Episode 17 recap: Rain Sword angered Chen Xiao Man's father to death.
Chen Xiao Man devoted herself wholeheartedly to porcelain making, preparing to create a masterpiece that would represent her own strength and establish herself as a disciple worthy of Chen Hua Feng's name. Every day, she worked in the workshop, kneading clay, aiming to develop her muscle memory and make up for the previous deficiencies in her skills. Ke Yan would also bring her some late-night snacks after work, and he felt deeply concerned when he saw her exhausted, even to the point of her wrists cramping.
However, Chen Xiao Man remained resolute. As a member of a porcelain-making family, she knew that her father, uncle, and aunt had all gone through similar experiences. Only through enduring the trials that ordinary people couldn't bear could one make progress. With Ke Yan's companionship during this period, Chen Xiao Man made rapid progress. However, due to insufficient physical conditioning, she developed tenosynovitis. Approaching the day of the official examination, in order to minimize the impact on her performance, Chen Xiao Man brought a bucket of ice with her. Whenever she felt uncomfortable during the throwing process, she would immerse her hand in the icy water to alleviate the pain. Chen Hua Feng and Chen Hua Yun noticed that Chen Xiao Man's hands were trembling and obviously injured during the throwing process. Although the competition was fierce, it was a hurdle that every craftsman had to overcome.
After the first round of assessments, Chen Hua Feng and some judges examined each contestant's work. When they saw Chen Xun Tong's piece, Chen Hua Feng smiled. In fact, his son's throwing was quite good, at least showing improvement compared to many years ago. However, when he saw the score, he found it amusing. Although his son's work was good, the judges had given an inflated score for the first place.
Master Zhou, who was nearby, repeatedly praised Chen Xun Tong. After Chen Hua Feng revealed the truth, he couldn't help but laugh and said that Chen Xun Tong must be in first place. Liu Shang and the others immediately congratulated Chen Xun Tong, as they hoped for a rift between Chen Xun Tong and Chen Hua Feng, which would put pressure on Ji Feng.
Liu Shang deliberately claimed that Chen Xiao Man was eager for victory because he clearly wanted to become Chen Hua Feng's successor and surpass him in order to secure the position of Chairman of Ji Feng in the future. Chen Xun Tong couldn't stand them speaking ill of Chen Xiao Man like that. Although they were cousins, they had grown up together since childhood, and he didn't want outsiders to criticize her like that. Chen Xun Tong directly refuted them and left in anger.
Back at home, Chen Xun Tong told Chen Hua Feng that people outside were saying that he only made it to the final round because of his father's reputation. However, he believed that as long as someone from the Chen family won, it would be fine. This statement greatly pleased Chen Hua Feng. His son had grown up. Previously, he always felt that his son had mediocre talent, but now he heard his son's broad-mindedness and was very pleased. That evening, Chen Hua Feng took Chen Xun Tong and Xu Man out for dinner. Worried that Xu Man's feet would get tired from wearing high heels, he even gave her a pair of delicate flat shoes. Chen Hua Feng personally stooped down to help Xu Man put them on. Xu Man was deeply moved. Although Chen Hua Feng didn't have Zhao Zhi Hong's smooth talk, he was a righteous and upright man, honest and straightforward. He didn't say much, but he truly cherished her.
Rain Sword discovered that Chen Xiao Man and Ke Yan were in love, and he felt particularly uncomfortable about it. As he lay in bed at night, he thought about the scene when he first met Chen Xiao Man's father. It was during the most destitute time for their family. Because he was extremely hungry, Rain Sword sneaked into someone's house and stole offerings of fruit. Chen Xiao Man's father discovered him, learned about their difficult situation, and took Rain Sword's injured father back home to take care of him. He found them a job and promised to teach Rain Sword the craft, accepting him as a closed-door disciple.
Chen Xiao Man's father put a lot of effort into training Rain Sword as his apprentice, but Rain Sword was eager for victory. After achieving some small successes three years later, he became proud and started selling the porcelain vases he made to earn money. He excitedly gave the first sum of money he earned to Chen Xiao Man's father. Chen Xiao Man's father earnestly advised him to continue his studies and explained that the initial works he made couldn't be sold but could be used as references to discover his shortcomings in porcelain making. However, Rain Sword didn't listen and thought his master was unsatisfied with his skills. Not only did he defy his master, but he also immediately declared that he would no longer be his apprentice and wanted to venture out into the world.
Rain Sword spoke unreasonably, and not long after, Chen Xiao Man's father suffered a relapse of his heart disease and passed away.
Comments(Episode 17)