Your father-in-law is celebrating his birthday on August 1st, Army Day?
That's right.
My husband Wang said that
what he did was actually very thoughtful.
I mean, he wanted the whole army to celebrate his birthday with him.
Your husband is good at judging and labeling people.
What's wrong with wanting to celebrate his birthday with the whole army?
We wanted to celebrate it on National Day,
so the whole nation could celebrate with us.
What? Is that a problem?
No, your family can do whatever you want. Who dares say otherwise?
You're part of the leaders' group and the organizing committee.
I heard that you are the vice-chairwoman of the leaders' group.
-So? Is that a problem? -Not at all, not at all.
But you should take up your duty as vice-chairwoman.
You should assist the chairwoman.
-What has she been doing? -What do you mean?
She calls people and ask for gifts.
Food items are a bad gift idea.
Food items are meaningless. Okay, okay. I'm done, that's it.
Stop reminding people to find gifts. Have you prepared your own gift?
Of course I have.
-Tell me, what is it? -I can't tell you yet.
It'll be a great surprise.
I don't believe my wife is like ordinary people.
That's right. Your wife is made of unique stuff.
I think that your family is quite amusing.
The story of your family would be good material for a great novel.
You can write about it if you have time. What's with Yaning?
Think about your mom and dad.
Normally,
a couple with opposite personalities don't get along,
and the marriage doesn't work, right?
But their relationship has been wonderful.
They've spent their whole lives getting used to each other.
They tried so hard to get closer to each other,
but right before victory arrived,
they met each other and waked in different directions.
And then,
your mom has walked towards the countryside, where your dad came from.
The idyllic countryside.
Look how down to earth she is now.
You can't even tell that she comes from a rich capitalist family.
But look at your dad.
He wears... pajamas and formal hats now.
He even drinks exquisite tea.
Can you think why they would get like this?
Why would they end up like this?
It's like the rain moistening everything in silence.
They've been working so hard on changing each other,
and resisting being changed by each other.
What was the outcome?
Think about it.
Tell me.
They've tried so hard, that they've switched roles.
Tell me,
when did they meet each other and walk in different directions?
I'm... not sure.
My poor mom.
Country folk these days try so hard to move to the city,
but my mom chose to move to the countryside instead.
Don't feel bad for your mom. I don't think her choice is a bad one.
Wait, why are you laughing?
Listen, my dad made a summary of my mom's life the other day.
He said that my mom has been diligent, but not brave.
She works hard and never complains.
He even said my mom is pretty, but not kind. Such a mean comment.
They are a good couple.
It's like what ancient poets wrote in their poems.
"We live in each other,
we've become each other."
It's the best kind of marriage. They are a model couple.
Am I right?
You went to get more food, Chief?
Can't you cook some at home?
It's all your fault.
You wanted me to celebrate my 80th birthday early.
Now I have to go get my own food every day.
Comrade, struggles always involve sacrifices.
You're looking forward to great gifts, but you don't want to suffer.
-Nothing is effortless. -Is a knitted outfit a great gift?
It's handmade, knitted with love and affection.
Isn't that better than any piece of treasure?
You should be grateful.
Go home before the food gets cold. I need to get going.
-The food is here. -You can start eating.
I'll eat when I've finished this pattern.
-It's getting cold. -Then I'll reheat it.
You're just annoying yourself.
It's time to go to bed.
You can go to bed, but I want to finish this sleeve first.
Suit yourself.
She's crazy.
Wake up, wake up. How did you fall asleep here?
Honey.
Honey!
Honey, what's going on?
Huh?
OPERATING THEATER AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY
-Is my mom all right? How is she? -It was a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Her condition is better now, but she's still in a coma.
-Comrade, when will she wake up? -I'm not sure.
Jiang Weimin, what were you doing?
I didn't see Dad.
-What's with you? -Enough.
Calm down.
I don't think we should all be here.
Weimin, you should take dad home to get some rest.
I'll wait here with Yafei. We'll keep you updated.
I'm not leaving.
I'm waiting here till your mom wakes up.
You should go home. We need you to stay healthy.
I'm not leaving. Just leave me alone, I'm not leaving.
What will I do if anything...
goes wrong with your mom?
Dad.
Auntie.
-Have you eaten yet? -Dad, you should eat something.
-How's Mom? -She's still in a coma.
-How are her vitals? -The doctor said they're stable.
Is Dad all right?
He's been at the hospital with Mom since she got sick.
He cried when we asked him to leave. Our big brother arrives this afternoon.
Yaning is stuck on the island, so she's freaking out.
Let's head to the hospital.
Time to eat.
Weidong. Come here.
Brother, dad smells.
I smelled it too.
But he refuses to leave, what can we do?
It's his birthday tomorrow, so we can't let him be smelly.
What should we do?
You should take him home with Weimin, so he can get some rest.
He should get some sleep.
That'd be ideal, but dad won't do it.
He freaked out on Weimin when he told him to rest at home.
I'll see what I can do.
Dad! Dad! Slow down. Slow down.
-Take it easy, okay? -Okay.
-Dad, eat some vegetables, okay? -Okay.
Yafei.
What am I going to do if your mom doesn't wake up?
She's definitely going to wake up.
Why are you peeling the skin off? Have you learned all Mom's bad habits?
When her bun... dropped on the floor...
she would peel the skin off.
I criticized her for thinking like a capitalist.
Are you thinking like a capitalist now?
I'm not thinking like a capitalist.
I'm just hoping that your mom can wake up soon.
That's why I'm eating it like this.
Dad, don't worry. Mom will wake up for sure.
She won't leave you alone.
I know. I know, I know, I know.
I know she won't.
Dad. It's your birthday tomorrow.
-Is it? -Yeah.
I almost forgot.
But right now, you really smell.
How can an old gentleman smell this bad on his birthday?
Are you asking me to go home? I'm not leaving.
It's not that.
I just want my brothers to take you home for a shower.
-You can come back right after you shower. -I'm not getting a shower.
I'm not going anywhere.
I'm waiting here till your mom wakes up.
-I'm not going anywhere. -Fine, fine.
We won't go anywhere. We won't.
Let's finish the food, okay? Here. Here, Dad.
Let's finish the food first.
Eat some vegetables, okay?
Mom.
Please wake up.
You should wake up for Dad... who loves you so much.
Mom.
Mommy.
Yafei.
You're awake.
Dad. Dad, Mom's awake.
-What about your mom? -Mom's awake, Mom's awake.
-Dad, be careful. -Honey.
You're awake?
Slowly. What's the rush?
Honey.
You're finally awake.
Do you know that you really scared us?
Do you know how worried I was, huh? I was so worried.
This is great, you're awake.
-This is great. -Dad, don't make Mom too emotional.
I'll go tell the doctor, okay?
This is great, you're awake. Are you hungry?
-You smell. -You sniff like a dog.
You should go home, take a shower and get some sleep.
Okay, you're the boss.
I should go and take a shower.
It's my 80th birthday today. I need to celebrate it clean.
Huh? It's August 1st already?
You should lie down. Lie down.
Time sure does fly, honey.
I'm 80 years old.
Happy birthday.
I am happy. I'm happy, I'm happy. I am happy.
It's too bad that
I haven't finished your birthday present.
Honey...
seeing you awake...
is the best birthday present.
-Welcome, welcome, welcome. -Thank you very much.
Thank you, Leading Officer. Thank you so much.
Why do I hear sarcasm in the voice of the general's wife?
Are you not the leading officer?
I'm just the leader of a unit, not an army.
Am I right, Deputy Political Commissar Meng?
Yafei, you're still so fierce.
And your Mandarin is still poor.
Come here, Mengli.
-It's your aunt. -Say hi.
She's so tall now.
-It's wonderful. -Yeah.
Here, have some pie.
-Dad, are you done? -I'm almost done. I'll be out soon.
Your favorite little daughter is here, so hurry up.
Dad, take your time. Don't rush. Don't rush him.
What happened to your lips? Do you have a cold sore?
What do you think?
No one can defeat nature.
There's always time for acne and cold sores.
Watch your mouth.
-Have you seen Mom yet? -I have.
Mom said,
"What's the rush? I wasn't dying.
Your dad and I haven't lived enough."
This incident has shown how much they love each other.
I was so moved.
Sister, will Mom be all right?
The doctor said she should recover soon, and she should be fine.
But we need to be cautious.
It'll be fine, I'm here with them.
Dad, hurry up.
-Let's go inside first. -He's so slow.
It's August 1st already.
The kids are all at home, celebrating their dad's birthday.
It'd be great if you could be there.
We could all celebrate it together.
But you're in here, pretending to be sick.
Do you think I'm enjoying this?
We should thank Yafei. It was her idea to make this into such a big deal.
-It almost didn't end well. -Now you're just being mean.
The person who is willing to help often becomes the target of complaints.
Brother, you're not being fair.
Don't criticize Commissar Jiang's proactive attitude.
Will you take care of Mom and Dad if she quits?
-Exactly, I agree. -Me too.
Why didn't you say anything?
Good thing Yaning defended me, or I'd have been very wronged.
Jiang Weidong, you should apologize.
-Come on, apologize. -Apologize, apologize.
Fine. Heil Hitler!
-Destroy Fascism! -Freedom belongs to the people!
-Here comes Grandpa. -Dad.
Dad. Who are you?
What kind of question is that? I'm your dad.
Is my dad westernized or what?
You look like an overseas Chinese person.
-Exactly. -Dad, you look so handsome.
-Does he look like an 80-year-old man? -Not at all.
That outfit is amazing.
My dad bought this outfit as a birthday present. It's expensive.
-Wow! -That's wonderful.
Grandpa, let's cut the cake!
Right, let's cut the cake.
Come on, give the old man a hand.
"May you live a long and prosperous life."
-Very good. -Dad.
-Huh? -Sorry,
but this is all we can do this year.
Grandpa doesn't want to go to a restaurant.
He said he's not going anywhere while Grandma is still in hospital.
This is great, I really appreciate it.
Birthday Boy, blow out the candles and make a wish.
Yes, make a wish.
Okay.
-Great! -Great!
Happy birthday, Dad.
-Grandpa, I know what wish you just made. -Huh?
And what was that?
You wished for grandma to get well soon and live a long life.
Yaya is so smart.
It's my biggest wish now.
Dad, stop, or you'll make me cry.
Make you cry, or make you laugh?
-Dad, please take a seat. -Grandpa.
-Grandpa, sit down. -We should all sit down.
I want to sit next to grandpa.
Everyone be quiet now. Be quiet.
The birthday preparation team for Comrade Jiang Defu
is announcing Order No. Three. The gifting ceremony begins now.
We'll start with his oldest son, the leader of the Motorized Infantry.
Here, you go first.
Sure, I'll go first.
Dad, happy birthday.
-Very good, very good. -Dad...
one if my coworkers works in the archive.
I asked him to make a copy of your file secretly.
-Did you? -Yes.
This is such a thoughtful gift.
It's very precious.
-Where are my glasses? -Right here, right here.
Find Dad his glasses.
Good.
My life... has been spotless and unblemished.
I've lived a good life.
-Bravo, bravo. -Bravo!
Here.
Minister Jiang, isn't this like embezzlement?
Don't you worry, I paid for it.
Dad, my gift is a modern military uniform. Have a look.
-You should try it on. -That's a lot of stuff.
You got me everything. The belt and socks...
-It's the whole set. -Try it on.
Slowly.
Let's see, turn around.
Wow! Wow!
-How is it? -It's perfect.
-So handsome. -Never mind.
-You look great. -Don't you like it, Dad?
To be honest...
it doesn't look as good as my old uniform.
-This is the new style. -Dad, you have the mindset of a fox.
You're an old fox.
Look, the old fox is smiling.
Watch your mouth.
She learned it from you.
Why didn't she learn other good things from me?
Your strengths are not as obvious as your shortcomings.
Yaya, you've surpassed your master.
And the master is being outwitted.
-Dad. -Huh?
What do you have, little girl? A book?
This contains your lectures from when you were leader of the military camp.
All my lectures?
Was I this eloquent?
-You'll find out. -Let's see.
I was pretty good at giving speeches.
How come I didn't remember any of these? None of them.
You didn't need to write your own speeches when you were the leader.
All you needed to do was read out the scripts.
Of course you don't remember them when you didn't write them.
Aren't you clever?
-Where's your present? -Where is it? Show us, show us.
-Calm down. Haiyang? -I'll go get it.
It's gonna be a big surprise.
Really.
Bad news.
I put it in my car, but my coworker just drove it away.
Wang Haiyang, you're the "profligate" son.
You're dead.
Dad, they're fighting.
-Your dad must be exhausted. -Tell me about it.
He hasn't left this room since you were in a coma.
He hasn't slept at all.
He's still sleeping here, even after you've woken up.
He said it gives him a sense of relief.
Mom...
you're a lucky woman.
I am. I'm very lucky.
Did you imagine this when you first got married?
Honestly... no.
Then why did you marry him?
I wasn't... so certain about it.
I just felt that marrying someone like your dad was...
not good enough for me, so I wasn't too satisfied.
Are you satisfied now? Is he good enough for you?
Mom, are you really still unsatisfied?
I'm not unsatisfied...
but I just...
feel bad.
I don't feel bad for myself. I feel bad for your dad.
If he hadn't married me,
a capable man like your dad would have been promoted a long time ago.
He deserves a much better position.
But your dad has never complained.
He has never mentioned it to me.
Because he never mentioned it...
I always... feel guilty.
You're an old couple now, you shouldn't feel guilty.
You've lived a wonderful life together.
And you've made so many outstanding kids.
I'm sure he's grateful to you.
Don't feel guilty, okay?
When did you become Dad's spokesperson?
You should've asked if Dad wanted you to be his spokesperson.
-What spokesperson? -Dad's awake.
-Is it okay if I speak for you? -Sure, why not?
Mom. You don't need to feel guilty. I mean it.
Though Dad didn't have a great career, he has lived a great life.
He has lived... a cultured life...
an elegant and romantic life.
Compared to our aunt and uncle, spiritually...
What kind of life does our uncle live?
What kind of life does my dad enjoy?
Mom.
Jiang Yaning, you're pretty good. You didn't waste your college degree.
You combined theory with reality.
-It's really profound. -I know.
You've just made me feel so much better.
Sister, do you really not want any kids?
-No, no kids. -Why not?
I don't want to be a stepmom who favors her own kids.
Nonsense.
Seriously, that's the truth.
You know, I'm pretty emotional.
I can't even control my own temper.
I'll lose my temper in front of the kids.
If I don't have my own kids, then it's not a big deal.
But what will he think if I have my own?
It'll always remind him that I'm a stepmother,
and that I'm not being fair.
No matter what, it'll hurt the kid.
I don't want the kid to grow up with pain.
That's not entirely true.
Auntie is also a stepmom. She gets along with her husband's kids.
I'm not like Auntie.
I can't tolerate pressure and humiliation like that.
I would need to endure all that by myself.
No way.
So I'd rather be the stepmom than a biological mom.
Don't you feel bad for yourself?
Not at all.
I don't really like kids anyway, so I don't have to have kids.
Don't look at me like I'm suffering.
My stepson treats me nicely. He does.
He has never regarded me as his stepmom.
-Thank you so much. -I'm just doing my job, thank you.
That's my mom, thank you so much.
The lady is recovering well. The doctor said she can go home soon.
Thanks to you, you've been taking good care of her.
You've been taking good care of her. You're all very good kids.
We've all been pretty impressed.
Aren't you impressed by my dad?
Of course we are. Our head nurse even made up a song for him.
-What song? -What is it?
Put the reddest flower in your hair
Ride on a horse with stamina
Marry someone like this
Listen to the Party
What are you doing? Your mom is sleeping.
What's the matter with you?
-Are you all right? -I'm fine.
-The air here is so fresh. -Isn't it nice to be alive?
Of course it is, what kind of question was that?
Dad, you really aren't romantic at all.
Mom, how did you get through all these years?
I've lived a wonderful life. I'm very content.
-You deserve it. -Careful.
You cunning brat.
Here, slowly. Move further in.
Okay, okay, I deserve it.
You guys have a weird way of flirting.
Jiang Dehua brought her blanket to our house.
She said she's staying with us for a while.
Why would she bring her blanket? We have spare blankets.
Make my aunt stay then. The three of you can live together.
You should convince her. She only listens to you.
Okay, no problem.
Be careful, Mom. Are you all right?
Why are you laughing?
Dehua, do you remember what happened when we first met?
Of course I do.
You were at the front door, with your oldest kid in your arms.
Though you were smiling, I got pretty scared.
-Why were you scared? -You don't know how fierce your mom was.
-You weren't so weak yourself. -You're always on her side.
-Of course I'm on my wife's side. -But I'm your sister.
Don't you know that you get more intimate with your wife?
Auntie, did you go through all that? Poor you.
Right?
What can you do, besides alienate people?
Who sent the flowers?
Yafei's in-laws. To welcome you home.
Westernized freaks.
-Dad, you're being unsophisticated. -And they are sophisticated?
They only gave me a scarf for my birthday.
I've never worn a scarf in my life. It's such a waste.
I like this.
This is delicious.
Dehua makes the best noodles.
I can make you noodles every day if you like them.
Now that you've said that, you have to keep your promise.
I will, I assure you.
We need more than a verbal agreement.
You need to sign a contract.
What contract?
You'll write down that you two shall never start a war.
You mean never fight?
I'm not writing it down. I can't read, so you'll have to write it.
Fine, I'll write it.
You should make two copies. One for you, and one for her.
You sign yours, and she can sign with her fingerprint.
So I have to sell myself to you?
And stamp my fingerprint like slaves do?
Dad.
What's that?
-It's my dad's birthday present. -Mm?
-Slow down. -What good timing.
You should let your dad eat.
What is it? Let me see.
It's not something you see, it's something you listen to.
Just sit there and listen to the beautiful sounds, okay?
A bugle?
It's a bugle.
We heard this all the time on the island.
-It's been so long. -Be quiet.
Let me guess what this is supposed to be.
It's the wake-up call.
This is the march call.
This is the lunch call, the lunch call.
Subtitle translation by Wanyin Tsai