Hilarious Family 2 Episode 7 Recap
> Hilarious Family 2 Recap
Jing Kan and Guiwei ventured into a remote area, searching for the legendary Tea Master. Guiwei expressed doubt about the location, but Jing Kan insisted that true masters often prefer secluded dwellings. They discovered an open courtyard where a man was meticulously preparing tea. Believing they had found the Tea Master, they approached him. The man, indeed identifying himself as the Tea Master, began to expound at length on his expertise.
Guiwei found him rather pretentious, but Jing Kan dismissed this as eccentric behavior from a highly knowledgeable individual. The Tea Master then prepared a bowl of tea for them, which Jing Kan found to be quite ordinary. Jing Kan also found himself disagreeing with some of the Tea Master's pronouncements on tea ceremony. He directly inquired if the Tea Master had any pan-fired tea for purchase, but the Tea Master claimed to have none.
Disappointed, Jing Kan and Guiwei prepared to leave. As they were departing, the Tea Master, upon learning that Jing Kan was from Jinyu Tea, suddenly called them back. He then produced five jin of premium bud tea, claiming it was pan-fired using the secret method of Monk Da Fang's Songluo Tea. He offered to sell it to Jing Kan as a way of "repaying a favor" he had with Jinyu Tea, though he provided no details.
However, he attached two conditions: if the tea wasn't sold within three days, he would reclaim it, and payment was required upfront. Guiwei was astonished at the price of 100 taels for five jin, especially with the upfront payment. Jing Kan readily agreed, explaining that he sought not just the tea, but the Tea Master's significant influence in the tea world, placing him among esteemed figures like "Beiju Master, Nan Master," and believing the tea's value to be much higher.
He hoped this acquisition would silence his detractors. Jing Kan then realized he didn't have the 100 taels himself and asked Guiwei. Guiwei confessed he only had a few taels but offered the 100 taels Ai Sixi had entrusted to him. This reminded Jing Kan of Ai Sixi, and he expressed a desire to visit her. Meanwhile, Ai Sixi was enduring a harsh punishment in Yuanyang House. Jing Kan, attempting to see her, was intercepted by a governess.
The governess concocted elaborate lies, claiming Ai Sixi was busy arranging flowers and eating well, and even made animalistic noises to suggest a sow was being slaughtered. Jing Kan, oblivious, left lotus pastries and lotus root pudding for Ai Sixi and gave the governess some money. He then asked her to relay a message to Ai Sixi: he had borrowed the 100 taels she left with Guiwei. The governess assured him that Ai Sixi's money was essentially his.
Inside, Ai Sixi, bound and suffering, overheard Jing Kan's words, intensifying her despair and leading her to bite the governess. Shortly after Jing Kan left, Guiwei rushed to the shop, distraught, informing Jing Kan that the Tea Master's courtyard was deserted. Realizing they had been scammed, Jing Kan sent Guiwei to search for the fake Tea Master while he went to find the fish-selling boy. Unbeknownst to them, Cuiying and the fish-selling boy were celebrating their successful deception.
Overhearing the fish-selling boy confirming that Cuiying had arranged for Ai Sixi to suffer in Yuanyang House, Jing Kan, deeply concerned for Ai Sixi, rushed into Yuanyang House, where he found her tied up and unconscious. Upon recovering and returning home, Ai Sixi declared her intention to leave Jing Kan's residence. She demanded her 100 taels back. When Guiwei reluctantly informed her that Jing Kan had been scammed and her money was gone, Ai Sixi was heartbroken.
She tearfully left the house, finding solace by a lake. Guiwei soon found her there and tried to comfort her, but Ai Sixi, lamenting her misfortune, bitterly noted that Jing Kan's "sincerity" was worthless, unable to buy even half a bun. She even hit Guiwei for giving her money away. Later, to Jing Kan's relief, Ai Sixi returned to the shop. She wryly stated she returned because Jing Kan still owed her money.
She questioned if he had borrowed money from his grandmother to buy tea. Jing Kan admitted he had, explaining that he had previously vowed never to "use" family money, but after meeting Ai Sixi, he realized "borrowing" was different. He implored her to stay and guide him. Ai Sixi, after some consideration, acknowledged that with Luo Zhusi controlling the Jing family tea plantation, they couldn't get tea from there, rendering the shop an "empty shell."
With half of their three-month deadline passed, she suggested it was a good thing they couldn't rely on the family tea. Kan and Guiwei, filled with renewed confidence, pledged to follow Ai Sixi's lead in running the shop. As their first step, Ai Sixi led Jing Kan and Guiwei to observe other tea shops to understand their competitors. They witnessed Mr. Wang at a Jinyu Tea branch attempting to sell "Yunjiaojin Tea" to a customer named Mr. Yu.
Mr. Yu haggled aggressively, demanding the tea at five qian per jin instead of the usual one tael, threatening to buy Longwochun from Laolongtan otherwise. Mr. Wang, in a desperate attempt to close the deal, offered five boxes of tea snacks as a bonus if Mr. Yu bought ten jin.
A shop assistant tried to warn Mr. Wang that the tea snacks were old and spoiled, but Mr. Wang quickly silenced him, pointing out that there was no manufacturing date written on them. Mr. Yu accepted the deal, promising to use Mr. Wang's tea in his new tavern. Jing Kan and Guiwei were surprised by this unscrupulous sales method.
Jing Kan mistakenly thought Ai Sixi intended to poach Mr. Wang, but Ai Sixi quickly dismissed the idea, stating that Mr. Wang was Luo Zhusi's man and his deceitful nature made him untrustworthy. She concluded that they indeed needed a capable manager. As heavy rain began, Jing Kan asserted his own managing abilities. Ai Sixi and Jing Kan then sought out Mr. An again, looking for guidance.
Jing Kan, admiring Mr. An's wisdom and expertise, presented him with a Gongchun teapot, which his mother had left him, claiming it was made by Da Bin. Mr. An confirmed the authenticity by showing them the distinctive thumbprint on the handle, while also explaining the superior qualities of Yixing pottery. Overwhelmed, Jing Kan knelt and earnestly requested Mr. An to accept him as a disciple to learn the art of tea business.
Guiwei also encouraged Mr. An, reminding him of his close friendship with Jing Kan's mother and how Mr. An had quickly sold 200 jin of Jinyu Tea in the past. Mr. An, however, declined, stating that he already had his "final disciple" and nothing more to teach. He even presented their persistence as a "test" they failed. Despite their continued pleas, Mr. An remained firm, only offering to cook dinner.
After some back and forth, Ai Sixi, seeing no other option, took the teapot and decided to leave with Jing Kan. Mr. An then stopped them one last time, offering to help if they left the teapot. He recommended his "very clever" final disciple, Ruan Ling. Following Mr. An's direction, Jing Kan and Ai Sixi found Ruan Ling's house. To their shock, Ruan Ling was the very person who had scammed Jing Kan by posing as the Tea Master.
Ruan Ling, feigning ignorance, invited them in and promised a full explanation, while subtly trying to escape under the pretext of buying food. Ai Sixi, realizing his trick, grabbed him and tied him up. Ruan Ling then claimed he was innocent, asserting that the scammer was his twin brother, the "Tea Master," while he was "Tu Master." He insisted they should seek the money from his brother. Ai Sixi, not believing his story, demanded the 100 taels.
Ruan Ling confessed he had already spent it. Jing Kan suggested reporting him to the authorities, but Ruan Ling pleaded, claiming his mother was gravely ill and did not have much time left, wishing only to make her fish soup one last time. Though skeptical, Ai Sixi, after Ruan Ling directed them to the clinic, agreed to go with him to verify his story.
