Original subtitles

Last Madame #1 TI4581 CaptionCube

$275

Do we have a bid for $275?

Anybody bidding for $275?

Thank you very much, Wong San

Now, do we have $300?

$300 - anybody bidding for $300?

Thank you very much, Old Master Sap

Thank you

How about...

Anybody bidding for $325?

$325... Mr Tsao!

Thank you

Now, gentlemen,

we have...

a virgin here

This is a rare opportunity...

to get a pure virgin

Pure!

She's worth at least...

$400!

So,

do we have a bid of...

$350?

$350!

Any?

I'm sorry

I didn't see you there

$350 from the madame at the back

$350 is the current bid

Do we have $375?

$375 from Master Seh

$375!

This is what I'm talking about

Gentlemen and lady, can we bring it up to $400?

$400 - this is the bid that we have currently!

$400. Do we have $425? We do!

$425!

$425, everybody

Anybody else going to bid?

Five?

Any more bids?

We've got $425 going once

$425 going twice

$500

$500?

Five...

$500!

The bid is $500 from the lady at the back

$500!

Any other bidders?

Sold!

To the lady in red for $500!

Thank you

Thank you, gentlemen

This brings our auction to an end

Thank you

Thank you very much

Thank you

Gentlemen, let me see you off

Thanks for coming

Next time

Thank you

Harry?

Finally

You're harder to get hold ofthan most of my clients

Where have you been?

You mean our clients?

You did make me partner last week

Or are you trying to weasel your wayout of that one already?

Weasel out?

You sound happy to hear from me

Sorry, I've been going through junk all day,

and my skin is really starting to itch from all this dust

Great-grandma was clearly a hoarder

Didn't you say there wassome kind of hotel guy interested in it?

Sell it quick and come back to me

I miss you

It's not that easy, you know

I've got to get it cleaned up before it can get a good price

I took a month off for a reason, you know

Come on, you're good at closing deals fast

I should know. I hired you

Look, why don't you...

dump all the stuff?

Get somebody to deal with it, yeah?

Don't be stupid. What if there's something valuable?

Not like I know the difference

Might have to get an expert to take a look, but...

that will just take more time!

What's the place worth anyway? $3 mil?

Try "17"

$17 mil? -Yeah

Shophouses are prime real estate, especially this close to the CBD

Except it's in a terrible state

Apparently, one of her friendswas supposed to be managing it...

after she passed away, but...

it doesn't look likethey lifted a finger to clean it up

I have to move itbefore the market slows down...

for Chinese New Year

I don't want to be stuck here another month

Well, get it done, babe

The firm needs you

I need you

It's the real estate agent

I'll call you later -Okay

I love you -You too

Oh, hey

I thought I saw the lights on in here

Man, this is the first time I've seen anyone in this place

You're the real estate agent? You're late

No, I'm with the Chinatown Historical Society

We're hoping you'd join our petition to save heritage buildings just like this one

- Sorry, I'm expecting someone... - Who is late

Right?

Is that an antique candle stand?

Excuse me

I've seen one exactly like this at a heritage tour in Notre-Dame

Really?

Do you think it's valuable?

Yeah, museums, private collectors -

they're always looking out for original antiques,

which is why most greedy owners sell them

The things people do for profit...

Well, would you like a tour of the house?

Would I like a tour of the house?

Well, I could use an expert opinion on what else is val...

well preserved

Is that the kitchen?

Hey!

Wow

I've never seen a shophouse so well preserved

You're selling?

Well, yes

The buyers want to make it into a boutique hotel,

so I'm sure they'd be keen to preserve any interesting historical artefacts

What about what they don't find interesting?

They'll gut this place and sell whatever doesn't suit them

They don't care about the history of a place like this!

Oh please

This whole street is filled with buildings like this

Not like this!

I've never seen a shophouse so well preserved

Look - we're losing our heritage one building at a time

And soon, Singapore's gonna be nothing but a sterile concrete jungle!

Is that what you want?

I think you should leave...

Get off

My leg...

Ow

Ow, stop

Oh, god -It looks like a sprain

We'd better take you to see a doctor

I'm so sorry. It's all my fault

Just what I need

This, and...

What the hell is this... wooden stick?

Wow

It's a dildo

Oh, god, stop. I touched it!

The hell is that doing here?

I've never seen one so old. It's...

It's beautiful

Okay, I really think you should go now

And these - I've only ever read about them

Women would put them inside the body to improve their muscular...

control,

you know, down there

Oh, stop it!

This was my great-grandma's house,

and I don't need to be imagining her...

"down there"

Your great-grandmother used to live here?

So you know all about this place's history?

What history?

This place...

It's famous among Chinatown historians

Well, infamous, really

What are you talking about?

This shophouse was a brothel,

and not just any brothel -

it was the most opulent...

and desirable houses of pleasure in 1930s Singapore

Oh, god

Ow -Just a little bit more

Yeah, okay

You sure I can't call anyone for you?

A friend or family?

Doctor said your foot needs full rest

No, no family

I flew here from Hong Kong just for the sale of the house

Thomas Hardy

It was my mum's

My great-grandma gave it to her

And after she passed, I kept it with me

"Yi Xin"

Was that your mum's name?

It's a very special name

Do you know what it means? -Yeah

"Yi" means freedom, escape from the world

"Xin" means strong fragrance

From the Chinese idiom "ru lan zhi xin" -

"as strong as the fragrance of an orchid"

Wow, I...

didn't know you're a historian and a linguist

Didn't you say your great-grandmother's name was Fung Lan?

Yeah

She must have wanted your mum to be strong and free

Sounds like she was an amazing woman

I wouldn't know, would I?

I mean, why was she living in a brothel?

Times were really different back then

Can't judge people from the way we see them now

Anyway, thanks for helping me out

You can go now -Nope

I'm staying

What?

Yeah

If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have hurt your foot

So let me make it up to you...

by helping you out with whatever it is you're doing here

You do know I'm trying to sell this place, right?

The place that you're trying to save?

Yes

And whoever buys it is probably going to tear it apart

And I don't care

You're really okay with that?

Okay

I'll admit -

I'm not being completely selfless here

But since I can't change your mind,

I'd like to glean as much of the history of this place as I can...

before it's gone forever

And you're probably trying to clean this place up...

to sell before Chinese New Year, right?

Yeah

So... let's help each other out

I'll clean and catalogue, and you can supervise and sell

Deal?

Is this really necessary?

When have I ever delivered anything less than what I promised?

You know what my mistress expects

Please

I would like to check for myself

Sit up

Get up

Get up

If you squeeze any harder, her nipples are going to pop out

Just checking that she hasn't fed a child before,

as you very well know

Lie down. Bend your knees. Feet apart

See? What did I say?

If I say the girl is a virgin,

you can wager your life that she's gonna be one

Are you paying to watch?

If not, leave

She belongs to the House of Phoenix now

Get dressed

There's a client waiting for you

This is so exciting

I've always wanted to know what's inside the famous brothel in Chinatown

Look, if this deal's gonna work, you're gonna have to stop calling it that

Why are you so touchy about it?

I'd give my front teeth for a piece of history like this in my family

$17 million, and it's all yours

Not everything has a value in dollars and cents

Everything can be bought, okay?

And if it can't, you just have the wrong price

Think about all the people who have walked these floors

Don't you want to know who they were?

What they were like?

Especially your great-grandmother and how she's connected to this whole place

The answers are all in these boxes

Each box is like an ancient mystery just waiting to be solved

Yeah, it's a real mystery why anyone would want to keep those

Okay

Maybe not this box per se, but...

- I'm sure if we keep looking, we'll be... - Look

I'm really glad you're enjoying rifling through all this garbage

But if you really want to help me,

then just keep whatever stories you find to yourself, okay?

I don't wanna scare away any buyers with any sordid details

I just want to sell...

and get back with my life

Fine

I gotta make a call

But you know what?

Everything might have a price,

but not everything should be sold

Don't ruin your makeup!

Let her cry

A frightened virgin is more realistic

Mr Kim paid a premium for you

Make him happy,

or I'll carve those tears into your face

And he paid less than what we did

Hurry up

Has the war in China affected business?

Of course it has

But we all have to find a way, don't we?

Oh, Mr Kim!

Let me introduce you to our new girl

Madame Fung Lan

Is this...?

Her name is Mui Gwai

Mui Gwai?

How...

how lovely

And is she...?

She is as you've requested -

untouched

Here's our special drink...

to make your evening more fruitful

I'll give you two some privacy

Thank you,

Madame

After every client,

wash below with this to prevent diseases

Always keep yourself clean

If you make our clients sick,

you will regret it

Madame Fung Lan has a reputation to keep

You're fortunate to get Mr Kim

He's a nervous cripple and very gentle

Not all girls are so fortunate their first time

You expect me to be grateful?

Madame

They stole me from my home

They put me on a ship...

and beat me when I tried to escape

And I thought I was lucky not to be raped

But now...

I know they wanted to sell me to you!

What kind of a person are you? You heartless witch!

Don't play the victim

You weren't stolen

Your country bumpkin parents sold you to pay their debts

To them, you were just a worthless girl

So don't pretend you're better off with them

Better off anywhere but here

You poor thing

You know where the door is

You think you're going to have a better life out there?

To be born a woman...

is to be born a slave...

to your husband,

your mother-in-law,

your children...

and your pimp

At least in here,

you can have some kind of power

That is, if you know how to use it

If you can't face it,

then you should have jumped out into the sea when you had the chance to

Get her ready in half an hour

Or I might just throw her into the sea myself

It's incredible

It's better than we imagined

There are boxes and boxes of artefacts just lying around, completely untouched

I don't think anyone's been in here since the 1960s

Look - we've got a real shot at registering for historical importance

Then she can't sell the place until the museum does a full evaluation

Just start the application process

I'll gather as much evidence as I can while I try and stall her

Found anything interesting?

Nope, not yet

Maybe I should just dump it all

I don't wanna waste time if it's just going to be more junk

No, don't

Look at these

Do you recognize anyone?

I don't know how she looked like

I never met her

She left the house to a friend

And after the friend died,

the executors found me

Her name was Fung Lan, right?

Fung...

What are you doing?

This was a ledger -

used to record the... activities that went on in here

This column? It's all women

Rose, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang -

all working names

All precious scents

And here! It's all men

Mr Tan, Mr Zong and... Mr Ng

No first names - to protect their identities

Prostitutes and their johns

It's a business record

And you're looking for my great-grandmother?

What's wrong with you?

This was a brothel!

And she did live here -There's no way!

Her name's not even in here!

She must've bought it afterwards

And just left everything lying around here?

So what if I can't find her name here? She was probably using a working name too

This is ridiculous

Wait!

I know it's a lot to take in,

but don't you want to know about your great-grandmother?

It's your past

Exactly

Mine, not yours

So I can do whatever I want with it

Forget it

Bury it... -Sell it?

I don't have to justify myself to you

In fact, I want you gone

So don't even bother coming back here tomorrow

Ow

Hey

You free?

Help me, come

Peel this -Huh?

Where's the new one?

Still crying in her room?

Don't pretend you didn't cry too

The first time is hard

I'm sure Mr Kim was hard too

Madame must be crying

How much did she pay for that skinny wretch?

$500

More than Seh

Again?

$400 is the price of a virgin. She knows that

Why make Seh angry? This is the second girl she stole from him

You know Madame, right?

She doesn't like what he does to his girls

Remember the two he bought last year?

Disappeared

Then they found the two naked bodies dumped in the gutter,

bruised all over

That's exactly why we should not make him angry

It's his business whatever he wants to do in his house

Hurry up

You're still here?

You have to see this

I found her, your great-grandmother

What are you talking about?

You were right

She isn't in one of the columns

She's not one of the girls

Yeah, I know I was right

So, can you go now?

But I was right too

She was part of the brothel

What is that? A bird? -A phoenix

Her name, Fung Lan -

a phoenix

It's her insignia

Don't you get it?

She wasn't just one of the girlsat the House of Phoenix

She was their head!

This was her house

Madame

Her brothel...

She was their madame

The last madame that the House of Phoenix ever knew

Eat

Get ready

We have a full house tonight

Captions: CaptionCube