding?
I don't know his name.
I recall his wife delivered your baby, right?
Yes, that's right.
I think it's a good idea. The school doesn't suit Colonel Jiang.
He's made to be out there fighting a war. It's a pity to be stationed at the school.
Isn't the revolution over?
Yes, but the military still needs to be up and running.
If not, what's the use in our country supporting the military?
The end of the revolution is not the end of national defense.
An.
I'll need to give you a vaccination.
You shouldn't cause Colonel Jiang any distractions, all right?
Where is it? How come I can't find it?
Take it easy. Relax. Look carefully.
All of us have been looking for a while now.
Relax. If it's within Chinese territory, we should find it.
Well, not really.
Not all Chinese territory can be found on a map of China.
What are you talking about?
If Chinese territory is not documented on a map of China, then where does it go?
Did you trade it off?
What are you getting so irritated over it?
Relax, take it easy.
I meant to say that the place is perhaps too small to be on the map.
Do you see any villages indicated here?
Do you see them? Look carefully.
How can it be that small?
It's large enough for a military division, how can it be such a small place?
-Maybe it is small. -Yeah, very likely.
If you don't know for sure, then stop talking so much.
Could it be that it's not located in our province? In a different province?
That makes sense. Doesn't the military travel anywhere to fight in a war?
They must have been assigned a station in a different province.
-Well, let's look province by province. -Province by province?
Isn't that like finding a needle in a haystack?
What's your problem? You're being so discouraging.
Stop arguing over it, and stop looking for it.
Looking for a needle in a haystack?
Even if you found gold, I wouldn't be excited.
He can go by himself. I'm not going with him.
-You can't not join him? -Why should I?
It just means we'll live separately. Worst comes to worst, we divorce.
Don't take divorce lightly. You can't flippantly suggest that.
Don't take it seriously. She doesn't mean it.
Is this something one casually talks about?
Who wants to get a divorce?
Do you want to get a divorce?
Yes, me.
I want a divorce.
Why do you want a divorce?
I don't want to spend my life with a liar.
-Who's the liar? -You are.
You are the biggest liar.
How am I a liar, and the biggest liar?
Didn't you say you wanted to stay at the school and live here?
I... When did I say I wanted to stay at the school?
Secretary Yang said you wanted to. She told me in person.
Well then, Secretary Yang is the biggest liar.
You shouldn't blame me for that.
I don't decide where the troops are stationed.
Besides, I'm in the military. It's our job to follow orders.
How can I disobey an order?
I don't care. I'm not leaving with you.
-An Jie. -What is it?
All right. Take it easy.
Don't make a big deal out of this.
This is a big deal. Don't get in the way of my family business.
What do you mean?
Your family concerns us too. If not, why are you back home?
You even phoned us to meet up here.
A just cause enjoys abundant support, while an unjust one finds little support.
You're married, so, technically, you no longer belong to this family.
Who do you think you are, coming back to bully your relatives?
Who else can I be?
Aren't I the wife of the world's biggest liar?
-Forget it. -You see, she admits she's my wife.
-Have a seat. -So, will you admit you're a liar?
No, I won't.
But, if you want to admit you're the wife of a liar, then I can't stop you.
Brother, I told you. She's been spoiled rotten by you.
Well, not enough, apparently. It's all my fault.
By the way, I hear you've been promoted to Chief of Staff, yes?
Did you tell them already? Well then, save me some trouble.
This is...
Oh, we were just looking for Songshan Island.
But we couldn't find it.
Why is it that Songshan Island isn't included on the map?
Brother, do you know the meaning of a restricted military area?
-I do. -Then why are you asking where it is?
Don't you get it?
I thought you were an intellectual.
Jiang, when are you leaving?
Soon.
About two weeks.
Can they join you?
I don't know about that.
It's up to them. I can't force them if they don't want to.
Don't worry about her work. We'll cover for her.
No one can do what I do.
You don't know what you're talking about.
We can't convince her.
She needs to come to the realization on her own.
-Come over here. Come. -What do you want?
You'll see. Just come over here.
What is this?
Weren't you looking for Songshan Island?
Where is it? I can't find it.
Dummy. Look in the lower left corner.
It's so small!
Here's a larger version of it.
Do you see it? All right?
You're a liar. You're the biggest liar.
The island looks bigger because you enlarged the map.
Do you think I'm stupid?
What are you doing?
Listen, listen.
It's none of your business.
Liar, you're the biggest liar!
Who's she calling a liar?
Does it concern you?
A restricted military area?
It is a fort, a restricted military zone.
I can't joke about classified military information, can I?
Is there a fort or a military area as small as a needle?
Sure, there is. Get up. Don't ruin it.
So, now you've seen classified information.
-You think you're eligible to see it? -Do you think I want to see it?
You're impossible to communicate with.
Fine. I guess we're even.
Typically, I'm the one who is difficult to talk to.
So today I got a taste of my own medicine.
Let me tell you. It's true Songshan Island isn't the largest place.
But it's definitely bigger than a needle.
If it can accommodate troops, it can accommodate army dependents.
Who are the army dependents?
You. You're a family member of army personnel.
Aren't you coming with me?
Who said I'm tagging along with the troops?
Well, if not, then what are you going to do?
Is it obligatory? You make it sound as if it's an obey-or-die military order.
It's not that serious.
I can pack my bag and leave any time I want.
What about you?
What are you going to do with two kids all by yourself?
My life doesn't revolve around you. I can take care of myself just fine.
Even with two young kids.
Are you taking care of the kids on your own?
Without Dehua and Big Sister, how will you make it on your own?
Why can't I? I can take care of the kids on my own just fine.
All right then, have it your way. I'll ask them to leave tomorrow.
What are you doing? Be careful.
-It's my fault. -Get out!
Who's she kicking out? She's the one that should leave.
Right?
Guoqing.
Big Brother, are you taking these clothes?
I'll take whatever I can with me.
Dehua.
You must take care of your sister-in-law after I leave.
I can't do that.
Who can deal with your wife?
Why not?
Don't I get along with your sister-in-law well?
If that's so, then why isn't she accompanying you?
That's temporary. She'll be joining me sooner than you think.
That's...
"daydreaming and wishful thinking." Your wife once said that.
Is that right?
Did she really spew out such nonsense?
Are you saying I lied? Why don't you go ask her?
All right then.
Did you really say that?
What did I say?
You've been listening to us. You should know what I'm talking about.
I'm guessing you said "daydreaming," right?
Yes, and I also said, "wishful thinking."
That one was hard. I didn't guess it.
Pour more water. It doesn't cost money.
Of course, water costs money. Is there such thing as free water?
Fine, I'll pay for the water, all right?
Your sister-in-law is so stubborn. She absolutely refused to go with him.
If it were me, I wouldn't be able to do that.
You would be all right with it.
For you, it doesn't make a difference moving from the village to an island.
It's different for my sister-in-law.
How is she different from me?
Pour more water, please.
You're a rural woman, while she's a city lady. Are you the same?
Who are you calling a rural woman? You're one, too.
-Why don't you go with your brother? -Who's going to watch over the kids?
I'm not here to take care of the adults.
If the kids aren't going, what's the point of me going?
What will I do there?
Okay, done.
It's going to be quiet around the house.
Your brother won't be here.
The babysitter will be gone. It'll just be you and your sister-in-law.
What about my nephews? They'll be home, too.
Oh, right, I forgot about them.
Your wife has an issue.
She shouldn't visit her parents so often.
That's a problem. If it were me...
-What would you do? -I'd break her legs.
-She wouldn't be able to go anywhere. -Come on.
You haven't done your job, either.
Your wife isn't exactly the best behaved.
At least she stays put.
That's because she doesn't have the courage to travel on her own.
Seriously, what are you going to do now she's decided not to join you?
What can I do? I can't force her, can I?
Why don't you try to convince her?
She can't be convinced.
Brother.
Frankly,
I've been feeling bad about all this.
Why?
I may have been the one to cause you two to live separately.
Don't be silly. You don't have that influence over us.
Don't flatter yourself.
You were scheduled to continue your duty at the school.
I wasn't fond of the idea, and you knew that, right?
In fact, I should be the one apologizing to you.
It was me who encouraged you to teach for the school.
There's nothing wrong with working as a teacher.
He who teaches for one day is a father figure.
Okay, get it straight. You're not my teacher.
But your wife said I'm like an adviser-mentor figure to you.
She doesn't know what she was talking about.
Seriously, without you around,
I won't know how to get along with her.
I'm scared of her, really scared of her.
Why?
In fact, I wanted to ask you to look after them for me.
I can do that, but I don't know how.
Look after them the way you look after your wife.
-Jiang, are you sure? -Yeah, I'm sure.
If I could trust my wife, we wouldn't be living separately.
Okay. No problem.
I'll look after them for you.
Good luck.
Wish your Uncle Jiang a safe trip.
Uncle Jiang, have a safe trip.
-Okay, I'm leaving. -Uncle Jiang, have a safe trip.
Uncle Jiang!
I boiled some eggs for you. Snack on them on the way there.
What are you doing? He doesn't need them.
There is nowhere that has the comfort of one's own home.
You don't understand the inconvenience of traveling.
-Sure, I'll take two. -Don't embarrass me.
Why not? How am I embarrassing you?
-Here, take these. -That's enough.
He doesn't have to eat all of them.
He could give some to his army mates.
Take them...
You can't keep stuffing my pockets with them.
-My pocket will be destroyed. -No problem.
You don't have to treat me so well.
Please treat my wife with the same hospitality.
But she's not even out here seeing you off.
You must have treated her poorly in a past life.
You sure do enjoy starting conflicts, don't you?
I like your attitude, man.
I'm relieved to learn this about you.
-What did you learn? -You are fair and neutral.
I am sure you don't want them to start fighting with each other.
Actually, I am worried about that.
If these two gang up on my wife, she won't be able to cope.
You've picked your wife's side rather than your mother and sister's.
Our mother has long passed on.
Well, he's apparently not on his sister's side.
I'm not his sister, and he's not my brother.
-Look... -I know. I can see it for myself.
I'm leaving.
It's time to go.
Drive safely.
Papa.
SIX MONTHS LATER
-Sister, open the door. It's Dehwa. -Wake up, wake up.
-It's Dehwa. Hurry up and open the door. -Dehwa is knocking on the door.
-They're fighting again. -Do you have to be so negative?
What can be good about it when someone knocks on your door at this hour?
I'm coming, I'm coming!
Get up. It's bad news. They fell into a pit.
Who fell into a pit? Nonsense.
Junqing has a fever.
His mom took him to the clinic.
It's been over an hour. They haven't come back.
Dehwa said they must've fallen into a pit.
I'll go find them.
Get dressed.
Coming.
Sister.
Dehwa, is your sister-in-law back yet?
Why aren't they back yet? Has Ding come back home?
If he was back, I wouldn't be here asking you.
A man and a woman alone together at this hour...
What's going on?
What are you insinuating?
You wouldn't understand.
No crying, no crying.
No crying... lay down now.
Okay, I'm headed back home now. Get some sleep.
He's too nice to her.
Still sleeping?
She sure can sleep.
Who would believe it took all night for the baby to see a doctor?
It didn't take all night. It took half the night.
So, what? It's still strange, half a night or all night.
He said the doctor gave the baby an IV. Do you believe it?
-Who told you that? -Who else could it be?
Did your sister-in-law say anything?
She went straight to bed when we got home. She's still in bed.
I almost forgot.
Have you thought about the way Ding talks to your sister-in-law?
What about it?
Ding put down your nephew, and said to your sister-in-law,
"Get some sleep."
-What about it? -What about it?
I've slept with Ding for almost ten years.
He's never let me have a good night's sleep.
"Get some sleep," he said. Oh, I might throw up.
Dehwa, come here.
Dehwa, you are family.
So, I won't hide this from you.
I'll be honest with you.
Ding has been interested in your sister-in-law for quite some time.
It started before your brother left.
Your brother was so dumb to ask Ding to look after his wife.
Isn't that like giving candy to a kid?
Do you believe what I said?
Believe it or not,
I can't chastise my own husband, can I?
I'm not stupid, am I?
Literate and intelligent women are Ding's type.
Ding complains about me being illiterate.
Your sister-in-law is cultured and pretty.
Ding being attracted to her isn't surprising, is it?
How can you be sure there's something between them?
My sister-in-law can't possibly be attracted to Ding too.
It takes two to tango.
It's easy to tango if two parties are willing.
See, easy, right?
Even if nothing happened last night,
the neighbors will talk sooner or later.
We will see proof eventually.
-What should we do about it? -We should keep an eye on them.
How silly, neither of us can even read.
How will we watch those two when they're smarter than us?
I don't know. What should we do?
Well...
I wouldn't be so worried if I had a solution.
-Hey, Ding, let's go eat. -Okay, I'll be right there.
An, done for the day?
-Ding, are you done for the day too? -Wait. I have two letters for you here.
Here you are.
Thank you.
Why have they been returned? I wrote down the correct address.
-What are you laughing about? -Don't you know why?
Look carefully what you put on the letter.
TO: JIANG DEFOO
-I was pranking him. -He was pranking you, too.
Look. "The recipient no longer resides here. Please return." He wrote it.
It's true.
He probably read the letter already.
Resealed it and returned it. He likes to do that.
What a prankster.
-Thanks for these. -No problem.
-Well, see you. -See you.
Give me it.
-Give me it. -Dehua.
Did you go get food?
What's wrong?
Who upset you this time?
I'm talking to you. Are you dumb?
Dumb? I wish I was blind.
What's up with the sighs?
What's up with your sighs?
What do you think?
I'm not talking.
Then I'll talk.
What kind of nonsense is that?
Any solutions?
Let's convince your sister-in-law to re-join your brother.
-Then he can watch her. -That's easy for you to say.
If she was willing to re-join him, she'd be there already.
How can we get her to leave?
Hello.
Is An Jie home?
No. May I help you?
I'm her coworker. My name is Yang.
She's back at her parents' house.
That's all right. I brought some tasty noodles from home.
They're for you. Try them.
That's very nice of you. Can we take them?
Why not? They're safe to eat.
-No, that's not what I meant... -Okay, I must go now.
Secretary Yang.
Are you her sister's superior?
Could you have a talk with her sister?
-About what? -Persuade her to re-join her husband.
A husband and a wife shouldn't be apart for too long.
Well...
I can't force her to do what she doesn't want to do, can I?
Well, you're her superior. She won't disobey you, will she?
Well, if I had any influence on her, she'd be there already, right?
You've been such a great help.
You look after her kids and help around the house.
I wouldn't want to leave if I were you.
So, do you think she should leave, too?
Maybe for a little while to see how she likes it.
That's right...
What if she calls Nanny Sun back to help out?
Who's Nanny Sun?
She’s their nanny and maid.
Is there still a maid helping out?
There's the maid from my sister-in-law's house.
That's why she doesn't want to join her husband.
-Are you allowed to employ a maid? -That's right.
That's not normal.
Great!
Guoqing, Aunty is leaving.
-Okay, hurry up. -The kids are making it difficult.
I don't want to leave them. I'm doing this for my brother.
I know. Who isn't doing this for your brother?
Are you doing this for my brother? You're doing this for Ding, your husband.
Doing it for Ding or your brother, it's all the same.
What a mess. We'll see how your brother resolves this.
A mess? Your situation is a mess, too you know.
It's just a distraction. I'm definitely not getting a divorce.
Hurry up and go. Don't waste time.
-You're going to miss the train. -Aunty.
-Guoqing. -Where are you going?
Okay. Don't procrastinate. You'll miss the train.
Go. Go.
Stop crying.
My good little boy.
What's this?
Where is his aunt?
-Daddy! -She left.
She left? Where did she go?
She went back. She went back home.
Stop crying, Guoqing.
Why? Did you two get into a fight?
Don't blame me. You weren't exactly nice to her yesterday.
We didn't fight. We get along very well.
Then why did she leave?
She received a telegram saying her mother-in-law is dying.
They wanted her back. Come here, boy.
Does her sister-in-law know about this?
There's no time to inform her. She had to leave right away.
What's the rush?
No crying, no crying.
We'll have to look after these kids.
Guoqing, boy, stop crying.
Okay, give Uncle a hug. No crying.
Subtitle translation by Chia-Chin Wu