Original subtitles

Let me go!

Let go of me!

What are you waiting for?

There must be a snitch among them!

The General is injured.

Check every one of them!

Si,

go check on the medic now.

I can help.

I know how to treat patients! Let me help!

Don't hurt anyone!

Stop!

Who just spoke?

Me.

It was me.

I beg you.

P-Please don't hurt anyone.

I-I've studied medicine since childhood.

I...

If our commanding general dies today,

none of you will make it back alive!

Hurry!

How is the commanding general?

He's still bleeding.

Save the general, quickly!

Hurry up!

You,

go get a cloth to cover his face.

He's not dead. Why cover his face?

I'm scared.

Here, General.

Hurry up!

Alright.

Go get

a sharp knife, alcohol, wound medicine,

and a brazier.

Okay.

Quick!

The brazier!

Alcohol! Hurry!

General.

I need to dig out the iron sand

in his wound.

You need to hold him down.

Alright.

I told you to hold him down! What were you doing?

The iron sand will sink deeper

into his wound like this.

If I can't get it out, can you?

Yes.

Come.

Come quickly.

I'll pull out the arrow for you.

No.

He'll die if you do.

We must remove the arrow's body,

slowly push the arrowhead out,

and sew the wound up with lamb intestine.

Water.

Water...

You've lost a lot of blood.

You can't drink too much water.

Just moisten your lips.

Look, he's much better.

He really does look much better.

Yes.

You're really something.

I think he'll be fine now.

General, moving on,

you need to eat well

to build up your strength.

I think...

You'll recover in a month or so.

This...

What are you doing?

The general values this

like his own eyes.

You're just writing on it like that?

If he's dead,

what good are his eyes?

Well...

[Angelica sinensis, Dipsacus asper 1 tael, Cynanchum paniculatum 3 taels, Deer antler 0.5 tael]

Get medicine according to this prescription.

Take it once a day, and his fever will subside in 3 days.

His heart and lungs will then be safe.

Alright.

[Angelica sinensis, Dipsacus asper 1 tael, Cynanchum paniculatum 3 taels, Deer antler 0.5 tael]

Let's go.

Come on.

Those women...

You didn't kill anyone, did you?

What do you take us for?

We don't raise our weapons

against defenseless women.

Don't worry.

We didn't hurt any of them.

What are you doing?

I'm going back too.

You can't leave.

Only when the arrow is removed

and he's up and about,

will your life be fully saved.

Watch him carefully.

Who taught you your medical skills?

I learned from my father.

When I recover,

I will reward you generously.

Tell me about your father.

What kind of person is he?

My father is a scholar

who never passed the imperial exams.

He said,

"If not a famous minister,

then a renowned doctor."

Later, he stopped taking exams

and became a teacher in the village.

He opened a school

to teach the kids

and studied medicine himself.

Tell your father to stop teaching.

All that Confucius and Mencius stuff

is useless anyway.

Come to my army

and be a doctor.

Have you ever been educated?

People who are educated and understand principles

would never do this.

Because of your war,

we couldn't sell our tea

or bring in supplies.

Men live in fear of being drafted.

When the tea forest was burned down,

the whole village cried for a whole day.

But no one came to help.

Drink the medicine.

Just leave it there.

If you don't take the medicine,

they won't let us leave.

It's hot.

I'm done.

What's your name?

My name is Bai Yimei.

Fitting name for your heartlessness.

What happened?

There was a big explosion!

Is everyone all right?

We're fine.

What happened?

Guards!

Yes, sir.

It's not an enemy attack!

Yimei.

Come, help me untie this.

General!

The explosives in the hay barn blew up.

No!

No!

Put your weapons away.

General.

Get up and speak.

So you're still alive.

We still have business to discuss.

You set off those explosives?

Clever move.

What's your relationship with Miss Bai?

We are engaged.

You trespassed into my military camp.

That's a capital offense.

But considering

what Miss Bai has done for me,

I'll let you go.

Go.

If I wanted to leave, I would have left already.

I came here to take

all those prisoners with me.

General, let's just kill him.

Don't waste words on him.

Fine.

Let's continue our business discussion.

Besides those hemp ropes,

I can also supply you with tung oil.

Tung oil?

How much?

If I gather all the tung oil in Huizhou,

there would be at least several thousand barrels.

I'll sell you hemp ropes and tung oil.

In exchange, release all those women.

Are you really not a spy?

Whether I'm a spy or not

doesn't matter anymore.

As long as the hemp ropes and tung oil are real,

isn't that good enough?

You make a good point.

All right.

As for the payment,

I won't short you a single candareen.

I'll release all those women, too.

However...

If you and I do business,

what will you do if the government

accuses you of colluding with the enemy?

It doesn't matter.

I'd be the only one guilty of it.

It's a small price to pay

for saving so many people.

Risking your life for a business deal?

Are you a fool?

Business always requires investment.

Sometimes a life is also part of the cost.

I can keep my promise.

I hope you will, too, General.

They're not related to you.

Is it worth it?

Whether it's worth it isn't for you to decide.

It's what I think that matters.

Brother Gu...

Fine.

Let this man go.

Let those women go too.

Except Miss Bai.

Yes, sir.

Li Cheng?

Take him away.

Li Cheng!

I mean all women,

including Bai Yimei!

Gu!

Li Cheng!

You broke your promise.

Li Cheng!

When I recover,

I'll let you go.

Father.

Father.

Mother, I'm here.

My child.

I finally see you all again.

Sir.

Yimei is

treating someone at the military camp.

It will be a few days

before we can bring her back.

My daughter-in-law.

You scared me to death.

I'm fine.

As long as I'm still breathing,

I will protect her with my life.

Please don't be too sad.

Better to be a dog in peaceful times

than a human in chaotic times.

I wish I were dead!

I wish...

I were dead.

Pingyuan, please don't be angry

anymore, okay?

Look, after that,

I gathered my courage

and went back to the military camp to find you.

Look how badly they beat me.

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

[Blessings and Auspiciousness] Pingyuan, please don't tell Mother

[Blessings and Auspiciousness] that we had a fight.

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

[Blessings and Auspiciousness] Why don't you hit me instead?

Why don't you hit me instead?

I won't fight back.

Just leave me alone, will you?

What's with all that noise outside?

Pingyuan, are you back?

Don't tell Mother where I went.

Mom, I'm back.

Mom, I'm back.

Mom.

Son, you're finally back.

You really had me worried sick.

Your brother said you've been

in the city doing business these days.

I told him you just got back home

and haven't even settled in yet.

What business could you possibly have?

A friend of mine in town

asked me to get him some hemp rope,

tung oil, and stuff.

I thought I could earn some money

and use it to renovate

our house.

With all this chaos,

it's hard to get a good friend.

Who is he?

You should invite him

to visit us sometime.

He's called

Li Cheng.

He's, uh,

from Guangxi.

He just arrived in Anhui, too.

He's very hospitable,

so

he kept me there for a few days.

You're trying to fool me.

You shouldn't charge money for helping a friend.

We must keep our hearts righteous.

I'm not lying to you.

We're doing business together.

I'm not costing him much.

My son is going to have a better life.

Our family

is going to prosper.

Mom.

Let me tell you more good news.

All the women in the village

have been released.

But Yimei

needs to stay in town for a few more days.

She needs to treat someone.

When she returns,

I'll have her come pay her respects to you.

Then you should quickly

go tell Mr. Bai.

Mother.

We've already told Mr. Bai.

In the past few years,

Yimei

has visited us the most.

See the gown I'm wearing

and Pingwen's shoes?

She made them all.

You must treat her well,

or I won't stand for it.

What are you saying?

I wouldn't dare mistreat her.

Please have some water.

Oh, Mom.

This afternoon, Pingyuan and I

need to go out again.

We ordered 200 tea seedlings

that we need to bring back.

Oh, right.

Time waits for no one.

Once we bring them back, we need to plant them right away.

We're trying to harvest another batch

before the Qingming Festival.

I'm really getting old.

I've always thought of you two as kids.

But in the blink of an eye,

you've both grown into young men.

Just keep thinking of us that way.

No matter when,

Pingwen and I will always be

kids in your eyes.

These are blades and needles.

Wipe them clean with alcohol

and sterilize them with fire before use.

I haven't used them in a long time.

These hands of mine

sometimes shake terribly.

I won't need these anymore.

[Wound Medicine]

[Wound Medicine] These porcelain bottles contain medicine.

These porcelain bottles contain medicine.

Yimei knows

what they're used for.

If anything is missing, just tell me,

I'll find it.

Let your disciples handle the work.

You have plenty of disciples.

Don't worry.

You...

Always finding new ways to humor me.

[Wound Medicine]

[Wound Medicine] Though I have good disciples,

Though I have good disciples,

they're all busy with farming.

I am a useless teacher.

Tao Yuanming said,

"Trapped by the demands of the mundane world,

30 years have gone past in an instant."

Who says you must be an official

to achieve something in life?

Some old sayings need to be changed.

After bringing Yimei back,

I plan to properly

reorganize the tea plantation.

Earlier this afternoon, Pingwen and I

bought some tea seedlings back.

No matter who's fighting in this world,

people will always need to drink tea, right?

Just wait and see.

I have an old friend who roasts tea

in Zhonghe Village on the mountain across from here.

His surname is Liao.

You can invite him over.

Your mother and Pingwen once met him

when he came to roast tea years ago.

That's great.

I've been wanting to learn tea roasting.

I could take him as my teacher.

Liao is quite stubborn.

If I don't keep an eye on things,

I'm afraid he won't teach you at all.

Speaking of which, with these years of war,

Liao hasn't come to roast tea in a long while.

Oh well.

If he refuses to teach you,

I'll take this walking stick

and give him a good whack on his backside.

Can you bear it?

Does it hurt a lot?

It should have been pulled out long ago.

We need medicine for this.

First, we need to remove the flesh around it.

If we pull it out carelessly,

blood will gush out,

and you'll be beyond saving.

Come on, pull it out.

I'm going to pull it out now.

Do you want something to bite on?

If I'm afraid of pain,

how could I lead troops into battle?

Pull it out.

Don't panic.

It doesn't matter if I die under treatment.

I've already told my men

what to do.

No matter what happens,

they will take you home.

Don't move.

If your wound remains closed

by dawn, you'll be fine.

It's the first time

I've felt breathing could be so pleasant.

Breathing is naturally pleasant.

Eating, sunbathing, and drinking tea.

They're all pleasant things.

I really don't understand.

Heaven created humans

and grew crops on the earth.

The crops produced fruits

to satisfy people's hunger,

and grew cotton

to keep people warm.

Why then do people have to kill each other?

You're a pampered young lady from a wealthy family,

how would you understand these things?

I'm not a pampered young lady.

A pampered young lady wouldn't know how to treat wounds.

My father is a scholar.

At least,

you can eat a full meal, right?

Where I was born,

girls were sold off

before they even grew up.

When boys reach 6 or 7 years old,

they have to follow their fathers into the mines to dig for coal.

My father died when the mine collapsed,

and he was buried inside.

My two younger brothers

died when water flooded the mine

and drowned them.

The youngest was only 4 years old.

My mother had to borrow money from loan sharks

just to barely afford

two dog-knocker coffins

to bury them.

What does "dog-knocker" mean?

If the coffin boards were thick,

that would be fine.

But the poor people's coffin are all made too thin

and buried in shallow pits.

Heavy rain washes them out easily.

Wild dogs would then follow the scent

and knock open the coffin lids with their heads.

They'd drag out the bodies,

tear them apart wildly,

and leave them in pieces.

My two older brothers and I

worked desperately

to no end,

but still couldn't pay the loan sharks back.

What's a loan shark?

The mine owner knew we needed money.

So, he convinced my two brothers

to blow up the mountain with explosives.

They couldn't escape in time

and were killed in the explosion.

My mother lost all hope.

She made me one last full meal.

Then, while I was asleep,

she drowned herself in the river.

After that, I joined the Resistance Army.

My comrades told me

that all the suffering of poor people in this world

is because of

those bastards.

So I swore

to kill all the evil people in this world.

But you killed

those innocent people.

They had done nothing to you.

No one in this world is innocent.

Fine.

I won't mention it again.

Don't be angry.

It would be bad if your wound reopened.

This has been upsetting for you.

When you go back,

I'll reward you generously.

What's there to be upset about?

You'll eventually return to the battlefield

and come back like this again.

I'm a soldier.

Fighting is my destiny.

Besides,

dying wouldn't be so bad.

If I die, I can see

my parents and brothers again.

I miss them so much.

Yimei.

Gu.

Your father asked me to give this to you.

What did my father say?

He wants you to return as soon as possible.

Are you doing alright?

Here.

You have knives and scissors here.

If I really wanted to do something,

I wouldn't need to sneak a weapon in.

And you call yourself a deputy commander.

You're such a coward.

Who are you calling a coward?

Say that again. I dare you.

That's enough.

You can't win an argument

against a scholar.

Let him come forward and speak.

You heard him.

General, about the hemp ropes and tung oil...

I know.

I heard that you bought

4,000 barrels of oil

and six carts of hemp rope in Huizhou.

Yes.

I bought all the tung oil

in Huizhou.

A man of your word.

You've earned back

your life by yourself.

I see you're feeling better.

I'd like to take Yimei and leave first.

When it's time to send her back,

I will do so myself.

No need to say more.

You've kept your word.

I'll keep mine.

It's not that I don't trust you.

I just think once the war breaks out,

you might not even be able to protect yourself.

Take him away.

Yes, sir.

Out!

-Get out! -General!

Get out!

Go!

Give me the medicine.

General.

Speak freely.

She's such a blockhead,

she won't understand anything.

General.

Actually, these days,

the others in the camp

keep asking

when we're going to move.

What's there to ask about?

Our orders from above

are to wait here for ships

to transport the troops.

I haven't even seen

the shadow of a ship yet.

But everyone's saying

that our navy

was defeated by the imperial court.

Nonsense!

General.

Where did you hear that?

From our men who escaped

and came back.

They say our navy has defected.

It's not just a rumor. It's true.

See?

How fast the news travels!

General.

Are we stranded here alone?

The men are saying

we should have gone to surround Hefei long ago.

If we stay in this godforsaken place,

we'll be swallowed whole one day.

Bring me the map.

Yes, sir.

General.

Here. Careful.

[Angelica sinensis, Dipsacus asper 1 tael, Cynanchum paniculatum 3 taels, Deer antler 0.5 tael]

Who wrote on my map?

Qimen and Anqing have fallen.

The upper Yangtze is now exposed.

If we go south now,

we'll walk right into

the imperial court's troops waiting there.

If you have

even the slightest thought of retreat,

we'll be completely wiped out.

What will you do then?

Then, let's attack Hefei.

Yes, General.

General, let's attack Hefei.

-Let's attack Hefei. -Let's do it.

Attack Hefei?

We weren't ordered to do that.

We were told to hold this position

to relieve pressure

for the siege forces.

If we withdraw,

the imperial court's forces will sweep in

and immediately

surround the Resistance Army

besieging Hefei.

Who will take responsibility for that?

I will.

You?

How many heads do you have?

General,

the navy won't be coming.

If we just wait here,

when their cavalry arrives,

one charge

and they'll drive us all

into the Yangtze to feed the turtles.

We might as well

go to Hefei and join the attack.

We'll take the city, and all get rich.

What if we can't take Hefei?

If we can't take it,

we'll either

die

or

surrender.

I’ll kill you!

General, calm down!

-General! Calm down! -General.

General!

I don't want to live anymore.

Ever since my two brothers

died,

I haven’t wanted to live anymore.

Come on!

Cut me down!

Do it!

I'm still investigating the naval situation!

If the navy has truly been defeated,

we'll move immediately!

But before that,

if any of you stir up dissent again,

I will personally behead you.

I know.

The battle has dragged on

and everyone feels frustrated.

But if we can't live well as humans,

what makes you think we’d live good lives as dogs?

If you only wanted a full meal,

why bother joining the Resistance Army?

Why risk your life in battle?

Those words you just said,

do they honor our fallen brothers?

Everyone, dismissed.

Leave.

Did I scare you?

This is what war is like.

The medicine is burnt.

Here.

Tea picking in January marks the new year.

Tea picking in February welcomes the new spring.

Tea picking in March, when peach blossoms are red.

Tea picking in April makes us busy.

Tea picking in September, when chrysanthemums are yellow.

Tea picking in October, when it's briefly warm.

Tea picking in November, when snowflakes fall.

Tea picking in December, when another year passes.

Drink some water.

Sir, please don't worry anymore.

I'll go to the military camp again tomorrow.

Yimei is a good person, heaven will protect her.

She's always been so kind,

she wouldn't even

step on an ant.

Heaven won't let someone like her down.

You can't go there again.

Tigers and wolves don't listen to reason.

They didn't eat you today

because you were lucky,

not because they've changed their nature.

I've already lost my daughter.

If I were to lose you as well,

I don’t think I could keep living.

Sir,

don't think like that.

In this world,

nothing is greater than reason.

She has already saved

that general's life.

What more could they want?

Reason is something between humans.

What reason can you talk about with beasts?

Look at tigers and wolves,

they don't eat their own kind.

But humans?

They specifically slaughter and enslave

their own kind.

They're worse than beasts.

Who can you reason with then?

I've been thinking these days.

Now that Yimei has been taken away,

only a few outcomes may happen.

Outcome 1,

she returns unharmed.

This is certainly the best outcome.

May all the Bodhisattvas protect her.

Outcome 3

is the worst outcome.

Only her body comes back.

Maybe, we might not even find her body.

If so, I would soon follow her.

But I fear outcome 2.

Sir.

When I went to the military camp to rescue her,

I had already thought of

all 3 possible outcomes,

including this second situation

you mentioned.

Here's what I thought:

as long as Yimei

could return safely,

she would still be your daughter

and still be my wife.

Being able to survive

in these chaotic times

is already difficult enough.

To pursue accountability for those things any further

would be too cruel.

You see, I'm a condemned official of the imperial court myself,

someone who fled back from exile.

If others start asking questions about me,

how is Yimei

supposed to face them?

Sir,

I've always kept these thoughts to myself.

I only dared to say these out loud today because you asked me.

If, by any chance, Yimei…

I hope

you can keep an open heart

and never blame her.

None of it would be her fault.

The wind is a bit strong.

It's making my eyes sting.

Before the merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva,

I, Bai Yimei, make this sincere prayer:

may the villagers of Shanjian Village

be spared from all suffering,

may there be no more famine,

and may the tea plantation be restored.

Please bless the entire village with happiness and peace.

I pray that my father remains healthy

and protected from all harm,

and that Mrs. Gu and Pingyuan

may reunite as mother and son,

never to be separated again,

and may all their wishes come true.

Here.

You're breaking the rules by bringing this here.

Put it away

before anyone else sees it.

Every night, when your pain was at its worst,

I was here chanting sutras for you to ease your suffering.

The Bodhisattva is merciful and compassionate.

She responds to all who earnestly pray.

My injuries are mostly healed now.

What are you still praying to her for?

I'm praying that you can become a good person.

A good person?

Back when we fought in Huzhou and Hangzhou,

I was already the commanding general.

I can't even count

how many people died by my hand myself.

The Bodhisattva won't save me.

But I will.

I will.

I will.

If someone else

is about to be harmed,

and they call upon the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva…

Go.

Open all those crates

in that corner.

Yes.

Come in with me.

Take a look.

See if there's anything among all these treasures and jewelry

in this room that you like.

You can take whatever you want.

So many?

Of course.

Waging war costs money.

I can't let my soldiers

live on air, can I?

Enough talk.

Hurry and pick something.

I don't want anything.

You don't?

But these are all valuable items.

Check this out.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Keep it safe.

You might find it useful one day

when you get married.

It's so pretty.

I'll pick a few more items for you.

Where did this come from?

Does it matter?

Just keep it.

The person who used to wear this headdress

must have been very beautiful,

or else she wouldn't deserve

such exquisite jewelry.

Is she dead,

or did she escape?

Was she buried,

or were her remains never found?

I really don't know whether the owner of this

is dead or alive.

All these treasures in this room

were originally taken from the common people

by corrupt officials,

and I confiscated them.

Just take them.

You can certainly give me a gift,

as long as it truly belongs to you.

Belongs to me?

All I have left is this last breath,

this one life—

and I still need it

to lead my troops.

Just take it as doing me a favor.

If I cannot repay you for saving my life,

I would die in anguish.

Here.

If you truly want to repay me,

you need to take better care of yourself.

This life of yours—

I worked day and night to save it.

Even if there were mountains of gold and silver here,

could any of it be worth more than your life?

After you're fully healed,

take me back,

and we'll be even.

I'll send you back today.

We're breaking camp.

Where to?

To attack Hefei.

In a while,

follow this mountain path

westward

and ride for 40 li.

I know the way.

After you return,

don't speak of anything

that happened in my camp,

and especially don't tell anyone

that you treated my wounds.

Otherwise, the authorities will accuse you of aiding the enemy,

and who knows what nonsense

those simple‑minded villagers of yours might make up about you.

I'm not a child.

You don't have to worry about me.

Alright.

I have a request.

Will you agree?

What is it?

Still want me to become some good person

who cherishes his life?

Put this on.

This was left to me by my mother.

I hold it day and night to pray for blessings,

and I never let it leave my side.

It's just a pity

that there's too much blood on my hands.

Even if I wear it,

I'm still going to hell.

Then I'll go

visit you in hell.

Pingyuan!

Pingyuan!

What's wrong? Why are you running?

Is there a dog chasing you?

Bai...

Miss Bai is back!

Miss Bai is back!

It's Miss Bai! She's back!

Auntie.

Sister-in-law.

Mr. Xu.

I'm back.

Yimei!

Father.

-Father! -My child!

Father!

Father.

Father.

Father.

Yimei.

It's windy out here.

Let's talk inside.

Let's go home.

Okay.

Let's go.

Let's go home.

You can't delay this matter any longer.

You can't delay this matter any longer. [Blessings and Auspiciousness]

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

[Blessings and Auspiciousness] Just call off the wedding right away.

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

[Blessings and Auspiciousness] Besides,

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

[Blessings and Auspiciousness] Pingwen's not married yet.

Pingwen's not married yet.

Right.

Don't end up

dragging all of us down with you.

Besides, Pingyuan

can't afford to

be arrested by the government again.

He's here.

Go find out

what people are saying outside.

Hurry.

Yes.

Miss Bai is back?

You already heard, Mother?

I was just about to

share this good news with you.

Mrs. Li and the others

came over just now and told me about it.

What did they say?

They said she...

That she...

What did they say?

Why are you like this?

So fierce.

Mother.

This time, it was only because Yimei risked her life

to treat that commanding general

that all the women in our village

got to return safely.

But just now,

I noticed the looks on those people's faces—

they didn't seem friendly.

So I wondered what they said.

They said she

submitted herself

to the Southern Army's commanding general,

and that she might have come back to take her father south

to enjoy a better life.

Were you even raised by humans?

What are you doing?

Are you trying to eat someone now?

It's not like that.

Mother, listen to me.

That commanding general

was just one breath away from dying.

If Yimei hadn't saved him,

all the women in our village would have been massacred.

That man was already injured

so badly

that even healing him would be a waste of medicine.

What could he possibly do after he woke up?

How could they say she "submitted herself" to him?

And all that talk about running off to the south.

Those despicable people,

I wish I could just…

Wish you could what?

Kill them?

Are you the same as they are?

No.

But Mother, you have to trust Yimei.

Yimei waited for me all these years.

She's such a gentle, fragile woman,

yet she stepped forward to save everyone.

If that's not a heart of gold, what is?

All right.

All right.

But let me ask you this:

if the government sends people here

and they start asking questions,

do you think they'll believe it?

What if they accuse her of aiding the enemy?

What then?

Those...

Those soldiers

don't care about

mercy or compassion.

They'll just grab onto her and kill her.

Son,

if you trust her,

then take

Yimei and Mr. Bai

and leave as soon as possible.

I won't go.

I'm not going anywhere.

I've finally made it back home.

Mother,

I don't want to leave your side even for a moment.

I'm a person, not a tree.

I don't want to be moved around anymore.

Who's that?

Pingwen got into a fight!

Hit him! Hit him!

Two against one, shameless!

Chop him up!

Go away!

Stop it!

Stop it!

Get back here!

Get back here!

Come beat him up with me,

Pingyuan.

Listen to what they're saying!

So what?

Say that again if you dare!

If they don't want to say it, leave it.

You tell me.

They said

Miss Bai and that commanding general had an affair.

You filthy-mouthed bastard!

Did you see it?

She was alone in the military camp.

Who knows what happened?

You should go back

and ask your own wife

how she managed to come back.

In the military camp,

if Bai Yimei

hadn't treated that commanding general,

none of them would have returned.

Each of you is big and strong,

but where were you

when your wives were being kidnapped?

Did a single one of you dare to step forward,

even just to try and stop them?

And now you gossip

behind their backs,

slandering an innocent woman?

What kind of men are you?

Let's go.

I'll beat you so bad

that even your own mother won't recognize you!

She treated his wounds. How could there possibly be nothing between them?

Tell me.

Just like when there's meat right in front of you,

which one of you wouldn't take a bite?

I dare you to say that again!

Let's go. Let's go.

Pingyuan! Pingyuan!

Pingyuan! Pingyuan!

We can't afford to get involved in a case where someone might die.

You're not like me.

Y-You don't know your own strength when you hit people.

Daughter,

eat something.

Open the door.

If you listen to all that gossip, where does it ever end?

That's just how people are.

No one's even running this country now,

so who's going to bother asking about your little issues?

Just eat something.

Don't make me worry.

Be good.

Sir.

Wait.

You two brothers

look like you just came off a battlefield.

Wait, you...

Sir, my mother requests your presence.

My mother requests your presence.

I'll be there in a minute.

Pingwen.

Come here.

Help me up.

Let me help you.

She won't come out.

Keep an eye on her for me.

Don't let her commit suicide.

Understood.

Pingwen.

Let's go.

Yimei.

Yimei!

Open the door.

Do you really want to break your father's heart?

We can talk things out.

Why shut the door?

Yimei!

I know

you feel upset right now.

Talk to me.

I'm listening.

What's there to talk about?

No one will believe me.

I will.

I believe you.

I've seen with my own eyes how brave you are.

Yimei.

Between us,

there's no need to ask whether I believe you or not.

If I had known things would turn out like this,

I might as well have just died in the military camp.

Don't say things out of anger.

I'm not saying it out of anger.

What is it then?

Let me ask you.

If you had the chance again,

would you

still step forward to save them?

In these chaotic times,

since when has saving people

ever come with the expectation of getting anything in return?

Would you stop saving them

just because they don't appreciate you?

I know.

But I'm just so angry.

I understand.

Human hearts can be so cruel

that even dogs won't touch them.

Back in Ningguta,

I thought

everything would be fine if I could just get out.

But only after coming back here

did I realize life is even harder.

Compared to those

passionate men in exile,

the people here...

Gu.

I haven't even asked you yet

how your years

in exile were,

and here you are, asking about me first.

How could they possibly have been good?

In my first year of exile,

I was sent to pan for gold.

The ice on the river hadn't even melted,

and when I put my feet in,

it felt like 10,000 needles

piercing the tops of my feet.

That feeling was like

dying and coming back to life.

But I always had one belief.

I told myself

that as long as I'm still alive,

I'd have a chance

to see you all again.

You've suffered so much.

Yimei.

Staying alive isn't easy,

and meeting again is even harder.

Your father just told me

he's worried you might take your own life.

Do you know during these days you were taken away,

he practically lost half his life

from the worry?

Now that you're back, are you going to keep making him worry?

Do you really not care about his well-being anymore?

I understand now.

I was being childish.

Yimei.

Back there,

I often lay alone

in the snow,

watching the snowflakes

slowly covering me

like a blanket.

I would look up at the sky

and wonder,

under this same sky,

what were you all doing?

Perhaps

you were already awake,

boiling water,

preparing to make tea for Mr. Bai.

Perhaps those children

were noisily arriving at the classroom,

and you had to tap each of them on the head

with your little pointer

before they'd settle down and recite their lessons.

Gu...

Yimei.

Gu.

I won't upset my father anymore.

I need some time alone to think things through.

There's just too much going on.

I-I'm going to rest now.

In-law.

Rumors cut like knives.

I fear my daughter has been torn apart.

I tried to persuade him just now.

I told him to take

you and Yimei

and run far away from here,

but he actually refused.

I'm at my wit's end.

Please try talking to him.

I can talk to him, but who's going to talk to me?

Besides, even if we run away,

what about you and Pingwen?

You would certainly

be implicated.

If we all leave,

our ancestors' graves are still here,

our land is still here,

and our tea plantation is still here—

who will take care of them?

Even if we escape,

where could we possibly settle?

Do you expect me, at my age,

to make a living by kneeling on the ground and begging?

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

[Blessings and Auspiciousness] Mother, Mr. Bai.

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

Pingwen,

go boil some water

to make tea for Mr. Bai.

Pingyuan.

I've just been discussing with Mr. Bai

and want to hear your thoughts.

My thoughts about what?

Mother.

Please sit down.

Take Yimei

and run away.

Mother.

We've already talked about this, haven't we?

I'm not going anywhere.

If Yimei runs away,

what do you expect Mr. Bai to do?

If I run away,

who will take care of you?

We still have our tea plantation,

and I promised Pingwen

that I would teach him business.

S-Sure, Pingyuan. I'll go.

Go where?

Where do you want to go?

Fine, let's go.

Take Mr. Bai and Mother with us,

and our whole family will leave together.

Why are you so stubborn?

Mother.

Didn't you ask about my thoughts?

I do have a thought.

Then go ahead and tell us.

I've thought it through.

I want to marry Yimei

openly and proudly.

Even though neither of our families is wealthy,

I'll make sure this wedding

is properly arranged.

I want the whole village to see

that I am her man.

I know that in this world,

as long as Yimei understands me

and I understand her,

that's enough.

What does it matter to anyone else?

When it's time to harvest and roast tea,

everyone will be busy working

and won't have the time to spread this kind of gossip.

But if we run away,

then we're practically

confirming these rumors.

They'll think

we're guilty,

that we're scared—

that we fled because we had something to hide.

Who knows, they might even start saying behind our backs

that our whole family are traitors.

We really were muddle‑headed.

The two of us nearly harmed our kids.

You always have a basketful of reasons.

No one can outtalk you.

Even if everything you said is right,

how many years do Mr. Bai and I

have left to live?

What truly matters is that you and Yimei

live a good life together.

Mother,

a good life for Yimei and me

means taking good care of you

and Mr. Bai at home.

Mr. Bai,

do you agree with me?

Dear sis.

In-law.

This time,

I won't be listening to you.

Back when I taught him to read

when he was a kid,

I knew

this child is strong-willed.

No one could win an argument with him.

Let's just

listen to him.

I'll go back and cheer Yimei up,

and help her prepare her dowry.

Sir, you're a wise man.

Pingyuan.

Pingwen.

Come down the mountain with me

to buy the betrothal gifts.

This sedan chair is way too small.

It might work for carrying a cat,

but can it carry a person?

Well, just for carrying the bride for a little while,

it'll do just fine.

If it were to carry you, Sir,

it definitely wouldn't work.

Well, the two-bearer sedan chairs

are just this small.

If you have enough money,

let's go check out the four-bearer ones.

It truly is a bit bigger.

But my money

has been carefully budgeted:

1 small two-bearer sedan chair,

6 musicians, 2 attendants,

2 matrons to escort the bride,

2 matrons to receive her,

and 12 tables for the banquet.

Nothing can be missing.

Don't mess this up for me.

Rest assured, Sir.

Our sedan chairs

are in perfect condition.

The bearers need to shave their heads.

N-No problem.

And their clothes have to be new.

Certainly.

Peace is just around the corner.

How could I possibly

overcharge you shamelessly?

This one it is.

No problem!

The medicine got burnt.