Original subtitles

Proletarian internationalism is built on the notion of seeking truth from facts.

Only when you stand firmly,

insisting on seeking the truth from facts

can socialist modernization move forward.

We can now enter university!

What has been undergoing, as a practice, is the only discussion we will have to examine the truth.

More practically, the core argument is to emancipate the mind.

Whether or not...

Timing and subtitles brought to you by The River of LifeTeam@ Viki

[Like a Flowing River]

[Episode 2]

Director Li, drink some water.

Director Li, what did the county say?

Can we attend university?

The county held a meeting and agreed

to give one slot for your family to attend university.

Only one person?

If either you or your brother gives up going to university, then the other one can attend.

Both of us passed the requirements for grades!

Grades are grades. Policies are policies.

You can understand this point, right?

I'm going to talk with the county officials.

Song Yunping,

I know you feel aggrieved.

But just to get you this one slot, I exerted a lot of effort.

Because of your family's social status, a lot of people held objections to let you kids attend the university.

For this matter, the superior of the county had to take responsibility.

If you are irrational like your younger brother, I'm afraid that in the end,

none of you will be able to attend university.

You have to think clearly about this matter.

Okay, Director Li.

I'm willing to give up.

Are you sure?

Once you decide, you cannot change your mind.

I won't go back on my word.

Before, when we were in high school,

the school said that for families who are counter-revolutionary,

there can't be more than one child in high school.

Xiao Hui could only go to the countryside to farm.

Now, Xiao Hui can attend university.

I am willing to give up.

Good.

There is still one matter.

You have to write a

consent form that says you are giving up the political review to be saved in our files.

Write it now.

Okay.

[Consent Form]

[I, Song Yuanping, am willing]

[to give]

[up the political...]

Thank you for your efforts.

I'll be going now.

Tell your brother to not worry and just stay at home to wait for his admission notice.

Then, I'll get going now.

Director Li.

Can I ask you a favor? Please don't tell my brother about this first. Okay?

Are you leaving, Director Li?

Yes.

Thank you for helping our children.

Dad. Mom.

Xiao Hui can attend university now.

For a family like ours,

it's actually nice to just continue being a farmer.

Ping Ping....

Sister.

How did it go?

Did they submit it?

The county has already agreed to submit the political review documents.

- We can attend university now? - Yes.

For real?

Yes, it's real.

We can attend the university now!

We can attend the university now!

We are going to attend the university now!

Xiao Hui!

Director Yang.

My goodness.

Such a huge basket of ragweed.

This must be 15 to 20 kilograms.

For seven pigs, they must eat two baskets everyday.

How about it, Xiao Hui?

When are you guys leaving?

What is the name of your university?

Say it. Let me be happy for you guys.

Oh, right, Director Yang. I'm about to tell you this matter.

Our admission letter hasn't arrived yet.

I want to ask for a leave of absence later after feeding the pigs to go home to check it.

That's not right.

Most of the kids going to the university have already left.

Why haven't you and your sister still received any news?

I don't know either.

Xiao Hui, enough. Stop doing that. You better go home quickly and ask around.

There's me here.

It's okay. No rush. It might have gotten delayed on its way here.

There probably won't be any problem.

Xiao Hui, you better quickly go to the post office and ask. After all, your family has a unique situation.

I'm afraid that someone might have done some evil deed and confiscated your letter or something.

Get going.

Then I'm going.

Catch me!

Don't run!

What joyous event has happened?

What else? Let's go ask.

What happy event could it be?

Why did you light some fireworks?

My second child

got into the normal university of our province!

- Xiao Hui. - Sister.

Why are you here?

Comrade,

is there any letter for us?

None.

Please look for it again. Maybe it fell off somewhere.

Impossible. Your sister comes twice a day. I'd have given it to her if there were any.

Xiao Hui!

Let's go home first.

I think it's getting weird.

I applied for a science major, and my sister applied for liberal arts.

Logically speaking, we wouldn't get into the same university.

Even if the admission letter of one university got delayed,

it's unlikely for two universities to have delays at the same time. Right?

Maybe the letters are delayed on their way here.

Sister, that sounds unreasonable.

Perhaps someone detained our offer letters.

Impossible.

Recently, the county post office has to deal with so many letters.

A few days' delay is very likely.

No, I'll go to the county after lunch.

I don't believe this kind of thing can actually happen to us.

One delayed letter sounds reasonable, but two letters...

Xiao Hui,

you sister will never get an admission notice.

Mom, what do you mean?

Mom is saying...

I just barely passed the minimum passing grade.

Maybe, if they find something wrong during the political review...

Stop overthinking. Eat! Have more, and speak less.

Have more!

You all must be hiding something from me.

What secrets can we have?

You come home so often.

- It's impossible to keep secrets. - Something's wrong.

What do you mean?

Sister, I know you too well.

Look in my eyes.

What on earth has happened?

I've told you the truth. Nothing.

Xiao Hui,

your sister's political review documents weren't submitted;

hence, it's impossible for her to get any admission letter.

- Dad! - Why wasn't it submitted?

Director Li said he would. He ate his word?

Sister, you tell me. What's up?

Sit down first.

You're not telling me, is that it?

Then, I'll talk to them now.

Xioa Hui!

I volunteered to give up.

The county

just gave our family one slot.

I was willing to give up.

You gave up?

Wasn't there a new policy?

I recited to Director Li the new policies written in People Daily 200 times!

This matter can't just end this way.

I must ask them about this right now.

- Xiao Hui! - Nonsense!

If you want to go, then go now.

By doing that, not only will you both be unable to go to the university,

no one will be able to save you even if you regret it.

Arguing with them

will only destroy and harm yourself.

You're the one who brought harm to my sister.

- What did you say? - I said that it was you who brought harm to us!

- Xiao Hui! - You know nothing.

How can I not know?

If it's not for our family background, they wouldn't have given us just one slot.

My sister wouldn't have given up going to college.

My admission letter still hasn't come until now. What getting delayed on its way here?

What? The post office is handling it slowly? All are just self-deception!

It must have been detained by someone due to our family background.

Now even I can't go to the university either! All thanks to you!

What nonsense are you talking about? Come over and apologize to your father!

Why should I? Thanks to him, I couldn't attend high school.

Thanks to him again, I can't go to university!

All our misfortunes are caused by you.

You gave gifts to the Old Macaque. He said you tried to corrupt him.

Hence, he had an excuse to accuse us of bribery!

Shut up!

Stop saying it, XIao Hui!

I want to say it. I will say more!

Even if I ranked #1 in the whole county, even if my sister gave up her chance for me,

I still cannot go to university!

The person who destroyed me and my sister, brought harm to our whole family...

is you!

Husband...

It's all my fault.

Xiao Hui!

Where did you go? Everyone in the commune is looking for you!

Rush to the county hospital now! Hurry!

Your dad fainted!

Wait, Xiao Hui!

Ride my bicycle!

It will be faster.

Hurry!

[Silence]

Mom, Dad just woke up.

Do we have to leave the hospital now?

Your dad insists on going home. He said that he knows what he's doing.

He will make himself some herbal medicine when we get home.

Careful...

Move a bit higher.

Come.

Okay.

Careful.

Let's go, Xiao Hui. Go slowly.

[People's Hospital of Jinling County]

[Promote pro-social democracy rules. Oppose anarchism.]

I'll catch you! Come here!

Song Yunping, I am going to college today.

I'll get going now. Bye!

Dad, Mom, after I settle down in the province capital,

I'll invite you over. While at home, you must take good care of your health.

I'll write to you frequently.

Slowly.

Okay.

Okay, slowly.

Slowly, Dad.

Go bring back the things in the cart.

[Student Admission Notice for Higher Level Education]

Dad...

The admission notice has arrived.

Timing and subtitles brought to you by The River of LifeTeam@ Viki

I'm exhausted.

I just cleaned your bedding three times

until I cleaned off its foul pig smell.

I'll go back in a while to help you out.

Do you have anything to tell me?

You can speak.

Sister,

I've been thinking these past days that a person really can't make any mistake.

Just like Dad.

Those two months of being arrested by the Communist Party

completely destroyed the remainder of his life.

While I?

After saying a few words in a muddled state, I almost caused our father to die.

Good thing he got resuscitated.

Or else...

Or else, I really deserve to die.

Dad doesn't blame you.

Didn't I already say that

in the future, we aren't going to bring up this subject again?

Even if we don't say it, in our hearts we will always remember it.

Sister, I have thought of not reporting to the university.

But when the words come to my lips, to say it out loud,

it makes me feel like a bastard even more.

Dad used his life,

and you exchanged your future to get me this chance.

How can I not go?

Xiao Hui,

you're going to college not only for your own future,

but also for Mom and Dad,

for me, and for this family.

Sister, I really thought all along that I was pretty sensible.

Since I was young,

people in the family and outsiders would say

that I'd matured early because I'm from a poor family.

They said that I study well. I don't make my parents worry.

But these past days, I finally understood that

I'm really not that sensible.

Don't describe yourself as being too incapable

just because of making one mistake.

You are indeed very sensible.

Really. You have always been all along.

Sister, to be honest,

when I saw how Dad and Mom were so cautious and scared before,

I would frequently bear grudges against them.

I saw how you kept aggrieving yourself

to protect me and help Dad and Mom.

To be honest, I don't think it's anything special.

Only these past days after Dad got admitted to the hospital did I finally understand

that I could smoothly self-study.

and be able to have the opportunity to attend university,

all because you, Dad and Mom, kept shielding me from the wind and rain.

If you can understand these, it means that you have really grown up.

Before, you were the youngest child in the family.

Dad, Mom, and I protecting you is something that we should have done.

Even though the family did not think of asking you to return anything,

you now know how much our parents sacrificed for you.

Now, they are both old.

In the future, they will need us to protect and take care of them.

You are the only male child in the family.

The burden on you is not light.

I know, Sister.

I won't say these apologetic and repenting words anymore.

I will focus in finishing college.

For this family, I will strive hard

to earn us a future.

Teachers and students, hello.

This is Anyun University Broadcasting Center.

First, let us warmly welcome

the freshmen. [Student Dormitory]

The saying that actual practice is the sole criterion for testing truth

set off from the point of view of dialectical materialism philosophy.

It's irrefutable; hence, no point in arguing about it.

Since it's dialectical materialism,

then every postulate would have a philosophical opposite.

Through those words, it can be seen how poor your foundation in philosophy is.

- Muddled logic. - When arguments

turn into personal attacks, it loses its meaning.

Contradicting a mistaken idea

became a personal attack for you. It shows how narrow-minded you are.

I'm not against practice as a way to test the truth.

But to say that it's the sole criterion is still subject to discussion and confirmation.

In May of this year,

the higher ups have already completed different levels of discussion about two accepted rules.

Although they didn't give any conclusion in the end,

the saying that actual practice is the sole criterion to test the truth

has appeared in the internal reference.

Enough. Don't think that because you've gotten some inside info,

you can already write about the mortal life and energetically guide people. So childish.

- Who are you calling childish? Try saying that again. - I said that you're childish.

What about it?

Actual practice is the sole criterion to test the truth.

- This saying indeed appeared in the internal reference. - Yes...

But your current attitude is indeed very childish. You are very childish.

Uncles, stop fighting.

- You are... - I'm Song Yunhui. A freshman of the chemistry department.

Wait.

What did you call him just now?

Uncle.

Right... Uncle! Uncles don't fight.

Right... Just call me that.

You two are not parents of students?

We are also freshmen of the chemistry department.

But in terms of age, you indeed should call me uncle.

Come in. This is your bed.

You can put your things here.

Slowly. Okay.

Okay.

You can call him Big Uncle from now on. He's the oldest.

- You can only be second in seniority. - So what?

Let me make the introductions. This is your third uncle.

Xiao Yu, you were able to pick up such a huge gain. It's Third Uncle!

This novel was written so well.

It directly attacks the bottom of your heart and makes you reflect.

I recommend you read it. [Wounds and Others]

Sister, college life is better than we ever thought.

There are highly knowledgeable teachers here. Classmates that are well-experienced.

You can even freely study and read newspapers.

Everyday, I get in contact with a large amount of new knowledge.

I can deeply feel how lacking I am.

But don't worry, I'll work very hard.

Not just for myself, but also for you and our parents.

Trust me. Your little brother will not let you down.

Song'er, what is your aspiration?

Song'er, what is your aspiration?

Your Big Uncle is asking you what your aspiration is.

Finish learning the point of discontinuity of math functions.

You are so practical.

I'm asking about your long term dream.

Finish learning the continuity of math functions by this week.

Little Song, you are practical to the point of being adorable.

Young people don't want to listen to old people talk about their dreams and aspirations.

Just one Taiji Fist and he already brushed you off. And you even call him stupid?

Who's an old man?

Just go get your food. You're also not that young anymore. Who are you calling old?

Classmates! Classmates!

This afternoon is politics class. You all must not be absent.

- I will be doing a roll call. - Isn't it just gathering together to read People's Daily?

- Why can't we be absent? Am I right? - Yes!

Old Ding, your class must volunteer a person to read the newspaper.

This... Who else can I suggest?

Now, I'm in trouble. This hard task ended up with me.

Big Uncle, can I read it?

Of course. Sure.

Sharply criticized two accepted rules.

He suggested complete grasp and implementation of the ideals of Mao Zedong;

insist on the principle of seeking the truth from facts.

Second, hasten the development of productive force.

Let the material life of the citizens get better.

Let the cultured life and spiritual outlook of citizens be better.

If the development of the production force is slower than capitalism,

there won't be any superiority. This is the greatest form of governance.

Third, there is a huge defect in our country's organizational set up.

There are a lot of problems with the set up that must be reconsidered.

Go, go, go! Good!

Keep it well. You have to keep reading tomorrow.

Thank you.

I have a question. I don't know if it will trouble you, Little Song.

What do you want to ask me?

Little Song,

I just want to know why you love collecting People's Daily.

- I thought you were going to ask some serious question. Just something as plain as that? - What do you know?

For the past few days,

I've carefully observed each person in our class.

I'm confident that I can surpass all of you in our future life.

There's only one person that I can't be sure of, and that's Little Song.

He doesn't have any entertainment or hobby. Everyday, other than studying, there's nothing else.

Hence, I must understand him.

What if he becomes my rival in the future?

San'er, as classmates, shouldn't we be helping and taking care of each other?

Why do you keep thinking of competing?

This is called preparing for rainy days. I like to do things openly.

Oh, my, still doing things openly. Right, so out in the open.

Little Song, you still haven't answered my question.

It's not that I love collecting the People's Daily.

I just respect and cherish the chance of being able to get in contact with People's Daily.

I came from a poor background. Before entering college, I didn't get a chance to read People's Daily.

I only saw this kind of newspaper in the highest level of the newspaper rack in the office of the school's principal.

Also, it has changed my life.

Little Song, come. Come down...

All of you, come here!

Little Song, come!

Sit. Comrades,

my comrades, with an excited mood,

I'm reporting to you

some insider info on the recently concluded third plenary session of the eleventh central committee of the communist party

in Beijing. The newspaper said that the plenary session

was a success.

It was a united meeting. It was a follower of past tradition, a trailblazer,

- and a plenary session that boldly pressed forward. - Say the "but."

But this plenary session

is also a meeting with intense arguments.

The main point of the arguments is what track should China take

for its future.

From 1976 to now, just a short two-year period,

there were a lot of things that happened in China.

The distribution of lands. The appearance of self-employed individuals.

Did collectivization hinder the progress of agricultural production?

Should we persist with social class struggles?

Must we still do reforms and be more open?

Should we open our gates and get in contact with the outside world? So on and so forth.

Some people went straight to the heart of the matter and pointed out

that this is a battle without any smoke of gunpowder.

This is a match between life and death.

But, Comrades, what's good about it is

the strength of those requesting for reforms and being open

got the upper hand.

As for the details of who are the reform group and who are the traditional group,

these... I can't say.

But!

We can imagine it.

The future of China will change.

It will even be an earthshaking change.

The insider info about the third plenary session of the eleventh central committed makes one feel very excited.

If the voices of those who want reform and openness will really win,

the policy on college entrance exams will surely become more positive. [Announcement on New Books]

Sister, you must prepare early on to take the exam again this year.

I'm looking forward to reuniting with you in university.

- Comrade, hello. I want some basic review materials. - Thanks.

- Which ones do you want? - Language. Math. Geography.

Xiao Hui, your news is really a great one.

I will prepare well for the test.

But the questions this year are much harder than last year.

Right now, I'm studying and looking for a job at the same time.

I'm preparing for two things at the same time. Everything is pretty good at home.

Don't worry. When I find a job, I can earn money to finance you and our home.

If you are not coming back for the New Year, you have to make sure that you are taking care of yourself well.

Spend money for your food.

Just like you said, opportunity only comes once.

We all should cherish it.

Sister, I can't really help with any family matters now.

I feel bad about it,

but I don't approve of you going to find a job now.

Even though the college entrance exam will be harder this year,

I believe that as long as you put your soul into it, you will certainly pass.

I will find some more prep books for you.

Promise me. Don't give up.

Once you enter the university, you'll realize that all the hardships are worth it.

[Time Passes By]

♫ Flowers quietly bloom in the spring ♫

♫ Looking forward to the big and ripe golden fruits of Autumn ♫

♫ Those seeds of hope that our predecessors sowed ♫</

♫ will be reaped by their successors ♫

♫ The proud sun of summer burns like fire ♫

♫ Emerging layers of waves are still warm ♫

♫ Push open windows, let the breeze blow past, ♫

♫ as if spring has come to visit ♫

♫ The wind and snow of winter sweep past ♫

♫ Bringing songs of harvest during autumn ♫

♫ When did the rain fall? When did the wind stop blowing? ♫

♫ Telling stories of the past ♫

♫ The spring breeze continues to blow, still looking forward ♫

♫ to the flowing rivers of age; time fleetingly passes by ♫

♫ A journey of difficulties and loud songs ♫

♫ All belong to us ♫

♫ Smilingly watch as time passes by ♫