Episode Summary
In 1916 Qizhou, Chu Shaohua, a sharp young woman from a family of herbalists, exposes a fake medicine scheme at the local market. This inadvertently causes her foolish older brother, Chu Shaozhong, to be framed by rival gangs for the crime. To save him from execution, Shaohua investigates and uncovers the real culprits. Just as she frees him, they are caught by loan sharks demanding repayment for her brother's bad deal. Facing this new threat, Shaohua is forced to agree to an arranged marriage with Chen Dashun, a man she recently met, to use the dowry money to settle the debt.
Spoiler Alert
A Wild Start in the Medicine Market
The show kicks off in 1916. We're in the Qizhou medicine market, and it is chaotic. People are everywhere.
We meet our main character, Chu Shaohua, and her friend Chai Erniu. They're just taking in the sights. Shaohua is fascinated by all the different herbs. She sees the owner of a big pharmacy, a guy named Xia Yuan, and you can tell she's impressed. She basically vows to become a big shot just like him.
A Runaway Cart and a Brother's Mistake
Things get messy pretty fast. A horse pulling a cart full of herbs gets spooked. It starts tearing through the crowd.
A Heroic Moment
Shaohua sees a little girl, Niuniu, frozen in the middle of the road. The cart is about to run her over. Shaohua doesn't even think. She just runs out and saves the girl.
After the chaos, she helps the driver pick up the scattered herbs. This is where her smarts kick in. She notices the astragalus root is actually fake. It's just alfalfa root. She quietly follows the cart to a place called Tang's Pharmacy.
The Confrontation
Inside the pharmacy, a man named Chen Dashun is about to buy that same batch of fake herbs. Shaohua pulls him aside and tells him to be careful. The shop owner, Tang Yaoji, completely loses it. He yells at Shaohua and insists his shop is legit. Shaohua calls him out in front of everyone, exposing the fake herbs. Tang Yaoji tries to save face by blaming a rival gang. Chen Dashun is clearly impressed by Shaohua.
My Brother, The Idiot
Shaohua gets home to her family's pharmacy, Chichun Tang. She finds out her older brother, Chu Shaozhong, just did something really stupid. He spent 400 silver dollars on eight huge bags of astragalus root. He was promised a big commission. Shaohua knows this is a bad idea. It just feels shady.
Gangs, Frame-Ups, and a Public Shaming
The fake herb situation escalates into a full-blown gang conflict. Tang Yaoji is part of the Guandong Gang. He goes to confront the Qizhou Gang, led by that big shot Xia Yuan. A fight breaks out.
To flush out the real person who swapped the herbs, Xia Yuan sets a trap. He offers a high price for astragalus root. Of course, Shaohua's brother Shaozhong shows up to sell his supply. He walks right into it. Xia Yuan assumes Shaozhong is the culprit and hands him over to the Guandong Gang.
The Guandong leader, Yang Sanye, doesn't believe Shaozhong's story. They decide to make an example of him. They tie him up on a main street to be publicly shamed for three days before they execute him.
Shaohua the Detective
Shaohua isn't about to watch her brother die for something he didn't do. She immediately starts digging for the truth.
Following the Trail
She finds out her brother bought the herbs from a mysterious "Boss Huang." She tracks him to an inn, but he's already gone. She doesn't give up. She finds the cart driver who moved the herbs. He leads her to a house in a nearby village.
The Evidence
At the house, she hits the jackpot. She finds leftover alfalfa root, dyes, and empty bags with the Guandong Gang's secret mark on them. This was the workshop for the fake herbs.
She takes all this evidence directly to the gang leader, Yang Sanye. He finally sees the truth. He releases her brother.
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
You'd think their problems are over. You'd be wrong.
The Loan Sharks
On the way home, loan sharks ambush Shaohua and her brother. They're here to collect the 390 silver dollars Shaozhong spent on the herbs. If they don't pay, the loan sharks will cut off her brother's hand.
An Old Engagement
Back home, the family panics. Her sister-in-law wants to sell their ancestral pharmacy to pay the debt. Shaohua refuses. Then, someone brings up an old family arrangement. Shaohua is engaged to be married to Chen Dashun. He's the same man she helped at the market. The family sees his betrothal gift as the only way to get the money.
A Wedding Is On
The Chen family comes to visit. Dashun is clearly happy to see Shaohua. His father, however, sees the mess her family is in and wants out. He tries to leave and call off the wedding.
Shaohua takes control of the situation. She follows them out and offers to end the engagement herself. Then she asks Mr. Chen for a job. He is so impressed by her directness and character that he changes his mind completely. He sets the wedding date and gives her the betrothal gifts on the spot.
A Bittersweet Wedding Day
The episode ends on her wedding day. Her friend, Chai Erniu, has decided to leave for Beijing with a man. Shaohua is worried, but her friend's mind is made up.
As she gets ready, Shaohua thinks about her childhood love, Xia Chu. He was Xia Yuan's younger brother. He gave her a whistle as a promise before he was reported to have died. She puts the whistle away, puts on the bracelet from the Chen family, and prepares for her wedding.
