Lighting Up the Stars
Today we will read the story of an embalmer who has just been released from prison and meets a young orphan while attending a funeral that will unexpectedly change his life. This movie was released in 2022 titled Lighting Up the Stars directed by Jiangjiang Lui with a duration of 1 hour and 52 minutes starring Yilong Zhu (Mo Sanmei) and Enyou Yang (Wu Xiaowen).
The film begins with the five (5) years old orphan Wu Xiaowen wake up one morning to find her grandmother can’t wake up in bed next to her but the girl is unaware that she is dead because she does not yet know the stuff.
The box lift funeral service up sky is owned by the old man Mo and run by his rebellious son Mo Sanmei who has just been released where he will take care of the old woman wake. Xiaowen thought that something had been done to her grandmother so her Uncle Wu took her away and locked her in a room without bothering her.
After Sanmei fixed the old woman, Wu’s wife accused him of stealing the old woman’s ring. Sanmei showed his pocket that he didn’t steal anything but she didn’t believe it so Sanmei undressed with his colleague in front of them to prove they didn’t take anything. After bringing the body to the crematorium Xiaowen followed Sanmei’s van thinking it was carrying her grandmother.
When Sanmei got home. Her father came to deliver his promise that he would manage their business and transfer the house to her name but Sanmei’s ex-girlfriend suddenly texted her to stop him. So Sanmei postponed the transfer of the name to him and he also hurriedly left to go see his ex-girlfriend.
When he got there, She didn’t want to open the door so he threatened to break the door so she let her in because her ex-boyfriend didn’t want to get back with her. He tried to take advantage of her. Her boyfriend who she is now living with came to the house where this is the reason why she was imprisoned for assaulting the man.
There her ex-girlfriend said that she was pregnant and her boyfriend was the father. Sanmei did nothing so she left immediately. Sanmei sadly returns home where Xiaowen greets her and searches for her grandmother. Sanmei tells the girl that he was taken to the crematorium but the boy stiil teases him.
His Uncle picked up her but the child did not want to go with him because she wanted to see her grandmother. Sanmei was so annoyed by their noise that he carried the child outside but it bit him. The uncle immediately took the child home.
At night while the friend are drinking. Sanmei was advised by his friends about his love problems after he changed his girlfriend to a rich man. He was told that he needed to change for himself but Sanmei took what his friend said to the point where they ended up fighting.
Xiaowen came to them again drenched in the rain to took for her grandmother again so the two are stunned. Xiaowen’s uncle came again to pick her up but the girl didn’t want to go with her until she saw her grandmother. His wife picked him up because they still had a light to another country and his wife didn’t care about Xiaowen either.
Mr.Wu begged Sanmei to take care of the child for three (3) days. Sanmei didn’t want to agree to take care of the child but because of Mr. Wu’s money Sanmei’s friend agreed even though it was against Sanmei’e heart.
They fed the girl but she didn’t want to eat food without garlic because her grandmother always said that there was garlic in her cooking. Later they said Xiaowen to play hide and seek the girl didn’t want to because she only played mahjong with her grandmother so they are forced to play mahjong.
Sanmei saw that Xiaowen had the ring that they searched for. The girl said that her grandmother gave it to her and the girl beat them at mahjong. After they fell asleep Sanmei woke up in the middle of the night when he felt Xiaowen urinate on him from above. He woke them up and washed the bed sheets while being angry about what happened.
The girl said that she was afraid to go to the bathroom so she was forced to urinate on the bed. Sanmei wondered what she was afraid of as she pointed the two dolls by the bathroom. Sanmei showed the girl that it was just like the doll she was holding.
The next day his brother called Sanmei to bring the certification for the name transfer of the house to him. When Sanmei looked for it he remembered that the bed sheet had been washed and he his it there because after reading the document it would take a few more months before the name of the house was transferred to Sanmei’s name.
His father was angry at his failure and he was even more angry when he found out that Sanmei was going to close their business. Sanmei went to the hospital and found Xiaowen there. The girl was teasing him again about where his grandmother was. The parents of the child who died do not want to take care of their child’s burial because they have not yet accepted that their child is dead.
So Sanmei told Xiaowen to do what he told her to do and he would tell him where her grandmother was. Sanmei’s talks to the child’s father with Xiaowen that they have to accept that the daughter is gone and stay strong for the daugther. He pretends to have Xiaowen as her daughter so the he agrees with them to give the wake to the children. Sanmei soon got hold of the children’s wake contract and took a picture of him to show his father that he could manage their business.
When they went to the funeral parlor Sanmei warned Xaiowen to just leave it in the car and not to go out but while the girl was waiting she saw a coffin like the one that was placed in her grandmother’s. She hurriedly went out to chase her and disturbed the wake by those who are there thinking that her grandmother was placed there.
Sanmei was scolded by the owner for the disturbance caused by the child on the wake there and made them pay a fine to the funeral parlor for the disturbance. Sanmei scolded the girl for causing trouble and the girl told her that she thought her grandmother was inside the big box. Sanmei angrily shows the girl the smoking chimney where her grandmother was burned to ashes and she will never see her again.
Xiaowen cried when she realized that her grandmother was dead and she would never see her again. Sanmei’s friend explained to the girl that her grandmother was already in heaven but Sanmei didn’t care about them so the friend threw stones at him to prove what they were saying. He said that her grandmother had become a star. The ash container of the child they are taking care of on the wake has also arrived
At night, Sanmei woke up from her sleep and when he didn’t find Xiaowen in the bed he looked for the girl and found her outside listening to her grandmother’s voice on his smart watch while looking at the stars.
When Sanmei woke up the next day. He was surprised to find Xiaowen drawing the ash container that he had made for others. Sanmei is very angry at the big problem he will face it because the child is scheduled to be cramated today. He tried to call the manufacturer but they could deliver it the next day if he had it done today.
Sanmei can’t help but face whatever happens. When the container was taken from him he told Xiaowen to watch him ruin his life because of she did. Sanmei explained to them that he wanted her daughter to sympathize so she did something to the container. When he showed it to them the parents of the child who died are happy because their daughter also liked to draw when she was alive.
Sanmei couldn’t believe that they aren’t angry and the mother approached Xiaowen to thank her for what she did for her daughter. The daughter father even gave money for Xiaowen and Sanmei realized that the girl was not unlucky for him. After they returned home they celebrated their finished work hoping that Xiaowen would bring them luck.
Xiaowen ate the dropped food so Sanmei told him not to eat the food that fell on the floor and gave him what he thought was food. When he found out that is was not food he spat on Xiaowen what she had eaten but the girl had swallowed it so they quickly took her to the hospital to be examined and treated. It only needs to eat a laxative so that what the girl has eaten comes with it. Every time Xiaowen had a bowel movement they checked the stool to see if it has come out. After a few moments the girl also took out what she had eaten.
Xiaowen’s uncle has also arrived. They were about to return Xiaowen but he worried about the girl because her aunt didn’t care about her. Sanmei couldn’t hold back anymore so he talked to her aunt to be nice to the girl but she just told him that she wanted he could take the girl with him until they had an argument.
Mr.Wu begged if they could just take care of Xiaowen for a few days beause he had to talk to his wife. Xiaowen also wanted to go with them so Sanmei could do nothing but take her home.
After they got home. Sanmei caught up with the father who was furious to find out that there was a child with them who caused the disturbance at the funeral parlor. Sanmei’s father humiliated everyone present and threatened to never give him the house. Sanmei was so angry that he forced her father to hurt him but Xiaowen defended her from her father.
He was angry with him and his father wanted to send the child home to them but Sanmei defended the child from the father and told him that he would but the house from him. His father didn’t want to believe because he didn’t have any money but his father gave him a month’s grace to pay the house.
The next day. Xiaowen introduced her grandmother’s friend to them because the old man wanted to see his wake like the imperial wake. Sanmei didn’t want to agree because they don’t do that to a living person but they are offered a large amount of money that would be enough for them to buy the house from the father so he agreed.
But the outcome was not good because the old man’s relatives are angry because of what they did. Sanmei also learned from old man that Xiaowen wanted to help him with the father’s bill so he did that to help them with money because Xiaowen said she wanted her to live.
Sanmei’s father is very angry when he finds out what he did and he wants them to leave his house because he does not respect the dead. Sanmei argued because his father always saw his as wrong. Sanmei saw Xiaowen crying the girl said that because of her he is facing problems again.
He stopped the child from crying and said that what happened was not his fault. Xiaowen fixed his watch because he couldn’t sleep without it. So he drew it on Xiaowen hand for the time being.
After a few days Sanmei thought that Xiaowen should be studying. He talked to his uncle about the child’s education but he could not give money for the girl because the girl mother had no left him any money since it escaped. Mr.Wu offered Sanmei to adopt the child.
When they talked to the lawyer, He could not adopt until he was married. Sanmei was going to talk his friend to marry her so that the girl could be adopted but to his even more surprised the two are already married which he had no idea about because they easily adopted the girl and now she is studying.
Sanmei also tried to fix Xiaowen’s watch but it was not done yet so he just bought a new replacement. Xiaowen was sad that his old watch could not be repaired because she would no longer be able to hear his grandmother’s voice. Sanmei promised her that she would find a way. Sanmei’s ex-girlfriend came to ask his help because she didn’t have the money to pay for her boyfriend after he had an accident.
He didn’t want to help her because of what was done to him but Sanmei felt pity because she was pregnant. He says that only his father has the ability to restore it to its former appearance but they are not talking at the moment. Xiaowen said that she was not afraid to talk to his father so the next day Xiaowen brought Sanmei to his father so that the two could talk.
The old man didn’t want to agree to talk to Sanmei until he called him grandfather so Xiaowen called him grandfather and the old man boasted about it to everyone and tha’t when the father and son reconciled again.
Sanmei’s father taught him to what to do to restore the corpse to its former appearance and he eventually did it. After that Sanmei was busy working as an embalmer. He also looked for someone who could recover the data on the girl’s watch.
Xiaowen’s birthday came he gave the girl his old doll with her grandmother’s voice from her old watch. The girl cried with joy when she heard her grandmother’s voice again and hugged Sanmei.
A few days later, Mr.Wu came with his sister who is Xiaowen’s mother. Sanmei didn’t want to accept it and even scolded him during the times when the girl was suffering because of his negligence. Sanmei love Xiaowen and considers her as her real daughter. Xiaowen’s mother tells how she gave birth to Xiaowen and she has the tell-tale diamond cut on his left foot but Sanmei still hasn’t let her see the child.
While Sanmei was fixing the girl he saw the sign her mother said on the foot. He saw Xiaowen’s mother outside the house waiting for him. He was very angry with his mother for neglecting her daughter. Xiaowen’s mother explained that when she gave birth to her. Her boyfriend left her and because she didn’t want to ruin her dreams in life she went to another country but she made mistake and was trapped there.
He begged Sanmei to return her daugther to her. Sanmei felt pity so he just asked for three days. There was an activity at Xiaowen’s school and Sanmei attended as her parent. There Xaiowen tells Sanmei that she knows he’s just lying about her grandmother becoming star but she’s not afraid now because she has a father. Sanmei suddenly started crying when she heard Xiaowen’s word and she also felt sad that the child would be far away from him.
Three days later, Sanmei fixed Xiaowen before he went to bed. She asked the girl who her father was and Xiaowen told her Sanmei’s full name and the full address where they lived. When Xiaowen fell asleep Sanmei took the child to the mother’s car that was waiting outside.
He told Xiaowen’s mother about what she should know about the child and her mother was in tears that she didn’t even know about her daughter and Sanmei even warned her to be kind to her daughter because he was ready to go back to jail, before they left Sanmei handed over money for the girl but Xiaowen suddenly woke up wondering why she was there.
Her mother introduces herself but Xiaowen’s did not want to go with her mother. Xiaowen’s mother begged to let them go so out of pity he let her take the child but Sanmei’\’s couldn’t stand that Xiaowen would be far away from him so he tried to chase him but he couldn’t catch.
When Sanmei’s friend found out what he did to give the child to her mother they are very angry with him for deciding to go alone because they were the one who actually adopted the girl. At that time Sanmei also found out that her father had passed away. He arranged the funeral for his father and followed his request to include his ashes in the fireworks when he died even though his brother was against it.
Suddenly Xiaowen’s mother called that the child was missing, they immediately looked for the child everywhere but they could find her, So they went home. Later Xiaowen came and scolded the girl for worrying the she might be lost. Xiaowen mentioned his full name and their full address so she would never get lost. Sanmei cried and immediately hugged the girl and promised that he would never leave him again.
A few days later Xiaowen’s mother came to visit just to give her support before she left Sanmei offered her that if she was interested in their work. Later they are living together in the same house.
This is where our story ends.
Main Cast of Lighting up the Stars
| Yilong Zhu (Mo Sanmei) |
| Enyou Yang (Wu Xiaowen) |
| Ge Wang (Wang Jianren) |
| Lu Liu (Yin Baixue) |
| Jingmin Luo (Old Mo) |
| Chuang Chen (Mr.Wu) |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Who stars in Lighting Up the Stars?
- Yilong Zhu (Mo Sanmei)
- Enyou Yang (Wu Xiaowen)
- Who Directed Lighting Up the Stars?
- Jiangjiang Liu
- How long is Lighting Up the Stars?
- 1 hour and 52 minutes
- What genre is Lighting Up the Stars?
- Comedy
- Drama
- Who wrote Lighting Up the Stars?
- Jiangjiang Liu
- Min Yu
- Who was the composer for Lighting Up the Stars?
- Ji Yuan
