Episode Summary
In this episode, Gao Yunhu and Wan Fuqing successfully identify and kill You Shilong, the coffin shop owner who was murdering people for money. Meanwhile, Tang Deyuan returns home to a difficult family situation, and both Lao Shandong and Tian Xiaogui complete their harsh journeys back to their respective homes.
Spoiler Alert
The Hunt for You Shilong
A Clue from the Stage
So, Wan Fuqing is alive. He survived whatever mess got him and met up with Gao Yunhu. Gao Yunhu lays it all out. You Shilong and Jin Batou were murdering people for their money. He already took care of Jin Batou and another guy, Liu Dabiao. Now, Wan Fuqing wants in. He's ready to help Gao Yunhu take down You Shilong for good.
They have a solid lead. Gao Yunhu heard that You Shilong has a specific habit. He likes to sing opera in a female voice. This is the kind of weird detail that gets a man caught. Their plan is to talk to an opera singer, Xiao Hong Zao, to see if she knows anyone like that.
Da Kuo Zhi is worried. She doesn't want to drag Xiao Hong Zao into their revenge plot. But Gao Yunhu is too focused on vengeance to stop. He goes straight to Xiao Hong Zao. He asks her if she knows any men who sing with a woman's voice. Xiao Hong Zao, who can clearly see Da Kuo Zhi is into Gao Yunhu, gives him a name: Pang Sihai.
The Trap is Set
Xiao Hong Zao performs every day at the local teahouse. It's the perfect spot to scout their target. Pang Sihai is there, along with a bunch of other local shopkeepers. Gao Yunhu and Wan Fuqing blend into the crowd to watch.
Xiao Hong Zao has a clever idea. She starts calling the shopkeepers up to the stage to perform. One by one, they get up and sing. Pang Sihai even volunteers to play an instrument. With each performance, Gao Yunhu and Wan Fuqing rule out another suspect. None of them are their man.
Then, it's the last guy's turn. The owner of the coffin shop. He gets on stage and starts to sing. His voice is high. Feminine. Both Gao Yunhu and Wan Fuqing know instantly. They've found You Shilong.
Justice, Served Cold
That night, they make their move. Gao Yunhu and Wan Fuqing go to the coffin shop. They catch the shop owner completely off guard. He has nowhere to run. He confesses right there that he is You Shilong.
He tries to save his own skin. He claims he works for the Japanese military. He thinks dropping their name will scare Gao Yunhu and Wan Fuqing off. It doesn't. Gao Yunhu isn't intimidated. He's there for revenge for all the people You Shilong killed. He corners him. Then, with one move, he kills him.
Back at their place, Da Kuo Zhi has dumplings waiting. She puts the food on the table just as Gao Yunhu and Wan Fuqing walk in. They sit down and eat without saying much. She can tell from their faces. She knows they killed You Shilong.
Journeys Home
Tang Deyuan's Guilt
While the hunt for You Shilong was happening, others were dealing with their own problems. Tang Deyuan finally made it home. The situation is grim. His mother's eyes have failed completely. She is now blind. His father was attacked by a bear while chopping wood and is laid up in bed. Tang Deyuan is hit with a wave of guilt and heads up the mountain to cut firewood himself.
Later, Xiao Tielin hears about Tang Deyuan's father. He brings a doctor to the house to help. The injury is bad, and Xiao Tielin urges the doctor to do everything he can. That night, Tang Deyuan has a nightmare that Wan Fuqing is dead. He wakes up in a cold sweat. His mother hears him and comes to comfort him, but he can't tell her the truth about what he's been through. He just has to pretend everything is fine.
The Long Road for Lao Shandong and Tian Xiaogui
Lao Shandong and Tian Xiaogui are also on their way home. It's a brutal trip. Lao Shandong travels constantly, sleeping in the open and dodging Japanese patrols. He's so desperate for food that he resorts to eating undigested nuts he finds in animal droppings.
Tian Xiaogui is also struggling. He stumbles through the mountains, exhausted and starving, until he finally reaches his village. He collapses right at his family's front door. Some workers recognize him and run to get his father, Master Tian. They bring him inside, but he's delirious. He keeps muttering about a rabbit. His father misunderstands and thinks he's just hungry, so he sends people to prepare a rabbit for him.
Lao Shandong finally makes it back to Yanchong Mountain through the snow. He knocks on his sister's door. When she opens it, she sees a man so worn down he's almost unrecognizable. But she knows it's him. She recognizes her brother and just breaks down in tears.
