Episode 1 recap: Li Tiandi faked his own death to avoid debts.
Xie Quan Jia (played by Bu Guan Jin) arrives at Changle City in search of her father. The lively atmosphere and the way of life in this place fill her with envy. Her dream is to have a warm home. She goes to the Li family's residence, but instead of a grieving widower, she finds her grandfather hosting a grand banquet. Reluctantly, she sits down to eat and deliberately ties a white cloth around her hair while holding a photo of her mother. What was supposed to be a joyous occasion turns into a solemn event for Xie Quan Jia.
As Li Father introduces his daughter to the guests, Shang Guan Gu Chuan (played by Ma Tian Yu) arrives. Li Father hurriedly invites him into the house. Shang Guan Gu Chuan has been writing letters to Li Father but has never received a response. Frustrated, he decides to visit Li Father in person and gives him a letter of divorce. He is unwilling to accept an arranged marriage by his parents, especially when he sees Li Father's appearance, which reminds him of the temperament of the only daughter. Xie Quan Jia, who doesn't understand their conversation, asks Shang Guan Gu Chuan what he means and expresses her desire to divorce Gu Chuan.
Furthermore, she strongly opposes him staying in the house, stating that it's either him or her. Li Father doesn't dare to offend Gu Chuan and pleads with his daughter to stay. That night, Gu Chuan gives Li Father an IOU. It turns out that he borrowed a large sum of money from the Shang Guan family. What surprises Xie Quan Jia even more is that the next day, many debt collectors gather at the Li residence. Gu Chuan assures them that he will repay the debts. At that moment, Fan Zhong Ju (played by Li Yin Wei), who came to Beijing for an examination, arrives and seeks refuge with Li Father. In the past, Li Father was stranded in a foreign land and was helped by Fan Zhong Ju, who gave him a token of gratitude. Looking at the jade pendant, Li Father suddenly remembers his benefactor. He was being pursued by enemies and was saved by Fan Zhong Ju's family, who promised that a descendant of the Fan family would come to Beijing and take care of him.
Li Father deliberately uses the family's assets as collateral, gathering people to clear the debts. However, when he opens the box, he discovers that it is empty. The delivery company explains that his gold was stolen and gives him 500 taels of silver as compensation. They also provide him with a list of the deceased. Overwhelmed, Li Father faints, while the debt collectors outside refuse to leave and insist on Gu Chuan's guarantee. Unable to bear seeing a young girl being bullied, Gu Chuan proposes that they all go home, but the debt collectors insist on Gu Chuan being a guarantor. Reluctantly, Gu Chuan joins the group of debt collectors. Seeing everyone mistreating her, Xie Quan Jia has no choice but to call Gu Chuan "husband" to protect herself. In order to protect himself, Gu Chuan suggests using their belongings to pay off the debts. Their house is quickly ransacked, and even Gu Chuan's personal belongings are taken away.
In the end, only Gu Chuan and Fan Zhong Ju remain in the courtyard. Li Father lies unconscious in bed. Following Fan Zhong Ju's advice, Xie Quan Jia tries splashing water on Li Father's face, but it doesn't work. She then tries a second plan, asking the head of the debt collectors to destroy the IOU, hoping it will wake up Li Father, but it doesn't. Finally, she resorts to the third method—bloodletting. At first, Fan Zhong Ju lightly cuts his finger, but seeing it has no effect, he cuts a deeper wound. Li Father winces in pain, but still doesn't wake up.
That night, Xie Quan Jia tells her mother about seeing her father. Just as she expresses her desire to leave, the lights suddenly go out. When they come back on, she notices a bamboo leaf on the table, mistakenly thinking it's a sign from her mother. Then, the lights go out again, and the noodles on the table disappear. As Xie Quan Jia searches for the ghost, she suddenly finds a man squatting on the table, eating her noodles.
Her scream attracts Gu Chuan and Fan Zhong Ju, but both of them are subdued by Liu Lang (played by Zhang Yi Duo) using pressure points. Gu Chuan mistakenly believes that Liu Lang is there to collect debts and asks him to find Xie Quan Jia for repayment. Upon learning that Xie Quan Jia is the only daughter of the benefactor, he releases them from his control.
Later, he is brought before Li Father. As he looks at the unconscious Li Tiandi, he realizes that he needs to wake him up quickly in order to return to the Tang Sect and inherit the position of sect leader. Xie Quan Jia, thinking that he must have exceptional abilities, suggests carrying Li Tiandi back to the Tang Sect and asking for his permission, which would enable him to become the sect leader. At this moment, Gu Chuan expresses his intention to sell the house to repay the debts. However, just as he finishes speaking, Xie Quan Jia suggests having Liu Lang kill Gu Chuan as a way to repay her debt of gratitude. Gu Chuan and Fan Zhong Ju quickly abandon the idea of collecting debts and decide to personally take care of Li Tiandi.
During the night, Li Tiandi wakes up and sees everyone sleeping soundly. He is accidentally discovered by Fan Zhong Ju when he tries to wake everyone up. However, Li Tiandi lies back down when he sees them awake. Xie Quan Jia questions if he is confused and, in order to confirm that she didn't misjudge the situation, she stays by Li Father's bed all night. The next day, a doctor arrives to examine Li Tiandi's pulse and finds that he is physically fine. The doctor suggests acupuncture and bloodletting. When the doctor is about to treat Li Tiandi, everyone avoids the doctor's treatment. Li Tiandi stops pretending to be unconscious and discreetly hands the doctor a finger protector. Subsequently, the doctor informs everyone that he is unable to help and they should seek more skilled assistance.
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