Northwards Episode 14 Recap
> Northwards Recap
Ma Siyi returned to the courtyard late at night and saw Xie Wanghe and Xia Fenghua playfully bickering. Wanghe joked that Fenghua shouldn't watch so many soap operas because she was "already not smart" and "the more she watches, the dumber she gets." Fenghua was annoyed, asking who he was calling dumb and demanding an apology. Wanghe then lightheartedly suggested a "security guard" position in his future company would be perfect for Fenghua, who playfully promised to keep him safe.
They wished each other good night. Witnessing their interaction left Ma Siyi feeling a pang of sadness. Later, she found Granny Ma, who asked if she had eaten and was tired. Ma Siyi then asked, under the pretense of asking for a classmate, how one could tell if a person truly liked them. Granny Ma, sensing Siyi's true feelings, patiently explained that if someone truly liked her, she would "naturally know," comparing it to the aroma of cooked rice.
She added that if a man liked her, "he'll only have eyes for you," recounting how her grandpa was so clingy and only had eyes for her when they first met. Granny Ma then told Siyi that she would find someone like that, someone who only had eyes for her. Noticing Siyi's continued melancholy, Granny Ma asked if she was worried, to which Siyi denied it was about her.
The joint exam between No. 7 High School and No. 1 High School commenced. The principal of No. 1 High School encouraged his students to take the exam seriously, striving to show the excellence of their school.
In contrast, the principal of No. 7 High School advised his students not to be overly nervous, but to relax and perform at their usual level, promising that if they did well, he would ask the principal to treat them to a celebratory meal. Meanwhile, Xie Tiancheng had begun working with Xia Maotian on the floating supermarket. Being new to the business, Xie Tiancheng made decisions without much consideration for costs.
While stocking up, he insisted on buying large quantities of items like water, bread, vinegar, and soy sauce, disregarding Lao'er's advice to be more cautious. Xie Tiancheng confidently asserted that supermarkets on land were similar to those on water, relying on his seafaring experience and telling Lao'er to "think big" and not "focus on loose change."
During sales, he generously offered wholesale prices to old acquaintances and even threw in complimentary laundry detergent, calling it "customer cultivation" to ensure future business. Lao'er expressed concern that these practices would lead to losses and make it difficult to charge regular prices later, but Xie Tiancheng maintained his "bigger picture" philosophy. Xia Maotian returned home late, visibly upset and not hungry. When Li Yan asked if he had argued with Xie Tiancheng, he explained his frustrations.
He acknowledged Xie Tiancheng's expertise in seafaring but highlighted his inexperience in running a supermarket, stating he had "no experience at all" and simply made decisions haphazardly. Xia Maotian recounted how Xie Tiancheng "just grabbed whatever he wanted" when stocking goods, dismissing his advice that certain items wouldn't sell.
He also complained that Xie Tiancheng sold products at wholesale prices to save "face" with old friends, resulting in them losing 50 yuan after a day of work instead of making a profit. Xia Maotian felt it was "useless to talk to him" because Xie Tiancheng "wouldn't listen to him."
Li Yan, although worried, comforted her husband, telling him to "wait for a few more days" and suggesting that perhaps Xie Tiancheng would adjust and "it'll get better" once he adapted. She urged him not to panic. Granny Ma went to the bus station to pick up Ma Siyi's half-brother, Ge Siwei. A staff member remarked on his young age and his mother's carelessness for not coming in person, to which Granny Ma simply said Siwei's mother was "too busy."
Siwei was distraught, openly declaring, "I don't want to be here! Sir, I want to go home!" Granny Ma gently introduced herself as Ma Siyi's grandma and tried to persuade him to come home, but he remained unwilling. Later, Ma Siyi returned home, seemingly after a phone call where she accepted an invitation for crucian carp and tofu soup. Inside, she found Granny Ma trying to get Siwei to wash his hands.
Siwei vehemently pushed Granny Ma, causing her to fall to the ground. Enraged, Ma Siyi rushed to Granny Ma's side, then confronted Siwei, screaming, "She's my grandma, not yours! Your grandma is in Wenzhou!" She warned him that if he dared to misbehave again, she would "beat him up!" Siwei threatened to tell his mother, but Ma Siyi furiously chased him out of the house, demanding, "Why did you come here?"
Granny Ma, distressed, pleaded with Ma Siyi to open the door, reminding her that "he's your brother." However, Ma Siyi adamantly refused, declaring, "I have no mother or brother! The only family I have in this life is Grandma!" She left Siwei crying loudly outside. Granny Ma, with a heavy heart, went out to comfort him and helped him up. That night, Ma Siyi sat alone on the rooftop, visibly distressed.
Xia Fenghua joined her, at first playfully suggesting that naughty kids like Ge Siwei "need to be spanked" and that he would have "kicked him" himself. He teased Ma Siyi for crying, asking if her "hands hurt from hitting him," but Siyi confessed, "My heart hurts. I feel sorry for my younger self." She recalled being ten years old when her mother "kicked me out, like a bag of trash."
Fenghua tried to console her, suggesting she "should thank your mom" for sending her away, as it allowed her to "meet me, Wanghe, Xingchi, and Haikuo," and without them, she "might have become depressed already." Ma Siyi acknowledged that she "doesn't know what I would have become" without them, to which Fenghua jokingly replied she'd be "miserable, wallowing in self-pity all day and washing your face with tears."
Ma Siyi then posed a hypothetical question to Fenghua, asking how he would react if his mother abandoned him. Fenghua confidently stated his mother "would never do that," but if she did, he would "scream and yell and roll on the ground," making "tearful protests," emphasizing that "no one dares to abandon me. The price is too high." He then commented on Siyi being "such a soft touch," who "just cry secretly under the covers" and blames herself.
Ma Siyi admitted it was a "sickness" she "can't change." She confessed that initially, when she heard her brother crying outside, she "felt great," even "gloating" because she had been abandoned for him and now he was in the same plight. However, when she "really saw him sitting on the ground crying," her "heart hurt." She recognized that they "are the same," both "thrown out like trash," and that in the future, they "will have to rely on each other."
Fenghua, however, rejected the idea, asserting, "If you're going to rely on anyone, it should be me, not that little brat. He doesn't deserve it." The next morning, Xie Wanghe, Shao Xingchi, and others gave Ge Siwei a ride to school. Ma Siyi was protective of Siwei, telling him not to learn from the older boys, but Xie Wanghe reassured Siwei, promising to teach him fun things.
At school, Ma Siyi reminded Siwei to wait for her after class, but he defiantly declared he didn't need her pick-up, to which she warned him not to blame her if he got lost. Shao Xingchi lightheartedly commented on Siwei and Ma Siyi's differing appearances, joking that they must have different fathers. In class, Mr. Xu announced the joint exam results.
While No. 1 High School's Class 2 had the highest average science score, No. 7 High School's Class 3 achieved an unprecedented fourth place in Honghuai, just 23 points behind the top school. Mr. Xu likened their performance to an "amateur boxer facing Tyson" who "finished the fight and lost all his teeth, but he was still standing!" He announced it was "No. 7 High School's highest score in history," and the students erupted in celebration.
Mr. Xu then confirmed his earlier promise: the principal would treat them all to a meal at "By the Canal" after school. The principals were later seen happily reviewing the exam results, with the principal acknowledging Xie Wanghe's "test prep center" idea, expressing hope that he understood it was for the school's greater good, a sentiment Wanghe confirmed.
Later that day, Ma Siyi went to pick up Ge Siwei from school but found all the students had left and he was nowhere to be found. She rushed home, only to discover he hadn't returned there either. Xia Fenghua and Xie Wanghe arrived. Fenghua jokingly raised Ma Siyi's anxieties by suggesting Siwei might have fallen into the hands of human traffickers, adding that Siwei could be sold for a high price.
Xie Wanghe, however, quickly dismissed Fenghua's unsettling comments and urged Ma Siyi to "report to the police first," reassuring her that they "will find him." At the police station, Shen Yong calmed Ma Siyi, explaining that surveillance cameras would help. After verifying Siwei's identity from a photo, Shen Yong confirmed that Siwei had left school early that morning, boarded a long-distance bus with the license plate ending in 8732, and was headed for Suqian.
Ma Siyi realized he had gone to "my mother's home." Shen Yong drove Ma Siyi, Xia Fenghua, and Xie Wanghe to Suqian. On the way, Ma Siyi anxiously asked how much longer it would take, but Shen Yong explained that speed limits prevented them from going faster, leading to Xie Wanghe telling Fenghua to stop talking so much. They eventually found Ge Siwei outside his old house.
Ma Siyi, overcome with a mix of fury and relief, called out his name and then hit him. Siwei retaliated, demanding, "Why did you hit me? I'll fight you to the end!" Fenghua suggested letting Ma Siyi handle "her family business" as she angrily confronted Siwei, asking, "What were you thinking?" and "What if you got lost?" Siwei cried out, "I want Mom!"
Ma Siyi showed him the changed lock on the door, explaining that "this house has probably been sold already" and "this isn't your home anymore." Siwei, heartbroken, continued to wail, "I want Mom! I don't have a home!" Later, at a street stall, after they had eaten, Siwei reiterated his desire to find his mother and refused to go home with Ma Siyi. Ma Siyi then sat down with him for an earnest talk.
She praised his bravery for running away, confessing she only "dared to think about it" when she was abandoned, while he actually took action. Siwei, proud, said he was brave like his dad, who "dares to do anything," which is "why he ended up in jail." Ma Siyi then shared her past resentment towards their mother for abandoning her for a son, but confessed she felt "instantly better" when their mother later abandoned Siwei too.
Siwei vehemently insisted his mom hadn't abandoned him, but Ma Siyi told him to stop yelling, explaining their mother "only loves herself." She then told him that the best thing their mother ever did was "send me to live with Grandma." She described the Flower Street courtyard as having "warmth inside," assuring him he would feel it after living there for a while.
She explained that there, "no matter how bitter or upset you feel, there will be people by your side, loving you and caring for you. . . Even if you had an iceberg in your heart, they could make it melt away." Siwei, still feeling alienated, remarked that those friends were hers, not his.
Ma Siyi reassured him, "What's mine will be yours too," on the condition that he "treat me as your sister," not just in words but "in your heart." If he could do that, she promised to treat him as her "real brother." Siwei acknowledged he was her real brother and jokingly mentioned she had pinched him too hard earlier. Ma Siyi, with a smile, promised never to hit him again, and they "pinky swear" their promise.
Siwei then asked if they could go home, and Ma Siyi agreed. Ge Siwei, finally agreeing, held hands with Ma Siyi and returned with her in Shen Yong's car. On the way back, Fenghua jokingly commented that Ma Siyi had "went easy on him," adding that if it were his own brother, he "would have beaten him so hard that he couldn't get out of bed."
Xie Wanghe reminded Fenghua that Siwei was "also your brother now," to which Fenghua playfully threatened Siwei, "If you don't behave, I'll beat you to a pulp," before Xie Wanghe interjected, telling him to "be gentle, he's sleeping." Back at the courtyard, Granny Ma was still awake, relieved that Siwei was found and learned he had gone to look for his mother.
After bringing the sleeping Siwei inside, Xia Fenghua and Xie Wanghe prepared to leave, declining Granny Ma's offer of food. Ma Siyi thanked them for their help, and Xie Wanghe playfully demanded she "buy me breakfast tomorrow" and asked for "two extra tea eggs," which Ma Siyi readily agreed to. Granny Ma beamed, proud of Siyi.
Later that night, Ge Siwei, scared of the dark as he always slept with his mother at home, woke Ma Siyi and asked to sleep with her. Ma Siyi agreed, warning him not to "toss and turn too much" as she was a light sleeper, and Siwei promised to stay still. Curious, Siwei then asked Ma Siyi if Xie Wanghe, who had carried him in, was her boyfriend.
Ma Siyi clarified that his name was Xie Wanghe and he should call him "Brother Wanghe." When Siwei probed about their relationship, Ma Siyi avoided directly answering but praised Wanghe as a "really nice guy, very righteous," urging Siwei to "be polite to him." However, Siwei, recalling his mother's cynical view that "people don't be nice to others for no reason," jumped to his own conclusion, announcing, "I'll just call him my brother-in-law when I see him again."
Ma Siyi chided him for his thoughts, while also refuting their mother's selfish view, affirming that "everyone in this yard is very nice." The next morning, as the group dropped Siwei off at school, Fenghua began offering Siwei dubious advice on how to deal with bullies, suggesting he should "just fall. . . and then start twitching and foaming at the mouth" if pushed, a tactic he claimed had saved him from a bully named Liang.
Ma Siyi criticized Fenghua for teaching the young boy to "fake injuries," but Fenghua insisted it worked. As Siwei departed for school, he turned to Xie Wanghe and boldly called him "Brother-in-law," adding, "Be nice to my sister, or I'll beat you up." Xie Wanghe was visibly delighted, while Ma Siyi, embarrassed, exclaimed, "Who are you calling your brother-in-law?" Fenghua, however, looked annoyed, remarking that Wanghe was "crazy" and that he "will have to give him a beating again tonight."
Later in class, Shao Xingchi discussed Siwei's unusual address for Wanghe. Xia Fenghua, though denying jealousy, appeared thoughtful. Shao Xingchi then told Fenghua that "Xie Wanghe and Ma Siyi can't be together," citing Wanghe's belief that a man needs a "helpful wife" to succeed, and that Siyi's current situation would likely "hold him back." Fenghua defended Siyi, but Shao Xingchi then bluntly told Fenghua, "You don't have a chance either," explaining, "You're too silly."
