The Studious Child

This film (drama)Also known as念书的孩子，is aMainland ChinaProducerwomen sex，At2012Released in year 。The dialogue language isStandard Mandarin，Current Douban rating8.6(For reference only)。

Kaikai, a nine-year-old, is taken care of by his grandfather while his parents work in the city. 　　Kaikai finds a stray dog and names it Xiaodan. Xiaodan is very timid and doesn’t bark, so the grandfather thinks it’s mute. Xiaodan is smart; it does whatever Kaikai tells it to do, following him closely to avoid getting lost. Xiaodan becomes Kaikai’s best friend. 　　The grandfather suffers from pulmonary heart disease, which strains the family’s finances. To afford medicine, he even stops paying for cable TV. With nothing to do during his time off from school, Kaikai feels empty, so the grandfather encourages him to read. He reads today's lessons, reviews yesterday’s lessons, and previews tomorrow’s lessons. The grandfather cares more about keeping Kaikai occupied than whether he reads correctly. Whenever Kaikai studies, Xiaodan supports him by sitting on the grandfather's shoes and listening attentively. 　　The teacher starts praising Kaikai, saying he reads well and writes good essays, and that he will definitely be able to attend graduate school or even earn a doctorate in the future. Kaikai becomes more enthusiastic about studying, finishing his textbook and then moving on to outside reading, exploring works like Yue Fei and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." 　　One day, Xiaodan suddenly starts barking and pulls on Kaikai’s pant leg toward the grandfather's room. Kaikai rushes in to find his grandfather lying on the bed and unresponsive. Kaikai's parents return to bury the grandfather and plan to take Kaikai to the city. Kaikai doesn’t want to go, reasoning that a classmate, Wu Meifang, had been in the city for six months without finding a school and had recently returned. Kaikai wants to continue studying and does not want to move to the city. 　　Kaikai's father works in the city and lives in a makeshift dormitory. His mother works as a nanny and stays at the employer’s home. If Kaikai moves to the city, he would have nowhere to stay. The conditions for studying in the city are too immature, while rural life is manageable. Kaikai learned to cook from his grandfather, knows how to steam buns and make noodles, and can handle his meals and clothes. His parents worry most about what would happen if Kaikai got sick at night with no one around to help him. Therefore, Kaikai's father goes to find Kaikai's teacher. Teacher Wang says that during the day, Kaikai can eat by himself, and at night, he can sleep at the teacher’s house, resolving any issues. 　　Leaving a nine-year-old child at home, while others are silent, is something Kaikai’s mother can’t bear. She suggests they should take Kaikai with them, or she can stay. Kaikai’s father insists they aren't refusing to take him; it’s Kaikai who doesn’t want to leave. Moreover, education is a lifelong matter—if they delay Kaikai's studies, they would regret it forever. 　　Kaikai's parents start preparing all the living essentials for him and explain everything carefully before quietly returning to the city one morning. When Kaikai wakes up and finds his parents gone, he runs to the village entrance and cries, beginning his independent life. 　　Without his grandfather, Kaikai becomes distracted while cooking, often burning food, and he is consistently late for class. Eventually, Kaikai stops cooking altogether and shares steamed buns with Xiaodan, eating pickled vegetables and drinking cold water. 　　Teacher Wang has a big black dog named Dahei. When Kaikai goes to sleep at Teacher Wang's house with Xiaodan, Dahei barks incessantly, scaring Xiaodan into hiding under the bed. Kaikai is worried about Xiaodan and tells the teacher he can’t sleep there and wants to go home. With Teacher Wang’s permission, Kaikai takes Xiaodan back home. 　　That night, Kaikai has a nightmare and wakes up scared, calling his dad. His father asks, "Aren’t you sleeping at the teacher's house? Why are you back? It’s already 3 AM—why aren’t you asleep? Are you scared?" When his father asks, Kaikai starts to cry. 　　With no other options, his father spends some money to arrange the conditions necessary for Kaikai to move to the city. 　　Kaikai is going to the city. The night before leaving, he empties his backpack and tries to fit Xiaodan inside; it fits perfectly. Kaikai tells Xiaodan, "I’m taking you to the city. Are you happy?" The next morning, the father and son take Xiaodan to the village bus station. Just as they are about to board the bus, the father suddenly says they aren’t bringing Xiaodan. He promises to buy a better dog in the city. Kaikai disagrees. The father explains that train tickets aren’t sold for dogs, and they won’t be allowed on the train with a dog. Kaikai still disagrees, and the father gets angry, saying Kaikai isn’t listening, forcibly prying Kaikai's hands apart to throw away the dog leash while carrying Kaikai onto the bus. As the bus drives away, Kaikai struggles against his father, crying out for Xiaodan to run fast, saying he will wait for him up ahead. Xiaodan runs desperately after the bus, but the further it chases, the more it distances itself from the vehicle.