#ye xiaoying

[feng-huli]

Swords drawn

[whydoyouaskmethis]

Another family connection here. Ye Ruoyi is the daughter of Ye Xiaoying from Langya Army. I guess that's how she and Xiao Chuhe know each other.

[feng-huli]

My favorite part about this is that her father created the dance. This dual-wielding, rough-around-the-edges, ex-butcher general was on the battlefield one day and realized that he should peacefully caress his enemies’ swords before unleashing his killing intent on them. And I think that’s beautiful.

Chinese dramas may have censorship… but they also the Ruoyi Sword Dance.

In which a beautiful girl runs her fingers down a man’s blade, like the entire length of his shaft, then coyly says “you’ve got a good sword”… proceeds to lead him into an intricate floaty dance in front of a large crowd… which inspires her ex boyfriend to start playing zither to accompany them… which inspires an old scholar sword deity dude to jump in with the flute… which inspires their repressed martial arts bestie to leap on the rooftop and bust out some poetry. The whole thing ends with our dancing swordsman holding up his erect sword to the sky (like He Man channeling the power of grayskull), it bursts into a magnificent display of magical qi and flower petals and our girl looks pleasantly spent.

The crowd murmurs in awe, too stunned to clap or cheer cause… I mean… should you?

The dancing couple have publicly consummated their relationship. I consider them married at this point.

As if to second the motion the old scholar sword deity tosses his flute and comes down to officially congratulate the two. He even gives them both wedding gifts.

GIF by kdram-chjh

Like… I can’t make this stuff up. I wish I could, cause I’d be churning out wuxia novels.

[rose-tinted-vision]

Dashing Youth Episode 25

ill try to keep this live reaction relatively vague for anyone following who hasn't watched yet

Ok Xiao Ruofeng best boy...the feels are getting to mee dkdndkdmsm Bai Shu is such a good actor ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

OH YE XIAOYING...

this drama's issues could've been solved with an ot3...

on one hand: 4 5 and 6 leaving Tianqi to travel???? yay i guess??? (I say as I feel the dread creeping up)

on the other hand: is hitting the fan i need my custom made 100 thread count handkerchiefs...

also!! my boy!!! (⁠´⁠∩⁠｡⁠•⁠ ⁠ᵕ⁠ ⁠•⁠｡⁠∩⁠`⁠)

[atamascolily]

Lily watches: The Legend of Heroes, episode 1

love how this adaptation completely dispensed with hundreds of pages of novel backstory in less than five minutes (saving it for a different series, I think) so we could get to the main story right away.

that moment when the Seven Freaks of the South showed up was A++++, iconic

(the fact that they put in all this work and effort for what is essentially a bar bet really brings home how important one's word is in the jianghu)

shout-out to Zhu Cong and Han Xiaoying, my faves of Guo Jing's seven shifu

MENG ZIYI OUT THERE KILLING IT (literally) AS MEI CHAOFENG, LET THIS WOMAN BE KICK ASS AND BE EVIL, I'M SO HERE FOR IT.

HUANG RONG'S ESTABLISHING CHARACTER MOMENT IS A MARTIAL ARTS CHASE SEQUENCE IN A WOOL WORKSHOP, I LOVE IT

Guo Jing is such a himbo, full stop. You can SEE Huang Rong falling for him in real time because she correctly identifies that he is a Good Boy.

good job contrasting Guo Jing and Huang Rong's meet-cute with Wanyan Kang and Mu Nianci's.... everything.

that moment where Wanyan Kang and Mu Nianci are leaping on the spectators' shoulders YES GOOD.

aesthetics? gorgeous. characters? fun. martial arts? fantastic.

I have no idea if this episode will make sense to anyone who hasn't read Legend of the Condor Heroes because we blow through so much so fast, but I'm loving it.

[jianghushenanigans]

For a highly specific ship, Jin Yan and General Ye Xiaoying?

hello?? HELLO???? JIN YAN AND GENERAL YE 👀 anon your MIND

Squick / Just nope / A trainwreck you can’t look away from / Mehh but they are bloody everywhere / Not interested but no negative feelings / I need to see how I could make it work / BroTP / Cute / I love them / They rented a room in my mind and are here to stay

i can safely say I've never thought about these two at the same time except for the one scene they're in together but 👀👀 NOW i'm thinking about them aakgjhdfklhafkldhflkadshlkfjhg there's so much HISTORY between everyone in Tianqi City and we get so little of it i NEED MORE

Original ask game here

[444namesplus]

#130

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Fa Fab Farke Fe Fel Fell Felov Flamer Flang Flex Flyovo Flysk Fon Fonte Fouss Fowuji Fu Fur Fush Fuya Ga Gals Ge Gelly Ghart Ghous Gi Gia Giang Gibilk Gilet Gin Grea Gredle Gree Grepha Grinsk Gry Guble Gur Ha Hai Hangar Hanned Har Harn Harsky Hea Hek Hen Heng Her Hergin Hino Holian Horn Hou Huang Hum Hyongs Icang Ick Il Ilf Ilkins Im In Ine Ing Ings Inne Insk Is Ise Istron Ite Itory Ivno Ivous Izhike Ja Jace Jahait Jamits Jams Jav Ji Jiaans Jiace Jiang Jiao Jiaoma Jiel Jile Jin Jing Jinsk Jium Jose Jyna Ka Ke Ker Kerf Khou Ki Knipev Knoth Knov Kol Kor Kov Kovo Kovolk Kovsk Kra Ks Kud Kun Kury La Labing Laizuo Land Laog Lavike Le Lev Lia Lian Lichan Licul Limer Lin Ling Lins Lishlo Lockey Ludmat Lus Ma Macqu Man Mar Mard Max Mer Merble Meuclé Mi Mia Miess Milin Minsk Mo Mock Modan Moota Mot Moz Na Nake Nalbag Nam Nannio Navka Ne Ned Nee Nes Nevsk Nig Nike Nis Nixin No Nock Nou Novo Ny Ock Ockpad Odvion Ok Oks Okt Ols Olsk Oning Opring Oree Orke Ors Orzola Os Ose Osgian Oth Otun Ow Pa Paiwu Parn Part Past Pet Ping Pinon Pio Piya Ple Pok Poks Polian Pose Pou Preass Pril Prizi Pured Qi Qiang Qin Qings Qinou Qinov Qio Qione Qite Qithsk Qix Qua Quang Quanza Quash Que Qui Quice Quis Quit Ra Rairek Rarfel Resco Ressk Rey Ric Rio Roadsk Roakun Rodon Ronye Ros Rtan Rubwor Rulke Rummen Run Rus Ry San Sang Sat Say Searth Sh Shaly Shank Shu Shuang Sinse Sio Sner Sno Son Sp Spa Stling Swak Sy Ta Tammon Tan Tegian Terrak Terry Thezey Thstay Ting Tins Tivo Tonara Tong Tornsk Tron Tsk Tuncaw Tury Tutnov Tyl Uchous Udee Udolan Udow Ugao Ugask Ukov Ulgo Ull Umats Unak Undyr Ung Upirch Ur Urto Ury Us Usa Usanin Vall Valts Varmo Vell Verba Viddar Vidsk Vike Vikle Vil Vile Vill Virets Vo Voleft Volvel Vud Vy Vycas Vyse Wara Warsk Warth Wayou Wee Weed Wein Werng Whao Whi Whort Wifal Wing Wite Wolk Word Work Wou Wu Wuga Xi Xia Xiands Xiang Xiant Xiaoy Xiar Xin Xina Xing Xingki Xinjie Xinon Xins Xinsk Xinyl Xiozh Xuang Xuet Xush Yabob Yan Yanka Yanth Yaz Yazovo Ye Yel Yemas Yevsk Yi Yic Yin Yine Yiny You Yu Yuart Yuss Yuzno Za Zan Zano Zarhou Zelese Zhen Zhi Zhmer Zhole Zhosk Zhot Zhou Zhouse Zhov Zhovsk Zia Zort Zou Zovo Zu

[sakaiyuji234]

Roses in the Mirror

Chapter 3

*MTL*

　Her brother was too reliable and she wrongly blamed him. She looked at the photos a few more times and found that she couldn't get enough of them no matter how much she looked at them. He is obviously a man with handsome features, and his face is expressionless, but it always gives people the illusion of a slight frown. She married this man because of his distant and regal temperament.

　　The housekeeper also saw her satisfaction and smiled slightly: "It seems that the lady is quite satisfied with Mr. He."

　　"His surname is He?" Xie Xinqi straightened her back.

　　"Yes, miss, didn't you even look at his name?"

　　Seeing the housekeeper making a flipping motion in a book, Xie Xinqi turned the photo over and saw a single English word below:

　　King

　　Her hands shook and she almost dropped the photo: "...Oh my God."

　　This man is King.

　　Why didn't you think of searching for King's photos before, and he actually looks like this? What my brother said is literally "a man of the highest quality"...

　　Everyone living in Gongzhou knows that in the city's upper-class circles, the most affectionate man is Mr. Xie, and the most ruthless man is King. Mr. Xie can make any woman dream about it, and King can make any woman just want to be with him. Able to think wildly.

　　"King" is a special code name. Since the rise of the gambling industry in Gongzhou, Zhenji Royal City has emerged. The ruler of the royal city, the chairman, is known as "King". Last year, Zhenji’s royal city changed hands. It is said that the new King is under thirty, but his tactics are no less ruthless than the old King's. He once made his fortune in diamonds, but later shifted his business focus to jewelry and antiques, cracking down on dissenters and monopolizing the industry. His influence can be described by the allusion of "Atlas Shrugged" - the Titan Atlas shrugged, The whole world shook.

　　Under the influence of this huge change, graduates are rushing to interview, and it is as common as breathing. This is also the main reason why Lovi is looking forward to her career indefinitely.

　　On this idle sunny day, she drank a cold drink with Little Pepper and couldn't help but sigh: "Oh, the jewelry industry is so difficult to get into now. It's all our fault, Sakura, for being ungrateful and leaving us. Otherwise, I would have been a His rhinestone designer."

　　Xiaoying, Luo Wei, Xiao Chili, and Su Jianian are childhood sweethearts, and they are also the boys Luo Wei is trying to find in every possible way. They grew up in the same neighborhood. The Su brothers and sisters lived in a villa, while she and Xiaoying lived in a civilian community next to them. The two buildings were facing each other, so they were also neighbors. She has always liked sparkling things, and she loved playing with her mother's rhinestone jewelry when she was little. I remember she once said to Sakura, you should become a rhinestone dealer when you grow up, and he agreed. When she mentioned him, she originally just wanted to make a joke to make her unemployment look less embarrassing. Unexpectedly, Pepper stopped talking and looked at her solemnly: "Actually, Weiwei, do you know about the new King?"

　　"I know."

　　"It turns out that you knew, and we all thought you didn't know. Alas, this is really a pity. We have also lost contact with Brother Sakura. However, I know the scope of his activities, and I can try to take you to find him tomorrow. "

　　"Okay, okay."

　　I don't know why, whenever Sakura is mentioned, she gets excited easily, but she feels a little awkward and can't be frank.

　　Pepper has always been a man of action. She sneaked home, drove out her SUV, drove out with Lovi like a big bison, went to a high-end custom clothing store, picked up two large bags, and stuffed them into Lovi's arms through the car window. When she opened it, she saw two evening dresses inside. Luo Wei was confused: "Are we going to attend some formal occasion?"

　　Little Pepper nodded, with a solemn look on his face: "When we arrive later, please remember to talk less and just follow me."

　　"good."

　　"Over the years, my brother and I have actually met in private with Sakura-nii, but I don't know if the new environment put too much pressure on him, so he turned us away. I just hope that if we meet you, he can Change back a little bit."

　　"He has been with you longer than I have. If it's useless for you to talk to him, it's even more useless for me to go."

　　"No, it's useful." Pepper pondered for a moment, "Although you two had such a quarrel later, I always felt that you were very special to him."

　　This sentence made Luo Wei think for a long time.

　　An hour later, the night grew darker, and magical lights illuminated the world outside the car window. Pepper wore a silver clown mask and handed Luo Wei a golden queen white feather mask. The building in front of me stands on the side of Miyashu Bridge, covering most of the seaside avenue. More than twenty small doors are inlaid with artificial jewelry, which are shining brightly by the rotating lights. The main building is forty-five stories high, standing like a deep-sea iceberg, with a huge hollow heart inlaid in the center and a fully transparent afternoon tea restaurant. High in the sky above it, a helicopter with the "Herson Group" logo printed on it hovered around the building, and was hit by lights from time to time. There are yachts and speedboats coming and going at your feet, transporting billions of wealthy guests from all over the world.

　　This is a masterpiece that combines classical and modern art, integrating leisure, entertainment, casinos, hotels, restaurants, and clubs. After eight o'clock every night, the fountain at the main entrance is replaced by a model of a volcano, which erupts every ten minutes, burning the ice-blue building red. Here, there are as many dancing girls as the birds migrating south. They wear rich makeup and walk in and out on the marble steps. This is the first entertainment center that comes to mind when anyone mentions Gongzhou - Zhenji Royal City.

　　Luo Wei's dress was a floor-length aqua blue dress with bare shoulders and an elegant flower on the chest. And Pepper wore a white suit, which looked a bit like a gay Hollywood diva. After entering Zhenji's Royal City, they deposited their coats and bags. Xiaojiao held five banknotes between his fingers and handed them to the depository girl as a tip.

　　Seeing that the face values ​​of the five banknotes were all one hundred, Luo Wei looked calm and calm on the outside, but actually she had fainted a hundred times in her heart. She knew that Xiaojiao was a rich second generation, but was she planning to send express delivery to Abu Dhabi by spending this money?

　　However, what surprised her even more was that it turned out that Pepper's weird expression when he mentioned Sakura was because he fell into trouble in the casino.

　　The Sakura in my memory is a beautiful boy with a beauty mark. Before entering elementary school, she always thought he was a girl, and mistakenly thought that the "英" in his name was written as "Ying", so she called him "Xiaoying", and even Little Pepper also called him Xiaoying brother. After studying, she learned that the "school belle" and "school bully" of their school were both Sakura. She felt a little unreasonable - Sakura should be the "school belle". But now, the "school bully" has really turned into a gangster addicted to gambling like all the bad students in the school...

　　Thinking of a gangster smoking a cigarette, playing mahjong with a shiny face and shouting "goo", and then thinking of Sakura who had a snowflake complexion when she was a child, Luo Wei felt bad.

　　The transparent elevator soared in the center of Zhenji's Royal City, and they could see the scenes on each floor from inside: in addition to a large number of roulette, Baccarat, slot machines and other gambling and entertainment facilities, there were also cocktail banquets, art exhibition halls, and boxing matches broadcast live around the world... ...She even saw live sharks and tigers at the entrance to a certain floor, but before she could see clearly what was going on inside, the elevator passed by them.

　　Finally, the elevator stopped at the forty-fifth floor. There is a revolving restaurant with a transparent ceiling. The stars above are shining down, making people mistakenly think that they are walking in the Milky Way.

　　After getting off the elevator, Xiao Laojiao took her to swipe her card into another door, walked up the stairs, and whispered: "Zhen Ji's Royal City actually has forty-six floors. The top of the forty-fifth floor uses the most advanced technology to refract light." The starry sky can only be seen from the 46th floor.”

　　After reaching the forty-sixth floor and passing the security check, the doorman in a tuxedo saw Pepper's invitation and opened the leather door for them. Inside this door is a gambling hall, and the sound of shuffling poker cards can be heard. The floor is made of black and white marble, like a chess board. There are a large number of red and white roses placed in the corner, as beautiful and prosperous as the female guests coming and going.

　　There is a white clock hanging on the wall, so big that it takes up half of the wall. The curved black hands seem to have the magic power to reverse time and space. The Baccarat table in the center was surrounded by gamblers in costumes, and the bookkeeper was shoveling cards on the table with a long black flat spoon. Lovi also discovered a curious detail: opposite Baccarat's table, there was a cage. There is an oversized turtle in the cage. It looks like a hunchbacked old man, with the shell on its back arched high.

　　She felt like Alice had wandered into Wonderland: "Pepper Pepper, what on earth is this place?"

　　"A casino with secret transactions. Only people with special invitations can enter."

　　It turns out that this is a special casino: every guest will spend a huge amount of money to buy chips and selectively participate in an elimination competition. The winner can exchange all chips for cash or a rare commodity - the current trading commodity is the turtle in the cage. His name is written on the front of the cage:

　　Pinta Island tortoise (Geochelone nigra abingdoni)

　　It has been reported in the news that this animal once lived on Pinta Island in the Colon Islands, west of Ecuador and in the east Pacific. The last Pinta Island tortoise, named Lonesome George, died in 2012, and no purebred individual has been found since. So, this...is this an extinct animal?

　　They waited here for a long time and saw that they sold extinct tortoises, and then sold the Isain Island in the North Indian Ocean, the eggs of the late superstar Mable Leanne, Dominican military secrets, Titian Wei Chelio's undisclosed oil paintings of the Son... these things opened Lovi's eyes, but she was more concerned about what Sakura was doing here.

　　Just then, someone tapped her on the shoulder and whispered, "Why are you here?"

[agent-impact]

my Albedo really likes my Xiao and I think its adorable

[fyeahcindie]

A ‘world music’ arrangement and a soaring vocal by Leaf Yeh 葉穎 on this live version of 取巧 (Clever), from Leaf’s Birth & Death album. (2019)

Handpan: 李承宇 Angus Lee Sitar: 吳欣澤 (Uz Azer)  (he leads the world music ensemble 西尤島．the SiyuLand) Didgeridoo: Brian Lin 慶洲 (Ching-Chou Lin) Drums/Percussion: Vincent Liao 廖文森 Tabla: 謝雨珊 (Punch打擊樂團/Punch Percussion Group, 鼓玩擊樂團 Good One Percussion) Synth/Vocal/Flute: Leaf Yeh 葉穎

Leaf links: StreetVoice,  YouTube,  SoundCloud,  Instagram,  Spotify

Bonus clip: A fun version of the Mission Impossible theme using tuned percussion tubes (called Boomwhackers); 謝雨珊, 薛寶釵, and another girl (Yu Shan Hsieh?) in the group 鼓玩擊樂團 Good One Percussion Group:

Yu Shan Hsieh YT channel has a few more clips from this performance, featuring drums and more tuned percussion. Cool stuff!  =D

[feng-huli]

The Fire Puppy meets the Slayer

[mycatwantstoeatpins]

Blood of Youth recap - episode 24

Xiao Se says it was a coincidence but also like it was arranged in advance.

As they wait for the ceremony, Lord Chi makes fun of Lord Bai for being blind. The marquis attends with the State Preceptor. The emperor comes out then collapses with a heart attack.

The emperor is mostly in a coma for three days and wakes three times to issue three edicts: Marquis Lanyue and Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu are in charge; officials below second rank may not enter or leave Tianqi and those above second rank may not leave their residences; and the third is a secret decree delivered to Ye Xiaoying by Jinyan, the Director of Seal.

General Ye says the secret decree should have been issued secretly, then finds out it’s blank. His soldier confirms Xiao Se is back in Xueyue and Ye Ruoyi is with him.

A doctor tells the marquis and Dong Zhu the emperor may not wake for months.

Sikong Changfeng asks if Ji Ruofeng has returned to Baixiao Sect. The disciple says there’s a new head and asks why Baili Dongjun and Mo Yi haven’t returned from Penglai island.

Xiao Se remembers his father being angry because he wanted to travel in the jianghu. Qianluo comes to him and asks if he’s going back to Tianqi and whether she can go with him.

Xiao Lingchen, the younger Lord Langya, joins them and laughs at Xiao Se for not answering. Qianluo leaves and Xiao Se asks where Xiao Lingchen’s been. He says they were stopped by White Tiger but he was allowed to go after his father surrendered and he’s been in hiding. He says Xiao Se should return to Tianqi but it isn’t time for him yet.

Marquis Lanyue visits Hua Jin to command her to treat the emperor.

Xiao Se tells Sikong Changfeng he doesn’t know the answer to Qianluo’s question. Sikong Changfeng says he hates the emperor but he’s tried to be a good ruler and a good father.

Zang Ming reports to Lord Bai that Tang Lian faced punishment but Tang Lianyue defeated Tang Huang, Tang Xuan and Tang Qisha, there was an internal fight and Tang Lianyue is now the leader. He won’t ally with Lord Bai.

Tang Lian asks Tian Lianyue whether Tang clan will ally with Lord Bai or Xueyue. Tang Lianyue says he won’t get involved. Tang Lian says he’s decided to follow his heart and has been studying the book of liquor. Tang Lianyue tells him how Lord Langya entered the Insouciant Phase after drinking Seven Starry Nights.

Hua Jin says she can cure the emperor but it will take a month.

Marquis Lanyue asks the guard captain how an assassin got into the palace.

Wuxin disguises himself as an official/eunuch and gets caught by the chief eunuch, who injures him. He wonders when Xiao Se will come back.

Yin Luoxia tells Sikong Changfeng Xiao Se has left. Sikong Changfeng starts mapping out Xiao Se’s enemies:

General Chen Luoying receives message from Lord Chi.

Wushuang sends Lu Yuzhai on a mission.

Dark River will come from the southwest.

Xikong Changfeng tells Yin Luoxia to issue the emergency Qiancheng token.

Qianluo comes in the Vermilion Bird’s robes to say goodbye.

Sikong Changfeng says he’s going to take on Luo Qingyang.

Tang Lian sees the Qiancheng token and leaves.

Lei Wujie sees it with Li Hanyi and she tells him to leave Sword Heart Tomb to protect Xiao Se.

Li Wei (Ye Battalion commander) hears General Ye can’t leave his residence. Ye Ruoyi passes on General Ye’s order to protect Xiao Se.

The State Preceptor tells Marquis Lanyue Xiao Se has left Xueyue. The marquis calls Li Changqing and says he needs eight hundred tiger soldiers to accompany him out of the city.

The marquis makes a speech to rally the soldiers to protect Lord Yong’an.

[yuaenri]

I love your xiao sm... like of course I like xiao in general but omg. your modern au xiao is such perfection aaaa you've made him my absolute favorite 😔🤌🏻 I love him lots,, rlly hope xiaoy/n get a happy ending <333

AHHHHH THIS ACTUALLY MAKES ME SO HAPPY AKHJASHAGKGHA 😭 I wasn't so sure about Xiao's personality in my smau tbh i thought it was boring ☹️ but this makes me feel better hehehe

And yes, if everything goes well, there'll definitely be a happy ending for xiaoyn HSHAHAHA

[anon-apple]

Hot Soup and Soft Bread 18

Table of Contents and Synopsis <- Chapter 17 Read on WordPress

Chapter 18: Soymilk and Fried Dough VI

Before Liu Xiaoying’s 80th birthday celebration, Zhou Cunqu was already capable of going in and out of the Qin Qin  Homeland residential community by himself. That morning, he agreed to accompany Xiaoying to take a walk down the path by the river. Cunqu got up, and Qiuyan got up with him. Xiaoying wore an exercise headband and had a towel draped around her neck. As she was warming up by the entrance, she saw Qiuyan sticking to Cunqu as they came out of the bedroom. The two of them leaned against each other half-asleep as they brushed their teeth in the bathroom, and then they, still half-asleep, followed behind Xiaoying as they walked by the river. 

Xiaoying yelled behind her: “Keep up! What are you two doing?”

Qiuyan, hugging Cunqu’s arm, was startled awake and yelled back: “Yes Teacher Liu!”

After the walk, they had breakfast together at the breakfast shop in the Qin Qin Homeland community. The boss placed soy milk and fried dough on top of the little folding table, and said: “Teacher Liu, so these were your grandsons? I didn’t know.”

Xiaoying squinted her eyes as she drank her plain congee, then replied, “Yeah.”

Hot steam exuded from the steamer baskets in the breakfast shop. People rushing to get to work brushed by them as they walked off with their breakfast. Qiuyan and Cunqu were chatting on and off about some things. Qiuyan tugged Cunqu’s hand, and in a half-spoiled manner, asked: “So is that a yes?” Cunqu smiled and didn’t reply. Xiaoying watched them with her head leaning against her hand and suddenly stretched out to brush away the hair before Cunqu’s forehead. 

Cunqu lifted his head to look at her. Xiaoying said: “It’s nothing. Let’s eat.”

The residents of Qin Qin Homeland greeted Xiaoying as they walked in and out of the breakfast shop, then hurriedly continued on with their own affairs. A week later, people walked in and out of the hotel, lobby stood by Xiaoying, and offered their birthday congratulations. Xiaoying wore her custom-ordered new clothes and smiled as she sat at the main table.

Before dinner, Qi Zhiqiu (t/n: xiaoying's youngest daughter) led her outside to take a family photo. A chair was placed in the main lobby. Xiaoying sat down, and her children and grandchildren stood in two rows beside her. During photo-taking moments like these, Xiaoying would always be reminded of when she was at Experimental Elementary School taking photos of the kids receiving awards on stage. She corrected her posture a bit cautiously, then suddenly turned her head. 

Qi Zhiqiu yelled from the back row: “Old lady, what are you doing, look to the front.”

Xiaoying was looking for Cunqu. She saw him standing at the edge of the second row. Zhou Ming and Qi Lanxiang (t/n:  Cunqu’s parents) appeared to be avoiding him and stood by Qi Zhiqiu’s family. Xiaoying opened her mouth; Cunqu smiled at her. 

Before heading out, it was Qi Zhiqiu who came to pick them up. Xiaoying and Cunqu had already changed and were leaning against the patio railing getting fresh air. The aroma of blooming osmanthus was in the air. Xiaoying laughed and said: “One way or another, it looks like I accidentally lived to be eighty years old.”

Cunqu laughed with her. He stared at the newspaper bulletin board downstairs, then turned to say to Xiaoying: “Grandma, I never said this but, thank you.”

Before entering the hotel, Xiaoying kept holding onto Cunqu’s hand, as if she was very nervous. After arriving in the main lobby, crowds of people swarmed towards Xiaoying like an ocean wave to offer their congratulations, and the two were separated. Xiaoying chatted with her ex-students, colleagues, and friends. When she lifted her head, she saw Cunqu leaning against a chair talking to Qi Zhiqiu. Xiaoying felt like she was probably too used to being a teacher. She kept worrying on behalf of Cunqu about how he would explain the two years he disappeared. But Cunqu seemed a lot more unperturbed than she anticipated. He was dressed in a business casual suit he had chosen with Qiuyan and appeared relaxed as he leaned against his chair. He looked just like his twenty-nine-year-old self.  

The photographer yelled from the front: “I’m going to count one, two, three, everyone look at the camera ok?”

Xiaoying turned her head back to the front, sat with her legs placed together, and took her family photo at the age of eighty, surrounded by all of her children and grandchildren. The photo was later printed out, blown up, framed, and delivered to the fifth floor, Building No.3 of the Qin Qin  Homeland residential community. In the photo, Cunqu stood at the leftmost end of the second row, and Zhou Ming and Qi Lanxiang stood at the rightmost end. 

It was also like that during dinner that day. Cunqu sat at Xiaoying’s table, while Zhou Ming and Qi Lanxiang picked a different table. They acted like strangers from the start to the end, not speaking even as they passed by each other. 

After the celebration ended, Xiaoying chatted enthusiastically with a few friends at the front entrance of the hotel. That day was truly one of the happiest days of her life. She didn’t know that while she was chatting, Cunqu was stopped by Zhou Ming before he could get into Qi Zhiqiu’s car. He stood in front of Cunqu and said: “Alright, I still want to have a talk with you. What do you plan to do in the future?”

Cunqu looked at his father, a bit at a loss. It was the same type of loss as when a student gets stopped by his college professor and asked about his life goals. Zhou Ming, a bit angered, asked: “You can’t be planning on going back to hide at your grandma’s place? Everything else aside, Zhou Cunqu, everything else aside, don’t you feel like you are being very selfish?”

Cunqu kept staring at Zhou Ming, and his brain slowly started to adjust to once again hearing the sounds of Zhou Ming lecturing him. Zhou Ming suddenly raised his voice and yelled: “Everything else aside, don’t you know how bad your grandma’s health is??”

Xiaoying suddenly whipped her head around. Zhou Ming shoved Zhou Cunqu and continued speaking: “Last year your grandma was diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, had headaches, and was vomiting, but she still had to take care of you. What were you doing then? You were hiding in your room reading books!”

Xiaoying yelled from where she was standing at the hotel's front doors: “Zhou Ming, you stop talking!”

The guests walking in and out of the lobby all stopped to watch the scene. But Zhou Ming continued cursing at Cunqu: “Do you know, others are all laughing at me and my wife, all because of you.”

Xiaoying loudly yelled: “I said stop talking, Zhou Ming!” 

Finally, Zhou Ming said: “Why didn't you just hide away your whole life. Why are you coming outside now…” 

Xiaoying placed her hand on her heart and cried as she yelled: “Don’t, don’t listen. Zhou Cunqu, come here to your grandma.”

That day, Cunqu turned to look at Xiaoying and stretched his lips into that same old smile to comfort her. Xiaoying suddenly realized something. In the past twenty-some years, how many times had she missed the injuries that stung Cunqu’s body despite being in a position to see so clearly? All because he had always been so good at comforting himself, at comforting others, in moments like these. 

Xiaoying reached out a hand towards Cunqu. Then her eyes closed as she collapsed onto the ground.

-> Chapter 19

Footnotes

Moyamoya disease: I had to look this up. It is a “rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder caused by blocked arteries at the base of the brain in an area”  https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/moyamoya-disease There is no cure, only treatment to manage the symptoms. 

[rose-tinted-vision]

Okay don't judge me but I found some Beili Eight Young Masters crumbs from The Blood of Youth (I'm completely normal about this show wdym)

Spoilers for The Blood of Youth Episode 11-12

Li Hanyi mentions this while telling Lei Wujie about his parents past:

"Twenty years ago, while protecting the current Emperor, Mother and Father attacked Pingqing hall. Afterwards, father was appointed as one of the Eight pillars of Beili and served in the expedition against Nanjue. He died on the battlefield."

-Episode 11

I'm assuming there's an imminent war coming up in Dashing Youth(?) I've heard somewhere that they're adapting up till Wu Xin gets sent to the Hanshui temple, so I'm not too sure if they're going to cover their deaths?

"Ye Xiaoying has gathered 30,000 Langya army. One order from you, and they will draw their swords. Your Highness, the 800,000 Langya army in Beili are waiting for your order." -Episode 12

I love using this meme haha

[helloandwelcometomariasblog]

Review #91: Sister

Written by Xiaoying You, Directed by Ruoxin Yin

Sister immediately caught my attention for two reasons: It's an Asian film, and it's about family. After watching the trailer, I knew I had to go see it at the cinemas. There seemed to be aspects of it that I really liked - family members unable to love each other with nobody specific to blame. I really wanted to know how the characters would resolve that. And so I went to see it.

I was disappointed and not invested maybe a third of the film. I was slowly won over during two-thirds of the film, then by the end, I was bawling. Really. And the film remained with me for a while after that too.

The reason I wasn't invested at first was, I think, pretty simple. The main character was such a biatch. Yes, I understood her - she had enough reasons to be that biatch, but nobody actually wants to see the main character really be one. We could all see why she hated her brother and why she felt she wasn't responsible. We could all see that she wasn't loved as much as her brother was while her parents were alive. We could all see that her family members were also inconsiderate, pushing her to take care of her little brother despite the abuse she herself had gone through. We could also see that her brother was being a pain from time to time, and that she had her own life and her own plans - she was smart and wanted to be a doctor and also get married to her long-term boyfriend.

BUT. But despite all that, the second most important character is a little boy. A child. Moreover, he's a child who has just lost both parents. He doesn't even know what death means, what grief means, and here he is thrown around like a soccer ball, from heartless person to heartless person. And nobody wants to keep him. I just couldn't empathize with the main character when here was a child who was being forced to live through grief and constant abandonment by himself. Like what the fuck? Maybe I was even more angry because I have a little brother with around the same age difference. I don't think I could ever give my brother up to adoption regardless of whatever happened between me and my parents. Hating parents is one thing, abandoning a child is another.

Also, that child just went through something incredibly traumatic that even adults struggle with. Of course he needs more care and attention during this time. But he doesn't get it (in fact he gets the exact opposite, right in front of his face) and you're surprised and angry that he's acting out? That's his way of crying out for help. And what does the sister do? Become a biatch, that's what.

I just honestly could not empathize with her. And this lack of empathy and relatability made it initially very hard to become immersed in the film. I constantly found myself empathizing with the little brother instead and feeling really sorry for him. It really didn't help that he was a child. Children already have the image of being helpless and weak, and the film put that child in an even more vulnerable situation with a sister who literally wants to abandon him and overtly hates him. Like, come on.

This sister slowly starts changing as the film progresses. It's true that the beginning of the film may have been more realistic than others. The sister had issues she had to resolve within herself and the film may have just shown that in the most dirtiest and realest way possible, with no sugar coating. If that's what the film intended, I gotta say it succeeded. I'm just glad I stuck with it because it was incredibly cathartic seeing the sister heal herself as the film goes on. It surely doesn't happen immediately though, which I loved. It took quite a long time (which is probably why the film is over two hours long), but it was time well-spent, and more realistic too.

The sister goes back and forth many times, but that makes it even more real. There are moments when she advocates for her brother and takes care of him, and then the next moment she's back to wanting her own life and giving him up to adoption. The back-and-forth movements become more and more dramatic as time goes on, and the sister finds it harder and harder to emotionally detach herself from her brother. The film does all of this gradually, which is one of its strongest points. It reflects real life better.

A standout scene for me is when the sister goes to visit her brother after sitting her exams, and she finds her brother playing mahjong with a damn cigarette tucked behind his ear. I honestly gasped at that scene, and would have reacted exactly the same way the sister did - yell and scream at the uncle and drag little brother out of there. We're then led to a really heartwarming scene where the sister bathes her brother at the apartment during golden hour, sunlight pouring through the glass. I'm trying to remember the dialogue during that scene. I'm sure it was something really warm.

What I also loved was how, even after this heartwarming scene, the sister still decides to leave to Beijing. It felt way more realistic than some other family movies where it doesn't take much for the person to give up their desires for the younger being. It's shown during another standout scene where the siblings lie in bed, having a talk before going to sleep. The little brother asks her if she still wants to go to Beijing and why. The sister answers honestly and we can all tell that she really dreams of this life that she's planned out. The sad thing is that the brother is included in that 'we'. I didn't know during that scene, but in the following scenes, I realised that he understood exactly what his sister wanted.

It was really crazy how the little brother left his sister on his own accord and gave himself up to adoption just so his sister could pursue her dreams. As much as I loved that beat, I found myself seriously wondering: is that realistic? That a six year old boy would be that deeply sacrificial? He's probably the most sacrificial and loving character in the film, even more than his sister. It was a great beat though, one of the best in the movie. It was heartbreaking seeing him cry, unable to tell his sister why he chose to leave her. It was like a drama scene where one of the leads forces themselves to leave their partner and be all noble and sacrificial. Still not sure if it's realistic for a six year old to do that though. It's kind of sad even thinking of it. A child doing something even most adults wouldn't do. The brother really had to grow up and mature at a super young age. It's sad. I wonder what kind of teenager and adult he will be in the future. I hope he gets to resolve the hurts inside of him too as he grows up.

And so the sister actually buys the ticket for Beijing and prepares to leave. Again, I loved this. I loved how the film took us till the very end of the end before resolving things. The film really made us believe the sister would leave. And to be honest, I understood her and didn't blame her for deciding to pursue her dreams. I sat there wondering how they would actually resolve things. The ending scene is definitely one of my favourites, maybe even the favourite. I loved how the sister was given an ultimatum: you can leave, but if you leave, you've gotta sign the paper to say you'll never come to see your brother ever again. It was a great choice. There was so much at risk on both sides. It was a moment where I genuinely wasn't sure what she would do - I knew she loved both her brother and her dream and held both of them dearly. Both of them were precious.

I held my breath when she hesitated, pen hovering over the paper. Then she throws the pen down and runs out to her brother, and when her little brother turns to her, his eyes are full of tears. My heart. My heart. My damn heart! I bawled there, the tears just flowed. The brother had been pretending to be okay and holding all tears back, thinking that his sister would feel bad if she saw him cry and she'd give up her dreams. That's just too much for a six year old, I swear. He finally lets it out when he knows she still wants and loves him. That was both incredibly painful and cathartic to watch. What an amazing climax and resolution.

I also liked how the sister resolved her own deep issues before finally going back to her brother. I believe it's shown in the scene where she visits her parents' grave on the rainy day and cries to them. There was a hint of the start of her healing when she cries and lets out her honest feelings during night in front of her parents' pictures. The rainy day she rips the paper and is again honest to her parents' grave, is a great scene. I also loved the part where she comes down the stairs, and it's a long shot with rainwater flooding down the steps like a beautiful waterfall. It made me want to film something like that in the future. Felt like things were being washed away.

So yes, I started off not liking the film because of how unlikable the main character was (they're allowed to have negative qualities, but I honestly believe there needs to be something that makes the audience identify with them or empathize with them, just something that makes the audience root for them) and her treatment of her brother. I know it was done that way to show her gradual change, but I still do think it could have been done a little differently. Because, even with her treatment of her brother aside, I didn't really like her as a person and had trouble understanding her. She seemed really tantrum-ey at points. But as the film went on, I warmed up to her and the gradual change took place. She was still herself with her own desires even while growing to love her brother, which I loved. She learned to balance things out, and I hope she continued to pursue her dreams even without going to Beijing, with her brother by her side.

I find that this film presented a different image of 'sacrifice', and that it was saying that different image was okay too. You don't have to fully give yourself up for someone. You can still have your own life and that's okay. By the end, none of her family members guilt-trip her about looking after her brother, which I really liked. It's pretty rare for Asian families to not do that guilt-tripping thing. But her aunt did it. Her aunt, who seemed to be the most guilt-tripping person, let her go in the end and told her that it was okay, that not everyone fits that image of sacrifice perfectly, like the Russian dolls. I think that actually enabled the sister to go back to her brother later on. Sometimes you have to let people go to get them back.