Beyond my orchard
I could see a mountain.
And beyond the mountain, a river.
I knew I needed to cross the river.
I looked around and saw a bridge
made of wood, not far off.
When crossing the bridge,
I saw four men.
They were masked and carrying knives.
I was so afraid that I ran to save my life.
I managed to escape.
I went down the mountain,
back to my orchard.
Mingchun, I'm finished.
I'm not long for this world.
What is it, Uncle?
You escaped in your dream.
You're still in good shape.
Look...
All of those trees have died.
Do you understand what that means?
I've taken care of the land my whole life.
The trees are dying and so am I.
That's just because it's winter. They will be back in the spring.
No, they will not return.
FATHER'S UNCLE LEFT THIS WORLD.
ONE LESS PERSON IN THE VILLAGE.
Leilei.
Did you go to the village?
How did you know?
- Your sister's gone? - Yes.
- Did she say when she would be back? - No.
We should buy an electric blanket.
We wouldn't need to burn wood.
Just plug it in and turn it on.
You can even adjust the temperature.
We wouldn't need to collect wood.
We wouldn't be cold any more.
Quit your complaining.
What good will a blanket do against the dryness of winter?
Your lips will get chapped.
Those branches are too small. They won't do.
If it's better at the recruitment center, why did you come back?
I don't want to be a caregiver.
It's no way to earn a living.
What do you want to do then?
Something useful, like driving a crane.
Now that's man's work.
A hare!
Leilei.
ON THAT DAY
I FOUND MOTHER'S SPIRIT
SHE BORROWED MY BODY
TO BE AGAIN AT MY FATHER'S SIDE
Mingchun.
It's Xiuying. I returned.
You came back?
Your uncle said that our village is dying.
I came back to retrieve the tree from our garden.
You came back for that? After all these years?
He was the first person I saw from the village.
If someone else had told me, I would have returned sooner.
They've all gone.
No one stays long enough to die.
That's why you didn't see anyone else.
Is the tree still alive?
I don't know.
Nobody else lives there.
Take me there so I can see.
I will leave when I have the tree.
Is this too much to ask?
No, it's just a tree.
Come on, I'll show you.
This one got really tall.
That's not surprising. We planted it many years ago.
Twenty years...
We planted it when we got married.
It was a gift from my father.
Is that why you came back?
People plant trees and the trees know them.
Father always said that trees live longer than people.
I only spent ten years of my life with that tree.
Uncle's orchard really died?
I'm afraid so.
This place looks ready to fall apart.
You don't live here anymore.
You can keep the tree as a souvenir if you can get it out of here.
They will level the village anyway.
Where do you want me to put it?
How about there?
That's fine.
It's a good place.
Do you want me to do anything else?
That's okay. I just want you to take the tree out.
That's what I came back for.
Our daughter just left.
She came when Uncle died.
Don't tell her. I'm leaving when I get the tree.
She is getting married soon.
The groom is from over there.
It looks like a good place.
Caizi is beyond that mining company.
Behind the mountain.
That's where all of us will be taken.
We will all stay in a single building.
It was built last year.
The plant also uses gas from underground to make electricity.
It runs through those cables.
They're so tall.
This tree has grown a lot.
I haven't seen it in a long time.
We are all getting feeble.
I doubt we can get it out.
It's not that big.
That's easy to say.
The roots go much further than what you can see.
And if you cut a root,
the tree will die.
The tree is just past this crack.
I'm not driving over that.
We had an agreement.
The crack is very wide.
Look.
There is no danger.
Come on, they're mining down there.
It's too dangerous, I'm out.
It's not worth it.
No way.
I wasted half my day for this!
You can ask this tree about your next life.
It's lived much longer than ours has.
This tree doesn't know me.
It was here long before you were born.
Of course it knows you.
This tree has lived an entire millennium.
It's seen so many people ...
It won't remember two people like us.
It will only remember the rich.
If that's what you think, then our tree is better.
It grew up in our garden,
and knows who we are.
Xiao Mao!
It's Mingchun. I need help with a tree.
Xiao Mao!
If it's just the two of you, don't bother.
You can ask my two brothers for help.
You are so rich but won't bring any tools?
Rich?
We only have utensils and furniture.
- You don't have to take those. - Right.
I'll be back for a while now.
Thank you for taking care of my family.
You're just drinking. Eat something.
And Yun Tao and the others?
Don't wait, we can start eating.
I don't want to go.
Why not?
I don't know, I just don't want to.
After you died,
every time I went to your house,
your brothers would hit me.
I'm not afraid, so why are you?
If you don't say you're back,
who will know?
For them, it's just me and Leilei,
coming to see his grandparents.
My brothers really hit you?
Yes, they did. Every time I visited.
So let's go.
It's okay. We're almost there already.
How did you know?
It doesn't matter. Since you are here, sit down.
Sit down.
They have visitors, so forget about the tree for now.
Everyone came ... You too!
How did you get here, Leilei?
I brought him, Mother.
Leilei, you are very thin.
You should eat more.
She didn't notice us. We'd better serve ourselves.
I'm full. Let's go inside.
It's time to see Baomin's grandson.
Come on, let's see if he looks like Baomin.
Keep eating! Why the hurry?
Have tea and smoke in there then.
Leilei, why did you come?
To see Grandpa and Grandma.
I asked my father to bring me.
Uncle, why are you hiding here?
This is where I live now.
Where are your kids?
They are both at school, back home.
My wife is with them.
The dynamite worked differently this time.
After the explosion,
a huge boulder came flying,
as if it were following me.
The faster I ran, the faster it flew.
Can you believe it, Leilei?
Of course.
I finally got to the river.
I had to put myself in a hole this big.
It was there that I hid.
The boulder just missed my head.
It flew in the direction of your village.
I was so scared that I couldn't move.
I stayed hidden until dark.
That was when I came out of the hole.
Since then, I am afraid to leave.
Mom, I'm back.
When I couldn't sleep, I always thought of you.
I just wanted to talk to you and you never came.
Now I can't stay awake. I even fall asleep in the garden.
Why did you come back now?
To retrieve a tree from here. The one in Mingchun's garden.
It was a gift from Dad for me.
I can't believe you came back for this.
It's not that I need to do this. But I want to.
Leilei looks more like Mingchun than you do.
My daughter looks like me.
Xiuying came back.
Father...
You didn't lock it, the goats have fled!
It's not my fault, I did lock it!
Don't hit him, he's a father now.
Go find the goats!
If we can't find them, you'll get it!
I'll go with him.
Dad, this is goat manure.
Is it wet?
It's dry.
Come on, let's find them.
My brother, I came back.
What?
It's me, Xiuying. I came back.
Why?
I need to do something.
Ask Mingchun.
You don't even know what I need!
I have another grandson now, it's none of my business.
Dad, we found the goats on the hill.
When my father was young,
there was a family in his village
for which the father and mother had died.
After death, they would appear
in their children's dreams.
They had hidden gold on their land.
They wanted the gold dug up.
The children did what they were asked.
And they did find gold.
When was it buried? Before or after they died?
What do you think?
If they could do that when they were alive,
it would be no different when they were dead.
And if they were poor,
where would they get gold after they died?
Where are you going with that in this freezing cold?
Our house collapsed.
We're heading for District 3.
From where?
District 2.
Where the Li clan is from?
Yes, not too far from here.
It's so cold, let us help you.
We're fine, you are also busy.
Come on, we are practically neighbors.
Let's give them a hand.
Are you moving in with a relative?
They have already left.
My daughter is getting married.
She is still very young.
No, it's time. The wedding is on the eve of Lunar New Year.
So my daughter is getting married before.
I think New Year's Eve would be better.
And a good day to marry a daughter.
Stop, stop, stop!
Where are you taking this stone?
To the city.
What a clever way to move it ...
It's scary to see it moving like that.
We have no choice, it's the only way.
We've tried everything. This was the last option.
It's already worn us out.
We don't have big rocks around here.
It was hard to find.
It took us days.
Okay, pull hard!
The rock wants to go. We need to take it.
Go ahead.
Let's go!
Uncle brought me here before he died.
He said the trees were dying
and that he was too.
My parents were very fragile.
My mother died during the night.
My father only noticed in the morning.
He never recovered.
One night, he said to me:
"Get ready. I'm going to die tomorrow, at noon."
The next day, at noon, he hit his head like this ...
And said it didn't make sense to continue.
Then he died.
And nobody took care of Uncle.
I came back once a year to see him.
Now I have no reason to come back.
I met your parents.
It was some time ago. We lived together for a while.
I can take you to see them.
But you need to be prepared.
For what?
They are in their new lives,
they will not recognize you.
I don't know what their new lives are like.
Who are you looking for?
Do any five year olds live here?
No.
Are you sure? Maybe a grandson that doesn't live with you.
Who is it?
I don't know.
My grandson is 20 years old and has no children yet.
This is the right family.
Madam, let me explain.
My father died six years ago.
I heard that he was reborn into your family.
I just came to see him, not to talk to him.
Sorry but there are no children here.
Thank you anyway.
Five years ago, I had a dog
who had a litter of puppies.
Only one survived.
He was difficult.
He was too much for me, so I gave him to my niece.
Where does she live?
In the Dianzitou village, in the last house.
The surname is Wang.
Thank you sir.
Excuse me, is there a Wang family here?
Why do you ask?
We want to buy a dog.
The road is narrow, park here.
And follow me.
- Do you really want a dog? - We do.
Then follow me.
Are you Mr. Wang?
Are you looking for a dog?
I have the best ones.
I'm the village vet.
I raised him well.
We don't want this one. We came for the Wangs' dog.
Their dog is the father of this one.
That's the dog my son wants.
Okay, I'll take you there.
- Mr. Wang! - Hey!
This boy from Caizi wants your dog.
Why don't you sell him yours? He's a good dog.
They just want yours.
My son liked your dog.
If you're sure, I'll show him to you.
He's very wild. Watch out for that.
- He ran away, I'll need to look for him. - Please do.
So let's see where he went.
Great.
He is very strong and runs after all the females.
- Let me try. - Be careful.
Dad, you always wanted to have more children.
You fought with Mom about it your whole life.
But it's all good now, in this life you have many.
Mingchun, I have a question.
What is it?
Why didn't you bring him?
If I brought him to Caizi or to work with me,
he would not be as happy.
This is where your mother is living her new life.
She is a bird.
There are so many, I don't know which one she is.
It doesn't matter, at least I saw her.
I'll find someone to help tomorrow.
Taking out the tree?
Yeah. I'll do the heavy lifting, but the others can lend a hand.
Okay.
I can do this, you are clumsy. Bring more firewood.
This house is good.
Remember ours?
We would choke on the smoke whenever we lit a fire.
We didn't know anything. We didn't even direct the smoke outside.
And the chimney was very short, it was useless!
This is better.
It is much better than our shack.
Even so, we had a good life.
Add more firewood or we're going to be cold tonight.
- There's nobody there. - Where did they go?
To work somewhere else.
- Are you Mingchun from District 1? - I am.
She said they won't be back before the New Year.
- When are they coming back? - I don't know.
- This way? - Yeah.
Do you think they will help us?
Probably. We helped them with their move.
And we just want a little help with a tree.
I heard that mice
get married just before the New Year.
It seems to be true.
My life was very difficult.
When I was born, Mom had no milk.
So my health was not good.
Our family was poor,
so our life was not good.
And I married you.
At least you were trustworthy.
But my life was short.
All I left for you were two children.
I didn't know what I wanted at the time.
I didn't like anything.
Since I left that life,
I finally found something I want.
Now my wish is coming true.
Your life completes mine.
When I'm gone,
call the spirit of Leilei back.
Call him back.
Do you know why your brothers hit me?
It wasn't because of the car accident.
When they couldn't revive you,
people told me to get what was coming to me.
So I dug up your coffin
and made a scene with it at the hospital, mourning you.
After a few days,
nothing had come of it.
So I took your body back and buried it.
Now having you back like this ...
I want to apologize.
I will do anything you ask.
Come back, Leilei.
ON THE EVE OF LUNAR NEW YEAR
MOTHER'S SPIRIT IS GONE
FATHER IS CALLING ME BACK
Come back, Leilei.