Episode Summary
Tang Weimin's love for He Jiali causes family conflict and heartbreak. Jiali ultimately rejects him, writing a letter promising to cut off all contact. A time jump shows Jiali meeting Zhang Jianguo, hinting at a potential new relationship.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with high drama. Tang Weimin, utterly distracted by his concern for He Jiali, abandons his performance, rushing to the riverbank. He's frantic, but it turns out to be a false alarm – Jiali is perfectly fine.Liu Meixin, holding her young daughter, witnesses the scene, and Jiali, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze, urges Weimin to leave quickly.
One month later, Tang's mother, Matriarch Tang, has secured tickets for the popular opera "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy." She intends for Weimin to take Zhang Qiufang, but Weimin's heart is elsewhere. He races off to see Jiali, who firmly rejects him. She's actively avoiding him, and it's at this moment that Qiufang appears, greeting Weimin.In a knee-jerk reaction, Weimin gives her the tickets.
Meanwhile, Matriarch Tang is tidying up at home when she discovers a photo of Jiali in Weimin's clothes. She immediately takes it to He Changsheng, Jiali's father, sarcastically accusing Jiali of seducing her son.Furious, Changsheng heads to the movie theater to confront Jiali. He demands an explanation for the photo, only to find Weimin there with Qiufang.
Changsheng is already angry, and seeing Weimin seemingly two-timing the women makes him explode. He confronts Weimin, but Weimin is too cowardly to admit his feelings for Jiali in front of her father. Changsheng is disgusted by Weimin's spinelessness.
Back at home, Changsheng forbids Jiali from having anything to do with Weimin. He says she can be with anyone else, but not the eldest son of the Tang family. Jiali feels her father is being tyrannical, but Changsheng calls for a family vote.Meixin explains the Tang family's dynamics, pointing out that even if Jiali and Weimin were to date, marriage would be unlikely, and Weimin wouldn't side with her in a family dispute. Jiali finally sees reason and, at her parents' insistence, writes a guarantee letter, promising to cut off all contact with Weimin.
The Tang family is equally troubled by Weimin's obsession with Jiali. Big Bro Tang (Weimin's father) confronts Changsheng, making snide remarks about Jiali's supposed lack of self-respect. This leads to a physical altercation, with Changsheng punching Big Bro Tang.
Tang Jiali (Weimin's sister, not to be confused with He Jiali), hearing about the fight, gathers her four sisters and storms over to the Tang house, armed with a feather duster, seeking revenge. Weimin rushes out to stop them, and He Jiali declares that their families will never be on good terms.
As winter arrives, Jiali is making dumplings with her family when news arrives of a tragedy: Lin Qiufang's father has passed away. Jiali and Weimin go to comfort Qiufang, but Jiali makes an excuse to leave when she sees Weimin.
Two months later, Matriarch Tang visits the Zhang family, presenting Qiufang with a gold bracelet, solidifying her approval of Qiufang as her future daughter-in-law. Aunt Liu (Qiufang's mother) just wants her daughter to be happy and gives her blessing if Qiufang truly loves Weimin. The next morning, Matriarch Tang confirms Qiufang's feelings, and Qiufang shyly agrees to the marriage. At Matriarch Tang's suggestion, Qiufang intentionally reveals the news of her impending marriage to Hu Jiali.
However, Weimin is deeply opposed to the marriage and goes on a hunger strike for several days. Qiufang, desperate, asks He Jiali to intervene and make Weimin give up on her. After much thought, Jiali goes to the Tang house that night, guarantee letter in hand.Fighting back her emotions, she reads the letter aloud to Weimin, vowing to have nothing more to do with him. She states that if she breaks this promise, she will be banished from her family and renounce her surname.Afterward, Jiali tells Qiufang that the matter is resolved, and Qiufang tearfully embraces her.
The episode ends with a time jump to 1975. Zhang Jianguo arrives at a study session and encounters He Jiali, whom he had met briefly years before. Jiali accidentally leaves her notebook behind, and Jianguo picks it up and personally returns it to her home.Her parents, He Changsheng and Liu Meixin, are very pleased with him.
