Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available.]

Winter Begonia

Episode 38

Mr. Shang.

Mr. Shang. Wait.

Mr. Shang. Don’t be mad.

Mr. Cheng might be

in a bad mood today.

-You... -Mr. Niu.

Did you know Anti-Liao operas are forbidden

by Japanese?

I didn’t.

But I just asked.

The notice was issued yesterday.

In the chaotic warfare,

different warlords

forbade different operas.

Even if you performed,

they’d turn a blind eye to it.

No one would be hard on performers.

So no one cares about it over time.

I performed Battle in Jinshan today.

They issued the notice yesterday.

Is it a coincidence?

Anyway, the insult was swallowed.

No trouble was caused.

From Mr. Cheng’s look,

he might have covered for me.

I think so.

-Alright. Go back, Mr. Niu. -How about...

It’s late.

You may go home.

Alright.

Mr. Shang.

Don’t be angry.

Take care.

Let me ask you.

Why did the Japanese ask for you?

I’m sick of

their crap-colored suits.

Japanese said

I’m close to Commander Cao.

I’m also a magnate in Peking.

They came to pay their respects.

Listen to me.

Don’t mess with them.

Japanese do nothing good

but killing and robbing.

To avoid from them,

we left home and fled to Peking.

We still have to face them.

Are you listening?

Japanese ever slaughtered

the men of Fan family.

They are my enemies.

I’m listening. I am.

I only do business with British and Americans.

I can’t speak Japanese.

Also,

Cao Guixiu called me today.

I said little for fear of being overheard.

I only said a Japanese colonel came to visit.

He talked to me for a while.

Since the Japanese came,

I haven’t heard from him much.

What did he say?

Tell me in detail.

Morning, Fengtai.

Xiaotao, you may leave.

Yes, sir.

You asked me here to be blown by wind?

Disaster is coming. You still have mood to sleep?

Fengtai.

I believe in your capability.

You can settle any trouble.

Nonsense.

I’m not God.

Did you know the matter

in the Theater of Opera Association yesterday?

I know.

It has spread around.

There are many versions.

Some said you took Japanese for opera.

Some said Japanese were attracted by Shang.

I don’t care others.

I only care about

what the people with guns said.

Who else except Japanese?

Cao Guixiu.

He has no actions for long.

I heard that

he fell out with Chongqing authority lately.

He has taken his troops

to an unrestricted area.

He’s still subject to central government namely.

Actually, he is free.

Fengtai.

Where is his money from?

He has money since he has guns.

Besides, he has a powerful uncle.

What did he say?

Three words.

Assess the situation.

It... It’s like he said nothing.

He meant that

when the situation is bad,

it’s OK to give in somewhat.

Fengtai. I’m really curious.

Why did Sakata visit you?

What else could it be?

Transport their goods by my business channels.

To secure it, they asked me

to envoy it myself.

An outrageous traitor.

You will be infamous in history if you do it.

Piss off.

I’ve made the decision.

Dali would reply me

if it’s OK.

Fengtai.

You should think twice.

That’s a fortune.

If Japanese found it out,

you’d be in trouble.

I’d rather buy my innocence by money

than to be a traitor.

As long as we do it well,

given my brother-in-law,

Sakata dares not do anything even if he suspects it.

But your sister

would be worried again.

[Opera Pornography]

[Shang Flirts in Tavern]

[Story of Cheng and Shang]

Godmother! Godmother!

Shut up.

Mr. Cheng.

Where’s Fengyi?

On the street.

Nonsense. She's crying.

Leave her alone.

Have a look at this.

What is it?

I can’t read the words.

Alright.

Then explain it to me.

Who is the Japanese girl,

Ms. Lily?

What do you mean Lily?

The book says that

when you

had dinner with Xue Zhicheng that night,

you met

a barmaid named Lily.

Was that girl’s named Lily?

Stop pretending.

You sent her home in the middle of the night.

It wasn't me.

It was Xue Zhicheng who sent her home.

Wait.

Does the book say

I slept with her?

Didn’t you?

Come on. Read it.

Let me see what nonsense that is.

I’m not as shameless as you.

Let me read a paragraph for you.

This part.

Listen.

Shang saw nobody around,

and then said to Lily:

Your husband is cold to you.

I’m single as well.

How about we get together tonight...

Even the first line is wrong.

How did he know there’s nobody?

Barmaids have no sense

of chastity by nature.

Lily pondered that

most of her guests

were vulgar.

She’s never seen

a romantic gentleman like him.

-Then she took off clothes... -Nonsense!

How did they know her thoughts?

Can they read her mind?

There’s more to come.

Here.

They are

enjoying love affairs affectionately.

There's a poem:

Love birds come into room.

Go to bed hand in hand.

Indulged in it, they forget the time...

Pah!

What a crap poem!

So nasty

and embarrassing.

It... Except the names,

all of it is nonsense.

It’s not over yet.

Part of content is about me.

What is it?

It says that I’m a jerk, a swindler

who cheated my wife for dowry,

gave my sister

to the pervert warlord.

After you knew me,

you pimped and offered

all female performers

in Shuiyun to me as prostitutes

to earn my money.

Listen.

Compared with you,

it’s much worse of me, isn't it?

Look into

who wrote the book.

Don’t let him off. Break his legs.

I've sent men to investigate it.

But this book

isn’t that simple.

Part of it

could be true.

Half truth, half lies.

The rumor is made up well.

Only the close ones know about

your daily life and the backstage.

Even the dinner in a restaurant

was told like truth.

I doubt it’s someone who was present.

It’s rumored that

you have an affair with a Japanese woman.

Mr. Shang.

Try to recall it.

Expect Mr. Du and Xue Zhicheng,

who else knew you

in that Japanese restaurant?

The daily life.

The backstage.

Shuiyun Theater.

These people knew me.

as well as my old fans.

But they didn't go to Shanghai with me.

Qiu’s friend?

Who?

Who did you say?

No, Nothing.

What a mess. Annoying. What a headache.

I thought performers made easy money.

Studying for years,

you can live on it all the lifetime.

You get both money and fame.

Now I get to understand.

Six bucks per ticket.

Three bucks for your performance,

The other three bucks

buy you as a target

to make fun of.

Exactly.

There are

many

filthy animals.

The slanders about Ning Jiulang

were even nastier.

Duke Qi

put the rumor monger in jail.

Some people still believed and rumored it.

So are the foreign stars.

It's the same

all over the world.

People say

performers are filthy.

I know

the reason.

If a common carter

is defamed

like this,

he’ll have a fight with them.

But everybody

knows performers

while performers know nobody.

We can’t find rumor mongers.

If you go to reason with them,

they’ll say you’re a bully by your status.

Your reputation will be ruined.

Look.

Mr. Shang is wronged.

How come we have so many prostitutes?

Right. How is it possible?

How can we perform with so many prostitutes?

I’d be too busy.

Give it to me. Give me.

I haven't finished it.

It’s my honor to cooperate with you.

Rest assured.

I’m sure it will be done well.

Mr. Cheng.

It’s be so many days.

You haven’t set off.

Are you cheating me?

Colonel, you wronged me.

It's a big deal.

Shouldn’t I prepare it well?

I’ve been

dinning with my assistants

to prepare it.

I have to

pay them well beforehand.

If any accident happens halfway,

they may flee for their own life

or even turn against me.

They’re all Cheng’s right-hand men.

They’ve followed you for years.

Don’t you trust them?

Outsiders work for money.

How loyal can they be?

My family

betrayed me.

That makes me really sad.

Do you mean

Commander's wife?

Colonel, you have keen eyes.

You just see my sister once,

but you’ve seen through her.

My sister

buys lots of jewelries,

and asks me for money to give her husband.

He’s more like my father

rather than my brother-in-law.

Even if I have a bank,

I can’t afford him to squander.

His son, Cao Guixiu,

is also a jerk.

He benefited once from me.

Then he always blackmails me.

Now he is against his father.

I’m sandwiched and bulled

by both of them.

Cheng, you’re complaining to me.

You wanna talk about money with me, right?

Since you said so,

I’ll be blunt.

To tell you the truth,

arms trafficking

is no ordinary collusion with Japanese.

That’s betraying my country.

Once I do it,

all my families

will be in great danger in China.

No matter how the war ends,

once you don't need me anymore,

I’ll settle abroad

with my wife and kids.

Leaving my hometown to make a living

is a huge price.

Mr. Sakata, please understand me.

Mr. Cheng.

Do you know

how the guys

who bargain with me

end up?

Considering the friendship

of General Kujyo and my brother-in-law,

I believe you won’t be cruel to me.

Also,

my request is reasonable.

Compared with the benefits of war,

the bucks are nothing at all.

From my perspective as a serviceman,

you play around with performers all the time

and have an illegitimate daughter.

Your deeds are extremely filthy.

But in terms of business,

no one in this world

is as dedicated as you.

I’ll

take it as a compliment.

Two.

Three.

Stop.

Your hand is wrong.

Turn it over. The wrist's wrong.

Come on.

What’s wrong, Mr. Cheng?

Go on.

Leave me alone.

I’m gonna have some sleep.

What’s wrong with you, Cheng?

This room is for the grand master.

Don’t sleep here.

Stop.

I slept here before.

I just take a nap.

The Japanese is a good drinker.

Why not go home?

My wife has feud with the Japanese.

If she knows I drank with Sakata,

she’ll kill me.

I’ll sober up here.

I’ll go back in a while.

Suit yourself.

Go.

Close the door.

Stop.

How did you run the circle?

Are you stepping on cotton?

The wrist is too week, like being fractured.

[Shang Longsheng]

The sword dance

should be fancy,

dazzling and stunning.

You should have it in heart.

If you don’t,

your eyes will be dull.

You should also be tough

and aggressive.

Understand?

I understand,

but it’s hard to practice.

Come. Let’s have a spar.

Spar with you?

I can’t win.

What are you afraid of? Come on.

It’s been years.

You seem like a good master.

Longsheng.

Why didn't you tell me in advance?

I’ll have someone to pick you up.

He lost Shuiyun’s address.

So,

he went to the Opera Association.

Zhouzi.

Book a room at a nearby hotel.

Take Longsheng to check in.

No need.

I have a place to stay.

I won’t be here long.

Good.

As the champion of the opera competition,

you’re more like a star now.

Come on.

Let’s have a spar.

Let me see

if you make a progress

in Shang Stick Moves.

Sure.

Let me see if your Xingyiquan

is better.

Longsheng. I have a weapon.

I won’t take the advantage.

I only use the first nine moves.

Come on.

Niu. Who is that?

What are they doing?

Mr. Cheng.

You are here.

You don’t know it.

This gentleman

is the eldest son

of Shang family.

He passed by Peking

and came to visit Shang Xirui.

-But... -What’s going on?

they started fighting

once they met.

Is it Shang’s elder brother?

Why are they fighting?

Look, Mr. Cheng.

Xirui is using the stick moves of Shang family.

Thirty-six moves in total.

The first nine moves are fancy,

but they're used for performance.

So he is Xirui’s brother.

Go.

I heard of him from Xirui.

He said he was adopted

while his brother was the biological son.

As a result,

he inherited the mantle from the leader.

You got it.

Longsheng doesn't like opera at all.

Yet he is adept...

Leader.

at martial arts.

Mr. Niu.

You said the first nine moves are fancy.

What about the rest?

The rest

is the true martial arts.

He won’t use them

unless necessary.

-Leader! -Leader!

The fancy moves are impractical.

Use your true kungfu.

Bring it on.

Mr. Longsheng is awesome.

He ties with Xirui by bare hands.

Crap! Leader may lose!

Bravo!

Niu.

They've fought long.

We may stop them.

Don’t.

Now they start to be serious.

If we interrupt them at the moment,

they will kill us.

Wait a minute.

What if Xirui got hurt?

Rest assured, Mr. Cheng.

The Shangs had learnt martial arts

before learning opera.

They have sparred since childhood.

They won’t get injured. Rest assured.

Leader!

You’re amazing indeed.

I lost.

I shouldn’t use

the dangerous moves when sparing.

You forced me to use them.

I lost.

Fine. I’ve taken him here.

Everyone.

You may have a good chat.

Mr. Cheng.

I’ll take my leave.

Take care.

Niu. I won’t keep you.

Take care.

Bye.

Longsheng. Don’t do this.

Let’s have a talk.

Mr. Shang needs to perform tomorrow.

He can’t get injured today.

What’s your relationship with this Japanese woman?

Who?

Look at it.

Where is the book from?

Just tell me.

Do you have any affair with this Japanese woman?

No.

I just dined and performed with friends.

They made it up.

Longsheng.

I looked into it.

What the book writes

isn’t true.

Don’t you dare.

Father didn’t

have you married when he’s alive.

You went wild for so many years.

You went too far.

Xiao Lai is a good girl

but she...

I made the decision for you.

You’ll marry Ms. Han.

No, I have Xiao Lai.

Don’t talk nonsense.

Marry her or not?

No.

Marry her or not?

No.

You have the right to discipline your brother.

As the shareholder,

I have to protect the pillar of the troupe.

Suit yourself.

Excuse me.

Where did you get the photos?

A reporter

sold them to the tabloid at high prices.

The editor of the tabloid is my best friend.

He showed me the photos.

So, I asked him for these.

Surprise.

What a surprise.

He looks tough.

I even admire him.

Surprisingly,

he did this secretly.

Father. Cats hide their claws.

Tell me.

Should I do something to him?

The tabloid wrote these about him.

That’s his fate.

Stay out of it.

Fine. Fine. I know.

Sir. Bad news.

What's wrong?

Mr. Hou is dying.

Take some men to go with me.

Let’s go and see

what we can help.

Father.

Leader is awesome.

Of course.

Our leader’s Zhao Feiyan is amazing.

What’s wrong?

We got news from Hou's family.

Mr. Hou

passed away.

Sir.

Pull yourself together.

Sir.

When did Mr. Hou pass?

I visited him days ago.

He held my hands

and talked about Jiulang.

He died yesterday afternoon.

Japanese was afraid he was pretending,

so took him to the Army Hospital

and checked him.

They confirmed he’s dead

and then sent him back.

This afternoon

I informed the fellows.

They went too far.

Father.

Mr. Hou was a big shot.

How come few people come to his funeral?

Mr. Hou refused

to be the chairman of the Opera Society,

and offended the Japanese.

Fellows are afraid to get into trouble

and don’t dare to come.

Mr. Hou was highly respected when he’s alive.

Few people come now.

I witnessed Hou's prime years.

In contrast,

it’s really heartbreaking.

[The Best Performer]

Mr. Shang from Shuiyun came to offer condolences.

Mr. Shang.

You...

Mr. Hou is one of a kind.

He should leave with glory.

This plaque

was given by Jiulang

when I won the competition.

Peking is the cradle of Peking Opera.

I think

only masters like my father,

Jiulang

and Mr. Hou deserve the title

of the best performers.

Now he passed away.

I used the plague

to pay my respect to Mr. Hou.

Thank you, Mr. Shang.

[The Best Performer]

You may leave.

I’ll burn incense for Mr. Hou.

Whom is he showing off to?

Like he’s the only one who cares.

Sir.

I’m gonna meet other leaders.

Hou Yukui is a hero.

This is the best ending to him.

Mr. Shang.

I have some words for you.

Mr. Hou is here.

What are you afraid of?

What’s the matter, Mr. Jiang?

Mr. Shang,

you’re straightforward.

I won’t beat around the bush.

Japanese will

establish the Opera Society.

It’s determined

and unchangeable.

But

the two former candidates of the chairman,

Ning Jiulang and Hou Yukui,

couldn’t take office due to some reasons.

It has made Japanese

lose face.

So, no way

can the next candidate reject it.

You’re the chairman of Peking Opera Association.

Given your seniority and ranking,

you're the right person.

Congratulations, sir.

I’m too old

for the position.

Although I want to do something for the circle,

I’m no longer able to.

You’re in your prime,

and also a popular star.

What do you mean, sir?

You want me to be the chairman?

Not just me,

everyone else thinks so.

You have everyone’s support.

As long as you accept the position,

the feud between us

is settled once for all.

I’ll suppress any dissident

to protect you.

All performers are of one mind then.

You will be the true leader

of the association.

You can perform as you please.

You can modify opera as you wish.

You can make rules.

No one dares to gossip.

That’s good calculation, sir.

I’m young,

but I don’t value this title.

I’m tired of rumors and gossips.

I’ll be scolded to death if I become

the chairman of Opera Society.

Mr. Shang.

The opera circle is in turmoil.

Many troupes

go to countryside

or to the south.

Nearly half of performers left

in few months.

If no one stands out

and leads us,

how can we carry on?

You want a leader

or a scapegoat

in front of the Japanese?

You don’t care about the fellows at all.

Yes,

I do.

But there’s no friendship between us.

Father.

You talked to him so humbly.

He still didn’t accept it.

Bastard.

Aren’t you just the champion?

What’s the big deal?

What’s the big deal?

If you could dedicate yourself to opera

and win the title,

I wouldn’t be despised by them.

But...

I...

Father.

I...

I...

Shang Xirui!