Episode Summary
In 1940s Harbin, a delivery man named Tong Changfu has his horse confiscated by a mysterious Japanese army unit. His attempts to bribe a local official for help result in the official's arrest and his own imprisonment. After a narrow escape from execution, Changfu becomes a regular delivery man for the unit. Months later, he discovers his horse was used for biological experiments. Neighbors unknowingly eat the infected remains and contract a deadly plague.
Spoiler Alert
A Horse, a Bribe, and a Very Bad Omen
It is the winter of 1940 in Harbin. The wind cuts right through you on the banks of the Songhua River. We meet Tong Changfu, a simple delivery man just trying to scrape by. He runs into the Japanese Kwantung Army’s Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department. This is bad news. They stop him and claim his horse, Er Tiao, is sick. It’s a lie. They drag the horse away without a second thought and toss Changfu a useless notification slip.
This hits hard. Changfu lives in Pianlianzi, a neighborhood for the poor. He has a mother, a wife named Guifen, and a younger sister named Yulan to support. Er Tiao wasn’t just a pet. That horse was their engine. It was the only way they put food on the table.
Desperate Times
Changfu has to drag a crate of apples home with his own two hands. He tells the family what happened. Yulan has an idea. She suggests he ask the boss of Yoshikawa Trading for help since the owner is Japanese. Guifen is more practical. She dumps out their life savings. She knows money talks.
The next day, Changfu sees a man named Lu Zengyou paying out of pocket for a dead Korean worker. He figures Lu is a decent guy who knows people. He begs for help. Lu takes him to see his uncle-in-law, Vice Principal Chen. Chen wants nothing to do with this mess. Then he sees the slip from the Epidemic Prevention Department. He gets spooked but agrees to help. Changfu has to drop his pants to fish his money out of his underwear to pay the bribe.
It doesn’t matter. Police bust in right then. They arrest Vice Principal Chen. One of them cracks Changfu over the head with a gun.
The Nightmare
Changfu is out cold. He dreams of Er Tiao. The poor horse is being dragged into freezing water with iron hooks. Changfu tries to hold on, but the water turns to blood. He wakes up screaming in a jail cell.
He is terrified. He’s a timid man who never breaks the law. Lu Zengyou is there too, but not for long. The police release Lu, leaving Changfu alone in the dark.
Lu actually comes through, though. He pulls some strings and gets Changfu out. That same night, Changfu spots the soldier who stole his horse. The soldier is hauling Vice Principal Chen away. Changfu and Lu follow the truck tracks. They end up outside the Epidemic Prevention Department. Lu recognizes the place. He is petrified and refuses to go a step further. Changfu thinks of his wife and his lost money. He goes in alone.
A Deal with the Devil
Changfu tries to sneak a peek inside. Two soldiers grab him immediately. He is seconds away from execution when a commander steps out. The officer spots the crate of apples Changfu is carrying. He wants them. He decides to spare Changfu’s life on one condition. Changfu must deliver fresh produce to them regularly.
He survives. He goes home to a frantic Guifen. She thought he was dead. Changfu tries to get Lu to help find Principal Chen again later, but Lu washes his hands of it. The place is too dangerous.
The Cursed Meat
Time skips forward to the spring of 1941. Changfu still misses Er Tiao. He never stopped looking. By summer, he is making a delivery to the Japanese controlled zone. He sees a truck hauling bloody body parts. He follows the trail of blood to the woods in Hejiagou.
He digs. He finds a horse head. It’s Er Tiao.
Heartbroken, he takes the remains to a Russian cemetery and buries them. But he isn't the only one watching. A neighbor named Zhang Qingfa sees him burying something. Zhang thinks it’s treasure or good meat. He digs it up. Zhang and his friends roast the horse meat and eat it.
This is a fatal mistake. The meat is infected. Zhang gets violently ill. He goes to confront Changfu’s family and vomits blood all over Yulan’s arm. Yulan pulls her brother aside. She saw Zhang eat the meat. She connects the dots. That Japanese facility isn't just stealing horses. They are brewing something terrible inside.
