Episode Summary
The Tang family continues their feud with the He family, stemming from a past tragedy. Changsheng faces accusations and harassment, while his wife gives birth to another daughter. The family matriarch, He Wen, tries to mediate, but tensions remain high. He Jiali is forbidden from interacting with Tang Weimin, creating a rift between them.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with the fallout from the turtle incident. Just when He Changsheng thought he'd gotten away with keeping the turtle, the building managers found it in his apartment. Matriarch Tang wants her son, Tang Weimin, to publicly denounce Changsheng, but even the timid Weimin can't bring himself to tell the whole truth. With the help of Aunt Liu, who provides an alibi, Changsheng gets off with just a warning and the confiscation of his precious turtle.
That night, the elder Tang brother, furious, writes a damning letter to get Changsheng in serious trouble, which ruins Changsheng's chances of joining the Party. The next day at the cafeteria, Big Bro Tang and his cronies taunt Changsheng, pushing him to finally snap and start a fight.
We learn that the Tang family's vendetta against the He family goes back a generation. Tang's father died in a Japanese air raid, and somehow, the Tangs blame the He family. Even though the He family wasn't responsible, Big Bro Tang and his siblings went from riches to rags, forced to scavenge for food. They needed someone to blame, and the He family became their target.
A year passes. The third He daughter, He Jiayi, is growing up, and Liu Meixin is pregnant again. Sadly, the fourth child is another girl. Changsheng is still frustrated, and Meixin is hurting too. He Wen, the family matriarch, steps up to hold everyone together, comforting her daughter-in-law and taking charge of naming the new baby. Though illiterate, He Wen cleverly picks a character from a newspaper, choosing "Huan," meaning "joy." So, the fourth daughter is named He Jiahuan.
On his way to work, Changsheng is harassed again by the Tang brothers. He nearly attacks them but is restrained by his coworkers. Back home, Changsheng blames the family's inability to have a son on the courtyard's bad feng shui, claiming it's too yin (feminine). He starts chopping down a tree and knocking a hole in the wall to let in more sunlight. He Jiali, noticing her father's obsession with the shade tree, convinces Tang Weimin to cut down the tree in his yard.
He Jiali and her friend Zhang Qiufang are doing homework together. Jiali doesn't understand why her parents are so fixated on having a son, believing that in the new society, boys and girls are equal and equally filial. The girls then discuss getting their periods, and that very night, Jiali gets hers for the first time. He Wen gently explains everything to her granddaughter.
Fast forward to 1968. He Jiali is now a young woman. She and her grandmother, He Wen, go to the cooperative to get fabric for new clothes. He Jiayi cries because she wants new clothes too, but He Wen calms her down with a red hair ribbon. Big Bro Tang, now promoted to director, continues to make Changsheng's life miserable, accusing him of embezzlement when warehouse inventory doesn't match up.
Jiali rushes to find her father. Tang Weimin rides her there on his bicycle. Seeing Jiali clash with the others, Weimin lies, saying his mother is sick, to get Big Bro Tang to leave. When Big Bro Tang gets home, he realizes he's been tricked and beats Weimin, determined to keep feuding with the He family until he's satisfied his grudge.
At dinner, the family discusses Weimin accompanying Jiali to the warehouse. He Wen, hoping to ease tensions between the families, sends two bottles of milk to Matriarch Tang. Tang accepts the milk but gives it to Big Bro Tang, who uses it as another excuse to accuse Changsheng of trying to bribe him to avoid scrutiny.
He Wen has a private talk with Jiali, forbidding her from interacting with Tang Weimin. She explains that the feud is generations old and unresolved. She warns Jiali that getting close to Weimin could fundamentally change her beliefs and loyalties. Jiali takes her grandmother's words to heart and starts avoiding Weimin, leaving him confused. He ends up getting injured while trying to chase after her. Feeling guilty, Jiali brings him some antiseptic, and Weimin is overjoyed.
