[E] LAND OF WEALTH / 匯通天下 [TVB][2006]

Written by Funn Lim 

You know I regretted my lighthearted recap of Episode 1 because Episode 2, as I have predicted in Episode 1 started with a tragedy. The worst of its kind, those kind that one is framed for a crime one didn't commit and the entire family had to pay for it. The Chai family as shown in the last scene in episode 1 was doomed. But I wasn't prepared for the emotions that ensued following the short scene.

Bak Chuen's faithful servant, Ping Sum rushed back to an abandoned temple and immediately told Bak Chuen the tragic news; that the entire family was to be executed, soon and that Uncle Lam had betrayed them. Bak Chuen was emotional, he didn't understand the injustice and he wrecked the temple until suddenly he stopped and he reasoned, "I was the cause... I was the cause of it all. Grandmother said I am a bad luck person and if I hadn;t ignored their advise, if I hadn't ignored the prediction, I wouldn't have been so ignorant and now... now I have caused their deaths! WHY?! WHY THE INJUSTICE?" He knelt down before Buddha statue and cried "Please save my family, please do not punish them for my arrogance, please save them, pleaseeee". But that didn't work. He stopped again and this time he tearfully said "If my family were to be executed soon, I can't live anymore. I must join them..." but Ping Sum tried to stop him but Bak Chuen ignored Ping Sum's pleas who was practically holding onto Bak Chuen but Bak Chuen dragged himself away and walked toward the river to join his family. And then he saw the poster of Ping Sum but with his name on it. "They're looking for me.." said Bak Chuen and Ping Sam said "No master, they're looking for me. I pretended to be you, I am you.." but Bak Chuen listened no more and rushed to the river and Ping Sum knew whatever he said didn't matter anymore, and so he took a stone and knocked Bak Chuen unconcious.

When Bak Chuen was concious, he was bound tightly to a raft. He was blur, and he asked Ping Sum what he was doing and he knew Ping Sum would take his place at the execution. Bak Chuen begged him "Ping Sum, this is not at the monastery, this is not helping me write some sutras, this is death Ping Sum, let me go" but Ping Sum held on to Bak Chuen and tearfully said "I wouldn't have been alive if the old Master did not save me from the flood years before. Although I am a mere servant, Master had treated me like his own brother and it is time for me to repay his kindness." and Bak Chuen  desperately said "Alright, we run away. We run away together, we start life anew, Ping Sum, let me go, don't sacrifice yourself" but Ping Sum continued " The old master must not perish without a descendant to the Chai family bloodline. I will take your place and I will do so gratefully. Master, you must live on and you must rise again. Take care master..." and he went on off as Bak Chuen struggled and screamed "NOOOO.... PING SUMMMM... COME BACK!!! DON'T DO THIS!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

 Next we see Ping Sum walking into the prison and he was placed in the same cell as old Master Chai and he immediately said "Father" but Chai Lok Yan was confused. As they sat down Ping Sum said "Don't worry Master. Young master is alright, he is in a safe place" and Chai Lok Yan looked at Ping Sum and quietly asked "Why are you doing this?" and Ping Sum answered "To let your last bloodline live master. This is the only thing I can do to help" and Chai Lok Yan was so touched he said "Please Ping Sum, let me kneel to show you my gratitude" but Ping Sum refused his gesture.

I assume the nexy day or some days later the entire Chai clan was led in wood cages, booed by the bystanders who stupidly said "Another corrupt official" and one said "Oh no, they're executing the entire family" and one bystander shouted "They deserved it!" and threw vegetables at them.

 Let me pause here for a moment. Chai Lok Yan spent his life doing charity and what did he get? Veges in his face. That is how grateful those stupid fools were. Continue...

They were led to the stand all knelt before the public. The two corrupt officials (one of whom Kok Fung whose name I have yet to learn) were presiding over the execution. Of course they were impatient. Charges were read, and Bak Chuen's sister, So Lan was crying loudly whilst the rest calmly awaited their fate. And then Chai Lok Yan saw Bak Chuen in the crowd. Bak Chuen rushed to the front, trying hard not to reveal his identity and he almost did but his father saw him and gave him that look which said "No, don't speak! Go!" whilst his grandma, mother, sister and Ping Sum saw him too and they too look at him to not say anything. Bak Chuen held back tears, fighting the urge to save his family or at least join them and when each was executed swiftly with So Lan's cries of NOOOO NOOOOOO NOOOO Bak Chuen could not hold it any longer and he almost screamed when a monk clapped his hand over Bak Chuen's mouth and dragged him away. Nearby Kiu Boon Yip was there witnessing the execution with his son in law and he vaguely remembered seeing Ping Sum somewhere. He saw Bak Chuen being dragged away and was curious as to who he was.

The monk apparently came in time to stop Bak Chuen because his father sent him a message and a note meant for Bak Chuen written in blood. He was careful not to leave names so the note was safe. Frankly I do not know what was written in the note since the chinese was very very deep bit I suppose somewhere along the line of Chai Lok Yan expressing his hurt towards the system and the injustice he was  facing.

Later that day Bak Chuen followed the men to the corpse dumping ground. He saw his family's headless bodies stacked on top of another and he was held back by the monk so that he won't go rushing to the bodies. The monk told him to wait until at night, if not his identity will be revealed and all of Ping Sum's sacrifice would have amounted to nothing.

That night Bak Chuen searched for his family's bodies. It was dark, there were wolves waiting to feast on the flesh and there were many corpse since the dumping ground was for every prisoner, executed or died of some disease. The monk advised him to stop since there were plenty of bodies whom nobody claimed but Bak Chuen refused. He said "I must find my family, I must bury them.." and he searched to no avail. In the end he screamed out loud tearfully, "Father! Mother! Grandma! So Lan! Ping Sum! Where are you? Please let me find you! Where are you???". In the end he didn't find them and the monk invited him to go back to the monastery but Bak Chuen refused and mournfully said "I am an unlucky presence. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I will find my way...". And so he left.

Pause here for a moment.

I felt like crying seeing that scene his family was executed and how he tried to find their bodies. It was very sad and I believe Moses gave his best performance in that scene where his father looked at him in the eye at the execution site, begging him not to reveal himself as Moses struggled with the emotions, tears welling up but know he could do nothing. He would have died with them but his father forbade him and he struggled not to rush to them. That scene which focussed solely on his face and his eyes was pretty awesome and yes, it made me cry a little. What a way to die. The injustice and I hated that idiot minister who didn't investigate and knew nothing but yet passed such a harsh sentence. I found out his name in the next scene, Sir Chui. Remember that name because I thought for a moment he would be Steven Ma's father. He wasn't.

Next scene we see Steven Ma as Cheung Sung Man, the younger son of a very powerful and righteous minister of defence (I think), Cheung Sr played by the formidable looking Chan Hung Lit, fast becoming my favourite veteran actor in TVB. Anyway, Sung Man is playful but idealistic. He wants to be a civil servant, he believed in justice and righteousness and he really wanted to help people. His father was strict but reputed to be a very righteous minister. He has an older son, Sung Lai, just as noble.

Cheung Sr was on his way to meet  Sir Chui, now sick (GOOD!) and worrying about the country's dwindling treasury (VERY GOOD! YOU DESERVE IT YOU IDIOT!). Sir Chooi has yet to know the wrong he did on the Chai family and I do wonder, will he ever know? Cheung Sr saw some young man coming out of the nightclub and shook his head at the declining moral when he saw it was his own son, Sung Man! At home he scolded Sung Man who explained those girls were musicians and he was helping one who was being bullied. Nevertheless Cheung Sr had a strict sense of hierarchy and so he punished Sung Man. At night Sung Man persuaded his brother Sung Lai tolet him leave so that he can travel the country to better prepare his future as a civil servant, to understand the common people. Of course his father wasn't please.

Sung Man was at I think Shan Sai? Anyway somewhere near the picturesque river, mountain and all.

And then my most dreaded moment materialised.

Sonija Kwok appears, as Mongolian .. let me get her name...Ba Ba Ha Yi Ko Wa with his rash younger brother, Bo Yi Chek. They were on their way to sell their horses when they stopped for a drink by the river. Ko Wa saw Bak Chuen by the river and smiled at him but he ignored her. He almost slipped and his baggage fell into the river and Ko Wai helped to retrieve but Bo Yi Chek thought something was wrong and rushed to them. That was when their horses was horse-napped. They tried to get them back but to no avail. Bo Yi Chek blamed Bak Chuen but Ko Wa cheerfully said "Don't blame him. He didn't expect that" and he walked over to a mournful looking Bak Chuen. She looked at him, left him some money and optimistically said "Although we are foreigners in your land, I do think we should help each other. Here is some money. Don't blame yourself over the horses, it wasn't your fault" and she left. Bak Chuen looked intrigued by her cheerfulness.

Once in town, Ko Wa and brother were hungry so they decided to withdraw some money from some bank. This bank was owned by Cho Yu Tai, probably the villain in this story. They wanted to withdraw some money but they didn;'t have proof of ownership since their baggage was stolen together with the cheque, The brother made one hell of a noise and Cho Yu Tai very politely explained why they can't withdraw the money for them. Ko Wai understood and left, dragging his brother away. Once outside, she saw Kiu Boon Yip, his bodyguards and his son in law. She recognised the horse Yip was on and immediately whistled at the horse which almost threw Yip to the ground. Again the brother made a ruckus, saying that's their horse, they have stole their horse but Yip explained he bought the horse. Ko Wa again accepted his explanation and asked where he bought the horse and he pointed the way. She left immediately and found the thieves nearby. They tried to get back the horse but they overpowered them and one of them wanted to rape Ko Wa whilst his brother was held and suddenly Yip appeared with his bodyguards to save the day. Ko Wa was very grateful and Yip said "Here, I return your horse to you" but Ko Wai politely refused and cheerfully said "You have saved us Master Yip and you did buy the horse. It is yours to keep!" and she took back one horse from the thieves and with her brother rode away into the sunset. Ok, I added the sunset part but you know what I mean. Yip was impressed with her cheerfulness and her noblewoman attitude. You know, say what you mean, mean what you say type?

Back in town Sung Man walked past some beggars and gave them money when he saw a forlorn and dirty and drunk looking Bak Chuen. Sung Man looked at him a little longer, shaking his head as if saying "What a pity, so young and rather be useless" and Bak Chuen felt the stares. With some money Bak Chuen tried to buy some wine, the owner refused and insulted Bak Chuen. He accidentally spilt wine over some painting and the owner said "Oh no! You spilt wine over my So Tung Bo painting! It is very expensive you know!".

Pause here. I am sure he said So Tung Bo but just in case I am wrong, please do not kill me. Continue...

But Bak Chuen laughed cynically and said "So Tung Ball? This is a fake! Look at the date! It was dated aftert So Tung Ball ..."

I admit, I didn't catch what he said. He said something like So Tung Ball having moved, died or whatever before that date. The point is it was impossible So Tung Ball drew that painting. 

The owner refused to listen and Sung Man who heard argument came over and gallantly offered to pay the compensation on behalf of Bak Chuen. Smilingly and good naturedly, Sung Man asked Bak Chuen "You're young and you're certainly educated. Why don't you study and sit for the civil servant exam instead of languishing around?" and Bak Chuen spat at those words and with hatred said "Join the government? There are no good officials in this country. They rob the poor, defy their own conscience and falsely accuse others of crimes they never commit, join them? Join those blood suckers? No!". Sung Man looked shocked at his words since Sung Man all his life aimed to be in the civil service and here was this man who hated civil servants.

Here I must stop because frankly I can't remember where this episode stopped. I think it was the shocked look of Sung Man. Next 5 episodes plenty of drama. Ko Wai works as a maid in I think Cho Yu Tai's household, bullied by Rebecca Chan, probably Cho's wife, Bak Chuen works in the bank of Cho Yu Tai and was again falsely accused. Last preview had him dragging someone angrily... oooh the drama!

Frankly I can't wait for episode 3.

This series is turning out to be a cross between Safe Guards, Beneath The Charm and the mother of all dramas. This episode especially is engaging and saw some great moment from the usually bland Moses Chan who for that one single moment gave a potentially career defining performance, and then he had to slip back to his bland self.

In this episode we see Steven Ma. I am surprised to see him so fair, so well fed and quite handsome and gallant, clad in those fine costumes. He does fit the bill of the son of a powerful family. So far he is ok.

Chan  Hung Lit is scary looking. He does look stern, totally the opposite of his character in C.I.B files. He looks great by the way and his cantonese I can understand so hooray!!!

We see more of John Chiang but he hardly had anything much to do since it is only episode 2. Tavia Yeung is still not out yet.

The young actor who played Sonija's brother overacts, a lot but well since so many are level headed someone has to be rash and stupid.

And now Sonija Kwok.

Let me say this; I must compliment her on her horse riding skills. She really looked like she can ride a horse and ride it competently. And her Mongolian costume and make up compliments her looks. I mean she looks foreign and having her play some foreign woman is a good move so that she won't look out of place. Slimmer and a little older, she does look very pretty in here. Her first scene till the last was one of those cheerful understanding and kind type. I am convinced by her perfomance. Though she appeared not much in here and before any drama began, I must admit I find her bearable in here. If she keeps it this way, I think I may begin to like her as an actress. Anyway she is pretty in here. And I kept remembering what she said in the TMO on the horse riding scene, "I play a Mongolian so I must really look I can ride a horse" and yes Miss Kwok, you convinced me.

Roll on episode 3. Are you watching this series? Why not? Still enough time to catch up!

A very interesting episode and heart wrenching as well.