Cry Your Eyes Out!

"Mama, I learned a song at school. I haven't sung it for Daddy or Grandma yet. Can I sing it for you?" With that, Dongdong took a few steps back, stood up properly with great ceremony, and even gave a little bow. Then, gesturing with his small hands, he began to act it out as he sang: "In this world, only Mama is good. A child with a mother is like a precious treasure. Nestled in Mama's embrace, Blessed with endless joy..." The child's tender voice echoed across the silver screen. Gong Xue delivered an extraordinary performance, gazing at him with eyes brimming with tender maternal love. Tears streamed down her cheeks, yet a smile hovered at the corners of her mouth—a mixture of deep solace and poignant sorrow. This song, "Mama is the Best in the World," was originally performed by Xiao Fangfang and came from a film in the 1950s. For the vast majority of mainland viewers, this was their very first time hearing it. The lyrics were simple, the melody catchy, and above all, it was steeped in a profound maternal devotion that captivated listeners the instant they heard it. Yet the joyful moment was fleeting. The Lin family soon tracked him down and took the boy away once more. The broader backdrop was 1949: the Party was winning victory after victory on the battlefield while Chiang Kai-shek's forces crumbled, prompting many to consider their way out. As merchants, the Lin family weighed their options and decided to move their entire household to Hong Kong. They had not expected Dongdong to overhear. The boy was remarkably bright. Knowing that once they went to Hong Kong he might never see his mother again, he ran away to his old home a second time. "You snuck back again?" "Mama, I missed you so much!" "Dongdong, don't you know that running off like this makes your grandparents and father worry sick? What would I have said if something had happened to you out there?" "Wah... but I missed you so much! I want to be with Mama... Wah!" Believing the boy would be better off with his father, Qiuxia hardened her heart and sent him back. Dongdong did not want to go to Hong Kong, yet he dared not return home either, terrified that his mother no longer wanted him. And so he slipped away once again. This time, disaster struck: neither family could find him, and the child went missing. Qiuxia searched for him like a woman possessed until a flash of inspiration led her to find Dongdong at Lady Zhenzhu Temple. The Lin family rushed over as well, determined to take the boy away. Battered by one blow after another, Qiuxia was already showing the first signs of mental strain, and she fought desperately to shield him. "Dongdong! Dongdong!" "Mama!" People pulled at Qiuxia, dragged her, and tore her away, while Dongdong struggled in his father's arms. "I don't want to go to Hong Kong! I don't want to go to Hong Kong! I won't get to see Mama!" His weeping and shouting were in vain. Gesturing once more with his small hands, he cried and sang: "In this world, only Mama is good. A child with a mother is like a precious treasure. Nestled in Mama's embrace, Blessed with endless joy..." "Wah... Wah..." At this scene, tears flowed throughout the auditorium, merging into a chorus of sobbing. Zheng Shufang was practically gasping for breath, completely overwhelmed. Pressing a handkerchief to her nose, her face was drenched in tears. Suddenly, her arm grew heavy; her son was hugging her tight. She drew him close in return, feeling a bond between mother and son deeper than it had ever been. Those who hadn't brought handkerchiefs simply wiped their faces with their sleeves, smearing snot and tears everywhere. Adults and children alike seemed under the spell of a melodramatic tearjerker, venting their emotions without restraint. The women who were married with children were especially unable to hold back, their empathy pushed to the absolute limit. The primary audience for a melodramatic tearjerker was naturally middle-aged and elderly women; that was simply how it was wired. "Dongdong!" Qiuxia finally broke free and ran after them, only to lose her footing and tumble all the way down the stone steps of Lady Zhenzhu Temple. "Mama—!" The child's cry was gut-wrenching. The film even captured it in slow motion. Naturally, Gong Xue couldn't throw herself down the stairs; a stunt double took the fall. When the body rolled over, Gong Xue's face was revealed once more, covered in dripping blood before she lost consciousness. "Take the child away, quick!" The male lead's mother still possessed a shred of conscience, adding, "Take her to the hospital!" From that moment on, mother and child were utterly torn apart. The scene shifted to the hospital, where Qiuxia slowly came to. "You're finally awake. How are you feeling?" the nurse asked. "..." Qiuxia slowly opened her eyes, her gaze dazed and vacant. She didn't say a word. Tilting her head at an odd angle to look at the nurse, the blankness in her eyes gradually dissolved into scattered confusion, giving way to a silly, vacant smile. "Dongdong... good Dongdong, Mama will take you home..." "Mama will never leave you again. Mama will buy you toys. Mama will take you to school, too..." She had lost her mind. "What a pitiable soul!" Zheng Shufang finally cried aloud, utterly shattered by the film. All around her, people murmured in sorrow: "How pitiful," "Oh dear," "That's how mothers are..." In the end, the Lin family still left for Hong Kong. More than twenty years slipped by. By the late 1970s, Dongdong had grown into a young man and gone to study in the United States. Just then, the mainland embarked on reform and opening up, welcoming overseas Chinese back home. He returned to his ancestral hometown, where, by a twist of fate, he caught sight of a madwoman. The woman slumped in a chair, her eyes dull and unfocused, her head tilted, her frail body curled up, looking pale and haggard. "She lost her son, and that's how she ended up like this. She's been mad for decades. She used to have good days and bad days, but now it's getting worse and worse. She clutches a toy all day long, and if anyone tries to take it, she hits them. Ah..." "..." Dongdong slowly approached from behind. Though he had not yet seen her face, his instinct told him beyond a doubt that this was his mother. "Ma!" "It's Dongdong! It's Dongdong!" "Ngh! Ngh! Go away, go away! You're not my son! Go away, go away..." Clutching a tattered ragdoll, Qiuxia could no longer recognize him. Her hands flailed wildly, pushing and hitting him. Dongdong crouched down, making the same gestures he had as a child, and sang that song for the third time in the film: "In this world, only Mama is good. A child with a mother is like a precious treasure..." "..." Qiuxia froze. Slowly turning her head, she examined him in confusion and instinctively began to sing softly along. As she sang, she started making the hand gestures too. A hush fell over the entire theater. Only that song resonated: "In this world, only Mama is good. A child with a mother is like a precious treasure..." Life gradually returned to Qiuxia's eyes. Her hands began to tremble. With a mix of longing and dread, she reached out to touch her son's face, gently stroking his cheek, her mind finally clearing. "Ma!" "Dongdong!" Throughout its ninety-minute runtime, starting from Qiuxia kowtowing with every step to plead with the deities, the film harvested the audience's tears at nearly every turn. This grand melodramatic tearjerker, arriving years ahead of its original era, proved once again the timeless power of its charm. It had nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with scar literature, and nothing to do with any controversial or sensitive topics. It was simply pure, unadulterated motherly love. When the film ended and the credits began to roll, the lights remained dim. Under Chen Qi's direction, a small group walked out in the dark before the lights snapped on with a click. The audience was astonished to find several people standing before them. A closer look turned that astonishment into delight, which mingled with the intense emotions they had just experienced and burst forth like a raging flood. The wave surged straight toward one person, sweeping her up in its grasp. "Oh heavens, how could you have suffered so terribly!" "Qiuxia!" "You've had it so hard!" Audiences in this era were pure-hearted. Some of the older women seemed transported back to the days of watching *The White-Haired Girl*, when people longed to beat Huang Shiren to a pulp and claim Xi'er as their own daughter. They rose directly from their seats, ready to rush forward. Gong Xue instinctively shrank back. Chen Qi hurriedly stepped in front of her to shield her, shouting, "Hold them back! Hold them back! Don't let our enthusiastic folks get carried away!" The cinema staff were experiencing this for the first time as well, scrambling to keep the older women at bay. Chen Qi picked up the microphone to double as host; at a time like this, the last thing they needed was to pour oil on the fire. He had to pull the audience out of the trance. "Hello, audience friends! Today, our director and lead actors have made a special trip to meet with all of you!" "Now that the film has ended, let me ask everyone first: did you enjoy it?" "Yes!!" "Then where is your applause?" Clap, clap, clap! However fiercely they had wept moments ago was how heartily they clapped now, unleashing an ovation like thunder and pouring rain.