In the 1940s, the gambling hall of the southern Xujiachuan family is booming with colored lights. The young master of the Xu family, Fu Gui, is gambling with Long Er in a sex cup. Fu Gui loses a lot and wins a little, but every time he loses money he doesn't care, he just asks the bookkeeper to put the lost money in the account book. The servant Chunsheng would bring a pen and printing oil, and Fugui would sign and press his handprint with a smile.
When he was tired of gambling, Fu Gui would watch a shadow puppet show in the gambling hall, and he teased Long Er, saying, "Your opera troupe sings worse than a donkey's cry. Long Er said with a smile, singing all night are tired. He complimented Fu Gui to go up and show two hands, so that the theater class people open their eyes, Fu Gui is not modest, went to the backstage and sang, the gambling hall guests applauded.
When Fu Gui sang the shadow play, the bookkeeper quietly told Long Er that Fu Gui lost one more night and the job was done. It turned out that Long Er had done something in the gambling game, ready to win the Xu family's mansion.
When the day dawned, Fugui, who had not slept all night, asked his hired hand to carry him home. As soon as he entered the front door, Fugui saw his father scolding himself. So, he rushed to the inner room and came to scold.
Little Fengxia, who was playing on the side, saw his father coming back. Smiling, he said to Fugui, "Dad, grandpa is scolding you again. Fugui said back to little Fengxia, that's your grandfather singing, and walked into his room without looking back.
When Jia Zhen saw Fu Gui come back, she advised him not to gamble anymore. But Fugui said, this quit gambling ah, you have to take your time. Jia Zhen said with tears in her eyes, "Slowly? Fengxia is getting bigger every day, and I'm pregnant again, so don't toss and turn. I do not want anything, just want to live a peaceful life with you. You want us to mother and child three, or to go gambling, you give me a word. Fuguei ignored Jiazhen's words and fell asleep in bed without eating.
The next day, Fugui went to the gambling hall again. The servant told him that the young grandmother had come. Jia Zhen was at the gambling table and advised Fu Gui to go home and stop gambling. Fu Gui couldn't let go of his face and scolded Jia Zhen in front of everyone. Get out! Get out of here, will you? Jia Zhen saw that he could not persuade Fu Gui, so he quietly left.
Some time later, the bookkeeper said to Fu Gui, "Young Master Fu Gui, you can't play anymore, you've lost everything. Fugui's brain was confused and he asked the bookkeeper, "All gone? What? The bookkeeper said, you mortgage the property, converted to market value lost to Long Er, you are a tile and not an inch of land left. Fugui looked at the account book, not willing to lose the property, want to continue to gamble. But Long Er said, you do not even have the capital now, what to bet with me? Fu Gui pulled Long Er and wanted to gamble with his life. Seeing this, the crowd pressed Fu Gui on the bench together.
Fuguei walked out of the gambling hall in despair and saw Jiazhen waiting for him outside the door with Fengxia in her arms. Jiazhen said to him, "I've figured it out. You can't change, and I don't want to live with you. After saying that, Jiazhen went back to her mother's house with the child and her cries.
After two days, a group of people came to Fugui's house to clear the accounts. Master Xu had no choice but to follow the old rules. After settling Fu Gui's gambling debts, the old man picked up his cane and swung it at Fu Gui, and died in the hall without catching his breath.
Fu Gui's mother was so angry that she became ill, and Fu Gui packed his luggage, not knowing where to move. But Long Er urged Fu Gui to hurry up and move out. Fu Gui sold a few pieces of the old lady's jewelry and rented a shabby shack in an alley.
In order to make a living, Fugui started selling the objects left behind in the street. He did not sell all the remaining things until winter.
The next summer, Jiazhen came back to Fugui with her children. She looked, still beaming, dignified and ladylike, and Feng Xia joyfully called Fu Gui home from the street. When he saw Jia Zhen return, Fu Gui's eyes were full of excitement and joy, saying that he would never gamble again. Jia Zhen said, "I know you don't gamble anymore, or I wouldn't have come back.
At night, Jia Zhen said to Fu Gui, don't mention the past, just live in peace in the future. The two of them discussed, to borrow some money to open a small store in the future.
The next day, Fu Gui went to Long Er to borrow money. Long Er lent Fu Gui the props for the shadow puppet show and asked him to find some helpers to set up a class. From then on, Fugui took Chunsheng and a few old people. He walked the streets and sang shadow puppets, while Jiazhen took care of the elderly and children at home.
In the winter of 1949, Fugui and Chunsheng were captured by the defeated Kuomintang officers and soldiers and taken to be strong men. On the way, they met Lao Quan, who was working as a soldier. Lao Quan told Fu Gui and Chun Sheng that they should not think about escaping, and that they would be shot if they escaped and were caught. Chunsheng envied the cars in the army and said, "If I could drive, I would die. But Fugui only wanted to go home and live with his wife and children.
Looking around at the wounded soldiers, Fugui and Laoquan simply huddled in the trench for warmth. Chunsheng came back with some cotton coats from the wounded soldiers who had frozen to death, and the three of them put on the coats, drank the wine they found, and spent the night in the freezing cold.
When they woke up the next day, Chunsheng and Fugui found that the officers and soldiers who had piled up yesterday had disappeared without a trace. After a burst of shelling, Lao Quan also woke up and found that what Chunsheng had found was the cotton coats of his own brother's company. He rushed toward a large pile of wounded soldiers' bodies, looking for his brothers. A shot rang out and Laoquan fell in the snow. Fugui and Chunsheng saw that Laoquan had been shot and dragged him to the trench, but Laoquan was already dead.
In the silence, Fugui and Chunsheng heard the rumbling of footsteps, getting closer and closer. They stood up and saw a large group of PLA running towards the trench. Fugui hurriedly picked up the box and Chunsheng and fled for their lives. The PLA soon caught up with them, and they had no choice but to kneel in the snow and raise their hands in surrender.
After being captured, Fugui and Chunsheng sang a shadow play for the PLA. Later, Chunsheng joined the PLA and Fugui returned home with his suitcase.
Before dawn, Fugui returned to town and saw his daughter and Jiazhen, who were serving boiled water to the residents on the street. He excitedly took small steps and ran to the water delivery truck. His mouth shouted, "Jiazhen, Jiazhen. Jiazhen's tears welled up and she clung to Fugui's shoulders.
When she returned home, Jiazhen told Fugui that her mother had passed away and the government had arranged for her to deliver water. Every morning before dawn, she takes Fengxia and Youqing with her to deliver boiled water to the neighbors. Because of a high fever, Fengxia became mute. As she talked, Jiazhen cried.
The next day, the mayor of Niu came to Fugui's house. Fugui took out the certificate issued by the PLA, proving that he had worked as a civilian and sang in the army. The mayor told him that the government was going to hold a public trial for Long Er, and asked Fu Gui to go and see it too, to be educated.
After two days, Fugui went to see the public trial and saw Long Er in a sea of people, tied up in fives. He ran deep into the alley and hugged the pole and peed all over. In the distance, there came five gunshots and Long Er was shot dead. Fugui was so frightened that he ran home and asked Jiazhen what composition the family was set on. Jiazhen said it was a town citizen, and she found the PLA certificate from the laundry tub and told Fugui that she wanted the certificate to be framed and hung on the wall. Fugui kept chattering, "The poor are good, the poor are good, nothing is better than the common people.
In 1958, the state called on the people to donate iron to increase steel production. The mayor of Niu came to Fugui's house with his people to collect iron, and Jiazhen asked, "If the pots are smashed, we can't cook, what will we eat in the future. The mayor said, the town set up a collective canteen, hungry to the canteen on the line, fish, meat, brace you.
The mayor asked people to take away the shadow puppet boxes, but Jiazhen and Fugui said that they could stay and give publicity to the steelmaking site. So, the mayor agreed to let Fu Gui stay.
When the mayor walked out of the courtyard, Fugui made a face at Youqing and Jiazhen, Fengxia and Youqing all laughed. The happy and joyful time of the family, just like that, remained in Fugui's memory for a short time.
One day, youqing, who was passing by the alley, found that the children in town were bullying fengxia, he rushed up and fought with the three children, and was beaten up by them.
In order to avenge his sister's death, Youqing poured noodles filled with chili peppers on the child's head in the collective canteen. The child's parents said to Fugui, "You are destroying the large canteen. Fugui hurriedly asked Youqing to apologize to the child, but Youqing didn't listen to Fugui at all. When Fu Gui sees that his son is disobedient, he is so anxious that he wants to hit You Qing. Jia Zhen and You Qing both think that their father has done something wrong in this matter.
In order to amuse Youqing, Fugui and Jiazhen let Youqing go to see his father sing a shadow play. Jia Zhen asked You Qing to bring a bowl of vinegar and spicy seeds as tea for dad. Fu Gui took a sip and sprayed it all over the screen of the shadow play, and everyone laughed when they saw Fu Gui's wretched appearance.
In the early morning of the town, people were tired because of steel and iron making, and fell down on the street, sleeping horizontally and vertically on the ground. The mayor of Niu said that everyone had made a contribution, and the canteen had made dumplings, so everyone had to eat with an open stomach. Fugui and Jiazhen get dumplings from the canteen and enter the house to find Fengxia and Youqing still awake. A child's voice came from outside the door, saying that the teacher had asked Youqing to go to school and that the district governor was coming to inspect the steelmaking today, so Fugui carried Youqing, who was still awake, to school.
While the town's residents were working feverishly to make steel and iron, a child came and told Fugui that something had happened to Xu Youqing. It turned out that the school wall had been knocked down by the district chief's car after dark. The wall that was knocked down just crushed on Youqing's body, and Youqing was crushed to a bloody pulp, and the young Youqing died in an accident.
Fugui and Jiazhen buried Youqing, and the couple grieved and blamed themselves in front of Youqing's grave. The mayor of Niu comes to pay respect to Youqing with the district chief, who turns out to be Chunsheng. Chunsheng felt guilty and took out 200 yuan from his pocket to give to Fugui. When Jiazhen saw it, she picked up the money and threw it on the ground, crying and saying to Chunsheng, "Who wants your money? You killed Youqing, you owe our family a life. Chunsheng said sadly, I owe your family a life, I remember.
When the time came in 1966, the mayor of Niu came to Fugui's house and asked Fugui to burn the props of the shadow play, saying that it was typical of the Four Olds. According to the mayor's instructions, Fugui let Fengxia burn the props.
Looking at Fengxia who is burning props, the mayor said, Fengxia's marriage has a frown. For Feng Xia introduced the object, is the city workers Wan Erxi, Wan Erxi because of work injuries, some lame legs.
Soon, Erxi came to meet Fengxia at Fugui's house. He didn't talk much and left when he thought Fengxia was suitable. After a few days, Erxi took the workers and repaired the house of Fugui's family. Seeing that the young man is really, Fugui and Jiazhen agreed to the marriage, in everyone's organization, Erxi and Fengxia hilariously married.
After sending off Erxi and Fengxia, the couple met Chunsheng in the courtyard. Chunsheng came to celebrate Fengxia's wedding and found out that Jiazhen had not forgiven him for his transgressions, so he said goodbye to the two families and left.
Some days later, Fengxia is pregnant with a child, and the family sits together, happily drinking and celebrating. Erxi says that Chunsheng has been classified as a capitalist and reminds Fugui to draw a clear line with Chunsheng.
At night, Chunsheng calls up Fugui at the door, saying that Youqing has been his heartache for a long time, and wants to give a bankbook to Fugui. Looking at a dejected Chunsheng, Fugui asks him what is wrong. Chunsheng says that his wife committed suicide yesterday.
Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Fugui advised Chunsheng to endure it no matter what. Chunsheng said, "I don't want to live anymore. Fugui said loudly to him, you do not want to live, but also have to live, we are from the dead, it is not easy to live.
Jiazhen told Chunsheng to go inside and talk, but Chunsheng walked to the street alone. Seeing the distant Chunsheng, Jiazhen shouted, "Chunsheng, remember! You still owe our family a life, you must live well! In the distance came the sound of a roaring train, leaving Chunsheng's back in the dimly lit street, and he looked back and walked on.
The next day, the couple sent red eggs to the mayor of Niu. They tell the mayor that Fengxia is expecting a baby. Jiazhen found her sister-in-law crying in the house and asked the mayor what happened to her. Mayor Niu says, "Don't call me Mayor anymore, I've been classified as a capitalist. Fugui asked the mayor of Niu, how have they become capitalists? So many years, everyone knows you ah?
Jia Zhen and Fu Gui went to the hospital to accompany Feng Xia to give birth, Er Xi said just checked, the doctor said no problem. But the couple found that the hospital is full of Red Guard students, Jia Zhen is not sure, let Erxi find a doctor to. The workers said, "Where can I find a doctor? They were all locked up in the cowshed.
So, Erxi found a way to bring Professor Wang from the obstetrics and gynecology department back from outside the hospital. Fugui heard the workers say that Professor Wang had not eaten for three days and ran outside to buy seven steamed buns for the professor. The professor, however, was so hungry that he ate all seven buns in one gulp and almost fainted in his chair.
A moment later, the sound of crying came out from the delivery room, and Feng Xia gave birth to a child. Jia Zhen and Fu Gui rushed to the delivery room to see the baby, Er Xi heard the cries and limped excitedly to the delivery room, the workers were happy for Er Xi.
While everyone was feeling happy for Erxi, the news of Fengxia's hemorrhage came out from the delivery room. The workers and nurses were in and out of the room, and it was like a mess. Jiazhen looked at Fengxia, who could not breathe, and was so anxious that she did not know what to do. The nurse then told the truth, we are students and have not dealt with it.
Everyone remembered Professor Wang and ran to the corridor to look for the professor, but the professor had eaten and fainted on the chair in the corridor. The baby was born, Feng Xia died in the delivery room, and Jia Zhen gave the child a nickname, Steamed Bun.
A few years later, the family went to visit Fengxia's grave, and Fu Gui kept nagging at the grave that if Professor Wang had eaten a few less steamed buns, Fengxia would have been saved. Jia Zhen disliked Fu Gui's nagging and told him not to say anything. But Erxi said in a conciliatory manner, let him talk.
Back home, Steamed Bun asks Fu Gui where he put the chickens. Fugui took out the shadow play case and put the chick in it. Steamed Bun asked Fugui again, "Grandpa, when will the chicken grow up? Fugui said, the chicken grew up to become a goose, the goose grew up to become a sheep, the sheep grew up to become a cow. The first thing you need to do is to get a good idea of what you want to do. Jiazhen said, after the cow, Steamed Bun grew up. Steamed Bun said, "I want to ride on the back of a cow. The first thing you need to do is to take a look at the picture.
The film "Alive", based on the novel of the same name by Yu Hua, was produced in 1994 and directed by Zhang Yimou, reflecting the living conditions of Chinese urban dwellers from the 1940s to the 1980s.
The film differs sharply from the novel in that it reflects a true account of people's lives in different eras through the tragic life of the main character, Fu Gui, in a changing social context.
Although Yu Hua gives more meaning to the novel in his preface, the people who try their best to live cannot escape their small, ridiculous and sad fate.
(End)
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