Episode 17 recap: # A Shu Gains Permanent Residency; Yuan Mo's Awkward Confession After Drinking
In Episode 17, Yu De Shui presents Yuan Mo's well-planned resettlement scheme for the refugees to Honglu Temple. An Yuan Dao praises Yuan Mo's meticulous planning, noting that he resembles the great figures from the Yuan and Han dynasties. However, Yu De Shui privately advises An Yuan Dao to give An Xiu Yi more encouragement, as An Xiu Yi risked his life to assist the refugees, a truly commendable spirit.
Upon hearing about his son's injury, An Yuan Dao is as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof, but when they meet, he can't help but express his usual concerns and reprimands. Once the resettlement notice is posted, the refugees see a glimmer of hope; they can claim temporary housing based on need and find work according to their skills. Qing Er, accompanied by her elderly mother, comes to thank Yuan Mo and Wang Kun Wu for their life-saving assistance.
Seizing the opportunity, Yuan Mo inquires about Chen Xinliang from Qing Er. She reveals that Chen shows particular care for female refugees, often arranging private meetings but behaving oddly—he makes them remove their shoes and socks to inspect their feet, seemingly looking for specific markings.
Recognizing a need for help with the resettlement, Yuan Mo and Wang Kun Wu invite the clever and hardworking Qing Er to assist at the Sifang Pavilion. Qing Er is thrilled by the offer.
Meanwhile, Ma Zhi Wen reports that the Honglian Society has been dismantled, but Kang Yun Hai is unconcerned; he worries that the resettlement might accelerate the alliance of the five states, causing him anxiety. On a brighter note, A Shu finally receives his permanent residency in Changle, prompting his colleagues at Sifang Pavilion to throw a celebration at Yuan Mo's home.
As the main organizer, Yu De Shui ensures everyone brings thoughtful gifts; even An Xiu Yi contributes, bringing dried crickets for A Shu's little white snake, making A Shu feel unprecedented warmth and care.
Yu Chi Hua playfully encourages Yuan Mo to confess his feelings to A Shu, but Yuan Mo, shy and nervous, resorts to drinking for courage. A Shu notices and spontaneously performs a dance, elevating the atmosphere of the gathering. Lin Su Su remarks that the East Courtyard hasn't been this lively in a long time. An Xiu Yi, however, self-deprecates, claiming that despite appearing respectable, he feels like a failure. Wang Kun Wu encourages him, noting that at least he can now acknowledge his shortcomings, which is a step forward.
After several rounds of drinks, Yuan Mo is the first to pass out and is helped back to his room. Yu Chi Hua kindly offers him a towel, but Yuan Mo mistakes him for A Shu and delivers a heartfelt confession, leaving Yu Chi Hua embarrassed and blushing. A Shu enters with a hangover remedy, only to be bewildered by the scene.
The next day, the first thing Yuan Mo did upon waking was check if A Shu was still there. Seeing everything as usual, he breathed a sigh of relief. He privately speculated about A Shu's reaction to his confession the night before, only to find that A Shu was acting as he always did, with no signs of anything unusual. This led Yuan Mo to mistakenly believe that A Shu was just shy. After breakfast, Yuan Mo hurried off to work at the Sifang Pavilion.
Not long after, news of Yuan Mo's confession to Yu Chi Hua spread like wildfire, thanks to Ji Mingli and Shen Bailian. As a result, Yu Chi Hua took a leave of absence, and Yuan Mo pretended to be unaware, claiming that Yu Chi Hua might have caught a chill the night before, which only elicited laughter from those around him.
As the resettlement of the refugees progressed smoothly, the topic of alliance among the five states was brought up again. Yuan Mo planned to ask Yu Chi Hua for help in expanding the search for female refugees and intended to buy her gifts to win her favor. Wang Kun Wu, seeing this, directly called Yuan Mo a "scumbag," saying that he was thinking of both A Shu and Yu Chi Hua.
Yuan Mo was confused, unable to understand how he had become a "scumbag." An Xiu Yi also felt uneasy; even Wang Kun Wu could see his feelings for Yu Chi Hua, yet he lacked the courage to confess. To restart the alliance talks, Yu De Shui proposed a new strategy: the East and West Courtyards would negotiate separately with each state, and whoever completed their negotiations first would be promoted as the envoy to Sifang.
Among the five states, the negotiation with the Northern Desert's Yu Luo was the most challenging. Unfortunately, Wang Kun Wu drew the short straw and was assigned this difficult task. An Xiu Yi suspected that Yu De Shui was intentionally giving Wang Kun Wu a chance to earn credit. However, Yu De Shui patiently explained that the arrangement had been carefully considered.
He pointed out that An Xiu Yi often overlooked details, and that problems usually hid within these small matters. If An Xiu Yi could successfully handle the trivial issues with Yu Luo and the East and West Courtyards, he would gain unexpected rewards.
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