Episode Summary
Chu Shaohua takes full control of the Jade Beauty Powder business after her brother-in-law, Chen Ershun, is exiled for embezzlement. While settling his debts at a brothel, she discovers her childhood friend, Kang Erniu, working there. After the madam demands an exorbitant price for Erniu's freedom, Shaohua devises an elaborate scheme. She fakes an illness for Erniu, manipulates a local gangster, and spreads a false rumor to trick the madam into selling her friend's contract for a fraction of the cost.
Spoiler Alert
A Messy Start to the Day
The episode kicks off with Chu Shaohua heading to work at the pharmacy. Her morning is ruined almost immediately. A group of accountants from three different brothels are blocking the door. They're all here to collect a debt from Chen Ershun. Shaohua, ever the professional, doesn't want a scene. She calmly invites them inside for tea and snacks while they wait.
Mr. Chen and Chen Dashun show up after hearing about the commotion. The accountants present the bills. Chen Ershun owes a grand total of 1,115 silver dollars, complete with his signature on the IOUs. Mr. Chen tells Shaohua to settle the debt using money from the pharmacy's cash box. But when she checks, the box is short by three or four hundred dollars. It turns out that while Shaohua was on maternity leave, Ershun was put in charge of the Jade Beauty Powder accounts. The guy didn't just spend money; he was skimming it right from the business.
Furious, Mr. Chen pays off the entire debt. He then gives Ershun a beating and banishes him back to their hometown that very night. Ershun's wife, Song Ping, is allowed to stay and help care for the family.With the dead weight gone, Mr. Chen hands complete control of the Jade Beauty Powder business over to Shaohua. Her first task is to visit the brothels and clean up Ershun's disastrous bookkeeping. Of course, the madams try to squeeze her for kickbacks.
A Ghost from the Past
While sorting out the accounts at one of the brothels, Shaohua sees a familiar face. A local official, Councilor Zhou, is visiting his favorite girl, Ningxiang. The madam is personally escorting him. Just as Shaohua is about to leave, she hears the madam screaming at Ningxiang. The terrified girl runs downstairs, and Shaohua recognizes her instantly. It's her old friend, Kang Erniu.
Erniu is covered in bruises from a recent beating. Without a second thought, Shaohua decides she has to get her out of there. She sends a shop assistant to buy medical ointment and personally tends to Erniu's wounds. Erniu breaks down and tells her everything. She came to Beijing with a man named Xiao Wu, who turned out to be a good-for-nothing gambler.He lost all their money and then sold her to the brothel to cover his debts. Shaohua swears she will buy her freedom. But Erniu, feeling hopeless, refuses her help and pushes her away.
A Steep Price for Freedom
Shaohua isn't one to give up. She comes back later, pretending to be a client, and insists on seeing Erniu. She tells her friend she can't just stand by and watch her life be destroyed. The madam interrupts them, and Shaohua declares her intention to buy Erniu's contract. Smelling an opportunity, the madam demands an outrageous price: 3,000 silver dollars.
Shaohua doesn't have that kind of money. She asks Chen Dashun for a loan, but he only has a hundred dollars left after paying for his brother's mess. Shaohua has to tell Erniu the bad news. She promises to have her out within a year. Instead of being grateful, Erniu snaps. She screams at Shaohua, blaming her for giving her false hope. Heartbroken by the verbal abuse, Shaohua tells Erniu their friendship is over and leaves.
The Master Plan
A little while later, the madam seeks out Shaohua. She now wants to sell Erniu. Shaohua, playing it cool, says she's no longer interested. This makes the madam desperate, and she starts lowering the price. Shaohua spins a lie, claiming she wants to buy Erniu to be a wife for her "foolish little brother" back in the countryside. The madam drops the price to 500 silver dollars.
Something feels off. Shaohua does some digging with the other brothel madams. She learns that Erniu is supposedly sick with a serious disease, likely syphilis, and the madam is just trying to offload her before she dies. Shaohua storms back and confronts the madam, refusing to buy a "living dead person." Just then, a local gangster named Zhao Laoda arrives. He pressures Shaohua to buy Erniu anyway. Seeing an opening, Shaohua negotiates. She offers 300 dollars and asks Zhao Laoda to help her find the man who sold Erniu in the first place, Xiao Wu.
The Rumor Mill
As Shaohua leaves, she notices Zhao Laoda's men are tailing her. She immediately puts a plan into motion. She goes around town asking about Xiao Wu, but she adds a little story. She claims Xiao Wu stole a priceless "Ginseng King" from her boss, who is now offering a 5,000-dollar reward for his return.
Zhao Laoda's men report this juicy gossip back to him. The gangster, greedy for the reward, pulls all his men off Shaohua and sends them to hunt down Xiao Wu. Meanwhile, Shaohua explains the situation to Chen Dashun. He borrows money from friends, and they quickly raise the 300 dollars. Shaohua pays the madam and has the very "sick" Kang Erniu carried out of the brothel. Elsewhere, Zhao Laoda's men find Xiao Wu and start torturing him, demanding to know where the Ginseng King is. Xiao Wu has no idea what they're talking about.
The Big Reveal
It was all an act. Kang Erniu was never sick. This was Shaohua's elaborate scheme to save her friend without paying an impossible price. She had convinced Erniu to play along. Erniu started eating less to look frail and stopped bathing. Shaohua gave her a special potion that, when consumed, made her body give off a foul odor. She also applied a substance to Erniu's skin to create the appearance of sores and decay. When the madam saw Erniu wasting away and smelling awful, she called a doctor. Shaohua had already bribed the doctor to diagnose Erniu with a terminal illness. The madam, believing she had a dying girl on her hands, was desperate to sell and fell for Shaohua's lowball offer.
