Episode Summary
Abandoned by her fiancé Fei Wendian due to his family's objections, Ning Xiuxiu's honor is saved when Big Foot Feng arranges a grand, public wedding to marry her himself. As the new couple begins a respectful, platonic life together, a guilt-ridden Fei Wendian is pressured to accept his new reality with Xiuxiu's sister, Ning Susu.
Spoiler Alert
"This Thriving Land" Episode 5: A Wedding of Honor, A Love Forsaken
After learning the full, heartbreaking story from Ning Xiuxiu—that her father refused to sell land to save her and instead married her sister, Ning Susu, to her fiancé—Big Foot Feng decides to take matters into his own hands. Understanding that Xiuxiu's heart still belongs to Fei Wendian, Dajiao confronts him. Wendian claims he was drunk on the wedding night and that nothing happened between him and Susu, urging Dajiao to accept the situation. Enraged by this cowardice, Dajiao roughs him up and demands that he give Xiuxiu the grand wedding procession she deserves.
However, Wendian's mother, Fei Zuoshi, flatly refuses. She is horrified by the idea of bringing Xiuxiu, a woman she believes was "defiled by bandits," into the Fei family, fearing it would bring shame upon their ancestors.Pressured by his mother and his own hesitation, Wendian ultimately backs down.
After waiting in vain for Wendian's arrival, Xiuxiu realizes his family will never accept her. Seeing her despair, Big Foot Feng makes a bold move. He hires a magnificent eight-person sedan chair, parades it through Tianniu Temple Village, and distributes wedding cakes to everyone, publicly announcing that he will be the one to marry Ning Xiuxiu.It is a stunning public declaration designed to save her honor.
With a lively procession, Big Foot Feng officially comes to take Ning Xiuxiu as his bride, vowing to protect her always. Moved to tears, she accepts. As the celebration unfolds, a heartbroken Fei Wendian can only watch from a distance, while his mother advises him to accept his life with Ning Susu.
Later, in their new bridal chamber, Dajiao shows Xiuxiu the utmost respect. He sets up a curtain on the bed, creating separate sleeping spaces for them. The next morning, Xiuxiu, who has never done housework, struggles to make breakfast. Dajiao patiently offers to teach her. Their new life is immediately tested when Dajiao's father, Feng Er, demands that Xiuxiu claim her dowry land from her father. Having already disowned her family, Xiuxiu refuses, and Dajiao fully supports her decision, telling his father to drop the matter.
The episode ends with Fei Wendian unhappily escorting Ning Susu on her traditional visit back home. Susu, who only meant to help, wants Wendian to bring Xiuxiu back, but her father, Ning Xuexiang, is only interested in the lavish gifts from the Fei family and refuses to entertain the idea.
