Original subtitles

[The Heir]

[Episode 4]

Qiu'e, help me.

Coming.

You're working too hard.

If your brother finds out,

he will tell me off for not taking good care of you.

My family has spent too much money on me these days.

I need to hurry up and work

to pay all the money back.

[Li Zhengliang's fiancée, Du Qiu'e]

Zhen.

I saved this money myself.

It's not much,

but take it first.

You need it more.

I can't take the money, Qiu'e.

Take it.

Be good.

I broke off an engagement in public—

people out there are all gossiping.

I've implicated you and my brother.

How can I take your money?

I don't care about that.

If your brother does,

I won't marry him

in the future.

Take it.

I really can't take it, Qiu'e.

Excuse me.

We'd like to pick some satin to make wedding clothes

for my daughter.

Is there anything suitable?

Yes.

This way, please.

Qiu'e.

You continue with your work.

I'll take care of them.

Here.

Miss.

Take a look.

These are new fabrics.

These are red and gold

cloud and phoenix satin.

This one too.

This has cranes on it.

This is pretty.

I can guarantee

if you make this into your wedding gown,

you'll be prettier than all the ladies

on the streets.

See how it looks on you.

Try it.

Does it look good?

Yes!

It complements your skin.

That's it.

Sure!

Qiu'e, I'm leaving.

Remember to lock the door.

All right. See you tomorrow.

Zhen.

The shop is closed.

If you want to buy cloth,

come tomorrow.

Zhen!

Zhen!

Listen to me, Zhen.

Zhen.

As long as you forgive me,

you can scold me any way you want.

I'll make it up to you

100 to 1,000 times.

I'll be extra good

to you

and your family.

As long as you take back what you said,

we can go back to the way we were—

How can one take back hurt and deception?

Return my birthday inkstick to me.

That's the only thing my father

left to me in this world.

Zhen.

Is this really it for us?

No, right?

Give me another chance.

One last time, Zhen.

One last time.

From the moment you set my brother up,

we could never go back.

Zhen.

Zhen!

Zhen—

Zhen has been

getting up earlier

and working harder than before.

She's acting like nothing happened,

but I know

she's very sad.

If you want to,

show your power.

Help them resolve their problems.

Can you?

Hey!

How old are you?

So rude!

Why are you back so late today?

Father.

Look.

Mother is nagging me again.

Father,

Mother always told me

she's very bold—

that she didn't cry when she saw a tiger when she was young.

I don't believe it.

I've already seen her crying

a few times over the past few days.

All right.

I know you've been trying

to cheer me up.

I know

you have guts and a mind of your own.

But

after what happened,

your life will be hard.

I'm afraid you'll be sad,

that you'll suffer,

and you'll keep it from us.

I am sad.

But what makes me sad is

the humiliation brought upon you

because of my marriage—

especially to grandpa.

I know

although he has stopped making ink all these years,

he has still been thinking about the ink industry.

But the vow he made on the spot this time

has completely ruined that plan for him.

If I need you to give up something

in exchange for my happiness,

I'd rather never get married.

I'd rather stay at home

to serve you and grandpa forever.

Spouting nonsense again!

Life is bitter

and lonely.

With Mother,

I'm not afraid.

Mother.

I'm hungry.

Grandpa and Brother will be back soon.

Go cook for us.

All right, all right.

I'll go cook for you.

Father,

if you're listening,

please comfort Mother for me.

Have her

not cry anymore,

all right?

Just cry.

Crying

is a good thing.

Cry your heart out.

Say goodbye

to your past.

Zhen.

Still ignoring me?

No, Zhen.

I've been wanting to see you.

It's because of my brother.

Were you going to

never come see me

or talk to me

because of your brother?

How could that be, Zhen?

Don't get me wrong.

I...

All right, silly.

I'm just pulling your leg.

Ronghua.

Actually, I've been scared lately.

I was also afraid that

you'd ignore me because of this.

Zhen.

Why would I ignore you?

It was my brother's fault.

And we swore

to be good sisters forever.

If you can't be my sister-in-law,

we'll still be sisters forever.

Thank you, Ronghua.

Thank you.

You're terrible!

You're just teasing me on purpose!

Buy me sweet soup!

Sure.

I'll buy you sweet soup.

Come.

Don't be angry anymore.

Ma'am!

A pot of tea, please!

-Coming. Ink for sale!

Fine ink! Excuse me,

what would you like to have?

Shexian Lotus Heart.

Ink for sale!

There's an ink seller.

Fine ink!

What ink are you selling?

Let me have a look.

Sure.

Show us.

Here.

How much is the ink?

If you want it,

I'll sell it for one tael.

Your ink

is worth one tael of silver?

Sir,

it's top-quality ink.

Sirs,

your tea.

You're not a local, are you?

The best inks in the world

are all in Huizhou.

The best among Huizhou inks are

Luo Ink, Li Ink, and Chen Ink.

I'm afraid even

a 3-year-old kid in Huizhou could make this ink.

And you're selling it for a tael?

Sell it elsewhere.

Hey, my...

Go, go.

Sir.

Anyone who visits is a guest.

Would you like a cup of tea?

Well...

It's free.

Come on.

Here.

Thank you, miss.

Sir,

can I see the ink in your hand?

Thank you.

The inscription looks very special.

The ink contains various shell powders too.

You use more materials than the Luo family would.

Is the origin of this ink

from the coast?

You are knowledgeable, miss.

This ink is of good quality.

In my opinion,

this ink is worth a tael

or two.

You're right.

The extra ingredients in the ink are secondary.

What's rare is the main material used.

This is no ordinary pine,

but the dwarf black pine from the coastal regions.

Dwarf black pine?

According to ancient books,

dwarf black pine

has a burnt color

and touches like cream.

If it's used to make ink,

the ink'd be top quality.

But it grows slowly—

barely three inches a year—

so it's very precious.

It took me a lot of effort

to get this ink.

But I didn't expect that it wouldn't sell

no matter how much I lower the price.

Outsiders normally only know Hui Ink,

and among Hui Ink, people only recognize the three main families.

Not many people would believe it

even if I tell them what's special about this ink.

Don't be too discouraged.

In my opinion,

since this ink is unique

and the ink-blending technique is different from local ones,

you can sell it to an ink workshop

as a reference.

The three families

of Hui Ink—as you just mentioned—

I'm sure any of them will buy it at a high price.

This is something I've never thought of.

Thank you for your guidance.

You're welcome.

Your... Your ink!

You have a discerning eye.

I can't repay you just for giving me tea.

Please take this ink as a return gift.

Take care, sir.

Busy, Mr. Shui?

Yes.

Take care.

Mr. Shui, the bill, please!

Let's go.

Wait for me. I'll get some food.

Let's go. Let's eat on the way.

Let's go.

Mr. Shui.

Mr. Shui,

why are there so many people today?

Today is the day the Luo family chooses pine materials.

If your pine gets selected by Eldest Young Master Luo,

you will make a huge fortune.

That explains the crowd.

Doesn't the Luo family have their own pine farm?

Since the Luo family won the rights to Tribute Ink,

they've received a huge number of orders.

I also heard that

the Luo family recently

received a huge order.

I guess that's why.

No wonder he's become more arrogant

every time I see him now.

[Selection Invitation]

Mr. Shui.

Why is there a document here?

The Chen family from Lin'an?

They must've left this behind when they left in a hurry.

You're fast.

Take it to them.

Don't delay them.

I'll go now.

Don't worry, Mr. Shui.

I...

I finally caught up with you.

Zhen, why are you here?

You left your document

at the tea shop.

Thank you, Zhen.

Unfortunately,

God didn't give us the chance.

You ran here for nothing.

This document

is now useless.

Did the pine selection end early?

It hasn't even started yet.

Don't even mention it.

That Young Master of the Luo family,

even before we could introduce our pine,

glanced at our goods

and humiliated us by saying,

how dare we try to sell such low-quality goods to them.

So,

we were kicked out

before we even met the pine appraiser.

Forget it.

The Luo family

is too high-and-mighty for us!

But we have so much pine.

If the Luo family doesn't take it,

who will?

What a terrible situation.

Come over.

Quick.

I might have a way

to get the Luo family

to buy your pine materials at a high price.

But you shouldn't spread it around

once you get this advantage.

Please.

Thank you.

Wait for my message.

Say something.

The pine appraiser

suddenly fell ill

and can't come anymore.

Why didn't you say so earlier?

We need to choose

the best quality pine today.

I won't be able to pick

so much wood by myself.

Eldest Young Master,

I-I can't find someone else on such short notice.

This is Huizhou.

Ink workshops are everywhere.

Find someone for me!

Don't come back if you can't!

Useless!

You

dropped your shoe.

Who's laughing there?

Well,

isn't this the famous Miss Li Zhen of Huizhou,

who broke off an engagement

so publicly on the streets?

Such high praise, Eldest Young Master Luo.

It's thanks to you

that I have Huizhou attached to my name.

I'm flattered, Miss Li Zhen.

I just seized the opportunity—

though this had nothing to do with me.

Thankfully, this situation is over.

Otherwise,

you'd have taken

every opportunity possible.

You know me well.

Miss Li Zhen,

why are you here?

I heard that

you need a pine appraiser.

I'm here to appraise pine.

You? Appraise pine?

Every piece of pine wood here watched you grow up.

You want to appraise them?

On what basis?

Just on the fact that I am the top of the Five Ink-making Grandmasters,

Li Jinshui's granddaughter.

Ever since I first learned to read,

my eyes have known only ink recipes.

It's just appraising pine wood—

that's nothing hard.

How arrogant.

Mr. Luo,

do you dare to bet with me?

Let's appraise the pine separately.

If the ones I pick

match the ones you pick,

that means

I can earn the title of a pine appraiser

and be paid like one.

And what if you don't?

In that case,

you can have this inkstick.

You're betting with my young master

with ink of this quality?

Sure.

I'll use this ink as a stake.

If you choose well,

not only will you get the reward,

I'll give you another 10 taels.

Young Master.

What do you think?

It's a deal.

Miss Li Zhen.

It's your turn.

She's so young,

what does she know?

Does she know what to look for?

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

You've made your choice?

Come.

[Zhao] [Feng] [Jiang]

Did you see what I wrote?

I, Li Zhen,

will never do something so lowly.

Interesting, Miss Li Zhen.

Very interesting.

Mr. Luo, please keep your word.

Take Miss Li Zhen to get her payment from the Luo family's accounting office.

Yes, Young Master.

Wait.

Mr. Luo,

are you really

just going to choose these three?

What do you mean?

But the best pine material

is not here.

Then,

where is the best pine?

Okay.

Deal.

The Chen family from Lin'an!

Come over.

All right!

Coming!

Come!

He picked us!

Turn around now!

This wood is dark

and its texture is rough.

Not to mention my young master,

even I've never seen such low-quality pine.

Do...

Do you think we are fools?

Normally,

good quality pine is light in color

and smooth in texture.

But according to ancient books,

dwarf black pine

has a jet-black color

and feels as smooth as cream.

If it's used to make ink,

the ink'd be top quality.

But it grows slowly—

Less than three inches each year.

Therefore,

it's very precious.

Is this the dwarf black pine you mentioned?

Mr. Luo,

why don't you

take a closer look at this ink?

You are devoted to making ink.

It's not difficult for you

to see if I'm telling the truth.

Miss Li Zhen.

Dwarf black pine

is indeed fine.

Ping'an.

Add this to the warehouse log.

All right.

Remember,

put this batch of pine wood

in the south warehouse.

It has to be somewhere dry to avoid bug infestation.

Got it?

Due to the dampness of where it's grown,

the storage of dwarf black pine

is also different from that of ordinary pine.

It must be placed somewhere

dark and humid.

Otherwise,

the inkstick would easily crack

when it's used to make ink.

Miss Li Zhen.

Here you go,

the silver you deserve.

Do you need to weigh it?

No.

I've counted it.

Not a penny less.

By the way,

Mr. Luo,

I have a presumptuous request.

I came to appraise pine today on a whim.

I hope you won't spread the word.

No problem.

I also have a favor to ask.

Sit.

We don't have that many rules here.

Sit.

Miss,

I want to

invite you to work for the Luo family— how's that?

Mr. Luo,

you're someone I'd normally avoid.

What do you know about me?

If you want to judge me,

it's useless to say anything else.

All I care about in this life

is ink.

I hate the Tian family

for tainting the reputation of ink.

If you're interested in ink,

I like you.

Your family has a great recipe for ink blending,

so I wanted to get it by any means.

At this point in time,

Miss Li Zhen,

I, Luo Wensong,

would like to apologize to you.

I'm sincere about

hiring you.

I cherish your talent for ink making.

Talent?

Being talented doesn't mean I like it.

In Huizhou,

the ink industry is huge.

Some obsess over it all their lives—

and what comes of that?

It's good enough for me

to use my talent to cheat you

out of your money.

I can tell

whether you like it or not.

People often talk about

how someone is talented at something,

but they're just not interested in it

and thus waste their time

and their talent.

That's bullshit.

If you don't like it or obsess over it,

that's not talent.

Even if you get things right sometimes—

that's just sometimes.

It's not just sometimes for you.

I could tell when you were

appraising the pine just now.

If you don't care about ink,

how could you know it so well?

Besides,

Li Zhen,

your family

has been eliminated.

Li Jinshui swore never to make ink again.

If you really want to work with ink,

and you don't come to the Luo family,

do you have a better place to go?

I'm curious too.

I'm a woman.

If you take me in,

it's against the industry rules

and the interests of the Li and Luo families.

Aren't you afraid that the Li family

would invoke the Founder's Black Banner

and come knocking at your door?

Let me show you something.

My aunt, Luo Mengzhen,

gave this to me when I was three.

Let me put it this way—

half of the Luo family's ink business

was established by my aunt, Luo Mengzhen.

She was a woman too.

Rules?

What are rules for?

They are to get things done.

To achieve something,

if you need to break the rules,

then break them.

And your aunt...

Red ink marks and blots out the dust before my eyes,

this year's spring has vanished before I knew it was here.

The only person

I respect in Huizhou

is my aunt, Luo Mengzhen.

Mr. Luo.

At the end of the day,

it was just because your pine appraiser was sick today

and you needed temporary help.

Where did all this talk come from?

I don't understand.

Whether I take the path of the ink industry or not

has nothing to do with you.

Goodbye.

Oh, right.

I forgot to mention this—

dwarf black pine

should be kept away from light.

If you don't believe me,

go check the ancient books.

Enter the altar!

Welcome the deity!

Mother!

Mother!

Mother!

Guess what?

Today, I appraised pine for the Luo family

and earned

a reward of 20 taels!

What's wrong, Mother?

Aren't you happy even though I made money?

Your grandpa insisted on going back to the ancestral home

to attend the Li family's centennial ritual.

I couldn't stop him!

The centennial ritual?

Why would he go?

Our family has been eliminated.

Wouldn't going there be inviting humiliation?

Exactly.

But your grandpa

dragged your brother along.

Zhen!

Zhen!

Kneel!

Bow!

Rise!

Up!

Kneel!

Bow!

Rise!

Didn't Eighth Master Li get expelled?

It's the centennial ceremony.

The ancestors can refuse to acknowledge Eighth Master Li,

but he cannot refuse to acknowledge them.

Read the invocations!

I shall serve you.

Kneel!

Bow!

The Eighth Branch is so shameless.

Rise!

Up!

Eighth Uncle.

As an incompetent elder,

don't be an eyesore here.

Bow!

You...

Li Zhengliang.

Your father got drunk and made a mistake,

causing the Li family to lose the right to Tribute Ink

and causing my husband, Jingqi, to die.

Everyone,

what right do they have

to worship their ancestors here?

Eighth Master Li is just bowing in front of the ancestral hall.

He didn't go in.

Why are you being so aggressive?

That's right.

That's right.

Am I being aggressive?

He drove my family to their deaths.

Can't I say anything about them?

They are the sinners of the Li family.

Not to mention in front of the ancestral hall,

they should feel ashamed

to even be in

Shexian or Huizhou.

Bow!

Stop kowtowing here.

You jinx.

You will forever be sorry

to our ancestors.

You deserve to be condemned forever.

Grandpa, let's go.

The ceremony continues.

Guards,

remove them.

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

Zhengliang.

Zhengliang!

Zhengliang.

Causing a scene in public

and disgracing our ancestors

is something we shouldn't do.

Grandpa.

Zhengliang.

Something we shouldn't do?

Look at the state the Eighth Branch

has brought the Li family to today.

What have you not done?

If I were you,

I would have gone to the underworld

and asked Jingqi and our ancestors for forgiveness.

If it weren't for you,

Jingqi would have been

the next head of the Li family.

I would've been the clan matron.

The Eighth Branch will forever

be indebted to me!

Jingqi's wife,

hate me

if you want.

That's useless.

If I hate you, will Jingqi come back to life?

You all should die.

Die!

What are you waiting for?

Go!

We'll leave.

Don't touch my grandpa!

We'll leave.

We'll leave.

We'll leave now.

We'll leave now.

Li Zhengliang.

This is the centennial ceremony.

How dare you!

Who do you think you are?

Grandpa!

-Grandpa! -Grandpa!

Are you all right?

Look at this family.

They say they wouldn't do anything,

but here they are causing a ruckus.

Li Zhen,

you take after

your shrewd and barbaric mother!

That's why you're an unwanted, cheap woman.

What did you say?

Say it again!

Say that again!

Say it again!

You can insult me,

but not my mother!

Say it again, Tian Chanyue!

Grandpa!

Zhen!

Say it again!

Stop shouting!

Today is the centennial ceremony for me, Li Mo.

What is the Eighth Branch doing?

It wasn't us.

Everyone saw it—

she was the one who hit first.

She hit first?

If you had stayed at home,

would she have hit you?

You!

Zhen.

Zhen.

Very well.

It's an important day—

I'll let this slide.

Grandpa.

Let's go home first.

Let's go.

Li Jinshui.

How dare you pay respect to your ancestors?

First, your grandson stole the ink recipe,

and then you let Zhen go to the Luo family to make money appraising pine.

Is this how one of the Five Ink-making Grandmasters should act?

That was not the vow you made!

Zhen.

What pine appraisal?

At this point,

drop the act.

Don't you find it disgusting?

Enough!

Everyone knows

what happened with the ink recipe.

The Tian and Luo families set my brother up.

Even if my brother was careless,

you blocked the bridal sedan in public

and forced Grandpa to make a vow.

We don't owe each other anything anymore.

As for the pine appraisal,

I had no choice

since I have debts

to pay.

I had to make a bet with Luo Wensong.

I have no ulterior motive.

My grandfather doesn't know about this either.

Don't you slander us!

Whether it's slander

or you're just good at quibbling,

I'm sure everyone knows.

If it weren't because Seventh Grandmother liked you,

you would have been

kicked out of Shexian

and Huizhou.

I hope you suffer for the rest of your life

and will never be able to turn things around!

All these years,

our family has been atoning for losing the rights to Tribute Ink

and the loss of our kin.

But it has already happened.

We can't change the past.

We just want to live an honest life

and help our family survive.

Why won't you give us a way out?

It's not that I can't forgive you,

but that Li Ink can't forgive

those who betray our ancestors

and destroy our ancestors' foundation.

Zhen.

Let's go.

Grandpa, let me finish.

Many things happened to my family when I was a child.

Though I was a child,

I know everything happened

because of ink.

From then on,

ink became

an unspoken taboo at home.

All these years,

Grandpa, Mother,

Brother,

and I

have been very careful.

We've been avoiding it,

wanting to just live our own lives.

But there are always people

who wouldn't let us off the hook.

The Luo family covets Grandpa's ink recipe.

The Tian family wants Grandpa's ink-making skills.

You threaten us only because

you're afraid of what Grandpa has mastered throughout his life—

you're afraid that the Eighth Branch will be able to start anew.

No matter what we do,

it is always wrong in your eyes.

Since I can't escape,

I shan't

hide anymore.

We will

continue to stay in Huizhou.

We're not going anywhere.

We will live a better life than you, too!

Uncle Jingdong.

Fourth Aunt.

Just watch!

Third Brother.

Stop wasting your breath on them.

Drive them away! Shoo!

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Don't touch my grandpa!

Sorry.

Don't touch my grandpa!

We'll leave.

Don't move!

I'm sorry.

Don't move!

Don't move!

Don't move!

Jin.

Don't you dare move.

I'll kill anyone

who dares to touch us!

What are you doing?

Put down the knife!

The ceremony is completed.

Zhen.

Zhen!

What...

What are you doing?

From now on,

this will be the ancestral altar for the Eighth Branch.

You...

Nonsense!

That's not something you can build at will!

Zhen.

What are you doing?

Stop right there!

How can you touch

the Grandmaster's portrait!

Zhengliang.

Bring back the Grandmaster's

portrait.

Zhen.

Zhen.

How inappropriate!

Even if you want to worship the ancestors,

you don't have to go to the Li family.

There is no rule saying

we can't build our own ancestral hall.

Zhen.

One stroke can't write two Li's.

It can't write one either.

Breaking rules to build an ancestral altar

is better than you being humiliated

by going to the Li family to blindly practice filial piety.

Have you thought about

Mother, Brother, and me

when you acted like this today?

We are your family!

Grandpa.

Zhen is right.

I will take what you said today

as a joke.

Don't mention it again.

You were forced

by them to make the vow.

And today, you were bullied by them like that.

My heart aches.

I hate your foolishness.

But I hate myself for not being able

to protect you.

From now on,

I won't allow anyone

to bully our family again.

They're afraid that we will start an ink business

and that we will do well.

I will do exactly that.

I will live even better than they do.

From now on,

I,

swearing to our ancestors,

will start learning ink blending.

Every bit of shame the Eighth Branch has endured,

every ounce of dignity my father and grandfather lost—

I will take it all back

with ink, in the light of day.

Grandpa!

Please teach me how to make ink!