Jesus, oh! Oh God No Metal in the microwave No metal! Martha, it's Robert Just to let you know to keep an eye peeled for the first reviews of your breathlessly awaited first novel Word is, the Times is going to rave... Talk later Thanks You look like shit Where's Grandpa? He's so cute with the headphones on Hi Grandpa! Do you think he remembers me? Come on, it's a steal You've got to see it You'll have your own room to write in Grandpa can be out in the back chopping bricks or whatever he does out there You'd never even know he existed l wish he didn't God, he's really getting you down From the way Alex has acted for the last 7 years you'd have thought he didn't have a father And then boom, a month ago this showed up on the doorstep l haven't written a word since Well, Alex has got to get him out of here lt's not that simple with Alex and frankly we can't afford to buy another place let alone a mansion Of course you can especially if your mother's offer is still good Alex will never accept money from her you know that Work on Him! For God sakes, Martha you have a lot to learn about men And you have a lot to learn about husbands Sorry lt's okay. l'm getting a dog Hi Alex! Smells good Good Jimmy Grandpa, l'm home How's my boy! What's that? lt's a book l made for you Animals that change One day l saw the most weird thing lt was a turtle, a fish and a rat They were in a puddle of potion They grew They destroy the universe. The end Jeremy gets some ideas Come on. Let's clean up for dinner Dad, you shouldn't eat so much fat at your age How are you today? Did you watch those tapes l rented for you? Terrible! l'll get you some Taiwanese tapes They'll be just as bad Well, what about some Hong Kong kung-fu movies? The worst! Their kung-fu's a joke Dad! They're only acting You're a Tai Chi professor They can't compare Damn, l can't learn English lt's a disgrace to go back My life is going nowhere Dad it hasn't even been a month since you retired and came to America Give yourself some time Jeremy come here come here you little rascal Come here Come here, Jeremy. Get off the couch l don't have time for this, come here Whoa! My precious young man running bare naked! Let me see! The future of the Chu family is depending on your little treasure What does he think he's doing? That's all right Chinese elders must always reassure themselves that their family name will go on Come on Jeremy, upstairs with you! She's afraid he'll catch cold Kids aren't made out of paper Thanks Thanks No, thanks Why does this American woman only eat vegetables? She's afraid of getting fat Why am l not fat? On this Earth there are two kinds of food Cereal and vegetables are 'yin' and meat is 'yang' You must eat both to be balanced and to be healthy Alex, Linda came over today Great What's that supposed to mean? Just great What exactly do you have against her anyway? So what if she was a Maoist in college? From Maoist revolutionary to real estate baron lf there's one thing worse than a communist it's an ex-communist who has become a capitalist Well, she's ready to do us quite a big favor Oh no. She's trying to sell us a house again What's she mumbling about? Nothing Something about cigarette butts? What? Mommy said she wants to move out Quiet! Alex, l'm talking to you Mommy, can l watch cartoons? Here put some meat on your bones! l don't want it, thank you Jeremy, finish your milk and you can watch TV What did she say? lf he finishes his milk, he can watch TV American people teach children everything's a deal, like doing business You should at least take a look at the photos lt's apparently a real steal lf children can't concentrate on eating what else can they concentrate on? Yes, father And, these American cartoons are only adding weirdness and violence to this messed up world for children? lt's just a mess Our sages said... Dad, eat! Don't get upset. l'm just afraid your dinner's getting cold What has he been babbling about? The violence in cartoons How can he complain he's martial arts expert himself lsn't that violent enough? Would you cut it out? Both of you! Just eat You finish up. l'm going out for a smoke ln America, you're so polite to kids You think so? You don't treat kids as kids lt's not so simple lt's called democracy No big and no little l see, you understand America better than me Chinese Time Jeremy, stop playing Come on, time for homework Alex The teachers' Putonghua is poor ls his Chinese school any good? Don't be too picky! We only have one Chinese school around here Every weekend Jeremy learns some Chinese l can play basketball and you get to teach Tai Chi Thanks God for it! Let's follow what they teach Eh! Not like that Dad, l've got some things to take care of Jeremy, come on Grandpa will teach you an old Chinese rhyme On East West Street, North South Go Outside the gate, a man bites a dog! Grab the dog to hit a brick Watch out that brick might bite the hand Follow Grandpa On East West Street North South Go Outside the gate a man bites a dog Outside the gate a dog bites a man a man bites a dog! a man bites a dog! Shit Just one more sentence Okay How's your computer virus? Almost killed and when can l start reading your new book? There is no new book, can't you tell? Shit Alex, are as out of it as your father? You don't know my father l have spent every single day in the same room with that man since he showed up here a month ago Alex, it's impossible He's taken over my work room l just don't have the space to think Not enough space? ln China, this house is big enough for four families Sure, but they'd speak the same language so they could talk to each other Alex he hasn't learned one word of English And what about you? What have you done but make fun of him treating him with disrespect? Alex, l tried l'm his only son What do you want me to do? You could at least consider moving into a bigger place. We can afford it No l don't see why we have to pay for his insurance let him eat us out of house and home when we can't accept a little loan from my mother lt's not a little loan, it's a bride a big bride and you know it You look a little freaked out here Come on, let's go to bed Good night Alex Honestly Linda l don't know why we're here Come on, let's explore Father-and-son Father Sweep Step back Collect Hook Step out Single whip Play guitar Lean White crane spreads its wing Left hand ward off Right hand attack Excuse me, are you the instructor here? l teach the cooking class My name is Chen and you? What's your name? Chu Master Chu Please, we're all friends here Don't call me master Mr. Chu, l don't know what our headmaster's thinking my class is making dumplings, half-done Some workmen just came in to do some repairs we have to leave l see you have plenty of space here could we move in just this once? Dumplings can be moved in but they can't be moved out We've also got scallion pancakes and spring rolls! Come on, let's help! Thank you Sink your chest Stretch your back lmagine a string pulling up your head Sink lower your body Master Chu don't torture the child! Look at all his weight How can he 'sink his chest'? Let him help me knead the dough Oh, it's so difficult Mrs. Chen, next week l'll help you make dumplings Can l enroll? Next week, no dumplings but General Tso's Special Chicken Master Chu, would you please demonstrate how to emit force with Pushing Hands? Okay, let's try Thank you My God, would that hurt? Hey, Mr. Chu, try me You're too heavy So your kung-fu can only go so far! Okay Mr. Chu, can you take the fighting away? Don't you see these burners and the boiling water! lt's alright if Heavyweight gets burned but the dumplings! lf you smash them what're we going to eat? We'll eat roast pigging! Oh, okay! Far enough? l'm ready Master! What! Haven't you any eyes to see! Sorry...! l don't mean you! lt's your Master who wasn't looking of all the directions! Why did you throw Heavyweight right smack on the dumplings! Excellent aim! Okay! No dumplings today! lnstead, we'll have sandy crab scalded noodle lump soup! l'm sorry lt wasn't on purpose! lt was on purpose Are you okay? lt was on purpose! Got mad ln front of all these people sooner or later l knew you'd show off! Sorry...! Okay! Don't stand there with a red face! Let's clean up! Everyone helps! No more Tai Chi Chuan! We'll make dumplings! Come... Did you hear that? Master says no more Tai Chi! Let's move Oh my, what's this shape? Hold on. Let me see your hands. Filthy! Men, all of you wash your hands Use soap! No dirty hands on my dumplings ls that clear? Quick... Mr. Chu, sit! Let the young people stand Come and sit Not bad Thin skin, plump stuffing, nice twist lt's nothing Northerners like making things from dough Are you from Peking? Yes How long have you been here? Just over a month Are you used to it here? lf l was would l be here messing around? Watch what you're saying, l'm here too l don't mean that America is a world for young people Are you also from Peking? Do l seem like l am? By your accent, yes; the way you look, no That's right 1949, l went with my husband to Taiwan to escape the Communists And Mr. Chen is... He's dead His name wasn't Chen Not long after we arrived in Taiwan he got liver cancer and passed away l'm called Mrs. Chen because of my second husband Oh and Mr. Chen? He's dead too, just last year Life and death, it's fate Riches and rags are given by the gods You just accept it. Everything is destiny Sure... Earlier this year, l left Taiwan came to live with my daughter Every Saturday, l bring my granddaughter here to study Chinese Are you used to it here? How did you put it just now? lf l wasn't so bored at home how could your Heavyweight have smashed my dumplings? A computer couldn't have aimed more accurately Destiny, it's all destiny That's right! What kung-fu! What's the matter? Since last year sometimes my right arm just gives out when l pick up something a little heavy lt's helpless Have you seen a doctor? Yes Chinese doctors, western doctors accupressure, acupuncture herbal remedies, shots, medicine l've tried everything but getting a spell cast on me l'm just old Mrs. Chen, l don't want to sound like a self-promoter but practising Tai Chi will heal your arm Okay, spare me! Haven't l suffered enough in this life? Practise? l won't be that stupid enough No, when you practise Tai Chi your circulation and energy will flow l've let go, l'm not holding on Energy must be released to me When its released there's no tension and one feels at ease What's up? The review, l can't find it When you arrive at old age everything is quiet There the gentle wind passes through the pine forest 15 minutes to practice Okay When the moon is rising and shining on the mountain l only want to go to the familiar forest l reply with a simple fisherman's song Alex Yes? Does New York have a place to mat Chinese calligraphy? Who's the present for? You know, last week l smashed Mrs. Chen's dumplings l was so embarrassed l want to give her this l'm just afraid she'll laugh at my calligraphy Come on Dad we know you're good What's the matter? They've ignored the book Just pretended it doesn't exist lt'll be in next week What's a matter with her? There's no review of her book Years from now we'll all be lying peacefully underground What's the big deal? Dad, when're we going? Coming What is it? A stomach cramp or something Nothing important Do you want to lie down on the couch? What's wrong with her? A stomach cramp Let me take a look. Make her lie down Dad said he wants to take a look at it He knows this kind of thing He does? He's an expert She's too tense something's wrong with her stomach You're too tight Thanks for letting me know Tell her to relax Just relax What happened? Mom! Oh my god! Get away from me! Relax! What did you do to her? Her stomach's bleeding! Quick get her to the hospital! l want to go too Jeremy, be good You broke Mama Jeremy wants a goldfish, right? Here's a big tail Big eyes and thick lips And wings What's Martha's condition? Her stomach was bleeding She has to stay in the hospital How's Mommy? Oh Mommy is all right She just needs a little rest, okay? l didn't do anything to her Her tension caused her stomach to bleed l know that Can l go to the hospital with you? Dad ls this the calligraphy you want matted? Go take care of Martha Don't bother about me Can l have some macaroni and cheese please? Wait until Sunday when your mother comes home, all right? Master Chu Hello everybody! Master Chu, they tell me your kung-fu is great Last week, you barely touched Mr. Sung and you sent him flying And you threw Heavyweight right on the dumplings Nah, where's Mrs. Chen then? l don't know. She's not coming anymore l'm the new teacher Not teach? Yes Why? l don't know You can ask them Her family's going to that other school north of here lf you want to contact her, you can ask the principal about her telephone number Okay, l'll go for my class ls this General Tso's Special Chicken? No, we aren't making chicken This is to make 'eoly ice' 'Eoly ice'? Yes Oily rice. Oh yes, OlLY RlCE! Hey, do you want us to bring the oily rice over so you can throw Heavyweight in? Alex, will you make a call for me? Mrs. Chen's family doesn't come here anymore l still have to give her the calligraphy No one's home. lt's their machine Yici Chen. This is Alex Chu My Dad has a present to give your mother Give us a call at 287-0425. Thanks How can you talk like that? Like what? l'm not going to the hospital with you to see Martha Take me home to wait for the call Relax Dad, they're not going anywhere l can't communicate with Martha You'll be there for hours and all l can do is stare into space Okay Hey mister, don't kid me l never kid anybody Hello... lt's me Mrs. Chen? Why weren't you at school? Yes... Don't listen to my kid. What nonsense! lt's not a present l'm still embarrassed about what l did to your class last week Okay. How about this? Tomorrow at 1 1 :00, my son's going to get his wife at the hospital We'll come by at 10:30 Okay... lt's nothing She's a small stomach problem Right, then see you tomorrow Hello, Uncle Chu! Not at all, welcome! Mother, they come! How are you, Yici? Hi! Hi, Jeremy Hi, auntie Why are you all guarding the door? Come in, sit down! Sorry, we've got to get to the hospital to pick up my wife Oh, you can't be late then ls your wife, all right? What am l talking about! She's getting out of the hospital Mr. Chu, how are you? Good, Mrs. Chen, at your new school is there a cooking class? Not until l showed up There's a kung-fu class too But it's only Karate They don't have grace Better than Tai Chi Chuan they sound much tougher but they can't throw anywhere near as far as you! Dad, we'd better get going l planned for you to stay for lunch but you've got to get to the hospital l won't keep you for dinner Next time Thanks and bye Uh, you stopped by today to? Ah! l forget You shouldn't have. Thank you l'm going to hang it up right away lt's nothing Drive carefully! Bye Good bye! Bye! What's the rush! We didn't even get the scroll open! Thanks! Toothache? There isn't much you can do But you sure have a lot of problems Mr. Philips called Jeremy received the lowest reading scores in the gifted class again That school is too distracting for him No Alex, we're too distracting for him He's only responding to the situation at home Then change it What's your problem? What's your problem? l ain't got any problem Get back in the car, Alex! Shut up! Great Martha What do you want? l go for a walk A walk? l don't know l don't want to see you getting lost Smoking You know, in a way l'm kind of baby sitting you l'll just hang around, won't go far Do you understand what l'm saying to you? All right. Go ahead What do l care? Oh Jeremy, where'd you get those? Teddy gave them to me Well go put them away Go on. Go get yourself cleaned up Dad What're you looking for? Dad Where's he? Oh Where's he? ls he back? No Did you check with the police? Alex, l'm sorry l should've been more careful But l'm... uh... with the book ln some ways, your father is more and more like a child cooped up here with me And l can't talk to him l was trying to write l had a feeling that he was gonna get himself lost just like a kid trying to get some attention l grew up believing you should care for your parents the way they care for you My father is a part of me Why can't you accept that? l know. l tried Just leave me alone Oh my god. You've found him Thanks God he's safe We're looking for Mr. Alex Chu Alex is still out looking for his father. l'm his wife Okay. Mr. Chu, you take care of yourself All right? Thank you very much officers Alex is still out looking for you Are you hungry? Thirsty? You really should eat something l'm sorry too. Alex is furious Jesus How did you get so drunk? Where did you go? l was just walking around and l lost sight of the church steeple my landmark Policemen brought him back two hours ago You're back, that's good What are you doing?... What're you doing, Alex? Nothing l know this wall, it isn't thick What are you doing?... Mommy Calm down... Jeremy, Dad isn't feeling well he'll be all right Let me talk to him Dad banged his head by accident Do you need a band aid? Okay Jeremy... is the good one who knows better than Mommy and Grandpa how to care for Daddy l haven't seen you that drunk since the night we got married That drunk? Yeah Well, my head is clear now What're you mumbling about? l've made up my mind already About what? The old man has got to go l'll send him to an old people's apartment Are you sure? l really don't have too much choice l'll go tell him right now Come in Dad, why didn't you get up and exercise today? Aren't you feeling well? What's wrong? l probably caught cold from being outside too long last night l'm going to call a doctor You've got important business at work Don't waste your time on me Come on Dad, cut it out! You're never sick if you don't feel well it must be serious l'll find a doctor for you Why get sick now? The vital organs aren't in harmony The circulation's blocked That's why l'm sick Dad, Ma's been gone for so many years and you've never wanted to look at her picture l couldn't face her Do you remember this scar!? The day when the red guards came to our house they knew they couldn't hurt me so they took it out on you and your mother l only had this one body! ln protecting you l couldn't protect your mother When they finally stopped their beating she was too gravely injured to survive ln this one life l can never face your mother again but l can face you! lt's been so many years why talk about it now? l feel stifled Let me tell you something compared to loneliness persecution is easy Look at how much hardship and injustice l've endured in the last 40 years Their tortures only inspired me to perfect my kung-fu To study the Soft lnternal Style of Strength we pursue more refined states of being with the loss of tension we attain concentration And from that one we achieve carefree nothingness but this is nearly impossible to attain Yes, it's easy to have physical strength but inner strength is harder to practise Go on, don't bullshit me! Okay, l'll go call a doctor Do me a favor and call the Chinese school principal tell him l can't teach the class on Saturday Okay. You'll go when you're better l'm not going anymore Why? The students always want me to show off l hate that Then what will you do on the weekends? Why don't we change to that school north of here You mean with Mrs. Chen? No! They say it'll be good for Jeremy's studies l heard they're much stricter How about it? So did you tell him? He's sick. Caught a cold from last night l couldn't tell him l hope it's not serious No, l don't think so But l'd better take him to the doctor's l've got a great idea about what to do with him without hurting anyone's feelings What's that? Just be patient Promise me, you'll be nice to him for the time being Okay? Go on! What? Nothing Then why do you keep looking at your watch? Nothing Hello... yes, l am. Yici How's the picnic? Thanks Sorry for bothering you again Yes, it's great weather and great for a picnic Unfortunately he doesn't have much energy now lf he got sick again, it'll be trouble Take a break Say thank you to Chen Mama for me Okay Don't hang up Hold on Who said l'm sick? l didn't say sick, l said energy No energy - means you need to get out! My father says he's fine he'd like to get some exercises Let's use our plan then Okay Okay, that's settled then Bye Right How can it be healthy to stay home all the time! Ma, l've already had two Have more Here Yi-yi Thank you Kids should eat more Jeremy No, thanks Have more! Help yourself, don't worry about him Have another piece No... There's lots of meat no point is saving it l have to leave some room for tonight lt's the middle of the day You're a big man! Come on! l haven't eaten since yesterday morning l'm preparing for the dinner you're cooking tonight You stupid one Nonsense! Here He's reaching middle age he's afraid of fat cholesterol, and high blood pressure Give it to me Ma, again? Yes, damn it Can you give me a little massage? Let me take a look How can l let you do that? lt's okay Did you find the spot? This is trouble lf it's trouble, leave it alone No There's too little flow and too much blood This kind of problem is called Mid-Spring Paralysis Now try to move the pinky toe on your left foot Did you feel that subtle pain? So, l was right When this illness gets serious you'll get a spasm under your knee sore waist you back will give out your neck will tense up you won't be able to lift your arm and your muscles will be stretched between your armpits in one tight knot Enough! ln a minute you'll be looking right through at all my internal organs! Let me see lt's her right shoulder that's stiff He knows! He was rubbing your left hand Shush! lt's burning Burning? Your meat, on the barbeque Why don't you pay attention to your own business Mr. Chu, thank you l've just begun You've got a complicated problem lt would take over a year of treatment to get results What a bother! Okay, don't break me apart Jeremy, let's go play frisbee Oh goody, goody l would like looking Don't go too far, you hear me? Okay Mr. Chu, your kung-fu is so powerful how do you manage to have such elegant calligraphy? l'm ashamed to talk about it My grandfather was a Ching Dynasty Scholar my father was one of the founders of the Nationalist government My son is a Ph D in computer science ln the middle of this line there's worthless me Fate and circumstances pushed me to spend my life practising martial arts You shouldn't say that l had bad health when l was a kid l'm an only son My family was worried They took one of the doctor's advice which is, and made me practise kung-fu l couldn't take the rough styles l could only take the gentle styles like Tai Chi Chuan Who would have thought that a couple years later l was completely vigorous and healthy At 30 l won a national Tai Chi Pushing Hands Championship Exercising the body and teaching students That's a relatively simple trouble-free life What's good? Since the communist liberation l've been persecuted in every movement Let's not talk about it Teaching students has hurt me so much Yes Have you gone back to see your old home and relatives since Taiwan loosened up? Last year l went back but l don't have any close relative just a few nieces and nephews Still, a reunion with your family it must have been a happy time Not really When l left, they weren't born l felt like Santa Claus giving so many gifts None of them were born when l left! Peking seemed to have lost its flavor the old warmth was gone But l was very young when l left 40 years ago maybe my memories are mistaken Anyway l don't know what it was everything seemed unreal. l couldn't put my old and new impression together Your impressions are not mistaken Peking has changed a lot ls that so? When l talk with you, l feel closer to you than with my neighbors in Peking Really? Relax, don't move Ma, you're still in one piece You child! We're going to take the kids up the hill Don't go too far Okay Don't leave us here! l'm going with you Ma, it's a steep climb You won't make it l'll take it slow Come on! Let's get everything cleaned up and put in the car Let the young folks go ahead You take it slow No, l'm fine How come your son-in-law didn't come today? Gone... gone... a... way on bus... business lf he weren't away we wouldn't have you over for dinner Don't mention him He makes me angry What about your daughter-in-law? Ah... let's go Chen Mama, it's too much for you Let's go down Nonsense! Let's go! Don't run so fast, wait for me Hey! The young are so energetic They can't slow down. Let them go ahead l'll climb slowly with you. Why not sit down and rest a bit l'm old, useless No one wants me We're out for fun Why get mad at the kids? How can you be so developed in kung-fu and not have any insight? They set us up Set us up? Your precious son came to our house last week and arranged for my daughter to call and invite you They thought l was taking a nap but l heard everything Can't be? How come at our age we don't have any self-respect? Letting two children manipulate us! What is this? l'm old and useless Son, thank you for your good will trying to fix me up with Mrs. Chen But we still have our pride No need to drive me out l have the sense to leave on my own You know the saying 'lt's easier to struggle together than to pass happy days together' l never imagined this would apply to us ln China we managed to stay happily together through so many bitter times but here in America with so many fine material things it seems there's no place in your home for me Comparing the two l can't help but recall the days when you were a small lovely boy Don't look for me Enjoy your life with your family l wish you all the best lf you have time send my regards to Mrs. Chen and her daughter The world is so big l'll find a little room where l can spend my worthless old age Life passes before one's eyes like smoke nothing but emptiness One shouldn't set one's heart on anything Father Thank you, come again Bye-bye Please, faster if l can't put out the soup my other dishes can't go out l'll wash you a bowl Sorry Thanks Old Chu, l beg you please, faster Coming... Why do you keep sending out the take-out orders? There's guests at the tables with nothing to eat! And a line around the block! We can't put out the food without dishes! Yesterday at the employment agency you said you had experience! More or less l'm running a business to make money not to invite you for dinner What do you mean more or less This is less! Yeah... don't get mad, l'm hurrying You have to soak the honey banana ball plates in hot water Don't just scrape them! You break the plate, you pay for it! Yes... Hey, Boss Do us a favor, let's quit selling those dick-haired honey banana balls? lt's hard for us to make and hard for him to wash. lt's not worth it l'll decide if it's worth it lf you don't like making them go work somewhere else Just a good hearted suggestion Thanks! What are you three guys stuck here for? Waiting for bowls Can't you do something else while you wait? Are your brain dead? There's nothing else to do?! Are the Mu Shu Pork pancakes steamed? ln the steamer The pickled cabbage is out The wontons are boiling the forks are cleaned the tables are cleared the checks are paid Chu here's today's pay Thank you This isn't working out Don't come tomorrow l'll find someone else Boss he's going okay now Enough No Problem there were enough dishes What do mean enough dishes, no problem? lt was only after the dinner rush hour that thing returned to normal Don't be pleading for him because he's old Lots of young guys would fight for the chance to make 700 dollars a month washing dishes Why should l have an old man? l'm not running an old folks home Boss, please give me another chance We all have to start somewhere. Right? Okay... One more chance Thank you ls Sargeant Warren there? lt's Alex Chu... yes No? Thanks Sargeant. Bye bye Linda. lt's Alex Let's have a talk... about the house Hey, congratulations on your review: A bold new voice in women's fiction Better late then never l'm really proud of you, although it makes me feel like l should quit my job and become a painter ln the meantime, all l do is eat Maybe you're pregnant Sure, if you believe in immaculate conception l'm even thinking of going to my high school reunion to see if there are any aging jocks still available Linda Well at least l have my work How's yours going? Two chapters this week Oh, more travails of study pioneer women Actually l've written in a Chinese family The father brought over to work on the railroads Don't tell me you miss the old geezer? Of course not Runaway Grandpa l'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life imagining his face on the side of my milk cartons lt's sad And Alex... He blames you, does he? No, he's just anxious. l blame myself How can l let you do this? You'd better do your own work Don't worry about me Once l get busy l won't be able to help you anyway Wu, thanks a lot but everyone's got work to do Don't treat me special. l'll manage Chu, this is for you, l got someone Boss, l've been doing all right Eight bowls, five plates it's only 6:30p.m. You need those two to help you What happens at 7:30 when the guests are lined up outside the door? He didn't ask for help we volunteered You volunteered, fine! He asked for help, fine! l don't care l can't take any risks tonight Liu go downstairs and get yourself an apron Here's ten dollars take it or leave it Boss, why do you have to treat an old man this way? l'll wash faster Not just faster but clean too! Come on, cut the crap, go! This is money Have you heard that before? Probably not, being from the mainland l know everything's shared there working more gets you nothing Four decades of such thinking produced all you lazy bums Who are you calling a lazy bums? Eh? What's wrong? You don't accept that? Then go back to China and live off your relatives. Go on! No one's stopping you l'm telling you, this is America There's no communal property You have to earn everything yourself! lf you want to be American then why don't you go all the way and buy dishwasher lt'll wash faster and cleaner Yeh! l'm offering you ten dollars because l respect your age l'm saving face for you if you don't want that l'll throw you out! See if you can Don't think l won't touch you because you're old Come try me! lf you can move me half a step l won't say another word l'll turn and leave Don't So the old geezer knows kung-fu No wonder you dared be so arrogant with me! Oww! Li, Wu, help me! l'm not getting involved in this Cooks, Chang, Chien, get over here! Boss, this is none of our business Do you want to keep working here? Quick Old Chu, don't get angry but we've all got families to take care of We'll just move you half a step, okay? Then the business will keep going Everyone, thank you Come on, careful now Get him! Liu, help out! Wu, help! Go and help Chu, you're a hero. We can't move you We brothers apologize Boss Huang, we quit Go find yourself some of those thick skinned types with big muscles l can't take this Hey, you can't all leave! Okay! l'm calling every employment agency! Don't think you'll work in New York again! Fuck you You All right tough guy! The business is closed tonight But l'm calling the cops on you! l don't have a green card You hired me illegally They'll find you three thousand dollars l'm telling you l'll move you without the cops! Thank you, come again Grab him! He's like an eel He's like a slimy fish Yeah, l've seen this kind before Ten police officers from the Fifth Precinct were injured earlier this evening in a brawl inside a Chinatown restaurant Helen Wong reports Shirley l'm standing in front of the Lai Fu restaurant The owner Frankie Huang tried to fire his 70-year old dishwasher here earlier this evening But Huang got more than he bargained for Because the man he tried to fire Mr. Chu refused to leave the restaurant Alex Police said that Mr. Chu is a Tai Chi master and he let lose a 1 30 pounds of martial arts fury And hurt over a dozen of New York's finest Now it appears that Mr. Chu's being led out of the restaurant by the police and is being put into a squad car and taken to the precinct and be arrested Reporting live, Helen Wong now back to you at the studio He's been like this ever since he came in The entire time he has been here he hasn't said anything nor has he eaten or drunk anything l tell you l don't know if he's meditating or sleeping lf you don't mind me saying so Mr. Chu it's... kind of depressing l'll let you go in and talk to him Thank you officer Any time Dad Ah, attaining nothingness isn't easy Dad, we've bought a new house it's much bigger than the old one What for? l'm here to take you home Home? Whose home? My home is your home! Forget it. l see clearly now the only thing that matters is that you have a happy life lf you want to show me some filial respect get me an apartment in Chinatown Let me peacefully pass my days there disciplining my spirit ln your free time bring the boy to see me This way when we get together there'll still be some good feelings Dad all these years l've studied and worked hard and built my family in order that one day l could bring you to America so you could have some good days in your life Dad! Alex, can you give a hand up here? Okay, coming up ls this straight? Lower in the left Yeah, it's fine Do you think he'll ever spend a night here? Oh, yes. As long as Jeremy is here Grandpa will visit Jeremy wants to be a Tai Chi master Why didn't you ever learn any Tai Chi from your father? You know, for Dad Tai Chi was a way to escape from reality Even when he did pushing hands, for him it was a way to avoid other people Pushing hands? Yeah, it's like Tai Chi for two A way of keeping your balance while unbalancing your opponent Like marriage... only kidding Okay, you stand like this... Balanced? Yup lf you try to unbalance me l simply avoid your energy and turn it back on you Relax Don't resist and don't break contact Feel it? Step out and collect Moving up on left Collect and moving up Turn to right Hugging your back Hand down Turn back and attack Get back Spread your legs Get in Squat down Collect Swing hands and step forward Moving forward Get in and spread your fingers Step back and collect Hook Get in Sweep Turn hands Single whip Very good... Relax, relax your whole body Relax your hip and lower down Relax... Good, raise your arms up Relax little and eyes looking in the distance Mrs. Chen, long time no see You've come a long way to buy groceries No, not far. l live in the area Your daughter moved? No, l moved That's great! Living on your own, you're free You can do whatever you want l just finished shopping saw it was early and decided to stop by your class How did you know l was teaching here? Wow! Who doesn't know about the hero old Mr. Chu famous all over Chinatown The TV news showed that you knocked flat a gang of American police and Chinese hoodlums From what l can see if Tai Chi Chuan could be practised upside down the ceiling of this old age centre would be packed with your students You're making fun of me! l'm speaking the truth did you make a fortune? No way Every morning l come here and pass the time with the students Anyway we old folks have nothing but time to kill l earn my own money and don't take anybody's flack That's why l always say you can't hold everything inside Sometimes you've got to lose your temper to straighten things out The kids are grown up lf we old folks don't take care of ourselves who will? You're right ls your shoulder better? Better? At my age, l just thank the heavens that it doesn't get worse l don't know kung-fu like you But is it convenient living alone? lt's all right My daughter comes to see me every two or three weeks when she goes shopping around here she cooks and eats with me Uhhhh. That's good. Alex and his family do the same You'd better take care of your students l'm leaving now When you're free, stop by We're neighbours now Well, take care You too Mrs. Chen! Why did you come out? To see if you had left The sun is so pleasant today l was thinking, l'm just one person l could go home or stay out both would be good Anyway, standing here l got lost in thought Where do you live? l live in that building, number 1068 l live in that building, number 20101 Stop by for a visit sometime Do you have anything to do this afternoon? Uh... Nothing