The rigorous city life of China, while bustling and unforgiving, contains the everlasting memories of days past. Three stories told in three different cities... Shikioriori follows the loss of youth and the daunting realization of adulthood. Though reality may seem ever changing, unchangeable are the short-lived moments of one's childhood days. A plentiful bowl of noodles, the beauty of family and the trials of first love endure the inevitable flow of time, as three different characters explore the strength of bonds and the warmth of cherished memories. Within the disorder of the present world, witness these quaint stories recognize the comfort of the past, and attempt to revive the neglected flavors of youth.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:30for flight CNT215, departing at 11.45.
00:00:34All passengers, please proceed to the gate.
00:00:36Again, flight CNT215, departing at 11.45.
00:00:41We'll now proceed to the gate.
00:00:43Hunger gnaws at the heart.
00:01:06Downpours like these are rare in Beijing.
00:01:08The subways swallow the people up, like drinking cold soup, then mechanically spits them back
00:01:14out.
00:01:16The unfeeling city seems to wipe every face in it blank.
00:01:20I bet I'm no exception.
00:01:23Caught in the grind of day after repetitive day, you can count up all the things you once
00:01:29loved, all the things you treasure, and still feel like you've lost something.
00:01:35Your tongue goes numb.
00:01:37Little by little, it forgets the sensations of your hometown.
00:01:41That flavor I lost now seems to haunt me.
00:01:48The memories I thought I'd treasured, where have they gone?
00:02:15Every time that season rolls around, I find myself remembering the rice noodles I ate
00:02:30back in my hometown.
00:02:31Of those, the flavor that most invigorates me is rice noodles with seasonal ingredients
00:02:36on top, sanxian noodles.
00:02:54For most people in Hunan province, the day begins with a bowl of steaming rice noodles.
00:03:02It leaves your whole face sweating as you drink it all down.
00:03:13Some of my first memories are of a rice noodle shop that didn't even have a sign out front.
00:03:31The rice noodles they sold were handmade, translucent, and as beautiful as they were,
00:03:43delicious.
00:03:44They were just a little chewy, so you had to take your time with them.
00:03:47It was like they were telling you to start your day nice and slow.
00:03:51This was my grandma's and my time.
00:03:56Since both of my parents worked, my mornings were always just me, her, and a bowl of noodles.
00:04:02The noodles we ate were always sanxian noodles, and I was absolutely crazy for them.
00:04:09The mushrooms were always strong and fresh, the kikurage with its firm texture.
00:04:16Each added their own unique layer to the thick broth that cradled them, creating a flavor
00:04:21that made my heart soar.
00:04:31The hot steam against my skin, the aroma of the soup in my nose, the sound of the two
00:04:36of us slurping away.
00:04:39I can't tell you how much I loved those moments.
00:04:44There was even more to what made it delicious.
00:04:47The meat and shiitake minced over and over.
00:04:50The fried egg, soft and fluffy, that made the noodles seem even richer as they slid
00:04:55down your throat.
00:04:57That light, amber soup that brought out the flavor of every ingredient.
00:05:02While some restaurants use MSG to enhance the taste of their dishes, the husband and
00:05:07wife who ran this one used old-fashioned elbow grease in order to craft the very best rice
00:05:12noodles they could.
00:05:20Eat as much as you want.
00:05:22Would you like me to get you another bowl?
00:05:26I didn't know this until later, but the man who owned that shop had once been a personal
00:05:32chef in Beijing, and he was said to be the best cook in all of Hunan province.
00:05:38Apparently, sometime before I was born, he decided to go independent, moved to this area,
00:05:44and opened a rice noodle shop.
00:05:47The Sanchian noodles were the only dish he made, and he'd been doing it for over 20 years.
00:05:54Those handmade noodles, never changing, that soup always the same.
00:05:59They didn't talk much, but their small kitchen produced a dish that everyone loved.
00:06:06Their rice noodles were so good, people would wake up early and come from far away to eat
00:06:09them.
00:06:10Those people didn't always get there in time.
00:06:13I was lucky enough to live very close by, which meant that I got to eat their delicious
00:06:18noodles every single day.
00:06:22My grandma always said, if you find joy in eating, then you will always be blessed by
00:06:28delicious food.
00:06:31One day, out of nowhere, the cook and his wife quit the business and disappeared.
00:06:55Rumors started to circulate.
00:06:57Others resented their success and drove them out.
00:07:00Another popular theory was that his old employer had called them back to Beijing.
00:07:04But I bet, wherever they ended up, it was a place full of people who loved to eat delicious
00:07:13food.
00:07:15I can only hope their rice noodles would make those people as happy as they made me.
00:07:45The noodles sold at the shop near the school were machine-made.
00:07:53There was nothing special about the texture, but they were packed with piping hot fresh
00:07:58ingredients.
00:08:03The savoriness of the stir-fried vegetables coated the blank canvas of the noodles and
00:08:07infused the broth.
00:08:11It wasn't the same as the place where my grandma and I used to eat, but I still liked
00:08:15it a lot.
00:08:41in the meantime, you're a growing boy, so eat all you can and be sure to study hard.
00:08:47Oh, thank you very much.
00:09:01The girl I secretly liked was one year older than me,
00:09:04and every morning she would take this road to get to school.
00:09:07Her hair would shine chestnut in the warm morning light.
00:09:15Blowing in the wind, I could have gazed at it forever.
00:09:22Half of the reason that I always chose to eat at that shop every morning was so that
00:09:26I could watch her ride by.
00:09:29Seeing her every day was the joy of my life.
00:09:32It was a dream, and although I couldn't tell you why, I was sure that it would go on forever.
00:09:40But then, that autumn...
00:09:50So this here is the new layout.
00:09:52The rice noodle shop changed into something else.
00:09:56Her husband had found a new calling in life and convinced her to go along with it,
00:10:00so the rice noodle shop became a fishing shop.
00:10:04And just like that, my happy mornings were gone.
00:10:08No more rice noodles, no more gazing at the girl I admired.
00:10:14As for the fishing shop itself, it was apparently a flop.
00:10:30This is what you get for running your mouth!
00:10:34Come on, let's get out of here!
00:10:41Hey, someone call the teachers now!
00:10:48What's going on here?
00:10:49What happened?
00:10:50Hey, hey!
00:10:51Is he okay?
00:10:52Is he okay?
00:10:56This is your fault!
00:10:57It's all your fault because you never have time to talk to him!
00:11:03The injured student was the son of the woman who ran that rice noodle shop.
00:11:09I don't know what started the fight, but the fishing shop closed down not long after.
00:11:16Then, in the third year of middle school, the rice noodle shop came back,
00:11:29looking just like it had before.
00:11:32But something was different this time.
00:11:34The woman's husband was now helping out, as was another person.
00:11:40Thank you very much for coming!
00:11:43My mornings were back, and things seemed like they should be happier than ever.
00:11:47But...
00:11:53The girl of my dreams had graduated middle school a little while ago
00:11:57and gone to a high school far away.
00:12:00My mornings are gray and melancholy.
00:12:02I'd lost my first love.
00:12:13When I was little, I would wake up to the smell of rice noodles,
00:12:18the time I spent having breakfast with my grandma,
00:12:20and then in school, my mornings spent happily watching her.
00:12:25Now, I'm all alone.
00:12:31I'll have one order of sun-shin noodles, please.
00:12:33Sure.
00:12:42Mm.
00:13:03Number 12, your order of sun-shin noodles is ready.
00:13:09The uniform noodles were made by machine.
00:13:12They're shaped far too perfect.
00:13:14The broth is fine, Chinese style and tasty enough.
00:13:18But the amount of toppings keeps going down, while the price keeps going up.
00:13:25When I was young, I loved sun-shin noodles,
00:13:27but they just don't taste like they used to.
00:13:39Hello, Dad?
00:13:41What is it?
00:13:42What?
00:13:50It was a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Beijing.
00:13:53I'd always told myself it was an easy trip back,
00:13:57but it suddenly felt like home was impossibly far away.
00:14:01Even the shining city below seemed to move with a frustrating lack of urgency.
00:14:12So,
00:14:43uh,
00:14:54my dear Ming,
00:14:57I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to eat rice noodles with you anymore.
00:15:03That's not true, Grandma.
00:15:04We can still eat them together anytime you want to.
00:15:12Grandma, can you—
00:15:42The
00:16:00morning sun unraveled a spirit which the night before had tightly wound,
00:16:05and I was somehow sure that this memory too,
00:16:09although heart-wrenching, would be comforted by the passage of time.
00:16:14Some things don't change, some things do.
00:16:17Hello, what can I get for you?
00:16:19One bowl of sun-shin noodles, please.
00:16:22You got it.
00:16:24Maybe the warmth I'd lost touch with yesterday is still out there.
00:16:28Maybe it's what's giving today its color.
00:16:38Those days are far behind me now,
00:16:41but looking back on the tracks I left might help to guide the person I've become.
00:16:46I'll keep it all there in the back of my mind as I continue on through the seasons.
00:16:52It was a pale, gray, and melancholy morning, but a morning I spent bathed in light.
00:17:02Well, here you go.
00:17:08I've always loved pretty clothes, ever since I was a little girl.
00:17:33Wearing an outfit that I loved would put me in a good mood all day long, made me feel invincible.
00:17:41I loved picking out clothing for my little sister, too.
00:17:44Once my sister got old enough to wear my hand-me-downs,
00:17:47she would let me dress her up like a doll.
00:17:51But then I kept getting taller and taller, and soon I got too tall for my clothes to fit her.
00:17:58I got too tall for my clothes to fit her.
00:18:03I used to absolutely hate being tall.
00:18:05It made me stand out in the crowd, and I was always hitting my head.
00:18:12But now, I'm grateful to my parents for my height.
00:18:16Since I don't really have any talents, I never would have gotten my job,
00:18:20if not for the height I inherited from them.
00:18:23I really hate that they both died before I had the chance to tell them that.
00:18:29I never realize what's really important to me, until after I've lost it.
00:18:38Everything's always changing so fast.
00:18:42Fashion trends, movement patterns, and models, too.
00:18:47And I know, I won't be able to do this job forever.
00:18:53But I want to keep shining for just a little while longer,
00:18:58for the only family I have left, my little sister.
00:19:18Yilin, great job today.
00:19:28You too.
00:19:36There we go.
00:19:41Thank you so much.
00:19:42No problem.
00:19:43Bye-bye.
00:19:46Don't do that.
00:19:47You know I can't afford you getting hurt.
00:19:50Yeah, but those clothes are valuable.
00:19:52Okay, but still.
00:19:57The first time my picture was in a magazine, I was absolutely thrilled.
00:20:02It was a way for my little sister, who was living far away at the time, to see me.
00:20:08But these days, it's totally mundane.
00:20:12Tell me, what do you see?
00:20:18Cameras, some lights, and a lot of girls.
00:20:24Here you are, standing in a place that millions of girls aspire to,
00:20:28and that dreary clinical vista is the only thing you see?
00:20:32Nothing else?
00:20:36I can't seem to think of anything else at the moment.
00:20:40Sorry, it was a weird question.
00:20:42Anyway, nice work at the shoot earlier.
00:20:47Hey, you know he's the new chief editor, right?
00:20:50You really need to try and impress him.
00:20:54Thank you, everyone.
00:20:56How many years have you been in this business?
00:20:58You could at least sound like you're interested.
00:21:05You know, I'm more of an action-over-words kind of girl.
00:21:11You and your mouth.
00:21:12Okay, we got the all-clear sign.
00:21:15We're finished now.
00:21:16Great work, everybody.
00:21:20I made you a big cake.
00:21:31Well, maybe she's just really busy.
00:21:36Yeah, you know, the other day I was...
00:21:38Missy Lin!
00:21:40Happy birthday!
00:21:42Missy, happy birthday!
00:21:44Thank you!
00:22:14Not again.
00:22:26Yilin!
00:22:31Happy birthday.
00:22:33You came, too.
00:22:35Your manager mentioned it to me.
00:22:38I wanted to see the shoot, but I was so busy.
00:22:41Can you stay long?
00:22:43Sorry, I need to get back to work.
00:22:47Of course.
00:22:48Well, I'm glad that you came.
00:22:51Miss Yilin!
00:22:53Um, hi.
00:22:54I'm Shijing.
00:22:55We share an agent.
00:22:56Can I say I really admired you for so long?
00:22:59Really?
00:23:00You're really popular at my school, too.
00:23:03Everyone imitates you.
00:23:05That's so sweet.
00:23:06You're still in school?
00:23:08But you're so mature.
00:23:09Thanks!
00:23:10Oh.
00:23:11You have a bright future.
00:23:14To the new generation.
00:23:16Thank you very much.
00:23:18So, Missy Lin, I'd really appreciate any advice
00:23:21that you might be able to give me about
00:23:23having a career in this business.
00:23:25Advice?
00:23:26I don't know what to say.
00:23:29Oh, please.
00:23:30Why not help the kid?
00:23:31It's clear she looks up to you.
00:23:33Well, I...
00:23:34Shijing, dear!
00:23:35Over here!
00:23:36Hey!
00:23:38Gotta go.
00:23:39Gotta go.
00:23:39Talk soon!
00:23:42But I didn't say anything.
00:23:45She's great.
00:23:46Charming.
00:23:47Oh?
00:23:48Hey, if you thought she could stay on top forever,
00:23:50you were gravely mistaken, Yilin.
00:23:53What do you mean by that?
00:23:55I think I'm gonna go mingle, okay?
00:24:01Forget him.
00:24:02Shut up.
00:24:03How could he do this to me on my birthday?
00:24:09Maybe you should be more careful how you choose your men.
00:24:13Shut up.
00:24:23Every single time.
00:24:24Hello, Lulu.
00:24:26How are you?
00:24:29I'm sorry you have to do this again.
00:24:31Oh, no worries.
00:24:33It's my job anyway.
00:24:35That's why you should have invited Lulu.
00:24:39No way.
00:24:40You know that crowds make me really anxious.
00:24:42You'll never meet a man that way.
00:24:45You hardly have the high ground there.
00:24:53So good!
00:24:55Did you make it yourself, Lulu?
00:25:00Oh, it really is good.
00:25:02My Lulu is so talented.
00:25:05She can do anything you ask her to.
00:25:07Well, that's hardly true.
00:25:09You hungry?
00:25:11I guess you ate already.
00:25:13I'm sorry.
00:25:15But it's fine.
00:25:17Steve will eat for me.
00:25:19Oh, will I now?
00:25:23I love home.
00:25:25Lulu's there.
00:25:27Well, good night.
00:25:29Come on.
00:25:30That's so irresponsible.
00:25:37I'd love to let the folks at work see her like this.
00:25:43I'm so sorry.
00:25:45You really prepared a feast, huh?
00:25:47Oh, it's okay.
00:25:48It wasn't that much.
00:25:50You don't think this is all that much?
00:25:54Yeah.
00:25:55I owe everything to my sister, after all.
00:25:58If she hadn't taken me in like she did,
00:26:00then there's no way I would have ever been able to go to school.
00:26:08I'm so sorry I'm late.
00:26:21Big sister?
00:26:22It's so good to see you again, Lulu.
00:26:25From now on, we'll always be together.
00:26:29Let's get something to eat.
00:26:31There's a lot of great places to choose from here.
00:26:33Even back then, she was so pretty.
00:26:38She was radiant.
00:26:40It's like we were from two different planets.
00:26:45And now she looks like a sea lion.
00:26:49Steve, don't you hit on Lulu.
00:26:54No offense, honey.
00:26:55You're not my type.
00:26:59Well now, since that's cleared up, I should get going.
00:27:04Yi Lin, you have an audition tomorrow.
00:27:07Don't be late.
00:27:09Yeah, yeah.
00:27:20Big sister, big sister, it's morning.
00:27:22Wake up.
00:27:28Lulu, good morning.
00:27:31I have to get going to school now.
00:27:33You okay?
00:27:34I'll be fine.
00:27:36Go on.
00:27:41Just five more minutes.
00:27:51Oh, no, no, oh, no.
00:27:54Oh, no.
00:27:57We're so late.
00:27:59What were you doing?
00:28:01I overslept, okay?
00:28:03What do you want me to say?
00:28:04Oh, good grief.
00:28:14Miss Yi Lin, I'm surprised you're so late.
00:28:26Next.
00:28:34Very nice.
00:28:38Next.
00:28:53Next, please.
00:29:01Look, don't worry.
00:29:02That one was for kids.
00:29:04Oh, so you're saying that I'm too old?
00:29:08You're supposed to say no.
00:29:10Let's look ahead.
00:29:11There's a great job coming up that will be perfect for you.
00:29:15Look ahead, huh?
00:29:17I guess when you're at the top, it's easy to lose your way.
00:29:20I got the gig!
00:29:21Xue Jing?
00:29:24What's the meaning of this?
00:29:27Um, yeah, they may have mentioned they were 90% decided on Xue Jing.
00:29:33Yeah, well, I don't care.
00:29:36Now, now, don't forget Fashion Week is coming up.
00:29:40So what?
00:29:41Xue Jing will be there, too.
00:29:45Oh, it's from Lulu.
00:29:47She wants to know if you need dinner.
00:29:49I wonder why she wouldn't just ask me.
00:29:52Probably because you never actually answer her.
00:30:00Is it really better to be young?
00:30:03I'm so sick of being depressed about this all the time.
00:30:09Hey, listen.
00:30:10Yeah?
00:30:13It's nothing.
00:30:15Want dinner?
00:30:17No, thank you.
00:30:18It's just you haven't been eating much lately.
00:30:22I'm fine.
00:30:23I just need to get my figure ready for Fashion Week.
00:30:26Going to make yourself sick.
00:30:28I said I'll be fine.
00:30:29It's not like I don't do this every time.
00:30:32Yeah, but...
00:30:33Shut up!
00:30:34Lulu, you don't understand!
00:30:38What?
00:30:40Look, you don't have to worry so much about me.
00:30:43Just focus on yourself.
00:30:45But Yilin, where are you going?
00:30:47The gym.
00:30:48Don't push yourself.
00:30:57It's so hard.
00:31:03Secrets of my beauty?
00:31:05I don't do anything in particular.
00:31:09That's all a bunch of nonsense.
00:31:13Nobody knows all the hard work that goes into being beautiful.
00:31:21I just don't want Lulu to see me looking like this.
00:31:25As much as that's possible, anyway.
00:31:28After our parents died, Lulu and I were sent to live with different relatives.
00:31:34I think that was really hard on her.
00:31:37I know it was hard on me.
00:31:41When I decided to take Lulu in, the people around me were against it.
00:31:46But I made it happen.
00:31:48I guess I'm just greedy.
00:31:50My career as a model and my role as Lulu's amazing big sister.
00:31:54I want to have them both.
00:32:13What the...
00:32:14But why?
00:32:16The truth is, at the end of the day,
00:32:19my beauty is not the only thing that matters.
00:32:22At the end of the day, my body is my only asset.
00:32:26And beauty is something that will disappear the instant you let your guard down.
00:32:32At this point, I'll do whatever it takes if I can just keep clinging to it.
00:32:43You're pushing yourself way too hard.
00:32:45What's going on with you lately?
00:32:47I'm a professional, aren't I?
00:32:49I can handle it.
00:32:52I'm worried about you.
00:32:55Please, let me go.
00:32:58All right, just don't do more than you can handle, okay?
00:33:11Oh, Missy Lin, you look like death.
00:33:16Maybe you should go and get some rest.
00:33:18I'll be just fine, thank you.
00:33:20I've always wanted to be on this stage.
00:33:23Just the fact that I'm here is such a thrill.
00:33:26But I wonder...
00:33:29What other exciting things are still to come?
00:33:32Can you see it?
00:33:33Can you see what's starting here?
00:33:35It looks like it's your turn.
00:33:37My shining future awaits.
00:33:39Hey, listen to me.
00:33:41Just watch me, okay?
00:33:50Do I still have...
00:33:52Am I okay?
00:34:13I guess I messed up again.
00:34:16Yi Lin! Hey, Yi Lin!
00:34:32Yi Lin, you really do like that outfit, don't you?
00:34:36Yeah, because it's my favorite color!
00:34:46Mom?
00:34:56Oh, you awake?
00:35:02I just had a dream about Mom.
00:35:04A dream?
00:35:05We were little.
00:35:07She was always sewing something, huh?
00:35:09That's right, I remember.
00:35:13About the sewing and about Mom.
00:35:16Mom always used to say,
00:35:20if you managed to sew for long enough,
00:35:22you'd start to see the sky over your hometown.
00:35:25What's that even mean?
00:35:28I have no idea.
00:35:30Lulu, what is it that you see?
00:35:33Well...
00:35:36People wearing my clothing, I guess.
00:35:38I'd really love it if my clothing could make people happy.
00:35:43That is... really nice.
00:35:49It looked like it was going to take a long time for my injury to heal.
00:36:03I was only away from work for a little while,
00:36:06and yet I had completely disappeared.
00:36:08In the end, there were plenty of people to replace me.
00:36:13The world had just kept going on without me,
00:36:18as if nothing had changed.
00:36:24I guess now that your leg's better,
00:36:26you'll want to get back to work right away?
00:36:29I was thinking about that.
00:36:32I think that I'm sick of it.
00:36:35So, take some time off?
00:36:36Yeah, maybe more.
00:36:39Do you mean that you're going to quit?
00:36:41It might be time.
00:36:44I see.
00:36:50Hey, teach me how to do that.
00:36:54Huh?
00:36:55Teach me how to sew.
00:36:57I figured that maybe I would try my hand at it.
00:37:01Why would you say that?
00:37:03Hey, don't be mean.
00:37:06I just want to be able to do a little work.
00:37:08Who do you think I do all this for?
00:37:12For me? Is that it?
00:37:14That's not fair! What do I even say to that?
00:37:18Don't look at me that way, Lulu.
00:37:21You're so stupid!
00:37:24Where are you going?
00:37:26School.
00:37:26At this time of night?
00:37:32What was that?
00:37:34Huh?
00:37:35They're really pretty.
00:37:38We lived together, but I never knew.
00:37:40I never tried to find out.
00:37:43I really am stupid.
00:37:48Ever since, she's stayed late at school.
00:37:51I thought she was a good girl.
00:37:53I didn't know that.
00:37:54I thought she was a good girl.
00:37:56I never thought she was a good girl.
00:37:58I thought she was a good girl.
00:37:59I never thought she was a good girl.
00:38:01I never thought she was a good girl.
00:38:03I'm worried that she must be avoiding me.
00:38:07I was wondering why you contacted me after so much time.
00:38:11What were you thinking?
00:38:13It's the first fight we've had since we started living together.
00:38:17It's good to hear that you feel better.
00:38:19Excuse me?
00:38:20Well, if you didn't, you wouldn't have the energy to fight.
00:38:23What?
00:38:24Anyway, that other thing.
00:38:26You're not really retiring.
00:38:28I mean, are you?
00:38:30Yes.
00:38:31I'm too old for this.
00:38:37I guess I'm out of a job, too, then.
00:38:39Really?
00:38:40Everyone I have always ends up leaving me in the end.
00:38:44I thought maybe you and I could keep going forever, but...
00:38:48So, what's your plan now?
00:38:50I don't know.
00:38:51I haven't decided.
00:38:53You mean, you don't have one.
00:38:56But I will earn money.
00:38:57Even if I don't model, I still want to protect my sister.
00:39:01Didn't you once say a real woman could do both?
00:39:06You're going to lose them both.
00:39:08Your career and Lulu.
00:39:10And you don't have a boyfriend, either, right?
00:39:13You're going to end up alone.
00:39:14You don't have to be cruel.
00:39:16Well, honey, I'm not your manager anymore.
00:39:20I don't have to hold back now.
00:39:22You're such an ungrateful jerk!
00:39:24I made you a ton of money!
00:39:25Wow.
00:39:26Who knew you had such an ugly side?
00:39:30Who do you think lets you live here, huh?
00:39:32Is that what you said to Lulu?
00:39:36No, not... not in exactly those words.
00:39:40But you did say it, in other words.
00:39:42Yeah, that's ugly.
00:39:46Do you really think I can make a comeback, Steve?
00:39:50After the way I humiliated myself?
00:39:52After the way I humiliated myself?
00:39:56I'd say that's up to you.
00:39:59Why are you so cruel at times like these?
00:40:01Aren't you supposed to encourage me?
00:40:03Please let me down gently!
00:40:07Don't laugh!
00:40:08I see you've got your fire back.
00:40:11That's the way you should be, Yilin.
00:40:16Now then, be here tomorrow.
00:40:18At four o'clock.
00:40:19Huh?
00:40:21Is it... a job?
00:40:24Don't you dare be late this time!
00:40:27Hey, wait!
00:40:33There's a part of me that really doesn't want to go.
00:40:38To be honest, I'm afraid I'll mess up again.
00:40:42Oh?
00:40:45There's something written on it.
00:40:47There's something written on it.
00:40:50Go for it, sis.
00:40:52Lulu?
00:41:11What?
00:41:13Uh, what's going on?
00:41:16Oh, hi, sister!
00:41:17Lulu!
00:41:19Did I surprise you?
00:41:20The show's about to start.
00:41:21Go get changed.
00:41:22Oh, wait!
00:41:23I couldn't possibly!
00:41:25Just get changed!
00:41:27Go on.
00:41:28Hey, wait, please!
00:41:31Hard to tell which one's the older sister.
00:41:38This is...
00:41:38This is my favorite color.
00:41:50You remembered.
00:41:52That dress.
00:41:54Lulu had made it just for me.
00:42:03Steve reached out to all kinds of people he knew.
00:42:06I thought you said that you weren't my manager anymore.
00:42:11But I am still your friend.
00:42:16Thank you, Steve.
00:42:30Lulu.
00:42:36Hmm?
00:42:39What can I see from here?
00:42:43I don't want to lose the things that are important to me.
00:42:48I don't care what anyone thinks or if I embarrass myself.
00:42:52I won't ever let them go.
00:43:00Soon after, I graduated from school and started my own clothing business.
00:43:07My sister went back to modeling, but this time, she seems happier and more like herself.
00:43:19These days, I make the clothing and my sister wears it.
00:43:26And every so often, we hold our very own private little fashion shows.
00:43:37You
00:43:48Hey, have you ever thought about the future?
00:43:53Someone said those words to me a long time ago.
00:43:56I don't know why they're coming back to me now.
00:43:59How did I answer the question?
00:44:01I honestly can't even remember.
00:44:03Lemo, you gotta work on your impulse control.
00:44:06You can't just decide last minute to move out of your folks' place.
00:44:13Boy, I should exercise more after graduation.
00:44:16Annual labor's tough.
00:44:18What's the rent like here?
00:44:20A hundred thousand a month.
00:44:21Whoa, that's high.
00:44:23I mean, can you afford that with your salary?
00:44:26You've only been with the company two years, right?
00:44:30You want to put a hotel like this in a Shikoman?
00:44:33Do you realize how important this is?
00:44:35This urban planning project is going to make or break our company.
00:44:40Have you even considered how the client would feel about this?
00:44:43It's like you're not thinking at all right now.
00:44:45Would you just wake up already?
00:44:53Shut up!
00:44:55Why can't you just leave me alone?
00:44:57I only want to make sure you dress a little bit warmer.
00:45:00You don't have to get so upset.
00:45:02That's why you distracted me?
00:45:05I'm trying to focus on my work.
00:45:08I've decided to move out of the house.
00:45:10I found my own place already.
00:45:13I knew immediately that I was acting like a child.
00:45:15Don't just sit there.
00:45:16I didn't care.
00:45:17I just barged out with no intention of coming back.
00:45:24Pan, are we missing a box over here?
00:45:27Are we?
00:45:27I don't know.
00:45:28I was pretty sure that we packed them all in.
00:45:30Well, whatever.
00:45:30We can go back and get it tomorrow, right?
00:45:32No, we can't.
00:45:33That box is important.
00:45:34It has all my tools for work in it.
00:45:36I need to start working on my blueprints right away.
00:45:38Hey, you got a pretty nice view up here, haven't you?
00:45:43Whoa, Pan!
00:45:46Don't open the window!
00:45:47The wind!
00:45:48Hey, you can see the Sheikahmen from here, huh?
00:45:50Cool.
00:45:52I guess they left a couple of them around, huh?
00:45:55Your grandma still lives over there, right?
00:45:58Man, when we were kids,
00:46:00remember how the Sheikahmen seemed huge, like a giant maze?
00:46:04But looking at it from here, I guess it's pretty small.
00:46:07Hey, how about you stop reminiscing and just give me a hand here?
00:46:14These old papers.
00:46:15Is this stuff from back when I was taking my high school entrance exams?
00:46:22Huh.
00:46:30Hey, that must be the old cassette tape Xiaoyu gave me.
00:46:39Still have it, huh?
00:46:40What do you mean she gave it to you?
00:46:42What is it doing in this box?
00:46:44Ah, it was right before high school entrance exams,
00:46:46when you were all shut in and studying like crazy.
00:46:49I guess Xiaoyu didn't want to feel like she was bothering you,
00:46:51so she just left it with me.
00:46:52But I felt a little awkward giving it to you, too.
00:46:56So I asked her mom instead.
00:46:57What? You didn't know about it?
00:47:01Han, do you have a tape player?
00:47:04Why the hell would I have one?
00:47:05You do remember what year it is, right?
00:47:11Uh...
00:47:12That's it. It's still there.
00:47:15Hey, where are you going?
00:47:17What about all the rest of your stuff, man?
00:47:25Is there really more?
00:47:26So let me hear it.
00:47:28The love that I lost, the dream that failed,
00:47:31that time years ago when the world was ours.
00:47:35I want another taste of what could have been.
00:47:38So please just let me hear something other than goodbye,
00:47:41because without you, I don't think my heart will ever stop aching.
00:47:56There's some construction going on, so watch your feet.
00:48:12Good afternoon, ma'am.
00:48:14Hello, sir. How are your new reading glasses?
00:48:18Oh, is that you, Xiaoyu?
00:48:20They're very good. Reading a newspaper has gotten so much easier.
00:48:24I'm glad to hear it.
00:48:27Ma'am, I got some more flower seeds for us to plant.
00:48:29I'll bring them with me next time.
00:48:33Pan, you know, I think we should listen to Xiaoyu's tape first.
00:48:36Come on, man. Lighten up.
00:48:37There's no ladies first rule among friends.
00:48:40Yeah, well...
00:48:42Come on, guys. Give it a rest, okay?
00:48:44I just want to listen to music. I don't care whose it is.
00:48:47Hey, Xiaoyu, can I get one of those, please?
00:48:50Oh, yeah, that's fine.
00:48:52I always figured you liked Limo.
00:48:54Hey, Pan, don't be so stupid.
00:48:58Uh-oh. Limo, did I strike a nerve there?
00:49:00Guess I called it right.
00:49:02Xiaoyu likes Limo. Xiaoyu likes Limo. Xiaoyu likes Limo.
00:49:08Everybody listen.
00:49:10Shut the hell up before I punch you in the face.
00:49:12Oh, Pan's tape.
00:49:15Oh, damn it. Now it's ruined great.
00:49:21Guess it serves you right.
00:49:23What did you say?
00:49:24Calm down, both of you. We'll listen to mine.
00:49:26Oh.
00:49:54Oh, Xiaoyu, are you heading home already?
00:50:15Why don't you stay and join us for dinner?
00:50:18Thank you. I really appreciate the offer, sir.
00:50:20But I really ought to be getting home.
00:50:22I have to study for tomorrow's test.
00:50:24Oh, that Xiaoyu is such a nice girl.
00:50:30Maybe you should offer to walk her home.
00:50:33Grandpa, you know, you're starting to sound a lot like Pan.
00:50:37Huh?
00:50:39Xiaoyu!
00:50:46What do you think they're going to do with all this urban development?
00:50:49I don't know.
00:50:51Roads crack and they never fix them.
00:50:53And there's absolutely no maintenance.
00:50:55Yeah.
00:50:57You can put me down.
00:50:59I'll walk the rest of the way.
00:51:01Who was the one crying, ow, ow, when I tried to put you down before?
00:51:05Oh, yeah.
00:51:06Maybe I was worried about you being able to carry the whole way.
00:51:09And I was just trying to give you a break.
00:51:11Okay. Okay.
00:51:12Sorry.
00:51:12Just cut it out.
00:51:13All right. It's dangerous.
00:51:15Hold on tight and stop struggling or you might fall.
00:51:23So, will you be okay tomorrow at school with your leg?
00:51:36Good question.
00:51:37If I don't go, do you think maybe you could record the class for me?
00:51:40You can just put it on this tape.
00:51:44Hey, while you're at it, maybe you could record a funny message or something on it, too.
00:51:47Something I could listen to over and over again.
00:51:51Sure thing.
00:51:52If that'll make you smile, then I'd be glad to.
00:51:59I can't wait to hear it.
00:52:00But hey, Limo, make sure you don't let it distract you from class.
00:52:04Oh, shut up.
00:52:11Whoa.
00:52:13Huh?
00:52:21Ah, Limo.
00:52:27This is a recording of our class.
00:52:29Can you please give this to Xiaoyu?
00:52:31Xiaoyu, you need for your leg to get better quickly so you can go back to school, okay?
00:52:36Okay.
00:52:52Xiaoyu, can you hear me?
00:52:54Look at line two of page six.
00:52:56Limo, what are you muttering about there?
00:52:59Would you like to explain to us all why you've brought a tape recorder into my classroom?
00:53:03If you'd like to sing, please stand up and be my guest.
00:53:07No, it's not that, sir.
00:53:09I'm...
00:53:10I...
00:53:21Oh, hey.
00:53:22Is your leg better already?
00:53:24Yeah.
00:53:25I'm sorry if I worried you.
00:53:27I recorded one for you too, so listen to it when you get home, okay?
00:53:40Hey, have you ever thought about the future?
00:53:54Where you'll be or what you'll be doing?
00:53:57Yeah, I have.
00:53:58I'm gonna build my own house.
00:54:00A house so big we can all live in it.
00:54:02Pan will get the first floor.
00:54:04I'll get the second.
00:54:05You can add the third.
00:54:06Then we can keep listening to music and stuff, just like we do now.
00:54:10Does that sound okay?
00:54:12I never...
00:54:14I never really thought about my future.
00:54:16That's why I wanted to ask you what you thought.
00:54:19But yeah, that sounds nice.
00:54:22Xiaoyu, I never asked you.
00:54:24What's your favorite color?
00:54:26It's red, because it's nice and warm.
00:54:29What's your favorite flower?
00:54:31Sunflowers, because they always face the sun.
00:54:35What about your favorite person?
00:54:41Limo, listen.
00:54:46I'm going to try to get into the affiliate high school for Yongpu University.
00:54:53Xiaoyu, are you really going to take the test for Yongpu Affiliate?
00:54:56That's a smart kid's school.
00:54:58Why haven't you ever mentioned anything about this before?
00:55:00I mean...
00:55:02Well, it's an affiliate high school,
00:55:04so apparently you could advance right to Yongpu University.
00:55:07And my mother and father really want me to go there.
00:55:11Come on, just because they tell you to go there?
00:55:15Like, how are you going to get there?
00:55:17It's really far away.
00:55:19Well, I might have to move.
00:55:24Xiaoyu, what is it that you want to do?
00:55:31I don't...
00:55:32I don't want to move.
00:55:34But...
00:55:37So your parents get to choose your whole life for you, huh?
00:55:40Then do whatever you want.
00:55:41Hey, hey, Limo.
00:55:43We're not done talking yet.
00:55:57Limo, what's the matter?
00:55:58You haven't touched your food.
00:56:00Are you worried about something that happened at school?
00:56:03I know this is an important time for you.
00:56:05Here, have a little more meat.
00:56:07You could use the extra nutrition.
00:56:10Mother, don't baby him.
00:56:11It's not like any of the schools he's looking at have difficult exams.
00:56:15Speaking of, which high school is Xiaoyu going to try to get into?
00:56:19Yongpu Affiliate.
00:56:21Ah, that's the Xiaoyu I know.
00:56:23I agree.
00:56:24I've always thought that Xiaoyu is an incredibly bright girl.
00:56:28You should learn from her example and show a little bit of ambition.
00:56:31I'm gonna get into the Yongpu Affiliate school too.
00:56:35Oh, really?
00:56:36Someone with Xiaoyu's grades I could understand,
00:56:38but I'm worried that you might have a hard time, son.
00:56:42That's true.
00:56:43Besides, what about the commute?
00:56:45That school is very far away.
00:56:47You aren't actually serious about this, right?
00:56:49You're just saying it.
00:56:51I'm serious.
00:56:52I'm getting into the Yongpu Affiliate school,
00:56:54and then I'm going to Yongpu University.
00:56:57Well, if that's true and you really mean what you're saying,
00:57:00then you have good timing.
00:57:02What do you mean good timing?
00:57:03I mean, a friend of mine asked if I had any interest
00:57:07in his open apartment in Yangpu District.
00:57:09Since they might continue the demolitions here,
00:57:12it might be good timing for all of us to leave the Shikumen behind.
00:57:20Limo, if this is really what you want,
00:57:22you need to apply yourself.
00:57:24Don't have any regrets.
00:57:26Tidy up your room and focus on your studies.
00:57:30You won't get in if you keep playing around like you've been doing.
00:57:33Hey, I got a new book!
00:57:35Here, pass it!
00:57:37Here's your tape back.
00:57:39I don't have anything to record anymore.
00:57:41Good luck with all of your studies.
00:57:45Hey, Limo, what school are you going to try to get into?
00:57:50One that's nearby.
00:57:52The one everyone else is going to.
00:58:03Wait, are you really just not gonna tell her?
00:58:16Yeah, so I'm not embarrassed if I fail.
00:58:19Listen, you rat me out and our friendship is over.
00:58:23Okay, that's crazy.
00:58:25Well, you've been acting pretty weird lately, you know?
00:58:27Did you only decide to do this because Xiaoyu was?
00:58:30It's just, it looks to me like you're pushing yourself
00:58:32trying to become the perfect guy just for her.
00:58:36It's not like that.
00:58:37I just want to try to prove to everybody else that I can do it.
00:58:41What, huh?
00:58:41Wait, but that doesn't make...
00:58:43Hey, wait up!
00:58:45You're going too fast!
00:58:50Limo, I know you're hard at work studying,
00:58:52but why don't you take a little break?
00:58:55You don't want to work yourself too hard?
00:58:57Also, your grandfather and grandmother have decided to stay here,
00:59:00so if you get in, it will just be the three of us moving.
00:59:05Oh, also, Pan stopped by with this tape earlier.
00:59:08He said that he wants you to listen to it.
00:59:11I don't have time for that right now.
00:59:12Just toss it in that box.
00:59:24Limo, is everything all right?
00:59:26You seem like you're in a rush.
00:59:29I need a tape player.
00:59:34I'm afraid I haven't been cooking very much
00:59:37now that it's only me in the house.
00:59:40It's really fine, Grandma.
00:59:42Don't worry about it.
00:59:43But you're hungry, aren't you?
00:59:45Let me at least give you some cookies.
00:59:55This area is slated for demolition soon, isn't it?
00:59:58Have you talked to Mom and Dad about maybe moving in?
01:00:01Yes, they started tearing them down one by one
01:00:04and ordered down the avenue, but they stopped here.
01:00:07There's been no sign of the demolition starting again anytime soon,
01:00:11so I'm not really in any hurry to leave.
01:00:23Hey, Xiaoyu!
01:00:25Xiaoyu, you there?
01:00:27Will you quit carrying on like that?
01:00:29Xiaoyu's not home.
01:00:30I didn't get a minute's sleep last night
01:00:32because of all the noise over there,
01:00:34so please just give me a break.
01:00:36So wait, she's not home?
01:00:38What kind of noise was it?
01:00:41Xiaoyu failed her high school entrance exam.
01:00:44Her father was furious with her, screaming his head off.
01:00:48I think he must have hit her
01:00:49because I'm pretty sure she wound up in the hospital.
01:00:52The police even came.
01:00:54It was terrible.
01:00:57The next day
01:01:08Moving day came.
01:01:09I still hadn't seen Xiaoyu.
01:01:12I was leaving my hometown,
01:01:13leaving Grandma and Grandpa in the Shikumen,
01:01:17and starting a new life in a city that I had never been to before.
01:01:22Xiaoyu, I thought we'd be going to that school together.
01:01:27How could things have turned out this way?
01:01:30No matter what I do, I can't get you out of my mind.
01:01:34Any time I look at the sky just after the rain…
01:01:57Thank you, Xiaoyu.
01:02:00You are so helpful.
01:02:01Now come sit down and eat.
01:02:03Yes, ma'am.
01:02:04Xiaoyu, I can't believe how much you've grown up.
01:02:07It's been a while since the three of you were all together.
01:02:10Here, top me off.
01:02:11Sounds great.
01:02:13Hey, Leo.
01:02:14Have a drink with me, man.
01:02:15You're still in high school.
01:02:16That's right.
01:02:17No drinking in the daytime.
01:02:23We had spent so much time together.
01:02:26But now, because we went to different schools,
01:02:28it was like we were from completely different worlds.
01:02:31We'd forgotten how to talk to each other.
01:02:38So, Limo, that's pretty cool that you have a CD player.
01:02:42Yep. Everyone's got them at school.
01:02:45The sound is way better than tapes.
01:02:47Oh, I bet.
01:02:49So I guess you probably don't listen to them anymore, huh?
01:02:52Well, you did listen to that last tape, though, didn't you?
01:02:58I'm pretty embarrassed about it now, so I hope you'll throw it out.
01:03:02Huh? Tape?
01:03:04What tape?
01:03:07It's a...
01:03:09Um, don't worry about it.
01:03:12This is far enough.
01:03:13Huh?
01:03:14You can go back to everyone else now.
01:03:17I really don't mind.
01:03:18I'm happy to walk you home.
01:03:21I've been down this road a million times.
01:03:23I don't think I'm going to get lost.
01:03:25Yeah, I, uh...
01:03:26I guess not.
01:03:30Limo, I'm sorry.
01:03:31I didn't mean to make you feel bad.
01:03:33It's fine.
01:03:33I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:34I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:35I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:36I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:37I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:37I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:38I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:38I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:39I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:39I'm glad you're okay.
01:03:40Limo?
01:03:41Hmm?
01:03:42Is it true that you really chose that high school because I was going?
01:03:49Why would you say that?
01:03:50I did it because I wanted to lord it over my parents.
01:03:53It really had nothing to do with you.
01:03:56I see.
01:03:57Pan had mentioned something about how it might have been.
01:04:01Well, that's dumb.
01:04:02You really shouldn't listen to anything that that guy has to say.
01:04:06Yeah, right.
01:04:08I get it.
01:04:09Well, I guess I'd better go.
01:04:12Yeah.
01:04:33Ah, man.
01:04:34We just missed seeing her off.
01:04:36Damn, when are we gonna get moving again?
01:04:39That was really cool to Xiaoyu.
01:04:41If she was gonna study in America, she could have at least said something to us.
01:04:46Is that really all our friendship meant to her?
01:04:51Hey, driver, seriously?
01:04:52You think maybe you could put out that damn cigarette because it's smoky as hell back here?
01:05:06Hmm.
01:05:28Limo, you shouldn't play next week's basketball tournament.
01:05:33Your injury isn't healed yet, right?
01:05:35You could aggravate it.
01:05:37You had better listen to me this time or I'm going to tell your mother.
01:05:41Listen, I'm gonna do whatever I want to do.
01:05:43What's wrong with that?
01:05:45Why should I always do what other people tell me?
01:05:48Right now, I want to believe in myself and follow my heart, even if that means being reckless.
01:05:53You said you like sunflowers, right, Xiaoyu?
01:05:56I want to be like a sunflower.
01:05:57My face always turned towards the sun.
01:06:01That's why I'm not gonna give up.
01:06:03I refuse to make excuses to my future self and then regret it.
01:06:08Well, if that's how you feel, don't erase this tape.
01:06:12We'll listen to it together when we've grown up.
01:06:20I think I realize something.
01:06:24I realize that I want to be like a sunflower, too.
01:06:29I don't want to have regrets.
01:06:33So, I'm giving up on going to Yangpo Affiliate because I don't want to be apart from you.
01:06:55I can't just rewind back to those days of our youth.
01:06:59This grinding, burning pain I've carried in my heart.
01:07:04I never knew that I'd put you through the same thing.
01:07:08Why didn't I just listen to your voice when it was happening?
01:07:13But maybe if we could just see each other again someday,
01:07:18maybe we can pick up where we left off and give our dream a second chance.
01:07:23I hope we do.
01:07:26I pray we do.
01:07:28I hope we do.
01:07:55Careful folks, watch your step.
01:07:57Shikumen architecture can be a little old-fashioned, so the stairs are kind of narrow.
01:08:02Hey, Pan! You forgot to take the room key!
01:08:06Ah, okay.
01:08:09Oh, hi! Welcome, ma'am. Do you have a reservation?
01:08:57I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:08:59I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:01I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:03I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:05I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:07I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:09I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:11I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:13I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:15I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:17I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:19I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:21I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:23I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:25I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:27I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:29I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:31I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:33I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:35I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:37I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:39I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:41I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:43I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:45I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:47I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:49I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:51I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:53I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:55I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:57I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:09:59I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:01I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:03I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:05I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:07I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:09I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:11I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:13I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:15I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it.
01:10:17I don't think I can make it.
01:10:19Anytime I become a bud-eyed
01:10:21and the world is thrown away
01:10:23but instead I'm looked and glanced
01:10:25and so I've adjusted to that situation
01:10:29The swollen impression
01:10:31that nobody ever notices
01:10:35I keep thinking that it'll be fine
01:10:41May no one know
01:10:43I was hoping that this meaningless cheek hug would have some meaning
01:10:54Hey, wake me up and look down
01:10:58I miss the things that were flowing
01:11:03I look down and go to look for them
01:11:07From now on, from now on
01:11:22I don't have a name, but I've come a long way
01:11:27My trembling feelings are proof
01:11:31Won't you comfort me with your voice?
01:11:35Your voice is like a sign
01:11:39Embracing the color of light
01:11:42Let's walk, let's walk, let's walk
01:12:05Limo, Xiaoyu, hurry up!
01:12:09Pan, come on, would you wait for us?
01:12:12You never change, do you?
01:12:15Xiaoyu, it's okay, I know you want to sit next to me
01:12:19All right, keep moving
01:12:24Oh, look, Lulu, the plains are so close, aren't they?
01:12:30Oh yeah, I'm glad the weather's nice
01:12:33Me too
01:12:43We are now boarding for flight CNT215
01:12:46Our tears and laughter weave together in a song
01:12:50But what kind of future will it lead to?
01:12:52Yesterday I was standing still
01:12:55I'll keep that memory in my heart and start walking
01:12:57And the sound of my footsteps will continue into tomorrow
01:13:27Translated by Hua Chenyu English Subs