Lady Sour (Vinegar Wife / 醋娘子 / Chuk Leung Ji)

Honey, what you're saying is pretty serious.

Listen. Chin Sheung just wants you to hold onto Cho Bai-yuet's written verdict,

and wait a few more days before sending it to the Magistrate's Court.

Once this year's assessment period has passed,

Cho Bai-yuet won't be executed until a year later. It's easy, isn't it?

Of course not!

Why not? Want to kneel with something on your head again?

If I get beheaded, there won't be anything on my head.

Why?

Kau Chin Shui secretly sent a eunuch from the Directorate here.

After this Cho Gong Gong heard about Cho Cho Bai-yuet's case,

he told me to send the written verdict to the capital immediately

so that she'd be executed this year.

I wonder what happened between him and Cho Bai-yuet that makes him so sinister.

I dared not ask anything. I don't want to mess with him.

Honourable Fu, you're always busy with work. What brings you here today?

I came here today to return a piece of treasure.

The luminous pearl? How did you get it?

A series of burglaries happened recently in Yau Tak Town.

We launched a thorough investigation

and found that So Kee the Amazing Burglar was responsible for it.

Unfortunately, when we were about to arrest him, he managed to escape.

The luminous pearl was found amongst the stolen goods he left behind.

My mom treasures the luminous pearl a lot. She put it in a secret place.

So Kee is quite something. I'd like to meet him in person.

Since he's an amazing burglar, of course he has a way with stealing.

Honourable Fu, Yau Tak Town is lucky to have you.

You help us get rid of the scourge.

Master Chin, about your in-law's case, my husband surely will handle it impartially

I've already sent out the written verdict. Execution will be carried out in autumn.

Your Honour is doing your job.

Execution is kind of expected.

Looks like Aunt Sheung is right.

The rumour about soaking the toe in vinegar

has brought significant damage.

Business is so slow!

Honey.

What?

Why don't you go visit Mom?

I don't have money to pay a bribe.

Money, huh? Is this enough?

As ordered by Miss Sheung, you can’t take the money.

How dare you... What?

I can't believe it. The young master can’t even take a little money.

Like a sweet potato in a hot oven. What else can you expect?

That girl speaks like Cho Bai-yuet.

I miss Mom so much.

I know, Honey, but Aunt Sheung is in charge of Sum Cho.

We all have to listen to her.

Sir, what would you like to buy?

The Chin family has been making vinegar for three generations.

A waste of time. Not a customer.

Madam Ching, I need your help.

Oh, OK.

Honey, I have to go.

OK.

Hurry up.

Honey...

This way, Honourable Fu...

Aunt Sheung, why is Honourable Fu here?

He came personally to return the luminous pearl.

That means he won't help us. Your dad is treating him to dinner.

What are we to do then?

He made it clear Madam Cho will be executed this year.

Don't tell your wife though.

Are you hiding something from me?

Your Honour!

Sis!

My mom is innocent! I'm the one who killed my dad!

That's absurd. You were a kid at that time. How could you kill anyone?

I was playing with a knife at that time. My dad wasn't paying attention.

So I killed him by accident.

And then?

My mom buried the body and then we fled. It's true! My mom is not responsible!

That's even more absurd. A kid can't be strong enough to kill an adult.

Also, why didn't your father see the knife?

Madam Ching, luckily we're not in court.

My husband knows you're talking nonsense because you're desperate to save your morn.

Otherwise, you would be given at least 20 strokes for lying to bear the blame.

We're leaving.

Your Honour! Please trust me, Your Honour!

Leave me alone! That's total nonsense!

Your Honour! Your Honour! Honey...

Wait for me, Your Honour. Honey, get up first.

Get up.

What else are you hiding from me?

Honey, Aunt Sheung gave the luminous pearl to Madam Fu and asked for a favour,

but she turned it down.

She even returned it to us today.

You'd do that? Heaven's showing mercy!

What? I didn't want Madam Cho to affect our family reputation.

Is that so?

Everyone knew how you treated my mom. Why would you help her?

And you testified against my mom in court! Everyone saw that!

Right, I did make a mistake, but I've been trying to make up for it.

Make up? How? Hold rituals and burn joss paper after my mom dies?

No, actually I...

Stop hesitating, just tell her everything.

What else are you hiding from me?

Actually I know your dad Cho Tai-kung has come back.

My dad is still alive?

You mean my dad has returned to Yau Tak Town?

Honey, how can you use a pair of shoes to verify it?

My mom said my dad had flat feet.

Master Nonsense told me that customer said his shoes were very uncomfortable.

So I'm using my mom's techniques to make him a new pair of shoes.

When he tries on the shoes, I'll see if he has six toes on his right foot.

If he does, he must be my dad.

Then you can move him and convince him to save your mom.

Honey, is it going to work? Kai Chun could be wrong this time.

I'll give it a try no matter what.

Sis, don't give up on any hope.

Thank you, Shan Cha.

I hope I can finish making the shoes tonight and bring them to him tomorrow morning.

What took you so long? Where's Chin Tung?

He fell asleep after staying up all night with me, so I came here by myself.

It's OK, I'll stay with you. The customer is in the room. Let's go.

Wait a minute. Lai Chi, you can go. OK.

Hurry up.

Wait.

What are we waiting for?

I don't know if he's really my dad. No, he's got to be my dad.

That's right.

But I haven't seen him for years.

I can barely remember him.

I don't know what to say when I see him. It's really bothering me.

Don't let it bother you. Just try to calm down.

Why don't you do this? Take a deep breath. Inhale. Let's do it together.

Exhale.

Inhale. Exhale.

Are you ready? Let's go.

Who is it?

Good morning, Master Suen, it's me.

Come in. Sure.

Good morning, Master Suen. Good morning.

Who's this?

I said I'd find you a master shoemaker. She's the one.

How come she's so young? Don't try to fool me.

He doesn't have a gold tooth.

I think I saw you at Sum Cho Vinegar. What's your name?

My husband's surname is Chin.

Actually her mom is a master shoemaker.

She sent her daughter here because she's too busy.

Hurry up and give the shoes to Master Suen.

Let me help you try on the shoes.

It's really comfortable.

Not bad, huh?

Master, would you like to try on the right side as well?

Sure.

He has six toes indeed.

What are you doing? Who are you?

Do you recognise this crescent moon sign? Do you remember who it represents?

I've never seen that before!

You didn't think about your wife when you put on these shoes?

My mom told me every time my dad put on the shoes she specially made for him,

he'd think about them as husband and wife.

What are you talking about? I don't know your mom!

My mom is Cho Bai-yuet! I'm your daughter Cho Ching!

Stop talking nonsense! We're not related in any way!

Stop putting on an act!

You two...

My mom and I wandered here and there to look for you for more than 20 years.

Look, every hole here represents each place we've been to.

We once had nothing to eat. We got beaten up.

We've had to share a broken blanket in the cold.

How dare you say you don't know her?

Your story is quite touching, but I really don't know her.

You've got the wrong person!

You have six toes on your right foot! Obviously you're Cho Tai-kung!

Are you nuts? There are so many people in the world who have six toes!

We have looked into it.

The government document has your name, your origin, and your official title on it.

Obviously you're Cho Tai-kung, and you have become a eunuch! You can’t deny it!

How dare you read the document!

It was lying around so I happened to see it.

No matter what Mom did, she's your wife after all.

She's accused of killing her husband and getting executed!

It's OK if you deny that you know Madam Cho, but you don't have to put her to death.

Why not? I wish that malicious woman were executed today!

You...

If she hadn't been so unreasonable and got jealous so easily,

I needn't have left Yau Tak Town!

I wouldn't have offended Kau Chin Shui and got castrated! It's all her fault!

Dad, I've never called you dad over the past 20 years.

Even though you don't see Mom as your wife, I'm your daughter after all.

I'm begging you, please save Mom!

If you were a boy, I would think about it. But you're a girl. Why should I help you?

Does it matter if she's a boy or a girl?

Of course! If she were a boy, I'd have someone to carry on the family lineage!

Too bad she's a girl! And she's married!

I can't even get a man to marry into the family!

That malicious woman was unlucky to have given birth to you!

You're not human!

You don't deserve to be a husband, a father, and even a man!

He's not a man anymore.

Right! You deserve to get castrated!

How dare you yell at your father! Heaven will punish you!

Heaven will punish you! You want my mom dead!

Listen carefully! If anything happens to my mom, I'm going to kill you!

How dare you! Go to die!