Episode 4 recap: Chen Wan Zhen has filed for divorce.
Li Lin was fired from his job, and now his wife has found out. He is feeling very insecure and worried about the awkwardness when he returns home tonight, so he calls his brother-in-law Jia Hao Wen. Jia Hao Wen brings some seafood and good wine over. Xu Meng An and his sister engage in casual conversation, and can immediately see that the sister has not been doing well lately. The couple's meals together also lack the usual harmony, and the normally teetotal Li Lin has been drinking several glasses. Seeing her usually hardworking husband now starting to drink to cope with his troubles upsets Xu Meng An.
The next day, Xu Meng An and her husband start calculating their daily expenses. Now that one of them is unemployed, they still have to pay the mortgage every month. As they meticulously go through each expense, from car maintenance to lunch, coffee, and groceries, the couple both feel a headache coming on - the total is simply not enough. Li Lin starts trying to cut costs more, taking advantage of daily flash sales at the supermarket and setting alarms to make sure he goes at the right time to buy the discounted items.
One day, Li Lin misses out on a discount on eggs because he had to take a sudden call. However, he runs into his eagle-eyed father at the supermarket. The father-in-law engages Li Lin in conversation, and Li Lin tries to avoid talking about his work, just saying he's now in sales. But the father-in-law is only partially convinced, and when he sees Li Lin's social media posts about selling insurance, he realizes his son-in-law is going through difficulties.
Xu Meng Xin has been slow to integrate into the community of housewives. She hears that one of the wives is urgently looking for an English tutor, so she approaches Chen Wan Zhen for help. It turns out Chen Wan Zhen also wants to stop the English classes for her daughter, so she agrees to transfer the remaining sessions to Xu Meng Xin. This solves the problem for the wealthy wife, and Xu Meng Xin is quickly welcomed into the local housewives' group.
Normally, Li Lin does the housework at home and occasionally goes out to the supermarket to buy discounted items. He's been getting by comfortably, and has even discussed with Xu Meng An that he plans to get a proof of unemployment from his former company, which would entitle him to a 2,000 RMB monthly allowance for up to two years. However, Xu Meng An disagrees with Li Lin's plan. She doesn't want her husband in such an idle state - at his age, staying home all day would be unambitious. They still have a mortgage to pay, so it's best for him to find a new job soon. Xu Meng An believes they need to not only cut costs, but also increase their income.
Meanwhile, Chen Wan Zhen's husband Yu Hai has been taken by his assistant Huang Si Si to look at apartments. During work hours, Huang Si Si makes no effort to hide her desire to live closer to Yu Hai, though Yu Hai tries to insist he's only helping out. Unbeknownst to him, Huang Si Si has ulterior motives.
Huang Si Si has found out that Chen Wan Zhen is working as a temp at the real estate office, and deliberately arranges for Yu Hai to witness his wife in this disheveled, menial work. When Chen Wan Zhen sees her husband with his assistant at the office, she is furious and immediately brings up divorce.
Yu Hai tries to appease Chen Wan Zhen, thinking it will blow over in a couple of days. But this time, Chen Wan Zhen has made up her mind. Huang Si Si has been frequently sending her suggestive photos of her husband, and making mocking comments - she is clearly a calculating woman. Chen Wan Zhen no longer has the energy to battle against her schemes.
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