Happiness Lane No. 9

This film (drama)Also known as幸福里九号，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2008Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating7.2(For reference only)。

In the early 1980s, Beijing, Happiness Lane No. 9. A sudden dispute arises between the Yang family mother and son. Mother Min Shuxian, in her effort to return her younger son Yang Weimin's household registration from the Northeast where he was sent for work, inadvertently loses her savings to a scam; for this, she is blamed by her elder son Yang Weiguo, who is facing distribution after graduating from university. At this time, Weimin is in danger in the Northeast mountains but is rescued by his landlord, Xifeng, turning peril into safety. Due to an injury, Weimin finally gets approval to return to the city. Xifeng chases after him to Beijing, wanting to marry her beloved Weimin. However, Weimin is deeply in love with his first love, neighbor Yu Fangfang; this leads to a complex emotional entanglement. Xifeng leaves Weimin in heartbreak but vows to settle down in Beijing, determined to survive through hardships. Weimin insists on implementing policies for his father Yang Tiexin, who was a war hero but later imprisoned due to a misdeed involving two hundred jin of food stamps. Weiguo resists allowing his father, a released reform-through-labor convict, to return home, leading to ongoing brotherly conflict. Yang Tiexin finally returns but harbors resentment upon learning that his wrongful conviction was related to neighbors Yu Deshui and Yao Guiying. He harshly prevents Weiguo from loving Yu's younger daughter, Yu Yuanyuan. Guided by Weimin, Yang Tiexin eventually forgives Yu Deshui and his wife for their unintentional mistake, and the two families reconcile. After Weimin returns to the city, the government assigns him a job; however, he is discontent and loses his stable employment. He keenly seizes business opportunities, attempting to engage in small commodity trading, but is mistakenly arrested, almost incriminated for "speculation," facing strong opposition from relatives, leading to family conflicts. Weimin tries hard to reconcile his parents who have been divorced for many years. Yang Tiexin sets a condition: he must not engage in individual business or trade. Weimin reluctantly complies and, with Yuanyuan's enthusiastic help, takes a temporary position at the hospital where she works as a nurse, only to find himself overseeing the morgue. Nevertheless, Weimin throws himself wholeheartedly into the job. Despite enduring numerous setbacks, Weimin remains filled with love, sincerity, and pursuit for life, work, family affection, friendship, and love, unwavering in his determination. Fangfang hopes her father, soon to be promoted to a key government position, can rectify her household registration which has been stuck in rural Pudong due to her being sent to work in the countryside. Yu Deshui, in order to maintain his image of integrity, rejects this, leading to frequent conflicts between father and daughter. Fangfang rejects Weimin’s romantic advances and marries Captain He, hoping to resolve her registration issue as a military spouse. Weimin and she frequently clash emotionally. While planning her wedding, her husband sacrifices himself in the line of duty. The setback in her marriage makes Fangfang cynical. She hastily marries an international sailor who can satisfy her material desires and vanity. The emotional conflict between Weimin and Fangfang intensifies. Weiguo secretly accepts Fangfang's college classmate, Wu Zhaodi's, affection, hoping to curry favor with Wu's father, a school leader, for a job assignment to the court. Weimin exposes Weiguo's deceit in playing both sides; brotherly disputes arise again. Parents intervene with differing attitudes, leading to a family feud. Yuanyuan discovers Weiguo’s infidelity and is devastated, resulting in a car accident. Just after her discharge from the hospital, she requests to join a medical team to escape her heartbreak. Weimin accompanies her. Weimin and Yuanyuan face dangers in the Dabie Mountains, sharing trials and tribulations, and depending on each other for life and death. Yuanyuan, through trials, finds her spirit purified, healing the wounds of her heartbreak. Due to outstanding performance in a mundane position, Weimin becomes a full-time employee at the hospital. Inspired by the government’s individual economic policies, Weimin challenges himself, willing to forsake his stable job to take over a fish stall at the market where Yao Guiying works. This choice meets fierce opposition from his relatives, exacerbating family tensions. Just as Weimin’s stall begins to succeed, an outbreak of hepatitis interrupts, severely damaging his fish business. Weimin rallies from his demoralization, keenly sensing new business opportunities, adapting to market demands by quickly shifting to selling fruits and flowers, although he faces obstruction from Yao Guiying and the market leaders, as well as threats from local gangsters. Yet, Weimin fights on repeatedly, determined to persevere with unwavering resolve, refusing to compromise or give up. After much hardship, Xifeng successfully contracts the job of transporting soil to Happiness Lane. She reunites with Weimin and Fangfang, reigniting emotional entanglements among them. Yang Tiexin sets his sights on Xifeng, insisting on matchmaking her with Weimin. However, Min Shuxian firmly opposes this, unable to tolerate a daughter-in-law from the countryside. The original couple's conflicts intensify. After marriage, Fangfang suffers abuse from her sailor husband, Hu Wei. Weimin, aiming to protect Fangfang, injures Hu Wei and is subsequently criminally detained and prosecuted. Min Shuxian pleads with Weiguo, who teaches at the law school, to defend his brother. Weiguo, harboring deep resentment towards Weimin, refuses to help, and at a critical moment, pretends to be ill under Hu Wei's coercion and temptation. At Yuanyuan's pleading, Fangfang bravely exposes her own humiliating experiences in court, helping Weimin achieve his acquittal. Weiguo, receiving benefits from Hu Wei, transfers to the court through backdoor means, anticipating marriage with Wu Zhaodi, who is set to study abroad. However, she suddenly turns her affections to someone else. Weiguo's cleverness backfires on him, causing him immense pain, which consequently aggravates tensions with Weimin. While Weimin feels sympathy for his brother’s emotional plight, he finds it difficult to ease their conflicts. Under Fangfang’s encouragement, Weimin falls in love with Yuanyuan. Xifeng becomes disheartened due to this. Weiguo's resentment towards Weimin deepens. Yao Guiying disapproves of Weimin as a fish vendor, deeming him unworthy of Yuanyuan, and meddles accordingly. Xifeng's father falls critically ill, and she urges Weimin to return home to see her father one last time as husband and wife. Only then does Weimin realize that Xifeng has been lying to her father, claiming that she married Weimin and that they are living happily. To repay Xifeng and her father's life-saving grace, Weimin decides to maintain this beautiful lie. Due to Yao Guiying’s slander, Yuanyuan mistakenly believes that Weimin is genuinely involved with Xifeng, leading to a crisis in Weimin and Yuanyuan's relationship. The implementation of the Party’s reform and opening-up policy has brought significant changes to Xifeng’s hometown, leading her to abruptly marry her fellow townsman Dakuai for her father's sake. On the day of her wedding, her father passes away. Weimin assists Xifeng in arranging the wedding and finds her a shortcut to entrepreneurship by utilizing local resources for potato trading. Weimin first dips his toes in the market. He returns with a batch of potatoes, using his stall at the market and already established customer base to promote the potatoes, but once again faces criticism from Yao Guiying and the market leaders. Weimin withstands the pressure, following his own path, and begins to see results. With sincerity and persistence, Weimin once again captures Yuanyuan's heart, resolving her misunderstandings and grievances, leading to reconciliation. Weimin moves from running one stall to taking over the entire seafood section, and then the vegetable section, consistently turning losses into profits, receiving high praise from customers, and establishing a personal brand called “Yang Congbao” in the struggling state-run market. Grounded and hardworking, he acquires experience, actively pursues progress, and fuels his ambitions, determining to take over the entire market. This sparks debates over whether to adhere to "socialism" or embrace "capitalism." Yu Deshui, then director of the district government office, always cautious, opts for stability and shelves Weimin's proposal to take over the market. Yu Deshui assigns Weimin another difficult task: to assist visiting Hong Kong businessman Lin Siyuan in finding his first love, Min Shuxian. Once Weimin learns of Lin Siyuan's emotional struggles, he arranges for his mother to meet him. Min Shuxian and Lin Siyuan reunite after a long separation, stirring deep feelings. Lin Siyuan decides to stay and invest in entrepreneurship. However, Min Shuxian fears that Lin Siyuan's presence will strike a fatal blow to her already fragile relationship with Yang Tiexin. Following the central leaders' southern tour speech, the call to develop the economy invigorates Weimin once again. To fulfill his plan to take over the market, Weimin seeks investment, explaining his vision to Lin Siyuan. Weiguo secretly serves as Lin Siyuan's legal advisor and, under his instigation, Lin Siyuan abandons the original intention to collaborate with Weimin and instead cooperates with officials to demolish the market and build business towers and supermarkets. Unaware, Weimin schedules his wedding on the planned date of the market takeover, only to find that his plans are forced to abort. At this time, Weimin has already remitted tens of thousands in payments for Xifeng to purchase potatoes. In an attempt to placate Weimin, Lin Siyuan specially hires him as an assistant. Weimin sees this as charity and refuses. Fangfang seizes the opportunity and decisively abandons her iron rice bowl job, to work at Lin Siyuan’s Hongye Company. Xifeng and Dakuai try to collect Weimin’s remittance but are robbed by a gang. Unable to endure the humiliation, Xifeng attempts to resist violently, throwing herself against a rock, sustaining severe injuries. Dakuai regains his courage in a moment of weakness, fatally wounding the robber while defending himself. He rushes Xifeng to the county hospital for emergency treatment but flees in panic due to his inability to pay the medical fees and the fear of capture. Upon learning of Xifeng’s ordeal, Weimin rushes to the Northeast against his family’s opposition, determined to bring Xifeng back to Beijing for treatment, signing the surgery order as her family member and bearing the risk of Xifeng's life and significant financial burden. This incites strong opposition from Weiguo, Min Shuxian, Yao Guiying, and others, leading to severe family conflicts. Yuanyuan struggles to accept the situation and clashes with Weimin emotionally. He, unwilling to burden Yuanyuan, reluctantly suggests a breakup. Xifeng’s surgery is successful, and she is out of danger but remains in a coma, potentially becoming a vegetative state. Weimin vows never to abandon her, holding onto hope and doing everything he can to awaken her. This noble act adds immense pressure to both the Yang and Yu families. A batch of potatoes ordered by Weimin arrives, but the market has closed down, and he loses his stall, while also neglecting sales to care for Xifeng, compounded by several heavy rains that spoil the potatoes left outside. Yao Guiying brings in buyers from a starch factory, willing to purchase the spoiled potatoes at a low price. Weimin adamantly refuses to take advantage of consumers, resolutely destroying the batch. Suffering another setback, Weimin finds himself back at square one. Nevertheless, he remains undeterred, refusing to give up and is determined to rise again. Weimin even takes high-interest loans to create a livelihood trade company, working diligently to make a fresh start. Weimin’s resilient pride, ambition, and unwavering determination deeply move Yuanyuan. She finds it difficult to part with her love for Weimin and, after extensive reflection, ultimately chooses to share in Weimin's hardships. Yuanyuan orchestrates a situation to compel Weimin to marry her. To support her husband, to pursue her diploma, and to better care for Xifeng, Yuanyuan reluctantly resigns from her job and even opts for an abortion. Weimin pleads with Yuanyuan to keep the child; conflicts ensue, yet their feelings for each other grow deeper through adversity. While serving as a judge, Weiguo secretly works for Lin Siyuan, earning a generous salary. He also secretly engages in real estate speculation and stock trading, making a significant profit while hiding it, harshly criticizing Weimin for the family’s misfortunes. To evade scrutiny from the judicial system, Weiguo is forced to resign and takes a position at a law firm. Dakuai is arrested. Weimin firmly believes Dakuai would never kill someone intentionally but struggles to find substantial evidence. He implores Weiguo to defend Dakuai. Under Yuanyuan's careful nursing and Weimin's relentless calls, Xifeng miraculously awakens but initially cannot recall recent events. Weiguo, seeking evidence, disregards Xifeng’s safety, forcibly stimulating her memory, nearly causing another episode of unconsciousness. Xifeng is once again stabilized, regaining her memory and learning about the sacrifices Weimin and Yuanyuan made for her. She kneels in gratitude and insists on testifying for Dakuai immediately. To prevent Xifeng from suffering a relapse, Yuanyuan disregards her serious pregnancy symptoms and insists on accompanying her. With Xifeng testifying in court, combined with Weiguo's eloquent defense and the arrest of other robbers, Dakuai is acquitted in the second trial. With this success, Weimin resumes trading in potatoes. Xifeng becomes a valuable assistant to Weimin, helping him prepare for further business expansion. Beijing succeeds in its bid for the Olympics, which invigorates Weimin once again; he grows restless, seizing a new opportunity to run a bankrupt starch factory, transforming it into a potato chip production facility. Fangfang advises Weimin to abandon this entrepreneurial plan, as a Taiwanese potato chip company with Lin Siyuan as a board member is set to enter the mainland market. Weimin, however, is overconfident and insists on confronting this challenge. As Weimin's chip factory begins production, Yuanyuan undergoes a difficult labor. Fortunately, both mother and child are safe. Yuanyuan simultaneously welcomes the birth of two "children": her college diploma and the potato chips just produced by Weimin. Yet, Weimin's business once again plunges into a downturn. Products from the livelihood potato chip factory are found to have excessive benzene levels, leading to returns, production cessation, and fines. He faces the brink of ruin. Undeterred, Weimin is committed to getting to the bottom of the quality issue. Ultimately, he discovers that the source of the problem lies in faulty packaging for the potato chips. Weimin intends to file a lawsuit to restore the reputation of his products and seek compensation for economic losses. Weiguo, having been compromised by Hu Wei, suffers extortion, feeling pressured to give up a substantial amount of his secretly accumulated wealth in hopes of avoiding disaster. However, Hu Wei escalates his threats, compelling him to conspire against Weimin and Fangfang. Weiguo is trapped in a painful moral quandary, struggling with his conscience. Upon learning the truth about Weiguo's past false testimony, Weimin advises him to confess immediately. Weiguo, however, clings to a shred of hope and refuses. Weimin forbids his father from reporting him, hoping to provide Weiguo an opportunity for self-surrender. Weiguo takes the initiative to act as Weimin's defense attorney, hoping to win the case as a brotherly gesture to make amends for his past harm to Weimin and Yuanyuan. He argues fiercely, securing a compensation of five hundred thousand for the plaintiff. However, upon discovering that the defendant would go bankrupt as a result, leaving disabled employees struggling to find work, Weimin cannot bear to build his success on others' misery. He declares in court that he is reducing the compensation claim to one yuan. Weiguo is bewildered and distressed, leading to another intense conflict with Weimin. Weiguo misses his chance to confess and is arrested. Weimin embraces him tightly, tears streaming down their faces. Weimin and Yuanyuan visit him in prison. Weiguo feels profoundly moved; he has attained a profound understanding of what is most precious in life. Weimin informs him that he is about to partner with Lin Siyuan to accelerate the modernization process of his private enterprise. Weimin sets grand ambitions, establishing a cutting-edge potato planting base in Xifeng's hometown to penetrate the international market, aiming to become a long-term supplier for fast food restaurants. In the countdown to the Olympics, the city undergoes rapid construction. Yang Tiexin hosts a dumpling banquet. The Yang and Yu families gather for the last time in the Happiness Lane No. 9, a place they have lived next to for decades. This area will undergo redevelopment, rejuvenating its essence. They will move into new homes while reminiscing about the old days. Although the city's spirit has changed, so has society, and the 17th National Congress of the Party has ushered in an era of more civilized and affluent lives for the people. They toast together, raising their glasses in unison: To happiness — cheers!