Scene 71 Night Scene

Characters: Zhao Mingchang, Lin Meiman, Zhao Jia’en

Time: Night

Setting: Living room of Zhao Mingchang’s mansion

△ Jia’en returns home to visit her parents and has just put down her luggage.

Meiman: “My precious daughter, you finally came back to see your mother.”

Meiman: “(Embracing her daughter) Look at you, you’ve grown so much thinner. Don’t leave your mother again, alright? Let your mother nourish your health properly.”

Jia’en: “Mom, the air in the mountains is wonderful. Once the hotel is finished, you and Dad should move to the mountains together.”

Mingchang: (drinking tea) “Daughter, why did you suddenly come back without informing your father to pick you up?”

Jia’en: (hesitantly) “I first escorted Shi Aiyu back to Alishan…”

Mingchang: (surprised) “Why escort her back to Alishan? Didn’t she already agree to fulfill your relationship with Tianxiang?”

Jia’en: “Tianxiang told me that he cannot leave Aiyu, and when I found Aiyu, she was already pregnant. How could I be so selfish?”

Mingchang: (furious) “That brat Pu Tianxiang, how can his words count for absolutely nothing…”

Jia’en: (comforting her father) “Dad, don’t be angry. I’m the one who intervened in their relationship. The one who was wrong is me.”

Meiman: (distressed) “Sigh, it’s all your father’s fault. If he hadn’t insisted on making things difficult for Tianxiang by demanding that he marry into the family, things would not have turned out like this today.”

Mingchang: (ruthlessly) “No, I’m going to withdraw the plan to build the hotel in Alishan. Jia’en, accompany me up the mountain tomorrow. I’m going to make things clear face to face with the Pu father and son.”

Meiman: (nervous) “You… haven’t you already invested in it?”

Mingchang: (angrily) “Investment is a small matter. My daughter’s lifelong happiness is the important matter. They dared to bully the daughter of Zhao Mingchang, and I still have to take care of those indigenous people?”

Jia’en: (acting spoiled) “Dad, don’t withdraw the plan. During this period of getting along with them, I learned many practical things and experienced their simple and honest way of life. Moreover, I have evaluated the development of Alishan’s tourism industry, and its prospects are very promising.”

Mingchang: “Daughter, Tianxiang has treated you like this, and you still place your hopes on them for what?”

Jia’en: (lowering her head) “Actually, during these days I’ve already come to terms with it. If I cannot obtain Tianxiang’s heart, then even if I obtain his person, I still would not be happy. Being able to see them living happily is already enough to satisfy me.”

Meiman: “That’s right! Although our daughter has suffered some grievances, she is still able to think positively. Since you’ve already invested in it, suddenly shouting about withdrawing now is rather childish, isn’t it?”

Mingchang: (lightly pressing Jia’en’s shoulder) “Alright then. I believe in my daughter’s judgment and business sense. But your father feels heartache for you. Sigh! It was all your father’s fault before. I should not have been too stubborn and opinionated.”

Jia’en: (acting spoiled) “Dad, trust your daughter’s judgment, it definitely can’t be wrong. The investment plan in Alishan can create another peak for the business. Besides, there are still many good friends in the mountains. Aiyu is just like my own younger sister.”

Scene 72 Day Scene

Characters: Shi Aiyu, Laiji, Classmates

Time: Morning

Setting: School corridor

△ Laiji is walking along the corridor.

Classmate A: (whispering) “Let me tell you, Laiji’s father is a mountain rat.”

Classmate B: “I heard about it too. His dad is a mountain rat, so then Laiji is…”

Classmate A: “A little mountain rat.”

Classmate B: “Ha! Little mountain rat.”

Classmates A and B: (deliberately repeating loudly in a chanting tone) “Little mouse climbs the lampstand, steals oil to eat, can’t get down. Little mouse…”

Laiji: (provoked into anger) “What did you say?”

△ Laiji knocks that classmate down with one punch, provoking dissatisfaction among the classmates present. They collectively gang up on Laiji. After being punched and kicked by the classmates, Laiji’s hands are twisted behind his back, his head is held down, and he is dragged into the classroom.

Classmate A: “Everyone, shall we play the game of the tribal chief publicly judging a traitor?”

△ Someone immediately joins in the commotion.

Classmate C: “Publicly judge Laiji! Publicly judge Laiji!”

Classmate A: “Laiji, kneel down.”

△ Laiji tries to resist, but he is forcibly restrained.

Classmate B: “Traitor Laiji, do you admit your guilt?”

Laiji: “I’m not a mountain rat. I never went to steal timber.”

Classmates in unison: “Defeat the mountain rats! Defeat the mountain rats!”

Classmate B: “Good! Everyone, Laiji has violated the tribal rules of our people. Fifty lashes.”

△ The classmates line up and take turns receiving the rattan cane, each person striking Laiji’s buttocks once.

△ Shi Aiyu happens to pass by the classroom corridor.

Aiyu: (rushing in to stop them) “What are you all doing? Let go, let go.”

Laiji: (crying) “Teacher, they…”

Aiyu: “Tell me! Why are you all bullying Laiji together?”

Classmate A: “Because Laiji’s father is a mountain rat. Our class does not welcome Laiji.”

Aiyu: (angrily) “Students, should Laiji bear the fault of his father? Besides, hitting people is wrong. The whole class apologize to Laiji.”

Classmates: “Sorry, Laiji.”

△ A series of scattered, half-hearted voices.

Aiyu: “I didn’t hear it! Louder.”

Classmates: “Sorry, Laiji.”

Aiyu: “The entire class will stand in place as punishment and reflect for five minutes. Laiji, come with the teacher to the office.”

Laiji: “Okay!”

△ Laiji follows Shi Aiyu into the office.

Aiyu: (examining Laiji’s injuries) “Does it still hurt?”

Laiji: (nodding) “A little!”

Aiyu: (taking out a first aid kit from beneath the desk) “Teacher will apply medicine for you. Bear with it a little! It will hurt when I apply the iodine.”

Laiji: (enduring the pain) “Okay!”

Aiyu: “Alright.”

Laiji: “Thank you, teacher.”

Aiyu: “Laiji, please forgive your classmates for what they did to you.”

Laiji: “I won’t blame them. It’s all my father’s fault!”

Aiyu: “You also can’t blame your father! Your father merely lost himself temporarily.”

Laiji: “Teacher, but…”

Aiyu: “How about this. If you truly want what is best for your father, then after you go home, find a chance to persuade your father not to go steal and cut trees anymore. There are still many kinds of work that can be done in the mountains, and everyone should protect our forests.”

Laiji: “Teacher, I will persuade my father. I hope he can love this forest just like we do.”

Aiyu: “Mm! Laiji is the most well-behaved student in the class. You must persuade your father, alright!”

Laiji: “I will. If he refuses to listen, then as soon as they make any move, I will definitely inform teacher immediately.”

△ The class bell rings.

Aiyu: “Mm, class is about to begin. Let’s go into the classroom together.”

Laiji: “Mm!”

Aiyu: “Then let’s walk together!”

△ Aiyu stands up and leads Laiji out of the office.

Scene 73 Night Scene

Characters: Yabu, Shima, Laiji

Time: Night

Setting: Dining room of Yabu’s house

△ Shima and Laiji are eating dinner. Yabu slips in through the back door.

(All dialogue in this segment is spoken in the Tsou language.)

Shima: (facing the back door, seeing Yabu return home, stands up) “Yabu! Why did you come back? The chief has ordered people to capture you. Hurry and leave!”

△ Shima pushes Yabu toward the door with both hands.

Yabu: “What do I still have to fear from them? Shima, look.”

Yabu: (taking out a thick stack of thousand-dollar bills from his pocket) “Now I’ve made big money. You mother and son can enjoy an easy life.”

Shima: “We don’t want the dirty money you brought back. We want to live honest and upright lives. Hurry and leave. Otherwise, if the tribespeople discover you, they will drag you away for public judgment!”

Yabu: (becoming angry out of humiliation) “I’m not even afraid of death, so why would I fear public judgment? What does a woman like you understand? Whoever has money is the boss!”

Shima: “I already told you long ago not to earn this kind of black-hearted money, but you simply refused to listen.”

Laiji: (pulling at Yabu’s clothing corner and kneeling down) “Dad! I beg you, don’t go into the forest to steal and cut trees anymore! Teacher said illegal logging is against the law, and the police will arrest and imprison you! I don’t want my father to be a mountain rat.”

Yabu: (pointing a finger at Laiji) “If I don’t become a mountain rat, how will I have money to support your education? In the future I’m counting on you to become a councilman and a high-ranking official. Then your mother and I can bask in your glory too, swaggering around the tribe so that those tribespeople who look down on us will know that my son is capable and successful, and make every one of them kowtow to me.”

Laiji: “Dad! Ever since you became a mountain rat, I became a little mountain rat. At school I’m mocked by classmates, hated by everyone, and unable to hold my head up. Dad, are you willing for us to live like this in the future?”

Yabu: (angrily raising his right hand to hit Laiji, but Shima blocks him) “You brat, you dare lecture your father!”

Shima: (crying) “Go ahead and hit! Hit me too.”

Yabu: “You think I don’t dare?”

Laiji: “Dad! Please surrender yourself at the police station! I don’t want the money you bring back. I only want you and Mom to live ordinary lives.”

Yabu: (laughing loudly) “Live ordinary lives?”

Laiji: “In the future I’m going to become a forest police officer and protect the forest.”

Yabu: (in a mocking tone) “Forest police? Stop daydreaming! Even police officers can be bribed by gangsters and take dirty money!”

△ Yabu throws down the entire stack of banknotes, then turns around and leaves in a fit of sulking anger.

Scene 74 Day Scene

Characters: Wu Tianliang, Zhou Tianyou, Li Xiaodao

Time: Afternoon

Setting: Wu Tianliang’s mansion

△ Wu Tianliang, Zhou Tianyou, and Li Xiaodao are in the living room.

Tianliang: (brewing traditional tea) “Tianyou, Xiaodao, you’ve worked hard on the journey. Sit down and rest.”

Tianyou: “Thank you, big brother.”

Tianliang: (handing over two cups of tea) “This is this year’s finest Alishan champion tea. Give it a try. The flavor is truly excellent.”

Xiaodao: (glancing at Tianyou) “Big brother, on the mountain we…”

Tianyou: (quickly interrupting) “Our arrangements on the mountain are progressing very smoothly. Next year during the fog season, we’re going to make a huge fortune.”

Tianliang: “Mm! You’ve done very well.”

Xiaodao: (suddenly slamming the table) “Damn it!”

Tianliang: (startled, nearly dropping the teacup in his hand) “What, have you gone crazy?”

Xiaodao: (pointing at Tianyou and shouting loudly) “Boss, Tianyou knocked me unconscious and let Pu Tianxiang go.”

Tianliang: (angrily putting down the teacup and placing both hands on his waist as he questions them) “What exactly happened? Tianyou, you speak first.”

Tianyou: “Boss, we negotiated with Gao Yingxiong in the mountains. Who knew he had already arranged manpower hidden in the woods to support him? Fortunately, we brought weapons with us, and a gunfight broke out between us and the other side.”

Tianliang: “And then?”

Xiaodao: “Afterward, we brought back one armed guy from the other side to Tianyou’s old home and locked him in the woodshed. The next day we planned to drag him out and beat him up to vent our anger. Who knew this fellow called Tianxiang was actually Tianyou’s younger brother who had gone missing for many years.”

Tianliang: “Such a thing actually happened? Tianyou, tell me honestly!”

Tianyou: (nodding) “Mm! He really is my younger brother.”

Tianliang: (coldly laughing) “Brothers reuniting, that counts as a good thing!”

Xiaodao: “Boss, I also know that reuniting with a brother separated for many years is a good thing, but the other party’s real identity turned out to be a forest police officer. I found a police service ID card on him.”

△ Wu Tianliang glares viciously at Tianyou.

Xiaodao: “Because he was a police officer, we couldn’t let him know our secrets. So I planned to shoot him and silence him forever. But Tianyou’s mother suddenly jumped out to stop me. Tianyou immediately pushed away my gun, knocked me unconscious, and let him go.”

Tianliang: (furious) “Such a thing actually happened?”

Tianliang: (kicking Tianyou in the lower abdomen) “Damn! What a waste, what a waste of me treating you like my own younger brother.”

△ Tianyou neither dodges nor avoids it, taking the kick solidly.

Tianyou: (enduring the pain) “Boss, listen to me first. After I finish speaking, you can deal with me however you wish.”

Tianliang: “What else do you still want to say? Speak!”

Tianyou: “At the beginning you said to keep people alive whenever possible and try to buy over the other side’s men.”

Tianliang: “Mm! That’s right.”

Tianyou: “Tianxiang is my biological younger brother. Emotionally and morally, I could not possibly strike a fatal blow against him in front of my mother. Even if he had nothing to do with me, we still could not kill him to silence him, because if a forest police officer was captured by us and then vanished from the face of the earth or turned up dead in the wilderness, such a matter would definitely make the news, alert the authorities, and attract the attention of prosecutors and police. This would certainly bring negative consequences to our logging operations.”

Tianliang: (nodding) “We log trees for money. Unless absolutely necessary, there truly is no need to kill people.”

Xiaodao: “Boss, don’t be deceived by his slick words.”

Tianliang: “I’m not a three-year-old child. I can judge for myself.”

Tianyou: “Stealing timber is the objective, but murdering people to silence them is not a necessary method.”

Xiaodao: “If we didn’t kill that brat back then, letting the tiger return to the mountain, I’m afraid endless future troubles await us.”

Tianyou: “If we had killed Tianxiang, that would have brought us endless troubles immediately.”

Tianliang: “There’s hidden meaning in those words. You had better explain them clearly to me!”

Tianyou: (pretending to be mysterious) “Boss, do you know that Pu Tianxiang has another identity?”

Tianliang: (curious) “What identity?”

Tianyou: “Pu Tianxiang is the adopted son of Dabang Village chief Pu Guangrong.”

Tianliang: (skeptical) “Really?”

Tianyou: “You can verify it with his superior, Division Chief Mai Youlong!”

Tianliang: “Naturally I will verify it with Old Mai!”

Tianyou: “If Xiaodao had killed Tianxiang at that time, Pu Guangrong definitely would not have let us off.”

Tianliang: (disdainfully) “You think I’m afraid of Pu Guangrong, just a mere village chief of Dabang? What a joke!”

Tianyou: “How influential a figure is Pu Guangrong in Alishan! Killing his only adopted son Tianxiang would be equivalent to declaring war on the entire Dabong Village. Going against Dabong Village means going against both Dabong Community and Tefuye Community, which means waging full-scale war against the Tsou people of all Alishan. Boss, think about it. How capable are we of dealing with all the Tsou people of Alishan?”

Tianliang: (realizing the point) “What you say makes sense. However, you should not have made the decision on your own to release your younger brother. On this matter, I still must hold you responsible. You have nothing to say against that, right? Xiaodao, lock Tianyou in the basement. You will be responsible for guarding him.”

Xiaodao: (pretending sympathy) “Tianyou, really sorry about this! Let’s go.”

Scene 75 Night Scene

Characters: Zhou Tianyou, Wu Lili, Xiao Ma, Caitou

Time: Night

Setting: Wu Tianliang’s mansion

△ Taking advantage of Wu Tianliang not being home, Xiao Ma deliberately finds an opportunity to invite Caitou, Li Xiaodao’s subordinate, out for drinks. Xiao Ma secretly tampers with the alcohol, and the drug gradually begins taking effect.

Caitou: (about sixty to seventy percent drunk) “Xiao Ma, I can’t drink anymore!”

Xiao Ma: (pouring alcohol) “Brother Cai, how come after only two bottles of Johnnie Walker you’re already dizzy? Come on, drink more!”

Caitou: (dizzy, repeatedly knocking his forehead) “Yeah, it is a little strange. Normally I can drink half a dozen bottles of foreign liquor. The alcohol you gave me… it’s not fake liquor bought from a night market, is it?”

Xiao Ma: (coldly laughing) “Of course it’s not fake liquor, but I added a little something into the drink.”

Caitou: (dizzy) “You… what did you say? Added what?”

Xiao Ma: “I added something that will let you have a good dream.”

Caitou: (dizzy, pointing at Xiao Ma) “Oh? Then why do you seem not to get drunk at all?”

Xiao Ma: “Because my alcohol contains strong tea.”

Caitou: (already barely conscious) “Oh! If you’re drinking, then drink. Why the hell are you drinking strong tea? Crazy idiot!”

Xiao Ma: (coldly laughing) “Because I’m waiting for you to collapse asleep.”

Caitou: “Fine then. After this glass, I’m going to sleep.”

△ Caitou finally collapses asleep in the basement. Xiao Ma finds the key on his body.

Xiao Ma: (opening the iron door) “Brother You, hurry and go.”

Tianyou: (surprised) “Xiao Ma, how did you get in? Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?”

Xiao Ma: “Big brother, don’t worry! Caitou was drugged by me and is knocked out. He won’t wake up for the time being. In this house, only Madam and the young miss are left.”

Tianyou: “Good brother, I’ll remember this favor for now! In the future I’ll repay you double.”

Xiao Ma: “Don’t say things like that! Hurry and go, Brother You.”

Tianyou: (patting Xiao Ma’s shoulder) “Wait! If I leave, what will you do when the boss blames you? I can’t rest easy. You should come with me.”

Xiao Ma: (hesitating briefly) “Alright! Brother You, I’ll go with you.”

△ The two pass by Wu Lili’s room.

Tianyou: “Wait a moment.”

Xiao Ma: “Big brother, hurry up. If that Li Xiaodao comes back later, we won’t be able to leave.”

Tianyou: (knocking on Wu Lili’s door) “Lili, Lili.”

Lili: (surprised) “Tianyou, you…”

Tianyou: “Shh… keep your voice down!”

Lili: “Tianyou, how did you get out? Did anyone see you?”

Xiao Ma: “Miss, I was the one who let big brother out.”

Tianyou: “Young miss, I’m escaping back to the mountains to find my younger brother. Do you have anything you want me to tell Gao Yingxiong?”

Lili: “Tianyou, can I also return to the mountains with you? Take me to see Yingxiong.”

Tianyou: (hesitating briefly) “Alright then!”

Lili: “My mother isn’t home. There’s nobody in the house right now.”

Xiao Ma: “Move quickly, Brother You. Let’s take the young miss and leave together.”

Tianyou: “Alright, Lili, let’s go together. Xiao Ma, kick the door open.”

Xiao Ma: “Young miss, please step back. I’m going to kick the door open.”

△ Lili steps back several paces. Xiao Ma kicks the wooden door open with one kick. The three of them leave the Wu family mansion together.

Scene 76 Day Scene

Characters: Gao Yingxiong, Wu Lili, Zhou Tianyou, Xiao Ma

Time: Day

Setting: Lulin Mountain workstation

△ Zhou Tianyou, Wu Lili, and Xiao Ma travel through the night and arrive at the Lulin Mountain workstation. Lili and Xiao Ma enter the house first.

Lili: (shouting) “Yingxiong, Yingxiong.”

Yingxiong: (delighted to see Lili arrive, lifts her up and spins her around) “Lili, how did you come here! I thought I would never see you again.”

Lili: “Tianyou rescued me and brought me out.”

Yingxiong: (suspiciously) “Him? How is that possible? The words ‘bad person’ are clearly written all over that kid’s face.”

Lili: “How can you talk about him like that?”

Yingxiong: “Isn’t it true?”

Lili: “Of course not! Things are not the way you think they are.”

Yingxiong: “Oh?”

Lili: “After Tianyou returned, Li Xiaodao complained to my father, saying that Tianyou had let Pu Tianxiang go. My father was extremely angry and ordered Li Xiaodao to lock him up in the basement.”

Xiao Ma: (curious) “Young miss, how do you know everything so clearly?”

Lili: “Earlier, I installed listening devices in the living room and my father’s study.”

Xiao Ma: (laughing) “So that’s how it is. Truly, for every foot the Dao rises, the devil rises ten feet higher!”

Yingxiong: “And afterward?”

Lili: “I’ll let Tianyou’s trusted subordinate Xiao Ma explain it himself.”

Xiao Ma: (embarrassed) “Brother You usually takes very good care of me. Seeing him locked up by the boss, I couldn’t bear it. So while the boss and Li Xiaodao were away, I pretended to kindly invite Xiaodao’s subordinate Caitou out for drinks. I drugged his alcohol, and only then did I obtain the key to the basement iron door and release Brother You. Then, when we passed by the young miss’s room, the young miss asked Brother You to bring her here.”

Yingxiong: “Then where is Zhou Tianyou right now?”

Lili: “He’s outside. He said you would personally invite him in.”

Yingxiong: (pleasantly) “I should personally invite him in.”

△ Gao Yingxiong personally goes outside to invite Zhou Tianyou into the workstation.

Yingxiong: (taking the initiative to shake hands) “Brother Zhou, let all our past grudges be wiped away from this moment onward.”

Tianyou: “Brother Gao, thank you for not pursuing all the things I did to you in the past.”

Yingxiong: “If not enemies, then friends. Are you willing to join our Tefuye mountain patrol team?”

Tianyou: “Willing, of course I’m willing!”

Yingxiong: (opening his arms and embracing him) “Tianyou, welcome to join us in protecting the forest together and fighting against Wu Tianliang’s mountain rat gang.”

Xiao Ma: “Since Brother You has joined the patrol team, don’t forget about me, Xiao Ma.”

Yingxiong: “Of course! Little brother, from today onward, you are also a member of the patrol team.”

Tianyou: “That’s right! This is called sharing blessings together and enduring hardships together.”

Tianyou: “By the way! How is your elder sister Huijun lately?”

Yingxiong: (smiling) “My elder sister still misses you even now. You really should go see her.”

Tianyou: “Alright, tomorrow morning I’ll go look for Huijun.”

Scene 77 Day Scene

Characters: Zhou Tianyou, Gao Huijun

Time: Morning

Setting: Beneath the shade of trees outside the health station

△ Zhou Tianyou appears at the entrance of the health station.

Tianyou: (shouting) “Huijun, Huijun, it’s me, Tianyou.”

Huijun: (surprised, overjoyed to the point of tears as she runs in front of him) “Tianyou!”

Huijun: (deliberately turning away angrily) “What are you doing here? Big liar!”

Tianyou: (one hand wrapping around Huijun’s waist, the other turning her body back toward him) “Huijun, don’t be like this. Listen to my explanation first!”

Huijun: (lightly pounding Tianyou’s chest with both hands, tears glistening in her eyes) “Let go of me! What else is there for you to say? You’re a bad person, a big liar.”

Tianyou: (taking out tissues to wipe Huijun’s tears and comforting her) “I’m sorry! I was wrong. I shouldn’t have bullied you.”

Huijun: “Where did you disappear to during this period?”

Tianyou: “Sigh! It’s a long story. It’s inconvenient to talk here. Let’s go talk beneath the shade of the trees.”

△ The two hold hands and walk beneath the shade of the trees.

Tianyou: “I’ve already left Wu Tianliang and stopped being a rat everyone wants to beat in the streets. Huijun, are you still willing to follow me?”

Huijun: (shyly lowering her head) “As long as you truly turn over a new leaf, then of course I’m willing.”

Tianyou: “Alright, in front of you I swear to heaven, from today onward I, Zhou Tianyou…”

△ Just as Tianyou raises his right hand, Huijun stops him.

Huijun: “My father said men cannot casually raise their hands and swear oaths. If they fail to keep them, they will be punished by God.”

Tianyou: “I’m not swearing casually! I’m being very solemn and serious.”

Huijun: (laughing) “When you are baptized in church and become a believer, my father will ask you to place one hand on the Bible and raise the other hand to swear before God.”

Tianyou: (confused) “I’ve already turned over a new leaf, and I still have to become a believer?”

Huijun: (pretending to be mysterious) “Of course! Only after becoming a believer will you obtain that ticket.”

Tianyou: (curious) “What kind of ticket?”

Huijun: (making a funny face) “Could it be that you don’t want to become the son-in-law of our Gao family?”

Tianyou: (suddenly understanding, laughing) “So that’s how it is. Then after you finish work this evening, take me to church to meet your father. I’ll ask him for that ticket.”

Huijun: (smiling sweetly) “Don’t be so impatient! I still need to talk to my father first and let him agree to see you. Only then can you obtain that ticket.”

Scene 78 Day Scene

Characters: Shi Aiyu, Pu Tianxiang, Zhao Jia’en, Li Xiaodao, Jian Dafa

Time: Afternoon

Setting: Somewhere in the Alishan Forest Recreation Area

△ Tianxiang carefully holds the hand of Aiyu, who is eight months pregnant.

Tianxiang: “The mountain road is difficult to walk on. Be careful.”

Jia’en: “That’s right, Tianxiang, you have to support Aiyu properly.”

Tianxiang: “Jia’en, there are many species of fireflies active in this forest at night, the so-called ‘fire golden bugs.’ Some guesthouses list this place as a firefly-viewing area. In the future, the hotel’s packaged tour attractions can include this place.”

Jia’en: “Wow! The air is wonderful. I really want to camp here and wait until night to watch the fireflies.”

Aiyu: “Tianxiang, next time shall we accompany Jia’en to Rainbow Valley?”

Tianxiang: “Of course! Whatever you say is fine.”

Jia’en: “Tianxiang, no wonder you are uniquely devoted to this place. It would be even better if we could see fireflies.”

Aiyu: “Sorry! If it weren’t for my pregnancy and me insisting on coming out too, then you two could have stayed here until nighttime.”

Jia’en: “Aiyu, what are you saying? Even if you hadn’t come, Tianxiang still wouldn’t have felt at ease leaving you at home.”

Tianxiang: “Recently I’ve heard rumors that the mountain rats are planning to come into the mountains to steal timber. We should still stay more alert. Especially you, Jia’en. Don’t act alone again. The forest is full of traps and animal snares.”

Aiyu: “That’s right. If you want to go out and inspect scenic spots, look for Tianxiang. He knows the roads here well.”

Jia’en: “Heh, Aiyu, you’re really generous. Aren’t you afraid I’ll seduce your husband away?”

Aiyu: “Not at all. I trust Tianxiang. But if you can take care of Tianxiang in the future, then that’s fine too.”

Jia’en: (uneasy) “Bah, bah, bah. What kind of thing are you saying?”

△ Ever since leaving the house, Jia’en’s eyelid has been twitching continuously.

△ Tianxiang notices movement not far away and tells Jia’en to take care of Aiyu.

Tianxiang: “Jia’en, take care of Aiyu and hide in the woods nearby.”

Aiyu: (nervous) “Did something happen?”

Tianxiang: “It’s Li Xiaodao and Jian Dafa.”

Jia’en: “Who are they?”

Tianxiang: “Mountain rats. Thieves who illegally log timber.”

Tianxiang: (waving his hand) “Hurry and hide.”

Aiyu: “Tianxiang, you absolutely must be careful.”

Tianxiang: “I know.”

Jia’en: “Quick, Aiyu, I’ll take you away.”

△ Li Xiaodao and Jian Dafa walk over and see Tianxiang.

Xiaodao: (mockingly and sarcastically) “Heh, enemies truly meet on a narrow road. You’re already crippled in one arm, and you can still catch great bandits?”

Tianxiang: “Of course. Since you still haven’t been caught, naturally my left hand cannot yet become useless.”

Dafa: “Stop talking big.”

Xiaodao: (seeing people behind the tree, grinning wickedly) “Not bad. Going out while bringing along two beautiful ladies.”

Tianxiang: (worried about Aiyu and Jia’en, pretending to stay calm) “What are you here for?”

Xiaodao: (deliberately gesturing against the tree trunk with his knife) “You came to embrace beautiful women, we came to embrace trees.”

Xiaodao: (laughing wildly) “Wow, what a beautiful tree trunk, just like the body of a hot beauty.”

Tianxiang: (angered) “You dare?”

Dafa: (grinning wickedly) “Why wouldn’t we dare?”

Xiaodao: (giving Dafa a signal with his eyes) “Hey, two against one. I’d like to see how capable this cripple really is.”

△ Jia’en suddenly comes out from behind the tree.

Jia’en: “You people are bullying others too far. Last time injuring Tianxiang wasn’t enough, and now you still want to come here and act wildly? Aren’t you afraid of being sentenced?”

Dafa: “Heh, little girl, you sure speak boldly. Let me tell you, our boss is the law. Even police officers have to listen to us.”

Dafa: (giving a signal with his eyes) “Xiaodao, do it. This cripple is already useless.”

△ Tianxiang becomes furious, rushes forward to stop them, and starts fighting with Li Xiaodao and Jian Dafa.

Jia’en: (stepping forward and kicking Li Xiaodao in the groin) “Don’t go too far!”

Xiaodao: (pulling out a handgun) “Damn it, you bratty girl.”

Xiaodao: (grinning wickedly) “Good. Today I’ll embrace both the trees and the beauty.”

Tianxiang: (shouting loudly) “Jia’en, run! Quickly take Aiyu away.”

Jia’en: “No!”

Aiyu: “I’m not leaving either!”

Xiaodao: “Quite a few people want to be buried together, huh.”

Xiaodao: (raising the gun) “Forget the pregnant woman. Leave the little beauty behind, and let the cripple get lost.”

Tianxiang: (cursing loudly) “You bastard…”

△ Li Xiaodao fires a shot into the air.

Xiaodao: “You think I’d be afraid of a cripple like you?”

△ Tianxiang lunges forward. Just as Xiaodao is about to fire, he steps on a rock and slips. The gun barrel shifts toward Jia’en. Just as he pulls the trigger, Aiyu pushes Jia’en away, and the bullet strikes Aiyu.

Tianxiang: “Aiyu… Aiyu…”

Jia’en: (extremely anxious) “Aiyu, it’s all because of me…”

Dafa: “Someone’s dead. Let’s get out of here.”

Xiaodao: (fierce and crazed) “Next time I run into you again, you won’t be this lucky. Hahaha…”

△ The two swagger away. Tianxiang supports Aiyu.

Tianxiang: (shouting loudly) “Call an ambulance quickly! Jia’en, quickly call an ambulance!”

Scene 79 Dusk Scene

Characters: Aiyu, Tianxiang, Jia’en, Guangrong, Weide, Ziqiang, Yingxiong, Lili, Huijun, Doctor, Nurse, Infant

Time: Dusk

Setting: Hospital emergency department

△ A group of people arrive at the hospital emergency department.

Tianxiang: (extremely anxious, crying) “Doctor, please, I beg you, you absolutely must save my wife.”

Nurse: (comforting him while pulling Tianxiang away) “We will do our utmost to rescue the patient. Please do not delay our rescue work.”

△ The nurse pushes the hospital bed, urgently sending Aiyu into the operating room. Aiyu signals for them to stop briefly, and the group crowds forward.

Aiyu: (in a weak voice) “I want to speak with Tianxiang and Jia’en.”

Aiyu: (using hand gestures to indicate that Tianxiang and Jia’en should listen until she finishes speaking) “Tianxiang, continue completing your dream.”

Aiyu: (gripping Tianxiang and Jia’en tightly) “Jia’en, I beg you, if I leave… take care of Tianxiang and the child for me.”

Jia’en: “Aiyu, don’t say foolish things. You’ll be safe and sound. Promise me that you’ll survive, otherwise I will feel guilty forever.”

Nurse: “Don’t delay any more time.”

△ The nurse pushes the hospital bed into the operating room. With a snap, the operating room doors close, and the red light turns on.

Weide: (hurrying over anxiously) “What happened?”

Weide: (emotionally out of control) “Tianxiang, tell me, what happened?”

Ziqiang: (agitated) “Damn it, you cripple, you couldn’t protect my sister. Who did this? Explain it clearly to me.”

△ Shi Ziqiang rushes forward wanting to hit Tianxiang, but Yingxiong pulls him away.

Yingxiong: “Calm down a little. Tianxiang is already suffering terribly.”

Jia’en: (crying, frightened, trembling) “It’s all me, all my fault. Aiyu wanted to save me, she wanted to save me…”

△ Huijun and Lili support Jia’en.

△ Pu Tianxiang cannot hear any of the scolding around him and kneels at the entrance to the operating room waiting. The image fades out.

△ The image fades in. Half an hour later, the doctor and nurses push Aiyu out, her body covered with a white sheet. A nurse is holding a baby.

Doctor: “We are deeply sorry. The patient lost a massive amount of blood. We already did our utmost to save her. Before the patient passed away, she requested that we save the fetus, so… we performed a Caesarean section. The child was born prematurely and must be placed in an incubator for observation.”

△ Shi Ziqiang supports Shi Weide, while Pu Guangrong follows behind the nurse.

△ Jia’en faints from excessive grief.

Huijun: “Jia’en, Jia’en, wake up, wake up. Nurse, hurry and help.”

△ Huijun and Lili help the nurse take care of Jia’en. Yingxiong stays beside Tianxiang. Tianxiang kneels on the ground, beating his chest and crying bitterly.

Yingxiong: “Tianxiang, Aiyu left behind a child for you. You must take good care of yourself and the child.”

Tianxiang: (suddenly roaring loudly, filled with grief and rage) “Li Xiaodao, Jian Dafa, I want you to repay blood debts with blood…”

△ The echo reverberates through the corridor.

Scene 80 Day Scene

Characters: Shi Ziqiang, Gao Yingxiong, more than ten mountain patrol team members, Jian Dafa, Yabu

Time: Morning

Setting: Forest compartment 120 on Lulin Mountain

(Intercut shots)

△ Gao Yingxiong leads the mountain patrol team and lies in ambush on both sides of Forest Road 120.

△ Gao Yingxiong and the mountain patrol members from Tefuye Community lie prone beside the roots of large trees.

Yingxiong: (pulling out the antenna and using a radio communicator) “Calling Eagle, Eagle, please respond if received, over.”

△ Shi Ziqiang and the mountain patrol members from Dabong Community lie prone above a high platform of land.

Ziqiang: “Eagle received. We still haven’t seen the rabbits yet.”

Yingxiong: “Clouded Leopard received. Maintain close watch on suspicious people and vehicles at all times.”

Ziqiang: “Eagle understands.”

Tribesman A: “An SUV is approaching ahead.”

Ziqiang: “Don’t act rashly yet. Wait until we clearly identify the people before preparing to close the net.”

Ziqiang: “Calling Clouded Leopard, Eagle has discovered a little turtle, over.”

Yingxiong: “Clouded Leopard received. Eagle, continue close surveillance.”

Ziqiang: “That’s right! The mountain rats have arrived. Everyone prepare to arrest them.”

△ An SUV slowly drives along Forest Road 120. Suddenly the tires successively burst, and the vehicle stops. Two men step out of the car.

Dafa: (furious, inspecting the ground) “Damn it, what did we run over?”

Yabu: (nervous) “They’re caltrops! We’re doomed!”

Dafa: “Didn’t you say this place was very remote and unlikely to have people around?”

Yabu: (panicking) “Strange! I already surveyed the area beforehand. How could someone have scattered caltrops on the road?”

Dafa: “I have a bad feeling. We may have fallen into a trap.”

Yabu: “Then what should we do?”

Dafa: “A terrible start to the mission. Hurry and turn back. What else can we do?”

Yabu: “But our mission has only just begun. If we run back now, how are we supposed to explain it to the boss?”

Dafa: “Damn it, we can’t worry about that much now. I don’t want to get captured alive by the cops or the mountain patrol.”

Yabu: “That’s true. I think we should slip away first. If the patrol team captures me and drags me back, how could I possibly stay alive?”

△ Dafa pulls out a handgun and stands guard while the two return to the vehicle.

Dafa: “Yabu, let’s turn back.”

△ Just as the vehicle starts its engine, more than ten burly men suddenly emerge from the front and rear.

Yabu: (shouting loudly) “This is bad! It’s the patrol team from our tribe.”

Dafa: “Don’t be afraid. I have a handgun. We’ll break through the encirclement.”

Yabu: “No way, they have hunting rifles.”

Dafa: “Damn savages, I’ll fight you all to the death.”

△ Dafa slams down hard on the accelerator. The moment Yabu realizes things are going badly, he immediately jumps out of the vehicle and runs into the forest.

Dafa: (shouting loudly) “Yabu, Yabu, come back! Damn your mother, what a disloyal coward.”

Yingxiong: “Eagle, capture the one in the floral shirt inside the car.”

Ziqiang: “Leave this one to us. Let’s see where you can run.”

Yingxiong: “Clouded Leopard, go after the fleeing Yabu.”

△ Shi Ziqiang leaps onto the vehicle in one bound, first kicking away the handgun in Jian Dafa’s hand, then delivering another powerful kick that sends Dafa flying out of the vehicle. A burst of cheering erupts at the scene.

Ziqiang: “Heh heh, we caught a mountain rat.”

△ Jian Dafa, sprawled on the ground flat on his back with all four limbs in the air, has only just climbed back up when several hunting rifles are immediately pointed at him. The patrol members then tie Dafa up and escort both him and the vehicle away.