Scene 65 Time/Night Location/Shanghai suburban villa
Characters/ Lin Xiuling, Housekeeper Zhou Hong
△ Lin Xiuling is packing luggage; housekeeper Zhou Hong is helping to pack the luggage.
Zhou Hong: That Zhao Xiaodong is really outrageous, coming to harass you at the clinic every few days.
Lin Xiuling: (helpless) Reporting to the police is useless. The police said he is not a perpetrator caught in the act, they can only persuade him to leave.
Zhou Hong: (eyes reddened) Boss, when you return to Taiwan this time, will you still come back?
Lin Xiuling: (pauses, looking blank) I don’t know. If Wenhua’s first love appears, I might just give up.
Zhou Hong: Although I really can’t bear to part with you, I understand. No matter what the outcome is, you should go back and see Dr. Yang.
Lin Xiuling: Sister Hong, thank you for accompanying me all these years.
Zhou Hong: (wiping tears) I’ll be waiting for your good news.
Scene 66 Time/Day Location/Entrance of “Pretty Lady Medical Aesthetics Clinic”
Characters/ Lin Xiuling, Zhao Xiaodong, Passersby
△ At the “Pretty Lady Medical Aesthetics Clinic,” Lin Xiuling drags her suitcase and walks out, pressing down the electric rolling shutter door. A “For Rent / Transfer / Closed” notice is posted on the door.
△ Lin Xiuling walks to the roadside, looking back at the clinic. Her phone rings. Xiuling takes out her phone and sees the caller ID showing Zhao Xiaodong. She casually rejects the call and deletes the number.
△ Lin Xiuling hails a taxi and leaves.
▲ Camera cut
△ A sedan stops in front of the clinic. Zhao Xiaodong gets out and sees the closed shutter and the shutdown notice.
Zhao Xiaodong: (painful roar) Lin Xiuling, what is this supposed to mean! What is this supposed to mean!
Scene 67 Time/Day Location/Alishan Dabang Village Life Bean Festival venue
Characters/ Lin Xiuling, Yang Wenying, Yang Wenhua, Xie Xuerong (mother of Cien), tribespeople, tourists
△ On the eve of the Tsou tribe “Life Bean Festival” in Alishan, Lin Xiuling drags her suitcase and follows groups of tourists into the Dabang tribe festival venue.
△ Lin Xiuling sits resting under a tree in a corner of the venue and is discovered by Yang Wenying.
Yang Wenying: (to herself) Is that sister Xiuling? How could she appear here?
△ Yang Wenying waves and walks toward Lin Xiuling with a smile. Xiuling sees Wenying and stands up smiling.
Yang Wenying: It really is Sister Ling! I thought I recognized the wrong person just now!
Lin Xiuling: Wenying, how are you?
Yang Wenying: Same as always, working like a servant every day.
Lin Xiuling: Has your brother come back?
Yang Wenying: My brother said on the phone last night that he will rush back. The ritual is about to begin.
△ The festival begins. In the center of the square, tribal elders sit in a circle, reciting prayers to announce to the ancestors.
△ Lin Xiuling watches the upcoming ceremony while also looking toward the entrance. She notices a middle-aged woman wearing Tsou traditional clothing, holding a wooden box, standing under the gate arch at the entrance, seemingly waiting for someone.
△ After a while, Yang Wenhua appears and walks up to the woman. The woman hands the wooden box to Wenhua. The two exchange a few words. The woman turns and leaves, while Wenhua kneels on the ground with his head lowered.
△ Lin Xiuling instinctively feels something has changed, because the girl he had agreed to meet has not appeared.
△ Yang Wenying also sees her brother Wenhua kneeling on the ground holding a wooden box.
Lin Xiuling: Your brother is here, I’ll go see him.
△ Lin Xiuling stands up and walks toward the entrance, circling in front of Yang Wenhua. Only then does she realize Wenhua has two lines of tears on his face. What he is holding is an urn, with a photo attached to the box.
Lin Xiuling: (OS) So Wenhua’s first love has already passed away. That woman just now should be the girl’s mother, who delivered the girl’s ashes at the agreed time.
△ Looking at Wenhua’s tear-streaked face, Lin Xiuling takes out a handkerchief and squats down, intending to wipe away Wenhua’s tears. Wenhua shakes his head at her, signaling no, then stands up and walks out of the venue in loneliness.
△ Lin Xiuling waves toward Yang Wenying inside the venue, then turns and quickly follows.
△ Yang Wenying drags Lin Xiuling’s suitcase and quickly walks out of the venue.
Scene 68 Time/Day Location/Alishan Dabang Village Yang family home
Characters/ Lin Xiuling, Su Yuzhen (Yang mother), Yang Wenqing, Yang Wenying, Yang Wenhua
△ Yang Wenhua carries the urn into the courtyard, followed by Lin Xiuling and Wenying.
△ Su Yuzhen, who is sitting on a wooden chair wrapping a hunter’s pack, and Yang Wenqing see Lin Xiuling. Su Yuzhen stands up in surprise and walks over.
Su Yuzhen: Xiuling! It really is you.
△ Yang Wenying immediately signals to her mother Su Yuzhen. Only then does Yuzhen notice that Wenhua is holding an urn, and sees the photo of Xie Cien on the box.
Su Yuzhen: This is…
Yang Wenying: (holding her arm, softly) Mom, Mrs. Xie personally brought Cien’s ashes back.
Su Yuzhen: Sigh… Cien, this child…
Yang Wenying: (softly) Let brother’s emotions calm down first, Mom.
△ Yang Wenqing sees Wenhua like a wooden statue and the urn in his hands, and immediately understands what is happening. Wenqing walks up to Lin Xiuling.
Yang Wenqing: (softly) Xiuling, you came at just the right time!
△ Yang Wenhua carries the urn into the house and enters the bedroom.
△ Yang Wenhua places the urn on the bed, locks the door, and sits at the bedside staring at the urn.
▲ INS1:
△ In front of the pastor’s dormitory, a crowd of villagers, men and women, young and old, gather to see off Pastor David’s family. Yang Wenhua is squeezed in the crowd, holding Cien’s hands.
Xie Cien: Wenhua, I will definitely come back. At the Life Bean Festival ten years later, will you wait for me?
△ Wenhua nods, tears shimmering in his eyes.
Xie Cien: (bitter smile) Maybe by then, my hair and teeth will all be gone.
△ Wenhua hugs Cien without saying a word.
Xie Cien: (deep gaze) You must work hard and realize your dream: be Taiwan’s JOBS (Steve Jobs).
△ Wenhua nods. Cien kisses Wenhua on the cheek and turns toward the car. Wenhua, tears in his eyes, waves goodbye and watches the car slowly drive away.
▲ Back
△ Yang Wenhua hears a knock on the door.
Su Yuzhen: Wenhua, rest a bit. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.
△ Behind Su Yuzhen stands Lin Xiuling.
Su Yuzhen: Xiuling, let him calm down first. It’s fine.
Scene 69 Time/Dusk Location/Alishan Dabang Village Yang family kitchen and living room
Characters/ Lin Xiuling, Su Yuzhen, Yang Wenqing, Yang Wenying, Yang Mingda
△ In the kitchen, Wenqing and Wenying prepare dinner together. Wenying places hunter meal packs into the steamer, Wenqing slices wild boar cured meat.
Yang Wenying: Sis, I was really surprised when I saw Sister Xiuling at the festival.
Yang Wenqing: I think it’s a tacit understanding between younger brother and Xiuling.
Yang Wenying: Yes! I saw Xiuling dragging a large suitcase and guessed there must have been an agreement between her and brother in advance.
Yang Wenqing: In the past two-plus years, I heard from brother that she opened a clinic in Shanghai. For her to specially come to Alishan at this time really warms my heart. It’s hard for her to make such a big sacrifice.
Yang Wenying: Sis, this must be the power of love guiding them, right? From the first time I saw Xiuling, I had a feeling that brother would be with her in the future. They are really very well matched.
Yang Wenqing: (smiling) I know you and Xiuling get along well. I also like Xiuling very much.
▲ Camera cut
△ In the living room, Lin Xiuling is chatting with Yang Mingda and Su Yuzhen.
Su Yuzhen: (smiling) Xiuling, I heard from Wenhua before that you went to Shanghai to open a clinic. I thought you and Wenhua had a quarrel.
Lin Xiuling: (smiling) Auntie, going to Shanghai to open a clinic was indeed my original plan. Wenhua and I never had a quarrel. More than two years ago when I came here, Wenhua told me that he and his first love Xie Cien had a ten-year agreement. At that time, I indeed had no confidence whether Wenhua would accept me.
Su Yuzhen: (surprised) I know Wenhua and Xie Cien were often together before high school. I heard that later Cien became seriously ill and was taken back to Canada by her pastor father, but I really never heard Wenhua mention any ten-year agreement.
Lin Xiuling: Wenhua told me that at this year’s Life Bean Festival, he would return to the mountains to wait for Xie Cien. I said I would come to the mountain to meet Cien. At that time, he casually agreed, probably thinking I was just speaking casually, but I was serious.
Su Yuzhen: (smiling) Before Wenhua went to Shanghai last time, his two sisters already told him to bring you back. The two sisters really like you. My husband and I also think you and Wenhua are very well matched.
Lin Xiuling: (joyfully) Thank you for the gifts Wenqing and Wenying specially brought me, especially that set of Tsou traditional clothing.
Yang Mingda: Wenhua’s personality is more like mine. He is very emotional but not good at expressing it, often like a wooden log. You have to knock him hard a few times before he responds.
Lin Xiuling: (smiling) Uncle, your metaphor is very interesting!
Scene 70 Time/Night Location/Alishan Dabang Village Yang family home
Characters/ Lin Xiuling, Su Yuzhen, Yang Wenqing, Yang Wenying, Yang Wenhua, Yang Mingda
△ During dinner, Lin Xiuling walks to the door of the room and is about to knock. The door opens, Yang Wenhua looks at Lin Xiuling.
Yang Wenhua: Xiuling, I’m sorry, I lost control…
Lin Xiuling: Wenhua…
△ Lin Xiuling steps forward and hugs him.
△ The Yang family at the dining table look at this scene and smile knowingly at each other.
△ Lin Xiuling holds Wenhua’s hand and returns to the table to sit down.
△ Lin Xiuling helps Wenhua peel a hunter meal pack into his bowl.
Lin Xiuling: Wenhua, I’m not going back to Shanghai anymore.
Yang Wenhua: Xiuling, you…
Lin Xiuling: Wherever you go in the future, I will go with you.
Yang Wenying: Sister Xiuling, let me tell you, my brother has already agreed with the township head to come back and serve as director of the township health center.
Lin Xiuling: (smiling) That’s good. I like living among the simple villagers here.
Yang Mingda: Child’s mother, after the festival ends, we should go propose marriage at the Lin family.
Su Yuzhen: Child’s father, I have already started preparing this part.
Yang Wenqing: I’ll go bring out that jar of private hidden osmanthus wine from dad’s workshop.
△ Yang Wenqing stands up and goes to the workshop.
Yang Mingda: (laughs) Hehe! So you sisters have already been eyeing that jar of wine.
Scene 71 Time/Morning Location/Alishan Dabang Village Yang family tea garden
Characters/ Lin Xiuling, Yang Wenhua
△ In the Yang family tea garden in Dabang Village, Yang Wenhua and Lin Xiuling walk hand in hand along a small path between tea trees.
△ Sunlight shines on dew drops on the tea leaves, and mist in the valley gradually disperses.
Yang Wenhua: Xiuling, in the past, I have always lived in the fairy tale I built in my youth.
Lin Xiuling: (smiling) That’s normal! Haven’t I also lived in the fairy tale I built myself?
Yang Wenhua: That urn, you don’t mind me keeping it with me, do you?
Lin Xiuling: Saying I don’t mind would be a lie! But I know, if there are truly spirits in this world, Xie Cien will protect us, because the wish she could not complete will be fulfilled by me in her place. So I would rather change my mindset and view your relationship with Cien this way: Xie Cien has your first love, and I have all of you.
Yang Wenhua: Thank you, your understanding and tolerance.
Lin Xiuling: Wenhua, I want to ask you, if yesterday Xie Cien had really appeared in front of you, would you still think of me in the future?
Yang Wenhua: (bitter smile) I really did not expect that yesterday you would appear at the venue.
Lin Xiuling: (sighs) Sigh… Wenhua, you may not be able to imagine that before yesterday, I actually went through a psychological struggle before deciding to leave Shanghai and come back to find you.
Yang Wenhua: (curious) Oh? I indeed never thought about this part. Does it have anything to do with that Dr. Zhao Xiaodong?
Lin Xiuling: Zhao Xiaodong… he was only an external factor that pushed me to make the decision earlier. In fact, before yesterday, I was still torn and uncertain, feeling like I was gambling against fate.
Yang Wenhua: Torn and uncertain?
Lin Xiuling: Yes. Yesterday I was still thinking that if Xie Cien really appeared, I would probably go up to her, talk to her, bless you and her, and then drag my suitcase and leave the venue in sadness.
Yang Wenhua: So that’s how it was. When you saw me holding Cien’s urn and realized I had lost the bet, at that moment I was completely stunned. That feeling is hard to describe—somewhat embarrassed, somewhat awkward. Over these years, I really had been living in my own fairy tale.
Lin Xiuling: You… you never understood the unease and suffering of waiting for the person you love to turn back.
Yang Wenhua: (holding Xiuling’s waist) Sorry.
Lin Xiuling: (making a face) Shall we make a promise?
Yang Wenhua: What promise?
Lin Xiuling: If there is really a next life, let us switch roles. Let you personally experience how painful and agonizing it is to love someone wholeheartedly without certainty.
Yang Wenhua: (serious expression) Okay! If we meet again in the next life, I am willing to experience this hardship and agony. However, from today onward, I must gradually teach you my father’s tea-making skills.
△ Yang Wenhua and Lin Xiuling embrace, looking at the distant mountain scenery. At this moment, a pair of butterflies chase each other and fly past in front of them.
