Hu Tong Episode 28 Recap
> Hu Tong Recap
In October 2017, the Communist Party of China held its 19th National Congress, themed around "remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission firmly in mind." By 2019, Beijing hosted the World Horticultural Exposition in Yanqing, the largest international exposition of its kind in China since 2010. To align with Beijing's strategic urban positioning and promote improvements, the city government initiated a three-year action plan for environmental remediation and enhancement of its back streets and alleys.
Sun Xiaomin, a Street Office director, notified owners of illegally constructed storefronts to rectify their properties. However, many refused to comply, prompting Sun Xiaomin to visit the site with staff from the housing management bureau and urban management. She intended to supervise the restoration of these storefronts back to residential housing. The owners, led by Suo Lanqi, vehemently protested, presenting rental contracts that had, in fact, expired in 2015. Despite Sun Xiaomin's earnest persuasion, her efforts were fruitless.
Suo Lanqi dismissed her policy explanations, claiming he and the other sixty to seventy households on the street were operating legally and relied on their shops for income. While Sun Xiaomin was still at the site, her daughter, Lin Yue, who serves as the deputy director of the Sanhai Community Neighborhood Committee, received a phone call from a colleague informing her that neighborhood committee staff responsible for dismantling illegal structures were clashing with residents.
Sun Xiaomin urged Lin Yue to rush back and handle the situation. Upon arrival, Lin Yue found neighborhood committee staff trying to dismantle illegally built sheds, but Uncle Qi, his son Qi Yong, and other neighbors were blocking them. Ouyang Hui, the Neighborhood Committee Party Secretary, was attempting to mediate, but Qi Yong was verbally abusive and physically aggressive towards him.
Lin Yue intervened, but Uncle Qi remained defiant, declaring that even if her grandmother, Tian Zao, personally came, it would make no difference. When local police arrived to arrest Qi Yong, Uncle Qi and the neighbors furiously resisted. Uncle Qi nearly fainted from anger, forcing Lin Yue to ask the police to leave temporarily.
In order to resolve the standoff, Lin Yue arranged to visit Uncle Qi the next day at noon to discuss the matter calmly, asking him to prepare his famous Zhajiang Noodles. Lin Yue hurried back to report to Sun Xiaomin, who was still trying to reason with Suo Lanqi. Suo Lanqi advised Sun Xiaomin to give up, claiming everyone had contracts and she couldn't achieve anything.
Sun Xiaomin, unable to find an immediate solution, decided to return the next day after deliberating with her team. Meanwhile, Tian Zao and Chunxi were sitting in the courtyard, reflecting on their lives. They were among the last of their generation still alive and expressed profound thoughts about the passage of time and Beijing's rapid development, including the ever-expanding ring roads and the CBD. Suo Lanqi returned home in a huff, trying to avoid any conversation.
Tian Zao stopped him, warning him against opposing the government. Suo Lanqi, speaking to his wife Juanzi, explained that his family relied on the income from that storefront to raise their son, Taozi. He lamented that Taozi had learned idleness from his father and now lacked serious skills, leading to a life of eating, drinking, and frivolous activities. If Sun Xiaomin forced them to convert the shop back to a residential house, they wouldn't be able to make ends meet.
Suo Lanqi feared that Sun Xiaomin and Lin Yue would pursue him, contemplating hiding, but Juanzi told him to accept reality. Later, Ouyang Hui specifically waited for Lin Yue in the park to thank her for resolving the earlier confrontation. He praised her influence among the old neighbors, particularly Uncle Qi, and even teased her about hidden kickboxing skills.
Lin Yue, however, humbly stated that her influence stemmed from the respect her grandmother, Tian Zao, and mother, Sun Xiaomin, commanded in the community. She explained that her grandmother had been the neighborhood committee director when Uncle Qi was a child. During a routine neighborhood committee meeting, Deputy Director Tang delivered a lengthy speech about municipal policies. Lin Yue interrupted, urging him to focus on practical solutions to engage residents rather than merely reciting policies.
She emphasized the importance of understanding residents' difficulties and communicating the benefits of the policies effectively. Chairman Chang suggested that enforcement might be necessary, but Lin Yue insisted that they must first connect with people on a personal level, taking their perspective to foster cooperation and ensure the successful implementation of the people-benefiting policies for a harmonious society. At home, Uncle Qi's wife, Aunt Qi, tried to persuade him not to defy the government.
Uncle Qi, however, was resolute in not abandoning his cooking skills, which he used to support his family. He argued it was his livelihood and crucial for Qi Yong's future. Later, Suo Lanqi hastily finished his meal, intending to escape, but Sun Xiaomin confronted him at his home. She urged him to restore his storefront to its original condition. Suo Lanqi adamantly refused, arguing that without the shop, his family would struggle.
Sun Xiaomin tried to explain that his storefront was obstructing traffic and inconveniencing other residents. Suo Lanqi dismissed this, claiming the street itself was too narrow and that those who complained were merely jealous. He then slipped away, leaving Sun Xiaomin speechless with frustration. Juanzi tried to console Sun Xiaomin, explaining that the shop held sentimental value for Suo Lanqi as it was left by his father. Lin Weidong, Sun Xiaomin's husband, was playing chess with neighbors and losing badly.
Feeling aggrieved, he began to boast about his past success as a merchant at the Xidan Night Market and his Xisi Xinmei hair salon. The neighbors, however, ridiculed him, calling him "Sun Xiaomin's little tail fish," prompting Lin Weidong to storm off in a fit of pique. When Sun Xiaomin returned home from work, she found Lin Weidong drinking to drown his sorrows.
She confided in him about Suo Lanqi's stubbornness and pleaded with him to talk some sense into Suo Lanqi. Lin Weidong was reluctant, claiming Suo Lanqi wouldn't listen to him, especially given that times had changed, and old connections no longer held the same sway. Sun Xiaomin rebuked him for clinging to past glory, reminding him of his lack of modern skills and how fortunate he was to have a comfortable life, unlike Suo Lanqi and his idle son.
Despite his misgivings and past animosity towards his brother Lin Weimin, whom Sun Xiaomin had inadvertently brought up, Lin Weidong eventually agreed to try to persuade Suo Lanqi. Meanwhile, Lin Yue visited Er Qiangzi's wife, Aunt Hui, who had been doing various odd jobs since she and her husband were laid off and began receiving minimum living allowance. Lin Yue had offered Aunt Hui a stable job, but Aunt Hui explained she preferred to continue with odd jobs.
She calculated that by combining her monthly minimum living allowance of about a thousand yuan with her income from odd jobs, she could earn more than the three thousand yuan a stable job would offer, which would also cause her to lose her allowance. She claimed her family, including her sick husband Uncle Qiang, was managing happily with about six thousand yuan a month, especially with the state's serious illness coordination covering most medical expenses.
Lin Yue, however, expressed concern about their son Binbin, a college-educated computer science student, who refused to work and was spending his parents' money while constantly playing on his computer. Aunt Hui simply stated that Binbin had his own ideas, and they couldn't control him. Lin Yue then arrived at Uncle Qi's house as planned for Zhajiang Noodles. Uncle Qi proudly presented his "authentic small bowl dry fried" noodles, claiming his recipe was superior even to her grandparents'.
Lin Yue, after tasting them, playfully critiqued the diced meat. She then seized the opportunity to explain the importance of upholding national policies for the greater good, asserting that even if it meant some individual loss, it contributed to societal progress and national prosperity. She chided Uncle Qi for his obstinacy and public defiance for the sake of his small restaurant, expressing her shame at his behavior. Uncle Qi, impressed by her persuasive abilities, acknowledged that she spoke even more effectively than her mother and grandmother.
