She and Her Girls ep 4 recap/spoilers

Episode 4 recap: Zhou Shanqun Helps Zhang Guimei Recruit Teachers

In Episode 4, Zhou Shanqun, unable to resist Zhang Guimei's persistent requests, finally agrees to her plea and provides her with twelve positions. However, recruiting teachers is not as simple as catching chickens in a coop; it requires exams, selections, and trial lectures before finalizing any hires. Yet, Zhang Guimei is impatient and wants to skip these tedious procedures, as there are urgent matters to attend to at the school.

Zhou Shanqun, overwhelmed by Zhang Guimei's insistence, concedes once more. Zhang Guimei sets up a booth at the job market, but no applicants show up. Upon inquiry, she discovers that other schools offer enticing benefits, including Kunming household registration and housing subsidies with single dorm rooms. Zhang Guimei returns to Zhou Shanqun, asking him to increase the teachers' compensation. She even takes Zhou Shanqun's water cup with her, claiming she found him a good spot.

Zhou Shanqun is led by Zhang Guimei to her recruitment booth, where he sits down to drink tea and smile, essentially acting as a mascot. Two young women arrive, and Zhang Guimei quickly introduces Zhou Shanqun as the director of the county's education bureau, personally overseeing the teacher recruitment, highlighting the school's importance. Ultimately, the two girls agree to try out for the positions. They work late into the night, only managing to eat afterward. Zhang Guimei treats Zhou Shanqun to rice noodles and even adds a hot dog for him.

Zhou Shanqun worries that they won’t recruit enough teachers since the application period is limited, and Zhang Guimei insists on hiring only women, believing that all the students will be girls and that male teachers would be inconvenient. Suddenly, he remembers a college classmate who is now a university president and calls him. Principal Ding takes the call and discusses the matter with his wife.

His daughter, Ding Xiaoxiao, has just graduated, and although Principal Ding has arranged a job for her, she shows no interest. However, when she hears about Zhang Guimei's recruitment for Huaping Girls' High School, she becomes intrigued. Under Principal Ding's guidance, Zhang Guimei and Zhou Shanqun set up their recruitment booth on campus. Ding Xiaoxiao talks to her classmate Wei Tingyun, who is from Huaping and is very interested. Meanwhile, Yao Xiaoshan, who is pursuing Wei Tingyun, abandons other options to join them at Zhang Guimei's booth. Ding Xiaoxiao and Wei Tingyun admire Zhang Guimei, seeing her as a modern-day Qiu Jin or Lü Bicheng.

Zhang Guimei is impressed with Wei Tingyun but declines Ding Xiaoxiao due to her designer clothes. Nevertheless, Ding Xiaoxiao is determined to teach at Huaping No. 1 High School, and eventually, the three sign contracts together. Zhou Shanqun asks Zhang Guimei why she is recruiting Yao Xiaoshan, and she jokingly refers to him as the "guardian of the flowers."

At Principal Ding's university campus, Zhang Guimei quickly fills all the teaching positions. Zhou Shanqun drives them to Huaping No. 1 High School, where they find the place desolate, with only a lonely teaching building standing in an empty field. The teachers feel disappointed, but Zhang Guimei encourages them to overcome the current challenges, emphasizing that growing together with the school is a fortunate opportunity.

Everyone worries about where they will spend the night, and Zhang Guimei informs them they will sleep in the classrooms. Yao Xiaoshan is assigned to a cramped storage room, and Zhang Guimei instructs him to watch over the girls when they go to the restroom since it's quite far away. When asked about when students will arrive, Zhang Guimei admits they still haven't recruited enough. Yao Xiaoshan inquires how many are still needed, and she shyly states they are short by dozens. Their task for the next day is to go into the mountains to recruit students, which is significantly harder than hiring paid teachers.

She allows everyone to choose: those who want to join her in the mountains can sign up, while the rest are to stay home, clean up, and prepare a tidy environment for the incoming students. Zhang Guimei returns to Zhou Shanqun's office, as the office director he had previously recommended has resigned due to the workload and low pay. Zhou Shanqun reluctantly gives her another phone number and dismisses her.