Episode 10 recap: Contending for the hosting rights of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.
On a stormy night, Gu Chuan proposed to Guo Dong Li to seize the opportunity and tempt him with a variety of delicious food. Xie Quan Jia told Liu Lang that the more jars he collected, the more he would earn. Furthermore, Xie Quan Jia specially added a meat dish for him at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, which immediately sparked Liu Lang's interest. But if Gu Chuan approached him, Liu Lang should know what to do.
Afterwards, Gu Chuan used various delicacies to win over Liu Lang. Ren Shu divined that Xie Quan Jia and Gu Chuan had an equal chance of winning. Suddenly, Xie Quan Jia gathered the people of the Li household for a meal, and each dish contained Sichuan peppercorn, which displeased Gu Chuan. He accused Xie Quan Jia of monopolizing power and denying everyone meat. No one dared to argue and they hurriedly ate with chopsticks and bowls. Others only made subtle suggestions, while Xie Quan Jia stood up angrily and said that whoever wanted the position could have it. Gu Chuan took the opportunity to sit on the seat and promised everyone that if he was elected as the head of the Li household, he would definitely provide an extra meal during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Due to the feeling of being dependent on others, no one dared to support Gu Chuan. Seeing that nobody supported him, Gu Chuan could only return to his seat dejectedly. Xie Quan Jia, feeling a bit guilty about the daily vegetable dishes, promised to improve the food by cooking in an iron pot the next day. Finally, the people below would be able to eat a big goose, but little did they know that tofu was awaiting them.
On the stormy night, Gu Chuan secretly met with Guo Dong Li in the kitchen. He used the issue of food to propose a power struggle during the Mid-Autumn Festival. With his intelligence and strategies, he believed he could replace Xie Quan Jia. He first planned to win over Liu Lang. If he succeeded, he would laugh three times, and Guo Dong Li would immediately go and win over Fan Zhong Ju. If he failed, he would whistle as a signal.
Xie Quan Jia found Liu Lang in advance and warned him that her initial intention in coming to the Li household was to repay kindness. She was certain that Gu Chuan would plot against her from behind and try to win him over. If at that time he didn't betray her, they could negotiate about the food issue. Whether they could have meat during the Mid-Autumn Festival depended on his performance. Xie Quan Jia also asked Liu Lang to be her spy.
Just after Xie Quan Jia left, Shang Guan Gu Chuan approached Liu Lang with the intention of improving the food. Seeing that Liu Lang was determined not to betray Xie Quan Jia, he resorted to his trump card to tempt him. Upon hearing about various delicious food, Liu Lang, in order to maintain his resolve, decided to jump off the building.
Upon hearing the whistle, Guo Dong Li knew that Gu Chuan's attempt to win over Fan Zhong Ju had failed, so she went to find him but found no one in the house. Ren Shu asked Yu Huan if she missed her hometown, to which Yu Huan replied that she not only missed home but also missed the food there. She was willing to stand with Princess Fengyu to achieve victory, and to do so, they needed to win over others through their stomachs. So Yu Huan made vegetarian dumplings and won over the others. Her cooking in the kitchen was like a military operation.
During dinner that night, Xie Quan Jia deliberately gave the only meat dish to Liu Lang, indicating that he had collected many jars. Yu Huan gave a lamb dumpling to Fan Zhong Ju to taste, and he praised it and eagerly served one to Xie Quan Jia. Although Xie Quan Jia enjoyed it, she refused to admit that the dumplings were delicious in order to protect her position.
That night, Xie Quan Jia sought out Fan Zhong Ju and, considering his behavior during the meal, promised to cater to him separately in the future. She would offer different types of buns, noodles, and dumplings. At the same time, Yu Huan also attempted to win over Fan Zhong Ju by offering to make a special layered bread from the Western Regions. Upon hearing this, Xie Quan Jia retorted that anyone could make bread, indicating that she might be dismissed. Feeling heartbroken, she left, while Yu Huan only wanted to enjoy a meal of hometown dishes at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. The next day, everyone voted to determine the decision-making power for the banquet, and the crucial vote was cast by Fan Zhong Ju in favor of Gu Chuan. Both Yu Huan and Xie Quan Jia were left disappointed. Xie Quan Jia then approached Ren Shu and encouraged her not to give up on her ideals. She proposed an alliance between their two teams, as anyone could be the host except for Gu Chuan. Yu Huan, recognizing that Xie Quan Jia was the rightful head of the Li household, agreed to form an alliance with her.
Guo Dong Li discovered that both Liu Lang, the military general, and Ren Shu from the Western Regions had sided with Xie Quan Jia. Gu Chuan believed in the strategy of seizing the food supply before attacking the enemy and not only bought vegetables from the market but also destroyed her vegetable garden. When Xie Quan Jia realized that the enemy had left the mountain, she ran to the kitchen and found that it had already become Gu Chuan's domain.
Gu Chuan prepared a table full of food to entertain everyone, while Xie Quan Jia and the others had already brought their own meals. She saw through Gu Chuan's scheme from the beginning and turned the tables on him, making him buy all the food while she simply went along with the flow. At this point, Guo Dong Li was already aware of Xie Quan Jia's plan but didn't inform Gu Chuan. In the final moment, she stood with Xie Quan Jia's group, and Gu Chuan realized that Guo Dong Li, who had been advising him all along, had betrayed him. He sat alone at the opposite table while everyone else enjoyed their meal and laughed together, even though he had wine and meat, he envied the laughter and conversations at the other table.
Xie Quan Jia deliberately left a seat for Gu Chuan. In fact, the food for the day had all been ordered from a restaurant, and she specifically ordered dishes that he liked. Yu Huan secretly baked a bread for Fan Zhong Ju. Finally, the two tables were placed side by side, and everyone sat together to enjoy a reunion dinner.
Comments(Episode 10)