Scene 31 – Dusk Scene
Characters: Shi Aiyu, Laiji
Time: Dusk (after school)
Location: Entrance of Xianglin Junior High School

△ Laiji walks out of the gate of Xianglin Junior High School, with Shi Aiyu following behind him.

Aiyu: (jogging lightly) “Laiji, wait for me a moment.”

Laiji: (turns around) “Teacher, what is it?”

Aiyu: (smiling) “Teacher submitted the drawing you made last time to a competition.”

Laiji: (happy) “Really?”

Aiyu: “But they need an introduction from the artist, so Teacher wants to ask under what circumstances you drew it.”

Laiji: “Because I don’t like my dad going into the forest with those bad friends to cut trees. The tribespeople will scold him for that.”

Aiyu: “Oh! You don’t like your father doing this kind of thing, right?”

Laiji: (nods) “Yeah! My dad also told those bad friends that next year during fog season they were going to cut trees again.”

Aiyu: “Mm! You’re a very good boy.”

Laiji: (worried) “Teacher, if my dad cuts down all the trees, then won’t the animals in the forest have nowhere to go?”

Aiyu: (probing tone) “Then you should tell your father when you go home! Ask him not to go steal trees with those bad friends anymore. That’s against the law, and the police will arrest him.”

Laiji: “Teacher, when I go home I’ll definitely tell my dad not to do illegal things anymore.”

Aiyu: “That’s right! To celebrate your drawing being entered into the competition, Teacher will treat you to shaved ice.”

Laiji: “Great! I really like shaved ice.”

Scene 32 – Night Scene
Characters: Yabu, Shima (Yabu’s wife), Laiji
Time: Night
Location: Yabu’s House

△ Dinner time.

Shima: (at the dining table) “Laiji, dinner’s ready. What are you doing? Come eat quickly.”

Laiji: (walks to the dining table and glares at Yabu) “Hmph!”

Shima: “Why are you being rude to your father? Sit down and eat quickly.”

Laiji: “Mom, let me tell you. A few days ago during art class at school, Teacher asked us to draw the forests of our hometown.”

Shima: “Laiji, then what did you draw?”

Laiji: (deliberately loudly) “Logging!”

Yabu: (looks up at Laiji) “Why draw logging for no reason? You could have drawn something else.”

Shima: “That’s right! Laiji, your father is right. Why did you think of drawing logging?”

Laiji: “Because some people only care about their own interests, so they want to illegally cut timber. I don’t want all our forests to disappear.”

Yabu: (stands up and points at Laiji) “What did you say? Who taught you to speak like that?”

Shima: “What’s wrong with you? Laiji isn’t wrong either! Why are you so nervous? Could it be that you…”

Yabu: “Wasn’t I doing this for the sake of this family?”

Shima: “What do you mean for the sake of this family? Don’t forget the mistakes you made before! The tribespeople still haven’t forgiven you, and now you’re actually going with outsiders to steal timber.”

Yabu: “What do women know? The things you eat, drink, and use now are much better than before, aren’t they? Besides, working with the Han Chinese is better than staying home starving.”

Shima: (crying) “But stealing timber is illegal work. If the police arrest you, how will Laiji and I survive?”

Laiji: “I also heard Dad telling those friends that next year during fog season they were going to log trees again! The tribespeople will definitely look down on us.”

Shima: (grabs Yabu’s arm with both hands) “Listen to him, just listen! Even the child is more sensible than you. I’m begging you, please stop doing illegal things, okay?”

Yabu: “You, let go of me!”

Shima: “I’m begging you, stop doing it.”

Yabu: (pushes Shima away) “I’m furious. I can’t even eat one peaceful meal.”

△ Yabu walks to the doorway and smokes gloomily.

Scene 33 – Night Scene
Characters: Wu Lili, Gao Yingxiong, Several Students, Dozens of Tribespeople
Time: Night
Location: Plaza of Tefuye Village (Campfire Party)

△ Gao Minghui has every student change into traditional Tsou clothing.

Minghui: “Miss Lili, these clothes were specially prepared for all of you. Put on our Tsou clothing and sing and dance together with everyone.”

Xiaomei: “Wow! Such beautiful clothes. Little Ding-Dong, this one really suits you, and it even has a headdress. Try it on.”

Ding-Dong: “This red one is pretty nice. Let me see if it fits.”

Xiaotong: (laughing, pointing at Little Ding-Dong) “How strange! When you wear this one, you really look like a round little Ding-Dong.”

Ding-Dong: (embarrassed) “I’d better change it and try another one.”

Xiaomei: “Don’t change it. It’s really cute like this.”

Aya: “Daming, why don’t you try wearing this headdress?”

Daming: “Okay.”

Yingxiong: “This leather cap is one of the major characteristics of our Tsou tribe! Look, the feathers decorating the hat symbolize a warrior.”

Aya: (deliberately teasing) “Daming, then you’re a man among men! The bravest warrior!”

Aya: (pulls Daming’s hand) “They’re dancing up ahead. Daming, let’s go dance!”

Daming: “Xiaomei, Little Ding-Dong, come dance with us too.”

Ding-Dong: “No way! I haven’t eaten enough yet. I’m waiting for the roasted wild boar meat to be served.”

Xiaotong: “Eat, eat, eat! If you go one day without eating, it’s like the end of the world for you.”

Ding-Dong: (laughing) “My parents gave me life, but Xiaotong truly understands me.”

Xiaotong: “Stop flattering yourself.”

Minghui: “Little brother, the wild boar meat isn’t cooked yet! Eat this jerky first. Our tribespeople often use this meat as a snack when hunting.”

Ding-Dong: (eating with great enjoyment) “Chief, what kind of meat is this? It tastes even better than pork.”

Minghui: (smiling strangely) “Flying… squirrel… meat.”

Ding-Dong: (makes a vomiting motion) “What? Flying squirrel meat.”

△ Lili covers her mouth and bursts into laughter together with the students.

Lili: “Chief, your warm hospitality has given my students and me such a joyful time.”

Minghui: (smiling) “You’re always welcome to come again!”

Lili: “Actually, I would first like to ask for the chief’s permission…”

Minghui: (surprised) “What is it? Please speak, Miss Lili.”

Lili: (requesting) “I heard that the restoration of the Formosan dace population in Danayigu of Shanmei Village in Dabang Village has been very successful. Tomorrow, after I send my students down the mountain, I’d like to return and ask Yingxiong to accompany me to Danayigu. I wonder if Yingxiong would be willing to accompany me a little longer?”

Minghui: (laughing loudly) “My son is familiar with the mountain paths, and our family is also good friends with the Pu family of Dabang Village. Let him accompany you there.”

Yingxiong: (surprised) “Amo (Tsou language: Father), I still have to patrol the mountains.”

Minghui: “Miss Lili is a guest from afar. We cannot be discourteous. Just take some time to accompany her on a trip to Danayigu.”

Students: (cheering) “Teacher, come quickly! There are such beautiful fireflies here!”

Lili: (happily) “Really? Okay, I’m coming.”

△ Wu Lili happily runs off to chase fireflies together with the students.

Scene 34 – Dusk Turning into Night Scene
Characters: Wu Lili, Gao Yingxiong
Time: Dusk → Night
Location: Dabang Village (Danayigu in Shanmei Village)

△ Gao Yingxiong takes Wu Lili to Danayigu to see the dace fish. Coincidentally, both of them are wearing light blue tops and jeans, looking just like a couple.

Yingxiong: “Miss Lili…”

Lili: (shyly) “Yingxiong, just call me Lili.”

Yingxiong: (blushing, stammering) “Oh, okay, Li… Li…”

Lili: (happily) “Such a crystal-clear stream.”

△ Lili grabs Yingxiong’s arm with one hand and removes her shoes with the other while stepping onto the rocks.

Yingxiong: “Our Danayigu has a stream eighteen kilometers long. Originally it was just an obscure creek, yet it is the home of the mountain dace fish. Before conservation awareness was established in the 1980s, the ecology here faced destruction, causing the stream fish to suffer merciless slaughter, and the fish population sharply declined.”

Lili: (absent-mindedly) “Mm.”

Yingxiong: “Lili, alright. You look completely distracted.”

Yingxiong: (pulls Lili up) “I’ll walk through the stream with you.”

Lili: (excited) “Thank you, Yingxiong.”

Lili: (astonished, shouting) “Fish, there are fish! Such a huge school swimming around. Are those all dace fish?”

Yingxiong: (smiling) “Mm, a fish species unique to Taiwan’s streams.”

Lili: “Ah! The stream water is so cool and refreshing. I want to go swimming in it.”

Yingxiong: “Be careful not to catch a cold.”

△ Lili removes her shorts and long pants. Underneath she is wearing a one-piece swimsuit. Lili walks into the water.

Yingxiong: (laughing) “So you came prepared.”

Lili: (swimming back and forth) “Yingxiong, come down and play in the water with me!”

△ Yingxiong removes his shirt, sets down his backpack, and jumps into the stream to swim.

△ The camera shifts toward several dace fish leisurely swimming in the water.

△ Not long afterward, a sudden rumble of thunder comes from the distance.

△ Lili, startled while in the water, loses her footing and falls, choking on water. Yingxiong immediately wraps one arm around her, and Lili throws herself into Yingxiong’s embrace.

Yingxiong: “We need to leave the valley immediately. Listen, it’s thundering. Rain comes quickly in the mountains, and the stream water will rapidly surge.”

Lili: (coughing) “Okay.”

Yingxiong: (brushes aside the wet hair hanging over Lili’s face) “You… you… caught a cold?”

Lili: (blushing) “N-no. I just choked on water.”

△ Heavy rain begins to fall, and the two come ashore to put on their clothes.

Yingxiong: “There’s a treehouse nearby where we can shelter from the rain. Let’s go there first.”

△ Yingxiong grabs Lili’s hand and runs toward the forest.

Scene 35 – Night Scene
Characters: Gao Yingxiong, Wu Lili
Time: Night
Location: Elevated Treehouse in the Forest

△ While running, Lili accidentally steps on a venomous snake and is bitten in return. Lili stops, and Yingxiong also stops.

Lili: (bends down) “What bit me? It hurts so much!”

△ Gao Yingxiong bends down to examine Lili’s calf.

Yingxiong: “A venomous snake bit you. Don’t panic first. I have a way to treat it.”

Lili: (frightened) “Am I going to die? We’re out here in the wilderness.”

Yingxiong: “Don’t scare yourself. I’ll first tie above the wound, help you into the treehouse, and then go find antidote herbs.”

△ Gao Yingxiong helps pull Lili into the treehouse. Both of them are soaked wet.

Yingxiong: “I’m going nearby to look for herbs. Don’t lie down yet. Just lean back and rest first.”

Lili: “You have to come back quickly. I’ll be scared.”

△ Gao Yingxiong leaps down from the treehouse in a few strides and rushes into the pouring rain. Lili watches black blood flow from the wound on her calf, and tears cannot help filling her eyes. Lili no longer dares to look and closes her eyes, listening to the pattering rain sounds. (Fade out.)

△ The camera fades back in. Yingxiong returns carrying several leaves.

Yingxiong: (panting) “I found some Podophyllum pleianthum leaves. This herb is what we rely on to treat snake venom.”

Lili: “You’re completely soaked through.”

Yingxiong: “I’ll treat your wound first. It’s going to hurt a bit, so you’ll need to endure it.”

△ Yingxiong takes out the dagger he carries with him, takes a mouthful of millet wine, and sprays it onto the blade. He lifts Lili’s calf.

Yingxiong: “Lili, turn your face away.”

△ Fade out.

△ The camera fades back in. Yingxiong applies the mashed Podophyllum pleianthum leaves onto the wound, tears off a sleeve, and bandages the wound.

Lili: “It feels cool. It doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

Yingxiong: “I already squeezed all the venom out. With this herb applied, the swelling will go down quickly.”

Lili: “You said this is called Podophyllum pleianthum?”

Yingxiong: “It itself is poisonous, and it can neutralize snake venom. Wherever venomous snakes appear, you can usually find Podophyllum pleianthum nearby. Rest for a while first. There’s a fire basin and some dry wood in the house. I’ll light a fire to dry our clothes. You… you… take off your clothes and… and pants…”

△ Beneath Lili’s light-colored shirt, the outline of her perfectly shaped breasts is faintly visible, leaving Yingxiong at a complete loss. Yingxiong turns away, not daring to look again, and sits at the doorway waiting to take the clothing.

Lili: (laughing secretly) “Oh, you’re asking me to take off my clothes and pants? Then wouldn’t you see everything? Is this how Tsou warriors court girlfriends?”

Yingxiong: (blushing, scratching his head, stammering) “Ah! S-sorry.”

Lili: (laughing secretly) “Then I’m really going to take off my clothes for you. But there are lots of mosquitoes and bugs here, and I won’t have any clothes on. Can you bear letting mosquitoes bite me?”

△ Lili hands all the clothes she is wearing to Yingxiong. When their hands touch, Lili slowly withdraws her hand from Yingxiong’s grasp.

Yingxiong: “I’ll dry your clothes inside the house. Put on my shirt first.”

Lili: “Then turn your head away. No peeking allowed.”

Yingxiong: “Okay, I won’t look.”

△ Yingxiong takes out a fire starter and quickly lights a fire basin, hanging both of their clothes on a wooden rack to dry.

Lili: “Yingxiong, why don’t you go down the mountain to work in the city? Being a forest patrol officer here earns less than thirty thousand a month. How will you support a wife in the future?”

Yingxiong: “There’s no other reason. I simply love this place.”

Lili: “Then do you know why I came into the mountains to conduct resource surveys?”

Yingxiong: “Weren’t you here to do research?”

Lili: “Not entirely. Research is only an excuse. The truth is, I became tired of city life. The reason I chose to study abroad was to escape from my father.”

Yingxiong: (confused expression) “Escape from your father? Doesn’t your father treat you well?”

Lili: “Ever since my father entered politics, he’s become fanatically involved in all kinds of political activities. He hoped I would become his capable assistant and someday inherit his position.”

Yingxiong: “Oh? Then he’s really forcing things on you. After all, your ambitions aren’t in that direction.”

Lili: “Exactly! I like being close to nature, living freely in the mountains and wilderness like your tribespeople.”

Yingxiong: (concerned) “Lili, does the wound still hurt?”

Lili: (shivering) “It still hurts a little.”

Yingxiong: “Are you cold?”

Lili: (voice slightly weaker) “Mm, a little.”

Yingxiong: “There’s a bottle of millet wine in my backpack. I’ll get it for you to drink. But don’t drink too fast. This wine tastes sweet and sour and goes down easily, but it’s very strong.”

△ Lili takes out the millet wine and, following Yingxiong’s instructions, takes small sips to warm her body.

Lili: “Yingxiong, the weather is getting cold. You should drink some too.”

Yingxiong: “Mm.”

△ The two drink several mouthfuls of millet wine and become slightly intoxicated.

Yingxiong: “Lili, in my impression, rich young ladies like you have been pampered since childhood, dressed in fine clothes and eating luxurious food, like canaries kept in cages, unaware of how beautiful the natural world outside truly is.”

Lili: (smiling) “Really? Actually, my personality is quite wild. My father could never keep me confined. Otherwise I wouldn’t have run into the deep mountains.”

Yingxiong: “Oh? I thought you were like those other rich young ladies.”

Lili: “Come on! Don’t treat me like a canary raised in a birdcage.”

Yingxiong: “I’ll sing one of our Tsou hunting songs for you, and then you’ll understand why I love living in the mountains.”

Lili: (moved) “Okay! I want to hear it…”

△ Yingxiong sings a hunting song, the melody lofty and powerful, his singing voice echoing throughout the mountain valley.

Lili: (moves closer on her own and leans against Yingxiong’s shoulder) “Your singing voice is like heavenly music. It’s truly beautiful.”

Yingxiong: (his heart stirred) “Lili, I… I want to sing another song for you. I’ve never sung this song for any other girl before.”

Lili: (moved and curious) “What song?”

Yingxiong: “Listen first. Then afterward tell me what you understood from it.”

△ Yingxiong slowly sings a slow Tsou love song. The melody is lingering and melodious, and his magnetic voice is filled with emotion.

Lili: (moved, crying softly, tenderly) “Mm, I understand. Why did you sing this love song for me?”

△ Lili rises to her knees, gazing deeply into Yingxiong’s eyes.

Yingxiong: “I… I don’t know…”

Lili: (lightly presses a finger against Yingxiong’s lips) “No, you don’t need to explain…”

△ Lili bends down and kisses Yingxiong.

△ Their entwined silhouettes. Frog croaks, insect chirping. Light rain, the sound of flowing stream water.

△ The camera slowly pulls farther away, then gradually moves closer again. In the stream, two dace fish chase each other playfully.

Scene 36 – Dusk Scene
Characters: Wang Mei-Hsiu, Wu Li-Li, Chou Tien-You
Time: Dusk
Location: Living Room of Wu Tien-Liang’s Luxury Mansion

△The car drives into the courtyard of Wu Tien-Liang’s mansion. Chou Tien-You gets out and opens the rear door. Wu Li-Li quickly walks into the hall.

Li-Li: (casually throws her handbag onto the sofa and is about to head upstairs) “Mommy, Mommy.”

Mei-Hsiu: (standing behind Wu Li-Li and lightly patting her shoulder) “Li-Li, Mommy is here.”

Li-Li: (turns around and hugs her) “Mommy.”

Mei-Hsiu: “I missed you to death, Li-Li. Did you miss Mommy?”

Li-Li: “Of course I did, Mommy.”

Mei-Hsiu: “Then stay home a few more days this time.”

Li-Li: (suddenly realizing) “Mommy, weren’t you sick?”

Mei-Hsiu: “When was I sick? If I hadn’t told Tien-You to trick you into coming home, would you have come back?”

△Wu Li-Li glares at Chou Tien-You.

Tien-You: “It was Madam’s idea! I merely followed her instructions.”

Mei-Hsiu: “That’s right! Don’t blame Tien-You. Li-Li, come sit in the living room. We mother and daughter haven’t chatted in such a long time.”

Li-Li: (suspiciously) “Mommy, I don’t think asking me to come home and stay a few days is all there is to it.”

Mei-Hsiu: (smiles) “You guessed correctly.”

Li-Li: (pouting) “Mommy, what exactly is going on?”

Mei-Hsiu: “Alright, no more joking around. Seriously, this time we called you back because we want you to go on a blind date.”

Li-Li: “A blind date? No way! If anyone wants to go on a blind date, Mommy can go herself.”

Mei-Hsiu: “Li-Li, stop acting childish. You’re already twenty-eight years old. If we keep you by our side any longer, you’ll become an old maid. Your father has wanted to introduce you to Uncle Shih-Chieh’s son for a long time.”

Li-Li: “You mean that gecko from the Fan family?”

Mei-Hsiu: “How can you describe him so unpleasantly?”

Li-Li: “I’m not wrong. His name is Fan Pi-Hu. He stays silent forever and is such a boring guy. He’s totally not my type.”

Li-Li: (shyly) “Besides, I…”

Mei-Hsiu: “What? Could it be you already have someone you like?”

Li-Li: (blushing) “Mm.”

Mei-Hsiu: “What kind of work does he do? Our family must be well matched in social status. If he’s just an ordinary employee or low-ranking civil servant, your father will never agree.”

Li-Li: (impatiently) “What era is this? You still care about matching family backgrounds? Anyway, he’s a very knowledgeable person.”

Mei-Hsiu: “Then when are you bringing him home for your parents to meet?”

Li-Li: (pretending to be mysterious) “He’s very busy. I’ll find a time to bring him home for Mommy to meet.”

Scene 37 – Day Scene
Characters: Chou Tien-You, Chien Ta-Fa, Yabu
Time: Day (Morning)
Location: Forest, Clinic Examination Room

▲Yabu leads Chien Ta-Fa and Chou Tien-You along a forest trail. Tien-You has a single-lens camera with a long telephoto lens hanging around his neck. While looking up at the towering trees, he loses focus for a moment and steps into the grass with his right foot, which gets caught in a bear trap.

Tien-You: “Ow! My mother! This hurts like hell!”

Ta-Fa: (moves closer) “Second Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

Tien-You: (painful expression, rolling up his pant leg) “A bear trap! Which bastard put this here? I’m definitely going to kill him!”

Yabu: “Sorry, I forgot to remind you two. There are bear traps everywhere around here.”

Ta-Fa: “Damn, why are you only saying that now!?”

Yabu: “Stop blowing up first. I’ll quickly pry open the trap and help Second Brother get free.”

△Yabu steps on the trap to force it open and lifts Tien-You’s foot out.

Ta-Fa: “In this godforsaken place, where the hell would there even be a hospital?”

Yabu: “I know there’s a clinic station nearby. There are medical staff stationed there.”

Ta-Fa: “Then let’s hurry and help Second Brother back to the car.”

△The two support Chou Tien-You from both sides.

Scene 38 – Day Scene
Characters: Chou Tien-You, Chien Ta-Fa, Yabu, Kao Hui-Chun
Time: Day (Morning)
Location: Clinic Examination Room

△Chien Ta-Fa helps Chou Tien-You into the clinic for treatment. Yabu hides nearby in the bushes.

Ta-Fa: “Damn! We must not have prayed before heading out. That’s why we’re so unlucky.”

Tien-You: “Stop cursing! It’s not you who got hurt. My foot is injured and I haven’t even complained. What are you yelling for?”

Ta-Fa: “Second Brother, I just think it’s unfair for you! We’re the ones scouting around the mountains while the boss stays home with his feet up drinking tea! When has he ever cared about us?”

Tien-You: “Brother, complaining won’t make my injured foot heal any faster.”

△The two enter the waiting room and see a nurse sitting behind the registration counter.

Ta-Fa: “Miss Nurse, I brought my Second Brother here for treatment. His foot is injured.”

Tien-You: “Where’s the doctor? Why isn’t there a doctor seeing patients here?”

Hui-Chun: “The doctor went on a traveling medical round. I’m staying behind.”

△Nurse Kao Hui-Chun walks around the counter and bends down to examine the wound.

Hui-Chun: “Sir, how did you get injured? The wound is crescent-shaped. You were probably caught in a bear trap, right?”

Ta-Fa: (interrupting) “My Second Brother here, honestly, he’s really unlucky…”

△Tien-You gives Ta-Fa a look, telling him to shut up.

Tien-You: (pointing at the camera hanging on his chest) “We’re photographers from a modeling company. We came to Alishan scouting locations and accidentally stepped into a bear trap.”

Hui-Chun: “There are bear traps and snares everywhere in the forest. Poachers set them up. Wandering around in there is really dangerous.”

Tien-You: “From the way you speak, are you local?”

Hui-Chun: “Yes! I’m Tsou. I live in Tefuye Village.”

Tien-You: “You must be the most beautiful girl among the Tsou people.”

Hui-Chun: (lowering her head shyly) “Sir, you really know how to joke around.”

Tien-You: “Miss Nurse, I still don’t know your name.”

Hui-Chun: “My name is Kao Hui-Chun. My Amo (father) is the chief of Tefuye Village.”

Tien-You: “Amo?”

Hui-Chun: “In our Tsou language, Amo means father.”

Tien-You: (probing) “Then how many siblings do you have?”

Hui-Chun: “I have a younger brother. He’s a forest ranger.”

Tien-You: (surprised) “Is your younger brother named Kao Ying-Hsiung?”

Hui-Chun: “You know my younger brother? What a coincidence!”

Tien-You: “Your brother once went into the forest with me and rescued our young lady.”

Hui-Chun: “Oh? No wonder!”

Tien-You: (OS) “The opportunity has come. As long as I control her, then I can…”

Tien-You: “Miss Nurse, your figure and face are both beautiful. It’s such a waste for you to be a nurse deep in the mountains. Are you willing to give yourself a chance to change your future life?”

Hui-Chun: “Sir, what do you mean by changing my life? I don’t understand.”

Tien-You: “I mean, do you want to become a model and walk the runway? I can shape you into the finest model.”

Hui-Chun: “Sir, you must be joking, right? How could I possibly be a model, let alone the finest one?”

Tien-You: “My surname is Chou. My name is Chou Tien-You. I’m a photographer for a modeling company. Sorry, I should have given you my business card, but I rushed out this morning and forgot to bring it.”

△Chien Ta-Fa listens to Chou Tien-You making up outrageous lies so convincingly and covers his mouth while secretly laughing.

Hui-Chun: (sweet smile) “Mr. Chou, stop teasing me.”

Tien-You: “I’m very serious. Miss Kao, you are naturally beautiful. With your bone structure and body proportions, from my professional perspective as a photographer, you were born to be a runway model.”

Hui-Chun: (flattered) “Really? I’ll think about it.”

Tien-You: “That’s alright. Think it over. I’ll leave my cell phone number for you and wait for your answer.”

Hui-Chun: “Mr. Chou, do you still want treatment for your foot injury or not?”

Tien-You: “Yes, of course! It hurts, it hurts so much!”

Hui-Chun: “Being injured by a bear trap, it won’t heal within less than a month. I’ll first disinfect your wound, stitch it up with sutures, and then give you a tetanus shot.”

Tien-You: “My god! I have to get stitches and a shot too? Why is this so troublesome?”

Hui-Chun: “This is the normal treatment procedure. Just treating the wound alone will require dozens of stitches. Let this painful lesson remind you that the forest is full of dangers. Be more careful in the future. Sir, please help him into the examination room.”

△Ta-Fa supports Tien-You as the three of them enter the examination room.

Scene 39 – Day Scene
Characters: Wu Li-Li, Kao Ying-Hsiung, Wu Tien-Liang, Wang Mei-Hsiu, Chou Tien-You, Chien Ta-Fa
Time: Noon
Location: Living Room of Wu Tien-Liang’s Luxury Mansion

△Mei-Hsiu hears the sound of a car stopping outside the entrance.

Mei-Hsiu: (happily) “Tien-You, hurry and help out. Miss has returned.”

Tien-You: “Yes.”

△As soon as Kao Ying-Hsiung enters and sees Chou Tien-You, he happily greets him.

Ying-Hsiung: “Brother Tien-You! So you live here!”

Li-Li: (smiling) “Brother Tien-You is Father’s most capable assistant.”

Tien-You: “Ying-Hsiung, during the typhoon last time, thanks to you risking your life to save our young miss…”

Ying-Hsiung: (shaking hands with Tien-You) “Not at all, not at all!”

Tien-Liang: (gloomy, looking at Tien-You) “You two know each other?”

Tien-You: “When Miss encountered the typhoon in the mountains, this brother here led me up the mountain to rescue her.”

Tien-Liang: (immediately giving a sinister smile) “Yes, thank you, thank you. Many thanks for rescuing my precious daughter.”

△Seeing her father and Tien-You being friendly toward Ying-Hsiung, Li-Li finally relaxes.

Li-Li: (acting spoiled) “Dad, we’re so tired from standing here. Let’s sit down and talk.”

Mei-Hsiu: (suspiciously) “Mr. Kao, you seem to be indigenous.”

Ying-Hsiung: (awkwardly) “Mm, yes. I’m Tsou.”

Mei-Hsiu: (coldly) “Oh.”

△Tien-Liang drinks a sip of liquor by himself. Seeing Li-Li intimately holding Ying-Hsiung’s arm, he feels unhappy inside, though outwardly suppressing his anger.

Tien-Liang: “Li-Li, now that you’ve come home, stop running back into the mountains. I’ve found a good match for you. We’re just waiting for you to go on the blind date.”

Li-Li: (angrily, emotionally) “I don’t want to! I won’t go!”

Tien-Liang: (confused) “Why?”

Li-Li: (anxiously) “Because I… because the person I love is Ying-Hsiung.”

Ying-Hsiung: (calmly) “Councilman Wu, please agree to let Li-Li and me be together. I will definitely protect Li-Li well.”

Mei-Hsiu: (anxious, trying to calm Tien-Liang) “Our daughter just returned. Don’t be like this. I’ll slowly talk to her about the blind date later.”

△At this moment, Tien-You and Ta-Fa lean close beside Tien-Liang and whisper into his ear.

Tien-You: “Kao Ying-Hsiung is a forest patrol officer.”

Ta-Fa: “He’s the one who ruined our plans.”

Tien-Liang: (surprised, deep in thought) “Mr. Kao, being a forest ranger isn’t easy work, is it? How about coming to work for me? Learn more from me. That way Li-Li can live a good life with you in the future.”

Ying-Hsiung: (firmly) “That’s impossible. I love Li-Li, but I love my homeland even more.”

Tien-Liang: (barely restraining his temper) “Mr. Kao, opportunities don’t wait for people. For the sake of my daughter, I’ll give you some time to think about it. Unless you agree to come work for me, there is no need for you to see Li-Li again. The two of you can never be together.”

△Tien-Liang waves his hand toward Tien-You.

Tien-Liang: “Tien-You, drive Mr. Kao to the station.”

Li-Li: (carrying luggage) “Dad, Mom, I’m leaving too.”

Tien-Liang: (gloomy, coldly) “Mei-Hsiu, accompany Li-Li back to her room to rest.”

△Mei-Hsiu pulls Li-Li back to her room.

Li-Li: (nervous) “No, no, I don’t want to.”

Tien-Liang: (coldly) “Ta-Fa, help Miss carry her luggage back to the bedroom.”

△Tien-Liang tries once more to persuade Ying-Hsiung.

Tien-Liang: “Mr. Kao, I appreciate you rescuing my daughter, and I admire your courage even more. However, that tiny salary of yours cannot support my daughter. I only have this one daughter, so I hope you can understand the feelings of a father.”

Ying-Hsiung: (angry, disappointed) “I love Li-Li because she loves nature just like I do. You people don’t understand your own daughter at all. That is not love.”

Tien-Liang: (coldly) “Tien-You, see Mr. Kao out for me.”

△Wu Tien-Liang flicks his sleeve and heads upstairs to rest.

Ying-Hsiung: (angrily) “No need. I can leave by myself!”

△Ying-Hsiung shouts toward the upstairs floor.

Ying-Hsiung: “Li-Li, in the name of a Tsou warrior, I swear that I will definitely come back for you. Wait for me!”

△Li-Li’s response comes from upstairs.

Li-Li: (firmly, crying) “I’ll wait for you, Ying-Hsiung. I will definitely wait for you to come back.”

Scene 40 – Night Scene
Characters: Wu Li-Li, Wu Tien-Liang, Wang Mei-Hsiu, Chou Tien-You
Time: Night
Location: Wu Tien-Liang’s Luxury Mansion

△Wu Li-Li stays in her bedroom watching videotapes to pass the time.

Li-Li: (OS) “While Mommy is out playing mahjong and Dad knows not where, I’m going to leave this house.”

△Li-Li takes out the luggage she had secretly packed earlier from the wardrobe and tiptoes downstairs.

△Tien-Liang suddenly turns on the table lamp on the coffee table.

Tien-Liang: “Li-Li.”

△Li-Li is hurriedly opening the living room door.

Li-Li: (startled) “Dad…” (lowers her head)

Tien-Liang: (questioning) “My precious daughter, where are you going with your luggage?”

Li-Li: (disappointed) “Dad…”

Tien-Liang: (kindly) “Come sit down and chat with Dad.”

△Li-Li lowers her head and slowly walks toward Tien-Liang, sitting beside him.

Li-Li: (hesitating) “Dad, I…”

Tien-Liang: (sighs) “Li-Li, it’s not that Dad opposes your pursuit of happiness.”

△Tien-Liang puts his arm around Li-Li, drawing her head against his shoulder.

Tien-Liang: (affectionately) “Dad only has one daughter, you. Back then, when you chose to major in forestry in college, and later asked to study abroad, Dad never opposed you because as long as you studied happily, that was enough. Now that you’ve completed your studies and returned, Dad wants to keep you by his side and find you a good match.”

Li-Li: (crying) “Dad, I know, but Ying-Hsiung, he…”

Tien-Liang: (smiling) “Dad never objected to you associating with Ying-Hsiung either. It’s just that I hope he can become my right-hand man.”

Tien-Liang: (takes a sip of liquor and coughs lightly twice) “Dad is getting old. I don’t have many years left to survive in politics and business circles. I can only rely on you to inherit your father’s career.”

Li-Li: (lightly patting Tien-Liang’s back and pouring tea) “Dad, that’s exactly why I don’t want you staying in politics and business any longer, socializing and entertaining people every day, living a life troubled by the pursuit of money and power. Our family can live frugally, we can even move into the mountains so that you and Mom can live peaceful and leisurely lives.”

Tien-Liang: (comforting expression, smiling) “Silly girl, politics and business are roads of no return. It’s not as if you can simply turn back whenever you want.”

Tien-Liang: (takes a sip of tea) “Look at all these people around me who have followed me for so many years. Can I really just let go whenever I please?”

Li-Li: (disappointed, tears glistening in her eyes) “But I don’t want Dad to keep living such a hard life.”

△Tien-Liang feels heartache for Li-Li and takes tissues to wipe away his daughter’s tears.

Tien-Liang: “Good daughter, that’s why Dad needs a son-in-law to help me.”

Li-Li: (troubled) “But Ying-Hsiung could never abandon the homeland he loves.”

Tien-Liang: (troubled) “Good daughter, then give him up. Kao Ying-Hsiung is not suitable for you, and…”

△At this moment, Tien-You accompanies Mei-Hsiu back from outside.

△Mei-Hsiu sees Li-Li’s luggage.

Mei-Hsiu: (nervously) “Li-Li, where are you going? Are you leaving Mommy again?”

Li-Li: (troubled) “Mom…”

Tien-Liang: “First accompany your mother upstairs. During this period she has been worried that you might suddenly leave again without saying goodbye.”

△Li-Li has no choice but to temporarily give up the idea of running away and accompanies Mei-Hsiu upstairs.

Tien-Liang: (lighting a cigarette and beckoning Tien-You over to whisper) “Keep a closer eye on Li-Li lately. Don’t let her run away.”

Tien-You: (nods) “Yes, Councilman.”