Original subtitles

♫ Who gazes at the stars in the sky? ♫

♫ Heading towards the shore in a broken boat ♫

♫ This time, I'll hold onto fate and never give in ♫

♫ Family bonds are hard to maintain ♫

♫ Who will take me to the fearless dream? ♫

♫ As the wind and rain come and fade ♫

♫ A lone sail sways ♫

♫ A flower blooms alone amidst the thorns ♫

♫ Its petals are pierced by thorns ♫

♫ Yet it turned into a pair of wings flying against the wind ♫

♫ Everything grows through the heart ♫

♫ Even if dreams are lost ♫

♫ Smoothing out the surging waves ♫

♫ Breaking through the tumultuous sounds of the heart ♫

♫ Having the courage to resist ♫

♫ Embracing the chant of destiny ♫

♫ Only love brings light ♫

♫ Only love embraces the thorns ♫

♫ Everything grows through the heart ♫

♫ Having the courage to resist ♫

♫ Embracing the chant of destiny ♫

[Blossoms in Adversity] ♫ Only love brings light ♫

[Adapted from the novel of the same name on cmread.com]

[Episode 21]

Madam Hua always wore this hairpin.

When she was seriously ill, she gave it to me.

But I am already old, and it won't look good on me.

So I brought it with me today to give it to you before I leave.

Thank you.

I've been holding this family seal for forty years.

Now,

I'm handing it over to you.

♫ Who gazes at the stars in the sky? ♫

♫ Heading towards the shore in a broken boat ♫

♫ This time, I'll hold onto fate and never give in ♫

Grandmother, don't worry.

From now on, I will be like you.

Whether poor or rich, noble or humble, I'll always lead the way.

I will do my best to lead and to protect the Hua Family.

I won't betray your trust.

♫ Its petals are pierced by thorns ♫

♫ Yet it turned into a pair of wings ♫

♫ Flying against the wind ♫

♫ Everything grows through the heart ♫

♫ Even if dreams are lost ♫

♫ Smoothing out the surging waves ♫

Ten wen each with random characters!

Let's see what your fortune holds! Come on, have a look!

- Walk in. - The fifth row, third column.

The fifth row and third column.

- Here you go. - I'll take one!

- The fourth column, third row. - The fourth column, third row.

Yes, that one.

- Here it is. - Thank you

- Wu, refill the empty cells. - I want the sixth one in the sixth row.

It's an auspicious one!

- Thank you. - I'll have one! Give me one too!

Smooth! I got a "smooth"!

What about you?

Small trick. All they did was write a character on the apple.

You'll see. In a couple of days, other shops will start to do the same.

The apple season for this year has already passed.

Even if other shops want to do the same, it's already too late.

I'll take one!

I want the fifth in the third row.

The fifth in the third row.

- The seventh one, eighth row. - Money first.

Pick it up!

Everyone, come and see this! He got a small turtle!

Bring it here!

- Mr. Yan! - Yanxi!

- Mr. Yan! - Mr. Yan!

- Mr. Yan! - Mr. Yan!

Mr. Yan, you're finally back. You won't leave again, will you?

I missed you so much.

I missed you even more.

What about you?

But I'm afraid I won't have time for the morning lessons anymore.

But I will definitely come back before the hour of Shen every day.

Is that okay?

Mr. Yan.

Why aren't you attending the morning lessons anymore?

Where will you be?

Your brother thinks that we're not paying him enough. So he found another job.

Each day, he has to finish his work outside before he can come home.

Yanxi, just beg Zhi to give you a raise.

All this rushing around is so inconvenient.

We want Mr. Yan.

No, this won't work.

I need a place to hide. I need to find somewhere safe.

This place is not safe at all.

Madam. Madam, it's time to eat.

Madam.

You locked the door. How am I supposed to deliver the meal?

Stop knocking!

Madam my foot! She doesn't deserve it. Get lost!

You really are a wretch. You got naked on the street.

How can you still have the heart to stay alive?

Go out and ask around. Everyone has seen it!

The dignity of the Song Family has been ruined by you completely!

[Divorce Letter]

Chengzu. Chengzu!

Chengzu! Chengzu! Chengzu, don't divorce me!

Please don't do it! You want that Fudong, don't you?

I'll go bring her to you right now!

Not only Fudong. All four of them.

I'll bring them all to you! How about that, Chengzu?

Before nightfall, clear out the room.

If I see you again, I'll kill you!

Don't leave...

- Chengzu! - Chunxing! Where the heck are you?

Keep an eye on her when she packs up!

Not a single thing from the Song Mansion can be taken away!

Chengzu!

Hao. Hao.

Come. Hao, listen to me.

Your father was just quarreling with me. He won't really divorce me.

How about this? You go talk to him.

Just tell him to change his mind, will you?

Mother.

You should just leave.

What did you say?

Father doesn't want you anymore. But he still wants me.

I'm a Song after all. No matter what, I'm my father's son.

Why do you insist on staying here to make things difficult for me?

You unfilial child!

It was all your fault,

Hua Zhi. It was all your fault, Hua Zhi!

[Hua Mansion]

You left me with no way out. I won't let you off easy either.

Even if I become a ghost, I'll still make all of you suffer!

My reputation is ruined. And yours

[Hua Mansion]

will be ruined too!

Mr. Zhong.

Mr. Yan.

It's so late. How come you're not resting?

I'll go check the front gate and make sure it's locked properly.

After that, I'll go to bed.

Well. Madam Hua Jing and that Song fellow

haven't caused us any trouble these past few days.

But I actually feel uneasy about it.

Earlier when they came here and made a scene,

Zhi was so angry that her lips even turned pale.

Now, well, Madam Hua passed away because of them.

If they try to give us more trouble, I'm afraid Zhi may not be able to withstand it.

Heavens, please help us. Why don't you silence them too?

Alright, this is enough.

I'm just worried that they'll bring more disasters to our family.

Mr. Zhong,

the night is deep and the air is cold. I'll go instead.

Well, thank you, Mr. Yan.

[Hua Mansion]

[Divorce Letter To Hua Jing]

She has been dead for at least fifteen minutes.

Sir,

how big of a grudge must it be to even hang herself on their doorstep?

She is Hua Zhi's aunt.

She is Hua Jing?

No wonder.

Sir, you have no idea that the other day, at the gate of the Hua Mansion...

Work comes first.

Yes, sir.

Oh my! What on earth is this?

Someone hanged herself! She hanged herself!

- She's dead! - Let's report to the authorities!

Someone died here!

[Song Mansion]

Someone has died!

Why are you people shouting? Are you...

Master! This is not good!

Master! Come here, Master!

- What's all this rushing around for? - Come and see, Master!

- Why are you panicking? - Look!

How... How is he?

Is he fine?

Perhaps you should give him a prescription.

Father... You...

- What happened to you, Father? - Dear... Come on, quickly!

What on earth is happening?

- What now? - Bad news!

From now on, you're not allowed to say such words in this home!

Just now, the Hua Family sent over Mrs. Song...

Ah, no, they sent us Hua Jing's family badge.

[Hua Jing] And they left behind a message,

saying that from now on, they would sever all ties with her and Young Master.

Young Master can never set foot in the Hua Mansion again.

This is...

They also said that no matter what happens to Young Master, it'd have nothing to do with them

and that they'll treat you all as strangers.

Hurry up!

Take it away! Take it away and burn it!

- Just burn it and forget about it! - Yes.

- Don't be angry! - Master!

- Don't be angry... - Master!

- What now! - Some fool reported us!

They accused Master of killing his wife!

I can't believe even after death, she's still trying to hurt us!

She could have hung herself anywhere. Why right in front of our gate?

My husband was so shocked that he even had a stroke!

Oh, this is bad!

What about my imperial examination?

Father, please say something!

- Master! - Say something!

Take a breath...

- Master! - Help! Hurry up! Help! Come and help!

Hurry! Take a look at him!

Gu Yanxi.

You better stop calling me that.

I'm afraid if you get used to it, you might call that name in front of the others.

Then what should I call you?

You can call me Yanxi.

Yanxi.

Yanxi.

Do you think the way I treat my aunt and cousin,

breaking all ties with them, was heartless?

Hua Zhi,

I am a Gu.

If I were you, I would only be even crueler than you.

How so?

Those stories of the Gu Family, whether it's known or unknown to people,

which one wasn't more twisted than this?

The imperial house looks resplendent on the outside,

but on the inside, it's built upon corpses.

So, what you've done is nothing to me.

My grandfather killed two of his sons.

My uncle killed three of his brothers.

My father

killed my mother.

I carry such blood in my veins.

Will you be afraid of me?

The fire at the Lantern Festival that year took away my mother.

Shaoyao was a smart child, in fact.

Because of that fire, she became intellectually challenged.

How ludicrous.

It was him who turned Shaoyao into this,

yet he is ashamed of her now.

Actually, sometimes, I envy you.

Though your family is noisy, it's also lively.

You have a real family. Unlike those from the imperial palace...

Well, it's better not to mention them.

Shaoyao has already taken this place as her own home.

If you like, you can consider here your home as well.

From now on, wherever you are will be my home.

Are you free tonight? Let's go for a walk.

Anytime.

- How about now? - Not just yet.

I still have something important to do.

Do you really think that I don't hate her?

I hate her too.

She and that shopkeeper committed such an awful deed.

Who doesn't know about it? We can't just gloss over it.

Speaking of which, she's actually from my quarters!

Talking about this is meaningless now.

With such an incident happening, if Father and our husbands were home,

according to the rule,

they would have her beaten to death or at least sell her off.

Exactly!

If not, with the way these concubines behave,

considering the large number of maids in the house,

they could pull off all sorts of things.

If that's the case, what rules do we still have in this family?

Madam. Ms. Qin and we are different.

Yes, indeed.

She was never intelligent and always acted rashly.

- Otherwise... - Let's all stop talking about it.

If we hadn't driven her out at the beginning, this mess would not have happened.

So it was my fault?

Huilan, I certainly didn't say that.

You didn't say that out loud. But that's what you meant.

Aunties,

I have something to say.

Yingchun, get everyone here.

Alright.

About Ms. Qin, I believe after hearing what Hua Jing claimed, you all have some questions.

Therefore, in this household, there are rumors everywhere.

Today, as everyone is present, I think we should just talk openly.

Every word of mine will be true.

You can also confront Ms. Qin face to face.

Zhi, please don't do this.

Zhi, you're a young lady. You shouldn't be talking about such things.

So, the cause of this incident was the fact that Hua Jing tried to take Fudong away but failed.

She harbored resentment towards me.

She colluded with that animal, Yang, and set Ms. Qin up.

Ms. Qin was threatened by both of them.

They made her sneak into my room to take one personal belonging of mine,

so they could destroy me.

However, Ms. Qin is too kind-hearted to do that.

When she was in my room, she could have stolen my thing

to protect herself, but she didn't.

Speaking of which, I owe Ms. Qin a favor.

Zhi, don't say this.

Back then, Liang sold Boyu out. But was it Boyu's fault?

When we moved to Zihuang Residence, so many people ran away with our belongings.

Was that our fault?

Back in this mansion, Li Gui bullied everyone and you paid money for peace.

Was that our fault?

The young ladies' lives do matter,

but are the lives of married women not important at all?

The maids are pitiful indeed, but aren't the concubines pitiful as well?

I mean, as women,

why can't we treat each other with kindness?

Do we have to make her too ashamed to live?

What should we do then?

We can't keep her here, can we?

Yingchun.

[Divorce Letter]

Today, in the presence of all of you, I, the head of the Hua Family,

will divorce Ms. Qin on behalf of Uncle Pingyan.

From now on, Ms. Qin will no longer be Uncle Pingyan's concubine.

Take this and leave.

[Divorce Letter]

Qin Ergui.

Qin Ergui? Who is Qin Ergui?

Isn't Qin Ergui your maiden name?

You've been a concubine for so long that you've even forgotten your own name.

The lady is calling you!

Although you are no longer a concubine of our family,

you are still the mother of Hua Qin and Boli.

You and all of us here have moved from the mansion

to the suburbs and then back here together.

We have been through so much together.

To say that we endured hardship and faced life and death together won't be exaggerated.

In this world, if you want to find someone closer to you than us,

I'm afraid you can't.

Currently, the family business is short-handed.

I would like to ask you to stay and help manage the shop.

You will no longer receive an allowance, but there'll be a monthly salary and dividends.

Even though you are no longer Uncle Pingyan's concubine,

you are still a part of the Hua Family.

From now on, I will address you as Ergui. What do you think?

Thank you, Zhi!

Zhi, from now on, I'll follow you to the end of the world.

Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it exactly the way you want.

Thank you.

Your indentured servitude has long been burnt.

Don't ever get down on your knees again.

Zhi, how come you didn't discuss this with me?

She was with me and now she's suddenly yours.

Madam, I was wrong. I will certainly follow your lead in the future.

Madam...

Alright, go for a better future.

Madam...

Don't cry.

Zhi.

What's the matter, Qin?

Zhi. Thank you.

You don't have to thank me.

Your mother has just moved back. You should take good care of her.

It's just I really don't know what to do with Boli.

Whatever my mother and I do, it's useless.

This whole thing is up to Madam Qi.

If you had listened to me earlier and moved here,

all this wouldn't have happened. Don't you agree?

Madam, please stop making fun of me.

See, you can directly take down my horse.

I want to go back to my reading. You can teach Bolin.

What's wrong with you? Why the long face?

Can you tell me if someone has two mothers, what should they do?

Two mothers? That would be great!

But they are both unhappy because of me. I don't know what to do.

Well, you should make them happy. And then everything will be fine.

Let me tell you this...

Shaoyao, have you seen Boli?

How come once the class is over, he's disappeared?

He went shopping.

Okay.

Aunt Qi.

Zhi's mother is also Bolin's mother, and Duo's mother is also Ling's mother,

and you are Boli's mother, right?

Yes. Boli said he has two mothers. Is that true?

He was talking nonsense.

Children speak without thinking. Don't believe him.

So he lied to me. I was saying that I'm so envious of him.

What's there to be envious of?

Duo and Bolin often tell me about what their mothers said to them,

the food their mothers gave them, and the things their mothers bought them.

Their mothers treat them so well.

So, if Boli has two mothers, isn't that even better?

Unlike me. I don't even have a mother.

Boli.

Stop right there.

Madam Qi.

Where are you going?

Didn't you hear Boli talking to you?

I just happened to run into him. You should take him back to study.

Boli. What were you trying to say?

I've been helping out at the shop. I bought this with the money I earned.

I want to give it to you.

What is this?

Mother, this is a chicken feather brush I made myself.

Bolin helped me pluck feathers from our rooster. Then I made this from those feathers.

I read about this type of brush in the penmanship book written by Wang Xizhi.

This... You made it for me?

Silly child.

You're already busy with study.

You shouldn't have wasted time making this for me.

Mother, your writing is beautiful. You should write more.

In the future, I will study hard, so you don't have to worry about me all the time.

Good. Good.

Good boy.

Hold it for me.

It was a gift from the child. Why don't you wear it?

I...

It's really beautiful.

All these years,

I've been working very hard to raise Boli.

From now on, you will do exactly the same.

I will. I will!

Go ahead.

You're all here.

Yanxi.

We are playing elephant chess.

You can play this?

A friend gave it to me. He has no one to play with, so he taught me.

A friend?

Zhi, it's your turn. This...

Shaoyao is amazing.

Indeed. That was a great move.

Zhi, you let me win on purpose.

You guys always protect me,

just like you take care of Duo and the other kids.

But you don't have to do that when we're playing games.

I'm sorry.

It's alright. Zhi, I know you're busy. I'll play with someone else.

I got you again, didn't I?

Who's outwitting who?

Sorry, I made the wrong move just now. A wrong move.

Stop. Are you taking back the move?

Last time, it was you who said cheating isn't allowed.

Why are you looking at me like that?

If I want to play elephant chess again, can I come back to you?

What do you need me for? Don't you have anyone else to play with?

Playing with you is different.

- You are just different. - How am I different?

So am I the only one with free time?

You're very smart and very interesting.

You know everything.

Next time, teach me everything you know. Then I'll play with you.

Alright. But let's make it clear.

If you lose, don't cry.

I wonder who will end up crying later.

You're doomed. I'm telling you.

I've never strolled down the street with someone like this,

not for any reason, just wandering and shopping.

Then I'll do it with you as much as you want.

Have you been into someone before?

Yes, when I was a teenager.

Now, I've found her.

Why ask this all of a sudden?

I never fell for anyone before.

The day when you came back to the yard to find me,

I was thinking that I must cherish this affection.

I've never spent time with anyone like this before.

If I'm not doing something right, please let me know.

Judging by your tone,

it's like you're about to undertake something significant.

♫ Nourishing warmth within our hearts ♫

Well, everything is difficult at the beginning. You need to learn and ask questions.

Then tell me. What have you learned?

♫ Colors of the bouquet won't fade ♫

If I tell you, you can't make fun of me.

I borrowed many novels from Rong and skimmed through them quickly.

So, what did you learn from them?

I even made many notes. Would you like to see them?

I... Perhaps I'll pass.

♫ The galaxy flows like a song ♫

♫ Lighting up the sky with fingertips ♫

♫ The story slowly unfolds ♫

♫ Nourishing warmth within our hearts ♫

♫ The pulsing heartbeat ticks away ♫

♫ Colors of the bouquet won't fade ♫

♫ In each other's palms ♫

♫ Capturing every moment ♫

Then let's spend more time together.

♫ Brewing our love words ♫

In this way, we'll become adept.

♫ Happy scenes are forever abundant ♫

I've thought about it.

During the day, it's noisy in the house. It's quieter at night.

We can have late-night snacks together.

There's an old tree in the yard and there's a hollow in the trunk.

If you have time, just leave a note inside

and tell me what you'd like to eat and when you're available.

If not, then never mind.

Okay.

- It's a deal. - Agreed.

♫ When all the lights were taken from the world ♫

♫ You are my only shimmering star ♫

♫ You save me with everything ♫

♫ Protecting me by my side ♫

♫ Refusing to give up ♫

♫ Never give up ♫

♫ Just to seize ♫

♫ The light of hope ♫

Yanxi.

I don't want to make up stories about who you are and lie to the others.

Let's wait a bit longer.

When the time is right, we'll tell them about us. Is that okay?

♫ It's like we're walking back to back ♫

I'll listen to you.

I read from those novels

that one single misunderstanding can break a couple up.

Actually, they could have been franker and make things clear with each other.

Yes.

♫ Slowly permeating each other ♫

So, do you have anything that you want to tell me honestly?

♫ If you nod, I'll never turn back ♫

Actually...

♫ Against the current of time, I go to your side ♫

I don't really like sweets.

♫ Turns out I once had cracks ♫

In fact, I like to be in quiet places. I don't like listening to people talk.

♫ Waiting for you to illuminate my universe ♫

Okay. I'll speak less from now on.

♫ When all the lights were taken ♫

♫ You are my only shimmering star ♫

♫ You save me with everything ♫

♫ Protecting me by my side ♫

♫ Refusing to give up ♫

♫ Never give up ♫

♫ Just to seize ♫

Did you finally make peace with Qin Ergui?

I had to think for the child after all.

But to be honest, she is really nice to Boli.

Aunt Jin'e. Aunt Jin'e.

- Aunt Jin'e. - Sui'an? What happened?

- Aunt Jin'e! - Get up.

Please, save my mother.

What happened to her?

My mother. She...

My mother has been beaten so hard that she's nearly dead.

That brute!

Sui'an. You're such a big boy. You...

Can't you defend your mother and fight back for her?

I... I...

- Don't do this. - That's his father after all.

How could a son attack his father?

Then how could a husband beat his wife nearly to death?

Sui'an. Get up. I'll go home with you. Let's go!

What happened?

Xian has been abused by Yang again!

I went to their house to reason with him, but that rat hid from me.

They said he went to some kind of poets' gathering.

The house was left in a terrible mess.

Since you've been there, why didn't you bring Auntie Hua Xian home?

Don't get me started. I'm so pissed.

Xian is such a spineless girl!

I told her to come home with me, yet she flatly refused.

She said that family matters should not be made public.

She believes she shouldn't return here to spend the night without a good reason.

Because if this gets out, Sui'an would be ashamed.

That's not wrong, though.

As a married woman, she can't always stay at her parents' home.

Even if we can look after her for a few days, she would need to go back eventually.

That was what she said too.

She could hide here temporarily,

but once she goes back, that heartless man would beat her to half-death again.

I was so angry! I was even going to force her back.

But she threatened me with her life.

She said that if I pressured her further, she would just kill herself!

She also said she was already too ashamed to live.

Sui'an tried so hard to persuade her, but she wouldn't listen.

As for me, I was so angry that I almost passed out!

If Auntie Hua Xian refused to come home,

no matter what you do, you couldn't possibly bring her back.

About this, we need a long-term plan.

Why is being a woman so hard?

What can be done about it anyway?

She married such a man. That is her fate.

But speaking of which, back then, Mother approved of their marriage.

He seemed refined and cultured like a gentleman.

I can't believe he turned out to be such a scoundrel.

But what can we do about it?

She married him already, so she has to endure him.

That's wrong.

I don't think this is Auntie Hua Xian's fate. I don't even believe in fate.

Zhi, do you have any idea?

When a man can't bear his wife, he can divorce her.

So when a woman can't bear her husband, she can also divorce him.

Zhi, what are you talking about?

How could women divorce their husbands?

If she can't do that, then let it be an uncontested divorce.

According to the Daqing Law, there is indeed a provision for a mutual divorce.

And it's not specified that only a man can initiate it.

A mutual divorce?

Are you saying she can leave the Yang Family and move back here?

Yes.

Well, it doesn't have to come this far, does it?

Aunt Xia, what other ideas do you have?

I think we should let Mr. Yan beat him until he begs for mercy.

So he'll know that we do have men to back us up.

Yes, I also want to beat him up. The harder, the better.

But then what? We simply forget about it?

The only solution is to help Auntie Hua Xian and Sui'an leave that place and come back here.

Leaving that house of nightmares is the most important thing.

That is nonsense.

The Yang Mansion is the home of your aunt and Sui'an.

Our place is just her parents' home.

That's a place where they are treated like animals. And you call it home?

But you can't make her leave just like that, can you?

How would your aunt live the rest of her life?

Are we going to watch Xian be kicked out of that house and become a joke?

I'd rather tear down ten temples than destroy one marriage.

Zhi, don't you say that nonsense again.

Don't ever bring up the divorce again.

Of course, she needs a divorce.

I knew you would say so.

How did you know?

I just knew. You surely would think the same as me.

You said that your aunt is afraid of affecting her son's future.

But if your cousin still has a shred of humanity,

he would not want his mother to stay by such a monster's side.

Not even for an instant.

My cousin wants her to come here and hide for a while.

But I haven't talked to him about the divorce yet.

I don't know what he'll think about it.

Hua Zhi, you have met my mother.

Yes. We have met once.

She was very kind to me.

If I could choose, I wish she never married my father.

Even if that means I wouldn't exist.

Things would have been much better if she hadn't married my father.

Hua Zhi, I am a son too.

To me, nothing is as important as my mother's safety and happiness.

I think Sui'an thinks the same way.

Try this.

This is salty porridge. It's not sweet at all.

Alright.

Zhi, where are you going?

I'm making another trip to the Yang Mansion. I'll be back soon.

Are you really going to persuade Xian to get a mutual divorce?

I have to.

I disapprove.

If you want to go, go by yourself.

Zhi, this is immoral.

It doesn't matter. I'll just go by myself.

♫ Not a patch of land is wasted ♫

♫ No tea plant is left withered ♫

♫ The sky drops rain, birds eat worms, and chickens leave manure ♫

♫ Using effort and sweat to water and nourish ♫

♫ The tea leaves may be rustic ♫

♫ But the taste is of spring ♫

♫ Ah, in the early spring, we pick the tea leaves ♫

♫ Ah, let's enjoy the abundant spring together ♫

♫ Not a patch of land is wasted ♫

♫ No tea plant is left withered ♫

♫ The sky drops rain, birds eat worms, and chickens leave manure ♫

♫ Using effort and sweat to water and nourish ♫

♫ The tea leaves may be rustic ♫

♫ But the taste is of spring ♫

♫ Ah, in the early spring, we pick the tea leaves ♫

♫ Ah, let's enjoy the abundant spring together ♫

♫ Ah, in the early spring, we pick the tea leaves ♫

♫ Ah, let's enjoy the abundant spring together ♫