Episode Summary
Chu Shaohua definitively ends things with her old flame, Xia Chu, and commits to her husband, Chen Dashun, just as she discovers she's pregnant. The family moves to Beijing, where Chu Shaohua cleverly manipulates her way into working at the family's struggling pharmacy, immediately proving she has the business savvy to turn things around.
Spoiler Alert
The Love Triangle Gets Put to Bed
Alright, let's get into it. The episode kicks off with Chu Shaohua getting a visit from her sister-in-law, Song Ping. She learns her husband, Chen Dashun, is off to see her ex, Xia Chu. Chu Shaohua knows exactly what this is. It's a showdown.
So, she bolts over there. She finds them and lays it all out. She tells Xia Chu that whatever they had is done. It's over. She's married to Chen Dashun now, and that's final. She won't let Xia Chu interfere in her life, and then she grabs her husband and heads home. You have to appreciate the directness. No messing around.
A Divorce, a Goodbye, and a Big Return
You’d think that would be the end of it. But Chen Dashun is a good guy. Maybe too good. He feels like he's holding Chu Shaohua back. So he writes a divorce letter, packs up all his savings, and tries to give them to her. He wants to set her free so she can be with Xia Chu.
Chu Shaohua is crushed. But Chen Dashun insists and even has Old Luo take her to meet Xia Chu one last time. She goes to their meeting spot. She gives Xia Chu back the whistle he once gave her. It's a quiet, final break.
While this is happening, Chen Dashun is falling apart. He locks himself in his room and refuses to eat or drink. His family is frantic. Just when things look bleak, Chu Shaohua walks back through the door. She takes that divorce letter and tears it into tiny pieces. Then she gets a wave of nausea. She's a doctor, so she checks her own pulse. She's pregnant. Chen Dashun is overjoyed, and suddenly the whole family has something to celebrate.
A New Life in Beijing
The Chen family packs up and moves to Beijing. They buy a nice courtyard house, and everyone settles in. The mother-in-law, Mrs. Chen, immediately tries to lay down the rules for Chu Shaohua and Song Ping. Chu Shaohua isn't even listening. She’s too busy thinking about her new life.
Life in the new house starts with some family drama. Mrs. Chen is suspicious of her other son, Chen Ershun. She thinks he's skimming money off the grocery budget. She demands he draw a map to the market so she can check his route. While she’s not looking, Chu Shaohua cleverly copies the map.
Mrs. Chen heads to the market herself but gets completely lost. She runs into a foreigner, which terrifies her, and she runs all the way home. She's convinced Chen Ershun drew the map wrong on purpose. This is the opening Chu Shaohua was waiting for. She volunteers to take over the grocery shopping, and Mrs. Chen agrees.
Getting a Foot in the Pharmacy Door
Chu Shaohua uses her new freedom to explore. She finds the family's old pharmacy. It's not doing well. She sees a newspaper and gets an idea. She wants to learn to write. She also wants to help turn the pharmacy around.
But she can't just ask. So she and Chen Dashun come up with a plan. He starts complaining about how overworked he is at the shop. The other brother, Chen Ershun, conveniently says he's too sick to help. Mrs. Chen tells Chu Shaohua to go help her husband. Chu Shaohua plays it smart. She mentions her pregnancy, pretending it might be too much. That seals the deal. Mrs. Chen insists she go.
Chu Shaohua is exactly where she wants to be. She even gets an idea to sell sachets that help with morning sickness, like one Chen Dashun made for her. Her business instincts are sharp from day one. When a customer needs a rare ingredient they don't stock, she finds it at another shop. She buys it for twenty silver dollars but sells it to the customer for eighteen. Her goal isn't immediate profit. It's about earning loyalty. Chen Dashun is completely impressed. She's not just there to help; she's there to take over.
