Original subtitles

[The Heir]

[Episode 23]

Are we really going to stay here at Li Ink?

You need to understand one thing:

when you are prosperous,

there are always plenty of people

eager to add flowers to your brocade;

but when you fall into decline,

those willing to offer help in your darkest hour

are few and far between.

Since Miss Li Zhen is willing to give me a hand at this moment,

I'm willing to accept this kindness,

and I'm willing to repay it.

Then about your vendetta against the Tian family…

Of course I'll settle the score with the Tian family.

But now I've been stripped of my post

and am completely penniless,

the only thing we can do is

devote ourselves fully to helping Li Ink.

First, it's

to repay Miss Li Zhen's kindness.

And second,

only if Li Ink turns a profit

can we raise enough military funds

to atone for our mistakes

and return to Yihousheng.

Understood, Master.

Manager Zhen.

What's wrong, Doggie?

All the visiting cards sent to the ink merchants

have been returned.

All of them?

Zhen.

Uncle Jingdong, good timing.

I saw Doggie holding the cards here

looking all flustered.

What happened?

Please sit down first. Let's talk it through slowly.

Okay.

This way.

Be careful.

Doggie.

Alright.

Tell us everything in detail.

Did you knock on their doors

one by one to deliver these cards?

Of course.

Manager Zhen, I followed your orders

and knocked on their doors one by one.

But they were either not at home

or sick.

I did manage to meet a few of them,

but as soon as they heard I was from Li Ink,

they wanted to drive me away immediately.

That shouldn't be the case.

I saw some of them a few days ago.

Hearing that we sped up the repair work,

they were quite happy

and said they wanted to place orders.

Doggie, did they say anything else

when they drove you away?

I refused to leave

and asked a few servants.

They just said

that Li Ink had already sold off its land and property

and was hollowed out to this extent,

yet we still wanted to trick people into doing business with us.

I told them it was not true

and tried desperately to explain, but they wouldn't listen,

and then they drove me out.

I see, Doggie.

You may get back to work now.

Doggie.

Go check

where this news started spreading from.

Yes.

No need to check.

We're the only ones who know the inside story.

Tian Jiangyue... I'll go confront her.

It's no use, Uncle Jingdong.

Don't you know what kind of person she is?

Even if you go to her, she won't admit it.

Besides, we don't have any evidence right now.

Since this news has already started spreading,

the most urgent thing right now

is to regain the ink merchants' trust

in Li Ink.

Did those ink merchants really return all the visiting cards?

Absolutely.

If the ink merchants don't place orders,

the deficit from Li Zhen mortgaging the estate

will never be covered.

We'll see how she explains that when the time comes.

Master Jiang.

Manager Zhen, you're here.

You guys are eating, right? Thanks for your hard work.

It's okay. Don't mention it.

Take your time.

Miss Li Zhen, you're here.

Xiao Qi.

Where's your Master?

These past few days,

we've been busy helping the workers renovate the ink workshop.

Master was worried rain would delay the project,

so he stayed up all night working.

I see. Thanks for your hard work.

Can you stop bothering me?

I was just dreaming about eating something. What do you want?

W-Why are you here?

You must be tired.

You worked all night.

Why don't you go back and have a rest?

I'm not tired.

I was just slacking off.

What's up?

I'm actually here

to ask you for a favor.

Go ahead.

Some time ago,

in order to renovate the ink workshop,

I mortgaged the estate.

But now,

word of the mortgage has gotten out,

and all the major ink merchants

don't trust the Li family anymore.

-So... -Wait.

Word got out?

Isn't that a huge tab...

Taboo in doing business?

Exactly. That's why I wanted to ask you to step in

and help me contact those ink merchants.

We can put on a two-man act together.

Let me think about it.

Please come in, sir.

Master.

The Tian family obtained the Tribute Ink monopoly,

and with Lord Xu backing them in the capital,

they now have complete control over the Huizhou ink industry.

When will we ever get our revenge?

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

I underestimated them before.

I thought the Tian family

were nothing more than a bunch of rats that thrived in the shadows.

I never expected them to be snakes emerging from hibernation.

But do you know

when the best time to catch a snake is?

It's right after it's eaten its fill.

Eaten its fill?

Master.

But we've got nothing now.

Those ink merchants used to suck up to you all day,

and you couldn't even be bothered with them.

But now,

for Li Ink,

you have to swallow your pride and beg them?

What kind of situation is this?

Who said I was going to beg them?

Miss Li Zhen has a point.

The name Qi Jiu

is still more than enough to deal with those ink merchants.

Master.

But once they see Miss Li Zhen,

won't they just leave again?

They'll be there anyway.

Once they arrive,

Zhen will have a way to make them stay.

After all, she's so smart,

right?

Go to Cuiqiao's place later

and borrow

that overcoat of mine trimmed with silver fox fur

for me.

Master.

It's just the beginning of autumn.

Why would you wear a fur-trimmed coat?

Fine feathers make fine birds, you know?

But that coat is so expensive.

How could Cuiqiao possibly lend it to me?

Look,

this is where

I know you better than yourself.

What do you mean?

Playing cute and throwing tantrums—

you are better at it than I am.

Just sweet-talk Cuiqiao a bit, and she'll definitely lend it to you.

Anyway, you going is better than me going, right?

I've got that kind of ability?

Sure you do.

Tell Cuiqiao

that I'll definitely return it in its original condition.

I'll go right away.

Be quick. I'll wait for you here.

Hurry up.

Alright. Please.

Master Qi,

what brings you to suddenly invite us here

for drinks today?

I'd heard that this garden is tranquil and elegantly refined, a hidden paradise of its own.

There's nothing more pleasant than gathering here for a nice chat.

It's just that I, Qi Jiu,

was ignorant and poorly informed.

It's truly a pity that

I only learned about this place today.

However, all of you seniors

are natives of Huizhou,

so I'm sure the scenic and culturally rich places of Huizhou

are familiar to you like the back of your hand.

So today's invitation to stroll the garden and enjoy some wine is really

just my way of offering a modest beginning.

I hope you seniors can show me

more of the world within Huizhou City in the future.

Sure, sure.

Here.

Another toast to you seniors.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

Please.

Please, sit.

Please.

Please.

You are too kind, Master Qi.

We've long heard

that you followed Marshal Qi in battles across the country.

You've seen much more of the world than we have.

Exactly.

You flatter me.

We've been ink merchants in Huizhou for generations.

Outside of this small place,

we know nowhere.

That's right.

Now, since a pine wilt epidemic has broken out across Huizhou

and pine soot ink has become scarce and expensive,

we've been thinking of looking elsewhere

to see whether there are any ink workshops capable of producing pine soot ink.

Unfortunately,

once we leave Huizhou,

nobody recognizes us or gives weight to our names.

Indeed.

This pine wilt epidemic has affected

the overall landscape of the Huizhou ink industry.

I, Qi Jiu, truly am also in a difficult position.

But today,

since I'm here drinking and enjoying myself with you seniors,

let's not bring up such mood-killing matters.

Please.

Alright, alright.

Master Qi.

You're on good terms with Official Fan,

and you handle the military supplies for Marshal Qi.

Judging by your spirit and style,

you must be doing quite well.

Could you please

give us a clear direction to follow?

In the current situation,

whose ink and what kind of ink

would bring the greatest profit?

Mr. Zhou, business secrets...

Master! Master!

The ink...

May I have a word?

Managers.

He's got the ink orders.

The ink orders.

The ink orders.

Good, good.

Please.

Please, please.

Now that the Tribute Ink has chosen the Tian family's ink,

it's both expensive and hard to secure orders for.

That's right.

We're truly at a loss.

Master Qi,

please enlighten us.

Yes, Master Qi.

Please give us some guidance.

Alright, thanks.

To be honest with you seniors,

I did find some

more reasonably priced orders,

and the quality is no worse than the Tian family's.

I've already secured sales channels myself,

so I'm not worried at all

about the profits from these orders.

But if I divide these orders among you seniors,

there's no guarantee you'd be able to

sell everything through your own channels.

In that case, the profits couldn't be guaranteed.

Secondly,

the size of these ink orders

truly isn't enough to even support me alone.

So please understand, seniors.

It's okay. No worries.

May I just ask you, Master Qi,

which ink workshop is it?

Could you

please tell us clearly?

Master Qi,

we can also cooperate with them

and profit together.

Seniors.

Let's focus on eating. Please.

Please. Please.

Master Qi, we'd like to propose a toast to you together.

To Master Qi.

To Master Qi.

Well...

Thank you for your favor

and trust in me, seniors.

Then I'll

reluctantly agree.

After we finish eating and drinking,

how about you seniors come with me to take a look

around the ink workshop?

-Sure. -Sure.

Please.

I've never heard of any ink workshop here.

Exactly.

Where is this place?

Hello, elders.

Isn't this Manager Zhen?

So this is Li Ink Workshop?

That's not right.

Li Ink Workshop is on Sibao Street.

So this is...

Elders,

this is our Li family's old ink workshop,

but now it's also our new ink workshop.

Since you're already here, elders,

why not go in and take a look?

Manager Zhen.

This...

Master Qi, this is rather underhanded.

I've still got things to do at home.

I'll take my leave.

Me too.

Elders. Dear elders.

I know you are all busy,

but in this old ink workshop now,

there really are things worth seeing.

Since you're already here,

elders, please do me a favor

and go inside to take a look.

Manager Zhen.

We just want to ask you:

is it true that your Li family

sold off your houses and land?

It's a misunderstanding, truly a misunderstanding.

We mortgaged it.

We mortgaged the estate.

And in fact, this is precisely the Li family's determination

to devote everything we have to ensuring Li Ink continues operating normally.

Every bit of that money has been spent on maintaining production.

Once you go inside and take a look, you'll understand.

Manager Zhen.

Doing business

requires mutual consent.

No matter what, there is no reason for forced buying and selling.

Right.

Please just step aside,

so we can save face.

Mr. Zhou.

Even if you don't want to see me,

you should at least see my grandfather.

Grandpa!

Grandpa!

Grandpa, come quickly.

Come here, Grandpa.

Look who's here.

Zhou Ren?

Zhou Ren.

Eighth Master Li.

Long time no see.

Long time no see.

How many years has it been?

Exactly.

What brings you guys here?

Mr. Zhou came to see

the new look of our old smoke shed.

Uncles,

although the Li family's smoke shed

cannot be used temporarily,

the smoke shed of our old ink workshop

is now burning hot.

These past few days,

Grandpa has been helping to direct inside.

Isn't that right, Grandpa?

Since you're already here, you should take a look around.

Please come in.

Now that Grandpa has said that,

please go in and take a look.

It won't take long.

Yes, take a look around.

Please.

Okay, Eighth Master Li.

Come on.

Eighth Master Li, you might not know.

You pushed a bit too hard.

Elders, please take a look.

This is our dragon kiln for burning pine soot.

I'm sure you've all

seen our Li family's Origin Ink

during the Tribute Ink selection earlier.

The soot used for the Origin Ink

is burned a bit longer,

so it actually requires less pine timber

than ordinary pine soot ink.

These piles of pine timber were specially

brought back from Mount Huangshan by Sixth Grandfather,

and they are of excellent quality.

These piles of pine timber are enough to support Li Ink's

production of Origin Ink for half a year.

And I assure you

that our pricing

will absolutely not be affected

or driven up by the pine wilt disease.

Please come inside.

Here is our oil soot shed.

This is the lacquer-soot ink shed.

Elders, please feel free to look around.

Manager Zhen.

Mr. Zhou.

These masters are all the most

experienced craftsmen in the ink workshop.

Elders, as you all know,

only good soot can produce good ink.

According to our Li Ink's rules,

normally, we do not accept any lampblack

below medium-grade.

We only accept fine-grade and supreme-grade lampblack.

After these lampblack batches are individually inspected

by the master craftsmen,

they're sent straight to Li Ink Workshop.

Over there, the glue mixing and ink-making process

begins immediately without a moment's delay.

Elders,

this is our supreme-grade lampblack.

Please feel free to appraise.

Mr. Zhou, please take a look.

Here.

Elders, you all truly care about Li Ink.

This year, Li Ink has suffered from both internal and external troubles,

making you all worry.

It's only right that I punish myself with 3 cups of wine.

This first cup is to all of you elders.

The second cup.

The third cup...

There's no need for a young lady like you to do that.

We already understand your sincerity.

Yes.

Mr. Ji.

Please don't treat me as just a young lady.

Back then, however you used to slam the dinner table

and negotiate profit shares with my Sixth

and Seventh Grandfathers—

please negotiate with me the very same way today.

The third cup.

I'll drink it.

Excellent.

Manager Zhen, that's impressive.

Mr. Jiang.

My grandfather mentioned you many times.

He said that through your own efforts alone,

you managed to sell our Li Ink all the way to Ganzhou.

That's what's truly impressive.

And Mr. Ji,

I forgot to mention just now.

I heard your son is very knowledgeable.

He'll surely pass the autumn imperial exam next year.

When the time comes, our Li Ink will definitely invite your son

to write a new plaque for us.

How come you even know these things, Manager Zhen?

Of course I know.

Here, thanks for your kind words. Let's drink.

Here.

Alright.

And Mr. Zhou.

You're the greatest contributor to Li Ink.

Over the years, Li Ink

couldn't have survived without your support and help.

I, Zhen, would like to toast to you.

Here.

Managers.

We've prepared nice food to go with the fine wine.

Let's eat and talk.

We've had the wine,

and we appreciate your generous hospitality.

We've also seen your capability firsthand.

The fact that you managed to restore

Li Ink's production so quickly—

I truly admire that.

But business is business.

Li Ink today is no longer what it used to be.

First, it suffered from the pine wilt disease,

then the fire that damaged the workshop.

And now

you've even mortgaged your property.

It's obvious that you're desperate

to get money and orders from us

in order to cover the losses and keep operations running.

That's a risk

we simply can't afford to take.

Mr. Zhou, I understand your concerns.

But elders, as you all have seen today,

the lampblack-making process

has already started running in the old ink workshop.

As for the other damages to Li Ink,

they'll definitely be repaired within a month and a half.

It absolutely won't affect Li Ink's delivery.

Please rest assured, elders.

Manager Zhen,

what you said is the best-case scenario.

But since your foundation has weakened,

the slightest setback could make it collapse.

And if production gets interrupted,

what do you plan to use to compensate us?

Exactly.

Elders, please be patient.

I've made thorough preparations today.

Master Qi.

Everything's long been prepared.

Managers,

please take a look first.

Here.

What you elders are looking at

is the shareholding contract for our New Li Ink Workshop.

It's clearly written in black and white

that if you elders place an order for our Li Ink

and don't receive the goods by the agreed date,

you'll automatically become

shareholders of our New Li Ink Workshop.

Last year, our New Li Ink Workshop

made an annual profit of 500 taels.

This year, it will only increase.

Calculated at 10 shares per person,

each of you would receive 50 taels of silver this year alone.

Managers,

I'm sure you've all heard about

how well Fu Jin Ink has been selling.

And I

am also one of the shareholders of New Li Ink.

So the dividends have always been generous and never lacking.

I believe that, especially in these unusual times,

this is the greatest assurance that Manager Zhen can offer you.

This is like using your own lifeblood

to fill the hole in Li Ink's finances.

The Eighth Branch hasn't even returned to the clan yet.

Manager Zhen, are you really willing to

make such a huge sacrifice?

Mr. Zhou, you're mistaken.

This isn't a sacrifice.

It's my confidence in Li Ink.

Alright.

I'll sign this contract.

Thank you, Mr. Zhou.

I'll sign it too.

Thanks a lot, Mr. Ji.

And me.

Thanks a lot, Mr. Jiang.

I won't say anything more.

Here's a toast to all you elders.

We agreed we were going to have another round of drinks.

See you, Manager Zhen.

No need to see us out.

We insist.

When new ink comes out later,

make sure to let us know first.

I definitely will.

See you.

Take care, elders.

Next time. Let's continue drinking next time.

Alright.

Take care, elders.

See them out properly, Xiao Qi.

No problem.

Watch your step.

There's still half a pot left. Let's finish it.

Half a pot. T-There's still a little left.

Can you handle it?

I'm fine.

Let's go.

That's exactly what I intended.

Let's go. Let's go.

Haven't had enough. Let's go.

Thank you, Master Qi.

Congratulations, Manager Zhen.

Thank you, Master Qi.

Congratulations, Manager Zhen.

-Thank you, Master Qi! -Congratulations.

I said thank you!

Congratulations to you.

Congratulations to you. Congratulations. Congratulations.

You don't have to thank me.

If you're throwing up,

don't throw up on yourself.

It'll be hard to wash. Throw up on me instead.

Master!

Back away!

Back away for what?

Quick, take it away.

Are you okay?

Take it a bit further away.

It's new. It doesn't smell.

The smell of rouge ink.

Rouge...

Ink?

No. No.

No.

No such smell. You smelled it wrong.

What...

Zhen.

Come on, get up.

Drink this hangover soup.

Mother, my head hurts so much.

Now you know it hurts.

Why didn't you know

to drink less yesterday?

Come on, drink this hangover soup.

You really are...

Why did you drink so much?

Here,

drink some more.

Mother, I didn't drink for nothing yesterday.

I secured an order for 100 sticks of ink.

You really risked your life for it,

but that credit

might not necessarily go to you.

Always doing thankless tasks that take a ton of effort.

Drink it all. Be good.

Bitter.

Now you know it's bitter.

Why didn't you know

to drink less when you were drinking?

Come on.

Drink it all.

It's too bitter.

I want to sleep a little longer.

There's no rush, Granny.

We're almost there. It's okay.

I don't go out much,

and I don't know much about what's going on out there.

If Wanyi hadn't sent someone,

I wouldn't have known you were sick.

Forgive me, Granny.

[Ugly Granny Li]

Mother repeatedly told me before

not to let anyone see you.

But Mother has been taking medicine for days,

and she hasn't gotten any better.

I'm really worried.

I'll look after her.

I know

Rujun's temperament.

She still has things she can't let go of.

She'll definitely pull through.

This is 6 buckets of glue,

right? In total.

Yes, 6 buckets.

Okay.

One, two, three.

Five.

You've moved over that box, right?

Yes.

It's 5 portions.

Yes, exactly 5 portions.

Okay.

Don't worry.

I'll safely escort the Tribute Ink to His Majesty.

Ronghua.

When you reach the post station,

remember to send me a letter.

Make sure to send word of your safety after entering the Capital.

Give Aunt Wan my regards.

Mention your two brothers more in front of her.

Tell her we'll go visit her when spring comes.

Dear sister,

help me keep an eye out for

unmarried young ladies in the Capital.

Take care, Mother.

Our family is now a Tribute Ink supplier.

Our status is much higher now.

Make sure to find beautiful wives for us...

It's getting late.

Sage Qing He is still waiting for me at the city gate.

I'd better not delay any longer.

Take care, everyone.

Lift the sedan.

Our girl managed to

latch onto Qing He,

and now she's gotten

so full of herself.

Sheng, come pack things with me.

It's not just her

who can win Qing He over.

You have a way?

That guy doesn't even want money.

I can't figure out what his game is.

That's because we didn't think it through.

With Sage Qing He's current prestige in the Capital,

he has no shortage of money.

I looked into it.

These days, century-old pine soot ink

is indeed very rare in the capital.

Since he specifically asked for it,

whether he's offering it to immortals or living people,

he must have his own purpose for it.

The problem is, right now in all of Huizhou,

where can we find such fine pine timber?

Sure we can.

The batch the Li family's Sixth Master brought down from Mount Huang

is top-quality pine timber, isn't it?

How could the Li family possibly let you use their pine timber?

Father.

I went to see the Sage in private yesterday

and agreed to the pine soot ink deal.

The Sage was overjoyed

and gave Lord Yan a heads-up,

forcing him to write an official document.

Can this really be pulled off?

Nothing's going to go wrong, right?

Then why didn't your sister mention this just now?

She doesn't know about it.

I promise you,

the wealth and glory of our Tian family

are only just beginning.

Steward Shao.

The Tian family's Second Young Master has arrived with a whole group of people.

He's been making a scene, demanding to see Manager Zhen.

Is the Head of Li Ink here or not?

Shout.

Come out! Come out!

[Li Ink]

Second Young Master Tian.

What are you doing here?

Isn't Li Zhen the manager of the Li family?

Have her come out and see me.

I, Shao An, am the steward of the Li family.

If you have something to say, say it to me.

Shao An,

y-you should just calm down.

See this?

The order from the Ink Affairs Official.

Our Tian family is a court-designated Tribute Ink supplier.

We're now requisitioning the Li family's pine timber for ink production.

Have your manager come out

and name a price.

Tomorrow, our family will send people and carts

to haul this batch of pine timber away.

Go on.

Is the pine timber you want the batch our Sixth Master

brought down from Mount Huang?

If not that batch,

which one could it be?

Order of the Huizhou Ink Affairs Official:

Since Tian Ink Workshop is responsible for producing Tribute Ink,

and pine soot is required as a raw material,

it is hereby ordered that pine timber be requisitioned from Li Ink Workshop

to supply Tian Ink Workshop for production use.

Everyone, out of the way!

This requisition shall amount to 5,000 units of pine timber...

Where did this mad dog come from?

Get lost!

Get lost! Hurry up and get lost!

I've delivered the message.

And now,

I'll give you another 7 days.

Within 7 days,

I want this batch of pine timber delivered to our Tian family's door.

Otherwise, it'll be treated as obstruction of imperial duties—

a crime punishable by sealing the workshop and imprisonment!

Make way!

Get out of here!

Get lost!

Slow down, slow down.

Don't touch me!

The Tian family wants

to requisition our pine timber?

Over my dead body!

Uncle Jingdong, please calm down.

We all feel the same way.

Sixth Grandfather risked his life for this batch of pine timber.

We won't give it to anyone else

unless we have no choice.

Now the Tian family has used dirty tricks

and got an official document.

They even threatened

that if we don't hand over this batch of pine timber,

they'll shut down our ink workshop.

This time,

Steward Shao managed to drive them away.

Next time they come,

I'm afraid they'll just take it by force.

We need to think of a good countermeasure.

Zhen, I'm telling you.

You can think of your countermeasures.

If they dare to come,

I'll fight them with these two crutches!

That's my countermeasure!

Don't get so worked up yet.

How come your temper flares up so fast?

Let's think it over first.

There's nothing to think over.

Those filthy scumbags

of the Tian family.

Let them come!

Watch how I deal with them!

You,

go get my bedroll.

I'll just live right here.

Let's see who dares to come.

Go get it.

Hurry up and go!

Go!

Zhen.

Steward Shao, you're here too.

How did it go?

The Tian family has nothing but bad people,

I'm telling you.

Aside from our Li family,

several other families' pine timber has also been requisitioned,

and they specifically demanded only century-old pine.

Right, they didn't force down the price,

but some people were unwilling to sell.

And then, those bastards

just took out the Ink Affairs Official's official order

and took the pine timber by force.

Ever since Lord Yan

won the Tribute Ink selection

and met that arrogant Taoist priest,

he seems like a completely different person.

Now he's even helping the wicked perpetrate wicked deeds.

I asked Xianglan.

Lord Yan was also forced.

Sage Qing He invoked the royal preceptor's name

to make him give the order.

Lord Yan had no choice.

Now, if we hand over

Li Ink's pine timber,

not only will we fail Uncle Jingdong,

but most of the contracts we signed with those old ink merchants

are for pine soot ink.

If we disappoint them again,

Li Ink's reputation will be ruined.

But if we refuse to hand it over,

I'm afraid this disaster for Li Ink

won't be avoidable, either.

Don't panic for now.

How about this?

I'll go to the ink merchants I'm familiar with

and see if they can switch part of their orders

to lacquer-soot ink.

If that still doesn't work,

I'll try negotiating with them

and ask to delay the delivery of these orders.

That's the only option for now.

Alright. I'm going.

Seventh Grandmother,

I'm here to see you again.

Seventh Grandmother,

managing this household is just too difficult.

Just when things started looking up

and I thought I could finally breathe,

trouble

came right after.

There's not a single moment of peace.

Seventh Grandmother,

have you lived your whole life

like this?

You must be exhausted,

which is why you've been sleeping for so long.

Seventh Grandmother.

Please wake up soon.

Miss Li Zhen.

I warmed up some porridge.

Have a bowl while you're at it.

Thank you, Granny.

I heard from Eldest Aunt

that you are Doggie's grandmother,

and you came specially to take care of Seventh Grandmother.

-Miss. -Thanks...

I have an ugly face. I hope I didn't scare you.

Of course not.

I don't mind such things.

Ever since you came, Granny,

Seventh Grandmother's complexion has improved a lot.

It shows you've been taking great care of her.

I should be the one thanking you, Granny.

Seventh Old Madam and I have been friends since childhood.

We are as close as sisters.

It's what I should do.

This red date porridge nourishes the blood and qi.

You should eat some and go back to rest early, Miss.

There's nothing

a good sleep can't solve.

Thank you, Granny.

This pine soot smell is...

The oil lamp on the table burns rosin oil.

Rosin oil?

I usually serve as a temple keeper at the Li family temple.

There's a small pine forest on the hill behind the temple.

I often go collect pine rosin to light the lamps.

When your Seventh Grandmother came over, she always said

the smell was soothing to her,

so I brought some here.

Rosin oil...

Eighth Uncle.

Jingdong, Eighth Uncle is here.

Have a seat, Eighth Uncle.

You two can talk, Eighth Uncle.

I'll head out first.

Eighth Uncle.

You're also here to persuade me to give up

this batch of pine timber, aren't you?

Yes.

This batch of pine timber

cost my father his life.

Even if I die,

I will protect them.

I know.

Since you already know,

please leave.

Jingdong,

I've been thinking,

what your father truly wanted

was not this pine timber,

but your clarity of mind

and the century-old legacy of Li Ink.

Eighth Uncle.

My father was not like you,

one of the Five Ink-making Grandmasters of Ming.

Your life has had its ups and downs,

worthy of praise by later generations.

But him?

He lost in ink making his whole life.

But he worked diligently

and toiled for Li Ink his whole life.

This pine timber

is proof that he lived,

that he risked his life for Li Ink.

This is the memento he left for me.

How could you bear to let those filthy things

ruin it?

Jingdong.

Are you going to die for the pine,

or live for your father's dying wish?

Which is more important?

What Sixth Grandfather left behind

is definitely not just this batch of pine timber.

Uncle Jingdong.

Sixth Grandfather was a prominent figure in the Li family.

He took over Li Ink in times of crisis

and served as a role model for the Li clan.

I've already discussed this with Eldest Aunt,

and now,

I want to let you know as well, Uncle Jingdong.

As head of the household, I, Li Zhen, propose

to hang his portrait in the ancestral hall,

sharing the Li family's incense offerings

along with our ancestor Li Tinggui.