Episode Summary
After burying her daughter, a grieving Chu Shaohua travels to Shanghai. She gets a job at a textile mill under the new name Zhu Sha and discovers the horrific working conditions. After thugs attack the female workers, she leads a successful strike, forcing the factory to improve wages and conditions. However, once a major order is completed, the factory manager fires her. A young boy she befriended at the mill, Cheng Hui, helps her find a new place to live.
Spoiler Alert
A Fresh Start and a New Fight
This episode picks up right after the absolute gut-punch of the last one. Chu Shaohua buries her daughter, Xuanxuan, by a river. The grief is just too much. She completely collapses at the grave. When she comes to, she stumbles into the river to wash off the blood. Then, she gets on the first train she can find. It’s heading to Shanghai.
On the train, she meets a young girl named Yin A’mei. The girl is chatty and friendly. She’s also going to Shanghai to find her cousin. Once they arrive, they split up. Chu Shaohua tries to find her old friend, Kang Erniu, using an address from a four-year-old letter. It’s a dead end. Kang Erniu is long gone. With nowhere else to go, Chu Shaohua just finds a corner to sit in.
Things get a little weird when a man, Wen Zhiqiu, walks by. He thinks she’s a beggar and tosses some money at her. She immediately gives it back. She’s down, but she’s not out.
Life at the Mill
Chu Shaohua decides her only option is to find Yin A’mei. She heads to the Baoxing Mill, which happens to be hiring. Yin A’mei’s cousin, Luo Cuiying, vouches for her. Chu Shaohua gets a job in the combing workshop. She also decides to start over completely. She gives herself a new name: Zhu Sha.
Luo Cuiying shows her the ropes. Chu Shaohua is a fast learner. But the factory is a terrible place to work. The foreman, Lao Zhong, is a monster. He constantly shorts the women’s wages and beats them for any small mistake. He even secretly turns the clock back two hours to cheat them out of their time. The women are all too scared to say anything.
To make matters worse, local thugs led by Lu Agui show up all the time. They harass and grope the female workers. Chu Shaohua wants to step in, but Luo Cuiying holds her back. She warns her not to cause trouble.
One day, Chu Shaohua spots a young boy named Cheng Hui secretly setting the clock to the correct time. The foreman, Lao Zhong, catches him. As Lao Zhong and his men give chase, Chu Shaohua misdirects them. She helps Cheng Hui hide. She also sees the awful living conditions for the women. Their dorms are falling apart, with broken doors and windows. She tries to convince the other workers to stand up for themselves. They refuse. They’re too afraid of losing their jobs.
The Breaking Point
About a month goes by. The thugs, Lu Agui and his crew, sneak into the women’s dorm at night. They start assaulting the workers. Chu Shaohua has finally had enough. She grabs a stick and starts fighting back. They quickly overpower her and begin beating her.
Seeing this, the very women who were attacked before get on their knees. They beg the thugs to let Chu Shaohua go. This only encourages the men. But then, Cheng Hui rushes in to defend her. His bravery sparks something in the other workers. They all surge forward, surround the thugs, and give them a serious beating.
The foreman, Lao Zhong, shows up. He blames the women for the fight. He docks their pay by half as punishment. This is the last straw for Chu Shaohua. She calls for a strike. She reminds the women that the factory has a huge order to fill. They have leverage. This time, all one thousand workers agree.
The Strike
The next morning, no one shows up for work. Lao Zhong is furious. Chu Shaohua meets him as the workers' representative. She lays out their demands. No more wage theft. Fire Lu Agui and his thugs. A workday cannot be longer than twelve hours. No more beatings. And they want better food and housing.
Lao Zhong flatly refuses. The women protest, shouting that they won't work until their conditions are met. He brings in his own men to threaten them. It doesn't work. The women arm themselves with tools and sticks. Lao Zhong and his guys actually get scared and run off.
The factory manager is not happy. He tells Lao Zhong that if the order isn't completed, he's fired. Lao Zhong tries a different tactic. He brings meat to the dorms, trying to bribe the women. They don't fall for it.
Finally, a higher-up, Manager Wang, arrives. He wants to speak with Chu Shaohua alone. She refuses. She tells him he has to make his promises in front of everyone. The factory manager realizes he's beaten. He agrees to every single one of their demands. The women, victorious, go back to work. They now see Chu Shaohua as their leader.
Of course, it couldn't last. As soon as the big order is finished, the manager fires Chu Shaohua. The official reason is that she "failed her assessment." The other women are ready to strike again to save her job. Chu Shaohua stops them. She knows the factory doesn't need them now. Another strike would just get them all fired. After a sad goodbye, she leaves.
But she isn't alone. Cheng Hui is waiting for her outside. He found her a place to stay. His friend moved out of his home in the slums, so she can live there. For the first time in a while, Chu Shaohua has a place to call her own. She counts the few coins she has left, worried about the future.
