Memory of Encaustic Tile Episode 16 Recap
> Memory of Encaustic Tile Recap
Zhang Qi devises a plan for a weekend getaway to celebrate his birthday, using a flyer from his mother's company to disguise the trip as an "essay training camp." With this ruse, he and his friends seek permission from their parents. Shao Xue's mother is initially suspicious, noting that the trip falls on Zhang Qi's birthday weekend, a time they usually spend feasting. However, she relents when Shao Xue mentions that the studious Zheng Sunian will also be attending.
Zheng Sunian's mother, Jin Ning, also readily agrees, happy to see her son engaged in a productive activity. Similarly, Wu Huan's mother gives her blessing, hoping the trip will encourage him to be more social. But while helping around the house, Jin Ning experiences a sudden, sharp pain in her stomach. While she dismisses it, her husband, Zheng Jian, urges her to see a doctor. The friends' excitement for their beach trip quickly evaporates upon arrival.
They are met not with warm sun, but with a biting, freezing wind that shatters their plans for swimming. Their disappointment mounts when they discover the "grand hotel" Zhang Qi booked is a rundown guesthouse. The three boys are forced to share a single, tiny bed. The situation is no better for the girls, as Shao Xue and Shiyin are promptly scared out of their room by a large mouse.
With their original plans in tatters, the group decides to consolidate in the boys' cramped room to celebrate Zhang Qi's birthday. Amidst the disappointing conditions, they gather for cake and then start a game of Truth or Dare. When Shao Xue is asked to describe her first kiss, she admits she has never had one, a revelation that brings a subtle look of relief to both Zheng Sunian and Zhang Qi.
The game takes a tense turn when Zhang Qi draws a card. After a long, charged silence, he looks directly at Shao Xue and confesses, "I like you." The group is stunned, but Zhang Qi quickly breaks the tension by revealing the dare on his card was to "tell a lie that you dare not say," skillfully playing off his heartfelt admission as a joke.
The party comes to an abrupt end when Zhang Qi receives a frantic call from his mother. The parents have discovered their deception, and their collective anger is palpable over the speakerphone. The friends are ordered home immediately. Upon their return, they are met by their furious parents. Shao Xue is dragged home and grounded, while Zhang Qi gets into a loud argument with his mother.
In contrast, Zheng Sunian's parents remain calm, simply asking him not to lie to them again. As the group disperses, Wu Huan pulls Zhang Qi aside and admits he wrote the dare specifically to give Zhang Qi an opportunity to confess his feelings. Zhang Qi thanks him but confesses he was too afraid of changing their friendship and making things awkward, which is why he hid behind the lie.
Unbeknownst to the children, a far more serious drama has been unfolding. Jin Ning secretly went to the hospital, where a doctor told her she has a tumor that might be cancerous. To get further tests without worrying her family, she tells her husband she is going out of town to visit a distant relative. After receiving a conclusive diagnosis, she returns home and tells Zheng Jian the devastating truth: she has terminal cancer.
The news leaves him shattered and speechless. The world suddenly changes for everyone. Shao Xue, confined to her house, talks to Zheng Sunian from her bedroom window. Worried about them drifting apart, she gives him a voice recorder containing a message from her, so he can hear her voice whenever he feels down. Zheng Sunian promises he will always stay somewhere she can find him.
He and his father begin spending all their time at the hospital, taking turns keeping vigil by Jin Ning's bedside. A heavy sadness settles over their close-knit community. Neighbors, including Shao Xue's mother, try to help by bringing food, but the Zheng family has no appetite. They speak in hushed tones about how difficult it is to see the once-vibrant Jin Ning now so frail, admitting they are afraid to visit for fear of breaking down in tears. The lively courtyard falls quiet, weighed down by the looming tragedy.
