City of Streamer Episode 35 Recap
> City of Streamer Recap
Feng Shizhen returned home, weary from her travels, to a warm welcome from her parents, who were delighted to have her home for the New Year. Her brother, Feng Shixun, lovingly prepared her favorite scallion oil noodles. Feng Shizhen revealed that she had quit her job in Peking to stay with them, and she confessed that she had found the body of her biological father, who had passed away twenty years ago, just like her biological mother.
Her parents comforted her, assuring her that her biological parents would be proud of her accomplishments. Feng Shizhen also mentioned that her biological mother's sister, Ms. Qian, was in Shanghai and wished to visit. Her parents happily extended their welcome, eagerly anticipating a family reunion.
Meanwhile, Rong Jiashang had meticulously pieced together all the clues, concluding that his father, Rong Dingkun, was none other than Qin Shuigen, the man who had murdered the real Rong Dingkun and his family, then assumed his identity. Rong Jiashang confronted Rong Dingkun, demanding the truth about the events of that year.
Initially, Rong Dingkun refused to answer, but Rong Jiashang pressed him, pointing out that Zhao Hua'an knew too many of Rong Dingkun's secrets and could easily take over the Rong family. Under pressure, Rong Dingkun finally confessed. He admitted to being Qin Shuigen. Years ago, he and Zhao Hua'an came to Shanghai to make their fortune. In Wenchunli, they befriended the righteous Rong Dingkun. One day, the real Rong Dingkun won 1,000 yuan in the lottery.
Qin Shuigen, in desperate need of 300 yuan to pay off a debt to Ma Laojiu that threatened his hand, asked Rong Dingkun for a loan. Rong Dingkun refused, citing his pregnant wife's impending arrival in Shanghai as the reason he couldn't spare the money. Enraged, Qin Shuigen tried to steal the lottery ticket and, in a struggle, accidentally killed Rong Dingkun. Zhao Hua'an witnessed the murder. Qin Shuigen promised him half of the lottery prize.
Fearing discovery due to the many residents in Wenchunli, they sealed Rong Dingkun's body in a wall. Qin Shuigen then impersonated Rong Dingkun to claim the prize. He discovered that the real Rong Dingkun had already written to his family, inviting his wife and parents to Shanghai. Qin Shuigen and Zhao Hua'an conspired to intercept and kill them before they reached Shanghai.
To further conceal the crime and eliminate all witnesses, Qin Shuigen acquired clothing from plague victims and sent them to the Rong household, fabricating a story that the entire family had died of the plague. He further confessed that he committed these acts so he could marry Rong Jiashang's mother and have Rong Jiashang, though he regretted not eliminating "that girl" (Feng Shizhen) as well. Rong Jiashang was furious upon hearing the full account, gritting his teeth in anger.
As he left, he sternly warned Rong Dingkun to revert to being Qin Shuigen. That night, Rong Jiashang stared at the sextant Feng Shizhen had given him, his mind in turmoil. The realization that Feng Shizhen carried such a deep-seated blood feud against his family left him feeling utterly ashamed and unworthy of facing her.
He lamented that he had always let her down, thinking he and Feng Shizhen were only separated by blood relation, but it was a blood debt. Ms. Qian arrived at Feng Shizhen's home for a visit, delighting Feng Shizhen's adoptive parents. Ms. Qian expressed her gratitude for their loving care of Feng Shizhen, who had grown into an outstanding young woman, deeply moving her. Feng Shixun prepared a grand meal to honor her.
After dinner, Feng Shixun led his parents, Ms. Qian, and Feng Shizhen to a bustling lantern festival. While Feng Shizhen went to buy roasted chestnuts, Wu Yunchi was accompanying Rong Jiashang. Rong Jiashang spotted Feng Shizhen in the distance, their eyes meeting once again, now as strangers and enemies. During their encounter, Feng Shizhen informed him she would not return to Peking, as she had things to do in Shanghai, and that they could no longer be together.
In response, Rong Jiashang resolved to make his father confess and announced that next month, after Wu Yunchi and Fanghua's wedding and sending Fanglin to study abroad, he would hold a press conference. He promised to make his father acknowledge all his crimes publicly, vowing to stand before Feng Shizhen "clear and clean" one day.
Reflecting further, Rong Jiashang felt disgusted by the Rong family's wealth, realizing every brick of the Qin family house was soaked in the blood of the real Rong family, making him hesitant to return home. Early the next morning, Wang Yitai received a call from the hospital informing her that Concubine Sun's young son, Rong Jiakang, had died despite medical efforts. The butler immediately relayed the tragic news to Rong Dingkun, who was heartbroken.
Concubine Sun wailed, clutching her deceased son. Mrs. Rong tried to console her, but Concubine Sun rebuffed her, verbally lashing out, causing Mrs. Rong to leave in anger. Rong Jiashang, witnessing the scene, instructed the butler to arrange for the child's body to be sent home. Wang Yitai did her best to comfort Concubine Sun, while Feng Shixun, who had been involved in the child's treatment, felt profound regret for not being able to save him.
Later, Meng Xu'an dispatched Wen to take Ms. Qian to the train station. Afterward, Meng Xu'an picked up Feng Shizhen to move her to Baoli's residence. Feng Shizhen explained to Meng Xu'an that her brother had helped convince their parents to let her move out, claiming Baoli needed an assistant. Meng Xu'an asked about Feng Shixun's political interests, offering to have him monitored if necessary, which Feng Shizhen appreciated.
The war between Generalissimo Cao and Commander Ma was raging, with Yang Xiucheng discovering that Zhao Hua'an was supplying munitions to both sides. Meng Xu'an suspected that Rong Dingkun was orchestrating this to isolate Rong Jiashang and regain control of Rong's Wharf, a situation that worried Meng Xu'an for Rong Jiashang. Feng Shizhen, however, believed that Zhao Hua'an and Rong Dingkun merely held leverage over each other and were using each other.
Meng Xu'an planned to exploit this by making the shareholders believe Zhao Hua'an intended to establish his own power, thereby creating internal strife to bring down the Rong family. Yang Xiucheng further revealed that Zhao Hua'an had his own shipping routes and a separate code.
Feng Shizhen expressed her urgency to find this code book to undermine Zhao Hua'an completely, dismissing Meng Xu'an's concerns about Rong Jiashang getting hurt, stating that she and Rong Jiashang were no longer connected and he was a man who could handle his own affairs. Feng Shizhen volunteered to decode any obtained messages, prompting Yang Xiucheng to begin intercepting telegrams to retrieve the new code.
