Original subtitles

=Love Story in the 1970s=

=Episode 19=

(Congratulations to Ye Feng and Ling Yi on their marriage)

(Double Happiness) (Comrade Ye Feng, Comrade Ling Yi)

Fang!

Let's grab some food.

I'll pass.

My wife's bringing me lunch.

Lucky you.

Wait for me, Ji.

You're here.

You scared me.

How did you know it was me?

You have a special scent.

Only I can smell it.

It's uniquely yours.

What are you, a bloodhound?

Then smell this.

I made it for you.

What dish is it?

Bok choy with pork lard.

Impressive.

Go on, try it.

This is my first time at your newspaper office.

Smells like ink everywhere.

So nice.

If I go to college and graduate,

could I become an editor, too?

You already could.

Honestly, in our paper,

some of the editors

aren't as good as you.

I'll take that as encouragement.

If I could have my name

in the paper,

I'd put it right here.

"Written by Fei Ni."

You might get your chance. I heard from Uncle Fu

the paper's launching a writing contest soon.

The theme is the scenery of Jiangcheng.

Why not give it a try?

The winners

will be published

in the literary section of the paper.

Really?

Yeah.

The announcement should be in the paper soon.

I've been thinking lately.

The factory might not assign me a spot

at Worker-Peasant-Soldier University this summer.

But if I win this contest,

I'll have a better shot at getting nominated.

I think you're getting ahead of yourself.

Focus. Take your time and write a good piece first.

As for the outcome...

Leave it to fate.

No effort ever goes to waste.

Eat up.

I added extra pork lard. Try it.

It's delicious.

You eat.

Have another bite.

Chief Wang, I'll get going now.

Thanks.

These are last year's records from Jiangcheng No. 1 Textile Factory,

documenting outstanding workers from each workshop.

The factory leadership has instructed us

to compile their stories into a booklet

for publicity and promotion.

Split them among yourselves.

I want them by the end of the week.

- Okay. - Okay.

What's wrong, Fei Ting?

This...

There's no way I can even get through all this in a week.

How about I help you write it?

No need.

It's fine.

I was just saying.

It's all vegetables.

You eat.

What are you doing?

Come on, keep some for yourself.

I've got enough.

Ni.

I know you've been busy with work.

But I'm really out of options.

What happened?

The Publicity Division wants me to write profiles

on model workers.

I can't get a single word out.

So,

could you help me write one more?

Listen.

I'll be honest with you.

I've got a piece I can't seem to finish either.

But if we really think it through,

there's always a way.

If you're really stuck,

buy a copy of Jiangcheng Daily.

They publish plenty of model worker stories.

Read them every day.

You'll pick up the writing style in no time.

You're going to be in the Publicity Division for a while.

You'll have to learn sooner or later.

Alright.

You've been at it for an hour.

Any inspiration?

Fang Muyang,

tell me,

what if the scenery of Jiangcheng isn't really about scenery at all?

That's an interesting angle.

If it's not scenery,

then what is it?

No clue yet.

It's still just a thought.

I just don't want to go off topic

and lose my chance.

Fei Ni.

Yeah?

There's a movement in Western painting

called Impressionism.

When it first appeared,

the mainstream art world mocked it.

They said

it was too rough,

too casual,

like something

painted from memory without care.

But later,

Impressionism

became a groundbreaking force

in Western art history.

So you're saying literature, like painting,

needs innovation?

I think whether it's literature or painting,

what matters is expressing your true self.

Every work should carry the creator's unique imprint.

Write in a way

that truly represents you.

I know what I'm going to write now.

♪After the laughter, I think of you♪

♪After the storm, I think of you♪

Another black-out?

Ms. Liu?

Ms. Liu?

Do you have candles?

I need to borrow a few.

Sure, I'll drop by later.

♪That earnest you, smiling so innocently♪

♪In spring, I stay by your side♪

♪When summer comes, I watch over you♪

♪The fallen leaves in autumn, you belong to me♪

♪When the world is covered in snow♪

♪I still think of you♪

♪There's a small place♪

♪Where everyone has big dreams♪

♪Every cute face♪

♪Glows from the heart♪

♪Even when we collide, we hold our course♪

♪Even when we stumble, we keep our resolve♪

♪You belong to me, you see the light♪

♪Remember, that's me♪

Here, there's soup, too.

Okay.

Careful, it's hot. Dinner's ready, Mom, Dad.

- Sit here. - Come on.

I haven't heard anything about

the factory ramping up production.

Why is Fei Ting working overtime?

They've been running a model worker

publicity campaign.

The Publicity Division's swamped.

He can't work late every single day.

If they're asking him to stay late, it means they value him.

Don't go talking nonsense outside.

What if it gets back to Chief Wang?

Then what?

It'll affect his career.

I'm not stupid.

You never know.

Did you save some food for Fei Ting?

He'll be starving when he's back.

Don't worry, Mom. It's all kept warm in the pot.

You really do dote on our son.

So what exactly is Fei Ting writing?

Just model worker stories.

Is he any good?

He's great.

The leadership loves his work.

They even broadcast it over the factory loudspeakers.

Really?

Yeah.

Looks like Ni taught him well.

Mom, Dad,

at the factory now,

people address him

as Officer Fei!

He even showed me at home.

He's so proud of himself.

They all say, "If you need anything, go to Officer Fei."

Really?

"If you need anything, go to Officer Fei."

(What to write?)

(Jiangcheng People's Publishing House, Jiangcheng Daily)

Editor Liao, this is the revised draft you asked for.

Fang,

I told you last time.

With a comic strip,

folks must be able follow it.

Make it realistic.

Highlight the main character.

Look at this.

It's crowded.

Who's the main character here?

Mr. Yuan,

it's an idea.

Hear me out.

A comic strip is about storytelling, yes.

But I think

different stories should have different visual styles.

Alright, alright.

Don't lecture me.

I wrote the story.

It's my comic.

Just draw it the way I told you.

I picked you

because your basics are solid

and you're sharp.

I thought we'd have a first draft in a month.

But look at this now.

Mr. Yuan,

I'll revise it your way.

Please give me some time.

Fine.

For Fu's sake,

I'll give you a chance.

Thank you, Mr. Yuan.

Do it properly this time.

Good.

Alright. Looks good.

Run it like this.

Okay. I'll get going, Editor Liao.

Alright.

That's how the world works.

Not everyone who's famous deserves it,

but they're the ones holding the power and authority.

All we can do is bow our heads.

I don't care who holds the authority.

I just focus on drawing my best.

Knowing you,

I thought you'd refuse Mr. Yuan

and keep your version.

I wanted to.

But I have a family now.

And he pays well.

Fang Muyang,

you've changed.

I have.

And for the better.

Fang Muyang!

Fei Ni.

What's Ling Yi doing here?

She's an intern at the paper.

Comes in twice a week.

What brings you here?

I came to pick you up.

Really?

Or are you here to ask about the article?

I can check for you.

No, don't do it.

That wouldn't be fair to the others.

Win or lose,

I want a clear conscience.

I'm just here to take you home.

Let's go.

Yeah. Let's head home.

Hey.

You're back.

What are you doing here?

Something at home?

No.

I need to talk to Fang Muyang about something.

Let's go upstairs.

Stay for dinner.

No, no.

You and I...

Let's talk outside.

So mysterious?

Alright, you two talk.

I'll head in.

Get on.

Where to?

Just start riding.

Hey.

Dragging me out here

is making me nervous.

Did you bring a cleaver?

Back then, that was a misunderstanding.

If I'd known you were this good,

I would've married Ni to you sooner.

What's wrong? Trouble at work?

Trouble?

It's driving me insane.

You can't tell anyone.

I promise. Not even Fei Ni.

Honestly,

I've thought about this for a long time.

I really don't know who else to talk to.

After going over it again and again, it's only you.

After all, I got this job

because you and Fei Ni helped me secure it.

So it is about work?

No.

The job itself is fine.

It's me.

Every day in the Publicity Division

feels like I'm serving time.

I really don't know

how to do anything.

Hey,

don't say that.

Everyone has strengths

and weaknesses.

Maybe you're not great at writing,

but you're excellent in the fields.

And when we did carpentry together,

you were pretty good at that, too.

And your cooking, too.

How can you say you can't do anything?

I don't know.

Back in Great Northern Wilderness,

I really felt like I could handle anything.

I had so much drive every day.

But ever since returning to the city,

nothing feels right.

Whatever I do, I mess it up.

Sometimes, I think I should've just stayed in Great Northern Wilderness.

Ting,

you've seen screws before, right?

Look at a screw.

Some are long, some are short.

You can't use a short one to fix a sofa.

But it's perfect for a stool.

A long one wouldn't work there.

That's putting things to their best use.

I think

people only

reach their full potential

when they're in the right role.

If this job isn't right for you,

maybe think about switching.

How could I?

Forget Ni,

Lin Mei would never agree.

And jobs aren't easy to find right now.

It's not like I can just switch.

I'm not saying quit tomorrow.

But you can start thinking about it.

Figure out what you're good at.

As for the rest,

take it step by step.

(Jiangcheng Daily)

Is that today's?

See for yourself.

Everyone carries their own most beautiful scenery.

For some, it's in the mountains and rivers.

For others, it's in the passing seasons.

Fang Muyang!

My article!

My article's in the paper!

It's in the paper!

You won! Your article won!

The teacher's guidance...

What's wrong?

The author

is not me.

(Written by Ling Yi)

Here's the original submission.

Take a look.

This is exactly what I wrote.

Are you implying

that Ling Yi plagiarized you?

Careful with that accusation.

Editor Liao,

could you find Fei Ni's submission?

We can compare them.

Fei Ni?

I don't recall that name at all.

Alright.

All the submissions are over there.

You can look through them.

Okay.

(Submitted by: Ling Yi)

(Diagram of Pork Cuts)

Fei Ting!

Chief Wang.

We asked you to promote our model workers,

but this whole piece

has no real feeling, no substance.

This won't do!

I'm sorry, Chief Wang.

I'll rewrite it.

That's what you said last week.

And you're writing far too slowly.

Everyone else is done.

You're still two pieces short.

Yes.

If you're really stuck,

have someone at home

help you think it through.

That's impossible.

I put it in the mailbox myself.

Could it have been lost?

If it was lost,

then what about Ling Yi's article?

Ling's back.

What a surprise.

Looking for my mother-in-law?

Why not go upstairs?

(The Scenery of Jiangcheng) What is this?

What do you mean?

I wrote this article.

Why is your name on it?

Fei Ni,

you're saying I stole your piece?

Do you have proof?

If you don't,

then that's slander.

It's defamation.

Maybe you write well,

but that doesn't mean

no one else could write

something similar or even better.

And the contest has its own procedures.

I don't own the press.

I can't just put my name on anything.

If you keep making a scene,

we can go upstairs and ask Ms. Xu to judge.

If that's all,

I'm heading up.

Ling Yi.

I need a word.

I read Fei Ni's article before she submitted it.

Even if you two had the same idea,

it couldn't be this identical.

I did it.

But except in front of you,

I will never admit it.

What turned you into this?

Yeah.

How did I end up like this?

(If I were still that carefree girl from before,)

(not feeding pigs just to get a full meal,)

(not living in fear of being bullied,)

(on edge every day,)

(not having to grovel)

(just to stay in Jiangcheng...)

Even if you suffered,

you can't hurt someone else.

I don't have that luxury.

When you're barely surviving,

giving it everything you've got,

how do I care about others?

To Fei Ni,

this article is just a piece of candy.

But to me, it's medicine.

It's my bargaining chip

to stay at the newspaper after graduation.

Fang Muyang,

you helped me once.

I'm grateful.

So I promise you this.

If I stay on after graduation,

whenever Fei Ni wants to publish,

I'll do everything I can.

She doesn't need your help.

If she gets published,

it'll be on her own merit.

I don't agree with what you did.

I have to seek justice for her.

And how exactly will you do that?

Threaten me?

If I don't admit to plagiarism,

you'll tell everyone

(how I tried to kill myself, and you gave me)

(the university spot?)

Ling Yi, what are you doing?

Get down.

There's no hope anymore.

I don't want to live like this!

You do have hope.

No, Fang Muyang!

My mother is gone.

There's nothing left for me.

I'll give you my university spot.

(We're not the same.)

I won't turn what I did for you back then

into leverage against you now.

Fang Muyang,

I know you don't care.

But I do.

With this article,

I've proven what I'm capable of.

As for how I got into university,

no one will care.

What did she say?

She admitted it.

(Jiangcheng No. 1 Textile Factory)

Fei!

Master Li.

Got another job?

Good pay, just bad timing.

Friday afternoon.

That won't work.

I'm on shift Friday.

Take a day off.

Think about it.

Your salary

is barely one yuan a day.

Half a day with me is at least 3.5 yuan.

It's not about the money.

I'm making side cash during work hours.

If Chief Wang finds out, I'm toast.

Then don't let her find out.

Everyone gets sick sometimes.

Take sick leave. She won't drag you to the hospital.

Fei,

listen closely.

The factory turns a blind eye

to this stuff.

You think I'd dare otherwise?

Besides,

I picked you because you're honest

and hardworking.

That's why I'm offering you

a job that offers

good food, perks, and pay.

I could grab anyone from the canteen,

and they'd be grateful.

Right?

Alright.

Friday afternoon, then.

We'll go together. I'm off.

The newspaper's trash is dumped here every day.

This bin here

has no fixed clearing schedule.

When things get busy,

it might sit for ten days, even half a month.

(Uncle Fu,)

(I'll be graduating in a year.)

I'd like to hear your advice

about my job placement.

You've been interning at the paper lately,

and you've done quite well.

But you know,

positions at the paper are very limited.

If you want to stay on,

you'll need even stronger results.

Your mother and I go way back,

but we can't play favorites.

(Ling Yi,)

(help me sort these submissions in a bit.)

(File them by surname, alphabetically.)

(I'll check them tomorrow.)

(Yes, Editor Liao.)

(Submitted by: Ling Yi)

(Jiangcheng Daily, mail from Fei Ni)

(The Scenery of Jiangcheng)

(Jiangcheng People's Publishing House, Jiangcheng Daily)

(The Scenery of Jiangcheng)

Ling Yi,

who actually wrote this article?

I submitted it through proper channels.

Editor Liao reviewed it personally.

If you don't believe me, you can ask Editor Liao.

As for Fei Ni's article,

neither Editor Liao nor I have seen it.

How can you prove you wrote it?

President Fu,

I know you've always admired

Fang Muyang's talent.

But that doesn't mean everything he says is true,

especially if

he's been instigated.

President Fu,

Fang Muyang and I

spent the whole night

digging this out of the trash on the first floor.

Isn't this the same article Ling Yi published?

Whose handwriting is this?

Mine.

This article is mine.

Someone tore it up

and threw it in the trash.

Then the byline was changed

and it was published.

Ling Yi,

care to explain?

That's impossible.

Maybe she copied it herself

and brought this to fool everyone.

There's a postmark on the envelope.

You can see when it was mailed.

Shall I call in Editor Liao

and ask him

when he first saw your submission?

That way,

we'll know who came first.

There is a postmark.

It's fake!

For Fang Muyang,

forging a postmark is easy.

On what grounds?

Do you have proof?

We found this envelope

in the newspaper's trash!

You're lying!

I didn't throw it at the newspaper!

I threw it...

Ling Yi,

you've deeply disappointed me.

When you were little,

you were a bit willful,

but I believed your heart was good.

I never imagined

you would do something like this.

Uncle Fu, hear me out.

I lost my head.

I wanted to stay so badly.

I know you had high hopes for me

because of my late mother.

I was afraid that if I failed,

I'd embarrass you.

I just wanted to prove myself.

I'm sorry, Uncle Fu.

I'm not the one you owe an apology to.

Fei Ni,

I'm sorry. Please forgive me.

Fei Ni,

I will give you an explanation

on this matter.

I'll handle it right away.

We'll publish a correction notice tomorrow,

and restore the byline to you.

As for Ling Yi...

Uncle Fu,

I...

I just want my name back.

Thank you for this.

Fang Muyang,

let's go.

Wait.

Thank you.

For what?

For not pressing the issue further

in front of President Fu.

Ling Yi,

I understand your situation.

The first time I went to Ms. Xu's house,

she gave me a glass cup,

and you a white porcelain one.

In her eyes, I wasn't your equal.

Now that I'm gone,

you're the glass cup,

and Ye Feng is the porcelain one.

So I know why

you're so desperate to stay at the paper.

Because

it's your footing and your dignity in the Xu family.

Let's go.

I didn't expect you

to be so considerate of Ling Yi.

I do understand why she did it.

She just wanted to stay at the paper.

I've felt that kind of pressure, too.

Like when I took care of you to get into college.

It's the same.

It's not.

You helped me to help someone.

She hurt someone.

To be honest, she wasn't always like this.

I know. She's talented.

And hardworking.

She just hit a wall

and took the wrong turn.

If she relies on herself,

she'll be fine.

Fang Muyang...

If you ever run into trouble,

tell me.

We'll face it together.

Okay.

Fei Ni!

You're back!

Fei Ni!

Fei Ni!

What is it, Ms. Liu?

Look!

Quick!

Your article is in the paper!

(Correction: The author's name of "Scenery of Jiangcheng" was corrected.)

(It is hereby credited to Fei Ni.)

This is incredible, Fei Ni!

Your name's in the paper!

And you won first prize in the contest!

Come take a look!

Jiangcheng No. 1 Textile Factory has a rising star!

Fei Ni's article's in the paper!

Come on!

What's going on here?

Chief Wang!

Come look!

Quick!

Fei Ni's article made the paper!

It really is.

See?

I've always said Fei Ni belongs in the Publicity Division.

With writing like that,

no one in this factory can top her.

Chief Wang,

Fei Ni is the pride of Workshop One.

You can't just poach our talent.

It's just a hobby.

Really,

it's nothing.

Oh, stop being modest.

That blackboard paper you did was excellent.

Everyone saw it, right?

Isn't that right, Wang?

Tell Master Li to add two extra dishes today.

Master Li took a sick leave.

He just left.

That's fine.

Fei Ni, lunch is on me today.

Fei Ni, come here.

Listen,

you need to help your brother.

Not finishing the articles made him so stressed that he took a sick leave.

You promised me...

Comrade Feng Lin,

done with lunch?

You assured me

your brother would be fine.

Now there's a problem.

You need to take responsibility.

If this keeps up,

I can't answer for it.

Don't worry, Chief Wang.

I'll handle his drafts from now on.

Alright, alright.

Let's eat.

Okay.

Come on.

Ms. Feng, finished eating?

Why are those two together?

Weren't they both on sick leave?

They don't look sick to me.

♪After the laughter, I think of you♪

♪After the storm, I think of you♪

♪In the little courtyard, there you are dancing♪

♪That earnest you, smiling so innocently♪

♪In spring, I stay by your side♪

♪When summer comes, I watch over you♪

♪In the light of dawn, you belong to me♪

♪At the edge of the world, I will still hold you tight♪

♪There is a small place♪

♪Where they carry big dreams♪

♪Every lovely face♪

♪Shines brightly in the heart♪

♪Even when we collide, we hold our course♪

♪Even when we stumble, we keep our resolve♪

♪My you, walking toward the distance♪

♪Please carry our dreams and let them soar♪