Zhiyao, it's raining.
Why is it raining suddenly?
Grandmas, hurry and pack up.
It's raining.
-Zhiyao, I have to go home. -What?
My beans are drying in the yard.
Don't go. Pack up!
I'm going home to put away the clothes!
Grandma Caiyun.
Take an umbrella. Don't get wet.
Take care.
Listen, Zhiyao.
I told you to set up a canopy.
It will block the light.
Hurry.
Take care.
Mr. Ma.
I have inspiration.
Fast or slow?
I think fast is better.
Great minds think alike.
At such a juncture.
Typical of a man.
She's tired too.
Here you are.
Hi, Bingnian.
I agree.
I agree to be your cyberlover,
never parting with you.
BINGNIAN (CONFESSION GIRL)
Don't talk bullshit with me.
Who are you?
Bingnian, nice to e-meet you.
I'm Hu Youyu.
I added your WeChat at the pub.
You said I sang well
and that you liked me very much.
Sorry, I drank too much that day.
Let's unfriend each other.
HOW ABOUT THINKING IT OVER?
YOU'RE NOT THIS USER'S FRIEND
XIE ZHIYAO: ARE YOU FREE TOMORROW AT NOON?
GRANDMA IS INVITING YOU TO A MEAL AT OUR HOME.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EAT?
I'M FINE WITH ANYTHING. DON'T TROUBLE HER.
NOT AT ALL. IT'S A DEAL. GOOD NIGHT.
Xu Hongdou.
Let's go to the town's morning fair.
Buy some cherries.
-Hello. -Hi.
The cherries are sweet. Have a taste.
Taste it.
No, thank you.
My jacket is clean. Try it.
Buy some if you like.
Are you still sleepy?
-Buy it. -I want a catty.
-Sure. -Sober up.
How much is half a catty?
-Eight yuan. -Eight yuan.
-I want 15 yuan of cherries. -Okay.
-Deal. -See you.
Is there anything else you want?
What vegetables do you usually have in Beijing?
I'll buy some.
How much is the broccoli?
It's two yuan.
For half a catty? Let me see.
The carrot is good.
I'll buy some carrots for Little Cutie.
How much is it?
It's three yuan per catty.
-Okay. -Leave it to me.
No bag. Just put it inside.
Okay.
SMALL POT RICE NOODLES
Why are you this sleepy?
How do you get up on weekdays?
I don't have to work today.
You woke me up to go to the market early this morning.
Would it kill you if you didn't torture me?
Go ask my grandma.
She wants you to eat at our home.
But she doesn't know what you like, so she made me take you with me.
I told you I'm not a fussy eater.
It's typical of a pig.
You're just torturing me.
Listen,
the steamed rice noodles with fresh meat dish is a popular local meal.
After 8:30 a.m., you can't get it anymore.
-Zhiyao, the rice noodles are ready. -I'm coming.
It's your first time having this.
Let me make you the local sauce.
Here you are.
Here are the chopsticks.
Ma'am, your noodles.
Okay.
Can I have takeaways?
I want to bring some for Damai and Nana.
No way.
You outsiders tend to order takeaways.
Dining in shows basic respect
for the rice noodles, got it?
Let's have a talk.
I knew there was no free breakfast.
Speak up.
It's just…
I find that we're quite kindred.
Over the time since we met,
I think you've been so kind and nice.
-Come on. -Most importantly,
my grandma likes you very much.
Wait.
Let me finish.
Can you listen to me?
It has only been a short time since we met.
I don't know you
and you don't know me.
I won't stay here for long.
And I'm not a libertine.
I'm quite serious about love.
Any type of cyber or long-distance love is unacceptable.
Well, of course,
you're excellent and nice.
I'm done.
You can go on.
-I-- -But if you don't continue,
that will be better
because I'm good at rejecting others.
Did my speech sound like a love confession that much?
The point is you behaved
like a dog saw a steamed bun.
It's natural for me to think that way.
No, I didn't.
Anyway,
it's just a misunderstanding.
Jokes aside,
can you help me?
Name any condition.
Why me?
I can't do anything.
Listen.
My employees are uncles, aunts,
and grandmas in the village.
Most are uneducated
and without a sense of serving others.
I had them trained before,
but it's too basic and not enough.
We have to rise to the occasion.
I won't let you wait tables.
That would be a waste of talent.
I just want you to observe,
spot and solve problems,
and put forward some advice.
You can make a survey.
I did.
The customers demanded better service awareness.
Do as they say.
Look,
last time you chased after a dine-and-dasher hastily
with a smile instead of anger.
You saved his face.
Why?
Making good affinity
is crucial to the service industry.
Affinity boosts success.
Yes, that's service awareness.
You've been in the hospitality industry for ten years.
You're full of nothing but experience.
But I don't know how to train employees.
You don't have to.
You just have to spot problems.
Meals included.
We have a lot of food and places of interest here.
For example, outsiders don't know
about that rice noodles store at all.
I promise you'll have fun and eat well
in the following days.
What do you think?
As a volunteer,
how can I have fun and eat well?
Work can never be fun.
Don't fool me.
I'm not doing it.
Xu Hongdou.
Think it over.
Give me your condition. I'll try to meet it.
Think it over.
It won't take much of your time.
Give me your condition. I'll try to meet it.
You're slightly convinced, aren't you?
Zhiyao was naughty when he was little.
Every time I hit him, he would run away.
With a burning stick in hand,
I chased after him around the village,
but I couldn't catch him.
He was hit too?
Of course.
He's a troublemaker.
His best friends
are Yang Guanjun and Xie Qiang.
Those three troublemakers.
They stole eggs
and burned someone else's beanstalk.
The day after,
they fought with classmates
who were regular guests to our home for justice.
As an old saying goes in my hometown,
"Seven or eight-year-old kids are annoying."
Indeed.
But he's better now.
He's quite filial.
He has become a boss now.
But it's hard to be one.
These years, he hasn't made a penny.
And he invested the money he earned before.
He even got a loan
to invest in something called infrastructure construction.
I don't understand.
We're not a noble family.
His dad and stepmom only make ends meet
by selling flowers in Kunming.
I'm too old to help him out.
All I can do is not bother him.
He did have a hard time.
I'm so anxious,
but I can't do anything to help him.
I can't even fall asleep every night.
Grandma Xie.
Don't worry.
It's common to invest in a business.
Zhiyao is so outstanding and competent.
It's not a problem.
I'm worried that I can't help him.
He has invested in this lot
with great effort.
Many of his employees
have seen him grow up.
He can't bear blaming them.
Rest assured.
All in all,
it's my fault.
At my age,
I need to be cared for,
but I don't want
to go to Kunming.
If I
could take good care of myself,
maybe Zhiyao would still be working in Beijing.
-It's all my fault. -Grandma Xie.
-It's okay. -I'm old, useless,
and troublesome.
I don't think so.
Is the garlic ready?
-What are you talking about? -You…
Nothing.
Is the meal ready?
Grandma, you invited her for a meal,
but I'm the one who bought vegetables and cook.
Now, you're even rushing me.
-Here. -Okay.
Is Mr. Xie home?
Yes.
Grandma Xie.
Hello, Xiaohuang.
You have a guest?
She's Xu Hongdou, a tenant in our yard.
This is Huang Xinxin, the village director's assistant.
She's a college graduate.
-Nice to meet you. -Welcome to our village.
Call me Xiaohuang or Xinxin.
Xinxin. Okay.
Why haven't you given it out? I asked Xiaxia to help you.
I did yesterday,
but some villagers weren't home.
So I gave out the rest with Xiaxia today.
He has gone back to rest now.
You're right in time. The meal is ready. Eat with us.
No, thank you. I've eaten.
I'm here to talk about business.
Treat your guest first.
She's not a guest.
Grandma, make Xiaohuang a cup of tea.
No, thank you. I'm on it.
Grandma Xie, leave it to me.
Hongdou, help me serve the dishes.
The opera theater is run-down.
For such a time-honored building,
after protective reconstruction,
it's better to be utilized
than to be left eroded.
How?
Assemble an opera troupe?
Unique folk shows.
I heard during festivals in our village,
the villagers would sing
and play operas here.
It was a long time ago.
I remember
Aunt Feng and Uncle Chang played
the Lantern Opera when they were young.
If the opera theater can be reused,
it's bound to be the highlight of our tourism.
Yes, that's what I want.
What do you think?
It's worth a shot.
With your support, I'll rest assured.
I'll think it over
and prepare a plan for the village committee.
Okay. Discuss it at the village meeting.
If there's a problem with the budget,
I'll find a way.
I thought so.
Xiaohuang, eat with us.
Thank you, Grandma Xie. I'm full.
You're getting thinner.
Really?
When I video-called my dad, he also said so.
How long has it been since you graduated and came here?
It's my second year here.
When I was new here, I was utterly ignorant of everything.
But then, Mr. Xie was back to set up a business.
He helped me a lot.
That's not the case.
You ran many errands for our village projects.
It's my duty.
We're golden partners now.
How long will you stay here?
I won't leave.
Can't you, a village official,
leave after two or three years of work here?
Yes, I can.
But I'm full of potential in this thriving land.
It's just the beginning.
Do your parents agree?
My dad is an education practitioner in Guizhou
because my mom is a headmaster in a village.
The three of us are all party members and comrades,
fighting in each other's favorite field.
We just listen to ourselves.
I made a promise to Mr. Xie
to make Yunmiao Village
a place rich in art and culture while working together.
That's our common ideal goal.
Ideal?
That's right.
Ideal.
Didn't you start a business for money?
It's the same.
If it develops well, villagers can be given more jobs
to realize common prosperity.
Then they make money in society
and benefit society in return.
It's a virtuous circle.
Hongdou.
What's your ideal?
My ideal is to have a peaceful and happy life.
That's your dream.
What's the difference between a dream and an ideal?
They are very different.
What you strive for is your ideal.
What harbors hope is your dream.
For the former, you must strive.
For the latter, sometimes you sit idle and wait.
They vary a lot.
What's your ideal?
My ideal
is to be a person of value in life.
You've made it.
Everyone's existence is valuable.
It's natural for you confident people to say so.
But for me,
except for writing, I can't do anything else.
I'm not willing to do anything else either.
There are hundreds of thousands of online novelists in China.
Most of their writings are like
a stone thrown into the ocean,
unable to even make a wave.
And they're scolded for producing literal trash.
So I often think,
for a nobody in writing like me,
instead of being one in a million,
am I really talented
or of value?
Don't think like that.
You're talented for sure.
I said so not to be comforted
or encouraged by you.
I just told you my way of thinking.
And what's the result?
It's amazing.
There's no result.
While doubting myself,
I continue to move on.
What about you? What's your ideal?
Nothing?
What about your dream?
To be rich?
That's most people's common dream.
What's your plan after becoming rich?
I will retire.
Retire?
To do what?
Must I be doing something?
I'll put it this way.
Are your parents retired?
My mom is a housewife.
My dad ran a grain and oil shop before.
Two years ago,
the original location of the street was demolished.
My sister didn't allow him to go on.
He's retired to some extent.
What are they doing every day?
My dad practices tai chi
and calligraphy every day.
Last year, he decorated a flat.
Every week, he takes two days to go fishing by the reservoir.
My mom goes to the market every morning,
researches the menu,
and then plants vegetables with my aunt in rural areas.
Days ago, she told me
she was selected
as a publicist of waste classification in the community.
They can't sit still.
Therefore,
retirement is not a dream.
It's an illusion.
Many young people
hold the illusion of being retired or rich
with nothing to do.
That's a pure illusion.
No one can actually sit still.
If you're hungry, you want to be full.
Afterward, you want to eat well.
When you have a well-off life,
you'll have spiritual needs.
You hope to be honored
and respected in society
and achieve self-value by helping others.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
But my parents' needs are specific.
My mom hopes to raise my baby when she retires.
My dad hopes to go to the elderly college to improve himself
and raise my baby.
All in all, both of them want to raise my baby.
You know, it's the ideal life
for most elders
to look after their grandchildren.
I'd better find a boyfriend first.
However,
my current life is exactly what I want.
I crossed mountains and seas
to come here.
Hongdou.
What kind of life do you want?
I almost lost my life before.
I'm here to find out
what kind of life I truly want.
I'm worried that I can't help him.
He has invested in this lot
with great effort.
Many of his employees
have seen him grow up.
He can't bear blaming them.
I made a promise to Mr. Xie
to make Yunmiao Village
a place rich in art and culture while working together.
That's our common ideal goal.
It's the same.
If it develops well, villagers can be given more jobs
to realize common prosperity.
Then they make money in society
and benefit society in return.
It's a virtuous circle.
My ideal
is to be a person of value in life.
During this period,
doing anything is better
than sitting in the room and thinking nonsense.
Grandma.
Is it hot enough?
Do you want to increase it?
-Yes, a little. -Okay.
I'LL DO WHATEVER I CAN, BUT DON'T EXPECT MUCH.
Who is it?
A volunteer.
Grandma, you're brilliant.
Everything is a piece of cake for you.
You taught me that.
You said
you were too worried
to fall asleep every day.
It's the truth.
I didn't lie.
But I didn't ask you to say
that you're old and useless.
You wept and hit your chest.
It was all your improvisation.
That was up to me.
It was none of your business.
Well, enjoy your footbath.
I'll call Xiaochun.
Go ahead.
Have you been here long?
I just arrived.
You look so pretty today.
You told me to dress formally.
Great.
I'll tell you first,
don't expect so much from me.
I don't know for sure
how much I can help you.
I can pay you.
That won't do.
Then I'll be employed.
You'll be my real boss.
I'm not here to work.
I'll volunteer as long as there are free meals.
I made suggestions and plans for improvement last night.
Are you interested?
Let's talk while walking.
One "Don't do," two "Don't quit,"
three rules of etiquette, four bans,
and five kinds of people to be away from.
From now on,
Xu Hongdou officially volunteers
to join our café as a consultant and manager.
No, temporarily.
Temporarily join our café.
Let's welcome her.
Welcome, Xu Hongdou
to our café temporarily.
Welcome, Xu Hongdou
to our café temporarily.
Thank you.
During this period,
I'll be the café's regular guest.
I'll find problems with our service, working process,
staff management,
and work arrangement.
But these are not big problems.
The greatest advantages of our café
are the pleasant environment
and its delicious food.
What I can offer
is just some icing on the cake for improvements.
I'll get to know each and every one of you
and cooperate with you
to strive for the overall
service quality enhancement of our café
in a short time.
Thank you.
Well said.
The café opens from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The staff should be at work before 9:30 a.m.
to check and get everything ready
before it opens.
But I find that the staff all arrive at 10 a.m.,
and the grandmas arrive even later.
That's true.
But…
Nana gets everything ready before getting off work the day before.
The grandmas leave after the café is tidied up.
It's acceptable.
But actually,
the grandmas often come to work late and leave early.
Many times, it's Nana alone who finishes up the work.
I told them before,
but they're too old to remember.
Nana also said
whoever is free gets the work done.
We're not a family workshop
where people come and go at will
with enough substitutes.
We have to be serious.
Okay.
Though we're busy, it can be handled.
I'm fine with winding up.
All the guests are here for relaxation.
It's okay to wait for a while.
They're not in a rush after sipping coffee.
Then why is it that every time I'm here
when it's crowded with guests,
you serve others first before me?
I arrived earlier.
I'm also a guest to be served, aren't I?
Because…
Because you don't want other guests to wait.
Grandma Caiyun.
You wipe tables, chairs, and shelves
with the same rag.
It's unsanitary.
I wash the rag very cleanly.
I do so at home as well.
You should wipe different furniture with different rags.
It's more hygienic.
Upon seeing this, the guests will find us hygienic
and they will rest assured, got it?
Buy different colors of rags.
I told Xiaoqin to buy some.
SEND DIFFERENT COLORS OF RAGS.
Miss,
please explain it to me again.
What?
Well…
How do I do the cleaning?
Grandma Caiyun is a bit forgetful.
Okay.
My legs hurt
after standing for a long time.
Zhiyao also knows that.
When I was young,
my legs were frozen in a cold paddy field
while transplanting seedlings.
Now, I'm getting old.
I must sit after standing for a while.
Take good care of yourself.
Are you going out with Zhiyao?
What does it mean?
She takes you as my girlfriend.
-No… -Yes, girlfriend.
Grandma Xiuying, I'm not his girlfriend.
We're having a meeting.
Zhiyao should start a family.
He saunters up and down
with no plans to have a baby.
It's ridiculous.
Guanjun already has a son and a daughter.
Jiabao now attends middle school.
Yang Guanjun has a daughter that old?
His eldest daughter, Jiabao,
goes to school downtown and lives with her aunt.
No, let's get back to the point.
What's the point?
How old are you two?
Hurry and get married
and have a baby.
Or else, when Guanjun becomes a grandpa,
your kid will have yet to attend elementary school.
Staff management is difficult.
It's a bit complicated now.
It seems your hotel lobby rules
don't fit the situation here.
It's mainly because
they're all relatives and acquaintances
in the same village.
Personal and business matters are intertwined.
It won't do with no rules,
but strictly obeying the rules
won't work either.
I'd better wait tables.
You don't have to.
I must do so with them.
I must do the cleaning and everything else with them.
They're not qualified.
They must be taught
and corrected step by step
to strengthen their muscle memory.
Special cases need to be treated
in a special way, right?
Someone was in sullen silence all the way here.
I thought she winced.
No, I'm even more interested.
You like challenges that much?
I won't ask for challenges,
but I never withdraw when facing them.
That's so cool.
What were you thinking in sullen silence?
I was thinking
if I had fallen into your and your grandma's trap.
Grandma and I?
Grandma Xie doesn't seem to be a grumbler.
But yesterday, she complained a lot to me.
Are you behind it?
Come on.
You asked for my advice,
but you knew it well.
You just want me, an outsider,
to play the bad cop for you, right?
That's not the case.
You're invited here to play the good cop.
You're a grand hotel manager from Beijing.
Once you're dressed formally,
you look authoritative to those ladies.
They'll trust you.
"Visiting monks give better sermons."
It's a universal truth.
You're also a monk having visited other cities.
But I'm a local monk, all in all.
The dish isn't ready.
Let me chase them.
Mr. Xiangdong, why hasn't the dish been served?
Miss, I'll help you collect the rubbish.
I'm sorry.
Just sit. I'm on it.
Miss, are your clothes wet?
No, there wasn't much in the cup.
Let me get you another drink.
Do you want the same or a different one?
I want an Encounter.
Encounter. Okay.
-One Encounter. -Yes.
Hongdou.
Why give her another one?
Grandma Xiuying, you knocked it over.
There was just a little bit left.
She wouldn't drink it anyway.
Even if there was a bit left, she didn't finish it.
We must take the blame for our mistakes.
It's…
Grandma Xiuying.
Can you take photos with the visitors?
Photos?
I don't look good in photos.
Yes, you do.
You're well-dressed and pretty.
Let me take your stuff.
Okay, look here.
Three, two,
cheese.
Hi, here is your Americano.
These are freshly baked butter cookies.
It's complimentary.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Time is up.
I'll cook braised chicken.
Yes, it will take at least three hours.
Right. I'll give you some when it's done.
Okay.
Grandma Xiuying.
You…
You don't get off work until half an hour later.
Ask Xiaochun if you want time off.
If Xiaochun is not here, ask me.
You can't leave this early.
I…
Then we'll ask you for some time off now.
Must you leave this early?
I have to get the television fixed.
Chuchu wants to eat braised chicken.
You have children to take care of?
Yes.
She works at Zhiyao's warehouse.
-See you. -Bye.
Xu Hongdou.
Come with me.
What for?
I'll show you a new friend.
A new friend? For me?
A very important new friend.
Let's go.
Where to?
The stable.
Damai.
Do you want to have some tea?
What friend?
Are you going to make me receive visitors?
No, I haven't seen it before either.
No, I'm familiar with its mom.
Its mom is a beauty
with big eyes and long eyelashes.
You'll know soon. Get in.
How is it going?
Soon.
-Is everything okay? -Yes.
That's great. Have some tea.
-Drink. -Okay.
What?
Come here.
I thought we would miss it.
Is that your so-called new friend?
That's the new friend's pretty mom.
Big eyes and long eyelashes.
I didn't lie to you.
Have you seen a horse deliver a foal?
When does the foal come?
Once it lies down, the foal will be on the way.
Will there be any danger?
We have vets here.
Don't worry.
-It's coming. -Okay.
Hurry.
Hurry up.
You have a very important task.
Record the time of the foal's birth.
Can I shoot a video?
I want to show it to my niece.
Of course you can.
Subtitle translation by: Li Min rth.