Episode Summary
Chu Shaohua's attempt to help her brother's family backfires when her greedy sister-in-law, Zhou Yan, tries to blackmail her. After being fired, Zhou Yan sells Shaohua's darkest secret—that she was involved in Chen Ershun's death—to a business rival. This leads to Shaohua's arrest. As the trial begins, Shaohua's friends resort to bribing Zhou Yan to change her testimony.
Spoiler Alert
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
You know how it goes. You try to do something nice for family, and it just blows up in your face. That's exactly where Chu Shaohua finds herself.
She feels bad for her brother, Chu Shaozhong, and his family. So, she gives him and his wife, Zhou Yan, jobs at Wen's Grand Pharmacy. She even gets their son, Xiaobao, into a school.
But Zhou Yan is a piece of work. She complains the salary is too low. Then she hears Shaohua is sending Cheng Hui to study abroad. Zhou Yan demands Shaohua give her money to set up a business for Xiaobao. When her husband says that’s out of line, Zhou Yan comes up with a new plan. She suggests Shaohua should just "adopt" Xiaobao. That way, he can inherit everything. Shaohua shuts that down immediately.
The Blackmail Gets Real
Zhou Yan's Threat
This is where it gets ugly. Zhou Yan gets angry and threatens to tell the police that Shaohua killed Chen Ershun. Shaohua is stunned and leaves. Her brother runs after her, apologizing. He swears he never told his wife anything and that she's just making wild accusations.
A New Low
Shaohua has a bombshell of her own. She found out Zhou Yan embezzled over a hundred silver dollars from the pharmacy. Shaohua already replaced the money herself to avoid a scandal. Shaozhong is completely ashamed. He decides he's done. He tells Zhou Yan they're quitting their jobs and taking their son back to their hometown of Qizhou.
Of course, Zhou Yan refuses to go. She wants to stay in Shanghai and strike it rich. Shaozhong calls her out for her greed. She denies everything, but he knows the truth.
A Glimmer of Hope
For a minute, it looks like things might turn around for Shaohua. She and Wen Zhiqiu try to intercept a shipment of opium, but their target, Xia Yuan, just dumps the goods in the river. It's a loss.
But then Wen Zhiqiu does something amazing. He buys the old sign for "Chichun Tang" from Xia Yuan. This was Shaohua's ancestral family business, the one her brother sold off to pay debts.It means everything to her. Zhiqiu not only helps her get it back cheap but also promises to help her rebuild the company. Shaohua even leverages the moment to ask for a raise and promotion, which he happily gives her.
The Inevitable Betrayal
Zhou Yan Finds a New Boss
Zhou Yan, now unemployed, goes straight to the competition, Tian's Pharmacy. She tries to get a job by trashing Shaohua. The owner, Tian Tongdao, is suspicious. He thinks she might be a spy sent by Shaohua.
The Secret Spills
To prove her value, Zhou Yan blurts out the one secret she was holding. She tells Tian Tongdao that Chu Shaohua is a killer. She says Shaohua is responsible for the death of her own brother-in-law, Chen Ershun. This gets Tian's attention. He immediately calls her back into his office, wanting every last detail.
The Walls Close In
The police show up at the pharmacy and arrest Shaohua. Wen Zhiqiu tries to stop them, but Shaohua agrees to go for questioning.
Her brother, Shaozhong, hears the news and immediately suspects his wife. He confronts Zhou Yan, who is gloating about her important new job at Tian's Pharmacy. She finally admits she sold Shaohua's secret for personal gain. Shaozhong snaps, beats her, and throws her out of the house.
Shaohua's friends, Wen Zhiqiu, Sun Longyin, and Kang Erniu, get together to form a plan. They hire a top lawyer. When the lawyer investigates, Kang Erniu has to confess the truth; Shaohua did kill Chen Ershun, but it was an accident. They visit Shaohua in jail and urge her not to confess. But Shaohua is tired of hiding. She decides she will tell the court the whole truth and face whatever comes next.
Desperate Measures
Xia Yuan has a simple solution. He suggests they just kill Zhou Yan. Wen Zhiqiu argues it's too risky. Instead, they decide to try a different approach. They see Zhou Yan leaving Tian Tongdao's house and understand she's fully committed to her betrayal.
Kang Erniu meets with Zhou Yan and makes her an offer. She gives her 4,000 silver dollars on the spot. If Zhou Yan testifies in a way that gets Shaohua freed, she'll get another 2,000. Zhou Yan is clearly tempted by the money.
The episode ends as Shaohua's murder trial begins.
