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Ash Is Purest White (2018)
So Qiao, doing your rounds?
Ladies and gentlemen... Today's date is April 2, 2001. Remember this date, for today you'll see a miracle! Qiao is here! Qiao! She packs a real punch. Bin, I need an ambulance! Qiao is out of control! Qiao looks younger every day. I'm in love. That isn't fair, Qiao. You never hit Bin like that. Whose turn is it? Stop that, you two. That's disgusting. Nine! South wind! Dragon wins! Are you two still arguing? Bin, Jia won't admit that he owes me money. Jia, aren't you a bit young to have Alzheimer's? Bin, he has to be kidding. Why would a man like me need money from him? Where's your conscience? Let it go, Sun. Got any evidence? A witness? Any proof? Show me! Jia, did you borrow money from him? You don't trust me either, Bin? If I took his money and didn't pay him. I'd lose everyone's respect. My reputation is at stake. Forget it, Jia, I don't need it back. Keep it and buy a nice coffin. Is that a threat? Bin, I won't stand for this! Come on then, Sun! Do it! Calm down... - Li Xuan! - Bin... - Bring Lord Guan. - Sure. Jia, tell us all, before Lord Guan... Did you borrow money from Sun or not? Sun... I'll pay you back tomorrow. And the interest? Sun, let it go. Forget about the interest. We're all brothers, take a step back. Don't embarrass us all. Get on with the game. He's right, we should get along. Let's play mahjong. Boss, it's your turn. Today's treat: liquors from "the five lakes and four seas". To brotherhood! Five lakes and four seas liquors! Loyalty and righteousness! To our health! - You're back, Qiao! - Get the stuff in the back. Let me help, Qiao. It's okay, the neighbor will do it. Why? It's our pleasure to help Bin. Time is money, take it! - Thanks, Qiao - Drive safely. Can you manage? No problem. Put it in the kitchen. - Where's my dad? - He went out after lunch. Why aren't you at work? The price of coal is down. Our unit has been laid off. Liu Jinming is a useless boss. You guys should take action. The Transport workers are protesting. Haven't you heard? They say the Mining Bureau will move to Xinjiang. To Xinjiang? To grow melons? It's common knowledge. Thousands of men have been laid off. They want us to move to Xinjiang, and train us to drill for oil. Don't trust rumors! It's all over the Internet. There must be some truth in it. Anyhow, it's not up to you! Go get your dinner. That's how you thank me for helping! Okay, I'm off. Close the door. We're workers, the revolutionary class. We're not private detectives. But listen carefully Liu Jinming! We know all about your dirty secrets. They'll be exposed very soon. What gives you the right to steal state assets? Why did you make your brother-in-law boss of the canteen? We object in the strongest terms! Liu Jinming! Uncle Li... Don't drink too much. Comrades of Hong'an Mine! The future of the mine is at stake! We must act before it's too late! We must challenge these paper tigers. That means you, Liu Jinming! You and your cronies... Hear what I'm saying! Justice will prevail! Light will always triumph over darkness. Let us fight these capitalists to the end...! Dad, let's go home. Dad, get on with your life. The mine will take care of itself. Leave it. Don't lose all of it. There's Brother Eryong! - And Bin? - Over there. Brother Eryong is here. Business seems good. Business seems good. Over here, Miss Ma... You know, Bin... There are only two things I care about: animal documentaries and ballroom dancing. When I see tigers, lions and ants in those documentaries... I think of humans. They eat, drink and fight, just like us. It makes me sad. You have a good heart, Eryong. I'm getting old. Datong City is counting on you. I have a lot to learn from you. How did you get into ballroom dancing? It's elegant. Brother Eryong is so cosmopolitan. It's good to keep up with new things. Miss Ma... Show Bin what you can do. Bin, buy something nice for Qiao to wear. Again? Brother Eryong... It's nothing. You were in Hong Kong and Macau? I was just relaxing. Thank you, Brother Eryong. Qiao... You dance don't you? Can you do ballroom? No, it's too Western for me! Bin, can we speak in private? Qiao... Brother Eryong... You've built all those villas in Datong. Why do you still live in your village? My mother's old, she doesn't want to move. That's why I stay there. How are the villas selling? That's what I wanted to talk about. Some assholes are saying my villas are haunted. They're trying to sabotage me. Very interesting rumors. I'll deal with it for you. Excellent. With you in charge, I'm at ease. Take care. Be careful. Brother Bin... Brother Bin is here. - Brother... - Thanks for coming. Where's his wife? In the bedroom. I just heard the news. What happened to Brother Eryong? He had guests at The Phoenix last night. He drank quite a lot. So he went to the sauna afterwards. By daybreak he'd sobered up, so he called his driver to pick him up. All of a sudden... some kids stabbed him in the parking lot. Around nine in the morning he passed away. Things have been quiet recently. Did Brother Eryong upset anyone? We have three days max to find out who killed him. Otherwise we're screwed. Damn right! Qiao... - You're here. - Sister... Bin and I want you to have this. No. - You're all here. - Detective Wan... Everyone is here. Detective Wan, any leads? Don't worry, we're on it. Ma'am... Try to hold yourself together. Your children need you to be there for them. We'll take care of everything else. Who did Brother Eryong offend? He was just selling villas. It was legitimate work. Maybe a few overdue loans. But nothing to make anyone want to kill him. Right. Eryong was a loan shark? No connection, I think. It was most likely some kids showing off. Kids? What a joke... They don't even know what they were doing. That's the worst kind. Did you just get here? - Thanks for coming. - Don't mention it. Brother Eryong loved your dancing. Side A, track 1. Will we really move to Xinjiang? You believe those rumors? It wouldn't be such a bad idea. Starting over in a new place. Settling down. It wouldn't apply to us Transport workers. You're the one affiliated with the Mines. You could come as a family member. Says who? Don't you want us to become a family? Forget about Xinjiang. Datong is redeveloping fast. Big parts of the city... Demolition, rebuilding... It's all ours for the taking. Don't go on about all your big plans. I just want to buy my dad a decent house. Get him out of public housing. That's easy. In no time at all. Your "in no time" means three years! Does time go by slowly with me? Maybe. Enjoy the moment. Are you okay? Asshole! I'm okay. Why did you do that? Li Xuan! We need you guys now! This was the weapon! Those bastards should die! Greet Brother Bin. Greetings. - Why did you attack Bin? - We hit the wrong guy. The wrong guy? Take a good look at Bin. - Will you remember his face? - Yes. - Will you make the same mistake again? - No. Go on. Come back. - What's your name? - Big Zhuang. - And you? - Little Zhuang. - ID cards? - Your brothers took them. - Which year were you born? - Year of the Dog. Young and full of promise. - You can go. - Thank you, Brother Bin. Is the volcano still active? Dunno. Volcano ash is very pure, isn't it? Maybe. Anything that burns at high temperature... is made pure. This damn place... No one would know if you burned to a crisp. You have a gun, what are you afraid of? Armed men tend to die first. Does it scare you? It's illegal. You should get rid of it. It gives you confidence... But it'll bring the cops down on you. I doubt that. For people like us, it's always kill or be killed. "People like us"? People in the jianghu underworld. I'm not part of the jianghu. See? Now you're in the jianghu. You've watched too many gangster movies. There's no more jianghu. It's not like the old days anymore. Wherever there are people, there'll be jianghu. Counterfeit. May I introduce my sister, Lin Jiayan. Sure, you have such a pretty sister! Nice to meet you, Bin. I'm Jiayan. "House bird". Hello. "House bird"? You deserve a better name. It should be "forest bird". Nice idea, Bin. A beauty like yours... shouldn't be stuck at home. Then where should I be? You should be in a forest of your own. - You're reading poetry these days. - Are you taking the piss? Did you learn anything new while you were doing time? I got the hang of Enterprise Law! No more shell companies. Great! David... To be frank... my eighteen months in jail... would have been much worse without your help. You shouldn't have. Just host a dinner for the brothers. Bin, don't light that cigarette. Jiayan. Jiayan brought you some cigars from Hong Kong. They're much healthier. This is the new fashion? Jiadong, these must be worse for him than cigarettes! You don't get it, Qiao Cigars are healthy! If you take out life insurance in Hong Kong... they don't consider cigars as a health risk. Cigar cutter! Cutter! I want some steamed dumplings. Let's go to Hohhot. That's more than a hundred miles away. So? Turn around, we're going to Hohhot. No, I've changed my mind. Why? I'm on a diet. Open the door! You think you're the champion? Watch it, champ, you're losing your crown! Zhao Qiao... I'll ask you one more time. Whose gun is it? Mine. Where did you get it? I found it. You know the penalty for an illegal firearm? And the penalty for lying under oath? Do you? Yes. Then tell me the truth. Whose gun is it? Mine. Number 2021! Turn around! Come here. You have a visitor. Go ahead. How's the food? Did it snow a lot? Yes, the roads are really slow. - Why have you come? - I've got something to tell you. Careful! I'm pregnant That's great! They say... you're all being transferred to Shuozhou. So I thought I'd better come now. Shuozhou will be too far to visit. The move is no bad thing. New place, better facilities. This old place should have come down years ago. Brother Bin... Has he come to see you? I hear he's out of jail. And your dad? My dad came. Can you keep an eye on my dad? - He's not in the best shape. - Sure. Don't worry about it. Finally! Cabin 1318. Bed 2. Our Father in Heaven... bless this food. Amen. Sightseeing in the Three Gorges? Yes. Sister... Where are you from? Shanxi. Where? Shanxi! Do you have any tissues? Now approaching Badong Wharf. Gather your belongings and prepare to disembark. Hello, Jiadong, this is Qiao. I'm in the Three Gorges. I'll be in Fengjie tomorrow. Can you put Bin on? I tried calling but his phone is off. Maybe he's out of minutes. Have you seen a woman dressed in black? No. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Yichang-Wanzhou cruise line. Observe both banks. On September 21st 2006 this year, the water level will rise to 156 meters. As you can see on the sign, the final depth of the reservoir is expected to be 175 meters. The fourth phase of residential relocation will begin soon. A few years from now, if you revisit the Three Gorges, much of what you now see will be under water. Who are you looking for? The university graduate. Most people here are graduates. Which one are you looking for? Lin Jiadong. Mr. Lin is he expecting you? Yes. His number is... 1370 121... Alright. May I know your name? Zhao, from Datong Please wait, I'll tell him you're here. Hey, Qiao! Welcome, it's nice to see an old friend from home. - Sorry to be troubling you. - Not at all! You've lost weight, but you look good. I'm fine, is Bin here? Let me introduce my sister Jiayan. Hello. Hello, we met before in Datong. Right, you've hardly changed at all. Is Bin here? Bin? I think he's in Fengjie. I told him you were coming. Hasn't he called you? No. He's not in the office? He's too big a fish... for this small pond. He's off doing something big. He's been very busy. That's good to hear. What's he working on? I heard it's a power plant. Where is it? It's his thing, I don't know much about it. How is that possible? I'm sorry, excuse me for a moment. Catch up with my sister, I have to go. - Fine, I'll wait till you're back. - No, my meeting's in Yichang. More than 300 miles from here! Let's have dinner some night. Thanks for taking care of Bin. Thank you, you went through a lot for him. It wasn't so much. How long were you in jail? Five years. Relationships and feelings do change, it's natural. People need to look after themselves... They need to take control of their own emotions... What are you trying to say? I'll be frank: Bin has a new girlfriend here. I'm afraid he doesn't want to see you. I'm not surprised. I'm here because I want him to tell me in person. You don't have to be his messenger. This concerns all three of us. All three of us? Go on. I'm listening. He's now my boyfriend. Is that so? He needs to tell me himself. I have no business with you. Good people of Fengjie, at 8pm in the New Town Auditorium, the Cavemen Song and Dance Crew, will put on a wild show. Come one, come all! Our next number is for all of you... "How Much Love Can Be Repeated?" I should never have done those things I often blame myself Shouldn't have done it I often regret I pushed you away We were clearly in love So why did we separate? Was it because we couldn't commit? Who knew I'd see you again? Just by chance? Did fate play a hand? It couldn't be helped I've gotten by all these years But something was missing I've started to realize... The wedding of Lu Jingyu and his bride Liu Qianqian is about to begin. Family and friends, please take your seats. Congratulations! You must be the bride's classmate. Uncle! She's from Chongqing! I'm coming. Thanks for your blessing. Come with me, take a seat. Please. This way. Help yourselves! Please enjoy the banquet! Don't hold back! Cheers!? Cheers! Passengers travelling from Fengjie to Guangdong, your ship will start boarding in 30 minutes. Please form a line and board as instructed. We wish you a pleasant journey. What's the damn rush? - Stay out of it! - Who the hell are you? Beating a woman! How dare you? Watch out! You'll see! Where's my money? Who are you? You don't recognize me? Where's my money? Where's my ID? And my money! Recognize me now? I'm a Scorpio! I'm a man of action. While you morons blab about stock prices, I have someone buying for me! I just get on with it! That's how you get ahead! That's why I'm rich and you're still broke! What are you trying to say? Sir! Sir! I'd like a word with you... Young lady, have we met? I've been waiting for you. Let's keep this discreet. I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm her elder sister. She's had a miscarriage. A miscarriage? While you enjoy yourself here! Where's your conscience? You think I'm an idiot? Get lost! Miscarriage? My ass! This way. This place is packed, I even had to book a parking spot! Yes, it's best to book ahead. This way. Sorry, I'm late! Come on in! Sir! You are...? Don't you know who I am? I'm sorry... I'm her elder sister. She's had a miscarriage. She was pregnant? She didn't want you to know. I should have paid more attention. She cares about you... but you don't care. I honestly didn't know. I can see you're having fun here with your family. What a happy family. It might look that way, but... Miss... I'm not an irresponsible man. Buy some vitamins and supplements for her. I wasn't prepared for this. I can't come now. When I have time... I'll come to see her. - You know where she is? - No, where? - Give her a call. - I will. Take care. Motorcycle! - Where to? - The power plant. Power plant. Ten yuan. - Five yuan. - Make it eight. My wife's been away for over a year... working in Guangdong. And you? We could have fun. We could have some fun. Look, it's raining hard, we have time to kill. Let's do it. It'll be nice. what do you say? Here? We're the only ones here. There's a shed over there... see if it's empty. Come on, don't drag your feet! Me? I get up at the crack of dawn everyday to make a living. I never drag my feet! Great, then check out that shed! I'll wait for you here. Okay, sweetheart, wait for me. I'll be right back. My bike! My motorbike! My motorbike! I'm reporting a crime. - What happened? - A guy tried to rape me. Rape? Who? A motorbike taxi driver, this is his number plate. I have to call the highway patrol. When did it happen? Just now. Where are you from? ID, please. - I'm from Shanxi. - Come inside. From Shanxi... Why are you here? I'm here to see my boyfriend. Here's his number, you can ask him to come. Where are we going? Where do you live? It's quite far. Let's go to your place. I don't really have a place. Sometimes it's a sauna. Sometimes a karaoke joint. Depends on the day. Then let's get a room. I'll be travelling soon. I could come along. That wouldn't be appropriate. Inappropriate... How long will you stay in Fengjie? I don't know. As long as you want me to stay. My father died. Detective Wan called to tell me. I think we need to get things straight. Go ahead. Am I still your girlfriend? What do you think? I'm asking you. I'm not that Guo Bin anymore. I'm a different person. Jianghu guys like you never speak plainly. I've left the jianghu. But I've been living as a jianghu just to find you. You came all the way to Fengjie to tell me that? No. Then what do you want to say? I did five years for you. You got out four years before me. I thought you'd be waiting for me at the prison gate. But you never showed. If not you, then what is? Do you know... what a man feels when he's penniless? Have you any idea? You know, when I came out of jail... not one of my brothers was there. How do you think I felt? The guy who was my driver... is now showing off in a Bentley. How do I feel about that? I get that those things matter to you. But what about me? Come back with me. Even if I wanted to go back... I couldn't go like this. You need men and money to go back? I want them to know... about success and failure in life. You can go from winner to loser overnight. Okay, I'll go back by myself. I have to tell you... Don't bother, Lin Jiayan already told me. I don't want to make it harder for you. So I'll say it for you. From now on... it is over between us. Isn't that what you wanted to say? This hand saved my life. I'm not left-handed. I fired the gun with my right hand. You don't remember. It's true. The day they let you out... I should have been there for you. It's not too late. Here... Let's jump over a flame, and chase away all the bad luck. I often regret I pushed you away We were clearly in love So why did we separate? Was it because... we couldn't commit? Who knew I'd see you again? Just by chance? Did fate play a hand? It couldn't be helped I've gotten by all these years But something was missing I've started to realize you still mean so much to me Join me! How much love... Can be repeated? How many people... Are worth waiting for? As I come back after I realized my feelings I don't know whether our love will still be there How much love... Can be repeated? How many people... Are worth waiting for? After the love fades do I still have the courage to be in love again? Excuse me. - Sir, where are you headed? - Wuhan. Wow, that's a great city. And you? I'm transferring in Wuhan, then heading for the border. Urumqi, and then Karamay. Xinjiang? That's so far. Why don't you fly? I'm nostalgic. It's a shame to fly over such great landscapes! Nothing to see from up there! And I can do my research on the train. - What research is that? - Young man, what do you do? I sell toilets. And you, lovely lady, where are you going? Wuhan. You look like a northerner. - In Wuhan I'll transfer to Datong. - Datong? Shanxi? I hear the mines in Shanxi are in trouble. The price of coal has dropped to 500 yuan. It's hard for cities that depend on those old industries. Forgive my rudeness, but how much do you earn there? I don't have a job yet. Were you looking for work in Hubei? You should have gone south, to Guangdong Places like Hubei and Chongqing are losing their populations. People are moving out to look for work. there's no use looking there. A friend recommended it to me. Will you find work in Shanxi? Sir, what research are you doing? It's very interesting. I need to take the slow train to Xinjiang. See things slowly, appreciate things. Today it's all about speed but then you miss out. You appreciate nothing, right? If you want a job, you should come with me to Xinjiang. It's a vast land with few people. The government is spending billions on developing Xinjiang tourism. This is the perfect time for it. It's like Shenzhen during the early years of the great reform. I'm designing a tourism project for the region. We're recruiting people. You could join us What kind of project is it? Adventure tours. You mean going to Lop Nur on camel-back? No, not the nuclear-testing sites! Our project is safer, but very exciting! I'll tell you... Back in the 1950s, our army discovered alien sites in Xinjiang. There are many UFO sightings in Xinjiang. - You know about UFOs? - I've heard of them. They exist! I'm telling you, they're real! My team has already figured out their movements. So our project is to take people UFO-hunting! Isn't that interesting? You believe in UFOs? Yes, I've seen one. You've seen one? Terrific! We're on the same page! - Only once, though. - You see? You absolutely must join us. It makes perfect sense. I've never worked in tourism, what could I do? You're a witness! You tell everyone what you experienced. You're the proof that alien cultures are among us. You're more than qualified. We don't care about diplomas. You'd fit right in. Is it a private enterprise or state-owned? It makes no difference. All you need in this business is a sense of the cosmos. The bottom line is, we're all prisoners of the universe. Ladies and gentlemen, No. 4931, the express train bound for Urumqi will soon be departing. I don't have a travel agency or a project. In Karamay... I run a small convenience store. It doesn't matter. What about you? I'm one of the prisoners you talked about. What do you mean? I just got out of jail. Datong station Where the hell are we? Boss, can we get some water here? Bring them some hot water. Everything okay? Keep an eye on them. Why are you sitting there? That's my bed. Who are you? I'm the cook. Then get back to the kitchen. Or are you waiting for me to cut you? Brother Bin... Qiao cooked some noodles for you. - Li Xuan... - Yes, brother? What do you do here? I help out. They pay you? Sure, I need an income. - Where's the Advisor? - He's doing okay, runs a pawn shop. And Tank? He's okay too. He runs a casino in Macau. The twins? Both behind bars. They'll be inside for a long time. All these years... why didn't you go into business yourself? When you were gone, I was all alone. I didn't have much of a choice. - Do you resent me? - I wouldn't dare! And her man? What man? - Qiao's man. - She never married. Come on, bring the food! Mind your fucking manners! The starters should come first! Your dad died before he taught you that? What are you saying about my father? Who do you think you are? Fuck you! Show some fucking respect! He was my big brother before! Big brother? That loser? Brother Bin... Calm down. I was your big brother. What about now? You'll always be my big brother. What's going on here? It was their fault. - You blame them? - I blame you! I don't deserve this! Get out! I will. That's enough! How did you end up like this? I was drinking too much. I had a stroke. Where's your wife? Your kids? Wife? She hasn't been born yet. You should have died on that street. So why did you save me? There'd be none of this trouble if I'd died. I want you to suffer! To live in pain! Why didn't you marry? Qiao! What's wrong with you? Why didn't you tell us Bin is back? Where is he? In this house. Let's go see. We're brothers. You should have told us. Who's Bin? Brother Bin. Bin's here. You're back. Brother Bin... Hey, Jia, why are you filming? Bin, how are you feeling these days? Not too bad. Brother Bin... You're getting better. Still filming? I want to get an interview! Stop it, Jia! What is there to film? Just stop, Jia. I want an interview. How'd you like your new car? Still going around in a Toyota Crown? Jia... Still spouting the same crap. Remember when I forced you to eat shit? Stop it. Was it pig shit or dog shit? That's old history. You really want to know? Let's make a bet. If you win, I'll tell you. Okay. And if you lose? I'll eat shit. Not very civilized! If you lose, I'll take your wheelchair. I'll put it up for auction. The famous Brother Bin's wheelchair! It'll raise a good price, for sure. Ready? Jia, if you lose, not only do you have to say what kind of shit it was. But also tell us how it tasted! It must've been delicious! Bin, the wheelchair's mine. Hand it over! Brother Bin! Jia, what have you done? You can have it. Just remember... The great general Han Xin was humiliated before he grew strong! You should learn from him! It's never too late to get your own back! Jia, that's enough! Stop it! Jia... Can we be a bit more reasonable? Don't move! Qiao, that has just made things worse. Shut up! Qiao... You know why I came back to you? You're the only one in Datong who wouldn't laugh at me. No one's laughing at you. It's all in your head. Why haven't you asked me... where Lin Jiayan is? Does that have anything to do with me? Do you hate me? I have no feelings for you. So I don't hate you. No feelings at all? Then why did you take me in? In the jianghu, we talk about righteousness. You're no longer in the jianghu. So you wouldn't understand. In just two hours, it'll be 2018! Any gifts are welcome! Happy New Year! I've left. I've left. karagarga, 2019 |
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