Fire
I don't believe this
A fire broke out
Uncle! Where are you, Uncle?
Wake Swordswoman up, quick
She must be dead to the world
Get up, Aunt
Aunt
It's raining! Close the windows
Not raining but on fire
Come on - Fire?
My legs are numb
You don't say
Fire - Oh no
Where are you going?
I'm throwing Aunt out of the window
You're crazy! This is the third floor
Jump if you want. I don't wish to die yet
Having a broken leg beats being burnt to death
There's no fire
Careful, Aunt
What happened?
How should I know? What a scare
Come on, I bet it was...
A-li
It's all your fault. You shouldn't have stopped him from setting fire
See, he came to set fire to our flat now
He's to blame, Aunt
Sure, and I'll burn your bum
Louse
You're a louse
Stop calling me that or I'll turn you into fritters
You're a louse all right
The loan shark set the fire,
yet you put the blame on Guan A-li
Louse
That's enough - Take this
I hate people pointing fingers at me
What makes you so sure it wasn't Guan A-Ii?
He has a fiery temper
He'd make a scene before he committed arson
He wouldn't do it on the sly
Be honest with me
Did the loan shark make any threat?
I said stop pointing your finger at me
Come clean with me and I won't
A loan shark's job is to press for payment
Yet you still look so composed
Had you told me earlier,
I'd have put some thumbtacks at the door...
or arranged for Stallone to guard the door
Know what?
You didn't give us any heads-up
That was so shameless and selfish of you
Grandma almost had to jump down from the third ﬂoor
I'm not so inhuman
I'd have jumped together with her to break her fall
It's not that I didn't give any heads-up
I didn't expect those people to be so brutal
You do now
What will you do?
Give me a loan
I've no money
Stop pretending
I know you've a fixed deposit account with Aunt
Draw some money for me
You're worse than a beast
Utterly inhuman
That's Grandma's nest egg, you know
Sit here and do some soul-searching
Lower your voice
I don't understand you at all
Your son wants to go to a uni
Yet you groom your daughter instead...
and leave your son to his own devices
His desire to do well isn't appreciated at all
Who's more important- your son or your daughter?
Some people can't even get into a uni
It's a private uni he wants to go to, Mum
The school fees are expensive
That's no reason to stop him
But he isn't the academic sort
You sound just like your wife
Did she teach you to say all that?
You listen to your wife all the time
No wonder you can't move up
Xiong didn't get a cent from us for her school fees
She also earns her keep by giving tuition
But look at him
All of us are up but he's still sound asleep
Grandma never gives us a break
She repeats the same thing every day
Pretend that you heard nothing
I've ears, so do you
Stop being so submissive
When the doctor told me it was a boy,
I was elated
I got someone to pick the name Weixiong for the baby
But alas, it turned out to be a girl
What's the use of having a daughter?
Mum wasn't to blame, Grandma
Ultrasound scans aren't 100% accurate...
in determining a baby's gender
Blame herself for not producing a son then
Time to go to school
Meiyu
Get up, Meiyu
What's the time? - 7.30
What did you wake me up so early for?
Mummy told me to
She says you've class at 8
She remembers your timetable
Get up
Tell her class is cancelled
My foot
Get up
It's not like your polytechnic education is free
You won't go for your class just because you want to sleep in
I won't go to work either then
You earn your own school fees
Get up
Go to the market afterwards, Meimei
Buy some chye sim, $1 of chicken feet, 30 cents of bean sprouts,
five eggs and two tau kwa
Repeat it
Some chye sim, five eggs, two tau kwa...
and $2 of tofu
Listen carefully
Some chye sim, $1 of chicken feet,
30 cents of bean sprouts, five eggs,
and two tau kwa
Two tau kwa, not $2 of tau kwa
Can you remember?
Repeat it
Some chye sim, five eggs, $2 of tau kwa,
$2 of tofu and a chicken foot
Do they sell just one chicken foot?
I'll write it down for you
Come to my office in the afternoon
I'll take you to my supervisor
Sure you want Meimei to be an office cleaner?
What else can she do given her short memory span?
Don't sleep in anymore. Get up and go to school
I'm off to work
Remember the things you've to buy
Meiyu
What is it?
I'm going to a hawker centre to busk later
You can use the money to get yourself a handphone
No need. Stop disturbing me. I'm trying to sleep
I won't get cheated again
Don't forget to buy the things
Hui
Give me $100
My luck has been lousy
Auntie Lucy was here a few days ago
I paid $280 for you
I haven't got the utilities bill for this month yet
The gas is also running low
Ming gives his entire pay packet to you every month
Just say you won't give me a cent
Don't pretend to be broke
The sooner I'm gone, the better
I've to live with someone's attitude in order to play mahjong
You're wasting your effort
I've no more money for you
Where's the money you took the other day?
You spent it on dope?
Why have you become like this?
Mum
Lend me some money
I'll pay you back
How will you do that?
You only call me Mum when you want money
Give me money
I don't have any. You've taken every cent
Granny Cardboard
What happened, Granny Cardboard?
Yes?
I heard fighting in your flat
Your family fights, not mine
Mind your own business
So much for my kindness
My money! You can't take that
It's my nest egg
I'll pay you back
How will you do that?
You didn't give me a cent when you had money
You undutiful son
When you were a star,
you didn't even bother to come home
You didn't attend your dad's funeral either
You undutiful son
That's enough
That hurts
My nest egg
It's you
You're not taking it
What's the matter, Mummy?
Close the door! This has nothing to do with you
Who is he?
I told you to go inside
If you hurt my mum, you'll be sorry
Go inside and close the door
My nest egg
My money
Is he your son, Granny Cardboard?
Why are all the men so useless?
All you're capable of is making trouble and setting fire
Let us live, will you?
You'd even rob an old woman of her money
You're inhuman
You've a broken arm or a broken leg?
Can't you make your own money?
Look at Granny Cardboard
Despite being advanced in age,
she still collects cardboard and junk for a living
Every cent she makes is hard-earned
She only has rice and curry sauce for a meal
There isn't even a piece of potato
How can you still take her money?
Where's your conscience?
How can you still take her money?
Take it and...
you'll be struck by lightning
Have you no shame?
You know what shame is?
Crazy woman
Grandma, you don't have to...
stare daggers at us to be the supervisor
You're scaring us
Tell me
Is Guan A-li really the culprit who set fire?
No doubt about it, Aunt
Shameless fella
He's the rudest person in Dakota
Yet his name is A-li (polite)
It's "A"...
as in "ah long" (loan shark)
Who would be so stupid as to borrow money from a loan shark?
Certainly not me
So it's either you...
or you
I... - That's right
Be a man and own up
Nothing to be ashamed about. Just pay up. Right, Aunt?
What are you waiting for?
Say sorry to Aunt and everything will be fine
I was going to say I wouldn't borrow from a loan shark
Don't try to deny it
You were crying your heart out last night,
saying you borrowed a hefty sum from a loan shark
Just pay up and say sorry to Aunt
Oh yeah?
So it's...
you
Swordswoman lives up to her reputation
When she joined Scarlet Butterfly,
you were still a baby
You can't hide anything from her
Is she too sick to get up?
Guang
Why did you come back, Dad?
The doctor told me to
Had I stayed past twelve o'clock, I'd have to pay for an extra day
You stole toilet rolls from the hospital?
No. These rolls haven't run out yet
The toilet cleaner put in new rolls...
and wanted to dump these
We can use them for a runny nose
Only two boxes of toothpaste left. You didn't stock up on it?
Never mind about that. Go upstairs to rest
I'll tend the shop
I've had enough rest after being warded for three days
Where are you going, Dad?
I'll take the stock out
I've done that
Go upstairs to rest
I'll go up to have bread then
Your dad was overjoyed at having a son at an advanced age
Soon after you were born,
he got someone to "weigh" your destiny
You can "weigh" a person's destiny?
Sure
Lazy bum. I already poured it out for you
Never mind
Your destiny carries "weight"
The heavier it is, the more luxury you'll live in
So how heavy is his destiny?
Two liang two qian
The weight of a red bean paste bun?
What about two liang two qian</>?
Your destiny is like that of a red bean paste bun, what else?
Sit properly
You sit properly
What does two liang two qian mean?
I've stopped myself from telling you all these years...
as I didn't want to hurt you
But the more I look at you now,
the more I feel the fortune teller was spot on
I'd bettertell you
Two liangtwo qian is the fate of a beggar
You just picked a family at random to be born into?
Have a heart
Don't laugh at me. It's bad enough to be a beggar
Want me to go on?
No - Yes
Don't bother, Aunt
Never listen to fortune tellers
But your dad believed him
The fortune teller said you'd accomplish nothing,
and never be well-fed or well-clothed
Your dad sighed every day
He decided to give you to a friend with the surname Ye...
and change your name
Xiaoying sounds like a girl's name
Your name had been changed,
but you thought you were smart
You went further to change the xiao as in small to the xiaoas in daybreak
But destiny will be destiny
It's not easy to change it
Now, I only said it's not easy to change it
I didn't say it's impossible to do it
You can if you want to
That's not the point I'm trying to make...
but what I'm going to say next is
My great-uncle was too snobbish
If it wasn't the destiny of a beggar Uncle has...
but that of an emperor,
he'd have been treated as a treasure
Can't be helped. Your great-uncle was superstitious
You were seven then
You kept sneaking back to your own family...
but your dad would hit you and make you go back to the Ye family
Eventually, Fada's grandpa...
Stop
I'm confused
My grandpa is your husband...
who's also his uncle
OK, carry on
He felt sorry for you,
so he asked your dad and the Ye family...
to let you live with us
Some people think your dad was heartless...
to give you away just because you'd become a beggar
Truth is, he meant to change your destiny
It's awakening
Great-uncle went out of his way
It was how he got you reborn
Don't be ridiculous
To Great-uncle, Uncle was...
reborn as another man's son
He was hoping that would turn him from a beggar into an emperor
How many red bean paste buns have you eaten?
Three
What? Grandma was sharing a sad story with us
You could actually finish three red bean paste buns
Two actually, plus a char siew bun
I'm surprised you didn't lose your appetite
Listen to your story, will you?
Please, it sounds like...
a hackneyed TV serial
Am I talking about some TV serial?
I'm talking about you
You're in your 30s. Time's not on your side
Before you realise it, you'll be old and frail like me
I want you to prove yourself...
before the fortune teller's words come true...
and you become a beggar
Don't go on anymore, Aunt
Tears are welling up in his eyes
Uncle, you had two red bean paste buns and a char siew bun
You didn't really want them
You were just trying to hide your misery
Men should shed no tears
But it's OK if you really feel like crying
My foot! I'm fed up
I understand. Your story is so sad
You've every reason to be angry with your dad who's also my great-uncle
It's not my dad I'm angry with but that fortune teller
I'm not keen on anything now
There's only one thing I've in mind -
find that fortune teller
I'll get even with him
He's the one who's a beggar
I told you to prove yourself,
yet you said you weren't keen on anything
You want to get even with the fortune teller?
Sure! He went to meet his Maker ten years ago
Go find him
He went to meet his Maker
Yeah
Miss
Will you get up, miss?
You can't sleep here anymore
My dad's back
I can't let him find you
Guang
Check how many cartons there are...
of Haixing instant noodles
The number here is not clear
You've been discharged, Uncle Hai?
I've already been bled dry
Where's Guang?
In the storeroom
Are you feeling better?
The fever has come down a little
But I still feel a little giddy
Sorry, you can't stay here anymore
I understand
Sorry to have troubled you
I'll leave this minute
Are you all right?
Guang
I need to inform you that...
there's only $2.53 left in your account
You're white as a sheet
I can understand
$2.53 is all that you've got
You've every reason to turn pale
You didn't see it?
See what?
Sure you didn't see it?
Sure I did
It was a ghost
Mind you don't run into a female ghost
Am I dead?
I don't think so
How come nobody saw me then?
Never mind about that. You're in no condition to leave
Get some more rest. I'll work something out
Where did you get "that" from?
Huh? - What huh?
I pretended not to see it and you took me for a fool?
Is that woman a hooker?
No
I'm going to the library, Mum
Will you be home for dinner, Xiong?
No
You couldn't wake him, Mum?
I tried many times, but he just refused to get up
Can't be helped
Get up
Leave me alone
Get up
Go away! Don't be crazy
Zhang Weikang
When will you stop muddling along?
What?
Did you convey my message to him, Mum?
Yes, I did
What do you want?
I should be asking you
What do you want?
Stop nagging at me! You're such a pain
You...
When you feel blood rushing to your head,
and you're about to lose it,
recite an incantation,
"I'm going mad, going mad"
"I love Zhou Fada so much, I'm going mad"
I'm going mad, going mad
I love Zhou Fada so much, I'm going mad
No...
I don't love Zhou Fada at all
Crazy woman
Will you go away’?
Weikang
Take my advice
Get a job first...
to gain some working experience
You may just find your niche
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs...
and Mark Zuckerberg are good examples
They didn't go to uni,
but they still carved out a career for themselves
If you're really keen on going for higher education,
do a part-time course first
I know it's tough to study and work...
at the same time
But no pain, no gain, right?
Why are you staring at me?
Has she gone bonkers, Mum?
Don't talk like that, please
It gives me the creeps
Makes me feel like I'm in the North Pole
I'll throw you to the North Pole
That's enough
Don't give him a cent
Let's see how he'll cope
All right, go for your class
You think you're doing a good deed?
Not that
I just think she needs help
You fool
It's good to help others,
but you may just get yourself into serious trouble
You don't even know her name,
yet you brought her home
No, I brought her here
What's the difference?
If she's an illegal immigrant,
you'll be put behind bars
That won't happen. Why would I be jailed for doing a good deed?
Trust anything in this world but not humans
Wake up, will you?
This is no way to help others
But she's already here. What do I do now?
Throw her out, what else?
What is it? - She hasn't recovered
She lost her balance when she stood up
How do you know?
Maybe she was trying to win your sympathy
No, she wasn't
She was white as a sheet last night
So are female ghosts
You're bewitched by one
You're talking rubbish
Come on
People are no different from ghosts in this modern world
You may think a person is human, but turns out he's a ghost
And when you think he's a ghost, he's actually inhuman
There are ghosts among humans, and vice versa
Sometimes it's a human you see, and at other times, it's...
a ghost
Look who's talking. You scream like a ghost
And you look so unkempt
Are you any better?
You appeared out of nowhere
A pity you aren't the lead of a ghost movie
You were behaving sneakily
What were you whispering about in a corner?
We were talking about world matters
Don't be such a busybody
World matters, bah
Tell me about them
It's nothing new
Either you attack me or I shoot you
And if you make friends with others, I won't befriend you...,
that kind of thing
You're getting these, Teddy?
Mind your own business
You bum around and poke your nose into other people's affairs
Don't mix around with him, Guang. You'll become stupid
Oh please
She was spouting nonsense. Don't listen to her
And I've enough of your nonsense
You're leaving already, Teddy?
Should I stay here to chat with you instead?
Are you keeping something from me?
Look who's talking
You can't hide anything from me
Are you wooing some guy?
I was spot on
A woman is cheap when she takes the initiative
How do you know Weixiong is wooing some guy?
Sure I do
She hates soft drinks
They make her burp non-stop
It's like breaking wind
And she hates lemon-flavoured biscuits
She finds them artificial and yucky
But she's buying two cans of soft drinks and a box of lemon-ﬂavoured biscuits
She's also evasive
I bet she's up to something
Is Fada right about you, Weixiong?
No doubt about it
This is what we mean when we say...
a person has lost her tongue
My foot
Having read a few detective comic books...
doesn't make you a detective
So free to guess who's wooing who?
Go get a steady job instead
You breathe in air and...
take two bowls of rice per meal
It's a waste of resources
Keep the change
There's no change
Ghost! Where's the ghost?
Where is it? It...
Good morning
My mother-in-law isn't at home
I'm not looking for her
It's you I'm looking for
What do you want?
Nothing
Please leave then
I've rented a room nearby
I'm doing better than most poor folks
My luck is always good
I get wealth from both proper and improper channels
I'd even buy a luxury car for you
Why are you telling me all that?
You like luxury cars, don't you?
I saw you getting into a man's car the other day
Xie Xian - OK
Get in
Hello
You were too careless
Auntie Lucy saw you
I was...
Relax
I'm the only one who knows about it
I've settled it with Auntie Lucy for you
That man was my secondary school classmate
I just happened to run into him
I was your classmate too
We were in the same class
That's not true
We'll have a gathering one of these days
After that, we'll...
Get out
Stop pretending
A woman in her 40s has powerful libidos
Kang
What is it? I'm in the toilet
There's a....
You won't want to become a wanton woman
OK, chat with you another day
We'll find a place to...
Bye
I'm Fan Fangfang
You win, dude. Fann Wong's here in your shop
She's Fan Fangfang, not Fann Wong
You just found out her name?
Do you know his name then?
I've been calling him Boss
What are you waiting for? Introduce yourself
Hello, I'm Ou Jinguang
Everybody calls me Guang
When I was a kid, I was called Bare-it-all
But I didn't like it...
OK, remember
This is Fan Fangfang, not Fann Wong
You don't need her autograph or photo
That's Ou Jinguang who's utterly broke
You heard it. $2.53 is all he's got
That's about it
I'll lure Uncle Hai away. You get her out of here
Your friend thinks I'm trying to cheat you out of your money?
No. That's how he talks
I'm all right now. I'll be going
Sure you're all right?
Mr Ou...
Call me Guang
Guang?
I'll call you Brother Guang
Brother Guang
Thanks for helping me again and again
Here are some tea leaves from my hometown
No
Take it. It's just something to show my gratitude
Thanks
Come and take a look, Uncle Hai
Are these rat droppings?
You may go
Encore
Brother Big Brother
You sing very well, Meimei
Meiyu got you to come and sing for money again?
No. I got bullied the last time
She wouldn't let me come after that
I'm "selling" behind their backs
Wrong usage of the word "sell"
Don't ever say you're "selling" again, all right?
Got it
You said you were bullied. Who bullied you?
The nerve of him to do that on my turf
I can't remember
If you see him again, let me know, OK?
Carry on. I'm eating with my grandma
Grandma
Only leftovers for me?
The loan sharks are after us
You still expect a decent meal?
Look what you've got us into
We barely have anything to eat now
Finish your food and we'll go to the bank
Whatever for?
To draw money for him
I can't let the loan sharks go after him with a chopper
We're done for
Come, Meimei
Brother Big Brother, Granny Swordswoman, Brother Xiaoying
Can you sing Grandma is the Best
I only know Mum is the Best
Just change "mum" to "grandma"
Sing it for the great Granny Swordswoman
Grandma's the best
What's the matter?
What are you doing here?
I'm giving Meimei a treat, Li
Now, these aren't leftovers...
but the appetizers
Fish, meat and prawns will soon be served
Were you singing for money here?
I...
Don't try to deny it
Someone called me when I was working...
and said you were busking here
Are you so poor that you need to beg for money?
I wasn't begging for money
They gave it to me of their own accord
Have you no sense of shame?
Don't take it so badly, Lili. She's just singing
She doesn't realise she's been duped
Who put you up to it?
Nobody did. I wanted to do this
You're too stupid to come up with this idea
Who put you up to it?
It's really my idea
Stop lying! Take this - Li
This mic cost a lot of money
I got Meimei to do this
She sings well. Don't let her talent go to waste
She'll overcome her shyness and make money at the same time
Don't worry, I'll protect her on the sly
If the authorities or gangsters come,
I'll stand up for her, OK?
We'll split the money she makes 50/50
You rat
50/50 indeed
You're taking advantage of Meimei
Take this - Don't hit him anymore
Let's go
Please don't hit Brother Big Brother anymore
OK, I'll let him off for your sake
Forget it. Move
It's mine
Don't blame me. I only used 10% of my strength
Who's the culprit?
Aunt is, not me
Hi
You've a mirror?
Look at yourself in it
He asked me to look at myself in a mirror
Was he trying to snub me?
When did it get on my face?
This is what we mean when we say...
a person has lost her tongue
My foot
Lazy bum, you made a fool of me
Zhang Weixiong
You have coins?
What a coincidence. I was going to buy this
Can I have it?
This is my favourite too
Shall I?
OK
Tummy ache
When the bank is up ahead? It's too much of a coincidence
Can you choose when and where you poop?
I need the loo
Hold it
Is your timing so bad?
You've a tummy ache when you need to draw money
Are you leaving me in the lurch?
You want the loan sharks to come after me?
You want them to set fire tonight?
You want Aunt's flat to be set ablaze?
You want her to weep buckets?
Are you so irresponsible?
This is your responsibility
Don't push it onto me
You borrowed the money, so you should answer for it
Be reasonable
Don't hold an old lady and a promising young man responsible
Don't say I'm not helping
I'll call the police for you while I'm sitting on the throne
Hold it there
He's up to one of his tricks again, Aunt
Trying to divert attention again?
Don't tell me...
you've withdrawn every cent from the account?
Oh no
No way. The account is under both our names
He can't withdraw money without me
Hang on, Aunt
Does your joint account require...
two signatures or just one?
It's a fixed deposit account. What's that about one signature or two?
Scrimp and save from now on, Aunt
He's cheated you out of your money
Did you take the money or not?
No, I didn't take all the money
You don't have the guts
You're not listening
He said he didn't take all the money
That means there's probably just a dollar or two left in the account
Don't accuse me
Not a dollar or two but one, two hundred
From 20K down to one, two hundred?
Oh no
Don't worry, Grandma
I'll pay you back ten times the amount
Subtitles: S Lin, Mediacorp TV