Episode 9 recap: Contending for the host role of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.
Guchuan and others created prototype dolls from the novel "Shan He Jing." He tried to sell them at the restaurant and eventually succeeded in selling one pastoral dog doll to a child, while the dolls of other characters didn't sell. Later, they introduced a live performance of "Shan He Jiang" and attracted many book fans. However, they only focused on discussing other characters and neglected Shangguan Buqun and Xiexieni's roles, causing disputes among fans.
Xie Quanjia suddenly gathered the people of the Li family for a dinner, and there was Sichuan peppercorn in every dish, which displeased Guchuan. He accused Xie Quanjia of monopolizing power and denying others meat. The others didn't dare to argue and started eating hastily with their chopsticks. They made polite suggestions, but Xie Quanjia got angry, stood up, and said whoever was willing to take the position could have it. Guchuan took the opportunity to sit in the host's seat and promised everyone that if he was elected as the host of the Li family, he would provide extra meals during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Due to their dependency on the Li family, the others didn't dare to support Guchuan, so he had no choice but to return to his seat dejectedly. Xie Quanjia, feeling guilty about serving only vegetables every day, promised to improve the meals the next day and cook in an iron pot. The people below would finally get to eat a big goose, but little did they know that there would be tofu afterward.
On a stormy night, Guchuan secretly met with Guo Dongli in the kitchen. He used the issue of meals to propose a power struggle during the Mid-Autumn Festival. As someone clever and resourceful, he believed he could replace Xie Quanjia. He planned to first win over Liu Lang, and if successful, Guo Dongli would whistle as a signal to proceed with winning over Fan Zhongju. If he failed, she would whistle as a signal to abort the plan.
Xie Quanjia found Liu Lang in advance and warned him that his initial intention in coming to the Li family was to repay a debt. Guchuan would definitely plot against her and try to win him over. If he didn't betray her at that time, they could negotiate the issue of meals. Whether they could eat meat during the Mid-Autumn Festival depended on his performance. Xie Quanjia also instructed Liu Lang to be her informant.
After Xie Quanjia left, Shangguan Guchuan, holding the proposition of improving the meals, tried to win over Liu Lang. Seeing that Liu Lang was determined not to betray Xie Quanjia, he played his trump card and tempted Liu Lang with various delicacies. Unable to resist, Liu Lang chose to maintain his loyalty and jumped off a building.
When Guo Dongli heard the whistle, she knew that Guchuan's plan had failed and went to find Fan Zhongju, only to discover an empty house.
Ren Shu asked Yuhuan if she missed her hometown, and Yuhuan not only missed home but also missed the delicious food from home. She was willing to stand with Princess Fengyu in order to win the victory. To achieve this, she decided to capture everyone's hearts through their stomachs. So Yuhuan made vegetarian dumplings, marching into the kitchen like a soldier going into battle.
During dinner that night, Xie Quan Jia deliberately gave the only meat dish to Liu Lang, showing that he favored him. Yuhuan offered a lamb dumpling to Fan Zhong Ju to taste, and he praised it. He quickly picked up another dumpling for Xie Quan Jia, who also enjoyed it. However, to protect his own status, Xie Quan Jia refused to admit that the dumplings were delicious.
That night, Xie Quan Jia purposely approached Fan Zhong Ju. Considering his behavior during the meal, she was willing to provide special treatment for him in the future, offering a variety of buns, noodles, and dumplings. At the same time, Yuhuan also tried to win over Fan Zhong Ju by offering to make Xinjiang-style layered flatbread. When Xie Quan Jia returned, she sarcastically remarked that anyone could make pancakes, implying that she would be removed from her position. Feeling heartbroken, she left. Yuhuan just wanted to enjoy a meal of hometown dishes at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. The following day, everyone voted to decide the decision-making power for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. The crucial vote went to Guchuan, leaving both Yuhuan and Xie Quan Jia disappointed. Xie Quan Jia then approached Ren Shu and the others, advising them not to give up on their dreams. She proposed that their two teams form an alliance. Yuhuan, recognizing Xie Quan Jia as the rightful owner of the Li family, agreed to form an alliance with her.
Guo Dong Li discovered that both Liu Lang, the general, and Ren Shu from the Western Regions had sided with Xie Quan Jia. Guchuan believed in "seizing the granary before killing the enemy," so he not only bought all the vegetables from the market but also destroyed Xie Quan Jia's 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 Guchuan's territory.
Guchuan prepared a table full of dishes to entertain everyone, but Xie Quan Jia and the others had already arrived, each carrying their own food. Xie Quan Jia saw through Guchuan's scheme from the beginning and decided to turn the tables. She let Guchuan buy all the dishes, while she simply went along with the flow. Guo Dong Li was already aware of Xie Quan Jia's plan and didn't inform Guchuan. At the last moment, she joined Xie Quan Jia's team. Guchuan, realizing that Guo Dong Li, who had been helping him plan, had betrayed him, ended up eating alone at a separate table, while the others sat together, enjoying their meal and laughing.
Xie Quan Jia intentionally saved a seat for Guchuan. In reality, today's meal was ordered from a restaurant, and she specifically ordered dishes that others liked. Yuhuan secretly baked flatbread for Fan Zhong Ju. Finally, the two tables were placed side by side, and everyone sat together to enjoy a reunion meal.
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