Take Us Home – Ma Yili, Bai Yu, Li Tingting

In the late summer and early autumn of 2005, Longcheng, an old industrial city, was suddenly filled with the sound of "super voice" overnight. High school student Zheng Nanyin and her classmates campaigned for a singer in People's Square. Dongni, who had been wandering outside, returned home. Her uncle's family, as well as her younger uncle, Zheng Xijue, and Zheng Nanyin, welcomed her and helped her refresh herself. Dongni announced to everyone that she had gotten married to a German researcher. She showed Xijue the admission notice from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany and asked him to go abroad with her. Dongni didn't think highly of the relationship between Xijue and his girlfriend Chen Yan, and Nanyin also chimed in, saying she didn't like Chen Yan. The sisters teamed up to break up Xijue and Chen Yan. Dongni asked Xijue to accompany her to her parents' house in the steel plant. Dongni's parents, Uncle and Aunt, were an old couple who would fight at the slightest disagreement. They had no idea that their daughter was getting married. Dongni showed them her marriage certificate with Fang Jinghui, and her Uncle and Aunt exploded in anger, leading to a heated argument. In the chaos, Xijue took Dongni away and also recalled their childhood memories. Xijue went to see Chen Yan, who asked him why he didn't tell her that he was going to Germany. Xijue said he had given up a long time ago. Xijue comforted Chen Yan and planned to go home. Chen Yan intentionally made herself allergic to mangoes to keep Xijue with her.

After dealing with the blind date, Zheng Xijue indirectly encouraged his younger brother to overcome his past failures and rise up again. However, his younger brother claimed that he had already moved on.

An anonymous post appeared on the school forum, bringing up the "teacher-student relationship" between his younger brother and Tang Ruolin from years ago. Zheng Nanyin went to ask Zheng Xijue about it. Zheng Xijue told Zheng Nanyin about his younger brother's past: Years ago, his younger brother taught a class that included a financially struggling female student named Tang Ruolin. Seeing Tang Ruolin's literary talent, his younger brother helped her with her writing in hopes of changing her destiny. Unexpectedly, his younger brother's noble act was maliciously tainted by his sister-in-law who was having an affair and wanted a divorce. His sister-in-law caused a scene at the school and his younger brother was unable to defend himself. The school punished his younger brother and Tang Ruolin transferred to another school without a word since. Since then, his younger brother has been in a slump and became a marginalized teacher. Upon hearing this, Zheng Nanyin was indignant and decided to help his younger brother regain respect at school. Zheng Xijue noticed that Zheng Nanyin seemed to have a secret crush while he was excited. Zheng Xijue warned her not to engage in early relationships. In class, Zheng Nanyin paid special attention to Su Yuanzhi, a male student.

Zheng Xijue and Zheng Nanyin helped clean up his younger brother's dorm, hoping to improve his life. Zheng Xijue brought Chen Yan along. Chen Yan had mixed feelings upon seeing his younger brother's dilapidated dorm room. While Zheng Xijue and Zheng Nanyin were out buying things for his younger brother, he suddenly returned and locked eyes with Chen Yan. When Zheng Xijue and Zheng Nanyin returned and introduced Chen Yan to his younger brother, both of them pretended not to recognize each other.

Old classmates talked about Little Uncle’s composition comments back then. Zheng Nanyin took out the box of compositions and sent them to everyone. Everyone read the comments that Little Uncle gave them one by one. Nanyin picked up Tang Ruolin and read it out affectionately for her. After reading it out loud, Nanyin said that Little Uncle was the best teacher she had ever met. He always stood up for Tang Ruolin even in the most difficult times and said that Tang Ruolin must have suffered more than him.

Chen Yan came to find Xijue and witnessed this scene outside the classroom. She couldn’t help but cry.

Jiang Yi recognized that Xijue was Dongni’s younger brother and invited Xijue to continue the party with her classmates at KTV. Jiang Yi and Xijue talked about Dongni. Jiang Yi told Xijue that Dongni asked her and Nanyin to plan the birthday party together. The two met each other too late and had a pleasant conversation.

After the birthday party, Xijue found that Little Uncle had once again become a popular figure on campus. Many students passed their compositions to Little Uncle through Xijue in hopes of getting his evaluation. Little Uncle actively helped Xijue prepare the application materials for the school’s fundraising house but was disappointed when he found Chen Yan’s handwriting in the materials.

Zheng Xijue came to the hospital to visit his elder uncle and witnessed the warm scene of Aunt Hao Lin taking care of his uncle late at night. Chen Yan thought it over but couldn't face Xijue and his younger uncle, so she bought a boat ticket back to her hometown in Anhui. At the pier, Dongni confronted Chen Yan, who revealed that she had resigned and wouldn't return to Longcheng again.

Xijue looked for Chen Yan but couldn't find her, so he found Dongni and asked her not to interfere with his and Chen Yan's relationship. Dongni couldn't help but tell Xijue that Chen Yan was Tang Ruolin. Dongni told Xijue that five years ago, she had stolen a glance at the letter Tang Ruolin had sent to his younger uncle. At that time, she and his younger uncle were innocent, but Chen Yan must have fallen in love with his younger uncle after going to college, and she wouldn't live a peaceful life with Xijue forever.

Xijue went to Anhui to find Chen Yan and she admitted that she was indeed Tang Ruolin. She told him about the past, how her relationship with his younger uncle, which was once a teacher-student one, was misunderstood and slandered, which forced her to drop out of school and travel far away. She had to work as a laborer for others until she was inspired by a letter from his younger uncle and decided to change her name and participate in the college entrance examination again. After entering university, she fell in love with his younger uncle, but her love confession was rejected, and she met Xijue when she was heartbroken.

Xijue asked if she agreed to be with him back then because of his younger uncle's relationship, and Chen Yan denied it, saying that she didn't know about their relationship at all until Dongni secretly went to see her before leaving abroad.

Zheng Xijue went to the hospital to visit his uncle and witnessed the warm scene of Auntie taking care of his uncle late at night. At the street corner, Chen Yan confessed her feelings to her younger uncle in a state of collapse. Her younger uncle couldn't hide his love and care for her and couldn't help but hug her. Chen Yan realized the affection and love her younger uncle had for her, which he had felt since they communicated but refused to act on it due to the scandal of a "teacher-student romance" and public opinion. Chen Yan was moved and kissed him passionately.

Zheng Xijue followed them and witnessed the embrace between his younger uncle and Chen Yan, which made him give up completely. He was hit by a car on the way, lost and confused.

While unconscious, Zheng Xijue remembered his past: when he was ten, his father died of a heart attack, and his mother was inconsolable and got into a car accident while going to the store, but everyone said it was a suicide for love. His mother's love for his father made her leave him, which made Zheng Xijue never want to hurt anyone with his strong love.

When his younger uncle and Chen Yan found out about Zheng Xijue's accident and tried to visit him, they were stopped by Zheng Dongni. His younger uncle went alone to the train station but was stopped by Zheng Xijue, who was injured. His younger uncle regretted the harm he had caused Zheng Xijue and said he would never be with Chen Yan. However, Zheng Xijue insisted that his younger uncle should follow his heart and be with Chen Yan. Otherwise, Chen Yan's ten years of suffering and his efforts would be meaningless. Zheng Xijue then revealed a secret that only he knew in the family: he was not related to the Zheng family by blood, and his second uncle and second aunt were not his parents. His younger uncle was shocked by this revelation.

Little Uncle went to Third Uncle's house to explain to Third Uncle and Third Aunty about his situation with Chen Yan, but he was met with strong opposition from them. Jiang Yi and Zheng Xijue got along well as they talked, so they avoided their friends and walked around alone. The next day, Dongni came to school to find Xijue and told him that she had a friend nearby who had an empty apartment where Xijue could stay for a few days and have some peace and quiet. Xijue followed Dongni to an apartment, and to his surprise, the one who didn't want to open the door was Jiang Yi. Jiang Yi was not surprised at all and pretended not to know Xijue, inviting them both in. Jiang Yi asked about Dongni's relationship with Fang Jinghui. Xijue then found out that Fang Jinghui was Jiang Yi's senior in college, and it was Jiang Yi who introduced Fang Jinghui to Dongni back in Beijing. Jiang Yi talked about Fang Jinghui's various endeavors in pursuing Dongni back then.

Jiang Yi sent Dongni away and subtly asked about her helping Fang Jinghui start a business in Beijing. Jiang Yi mentioned that Fang Jinghui probably still held shares in a biotechnology company in Beijing. Jiang Yi returned to the apartment and told Xijue that it looked like they were going to be temporary roommates. That evening, Xijue discovered that Jiang Yi's room was full of books. He chatted with Jiang Yi and learned that her parents were both highly educated intellectuals. They talked about literature, and Xijue said that Jiang Yi and Dongni were both different in terms of their academic abilities, but he didn't know how they became friends.

At night at Jiang Yi's house, Zheng Xijue dreamed of his second aunt making dumplings with mushroom filling for him. In his dream, Zheng Xijue told his caring second aunt, "Mom, don't worry, this is not something difficult to endure." When Zheng Xijue woke up, he saw Jiang Yi beside him who had also made dumplings with mushroom filling. Their relationship had clearly progressed further.

On a sunny day, Zheng Xijue secretly brought some things to visit his grandmother at the nursing home without telling his family.

At school, Zheng Nanyin found out that Su Yuanzhi actually wanted to attend a university in Guangzhou, not Longcheng University of Technology, as she had assumed. Su Yuanzhi and Duomu Fang were working together to share study materials, as Duomu Fang's volunteer choice was Guangzhou Finance University. Because Zheng Nanyin was determined to attend Longcheng University of Technology, Su Yuanzhi lied to her out of fear of making her angry. In front of Duomu Fang, Zheng Nanyin forced herself to express support for Su Yuanzhi's aspirations despite feeling disappointed.

Zheng Xijue went to the hospital to visit his elder uncle and suddenly discovered that Zheng Dongni was waiting for an abortion operation at the gynecology department. After inquiring about the situation, Zheng Xijue learned that Zheng Dongni's life in Germany was not as good as she had hoped. Fang Jinghui did not allow Zheng Dongni to work or study outside the home and demanded that she bear him a child. However, Zheng Dongni did not want to become a mother so soon, so Fang Jinghui secretly replaced her birth control pills and got her pregnant. Zheng Dongni felt angry and wanted to get an abortion as revenge against Fang Jinghui.

After a heart-to-heart conversation, Dongni felt that her younger brother had grown up. She told Xijue not to worry, as she would give birth to the child. Little Uncle wanted to withdraw from the election for the public class and resign to find another way out. Since bringing Chen Yan to their house, Little Uncle had not been able to face Third Uncle, Third Aunty, and Xijue calmly. He wanted to go to a real estate company in Yangcheng with Chen Yan. Chen Yan agreed that Little Uncle should resign, but requested that he complete the public class before leaving. Xijue gave his spot in the public class to Little Uncle.

Because Little Uncle's public class was scheduled for when school ended on Friday, Nanyin was worried that there would be no one there to support him, so she planned to bring classmates to show their support. But since they were still at odds with Third Aunty, Xijue had to pass on the message. Xijue agreed, but when he dialed the phone, he called Dongni instead. As the phone rang, many other students from different grades suddenly poured into the hallway. It turned out that these students had been corrected by Little Uncle in their essays, and they wanted to show their gratitude by attending his class. The headmaster had not anticipated that so many people would come, and had to run back and forth to maintain order.

Little Uncle stood on the podium, facing the crowded audience below. At first, he was very nervous. Just as Xijue and Nanyin were sweating for him, the back door of the classroom opened, and Dongni appeared with his Third Uncle and Third Aunty. Dongni smiled at Xijue, indicating that she had completed her task. In the corner, Chen Yan was shocked to see Third Uncle and Third Aunty, and anxiously looked at Little Uncle. Little Uncle saw Third Uncle and Third Aunty, and was already stunned on the podium.

In school, Zheng Nanyin confided in Su Yuanzhi, saying that she had a falling out with her family and felt very upset. She said that if she went to Guangzhou in the future, Su Yuanzhi would be the only person she had left. Upon hearing this, Su Yuanzhi felt heartbroken. He didn't want to see Nanyin in trouble, so he decided to switch and apply for Longcheng University of Technology for her sake. Nanyin was overjoyed.

Little Uncle and Chen Yan got their marriage certificate and invited the whole family to a dinner. On the day before the wedding, Chen Yan met Zheng Xijue at the station in the rain and apologized to him. Zheng Xijue accepted Chen Yan's apology.

Dongni and Jiang Yi were shopping at the mall when Dongni invited Jiang Yi to attend Little Uncle's wedding and support Zheng Xijue. Jiang Yi refused, but at the same time, she saw a suit that she liked. She bought it and gave it to Zheng Xijue as his outfit for the wedding the next day. Zheng Xijue was touched and invited Jiang Yi to go to the wedding with him. Jiang Yi tested Zheng Xijue by asking him what identity she should go as. Zheng Xijue blurted out "girlfriend," but then felt it wasn't appropriate, so he let Jiang Yi decide. Jiang Yi pretended to say that Zheng Xijue was Dongni's younger brother and also her younger brother, so she was going to support her younger brother.

After the mock exam, Nanyin chose to go to KTV to play all night with her classmates instead of attending Little Uncle's wedding. Because in the end, Nanyin still chose to go to Longcheng University of Technology, and Third Aunty was no longer angry with Nanyin. Before leaving, Third Aunty stopped Nanyin and volunteered to arrange a meeting with Su Yuanzhi in the future. Nanyin happily agreed.

Dongni blamed Jiang Yi for being too emotionally indulgent with her feelings, as Zheng Xijue is someone who takes things seriously. Jiang Yi told Dongni that she and her husband had already separated and were planning to divorce, but her husband kept maliciously dragging it out. Jiang Yi then asked about Dongni's relationship with Fang Jinghui and commented that they didn't seem like a couple but more like business partners.

Nanyin cried to Xijue, telling him how much she really likes Su Yuanzhi and that she feels like her life is over. Xijue comforted Nanyin.

Dongni went to the hospital to visit Elder Uncle and, while Auntie was away, she plucked a hair from Elder Uncle. Dongni took the hair to a paternity testing center that Jiang Yi had helped her find and had a DNA test done.

Elder Uncle's condition suddenly worsened and he needed surgery urgently. However, the chief surgeon in Longcheng, Dr. Lei, had a tight schedule and they couldn't make an appointment without connections. Finding a doctor became the top priority for the Zheng family. Third Uncle tried to ask for help from various connections, but still couldn't make an appointment with Dr. Lei. Xijue also helped, but they had no results. Auntie didn't want to bother everyone anymore and decided on conservative treatment, but Dongni strongly disagreed.

Dongni, using Auntie's name, went to see an old friend of Auntie's, the president of a steel company, Mr. Pei. When Dongni met Mr. Pei, she immediately brought up their past and asked for his help.

Auntie had completed the hospital discharge procedures for Elder Uncle and was getting ready to leave, when Xijue received a call from Dongni telling Zheng Yan to prepare for a transfer to another hospital for surgery.