Always on the Move Episode 6 Recap
> Always on the Move Recap
Upon returning home from Ma Yan's house where he had returned a cloth coupon, Wang Xin found Yao Yuling waiting for him. After a brief exchange, Niu Dali, who had been watching them from a distance, approached Wang Xin and confronted him, expressing his jealousy and telling Wang Xin to stop being so close to Yao Yuling. Wang Xin insisted they were just colleagues, and she was simply thanking him.
Niu Dali was unconvinced, remarking that their handshake looked like they were holding hands and advising Wang Xin to avoid her, but Wang Xin saw no reason to avoid someone when he had done nothing wrong. Niu Dali, describing Wang Xin as tall with bushy eyebrows and big eyes, questioned why he was pursuing Yao Yuling, whom Niu Dali considered his. Wang Xin rejected the idea of competition between them and referenced a past conversation about not forcing relationships.
Defiantly, Niu Dali vowed to "force it." Later, Niu Dali attempted to win over Yao Yuling by bringing her soybean cakes obtained from a friend at a soybean oil factory, but she remained unimpressed.
Cai Xiaonian witnessed Niu Dali's efforts and offered him unsolicited advice on pursuing girls, candidly telling Niu Dali that given Wang Xin's status as a police officer and cadre compared to Niu Dali's status as a worker, Yao Yuling would understandably prefer Wang Xin, even reciting a rhyme about the difficult life of a stoker. On a subsequent train trip, Wang Xin encountered Yao Yuling in a carriage.
He noticed her face was flushed and asked if she was feeling unwell, but she attributed it to the heat. Later, while traveling on a train from Ningyang to Hacheng, a mother and her young son, Xiao Tao, were on board. Xiao Tao needed to use the toilet, and his mother eventually allowed him to go, watching him approach. As he neared the toilet, someone walked past, briefly obstructing her view.
When her view was clear again, Xiao Tao was gone. She frantically searched the toilet compartment, finding only a man inside who denied seeing her son and suggested he might be lost or she should report him missing to the police. Distraught, the mother searched desperately before reporting her son's disappearance to the railroad officers. An emergency meeting was called for the railroad officers. Officers reported their unsuccessful search efforts before and after the train reached the station.
They relayed the mother's account that her view was obstructed just as her son was about to enter the toilet, and he vanished in that moment. Ma Kui suggested that the boy might have been abducted during the brief period the mother's view was blocked, implying he never entered the toilet and placing blame for the lack of immediate observation on Wang Xin's handling of the situation.
He argued that if the boy "had" entered the toilet, the man found inside would be highly suspicious, but the mother's statement was unreliable due to the obstructed view. Wang Xin reacted with evident frustration to Ma Kui's insinuations. The captain emphasized the critical need to find the child quickly and urged everyone to pool their efforts and search for clues. Days later, Wang Xin brought college entrance exam study materials to Ma Yan's house.
Ma Kui confronted him, questioning his presence and accusing him of deliberately coming to provoke him. Wang Xin insisted he was helping Ma Yan study, showing her the math and physics books and arguing that his background as a vocational school graduate with strong academic performance made him qualified to assist her, unlike her father. He expressed regret that Ma Yan's life had been made difficult due to her father's period of "reform through labour."
Ma Yan and Wang Sufang came out, and Wang Sufang welcomed Wang Xin. Ma Kui tried to make Wang Xin leave, but Wang Sufang objected, reminding him Wang Xin was a guest. Ma Yan supported Wang Xin staying to help her study and asked her father to leave them. Ma Kui reluctantly stepped away, expressing his annoyance. Inside, Ma Yan looked at the study materials, finding them daunting and admitting she was only attempting to study for her father's sake.
Wang Xin spoke about the significance of going to university for a better future, sharing anecdotes about classmates who succeeded and describing the benefits of college life. He lamented not having the chance himself. Ma Yan suggested they apply to the same college, but Wang Xin explained that his job involving multi-day train trips left him with no time to study after returning home and needing to rest.
He told Ma Yan their circumstances were different and that the important task of achieving success lay with her. While Wang Xin and Ma Yan talked, Ma Kui lingered outside, planning to make Wang Xin leave soon. Wang Sufang intervened, urging Ma Kui to be more welcoming and pointing out the noticeable improvement in Ma Yan's mood and sociability since Wang Xin started visiting. She proposed inviting Wang Xin to stay for dinner.
Ma Kui adamantly refused, stating they didn't have tableware for the Wang family. Wang Sufang reminded him of the considerable help Wang Yongge had provided their family while Ma Kui was incarcerated, assisting with tasks like building the stove and changing the chimney in winter and mending the roof in summer. Ma Kui attributed Wang Yongge's help to guilt, but Wang Sufang told him to lower his voice so Ma Yan wouldn't overhear and to stop causing trouble.
Ma Kui insisted Wang Xin was intentionally provoking him, but Wang Sufang stood firm, prioritizing their daughter's happiness. Wang Xin eventually left, stating he felt comfortable at their home and would visit often, playfully mentioning he would do so for Ma Kui's sake. Wang Xin accepted the invitation to stay for dinner and, having a low tolerance for alcohol, quickly became heavily intoxicated. Ma Kui helped him home. Wang Yongge was surprised by his son's state.
As Ma Kui was leaving, Wang Yongge offered him money as a household subsidy, suggesting he keep it in case Wang Xin visited again. Ma Kui refused the money and insisted on speaking with Wang Yongge outside. Ma Kui then confronted Wang Yongge about a past incident, accusing him of having been a witness and questioning why he had not testified on Ma Kui's behalf. Wang Yongge repeatedly denied being present, claiming Ma Kui was mistaken.
Ma Kui was visibly frustrated by Wang Yongge's denial. Another officer arrived for the night shift and offered Ma Kui a ride, which he declined. When Ma Kui returned home, he found Wang Xin awake on the sofa, asking for water. Ma Kui immediately realized Wang Xin had been faking his drunkenness. Wang Xin confirmed it, explaining he was happy because he had managed to irritate Ma Kui by arguing with him and drinking his alcohol, enjoying seeing him angered.
He shrugged it off as their usual daily conflict. Later, Ma Kui checked on Ma Yan as she was studying, reminding her about posture and taking breaks. An hour later, he found her still on the same page and questioned her focus, drawing a comparison to his police work where careful observation is key. Ma Yan insisted she was reviewing, but Ma Kui stressed the importance of focused concentration and tackling difficult problems head-on.
Frustrated, Ma Yan finally told her father to stop being so hard on Wang Xin. Ma Kui dismissed this. Meanwhile, on the train, Lu Xuelin, who worked in Hacheng, and his fiancée Yuxia, who worked in Haihe, discussed the strains of their long-distance relationship. They traveled monthly to visit his parents in Ningyang before separating, she returning to Haihe and he to Hacheng.
Yuxia expressed her weariness with the arrangement and urged Lu Xuelin to transfer to Haihe, reminding him of a past promise to return in a few years. He explained the difficulty of transferring back and the critical stage of his research project in Hacheng prevented him from leaving. Yuxia countered that her own job in Haihe was going well, and she was expecting a promotion, making it impractical for her to transfer. Lu Xuelin stated he couldn't abandon his career.
Yuxia, feeling the pressure of her age and the desire to marry and start a family soon, told him she couldn't wait any longer and felt he was using marriage and children to avoid commitment. Unable to resolve their differences, she declared they could manage without each other and got off the train at Haihe Station, leaving Lu Xuelin visibly upset as he watched her depart.
Distraught by the argument and breakup, Lu Xuelin sat in the dining car, drinking heavily. Ma Kui approached him, recognizing him from previous trips. Lu Xuelin confided in Ma Kui, explaining his distress over the fight with his girlfriend about their distance and her demand that he transfer back, which clashed with his career prospects. He felt she was pressuring him with ultimatums about marriage and children.
Ma Kui listened empathetically, offering some general advice about the importance of a man's career, before being called away to handle a dispute in another carriage. That same night, a heavy rainstorm struck. Their old house, in a state of disrepair, began to leak severely. Ma Kui and Wang Sufang hurried to place basins to catch the water dripping from the ceiling, noting that the persistent leaking problem needed a permanent solution.
