Joy of Life Season 2 Episode 3 Recap, Plot

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> Joy of Life Season 2 Recap

Fan Xian asked Sang Wen about Baoyue Brothel and learned that it had opened not long ago, quickly gaining popularity by recruiting many top courtesans from major brothels in the capital. Sang Wen had never seen the owner of Baoyue Brothel. Eagerly, Fan Xian asked her about the whereabouts of Teng Zijing’s wife and child. Sang Wen had never seen them either, only knowing that all those captured were held in the backyard.

She saw a girl surnamed Jin try to escape but was caught and dragged back. Fan Xian decided to use Miss Jin as a breakthrough. Sang Wen tearfully begged Fan Xian to save her from this hell. She had been forced to sign a contract of indenture to sing at Baoyue Brothel. Though she had saved enough for her redemption, she had no means to secure her release and begged Fan Xian to give her that chance.

Fan Xian promised to return for her after finding Teng Zijing’s wife and child. Li Chengze was certain that Fan Xian would come to Baoyue Brothel to look for someone. He used a memorial event to issue access passes, hoping to lure Fan Xian out, but Fan Xian never appeared.

One of Li Chengze’s eight trusted aides, Fan Wujiu, led a team to stake out Wang Qinian’s house day and night, but never saw any trace of Fan Xian or Wang Qinian. Li Chengze then ordered Fan Wujiu to capture Wang Qinian’s wife and daughter as hostages. Wang Qinian and Fan Xian were also staking out the street. When they saw the supply convoy of Baoyue Brothel approaching, Wang Qinian helped hide Fan Xian inside a vegetable basket.

Unexpectedly, Old Jin, the vegetable seller, was also hiding inside the basket—he was trying to rescue his daughter from Baoyue Brothel. Fan Xian and Old Jin managed to sneak into the brothel successfully. Old Jin briefly shared his story: he used to deliver vegetables to the palace but was extorted because he couldn’t bribe Eunuch Dai of the Produce Office. He eventually fell into a debt of five hundred taels. His daughter had to sell herself to repay the debt.

Now, Old Jin only wanted to see his daughter again and redeem her as soon as possible. Baoyue Brothel was heavily guarded, and Fan Xian had no idea where to begin his search. He hoped to find Teng Zijing’s wife and child through Old Jin. He gave all his money to Old Jin and asked Wang Qinian to help as well.

Together, they scraped together five hundred taels, which Fan Xian gave to Old Jin to gain entry to the memorial event. Old Jin performed a poem recital while pretending to be a drunken Fan Xian—his performance was vivid and convincing, and he successfully obtained a pass to enter Baoyue Brothel. Delighted, Old Jin entered the brothel and turned back to smile at Fan Xian before going in.

Watching his back, Fan Xian felt deeply conflicted and vowed to take revenge on Eunuch Dai. Fan Wujiu led his men to Wang Qinian’s house but found it empty. He had no choice but to return and report to Li Chengze. After the memorial event ended, the crowd dispersed. Fan Xian and Wang Qinian waited anxiously outside the brothel. Eventually, Old Jin came out alone, staggering. He told Fan Xian that the ransom had been raised to ten thousand taels.

The five hundred taels they had collected only allowed him and his daughter to meet for two hours. He couldn’t redeem her and was devastated, pounding his chest in grief. He only found out that the owner of the brothel would come to audit accounts the next day. He repeatedly apologized to Fan Xian and offered to sell vegetables to repay him. Fan Xian comforted him and promised to find the money to help rescue his daughter.

Old Jin thanked him profusely. After walking just a few steps, Old Jin collapsed and died. Fan Xian discovered that he had been severely beaten. The thugs at Baoyue Brothel dragged Old Jin’s body away and cleaned the blood at the entrance with brooms and water buckets.

Furious, Fan Xian clenched his teeth, ready to confront the brothel’s manager Yuan Meng, but Wang Qinian held him back, urging him to stay calm and wait for a more righteous opportunity to fully investigate. Fan Xian and Wang Qinian returned home via a secret passage, only to find that Wang’s wife and daughter were missing. They suspected a kidnapping. Wang Qinian wanted to storm Baoyue Brothel to rescue them, but Fan Xian stopped him.

Meanwhile, Fan Wujiu took every spare moment to study, hoping to pass the imperial spring examination. Li Chengze teased him for it. Fan Wujiu was baffled as to how Wang Qinian’s wife and daughter had escaped under their watch. Wang Qinian personally saw Fan Xian enter Baoyue Brothel. He went to inform Li Chengze, reporting that Fan Xian had faked his death to deceive the emperor and had gone to meet the brothel’s owner.

Li Chengze didn’t believe he would betray Fan Xian. Wang Qinian swore an oath of loyalty. Li Chengze then ordered him to lead the way to capture Fan Xian at Baoyue Brothel. The major owner was due to inspect Baoyue Brothel that day. Yuan Meng, not daring to slack off, gathered the girls and told them to do everything they could to please him, especially reminding Sang Wen to give a good performance.

Fan Xian was hiding on a beam and sprinkled white ash onto Sang Wen’s zither. She looked up, saw him, and nodded in acknowledgment. The major owner arrived in a hurry and immediately pulled out the account books. Yuan Meng had Sang Wen and the others perform music for entertainment, but he grew impatient and drove them all out. Fan Xian was stunned to see that the major owner of Baoyue Brothel was none other than his younger brother Fan Sizhe.

Yuan Meng stood beside him fanning him, but Fan Sizhe found it annoying and drove her out to focus on the accounts. Fan Xian came down from the beam, and when Fan Sizhe saw his supposedly dead brother alive, he was overjoyed and immediately fussed over him.

Episode 2 Recap

Episode 4 Recap

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