Episode 11 recap: Lady Shangguan acted to test the bounds of friendship.
In front of Lady Shangguan, Ren Shu praised the virtues of Shangguan Guchuan, saying that he was not only handsome but also talented. Guchuan quietly reminded Ren Shu to say something reliable. At that moment, Yuhuan commented that Guchuan had the ability to do anything but was incapable of saving anything he ate. Guchuan asked her to mention one positive trait.
Lady Shangguan told everyone about Guchuan's childhood, which moved her to tears. Guchuan imitated his mother's arrival and introduced Ren Shu and other good friends to her. Ren Shu praised Shangguan Guchuan's virtues in front of Lady Shangguan, emphasizing that he was not only handsome but also highly talented. Guchuan quietly reminded Ren Shu to say something reliable. At that moment, Yuhuan commented that he could do anything but save anything he ate. Guchuan asked her to mention one positive trait.
Xie Quanjia didn't understand why they had to act. He believed that they just needed to warmly welcome Lady Shangguan when she arrived. However, Guchuan asked Xie Quanjia not to tell Lady Shangguan about their plan to dismiss her. In reality, Guchuan wanted to borrow money from his mother, and they couldn't perform for free. Lady Shangguan entered the Li family's residence with assistance. Her attire made Fan Zhong Ju mistakenly believe that she was a wealthy person trying to keep a low profile.
Everyone deliberately wore their shabbiest clothes and informed Lady Shangguan of their dire situation, explaining that they had run out of rice. Before they could finish, Lady Shangguan said that as fellow destitute wanderers, she envied them for being able to eat rice during their last meal, as she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. Ren Shu invited her to come inside and sit down, but Lady Shangguan preferred to sit on the ground in the courtyard. One by one, everyone presented their pitiful circumstances, and Lady Shangguan even mentioned that she had eaten poisonous wild vegetables last time and couldn't taste anything anymore. She recounted her journey to Changle overnight, but Guchuan didn't believe her and accused her of overacting. Unable to bear the sight of Guchuan's heartless behavior, everyone criticized him for lacking filial piety in his attempt to borrow money from his mother.
Xie Quanjia couldn't continue the act and informed Lady Shangguan that they had enough food to ensure she wouldn't go hungry. Lady Shangguan said that the only valuable thing she had was Guchuan's jade pendant, and upon learning that it had been used in a business deal and even lost money in blind box games, she was about to get angry. However, Guchuan explained that he had done business. When Lady Shangguan heard that it was for his future daughter-in-law, she happily told Xie Quanjia that it didn't matter since the jade pendant was meant for her anyway. Everyone explained that Guchuan was a loyal person, which made Lady Shangguan burst into laughter. She was surprised that her son, who had never had friends since childhood, had now made such good friends. After traveling for several days, she still had some influence, especially since she had a stake in Wanli Tower, so treating them to a meal was not a problem.
Everyone followed Lady Shangguan excitedly, and that evening they truly enjoyed a hearty meal while Lady Shangguan commented on each person's eating habits.
At this point, Guo Dong Li informed Lady Shangguan that her shares had become worthless, and she had no choice but to use her dowry bracelet to pay for food. Xie Quan Jia immediately went to get the money, determined not to let Lady Shangguan use the bracelet as collateral.
Lady Shangguan insisted on not calling a doctor and pretended to be sick, wanting her son to see the true nature of his so-called friends. She had always suspected that these people were only friends with her son because of his wealth, so she came to verify her suspicions. Despite Guchuan's attempts to explain, everyone believed Lady Shangguan's words.
Everyone started taking care of Lady Shangguan. One person fetched water for her to wash up, while another went a few miles away to get spring water. Before long, she deliberately made a long list of snack requests, which Fan Zhong Ju meticulously noted down to go and buy the snacks. Lady Shangguan told Xie Quan Jia that she hoped to see her and Guchuan get married as soon as possible in her lifetime. Xie Quan Jia truthfully revealed that Guchuan had divorced her as soon as she arrived in Changle, so their marriage had been nullified. Upon hearing this, Lady Shangguan became furious.
Guchuan was gloomy that evening, and Xie Quan Jia came to comfort him, assuring him that his mother was fine and nothing bad would happen. Fan Zhong Ju remarked that he had failed the exams multiple times but had never been so down, while Guchuan remained obsessed with how to expose his mother's acting scheme. The next day, Lady Shangguan received a letter stating that Guchuan had been kidnapped. Everyone was in a panic, but Lady Shangguan stated that it was Guchuan's childhood act. Guo Dong Li and Liu Lang went to negotiate with the kidnappers, and ultimately Guo Dong Li returned alone, saying that the kidnappers had reduced the ransom by twenty taels of silver, but unfortunately, Liu Lang was still being held captive.
Upon hearing that Liu Lang had been detained, Lady Shangguan immediately believed that Guchuan had been kidnapped, and she burst into tears. Fan Zhong Ju planned to sell the "Shanhejing" to ransom the hostages but ended up being detained when he went to exchange the money. At this point, Guo Dong Li conveyed the kidnapper's demand for the property deed, and Xie Quan Jia had calculated the value of the deed in advance and agreed to save the hostages.
Later, Lady Shangguan revealed that the entire act was performed by her and Guo Dong Li, and Xie Quan Jia found a note in the courtyard after obtaining the property deed. She went alone to rescue Guchuan, who then revealed that he had staged his own kidnapping, hoping to make his mother pay up. That night, his mother punished Guchuan, stating that if he couldn't earn Xie Quan Jia's forgiveness, he shouldn't bother coming home. Since this kidnapping act, she had seen through Guchuan's friends and his wife and had redeemed the jade pendant and specifically gave three thousand taels of silver to Xie Quan Jia, declaring that from now on, Guchuan would follow her arrangements.
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