Blossoms Shanghai Episode 7 Recap
> Blossoms Shanghai Recap
In December 1993, Shanghai witnessed two major headlines: the San Yang brand T-shirt buying craze and the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index hitting a historic high of 1558 points, with a trading volume of 1. 22 billion yuan, bringing joy to shareholders. Concurrently, restaurants on Huang He Road flourished, with long queues of customers and a surging demand for service staff, leading hotels to aggressively poach employees.
Fan Xinhua, ecstatic and relieved by the sales frenzy of San Yang T-shirts, saw Zhang Zong of Hu Lian Commercial Building add six more sales counters for him. In gratitude, Fan Xinhua decided to host a celebration banquet at Zhi Zhen Yuan, where Li Li reserved the two best private rooms, strategically promoting her establishment.
The T-shirt sales were also a boon for other businesses: Ling Zi, using T-shirts A Bao had stored on the second floor of a hotel, sold them at Ling Hong's shop, making a large profit and secretly filling the empty boxes with sheets to cover her tracks. Ling Zi and her best friend also leveraged the San Yang T-shirts as gifts for their customers, boosting their own small shops.
Tao Tao similarly obtained a batch of San Yang T-shirts from Ling Zi, quickly selling out. Tao Tao's call to A Bao, sharing the good news of the brisk sales, inadvertently revealed Ling Zi's unauthorized actions. A Bao realized these were high-imitation San Yang T-shirts he had specifically sourced and stored with Ling Zi. He furiously demanded Ling Zi recall all the sold items, emphasizing the severe consequences for San Yang's reputation.
Ling Zi proposed replacing the fakes with genuine products or offering apologies and compensation to customers. A Bao, however, insisted she buy back the high imitations at a high price and apologize, which she reluctantly did. A Bao soon identified "Ma Laoban" as the manufacturer of the high-imitation T-shirts.
At Hong Lu Restaurant, A Bao met Ma Laoban, subtly hinting that everyone knew he possessed 800,000 genuine San Yang items, implying any additional ones were fakes, which visibly unnerved Ma Laoban. A Bao offered a 300,000 yuan deposit to help sell Ma Laoban's high imitations, initially suggesting 100,000 pieces and planning to inspect the goods in Zhuji.
However, Ma Laoban counter-proposed a deal for 200,000 to 300,000 pieces and invited A Bao to visit his factory in Zhuji, an offer A Bao accepted. Ma Laoban discreetly assessed the money while A Bao was distracted talking to Wang Mingzhu outside. Meanwhile, on Huang He Road, the Jian Meilin restaurant boss, having made a fortune, secretly offered Lu Meilin's necklace and ring as a reward to any female server who would call him "baby," encouraging a more "sexy" approach.
Xiao Jiangxi timidly called him twice and received the gifts. However, Lu Meilin, the boss's wife, soon arrived, fiercely scolded Xiao Jiangxi, and fired her on the spot. Incensed, Xiao Jiangxi sought employment at Zhi Zhen Yuan, relying on her boyfriend, a chef who had worked at Jian Meilin for two years (or at Da Fu Hao), and her friendship with Min Min, a Zhi Zhen Yuan supervisor.
Before her interview, Lu Meilin warned Li Li against hiring Xiao Jiangxi, publicly declaring that no restaurant on Huang He Road would employ her. Li Li politely refused Xiao Jiangxi, citing workplace reasons and a desire to avoid trouble. Fan Xinhua's celebration banquet at Zhi Zhen Yuan was attended by Shanghai business elites, who offered their congratulations, giving Fan Xinhua an unprecedented sense of vanity.
Lu Meilin, observing the lively scene from Jian Meilin, was furious and vowed to fight Li Li to the end, deciding to cause trouble during the banquet. Wang Mingzhu arrived late, only to be disappointed that A Bao couldn't attend, a sentiment shared by Fan Xinhua. Wei Hongqing arrived with his associates, intending to dispel rumors of a strained relationship with Fan Xinhua.
Finding Fan Xinhua already drunk and gone, and all private rooms occupied, Wei Hongqing attempted to take Wang Mingzhu's pre-booked private room. Wang Mingzhu forcefully removed him, forcing him and his associates to dine in the main hall. As Wang Mingzhu prepared to leave, Zhi Zhen Yuan suddenly experienced a power outage, sending customers into a panic. Jian Meilin and other Huang He Road hotels secretly relished Zhi Zhen Yuan's misfortune.
Xiao Jiangxi admitted to pulling the power switch as an act of revenge for Li Li's refusal to hire her. Suspecting a mastermind, Li Li gave Xiao Jiangxi ten minutes to reveal the person or face police intervention. During the brief blackout, Wei Hongqing attempted to take advantage of Wang Mingzhu, who retaliated with a slap.
When power was restored, Wang Mingzhu discovered her earring, a gift from A Bao that she had intended to submit but wore temporarily, was missing. She frantically searched for it, unwilling to pay the 26,000 yuan she had been saving for a car. A Bao, arriving to pick her up, learned that Ling Zi had demanded this payment from Wang Mingzhu. He promised to help find the earring and convinced Wang Mingzhu to leave.
Police soon arrived and arrested Xiao Jiangxi. Min Min urged her to name Lu Meilin as the mastermind, but Xiao Jiangxi took full responsibility, though Lu Meilin, despite feeling guilty, was powerless to intervene. Li Li called the police to send a clear message to the Huang He Road establishment. Later, Li Li suspected A Bao was the true mastermind and paid a nearby tobacco/wine shop owner for information.
The owner revealed A Bao's only restaurant connection was Hong Lu Restaurant and that A Bao had previously inquired who would benefit most if Zhi Zhen Yuan were to fail, stating that all Huang He Road restaurant owners would be happy. Enraged and sleepless, Li Li later noticed the chef's specific cigarette movements in the kitchen, recalling A Bao's past presence there.
A Bao confronted Ling Zi for lying about the ring's value, which had caused Wang Mingzhu to spend her car money. Ling Zi, feeling wronged, produced the 26,000 yuan, claiming she had always intended to return it to Wang Mingzhu. She reminded A Bao of an incident where she had indirectly protected him from a "crazy woman," taking a knife for him and bearing a scar.
Ling Zi's persuasive account made A Bao regret wronging her, and he promised her 100,000 yuan for her restaurant's renovation. Tao Tao secretly played mahjong with "Xiao Asao" until late into the night, flirting with her, and found himself completely entangled with his female tenant. Afraid to return home, he sought to stay with A Bao at the Peace Hotel, but A Bao declined, citing an upcoming business trip, and warned Tao Tao to distance himself from his tenant.
Tao Tao revealed that the owner of Huang Teng Hotel had pre-ordered all his Australian lobsters, forbidding him to sell to Zhi Zhen Yuan. To avoid offending them, Tao Tao decided to close his shop and accompany A Bao on his business trip. The female bosses of Huang Teng had bought up all Tao Tao's seafood to suppress Zhi Zhen Yuan. Tao Tao sympathized with Li Li, an outsider, being targeted by the entire Huang He Road establishment.
A Bao, recalling how his "Jin Fenghuang" restaurant had been previously sabotaged by slander, recognized that Zhi Zhen Yuan was facing similar tactics from the women of Huang He Road and resolved to confront them.
