Episode Summary
Fei Wendian continues to reject his marriage to Ning Susu, planning to leave the village. The Ning family matriarch's health worsens due to the stress of her daughters' situations. Ning Xiuxiu, after a conflict with her brother-in-law is resolved by her husband Big Foot Feng, begins to settle into her new family. The two sisters reunite briefly. In a desperate attempt to force her son to accept his marriage and produce an heir, Fei Zuoshi drugs both Fei Wendian and Ning Susu, leading them to consummate their marriage under false pretenses.
Spoiler Alert
"This Thriving Land" Episode 6: A Desperate Plan is Hatched
In the aftermath of a wedding ceremony built on a lie, the lives of two sisters and the families they've married into become further entangled. Fei Wendian remains heartbroken and in denial of his marriage to Ning Susu, who was forced to take her sister Ning Xiuxiu's place at the altar. His only desire is to send Susu back to her family and leave Tianniu Temple Village, as he cannot accept that the woman he truly loves, Xiuxiu, has married another man, Big Foot Feng.
The situation at the Ning household is dire. The matriarch has fallen gravely ill from the stress of her daughters' fates. In a desperate plea, she begs Fei Wendian to accept the marriage and urges Susu to be a dutiful wife. Despite Wendian's rejection, Susu is forcibly put on the Fei family carriage and sent back to a husband who doesn't want her.
Meanwhile, Ning Xiuxiu faces her own set of challenges. Her brother-in-law, Feng Er, relentlessly pressures her to return to her estranged father, Ning Xuexiang, to demand the deed for fifteen acres of land. Having disowned her family upon leaving, Xiuxiu refuses, leading to a bitter argument that ends with her storming out of the Feng home. However, her husband, Big Foot Feng, quickly comes to her defense. He finds Xiuxiu and persuades her to return, sternly warning Feng Er that if he continues to harass her, he will take Xiuxiu and leave for "Chuang Guandong" (a historical mass migration to the Northeast). The threat works, and the Feng family finds a fragile peace.
Susu, worried about her mother's deteriorating health, pays a visit home. Her mother advises her to make the best of her situation with Wendian. Heartbroken by her mother's condition, Susu decides to find her sister. She locates the Feng residence and is saddened to find Xiuxiu has also fallen ill with a high fever after catching a cold. During their reunion, Susu reveals she was the one who completed the wedding ceremony. She implores Xiuxiu to visit their ailing mother. Xiuxiu, who has started to feel a sense of belonging thanks to the dedicated care of her husband and mother-in-law, agrees to go as soon as she recovers. She gives Susu a jade pendant, a family heirloom, to bring to their mother.
As Fei Wendian packs his bags to return to school, his mother, Fei Zuoshi, devises a desperate plan to make him stay. She encourages a reluctant Susu to secure her place in the family by bearing Wendian a child. At a farewell dinner, Fei Zuoshi plies both Wendian and Susu with wine she has secretly drugged. As the drug takes effect, an intoxicated Wendian, mistaking Susu for Xiuxiu, carries her to bed. Believing he is finally with the woman he loves, he consummates their marriage while his mother prays outside for their union to be solidified by a child.
