Episode 7 recap: The breach in the Stone Village Embankment has caused great suffering for the people, leaving them in dire straits.
The Yellow River embankment collapsed, displacing the people and resulting in many starving individuals. The situation became so severe that cases of cannibalism were reported. Ding Bao Zhen looked ahead and saw the Hou Family Forest with the embankment on both sides appearing weak and soft. Ding Bao Zhen suggested building an embankment at the old cliff of the Hou Family Forest. The people eagerly volunteered as male laborers to construct the embankment, and Ding Bao Zhen wrote a memorial to inform the authorities about the disaster in Shandong.
Chunlan specifically came to the embankment to take care of Ding Bao Zhen, but he wished for her to take care of his wife at home. As the completion of the dam was imminent, one person shouted and cautioned everyone to be careful. In the evening, Chunlan asked Ding Bao Zhen when he would return home, intentionally concealing his sister's worsening condition. Ding Bao Zhen stated that he had official business passing by the house in two days and could take a quick look.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhong's illness grew increasingly severe. When she learned that Ding Bao Zhen had returned, she was overjoyed. He personally took care of her medication. In order to let Ding Bao Zhen focus on managing the Yellow River, she lied and said that her condition was improving. With busy official duties, Ding Bao Zhen soon left. Mrs. Zhong gazed deeply at him, realizing that this parting might be their final farewell.
The next day, Mrs. Zhong's condition worsened, and the maidservants hurriedly attended to her. Meanwhile, Ding Bao Zhen braved the rain to repair the Yellow River. Unfortunately, he accidentally fell into the river. Fortunately, Pei Rong was able to rescue him in time. At that moment, Mrs. Zhong passed away, still concerned about Ding Bao Zhen. When Ding Bao Zhen rushed back home, he saw white mourning curtains hanging in the house. He mourned his wife with a heavy heart. The following day, the entire town escorted Mrs. Zhong on her final journey. Ding Bao Zhen reminisced about her life, her gentle nature, and her exemplary qualities as a virtuous woman.
Ding Bao Zhen received a letter from his hometown, urging him to return for ancestral worship. His three brothers had all passed away, leaving him the sole survivor. Minister Wen made a special visit to Ding Bao Zhen, advising him to rest well and take advantage of the family situation to take leave and recuperate. Minister Wen assured him that he would take care of matters in Shandong and that Ding Bao Zhen could rest assured. To ensure Ding Bao Zhen's peaceful recovery in his hometown, Qi Songru had already prepared a leave of absence letter.
Ding Bao Zhen wrote a letter specifically to Lord Yan and asked Shen Qian to deliver it. Ding Bao Zhen looked at his beloved granddaughter, Daisheng, showered with affection, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face. With the completion of the Yellow River project and the passing of his wife, Ding Bao Zhen declared himself sick and returned to his ancestral home in Guizhou. As he returned to his homeland, he looked at the familiar surroundings, every blade of grass and tree, recalling his childhood when he used to catch fish with a bamboo basket and eat sticky rice cakes.
He couldn't help but think of the scene of Mrs. Zhong working diligently on wax dyeing. Although the handkerchief was small, it carried deep sentimental meaning.
During a rest in the middle of the forest, as Ding Bao Zhen had been helping poor families along the way, he had very little money left. At this time, he heard Li Pei Rong's stomach growling from hunger. When he opened his lunchbox, he discovered a girl hiding inside, claiming that she was too hungry and had hidden there to steal food.
Ding Bao Zhen felt sympathy for her and decided to continue the journey with her. Upon seeing a notice for recruiting workers for the river embankment project, Li Afu mentioned that it involved digging and building the dam. However, few people were willing to do it because they were afraid of falling into the river due to their lack of swimming skills. Pei Rong locked the girl they had brought with them in the firewood shed, but when he opened the door, he found her hiding inside the stack of firewood, having already dug halfway through the wall.
Jin Xiaomei recognized Ding Bao Zhen and quickly revealed her identity. Her mother had been Ding Bao Zhen's wet nurse. Jin Xiaomei mentioned that she had been saved by a man named William, who had some knowledge of Westernization, which piqued Ding Bao Zhen's curiosity. Qiao Songnian and Wang Daren discussed the severity of the embankment situation and concluded that it could be resolved by plugging the hole with dry soil.
However, Luo Zicong secretly diverted the water channel in another direction, causing serious consequences. The silver taels that were supposed to be used for the project were used to cover up this hole instead. Qi Songru arrived with news of the flooding situation in Shandong, and Ding Bao Zhen wrote a letter for him to deliver urgently. Qi Songru asked Afu, based on his experience, when the embankment could be repaired. During their conversation, they noticed that the water had reached the houses, and everyone began to flee. The Stone Village embankment collapsed, and the people in the city started to evacuate. Ding Bao Zhen hurriedly went to the local government office and reprimanded Qiao Songnian for possibly neglecting his duties. Qiao Songnian insisted that he had been inspecting regularly and would never neglect his responsibilities, and he tried to shift the blame to Luo Zicong for the breach.
Ding Bao Zhen ordered Li Pei Rong to find Qi Songru and Luo Zicong, but they were nowhere to be found. Li Afu couldn't understand why the repaired embankment had breached, so he hurried back home to investigate. Ding Bao Zhen realized that the issue with the embankment involved more than just Luo Zicong. If they abandoned the Stone Village area, the people downstream would suffer even more. However, Qiao Songnian wanted to give up on the project and no longer deal with this water disaster, leading to a falling out between him and Ding Bao Zhen.
During a nighttime inspection, Ding Bao Zhen discovered that the people were using water to alleviate their hunger, as they hadn't received any relief food. The relief supplies had been provided by local officials using their own personal food reserves, but now there was only rice and water left.
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