A Lonely Hero's Journey Episode 11 Recap
> A Lonely Hero's Journey Recap
Gu Yizhong received a phone call from Zhou Zhifei, who instructed him to immediately meet him in the meeting room at No. 90 for an important matter. When Gu Yizhong arrived, he found his father, Gu Xixing, already present. Zhou Zhifei confronted them both, revealing that their earlier act of "Execution at the Military Gate" was merely a performance.
He stated that the bullet found in the pillar at Gu's Garden matched Gu Xixing's gun and was the only shot fired by him, while Gu Yizhong's wound wasn't severe enough to be real. Gu Yizhong, no longer feigning, asked Zhou to speak directly. Zhou explained that Kondo was disappointed and conveyed Kondo's request for Gu Xixing to accept the position of magistrate of Wu County. Gu Xixing adamantly refused, declaring he would rather die than comply.
Zhou expressed regret, telling Gu Yizhong there was no time and he should persuade his father. Vice Director Huang then appeared, holding a gun containing a single bullet. He explained that Kondo had missed the earlier show and wanted to see the major general perform a real "Execution at the Military Gate." Huang delivered Kondo's order: either Gu Xixing becomes the magistrate, or only one of them would leave No. 90 alive.
Gu Xixing, understanding they were being overheard and accepting the need for sacrifice, decided not to serve the Japanese or endanger his son. He pretended to furiously berate Gu Yizhong, yelling at him to put down the gun. Then, in a moment of feigned rage aimed at protecting his son and making a final statement of defiance, Gu Xixing seized the gun and shot himself.
Gu Yizhong quickly retrieved the weapon just as Zhou Zhifei and Kondo Masao arrived, holding it as if he were responsible, thereby preserving the appearance of his father's staged suicide. Later, Spring and Haimo left a building, with Haimo asking if her purpose was fulfilled and she could now leave. She noted that Spring had brought her to Suzhou using her identity to stay in Gu's Garden, but that seemed pointless now.
Spring replied that whether Haimo was useful was for her to decide. Haimo expressed her desire to return to Chongqing to see her brother, detailing a complex travel plan by train, ferry, and plane, and requesting funds from the thousand yuan Mr. Gu had left her, stating three hundred would be enough. Spring agreed and indicated where the money was hidden. Spring then offered Haimo tiger bone ointment from Jirentang for her joint pain, mentioning Dr. Lu had procured it.
Haimo refused the ointment, referencing her mother's warning that women who suffer from "Womb Coldness" after childbirth should avoid cold, and noting that she herself had never had a child and didn't need that specific care. She told Spring that despite everything, she had come to regard her as her cousin-in-law. Spring became harsh, ordering Haimo to leave immediately.
Haimo suggested she understood Spring was using her for a larger cause, fighting the Japanese, which Spring aggressively denied and threatened Haimo. Spring then revealed the devastating truth: Haimo's brother was dead, killed in an air battle days ago, and she had lied about his letters, showing Haimo a stack of letters she had arranged to be written. Haimo was left stunned by the revelation as Spring left. Gu Yizhong returned to Gu Garden carrying his father's body.
The news of Gu Xixing's death had reached the family and servants. Fu Gui confronted Gu Yizhong, accusing him of shooting and killing the Division Commander, calling him a beast, before being restrained and pulled away. Upon hearing the news, Gu Huizhong reacted with shock, refusing to believe her father was gone and insisting he had been captured by the Japanese.
Someone, likely Hu Zhiping, then informed her that her father had refused to become magistrate, and that Gu Yizhong had personally shot him at No. 90 as proof of loyalty, according to information provided by No. 90 to the Suzhou Daily, set for publication the following day. Gu Huizhong dismissed it as a lie, but was told that even the Gu family servants believed Gu Yizhong had fired the shot.
Gu Huizhong, who was not at Gu Garden, became distraught and demanded to see her father, whose body was at Gu Garden for a funeral the next day. She attempted to return to Gu Garden but was held back and told it was too dangerous now that Gu Yizhong was responsible for their father's death. She insisted on seeing him one last time while being restrained and encouraged to express her grief.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ruotong, speaking with someone who was unwell, heard that Master Gu had passed away and that the circulating news, also published in the Jiangsu Daily, claimed Gu Yizhong had killed his father in person at No. 90. She found this information hard to accept. During the funeral procession from Gu Garden, observers noted that it was not heading towards the Gu family's ancestral graveyard.
They learned that Gu Xixing, in death, would not be buried but have his coffin placed temporarily at Dingjue Temple. This was interpreted as him wanting to emulate Wu Zixu from the Spring and Autumn Period, wishing to watch the Japanese military forces be defeated and driven out of Suzhou after his death. One person, implicitly the one slated to become magistrate, expressed doubt about the Japanese military's defeat.
Zhou Zhifei advised him to accept the magistrate position but not take it too seriously, instructing him to use the role to make money and avoid offending any major political factions like Nanjing, Chongqing, or Yan'an. He added that while people like Zhou might be removed from family records, the other person's name was likely already gone because he married a Japanese woman, concluding that his appointment would officially mark him as a traitor.
Gu Huizhong tearfully confronted Gu Yizhong before their father's spirit at Gu Garden. She held a pair of shoes given to Gu Yizhong by their father when he was a child, recounting their father's wish that they remain siblings and family despite anything. She stated that now their father was gone, the family was broken. She directly asked Gu Yizhong if the rumors were true, if he had killed their father, urging him to look at her and answer.
When he remained silent, she declared that standing before their father's spirit, she retracted her previous words. From that day forward, she had no brother, and the next time they met, she would seek revenge for their father's murder. Following the funeral and Gu Huizhong's declaration, the servants of Gu Garden decided to depart.
Wang Ma, who had served the family for thirty-two years, explained that having followed the old master for so long and learned their principles, they could not bring themselves to serve Gu Yizhong, whom they saw as having sided with the enemy. The chauffeur also refused to continue his service.
Another servant, Qi, expressed his anger over the deaths of his friend Sha and the Division Commander, challenging Gu Yizhong to join him in attacking No. 90 to kill some Japanese if he had any humanity left, threatening him otherwise. Another servant intervened, explaining their refusal was purely based on their principles and inability to serve a traitor, bidding Gu Yizhong farewell as they left.
Fu Gui remained briefly, asking Gu Yizhong directly if he had shot his father, expressing his own disbelief, and asking if Gu Yizhong intended to bear this burden alone. Gu Yizhong gave a conflicted response, stating his father died for him. Fu Gui then decided he would stay at Dingjue Temple with Abbot Chuanrui to be with Gu Xixing's coffin, leaving Gu Yizhong alone at Gu Garden.
Haimo, having seen news of Gu Xixing's death, returned to Gu Garden instead of leaving Suzhou. She brought food for Gu Yizhong and urged him to eat. He told her to leave, and after a moment of hesitation, she complied and left. As the door closed, Xiao Ruotong appeared, pointing a gun at Gu Yizhong.
Alluding to the circulating rumors about his father's death, and mentioning the deaths of Junxia, many other comrades, and now Uncle Gu, she declared that the rumors couldn't be true and demanded to know why he had done what he did. Gu Yizhong insisted that he had not framed her brother, that he was not "Cell 8," and that he had not killed anyone. Xiao Ruotong replied that she just wanted to hear the truth directly from him.
