Northwards Episode 3 Recap
> Northwards Recap
Seven years had passed, and the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway had long since connected, boosting the national economy but leading to a decline in canal shipping. The sense of honor and achievement for those who worked on the river dwindled as business suffered and profits shrank. The waterways, once bustling, now seemed to move backward in a world speeding ahead.
Shao Xingchi's cooking skills had grown impressively over the years, and his eel noodles alone were enough to win over his friends in the courtyard. As they gathered around the table, Ma Siyi remained quiet, still affected by the recent suicide of a man who jumped into the river. Xie Wanghe and others, however, didn't condone such a desperate act, believing that a man must be responsible and bear any burden, no matter how heavy.
Xia Fenghua teased them, accusing them of flattering themselves, and their mealtime quickly turned into playful banter. Xie Wanghe even joked that he'd charge Xia Fenghua for washing his swimming trunks, and Shao Xingchi declared his noodles would cost fifty yuan, dreaming of financial freedom. Xia Fenghua retorted that she’d pay him to shut up. After dinner, the group cycled to school as usual. Due to their varying academic achievements, they headed to different high schools.
The academically excellent Ma Siyi and Chen Rui attended No. 1 High School, a hub for top students, while the others, with their average grades and less disciplined behavior, went to No. 7 High School, located just across from No. 1 High. As they dropped Ma Siyi off at her school, they encountered Sun Sanliang, who, as mischievous as ever, tried to befriend Ma Siyi. However, Xia Fenghua intervened, chasing him off.
During a school assembly, the principal encouraged students to prepare for their upcoming college entrance exams, emphasizing how it could change their lives. Yet, the students of No. 7 High School sat listlessly, a stark contrast to the disciplined, slogan-chanting students of No. 1 High School. In class, Xie Wanghe, lost in thought, was called out by Mr. Xu, their teacher. Unfazed, Xie Wanghe argued that going to university wasn't the only path to success.
He cited Bill Gates and other successful entrepreneurs who lacked traditional degrees, emphasizing that a crucial element was a progressive way of thinking, creativity, foresight, and strategic planning, rather than mere rote memorization. He elaborated on his idea of a "test prep center" where students could continuously practice with guidance, boosting their scores. He explained that teachers could legitimately collect fees for "catering, nutrition, and printing" rather than for tutoring.
After a rapid calculation on the blackboard, Xie Wanghe, with Xia Fenghua’s enthusiastic support, convinced Mr. Xu and the class that by expanding the center using geometric progression, Mr. Xu could become a billionaire. The classroom erupted in cheers, hailing Mr. Xu as the future richest man in Honghuai. Xia Fenghua, meanwhile, dismissed the other students' inability to grasp such ambition, stating, "The swallows and sparrows will never understand the ambition of a swan.
It's a waste of effort if you tell those who don't understand." Later that day, Sun Sanliang blocked their path, demanding compensation for his "Air Force 1's" that Xia Fenghua had allegedly damaged. However, the moment he saw Xia Fenghua emerge from the school building, he sped off on his bike. Xia Fenghua, fantasizing about earning enough money to attend a front-row seat at her idol’s concert, was abruptly pulled back to reality by the sound of her parents arguing.
The changing times had hit the canal shipping business hard, making life increasingly difficult for many families in the courtyard. Xia Fenghua’s parents, Xia Maotian and Li Yan, were arguing about yet another loan request from Xia Maotian’s family. Li Yan expressed her long-held grievances, explaining that when their business was good, she tolerated her mother-in-law's favoritism and constant demands for money.
But now, with their own finances strained, she refused to lend more, pointing out the stark difference in earnings from seafaring compared to before. Xia Maotian, unable to retort, was left speechless, while Xia Fenghua stood silently at the door. Similarly, Xie Tiancheng, once a respected ship owner, now felt a significant disparity in his life, especially compared to Sun Sanliang's father, who had become a wealthy entrepreneur.
Although Sun’s family still owed money to Xie’s family, Xie Tiancheng hesitated to demand repayment, fearing it would jeopardize his remaining business, which relied heavily on Mr. Sun. This sparked a heated argument between him and his wife, Liang Haihong. Feeling restless, Xie Wanghe went to the rooftop, where he found Xia Fenghua, also troubled by her family's financial woes. They sat side by side, sharing their dreams for the future.
Xia Fenghua wished for a rich husband who wasn't overly filial, while Xie Wanghe dreamt of buying his father's boat and a city house with a garden for his parents, so they could retire and live worry-free. Meanwhile, Shao Bingyi’s literary works were repeatedly rejected by the publishing house as their themes were no longer in vogue.
His son, Shao Xingchi, suggested he try writing tomb-raiding novels like "Ghost Blows Out the Light," but Shao Bingyi, priding himself on his scholarly integrity, refused to stoop to such "despicable" genres. Luo Zhimei, Zhou Haikuo’s mother, felt stifled by her life as a housewife, her acting career forgotten.
Directing her frustration at her husband, Zhou Yanlin, she declared her decision to go to Hengdian to pursue acting, despite his protests that she wouldn't get her name back from small roles. Overwhelmed, Zhou Haikuo ascended to the rooftop, where he found his four friends already gathered. The five of them talked about their lives after graduation, agreeing that most of their families’ problems stemmed from money.
They discussed their ambitions, with Xie Wanghe expressing his desire to move to Beijing's Zhongguancun after graduation, determined not to passively await an uncertain fate. Later that night, after parting ways with her friends, Ma Siyi returned home. She overheard her mother tearfully confessing to Granny Ma the heartbreaking reason she sent Siyi to live with her years ago. Her mother, married to her second husband, Ge, had discovered him spying on 10-year-old Siyi in the shower.
Fearing for her daughter's safety, she had no choice but to send Siyi to Granny Ma. Now, with Ge bankrupt and her second child's tuition unpaid, Siyi’s mother had come to Granny Ma to borrow money, intending to try her luck in the south, even considering joining a pyramid scheme.
The next day in class, Ma Siyi and Chen Rui were caught using Morse code to communicate, prompting their teacher to give a lecture on Morse code and the importance of encrypting messages. After school, Ma Siyi found her mother hiding in a corner, crying. Distraught, Ma Siyi confronted her, demanding to know the extent of their debt, recounting her childhood trauma and daily insomnia that stemmed from being sent away.
Her mother confessed that Ge had incurred a huge debt for assaulting someone, and she had to repay it quickly to prevent debt collectors from harassing her younger son at school. Ma Siyi, offering to sell her blood to help, was overcome with emotion. Concerned, Xie Wanghe and his friends discussed ways to help Ma Siyi.
They dismissed Chen Rui’s idea of a game plug-in to mine gold coins as potentially illegal and damaging to their college prospects, and Shao Xingchi’s suggestion to borrow from his father. Shao Xingchi lamented the declining business on Flower Street and the pollution in the river. Eventually, Xie Wanghe proposed retrieving diesel from an abandoned, leaking boat at West Gate. He argued it would not only help Siyi but also contribute to environmental protection.
Xia Fenghua, upon hearing their plan, vehemently insisted on joining them to keep watch. Despite Xie Wanghe's initial refusal, she threatened to prevent anyone from leaving if she wasn't included. Realizing her determination, the boys relented, and the group set off, planning to borrow a cart from Flower Street for transportation.
