[English subtitles are available.]
Winter Begonia
Episode 11
Bravo!
Bravo! Bravo!
I said that the performers are all indecent.
Mr. Cheng said that I’m inflexible.
After seeing this,
though I can’t judge other performers,
I’m sure that the Zhou on the stage
is not a decent lady.
Sis, this is
a performance.
But he
performs such
a sultry woman well.
He won’t be good in real life.
Arts are from life.
His real character is shown on the stage.
You know nothing.
A good performer
plays every role vividly.
Sis, you didn’t watch Ruan Lingyu’s movies.
She’s a decent lady
but she played the harlot well.
Chunxing. Mind your manner.
Mrs. Cheng, when I was in the water room...
Mrs. Cheng.
Nice.
What a theater.
The shows are both on and off the stage.
Go home.
Sis, there’s still another show.
I’m enough with the shows here.
Go. Give them the reward.
Wait.
Mr. Shang is a good actor
who plays Zou well.
This is what he deserves.
Tell me
when he plays Ms. Wang,
the old lady who incites
Pan Jinlian to seduce Ximen Qing,
I’ll come to watch. Go.
But...
Sis! Sis!
What?
I went out today.
Peking isn’t warmer than the northeast.
The packmen were selling frozen persimmons.
Don’t you care where I went?
Today...
I had many things.
Let’s talk about this tomorrow.
Where did you have fun?
Did you watch
the opera as well?
A rumor in Shuiyun Theater,
says that you don’t match Mr. Cheng.
The performers discussed how to seduce him
and take place of you.
Shang Xirui,
with a graceful figure
and a beautiful face,
puts himself into
the roles that he plays.
What a talented performer.
I’m shy of the compliment.
You are shy already?
Then cover your ears.
The rest words are more exaggerating.
Listen.
Shang Xirui’s voice and performance
are special in this world.
The spirits of the opera
are only
on this actor.
Me?
You.
OK.
Xiao Lai. Give Mr. Du award.
OK. He should be handsomely rewarded.
Look, you’ve gained weight,
but he still says that you have a graceful figure.
Have I gained weight?
Of course.
Look at this robe.
It was still loose on the Mid-autumn Festival.
But now, it’s almost burst.
You had
a lot of activities recently.
And after the activities, you had feasts.
Mr. Cheng called you
to have night snacks every day.
No wonder that you’ve put on weight.
You reminded me.
The tofu that I ate yesterday was really delicious.
I can still feel the cream.
You can stop.
I’m afraid that you can’t
even bow when worshipping the pioneer,
not to mention back bending.
Let me show you now.
Look carefully.
Alright. Alright.
You can stop
in case the robe becomes dirty again.
Is it hard to lose weight?
After playing martial arts plots for half a month,
I can become as thin as a monkey.
Layue, is the incense table ready?
Layue!
Stop calling him.
I asked him to buy fruits for the worship.
Where is Fengtai. Hasn’t he woken up?
He went out in the morning.
Have you known it?
I said it.
My brother invested in a troupe
without telling you.
This is what a playboy does.
It’s shameless.
I just settled the problem
with Cao Guixiu
and was going to tell you this.
Will you tell me?
He’s your brother.
Of course you’ll help him.
Look at you.
I swear I said the truth.
Every time you had a quarrel,
I always helped you.
OK, so how will you help me
this time?
If you like,
I’ll shout and hit him.
If these are not enough,
I’ll drive him out.
OK, I have your words.
Is this a big deal?
Call Chacha’er to have breakfast.
She needs to learn the discipline.
I saw her going to the back garden.
This is for you.
What’s this?
Bill for the meal. Take it.
The meal is free.
Take it.
It’s a gift to thank you.
No, I can’t take it.
I don’t accept gifts casually.
When you gave me money,
I accepted it without hesitation.
You liked to accept mine.
But I don’t like to accept yours.
It doesn’t make sense. Just take it.
My sister-in-law told me
that we never owe others.
I can’t accept your gift.
Our leader also said
that people in our troupe
are all upright.
We never owe others as well.
You must take it.
I... I can’t.
Take it.
-I can’t. Take it back. -Don’t refuse.
Take it.
I can’t.
I beg you. This is a gift for you.
What are you doing?
Hold it.
-Chacha’er! -Take it.
I was scared to death.
Fengtai.
Fengtai. Did you hear it?
Yes.
Your sister just watched an opera
at Shuiyun Theater.
It’s not a big deal.
She also knows
that we invested in the theater.
That’s fine.
I won’t bother to tell her.
Your sister didn’t quarrel with me last night,
which means it’s not hopeless at all.
Really?
Yes.
Fine.
I can be relived.
Made in America?
It’s a gift for Mr. Shang.
Let me have a taste.
I’ll buy him a new one.
How come you grab goodies from a child?
Greedy-guts.
Who’s a child?
He’s a man in twenties.
A child?
He’s innocent and friendly.
And he’s always frank.
Only a child behaves like that.
Pioneer,
I, Shang Xirui, worship you every year
with all kinds of food.
I never missed this ceremony.
I worship you with all my heart.
With your protection, we lived well
in Pingyang.
And now, our Shuiyun Theater also
needs your protection
to earn money for Mr. Cheng.
When the money is enough,
I’ll offer you a gold body and religious rites.
Won’t you introduce Mr. Cheng?
Otherwise the pioneer doesn’t know him.
Our pioneer is an immortal.
He knows everything
though we don’t tell him.
He must know
who you are.
Of course.
I was God of Wisdom in my last life.
When I was in heaven,
I worked with him in the palace.
Mr. Du, stop bragging.
Were you a colleague of our pioneer?
The worship hasn’t been finished! Be serious!
Behave yourselves in front of the pioneer.
Excuse me,
is Shang Xirui living here?
Mr. Shang. It’s here.
Mrs. Cheng. Mr. Shang is here.
Mr. Shang.
Good morning, Mrs. Cheng.
Thanks for remembering me.
You left before I finished the opera
War in Wan City that day.
So I didn’t thank you personally.
When we play another good opera,
I’ll ask my staff to give you a ticket.
What a good opera?
Will you really perform Ms. Wang?
I didn’t play that old woman.
I’m afraid that I can’t do it well.
But if you like,
I’ll perform that specially for you
when we have a rest.
Don’t pretend to be innocent.
Tell me.
Is there a performer named La Yuehong
in your theater?
Yes, there is.
Go.
Mrs. Cheng, this...
It is said that your Shuiyun Theater is full of elites,
but I think it’s full of thieves.
Look, he’s the typical one.
He went to our back garden secretly in the morning,
and molested Miss Cheng.
Did he try to steal things
or the lady?
I would call the police
and sue him for trespassing
if not given that he’s too young.
Leader, I didn’t steal anything.
Why did you go to Cheng Mansion?
Last time...
Mr. Shang. Question him carefully
after you’re back.
I’m even shamed
to hear the filthy things.
Mrs. Cheng, I need to make this clear
in front of the two parties.
Do you need to?
What else would a performer do
in my mansion without invitation?
This is slander!
Shut up!
Mrs. Cheng.
Why are performers labeled filthy people?
Look.
He’s so hot-tempered.
No wonder that my cousin-in-law
was bullied terribly in Pingyang.
Think about the most popular performers in Peking.
To buy opium,
Hou Yukui sold his assets and children.
He made his daughter who was 18
marry an old man aged 68.
What a ruthless man.
And Ning Jiulang
was born to be a slave.
After being driven out of the Palace,
he served in Qi Mansion.
And your dad...
What’s the name of your dad?
Mrs. Cheng, his name is Shang Juzhen.
He worked in a freight agent before.
He also went to our entertainment party once.
Shang Juzhen.
He kowtowed
even before performing.
He took a maid as a lady.
That maid was so embarrassed of it.
The popular performers
are all snobbish.
Fish begins to stink at the head.
So the young performers won’t be good.
They may commit something worse than stealing,
like murder or arson.
Take your little thief back.
Please go back, Mr. Shang.
Mrs. Cheng, your story is wrong.
Hou Yukui used opium
to relieve his pain,
not for pleasure.
Ning Jiulang served the royal family
and he was grateful to his master.
Why is he snobbish in your words?
Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen.
Look here, Mr. Chen.
Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen.
I like you!
Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen.
Please be quiet.
Be quiet.
Journalists ask questions first.
Then, you can take photos with Mr. Chen.
OK?
Mr. Chen gained appreciation of the emperor.
We are proud of you.
Besides the emperor,
the foreigners like your opera very much.
Mr. Chen, very good.
I’m flattered.
It’s time for photos.
Mr. Chen. Look here.
Alright. We need to finish.
Come on.
OK. OK. Please leave there.
We need to finish.
And me.
Thanks.
Look here.
The left.
OK.
Mr. Chen.
Thanks.
Look here.
Here, please.
Excuse me.
Thank you all.
Can I talk with Renxiang alone?
Come.
Mr. Chen.
Don’t go. Mr. Chen.
Don’t go.
Mr. Chen.
Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen.
Sorry.
Did you hear what I said?
-Yes. Yes. -Mr. Chen has something now.
I received 8 telegrams from you during 3 days.
I almost didn’t sleep
during the journey.
Don’t I need to take a breath?
They are my hard-die fans
from everywhere of our country.
I have no reason to leave now.
Wait me for a while.
Just wait.
I’ll be back later.
Come back.
How dare you ignore me after being popular?
Gosh.
When you were young,
-if my family... -If your family
hadn’t helped my mother and me,
we would end up dying from hunger
without being noticed.
I really appreciate it.
Let me kowtow to you.
No, no. Renxiang.
What are you doing?
OK, I know.
You don’t want to go back with me?
I’ll tell my aunt.
Adults don’t report anything to parents.
OK. I go back with you.
I’ll go back. Just wait a moment.
I’m sorry, everyone.
I have something important to do. See you.
Mr. Chen!
Sorry.
Mr. Chen! Don’t go!
Put my things at home
and tell my mother
that I’ll eat at my uncle’s place.
OK.
Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen!
Take care! Take care!
Xirui, this is too violent to me.
Leader.
Leader. The punishment is enough.
La Yuehong’s realized his mistake.
You can stop, leader.
Why did you go to Cheng Mansion
and do filthy things!
I didn’t do filthy things.
I did nothing wrong.
I just talked
with Miss Cheng.
You talked with her at the back garden?
Shame on you!
What did you talk with Miss Cheng?
You can talk with Mr. Cheng,
so why can’t I talk with Miss Cheng?
You won’t get away with it!
Yuehong. Don’t you want him to stop?
-Leader. -Leader.
What happened?
Mr. Cheng. Mr. Cheng.
When I entered your lane,
I heard the cry and the shout.
It’s good that you are here.
Hurry.
Stubborn boy. Take him back to his room.
Hurry. Hurry.
Hurry up.
Hurry.
Take care.
Go.
How stubborn he is.
Hurry. Hurry.
What are you doing?
Mr. Cheng, I’ll hand over our profits
every month.
Just wait for it at home.
Please don’t come to our filthy place anymore
in case I offend Mrs. Wealth.
Mr. Shang!
Mr. Cheng. Mr. Shang said it clearly.
Please go back now.
Xiao Lai.
What on earth happened?
I’ll return this as well.
Ask your
eloquent Mrs. Cheng about it.
This opera performer?
I gave him American cookies,
but he gave me a cold-shoulder.
Dad.
Uncle. Sorry that I’m late.
Wish you well.
It’s good that you are safe and sound.
Stand up. The floor is cold.
Hurry up.
Stand up.
I didn’t let you kneel
even when you played Susan in your childhood.
Come to have lunch.
My dad is always good to you.
Only three of us.
These are all your favorite.
When you left,
the door was with a bamboo curtain,
through which we could see the pomegranate.
And now, we’ve hung the cotton curtain.
The old people always feel that
time flies by.
One day I’ll leave
you two and
this troupe ever.
This is what I worry about.
Uncle, don’t say that.
You are still spirited.
Seems that you are stronger than me.
No.
I’m old.
For the one year that you left,
even a young boy dares to offend me.
Who?
You are the chairman of the Opera Association.
Does anyone dare to be against you?
Yes.
Shang Xirui.
He was popular even when you were here.
After you left,
he’s drawn all the attention.
He plays operas back-to-back.
Other performers even don’t have a stage.
Look at the newspaper.
Shang Xirui intends to be the king of opera.
Look. How arrogant he is!
I called you back
because of him.
Cheng Fengtai
started his business again with his wife’s dowry.
Of course he’s henpecked.
Wait and see.
If he
argues with his wife,
your theater will go up in smoke.
I’m serious.
Mr. Cheng is not reliable.
What you’ll rely on is still me.
Mr. Du.
Can you persuade Commander Cao
or buy us a theater?
After writing a new play,
you were almost driven out by Du Hanlin.
Maybe one day
you’ll sleep
in our Shuiyun Theater.
Yes.
Shijiu.
You really need to prepare a room for me.
OK. OK.
It’s not time to argue.
Leader. You refused
Mr. Cheng to go in Shuiyun Theater.
It’s fine if
you don’t feel guilty.
His wife scolded me,
so why should I feel guilty?
-Mr. Cheng... -Leader... -Stop!
He’s our God of Wealth.
Those who come from wealthy families
always look down on us.
He made rules once he took over Shuiyun.
Also, he let us sign the contract.
Now, everything has been finished,
but he’s gone.
-Yes, leader. -Leader.
-How about our contract? -He’s gone.
This is what I’ll say.
Leader, will you still use the regulation
made by him?
Yes.
What’s the regulation?
These new rules.
Have you forgotten?
First,
no one can use the money of our theater.
What? This is weird.
What if we get diseases?
-What should we do? -This is good.
Do you understand?
You have no room for greediness.
Next.
Second, the performers
will get 8 dollars every month.
-And the surplus is the Performance. -Only 8 dollars?
Performance?
What does it mean?
Who knows
the terms of business?
This means
that everyone will get the same payment,
which is 8 dollars.
Really?
It’s even less than the half of our previous salary.
That’s not enough to buy alcohol.
Stop complaining!
I’ll give you bonus at the end of the year.
-Do we have bonus? -It’s nice.
-Bonus? -Bonus?
Next!
Next,
young or old,
everyone has a chance to step on the stage.
Really?
-We’ll step on the stage? -Make an arrangement.
Why?
Dream on.
How can you step on the stage?
Are you qualified?
In your dreams.
Yes.
How can you perform?
I don’t need to explain it.
The freshmen who studies opera well
will have a chance to show themselves.
It’s deal.
Go back.
I’ll discuss the new play with Mr. Du.
Don’t bother us.
But, leader...
-Think it over. -Thanks, leader.
Thanks, leader.
OK. Go back.
It’s really 8 dollars, leader?
Stage, I’m coming!
Yes.
How can you do it well?
You’ve almost finished it.
Come on. I don’t like to eat.
Too sweet.
We all know that
Shang Xirui is annoying.
But his biggest problem is adapting operas.
I watched Hero Li Jun adapted by him.
It’s quite fresh.
I don’t think it’s a problem.
Of course it’s a problem.
You don’t know that
it becomes further intensified during the one year.
Adapt opera randomly.
He shows no respect to the tradition.
My dad coughed after seeing that.
It is rude.
He can’t do it randomly.
The classic operas
are like Bibles.
Is Shang Xirui
wiser than our ancestors?
So,
I was called back
to stop Shang Xirui
adapting operas?
Uncle, you are a senior.
He doesn’t even listen to you.
How can I stop him?
Also,
Shang Xirui has a bad temper.
He may hurt me.
I won’t get myself involved.
Look how coward you are.
He’ll be punished by audiences for it.
We don’t need to bother.
I asked you back
because I want you
to compete against him.
Do you dare?
Do you understand?
How about I read it for you?
No need. I’ve remembered.
I can even recite what you shouted
to me when you entered.
Stop showing off.
I know you have a good memory.
I trust you.
Tell me.
Which play do you like?
You like none of the three?
Your stories
are almost the same.
They are all about loyalty,
steadfastness,
filial piety,
or family.
We can find the shadow of other plays.
Not interesting.
You are so picky.
Tell me
what kind of story is interesting?
I want a role
never shown in opera.
I also want to create such a role,
but the audiences may not like it.
Why the popular plays are popular?
Because most people like it.
Also, they’ve watched them for many years.
Audiences are used to
the old stories.
If we create
a new role,
will it be
well received?
The republic took place of Qing Dynasty.
The president took place of the emperor.
People’s hair style and clothes are all changed.
Why can’t we change the roles
in opera?
What’s more, all plays are created by artists.
Our ancestors could make good plays.
Why can’t we?
Also,
you are my star of wisdom.
I will make it!
Nice!
I’m really touched.
Let me show you something good.
Look at it.
I wrote this
when we just met.
For three years,
I modified it many times.
Keep a secret from me?
Zhao... Zhao Fei...
Zhao Feiyan.
Yan for Yangtze.
Yes, she’s a maid in the palace at first.
But finally she becomes the queen.
I tell you.
The emperor was charmed by her.
For her, he doesn’t have offspring
and also loses his life.
Is it dramatic?
Of course. It’s her.
But the point
is that
Zhao Feiyan
dances on the palm,
which is not easy to perform.
In this story,
Zhao Feiyan
can dance on the palm.
I’m trapped in this plot.
Is dancing hard?
Concubine Yang’s dance
is tricky enough,
but I perform it well.
It’s just dancing on the palm.
But they are different.
The emperor has affection to her
because of her dance.
And this makes the play unique.
Think of an idea.
Indeed, it’s hard.
Let me think of it.
Dancing on the palm?
Leader.
Chen Renxiang comes.
Isn’t this bastard in the northeast?
He’s already back?
What a Greek gift.
Will he borrow money? I need to hide away.
I also need to hide away.
This bastard can do anything.
Don’t.
Don’t hide yourselves.
He’s at the door
and said that he has something serious.
Come and see.
The emperor is not tall.
I can even see the top of his head.
Really?
-He’s thin but hot-tempered. -Really?
Do you know what he asked me first?
Why didn’t your uncle come?
He performed Sweet Dew Temple well.
Look how triumphant
this bastard is.
When my uncle performed that opera,
he wasn’t born.
How could he know that my uncle did well?
Right?
Mr. Chen, how are you?
Mr. Shang.
Mr. Shang,
It was fine that you didn’t care your look.
But now you are a star
and a bigwig of our opera.
You should pay attention to your appearance.
Look at your hair.
So messy.
Could you use some hair lotion?
Don’t touch me. I’ll be angry with you.
What brings you by?
I won’t come
without a serious thing.
I don’t even want you see you
in rags.
Your leader
is an attraction of your troupe.
He needs to dress up.
No one can persuade him.
Mr. Chen.
Come to the point.
Mr. Du.
I didn’t notice you due to him.
Stop. Say your thing out.
Mr. Shang,
how did you offend my uncle?
He asked me back from thousands of miles away
just to let me compete against you.
Really?
I agreed with it.
So it depends on your attitude.
We perform separately.
Why should I compete against you?
The audience seats are limited in Peking.
A ticket is quite expensive.
If the audiences watch you this week,
they can’t watch others.
Grabbing others’ job is like killing their parents.
Don’t you think this is a reason?
If so,
did our leader kill
Jiang Shourong’s parents?
Then he also killed
Jiang Dengbao’s parents?
Jiang Shourong
was also killed?
What s disaster.
I’m right here.
Mr. Shang?
Since he asked for a competition, I’ll accept it.
I have a new play.
It will be shown on the competition stage.
It’s still up in the air.
How come you show this play?
How to decide on a result?
It’s easy.
We perform
at the same time.
The one who attracts more audiences at the end wins.
It’s not interesting without a wager.
What’s the punishment for the loser?
The loser can’t step on the stage for a year.
A year is too long.
That’s fine.
I’ll add one more.
Mr. Shang.
You’ll lose much.
Are you sure that I’ll lose?
Of course.
What I add is
that the loser will shave his hair.
Shave hair?
This is good.
We need to add it
because your uncle is Jiang Rongshou.
Do you think so?
Yes.
Shave hair! Shave hair!
A good punishment.
Xirui.
How naughty you are.
He was scared to death.
Because he judged my hair.
What’s wrong with my hair?
I look better than him after making up.
Leader, I fear we don’t have enough time for the new play.
Yes, leader. We can’t memorize lines quickly.
But I told him so.
I never break my words.
This is not my own business.
This relates the honor of Shuiyun Theater.
So please work harder.
Leader, how about playing our forte?
It can be a new play after being adapted.
I repeat it. We’ll play a new opera.
Don’t think about falsification.
OK, go back.
Leader.
Go back.
Chop, chop.
-Go. -But...
Including you.
It’s determined!
We must make it.
As your star of wisdom,
I must work miracles.
It’s settled.
Do as what I say.
It has an intermission.
I’ll control it within 40 minutes.
The lines and tones are pieces of cake.
But that dance...
Trust is mutual.
Polish your script.
I’ll practice the dance.
It looks gorgeous on you.
What’s the use?
No one would like to look.
I would like to. I like it so much.
Be serious.
OK.
Put performers aside.
But you know how Shang Xirui
bullied Jiang Mengping.
How come you still
open a theater for him?
It’s not only for him.
I think Peking opera is an art.
So I want to do a good thing.
Only good people deserve good things.
Is Shang Xirui a good man?
He’s full of tricks.
He also asked actors to
accost your younger sister.
How come you are still in a dream?
Who? Accosted Chacha’er?
No way.
I said the truth.
They tricked the brother,
and now they target the sister.
Shang Xirui
will destroy our family.
You can’t even get a concubine from the troupe.
Why don’t you feel them dirty?
A dirty performer
went to our back garden
secretly in the morning,
and also molest my young sister.
Did he try to steal things
or the lady?
What else would a performer do
in my mansion without invitation?
Fish begins to stink at the head.
So the young performers
won’t be good.
They may commit something worse than stealing,
like murder or arson.
Take your little thief
back.
From now on,
I won’t be with you.
Take care of yourself.
As opera performers, youth is what we live on.
But youth fleets.
This is the best result that I can get.
My fate can’t be changed.
You must seize chances
to live a better life.
The day breaks from the drums.
Spring comes to Warmness Palace.
What are you laughing for?
Shijiu. Did you make a mistake?
The lines are weird.
Do you know opera?
It’s not “the day breaks”, but “the sun rises”.
Leader said the punishment is a slap
if we sing one word wrong.
I’ll give you a slap now.
Focus on your butt.
Mr. Du, you are the writer.
Did I say it wrong?
As long as
the line hears smooth.
Do you think it’s smooth?
Here. Read it again.
The one who decides it
is still our leader.
Good. You are all earlier than me.
Leader, good morning.
Today, we’ll select the performers
for Zhao Feiyan.
Everyone works hard
for it.