Hu Tong Episode 20 Recap
> Hu Tong Recap
Walking home alone, Sun Xiaomin felt a mix of emotions as she recalled Juanzi's warning, fearing that Lin Weidong had fallen for Xiaoli. This woman, Juanzi had insisted, was 100% smitten with Dongzi, coming all the way to Beijing for him. Sun Xiaomin worried Lin Weidong might really become someone else's. Upon arriving home, Sun Xiaomin learned that her father, Sun Tie, had suffered a sudden stroke and was hospitalized.
She rushed to the hospital, where many neighbors from the courtyard were already waiting outside the operating room. Sun Xiaomin tried her best to comfort her mother, Tian Zao. Tian Zao explained that Sun Tie had gotten his head stuck on the ground while practicing wrestling with his apprentice that morning and was rushed to surgery. Sun Xiaomin reassured her mother that everything would be alright. Meanwhile, Lin Weidong had just taken Xiaoli to her hotel.
Xiaoli, who was returning to Guangzhou the next day, asked him to stay and spend the night with her, emphasizing it was her last night in Beijing. Lin Weidong politely declined, clearly stating that his heart already belonged to someone he deemed "worth loving all my life." Just then, Juanzi and Suo Lanqi arrived. Juanzi quickly informed Lin Weidong that Sun Tie was in the hospital for emergency surgery. Without a second thought, Lin Weidong immediately rushed to the hospital.
After a full effort by the medical staff, Sun Tie's condition was stabilized. The doctor explained that he had acute thrombosis and was rescued in time, but was not yet out of danger and needed overnight observation. He added that a full recovery depended on later treatment and the patient's physical condition, noting that at worst, he could be bedridden for the rest of his life. Everyone kindly comforted the worried Tian Zao.
Gangzi and Erqiangzi stayed behind at the hospital to assist with care. Tian Zao returned home to pack some necessities, planning to relieve the brothers later. Sun Xiaomin then learned that Bezoar Pills and Dahuoluo Dan were highly effective medications for thrombosis that could prevent sequelae. However, these medicines were very expensive, and Tian Zao explained that with Sun Tie's pension and her own meager savings, they couldn't afford them.
Sun Xiaomin suggested borrowing money from their neighbors, but Tian Zao, having never borrowed money in her life, was hesitant. Just then, Lin Weidong arrived with a large sum of money for Tian Zao to buy Sun Tie's medicine. Sun Xiaomin refused his help, telling him to take his money away. Lin Weidong, annoyed, insisted the money was hard-earned and clean, and life-saving for her father. Sun Xiaomin, however, accused him of pitying her, which she didn't need.
Infuriated, Lin Weidong declared that she must keep the money and, starting the next day, work at his night market stall to pay him back. He then left. After Sun Tie was discharged from the hospital, Xiulan and Chunxi took turns preparing nourishing soups for him, while Tian Zao was busy with work. Sun Xiaomin balanced her studies with meticulously caring for her father.
One day, Sun Tie expressed his discomfort with Tian Zao's frequent absence, but Suo Qian and Gui Shu, who regularly accompanied him during his rehabilitation walks, gently reminded him of Tian Zao's tireless work for the community over the years and how lucky he was to have such a wife. They urged him to be more understanding. When Sun Xiaomin arrived at the night market for work, Lin Weidong told her to leave.
He then clarified that since it was Tuesday, a night school day, she was to attend classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and work at the night market on other days. Sun Xiaomin reluctantly left. Later, Lin Weimin found Sun Xiaomin, criticizing Lin Weidong's actions as unethical. Sun Xiaomin, however, asserted that repaying debt was natural and declined Lin Weimin's offer to pay on her behalf, before heading to class.
Li Hongying came to Tian Zao's home to apologize, but Tian Zao had already discerned Lin Weidong's deeper motives. She realized that Lin Weidong, who had been estranged from Sun Xiaomin for almost a year, was using this opportunity to reconcile with her. Li Hongying, hearing this, finally understood Lin Weidong's clever plan.
Tian Zao also explained that Xiaomin had a strong temper and wouldn't easily back down, but being together every day at the stall would eventually bring them closer. At the night market, Juanzi and Suo Lanqi were loudly hawking their goods. Sun Xiaomin also tried her hand at calling out to customers. However, Lin Weidong stopped her, telling her it wasn't her job. He then assigned her the task of collecting money.
Juanzi and Suo Lanqi supported this, noting that Sun Xiaomin's quick mind was better suited for accounting than Juanzi's, who often struggled with the task. Sun Xiaomin complied. As the night market closed, Sun Xiaomin quickly calculated the day's accounts and handed the ledger and money to Lin Weidong. Liuzi suggested they celebrate Sun Xiaomin joining their team with a dinner, and everyone enthusiastically agreed.
Lin Weidong strongly objected, but Sun Xiaomin accepted Liuzi's invitation and left with him on his cart, leaving Lin Weidong seething with anger. Lin Weidong grudgingly showed up at the restaurant. Liuzi offered Sun Xiaomin a drink, which she promptly downed. Liuzi then publicly declared that from then on, everyone should address her as "Sister Min." Lin Weidong, in response, picked up a large glass of alcohol and drank it all.
From that day forward, Sun Xiaomin attended night school on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and worked at Lin Weidong's stall on other days. As the weather grew colder, Lin Weidong found himself with a large backlog of summer clothing and sandals. Observing this, Sun Xiaomin changed into a beautiful batwing shirt with a flared skirt and sandals, and walked around the night market. Her fashionable outfit immediately attracted a crowd.
She directed them to Lin Weidong's stall, and the girls flocked there, quickly buying out all the accumulated summer wear and sandals. After closing the stall, Lin Weidong handed Sun Xiaomin her month's salary. She promptly stated her intention to use the money to pay him back, and then leave once the debt was settled. Lin Weidong, visibly frustrated, stormed off.
Juanzi and Suo Lanqi tried to persuade Sun Xiaomin not to continue this feud with Lin Weidong, but she remained unyielding. That night, Lin Weidong went drinking alone and soon became completely intoxicated. In the early hours of the morning, Gangzi and his wife were found sweeping the alley clean, causing sanitation workers to complain to Tian Zao. Tian Zao summoned the couple, and Gangzi explained his frustration over being unable to find suitable work, feeling idle and useless.
He recounted past failures, including a botched attempt at selling Guanchang with Erqiangzi and his mother's disapproval of him picking up junk. Feeling embarrassed to be seen during the day, he decided to sweep the alley for the community to feel useful. However, Tian Zao explained that this was encroaching on the sanitation workers' jobs, highlighting the social division of labor. Gangzi, exasperated, threatened to take his wife back to the countryside.
Xiulan desperately pleaded with them to stay, while his grandfather added that if Gangzi left, he might never see him again. Tian Zao, witnessing their distress, arranged to help Gangzi find a job. Later, at the night market, a customer asked for a pair of three-foot-two pants, but Suo Lanqi gave him a three-foot-one pair. Sun Xiaomin immediately intervened, refunding the customer and reprimanding Suo Lanqi. Suo Lanqi, feeling wronged, argued that all the night market vendors did this. Sun Xiaomin, determined to put an end to these dishonest practices, immediately decided to host a dinner for all the night market owners that evening to discuss the issue.
