Memory of Encaustic Tile Episode 3 Recap
> Memory of Encaustic Tile Recap
As the final exams approached, parents were busy preparing breakfast for their children and urging them to do well. Zheng Sunian's mother, Jinning, even told him not to score too high so she wouldn't constantly be asked about her parenting methods. Meanwhile, Zhang Qi's mother quizzed him on ancient poetry during breakfast, to his annoyance, and warned him that if he didn't score well, he wouldn't get pocket money.
Shao Xue's mother insisted she eat an extra fried dough stick and two eggs, claiming it was the secret to a perfect score, but Shao Xue noted it had never worked before. After the exams, the students gathered to discuss their performance. Shao Xue was overjoyed, believing she had performed exceptionally well and might even rank in the top ten. However, when others started discussing the last few major problems on the math test, Shao Xue's confidence quickly evaporated.
She soon realized she had completely missed an entire page of questions, leaving four large problems unanswered. Terrified of her mother's reaction, Shao Xue exclaimed, "My mom would kill me." Zheng Sunian suggested they talk to the teacher about the oversight, but Zhang Qi quickly dismissed the idea, saying "Demon Liu" would only use Shao Xue as a "bad example" in "circulating speeches" across all grades.
Zhang Qi then proposed a daring plan: they should sneak into the school, steal the test paper, modify it, and return it. Shao Xue found the idea "reliable," but Zheng Sunian strongly disagreed, citing the "too much risk" involved. Zhang Qi confidently claimed, "With me there, how would we get caught?" to which Zheng Sunian retorted, "With you there, we'll surely get caught."
To get Zheng Sunian to leave, Shao Xue and Zhang Qi pretended to be engrossed in studying, discussing a math function. After Zheng Sunian left, his father, Zheng Jian, sent ribs to Shao Xue's home via Zheng Sunian. Usually, Shao Xue would eagerly devour them, but this time she showed no interest, which puzzled her parents, who noted her uncharacteristic behavior. The next morning, Shao Xue and Zhang Qi decided to put their plan into action.
Shao Xue prayed for success, vowing this would be her first and last "bad thing." They successfully snuck into the school grounds. Finding the main door to the archives room locked, they discovered an unlocked window, allowing them to gain entry. Inside, Shao Xue located her math test paper. However, as she tried to fill in the missing answers, she became too nervous to write anything and also expressed concern that burglary was a much bigger crime than cheating.
Just then, the school guard began his routine patrol and noticed the open window. As he approached the archives room, Zheng Sunian appeared, asking the guard for help to retrieve his English dictionary from his classroom. This clever diversion allowed Shao Xue and Zhang Qi to escape unnoticed. After their close call, Shao Xue worried about security cameras in the school capturing their actions.
Zhang Qi, who had been unusually quiet, seemed fixated on Shao Xue, a sign of his developing feelings for her. He urged her to keep their adventure a "secret." Later, Zheng Sunian confronted Shao Xue about her "scheme with Zhang Qi." She denied going through with it, claiming it was "too risky" and that she had decided it wasn't a "good idea" after all, again asking him to keep it a secret.
Undeterred by Shao Xue's failure to complete the test, Zheng Sunian later gave her a blank math paper. He challenged her to solve the last four major problems within 30 minutes, the amount of time she stated she would have had for active problem-solving during the actual exam. At home, Yu Dongge surprised Shao Hua and Shao Xue by ordering an elaborate dinner from a restaurant.
She explained that she felt her cooking wasn't good and that she had "made you two suffer" all these years. Her unusually kind and solicitous demeanor worried Shao Xue, who suspected her mother might have found out about her exam problems. Shao Hua, equally confused, wondered if something good had happened.
Later, Yu Dongge brought milk tea to Shao Xue's room and, with a gentle tone, told her that "scores don't mean anything" and that she would always be her "precious daughter," which only intensified Shao Xue's anxiety about her secret. That evening, Yu Dongge confided in Shao Hua that she had been experiencing sudden dizziness and stomach pain, which she initially attributed to "acid reflux."
However, after overhearing colleagues discuss how minor ailments could sometimes be symptoms of serious diseases, she grew concerned and feared she might have stomach cancer, like her own mother, expressing, "I can't accompany you till we're old." Shao Hua dismissed her worries, calling the fortune-teller who had told her the disease had "spread" a "liar," and insisted they go to a proper hospital. Yu Dongge was distraught, crying, "I don't want to die. I don't want to leave you."
Shao Hua comforted her, promising to "bring her back" even from the "king of Hell." Back at school, during the announcement of the math test scores, Shao Xue was astonished to hear she scored 101 points, a result she found hard to believe given her incomplete paper. The teacher, Mr. Liu, privately told her he was giving her a "chance this time" and warned her to avoid such "sloppy mistakes" in the future.
Zheng Sunian later revealed to Shao Xue that he had volunteered to help Mr. Liu grade papers. He had explained Shao Xue's situation, assuring the teacher that she had only missed a page due to an oversight. Presenting the blank test paper she had completed at his home, he proved her capability, and with Mr. Liu's permission, filled in her missing answers. Shao Xue was incredibly grateful for Zheng Sunian's help.
The next day, Yu Dongge and Shao Hua, accompanied by supportive neighbors, went to the hospital for her check-up. Shao Hua soon emerged with a report, joyfully announcing that Yu Dongge was not sick but pregnant. He teasingly told her to "eat whatever you want" so the "fetus won't be malnourished." The news brought immense relief and celebration to everyone.
Returning home, Shao Xue and Zheng Sunian were greeted by jubilant neighbors who congratulated Shao Xue on becoming an older sister. Shao Xue was "speechless" and "confused" by the unexpected news of a second child. Sensing her turmoil, Zheng Sunian took her for a walk. Shao Xue confessed her deepest fear: "If I do have a younger brother or sister, will you all like me less?"
