Episode Summary
Lulu's attempt to buy land and gift seedlings to Big Foot Feng backfires when she is scammed, using the land money to buy worthless weeds. This creates a financial crisis and enrages Feng Er. Determined to make something of the situation, Ning Xiuxiu decides to plant real Red Sage root(Salvia miltiorrhiza), but faces intense opposition from both Feng Er and a mysterious, furious Ning Xuexiang. The conflict culminates in a tense confrontation that is only paused by a compromise from Big Foot Feng.
Spoiler Alert
"This Thriving Land" Episode 23: Seeds of Trouble
So, the whole drama kicks off with Lulu being the new popular girl in the village. She's charming everyone, but Ning Xiuxiu isn't thrilled, especially when her sister, Ning Susu, starts showing off a hairpin Lulu gave her.
Things get complicated fast. Lulu wants to buy some land and even offers a piece to Feng Er, who helped her find it. This immediately sets off alarm bells for Xiuxiu and her mother-in-law. Xiuxiu spills the beans that Lulu has a crush on her husband, Big Foot Feng, and her mother-in-law warns Feng Er to keep his distance. Big Foot Feng agrees and tells his brother to give the land back.
To solve the land issue for his brother, Big Foot Feng suggests planting medicinal herbs on some wasteland to earn money. Feng Er isn't a fan of the idea. Meanwhile, Lulu, trying to secure her land deal, rushes off to the county town overnight without telling anyone. She comes back with a head injury and a cart full of what she thinks are Red Sage(Salvia miltiorrhiza) seedlings, a gift for Big Foot Feng. Everyone pitches in to get them planted, but Xiuxiu feels uneasy being in Lulu's debt.
The situation blows up from here. First, a furious Ning Susu confronts Lulu, returns the hairpin, and warns her to stay away from Big Foot Feng. Then, a guy named Zhao Changming shows up with a delivery of real Red Sage seeds, just as they discover all the seedlings Lulu bought have died.
It turns out, Lulu got scammed. Zhao Changming confirms she didn't buy Red Sage, but a worthless weed, and she's out twelve silver dollars. To make it worse, Xiuxiu figures out that Lulu used the money meant for the land to buy the fake plants. Feng Er is furious because the landowner kicked him off the plot since it wasn't fully paid for. Lulu, now broke, is devastated.
Despite the mess, Xiuxiu decides to plant the real Red Sage seeds from Zhao Changming. This leads to a massive fight. Feng Er is dead set against planting herbs. Then, Ning Xuexiang, a village elder, shows up absolutely enraged. He forbids Xiuxiu from planting the Red Sage, threatening to take back the land they're renting and warning that it will bring chaos to the Feng family. He's clearly hiding something, but won't say what.
The episode ends in a tense standoff in the field. Just as things are about to boil over, Big Foot Feng steps in. He makes a deal: they'll finish planting the Red Sage for this year, but next year, his brother Feng Er gets to decide what they grow. It's a temporary truce, but the mystery of why Ning Xuexiang hates Red Sage so much is left hanging in the air.
