Dear Mayang Street Episode 1 Recap
> Dear Mayang Street Recap
In the summer of 1984, Yi Shengli retired from the army and moved his entire family from Hunan back to their ancestral home in Guangzhou, a city many outsiders sought out. Upon their arrival, the Yi family encountered a lively scene on Mayang Street, where residents had gathered to watch the Olympic Games on a shared color television. Everyone was enthusiastically cheering for the Chinese team.
As Chinese sharpshooter Xu Haifeng scored a perfect ten rings, securing a gold medal, the driver hired by Yi Shengli, distracted by the excitement, accidentally veered the vehicle. He crashed into the wall of Grandma Zeng's house and knocked over the precious television. Fortunately, Sun Falcon shielded the TV with his body, sustaining only a minor arm injury.
Meanwhile, Yi Dongdong fell from the car, landing on Ma Xiaoxiao, an unexpected collision that marked the beginning of his youthful infatuation with her. Sun Benyan, from the Mayang Street Joint Defense Team, arrived to address the incident with the new residents of number 31. The driver attempted to shift blame, claiming that the Yi family's excitement had caused his distraction and loss of control.
Yi Shengli countered, stating that he intervened just in time to prevent a more serious accident, emphasizing that a wall could be repaired, but a human life could not. Hao Pushi inadvertently revealed that Yi Shengli was a regimental engineer in the army, a detail that immediately fostered a sense of camaraderie with Sun Benyan, who had also served.
Their conversation was cut short by Chen Lili, who recognized Yi Shengli and angrily accused him of causing Sun Falcon's arm injury. Despite her visible displeasure, Sun Benyan invited the entire Yi family to dinner. Chen Lili, clearly unhappy, served only a few meager dishes. Yi Qianqian expressed a desire for chili, prompting Hao Pushi to share her homemade chopped chili, which she offered for the Sun family to taste.
At her own home, Ma Xiaoxiao complained to her mother, feeling neglected because her mother had only worried about Ma Dada during the car incident. Her family had a tradition where the last one to finish eating washed the dishes, but since Ma Xiaoxiao was injured, her mother assigned her to buy vinegar instead. She went to the shop run by Ou Xiaojian's grandmother.
Although Ou Xiaojian said nothing directly about her injury, he discreetly placed a box of ointment into her vinegar bag. There had been some previous unpleasantness between them, and as Ma Xiaoxiao was about to leave, she ran into Zeng Xing, who deliberately invited her to his house to study, right in front of Ou Xiaojian. Ma Xiaoxiao, aiming to make Ou Xiaojian jealous, loudly accepted the invitation.
Yi Shengli took his family to their ancestral home, where they had to sleep on the floor because the rooms were not yet organized. Yi Dongdong secretly took a photo of Ma Xiaoxiao, his heart filled with a newfound excitement and anticipation for the future. Yi Nannan playfully tried to snatch the photo from under Yi Dongdong's pillow, leading to a scramble on the bed.
The next day, Yi Shengli personally visited Grandma Zeng to offer compensation for the damaged wall, but she refused to accept money, stating that the new family would need it. Yi Shengli then offered to repair the wall himself, confidently asserting his skills as an engineer. Meanwhile, Liang Xiaobao, who considered himself Zeng Hao's protector, heard about the wall incident. He confronted Yi Dongdong and Yi Nannan, warning them not to harbor any intentions toward Zeng Hao.
Liang Xiaobao, attempting a trick, invited them for soda, but upon arrival, demanded they pay for it. Chen Lili and her son, Sun Falcon, experienced severe stomach discomfort. Chen Lili, believing it was caused by Hao Pushi's chopped chili, became even more furious and confronted Hao Pushi on the street, accusing her of ill intent and causing their illness.
Hao Pushi defended herself, noting that her family ate the chili regularly without issues, suggesting that Guangzhou people might have weaker constitutions. During their heated argument, Sun Falcon intervened, clarifying that he hadn't eaten the chili and his discomfort was from sour soy milk that morning. This revelation publicly embarrassed Chen Lili, who had mistakenly blamed the chili.
Later, Liang Xiaobao spent time with Yi Dongdong and Yi Nannan, attempting to teach them Cantonese phrases like "Long time no see" and "I miss you so much." The brothers struggled with the pronunciation, but when Liang Xiaobao casually uttered "pok gai," Yi Dongdong found it surprisingly easy and catchy. Just then, Ma Xiaoxiao walked by. Yi Dongdong's eyes lit up, and Liang Xiaobao introduced her as the "big sister" of Mayang Street.
Yi Dongdong, still flustered from their earlier collision, apologized to Ma Xiaoxiao. In an attempt to greet her using the Cantonese he just learned, he blurted out "pok gai," causing a stir. Liang Xiaobao quickly urged him to run away, concluding the memorable first interaction.
