Hilarious Family 2 Episode 17 Recap
> Hilarious Family 2 Recap
The eccentric Master Yiliangjin began teaching Jing Kan, Ai Sixi, and Qi Hao the art of tea-making. Due to his poor memory, he assigned them nicknames: Jing Kan became "Chubby," Ai Sixi "Pretty," and Qi Hao "Handsome." Master Yiliangjin emphasized that pan-firing was crucial, requiring a unity of man and pan, a skill he developed over forty years with his deceased wife, Wen.
He stressed the importance of a "manager of the fire" to work in sync with the pan-firer, explaining that the delicate Banfang Tea buds demanded precise fire control to avoid a burnt taste. Jing Kan, initially confident that managing the fire would be simple, struggled immensely. Master Yiliangjin grew frustrated, repeatedly calling him a "fool" as Jing Kan failed to maintain the correct heat, causing the tea to absorb smoke and become undrinkable.
After multiple failed attempts, Master Yiliangjin declared Jing Kan unfit to manage the fire. Ai Sixi then offered to try. Master Yiliangjin, mistaking her for his deceased wife, Wen, praised her natural talent for fire management, which she humbly attributed to hard work rather than talent. Ai Sixi explained to An Wanqing that she controlled the fire by listening to the distinct sounds the tea leaves made at different temperatures.
Recognizing Master Yiliangjin's limited tea-making equipment, An Wanqing decided to bring him to her grandfather's house for better resources. Before they left, Ai Sixi gently advised An Wanqing not to take Jing Kan’s blunt remarks to heart, as he often spoke without thinking. Upon arriving at Mr. An's residence, An Wanqing greeted her grandfather. Qi Hao had brought Master Yiliangjin there, and the two old friends immediately bickered.
Master Yiliangjin, visibly irritated by Mr. An's presence, questioned why he was there and when he would leave. An Wanqing awkwardly explained that she had accidentally burned down Master Yiliangjin's house while making ginger soup, leaving him nowhere else to stay. She also had to remind Master Yiliangjin of his commitment to help develop Banfang Tea, which he had seemingly forgotten, by claiming he vowed not to rest until he made it.
An Wanqing subtly retrieved Master Yiliangjin's pan, a cherished item he had momentarily forgotten. Meanwhile, Guiwei arrived, seeking Ai Sixi, and shared a significant discovery he had made. Earlier, Guiwei had been lamenting Luo Aji’s unfortunate circumstances when he witnessed Cuiying on a blind date.
He commented on her appealing looks and childbearing potential, but the matchmaker, after learning Cuiying's demanding conditions for a suitor (six feet tall, good-looking, literate, and no concubines), refused to find her a match, deeming it too difficult. Later, Guiwei secretly observed Cuiying meeting with Hu, who was frustrated from hiding. Hu begged Cuiying to intercede with Luo Zhusi so he no longer had to live in seclusion, assuring her that his masked appearance had prevented him from being recognized.
Guiwei grew suspicious of their secretive behavior. That evening, as Luo Zhusi and Cuiying were talking, Jing Kan burst into Luo Zhusi's room. He confronted her directly, accusing her of burning the painting. Cuiying tried to intervene, calling him rude, but Jing Kan was undeterred, threatening to expose Luo Zhusi as the Chief of Jinyu Tea who couldn't tolerate Banfang Tea. Luo Zhusi dismissed Cuiying and then, to Jing Kan’s surprise, admitted to burning the painting.
She declared she did not want Banfang Tea to ever reappear. Jing Kan furiously accused her of jealousy, claiming she couldn't stand that his mother was more capable and his father loved her more. He asserted that the family's current disunity was her fault. Luo Zhusi vehemently denied this, blaming Jing Kan's mother and Banfang Tea for the family's fragmentation. Their heated argument was interrupted by Wei Junyi's arrival.
Jing Kan immediately informed Wei Junyi that Luo Zhusi had burned his mother's painting, which contained the recipe for Banfang Tea. To Jing Kan's dismay, Wei Junyi not only refused to punish Luo Zhusi but seemed to side with her, dismissing the importance of the painting and questioning Jing Kan's certainty about the recipe. Wei Junyi cut him off when he tried to explain the "Seven Bowls of Tea" poem, accusing him of complaining about unfairness.
Luo Zhusi, playing the victim, apologized for neglecting Jing Kan's upbringing due to her duties at Jinyu Tea. Wei Junyi advised Jing Kan that justice must be fought for, not merely complained about. Infuriated by the perceived injustice and Wei Junyi's apparent favoritism, Jing Kan declared his intention to participate in the upcoming Tea Contest to reclaim the tribute qualification for the family.
He then upped the stakes, making a bold bet with Luo Zhusi: if he won, she would leave Jinyu Tea forever, as she never truly cared for it and even suppressed Banfang Tea. When Luo Zhusi challenged his ability to complete his previous three-month task, Jing Kan proudly presented three hundred taels of silver, asserting it was honestly earned. Luo Zhusi accepted his challenge, and in turn, asked what would happen if he lost.
Jing Kan, leaving no room for retreat, announced that if he lost, he would take Ai Sixi and leave the family forever. Wei Junyi later found Jing Kan and admonished him for his impulsive nature and tendency to speak without leaving himself a way out. She advised him against his black-and-white view of the world, using the example of a man who killed to save his mother, asking if he was good or bad.
Wei Junyi urged Jing Kan to cultivate a tolerant heart, warning that too much hatred would cloud his judgment. She concluded by saying that sometimes, swallowing one's pride required more courage than expressing it. Resolved to win the Tea Contest, Jing Kan decided to dedicate himself to learning tea-making at Mr. An's residence. He entrusted the management of his tea shop to Ruan Ling and Guiwei.
While Ruan Ling was pleased with his new role as general manager, Guiwei seemed to be less enthusiastic and more concerned with the duties. Meanwhile, Ruan Ling had a clandestine meeting with Cuiying, who attempted to assign him a new mission. However, Ruan Ling, having grown weary of their schemes and claiming to have settled his debts to them by burning the painting, declared his intention to cease all cooperation.
He rejected Cuiying's increasingly generous offers of money, stating that he had found something more valuable with Jing Kan: friendship. Feeling relieved, Ruan Ling decided to celebrate with a lavish meal at Zuixian Restaurant. As Ruan Ling enjoyed his meal, Wei Shuangxi, who had just finished eating but couldn't pay her bill, spotted him. She tried to cunningly get him to pay by feigning a coincidental encounter and identifying herself as "Jing Kan's great-grandaunt."
Ruan Ling, seeing through her ploy, pretended to accidentally spill his drink and used the distraction to slip away, leaving Wei Shuangxi to foot his bill, in addition to her own. The exasperated waiter informed Wei Shuangxi that her tab, including Ruan Ling's meal, now amounted to two taels, and that Ruan Ling had left. To pay off her unexpected debt, Wei Shuangxi was forced to wash dishes at Zuixian Restaurant for three days.
Furious, Wei Shuangxi confronted Ruan Ling at the tea shop, showing him her roughened hands. Ruan Ling, however, merely "congratulated" her on finding a "proper job." When she demanded he pay her back, he refused. Wei Shuangxi declared that she would now drink only at their tea shop until he paid, effectively turning the place into her personal tavern. A war of words ensued between them, as they endlessly debated the merits of tea versus wine.
Wei Shuangxi eventually resorted to personal insults, calling Ruan Ling a "self-deceiving, down-and-out swindler." Ruan Ling, feigning indifference, pretended to be tired and tried to leave. Guiwei, highly amused by the spectacle, egged on Wei Shuangxi, asking to "borrow her mouth" to continue the argument and happily sharing Ruan Ling's drink as the bickering continued.
