Hu Tong Episode 11 Recap
> Hu Tong Recap
Tian Zao, after diligently delivering Vitex branches to her neighbors with the help of kids like Moe Core, finally sat down to learn basket weaving from Uncle Gui and Aunt Li. She proved to be a quick study, weaving many baskets adeptly. Tie Dan came to visit her, and upon learning that Tian Zao was mobilizing the neighborhood to weave baskets to raise money, he also expressed a desire to learn.
Tian Zao began teaching him, demonstrating how to pick and press the Vitex branches. Tian Zao collected the completed baskets from her neighbors and took them to Boss Zhuang at the grocery store. Boss Zhuang tried to heavily lowball the price, which infuriated Tian Zao. She argued that the baskets were made by her and her neighbors, whose hands were calloused from the work.
Boss Zhuang, however, remained unmoved, claiming she disrupted his usual supply chain and could leave if she wasn't happy with the price. Frustrated, Tian Zao pulled all the baskets away, calling him a "profiteer." She then attempted to sell them at other sundry shops, but was met with similar low offers or refusals, leading her to drag all the baskets back home.
Upon her return, Suo Qian, overhearing her dilemma, suggested she should sell them directly on the street instead of dealing with "black-hearted bosses." Tian Zao realized the wisdom in his advice, thanking him, though Xiaofeng jokingly reminded Suo Qian of his past, failed business ventures. The next morning, Tian Zao set up a stall directly across from Boss Zhuang’s shop, intentionally pricing her Vitex baskets 20% cheaper than his.
Moe Core and the other children enthusiastically shouted slogans, drawing a crowd. People eagerly purchased the sturdy and beautiful baskets, which quickly sold out. Boss Zhuang’s assistant alerted him to the booming sales across the street. When Boss Zhuang confronted Tian Zao, she defiantly told him that her method was "especially suitable for dealing with profiteers like you." She then revealed her true purpose: the baskets were being sold to raise money to buy planes for the Volunteer Army.
Shocked by this revelation, Boss Zhuang quickly changed his tune, apologizing and offering to buy all her remaining stock at a high price. Tian Zao flatly refused, stating that selling directly to customers earned more, and told him to "endure." Later, Suo Qian helped collect more baskets from the neighborhood, and created flags and banners proclaiming a "charity sale for volunteers to resist US aggression and aid Korea, donate aircraft."
Tian Zao and the children then spread out to sell the baskets across commercial streets. She brought all the proceeds to Li Hongying, who was overjoyed and praised Tian Zao for her excellent work in mobilizing the masses. Tian Zao humbly credited her neighbors, saying it was their collective heart for the volunteers, and expressed satisfaction that even if the money only bought a plane wheel, it was a meaningful contribution.
Meanwhile, a public announcement celebrated the successful conclusion of Beijing's donation campaign for the Volunteer Army. It was also reported that after five major battles, the Volunteers had driven American imperialists and UN forces back beyond the 38th parallel, demonstrating China's rising power. Tian Zao shared this exciting news with her neighbors, celebrating the start of armistice negotiations.
The donation drive officially ended, and Tian Zao thanked everyone for their hard work, which Aunt Li assured her was no trouble at all. However, far from the celebratory mood, Zheng Qiang received orders from his superiors to continue fighting and cooperate with the Kuomintang in a counterattack on the mainland. His agents were disheartened by the news of the Americans being pushed back and feared being captured.
Zheng Qiang acknowledged the difficult situation but urged them not to lose hope. He instructed them to continue lurking, preventing the Communist Party from stabilizing, and gave them secret assignments, confidently stating that the party and state would not forget their "iron warriors" on the mainland.
In response to the stalemate on the 38th parallel and increased enemy activity, the Ministry of Public Security issued an order for a nationwide crackdown on seven influential reactionary secret societies, including the Consistent Taoist and Bai Lian Jiao. Beijing authorities, acting on leads from Tie Dan, had already arrested several key suspects. The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau ordered all police officers to eradicate these organizations and cleanse the city.
Gao Zhiyuan, head of the second department, announced that their primary mission during this operation was to locate and arrest Zheng Qiang, codenamed "Night Wolf," and dismantle all lurking spy networks in Beijing. Later, Tie Dan reported to Wu Feng and Gao Zhiyuan that Zheng Qiang's trail had been found in the Drum Tower and Shichahai area, based on interrogations of a captured Consistent Taoist member.
Wu Feng instructed Tie Dan to contact Lin Zheng, director of the Shichahai precinct, for assistance in the investigation, emphasizing the need for absolute secrecy to avoid alerting the cunning and resourceful Zheng Qiang. Tie Dan met with Lin Zheng, who confirmed they had identified several potential hiding places for Zheng Qiang. Concerned that uniformed police officers might alert the already "frightened" spy, Lin Zheng instructed Tie Dan to approach Li Hongying.
Li Hongying was to mobilize street activists and local residents to discreetly search for clues. Li Hongying then convened an urgent meeting with street activists, showing them a photograph of Zheng Qiang, identifying him as a Kuomintang spy. Tian Zao immediately recognized Zheng Qiang as the spy chief she had previously seen at Han Qingkui's house.
Li Hongying reiterated the importance of a house-to-house search without "showing any flaws" or "startling the snake," instructing them to maintain their normal community work while keeping a vigilant eye out for anything unusual. She warned them not to act alone if they found anything, as the agents were armed, prioritizing their safety and avoiding harm to innocent people.
Tian Zao and the other women began their door-to-door visits, collecting donated shoes and bedding for the volunteers, and subtly inquiring about suspicious individuals. Tian Zao noticed two courtyards that seemed abnormal. One was always closed and appeared empty, while in the other, she saw an unfamiliar old man with "panicked eyes," whom Aunt Li identified as an unsocial old servant. Tian Zao promptly reported these observations to Li Hongying.
Lin Zheng then tasked Qin Defu, who managed household registration files, to investigate these properties. Qin Defu reported that the first courtyard belonged to a Kuomintang officer who had fled before liberation, leaving it vacant. The second belonged to an old teacher named Zhai, who lived alone with his servant and was known for his reclusive and "lofty" nature.
Tian Zao recounted her own interaction with the servant, where she received two calligraphies for the donation drive but no direct conversation. Based on this information and the reclusive nature of the residents, Tie Dan suspected that these two single-family courtyards were "ideal hiding places" for Zheng Qiang. Lin Zheng immediately decided to conduct a surprise raid on both courtyards that very night. He instructed Li Hongying to organize the local masses for discreet surveillance until the raid.
Tian Zao and other neighborhood women positioned themselves at various points around the two courtyards, watching for any activity. That night, Lin Zheng and Wu Feng led separate teams. Lin Zheng's team searched the supposedly empty courtyard, finding no one, but discovered "traces of people living" in one room, and "more than one person" had been there. Meanwhile, Wu Feng and Tie Dan’s team entered the Zhai courtyard, where they found Old Zhai and his servant.
Old Zhai claimed only they lived there, but searches revealed signs of habitation in other rooms, which Old Zhai vaguely attributed to visiting relatives. Tie Dan, refuting Old Zhai's claims based on their long-term surveillance, then discovered a wire connecting to a radio station on a nearby tree.
