Episode Summary
In this episode, Ning Xiuxiu makes peace with her rival, Lulu, while reaffirming her unbreakable bond with Big Foot Feng. The community's dream of a prosperous future is destroyed when Ning Xuexiang sabotages their Red Sage crop, revealing a tragic family curse as his motive. In a separate storyline, Tie Tou is falsely accused of getting Sha Tao pregnant, leading to a major scandal that leaves him trapped and his reputation in tatters.
Spoiler Alert
This Thriving Land: Episode 25 Recap
It all kicks off with Ning Xiuxiu and Lulu having a pretty intense heart-to-heart over some strong drinks. Xiuxiu isn't messing around; she downs three bowls and tells Lulu that she genuinely admires her fierce, love-hard-hate-hard personality. She says if Lulu had met Big Foot Feng earlier, he probably would have fallen for her. But then, Xiuxiu makes it crystal clear where things stand. She recounts the two times Feng saved her life, swearing she'll never leave him. It's a powerful moment, and Lulu is moved to tears.
This raw honesty totally wins Lulu over. She wants to be "sisters" with Xiuxiu, and while Xiuxiu is happy to be friends, she firmly but kindly shuts down any idea of sharing her man. They end up having a great chat, and the rivalry seems to be truly over. The next morning, Lulu decides to leave for Qingdao to find her brother, Xiaohu. Big Foot Feng refuses to see her off, not wanting to give her any false hope, and Xiuxiu completely trusts his decision.
Now for the main event: the Red Sage crop. After Feng Er does some quick math, everyone realizes that planting Red Sage is way more profitable than grain. They're all dreaming of the money and the better life it will bring. But their hopes are crushed the very next morning. They go to the fields and find that every single seedling has been dug up and destroyed. The shock is so immense that Feng Er faints on the spot.
Xiuxiu has a pretty good idea who's behind this. She storms over to confront her uncle, Ning Xuexiang, and he admits it. He then drops a bombshell: their great-grandfather forbade the Ning family from ever planting Red Sage. Another uncle, Ning Xuewu, explains the tragic backstory. The great-grandfather once planted 300 acres of Red Sage, only to have the entire crop wiped out by pests. The failure left him in massive debt, and he saw it as a punishment from heaven, laying down the rule that his family should only ever plant grain.
Xiuxiu is defiant at first, but after a conversation with Big Foot Feng, she reluctantly agrees to plant grain for now to avoid more family drama.
Meanwhile, a whole other mess is brewing with Tie Tou. Still upset after Yinzi turned him down, he gets drunk. Later that night, Sha Tao shows up at his shed and asks him to braid her hair. It's a strange and innocent request, so he does it. This small act is about to ruin his life.
Soon after, it's discovered that Sha Tao is pregnant. Her parents immediately blame Tie Tou and show up at his house, demanding he take responsibility. He's completely blindsided and insists he did nothing. The situation gets worse because Sha Tao can't explain what happened; she just keeps mumbling about Tie Tou braiding her hair.
While all this is happening, Xiuxiu and Feng are in the county town. They learn that Chang Chun has bought the local pharmacy and even get some professional tips from him on how to successfully grow Red Sage, which is ironic given what happened.
They return home to find the situation has escalated. Sha Tao's parents have basically abandoned her at Tie Tou's home. When he tries to take her back, her own father threatens to kill her rather than take her back in shame. With no other choice, Tie Tou has to let her stay. The episode ends as Xiuxiu and Feng try to figure out what really happened, with Tie Tou swearing his innocence.
