"Breathe out." "Steady." "You're doing great." "Not too tense." "The figure of the orchid, as if you were holding a flower." "Head up a little." "Good." "Listen to nature." "Mr. Zhu, the clients are here." "I'll be right there." "Okay." "THE NIGHTINGALE" "He sings well." "But a little sadly." "I never asked you... how old is this bird?" " Eighteen." " Eighteen!" "Eighteen." "Mine... didn't get past nine!" "He was full of life." "And one fine day, when I got up... he was dead." "You've often told me you wanted to go traveling with him." "When will that be?" "I haven't decided yet." "Don't dawdle." "For birds, and for us too, it may be later than you think!" "It forms a harmonious whole." "The main body is composed of four elements, rather like the extended wings of the Louvre." "Seen from outside, they're like boats on the quayside, ready to leave." "Building One faces west." "Building Six faces east." "They are linked by Building Five." "And between Buildings Three and Five, a hanging garden." "The number you have dialed is busy..." "The number you have dialed is busy..." "Up you get, lazybones." "Hurry, or you'll be late for school." "Papa, we're on vacation." "She's on vacation?" "You didn't know?" "What have you planned?" "I enrolled her in an art class." "Next week I'll take her to see her grandfather." "She hasn't seen him in four months." "I'm late." "Gotta run." "Wait!" "I'll come with you." " Ian!" " Yes?" "The calligraphy teacher's coming at 10:30." "So I'll wake her at 9:30." "Did you invite Li Zhao?" "I told you, he's not free on Sunday." "You didn't tell me." "I told you as we left the concert." "You don't listen." "I'm off to Hong Kong on Monday." "For how long?" "Two days." "Then on to Tokyo." "Why do you always tell me at the last minute?" "No problem, Mr. Blanc." "I can come to Paris." "See you at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday." "A big hand for the star of the show, our little princess, Renxing!" "Chongyi and Qianying are my best friends." "To me, they're the perfect couple." "Today is their daughter's birthday." "We are all gathered here to present this exceptional family with our most heartfelt wishes." "Best wishes!" "Father!" "Why won't you come in?" "I'd rather not." "It's been four years." "Father and son shouldn't fall out." "I am not the one who's angry, he is." "He says that it's you." "Fine." "He can say what he likes." "Renxing never stays still, just like me as a child." "You turn around and she's already gone." "It wasn't your fault." "And it's so long ago..." "Stop blaming yourself." "However you spin it, it's still my fault." "I should never have taken her to the bird market." "But we found her." "That's all in the past." "Forget it and come in." "No, I won't come in." "Give this to my granddaughter." " What is it?" " A present." "I made it myself." "A little bird!" "Father," "I can't bring her to you on Tuesday." "I must go to Paris." "It's a work emergency." "You should all live in a plane." "You're right." "When I'm in Paris, Chongyi will be in Tokyo." "If you're both leaving, who will look after Renxing?" "Ian will take care of her." "I'm going on a trip too, you know." " Where to?" " To my village." "Three to five days." "A week at the most." "Oh." "Very good." "If you don't know what to do with my granddaughter, maybe I could take her along?" "She'd see my village and the house where her grandmother lived." "I don't think Chongyi would..." "It's all right." "Forget I said it." "I'll be going." " I'm going." " Take care of yourself." "The new train is very fast." "I'll be home in just eight hours." "Home?" "You're going home?" "I told you two months ago." "I don't remember that at all." "You're too busy with work." "I'd have said yes two months ago but now it's not possible." "Can't you postpone your trip?" "I really can't." "Why not?" "I can't just postpone my son's wedding." "I gave you good warning." "If you go, what will I do with Renxing?" "Fengshu!" "Hey!" "Zhigen." "I have a favor to ask." "Tell me quickly." "I'll be late for work." "It's a big favor, my friend." " Let's talk on the way." " Sure." "I want you to help me carry something." "I don't want to go." "You have no choice." "It's the only solution." "You have 10 minutes to pack, then we're leaving." "No!" "I don't want to go!" "Father." "Traffic jams!" " Were you worried?" " No problem." "Won't little poppet say hello?" "Compartment Six." "It's further on." "Here we are." "It's here." "There." " It's here?" " Yes." "You want to sleep on the left or the right?" "Say something." "Left or right?" "Can't you decide?" "I'll go on the left, then." "No!" "I'll go on the left." "Okay." "I'll take the right." "Zhigen." "Thanks very much." "If the boss finds out, I could lose my job." "Don't worry, there's no danger." "Good." "But be careful." "Thanks again." "See you later." "Do you never say hello?" "That's my side!" "You're on the left." "Not a bit!" "This side is right." "That side is left." "Look." "Look, look." "When you come in, your side is the left, and mine is the right." "Wrong!" "Dead wrong!" "From where I am, this side is the right and that side is the left!" "Do you want my bunk?" "It's not yours, it's mine." "Hand me my bag." "Get up." "I'm taking you to eat." "I'm not hungry." "You'd rather be hungry tonight?" "Come along." "I'm not hungry." "No matter." "Shoes on!" "Why take that?" "What's it to you?" "Thank you." "Not eating?" "I'm talking to you." "Will you listen?" "Grandpa." "I'm hungry." "What?" "What's the matter?" "My tummy." "I feel sick." "You have tummy ache?" "How's that?" "I feel sick." "The toilets are here!" "Why lock yourself in?" "Can you manage?" "Feeling better?" "Feeling a bit better?" " Where were they?" " In the toilets." "How do you think they got there?" "No idea." "Come on!" "Not so fast." "Wait for me!" "Two tickets to Yangshuo." "One adult and one child." "Thank you." "That's the bus to Yangshuo." "Ticket, please, sir." "One adult and one child." "Where's the child?" " I'm sorry." " Go and fetch him." "What are you doing there?" "I was scared to death!" " How much is it?" " Five yuan." "Come on!" "Hello, darling?" "Are you being good?" "Have you arrived?" "Are you getting along with Grandfather?" "Yes." "But the train took too long." "It's better by plane." "You will obey him, won't you?" "And make sure you eat." "How's the food there?" "I'm not picky, don't worry." "Hello?" "What is it?" "What's going on?" "Why are you shouting?" "Hello?" "Renxing?" "It's a buffalo." "A great big buffalo." "It eats grass." "It won't bite." "Hello?" "Yes." "She's all right." "Are you sure?" "She scared me, shouting like that." "Don't worry." "Very well." "Good-bye." "Come and stroke it." "Don't be afraid." "Look." "Stroke it." "Stroke it." "There." "He likes that." "Isn't the bus repaired yet?" "Go and wait for me." "Guilin-Sanjiang?" "Are you going to Sanjiang, driver?" "Yes." "I'm going to Sanjiang." "But look!" "I bought tickets for Yangshuo!" "What are you up to?" "I've just finished in the fields." "My bus has broken down." "I can't repair it." "Lean on here." "I'm going to Guilin tomorrow." "You can sleep at my house if you like." "In the morning, I'll take you to Guilin." "Okay." "Thanks very much!" "In we get!" "It's just on the right." "Great." "Thanks." "We have guests!" "There you are." "Sorry to intrude." "How annoying!" "I'm getting bitten by loads of mosquitoes." "I'll come and see." "I can't sleep." "I'm coming." "Let's go." "I'll switch the light on." "Let's see." "Here." "Stand aside." "Sleep, now." "There are lots more!" "Go to bed." "I'll get them." "I'll stay here." "Lie down." "Go to sleep." "I'm disfigured." "I need a plastic surgeon!" "Look, the road is blocked." "Follow that track." "It leads to a forest." "The road is just after." "Okay." "Thanks." " Good-bye." " Good-bye." "What's the matter?" "What's wrong?" "What is it?" " I can't put my foot down." " What's the problem?" "Look." "A stone." "That's a stone?" "What do you think it is?" "A huge stone." "I'm trembling." "If it gets infected, they'll have to cut off my foot." "If they get that wrong, it could be the whole leg." "I'm thirsty." "I left my bag in the car." "We're not going back." "There's nothing important in it." "Never mind." "We'll see when we're in Guilin." "Let's go." "What now?" "Look, I'm dirty!" "It's nothing." "Carry on." "No!" "I don't like being dirty." "Is it that important?" "Carry on!" "Come on!" "Am I still dirty?" "Not at all!" "Which way?" "Make up your mind." "I have." "This way." "I'd have chosen the other way if I'd been you." "How long have we been walking?" "Just over an hour." "The driver said an hour at most!" "A little more effort." "It might be behind this wood." "Come on." "Let's go." "We must have got it wrong." "Not we, you." "You got it wrong." "Wait!" "Not so fast!" "Be careful!" "I'm tired." "I'm tired too." "Come on, show some courage." "The road must be behind the hill." "We'll find a car." "We'll have a sleep and be in my village by tomorrow." "Come back in the car and get me." "What if I don't come back?" "What?" "I think we're lost." "We walked in a straight line." "It's a great big forest, not a little wood!" "It might even be gigantic, and they'll never find us!" "Don't exaggerate." "It's not the Amazon!" "Of course not." "The Amazon measures 6,568,107 square kilometers, whereas the surface area of China is 9,641,144 square kilometers." "You know your stuff." "I'll tell you a secret." " You know what my friends call me?" " No." "What?" "They call me Miss Know-it-all." "And then?" "Then, so that your dad could go to university," "I left my village to go and work in Beijing." "What kind of work?" "At first," "I worked in the building trade." "Then in a factory that made steel tubing." "I stayed there until..." "Until what?" "One day I'll tell you about your grandmother." "What do you want to be when you grow up?" "Mom and Dad want me to be a businesswoman." "A businesswoman?" "Then it's enough to learn about trade." "What do you want to do?" "I want to be rich." "That's not a goal, it's a result." "I want..." "I don't know." "I want to be famous and go wherever I like." "I want a beautiful house and a fantastic car!" "Those are good ideas." "And go to New York." "Do you know New York?" "I've seen photos." "On the Internet?" "I don't have Internet." " Why not?" " I don't have a computer." "No computer!" "And a mobile phone?" "Of course." "What's it like?" "Useless." "What?" "I've only had it two years!" "It's like new!" "Two years?" "It's ancient." "Good one!" "Is it you who earns the money?" "Hello?" "Where are you?" "Paris." "Are things going well in Hong Kong?" "I'm not going to Tokyo now." "I justgot home." "Are you busy?" "Am I disturbing you?" "No." "It's okay." "Tomorrow I'll take Renxing to the cinema." "I promised her long ago." "Look, there's something I didn't have time to tell you." "Renxing is with her grandfather in Guangxi." "What?" "There was no one at home," "I had to decide." "You left her with him without talking to me?" "You wouldn't have agreed." "Of course not!" "Have you gone mad?" "What got into you?" "Renxing was young four years ago." "She's more grown-up now, she knows what she's doing." "Yes, but he doesn't!" "Don'tget upset." "I'm not!" "I'm talking calmly." "Look, my clients are waiting." "I'll call you back." "Grandpa." "I'm cold." "Lift up your arms." "Tell me about my grandmother." "Was she beautiful?" "Of course she was beautiful." "Sometimes as beautiful as water, sometimes as beautiful as mist," "sometimes like the wind, and sometimes as beautiful as a dream." "She must have been really beautiful!" "Yes." "She knew the names of all the birds." "We'd often go walking in the forest." "We'd hear a bird, barely three little cries, and your grandmother would say:" ""Ah... a turtle dove." ""Oh... a redstart." ""Ah... there's a hoopoe too."" "Did Grandmother like hua mei?" "It was her favorite bird." "From the first day of our marriage, we had a hua mei at home." "The day before I set out for Beijing, she found a fledgling in the forest." "It had just fallen out of its nest." "She gave it to me, as if it were her most precious possession." "She wanted me to take it with me... so it would keep me company." "And she made me promise when your father had finished his studies, to come back with that bird." "And then?" "Then she was taken ill." "I wanted to come home and take care of her, but I had an important job at the factory." "I couldn't take time off." "A few days later, a telegram arrived saying she had just died." "All these years, every time I could," "I've gone back to the village to visit her grave and talk to her." "I tell her..." "I tell her:" ""All these years spent in Beijing," ""I kept this bird with me." ""He has become my oldest friend." ""When I see him, it's like seeing you." ""One day I'll return to the village and bring him back to you."" "Now this bird is old." "He will die soon." "I must keep my promise before it's too late." "Before he dies," "I want your grandmother to hear him sing again" "and see him fly one last time." "That's a lovely story." "Come on." "It's time to sleep." "Lie down." "Renxing!" "Qianying, is that you?" "Yes." "I can hear you very well." "Okay." "I'll tell her." "Renxing, it was your mommy." "She wanted to see if we could receive calls here." "She wanted to speak to you on... on skate?" "On what?" "Skape?" "Skape!" "It's Skype!" "That's it." "To talk to you on Skype." "Hello, Mom?" "Hello, darling!" "Can you hear me?" "Can you see me?" "I miss you a lot!" "Where are you?" "Do I tell the truth or say we're in a park?" "Hello?" "What are you saying, love?" "We're in a big park." "A very, very big park." "Grandfather took you to a park?" "Father?" "Father!" "I tried all day to reach you." "Is the network bad there?" "We're not in a park, we are in a bamboo forest." "Renxing said it was a park..." "We slept in a cave!" "A cave!" "In a cave?" "How come?" "We made a campfire." "It was great!" "With the flames reflected on the wall, it was like being in a horror film!" "We're very well!" "Don't worry, she's fine!" "Very well, Father." "There's a problem I must tell you about." "Chongyi heard you were with Renxing." "He's not happy." "What did he say?" "He said if you don't come back right away..." "Weird." "It was working so well..." "Why won't it work now?" "Where's your mobile?" "Why?" "Show it to me." "It's useless!" "Why throw it away!" "You're mad!" "It's totally useless." "I'll buy you an iPhone in Beijing." "Mine was brand-new." "Brand-new!" "Now we've got some peace." "What was that?" "I can't hear a thing." "Listen again." "We were on the right track!" "Grandpa, this isn't a road." "There must be a bridge." "Even if there isn't, we'll find a shallow part and I'll carry you on my back." "Watch where you put your feet!" "Are you all right?" "Help me sit down." " Okay?" " Yes." "It's just my ankle." "Let's rest a while." "Someone will come by." "Grandpa!" "What have we got here?" "It's a grasshopper." "Is that a grasshopper?" "The bird will love it." "Give it to him." "You do it!" "Go on." "He can't jump now, he has no legs!" "Grandpa," "I think you lack exercise." "When we're in Beijing, I'll buy you a Wii." "A what?" "A Wii!" "What's that?" "A games console." "What would an old man like me do with a games console?" "You could play ping-pong alone!" "You can play ping-pong alone?" "Yes." "You don't need anyone." "And what will you buy me?" "Me?" "I'll buy you nothing." "Nothing!" "What could I buy you?" "You have everything!" "I can teach you to look after birds." "I don't like birds." "There are fish!" "Big or small?" "Little fat ones!" "You think someone will come this way?" "In my opinion, where you have fish, you have fishermen!" "We've been here two hours." "What shall we do?" "Wait." "Wait some more?" "It doesn't work!" "What else can we do?" "I'll fetch help." "You will not!" "Come back!" "Come back!" "Renxing!" "Anyone there?" "Children, go and get help." "They look like they're starving." "Don't worry, the healer will come to see you." "He's the best in the region." "I don't understand their dialect." "Alang." "Go and get Xiaomei." "Xiaomei!" "Come here." "Why?" "Hurry!" "Tell him Xiangjin will be back in two days." " Xiangjin will be back in two days." " Who is he?" "The village doctor." "Two days is too long." "Call your mom." "Call her on your phone." "The battery's dead." "No charger!" "Give him your mobile." "Thank you." "Here." "Call her." "Hurry." "I don't know her number." "You don't know your mom's number?" "How did she bring you up?" "She doesn't know her mother's number!" "Fire alert!" "Put out all fires before going to bed!" "Pots off and triangles on!" "Children, don't play with matches!" "Let's not deny it." "We can make it work if we really try." "A fresh start." "How long would it last?" "Six months?" "A year?" "Tell me honestly..." "is there someone else?" "No." "Tell the truth." "It is the truth." "How can you, after two minutes on the phone, decide it's all over between us?" "I'm not acting on a whim." "I've felt this for a long time." "Why didn't you tell me before?" "If I wasn't at the end of my rope," "I couldn't have told you." "Try to understand." "At the end of your rope..." "I tried to talk to you several times, but you were always busy." "Have you thought of our daughter?" "How will she react?" "Renxing, do you want to come and see the giant tree?" "Okay." "Hurry up!" "Hurry and climb it!" "My dad says this tree is 1,000 years old." "Not true." "My dad says it's 2,000 years old." "You're all wrong!" "My grandfather says this tree is 3,000 years old!" "I know its age." "How do you know?" "It's very simple." "It told me." "Last time I slept in its belly, it told me it had no age." "No age?" "What does that mean?" "That it's immortal." "Immortal..." "What's being immortal like?" "Being immortal is... spring, summer, autumn, winter, then spring, summer, autumn, winter..." "The feet are okay." "They can walk." "The problem is the head." "But if I treat the head, he won't understand." "If I treat the feet, that won't cure him." "What to treat first?" "I'll treat his feet, that'll relieve his head." "We cut atground level, you see, like that." "How's it going?" "Not bad!" "You?" "Fine!" "That's good!" "That's good." "Thank you." "What are we celebrating?" "My round-the-world trip." "In a car?" "On a motorbike?" "Not on a bike?" "Sailing." "No one here has seen the sea." "To them, I'm a hero." "I studied in France for two years." "Bordeaux." "I have a friend there." "We'd sail together." "I fell in love with the sea." "What is Bordeaux?" "A city where they make wine." "You had the choice between wine and water and you chose water." "Have you seen the sea?" "When I arrived in Beijing," "I knew nobody." "To me, Beijing was like the ocean." "An ocean of men." "Don't you think I can understand what the ocean is?" "You want to see the sea?" "No!" " Why not?" " Same reason as you." "You love the sea because it is vast." "I don't like it because it is vast." "I spoke to Aben." "He's off to Beijing tomorrow." "You can fly back with him." "You could be in your little bed tomorrow night." "Did you enjoy yourself with Grandfather?" "Grandpa," "I don't want to go home now." "What?" "Why not?" "We'll call my parents." "We'll tell them..." "Tell them what?" "We don't even have their number." "I found it again." "Where?" "In my bag." "On a bit of paper." "Give it to me and I'll call them." "No!" " I want to spend the holidays here." " No way!" "You want your father and I to fall out for good?" "You must go." "Don't argue." "I won't go tomorrow." "You will go." "Have you seen a little girl around here?" "Have you seen Renxing?" "No." "Renxing!" "Renxing!" "It's Xiaomei!" "Renxing!" "Has he gone?" "Not yet." "Your grandfather's looking for you everywhere." "Renxing!" "She's not here." "Where were you?" "I looked everywhere." "Grandpa, how long have you looked after your bird?" "Eighteen years." "If you opened his cage, he'd fly away right now." "He'd fly for a while, then he'd come back." "Because he loves you." "Come here and we'll talk." "Since I left home," "I've been like a bird." "Like my cage had been opened." "I flew away." "I'm happy." "But even though I'm happy," "I'll go home in the end." "Because I love my parents." "Grandpa, let me fly a little while longer." "Come here!" "Hello, young girl." "I'd like that one." "This one?" "Yes." "What are you looking at?" "It's a hua mei." "The same as ours." "Come on, let's go." "Liao Yiwu?" "Are you there, Liao Yiwu?" " Oh, Zhigen." " It's me." " What brings you here?" " I'm traveling." "Who is this little girl?" "She's pretty." "Chongyi's daughter, my granddaughter." " Say hello." " Hello, sir." "Hello." "I heard talk of your son on TV." "He's become famous!" "He's doing well." "They say he's the best architect in Beijing and Shanghai too." " In China, maybe." " Don't exaggerate." "Come in." "Follow the gentleman." "Does he sing well?" "He hasn't sung for two days." "He's old." "Be careful!" "Hello, ma'am." "You almost made me fall." "Hello, young man." "He can't stand still." "He'll be an adventurer when he's grown up." " Would you like a tea?" " Okay." "Thank you." " Take some fruit." " Thank you very much." "Where are you from?" "I'm from Liuzhou." "Liuzhou..." " Have you been here long?" " A few years." "We bought three years ago." "But now, as my husband has gone to work in Nanning, we'd like to move there." "No point in being married if we don't live together." "That's true." "What are you doing?" "Will you stop!" "The biscuits aren't for the dogs!" "We'll be going." "Say good-bye." " Good-bye, ma'am." " Good-bye." " Come back when you like." " Okay." "Grandpa, when can we see Grandmother's house?" "You've just seen it." "It was that one?" " It's not beautiful." " Not beautiful?" "To you, it's not as beautiful as your father's buildings but to me it's more beautiful than the Imperial Palace." "Can I tell you a secret?" "If I could spend my last days in that house, it'd make me happier than I've ever been." "Landlady." "Three yuan." "Where is my grandfather?" "Your grandfather?" "Out walking." "He said he'd be gone two hours." "Papa!" "What are you doing here?" "Are you well?" "I'm having a great time." "I bathed in a waterfall, slept in a cave, got bitten by mosquitoes, I stroked a buffalo, we sang songs," "I saw lots of fish and a huge spider," "I climbed a tree and harvested rice with my friend!" "It was great, wasn't it, Grandfather?" "I've something to do." "Be right back!" "I thought your wife had told you." "She said nothing." "She knew I'd have refused." "It was well-intentioned." "Don't try to excuse her." "That's between her and me." "This has been going on for years but I think about it all the time." "I wanted to apologize to you." "But it won't come out." "It's in the past." "Forget it." "It was a big bird market." "Lots of people." "With a nightingale that sang so well..." "I couldn't take my eyes off it." "Without realizing it, I let go of her hand." "You entrusted your child to me and I lost her." "I'm sorry." "Dad, don't say that." "I couldn't look after your mother at the end." "And I don't help you much." "On the contrary, I worry you." "I'm not good at looking after others!" "You looked after me well." "Do you remember?" "When I was five..." "That's right, five." "You tried to take me to the river to see the cormorant fishing." "I didn't want to." "I didn't like the big black birds with their necks as long as snakes, that would spit out live fish." "It scared me." "I was terrified." "You took my hand and gripped me hard." "I had to go with you." "You didn't take me to the riverside." "We went to a little wood." "You said:" ""Come and listen to the birds."" "But that day there were none." "Or they'd decided not to sing." "We waited for a long time." "I was disappointed." "So you said to me:" ""Don't worry, we'll make one ourselves."" "You cut a piece of bamboo and carved it." "I wondered what you were doing." "You watched me, smiling." "When you'd finished, you asked me to close my eyes." "I closed them." "Close your eyes." "It's your turn." "Close your eyes." "I always have it with me." "Before each important decision, I whistle a few notes." "It's my amulet." "It always brings me luck." "I'd like your hua mei." "It isn't mine, it's his." "I'm not selling." "I don't want to buy it." "You don't think I'd give it to you?" "I want to swap it." "For what?" "For..." " For my watch." " I don't want it." "For... my iPhone." "Which model?" "4S." "The 4S is ancient." "I'm in a hurry." "Tell me what you want." "You have an iPad?" "I do have one, but an iPad for a bird?" "Dream on." "Okay." "No problem." "And it's the latest model too." "Forget it." "We're not swapping." "Was your trip with Grandfather good?" "Are you happy?" "Very happy." "Very happy or mega-happy?" "Super-mega-happy!" "Stop, it scratches!" "Did you miss Dad?" "Look." "It's incredible." "He's singing joyously again, just like before." "I'm going for a walk." "Where?" "I'll come with you." "No." "Stay with your dad." "I'll be back." "You know where he's going?" "He's going to keep his promise." "I booked three plane tickets." "We leave tonight." "I've never been in a plane." "It's your chance to try." "I just talked to Qianying." "She says that the apartment is big, and you can come and live with us if you like." " I appreciate your kindness." " Then it's a deal." "Chongyi." "Chongyi." "All I desire is to one day come back here." "The dead leaves fall on the roots." "This is where my life began and it's here it must end." "Very well." "As you wish." " What's that?" " Look." "DEED" "Renxing can't keep a secret." "The house you dreamed of is yours." "Look at that one." "He sings day and night." "It's so lovely." "And that one, his song is as clear as spring water." "That one, it's like he tells stories when he sings." " I want one that doesn't sing." " What?" "One that doesn't sing now but which can learn." "You want him to learn to sing with you?" "Exactly!" "Okay." "Look at that one." "What kind of bird is it?" "A southern nightingale." "A nightingale..." "Nightingales sing!" "True." "Nightingales sing very well." "But this one never knew its mother." "So, it doesn't know how to sing." "I warn you, teaching it to sing will take lots of patience." "Mom is 10 minutes late." "Your mom is late?" "What are you plotting?" "I don't get it." "I won't tell you." "You forgot something?" "Renxing wanted to show me her bird, but she's not here." "I wondered where it had come from." "Are you well?" "Fine." "You?" "Fine." "Have you found lodgings?" "I rented a studio in Sanlitun." "Are you in cahoots?" "Did you ask her to call me?" "Where'd you get that idea?" "Renxing told me to come at 6:00." "I did, and ran into you." "Go, if you're in a hurry." "You want me to go?" "You're checking your watch." "You must have a date." "Nothing important." "Fancy a drink?" "Okay." "That's a nice dress." "Why are you laughing?" "I wore it for Renxing's birthday." "Really?" "I didn't notice." "When I went to the village," "I talked to my father." "It went well." "You made up?" "We chatted." "Things are better now." "Same with us." "If we'd been able to talk before..." "So what do you think?" "It's pretty, but it doesn't sing." "Got your small whistle?" "What whistle?" "The one you carry in your pocket." "Hand me my jacket." "Get up!" "What for?" " Try it and see." " Try what?" "Whistle." "Again." "You know, when a bird can't sing, we can teach it." "Really?" "Do you want to teach him?" "If I agree, will you be happy?" "Mega-happy!" "You too, Mom." "Right?" "Very well." "I agree." "The thing is, it takes time." "It can take days." "Weeks." "Months." "Months, really?" "It can take years, in fact!" "Years?" "What exactly do you want from me?" "He must be taught every day." "So if you stay tonight, you could begin in the morning." "I knew it." "You're in cahoots." "I assure you, I know nothing." "Grandpa, you don't have much luggage." "When I arrived in Beijing, I had only a canvas bag." "Will you know how to use it?" "Of course." "When I come and see you, will you take me" " to see the cormorant fishing?" " Okay." "Give it to me." "Grandpa, you'll be bored, alone in your village." "If I miss you," "I'll call you on Skype." "I never thought it'd happen."