Nothing But Thirty Episode 29 Recap
> Nothing But Thirty Recap
While promoting her tea, Gu Jia encountered Mrs. Wang at a department store. Gu Jia, who had invested all her money into the venture, admitted to having difficulty selling the tea. Mrs. Wang remarked that the madams' circle had become dull since Gu Jia left.
She then revealed the misfortunes of its former members: Mrs. Ma's claim of her children attending Oxford was a lie; Mrs. Liu's husband cheated and transferred all their money; and Mrs. Li's family was in even worse shape, with her husband's backing gone, leaving them deeply in debt and on a personal credit blacklist, unable to even take high-speed trains. Gu Jia joked that Mrs. Wang's predictions were surprisingly accurate and asked if she had cursed them.
Mrs. Wang replied that if she possessed such power, she wouldn't be having trouble everywhere herself. Offering to help, Mrs. Wang suggested introducing Gu Jia to supermarket owners, but Gu Jia politely declined the offer. As Gu Jia walked away, Mrs. Wang mused that a woman's strength isn't measured by how high she can reach, but by how low she is willing to bow. After passing her driving test, Zhong Xiaoqin received a congratulatory call from Zhong Xiaoyang.
He jokingly suggested a way to warm him up, to which she playfully warned him not to cause trouble. He had planned an evening activity for them, which involved renting a car for Zhong Xiaoqin to drive. At the drive-in movie theater, Zhong Xiaoyang suggested they watch from the car’s trunk, calling it a trendy "back of the car party" and assuring Zhong Xiaoqin that he wasn't afraid of the cold.
He had brought an assortment of snacks and blankets, making the trunk comfortable. Zhong Xiaoqin teased him, asking if he had looked up strategies on how to date. She became engrossed in the movie but eventually fell asleep. Zhong Xiaoyang then gently moved her head to rest on his arm. The next morning, Zhong Xiaoyang woke Zhong Xiaoqin with a flurry of voice messages and a phone call, eager for more exciting activities.
Zhong Xiaoqin, who had only slept four hours after getting home at 6 AM, was exhausted and questioned if he ever needed sleep. Zhong Xiaoyang insisted they make the most of her two free days, even jokingly offering to sleep with her to get her moving. At work on Monday, Zhong Xiaoqin was visibly tired, telling her colleague she spent more than two days recovering from a night out that only took Zhong Xiaoyang two hours to bounce back from.
Later, Zhong Xiaoyang messaged her, offering to play video games at home if she was too tired to go out, showing his understanding of her exhaustion. Wang Manni's parents, after some discussion, asked her if she was free to go on a blind date with a man they described as "really good marriage material." Wang Manni, realizing she couldn't avoid the arrangement, agreed, saying she wasn't planning to be alone and had nothing to lose.
Her mother emphasized that this man was "out of their league" and urged her to take it seriously. Wang Manni sarcastically agreed to see what "high league" he belonged to. The next day, she met Zhang Zhi on a boat, which he explained was to avoid public scrutiny of a matchmaking date. Wang Manni countered that matchmaking was nothing to be ashamed of.
Zhang Zhi introduced himself as 35, a master's degree holder, unmarried, whose last relationship was in graduate school. He had returned to his hometown after university to become the director of the planning office, a position he described as having "great responsibility" in building their "flourishing and wealthy" town. Wang Manni was left speechless by his formal tone. As they walked around town, many people greeted "Director Zhang" and brought up local issues, confirming his popularity.
Back home, Wang Manni told her mother that he "talks too officially." Her mother, however, praised him as a popular man with a good job whom many girls pursued, insisting Wang Manni seize this "best choice" and pursue a serious relationship with him. Xu Huanshan called Gu Jia, mentioning he was suddenly free that afternoon and suggesting they go for a walk with their son, Ziyan.
Gu Jia declined, explaining she was meeting a former colleague, Ailin, to discuss her tea business, having spent the morning visiting supermarkets. She suggested Xu Huanshan either stay home with Ziyan or visit her father. After hanging up, Xu Huanshan immediately called Hotel Jing Jia An to inquire if Miss Lin of Room 1306 had checked out. He declined when offered to transfer the call, learning she was still there.
Gu Jia met Ailin, explaining her tea factory was small and couldn't afford high promotion costs. Ailin suggested leveraging online trends by finding popular bloggers to promote her product and make it "internet famous," which would significantly reduce costs. Gu Jia asked Ailin for a list of trustworthy bloggers who could easily go viral. Ailin agreed to filter out those known for "false advertising." During their conversation, Wang Manni called Gu Jia to discuss her matchmaking experience.
Gu Jia advised her to choose someone she liked and noted that affection could develop over time. Wang Manni received a text from Zhang Zhi inviting her to dinner and a movie, which she accepted. That day, which was the Double Ninth Festival, Wang Manni experienced the strong community spirit of her hometown, as neighbors exchanged homemade food.
At dinner with Zhang Zhi, he spoke passionately about his love for the small town, asserting that traditional Chinese culture thrives there, unlike in big cities where people who return often exhibit a "strange superiority" and "exaggeration" that leads to "decay." Wang Manni admitted to sometimes feeling "lost," missing Shanghai's coffee and exhibitions, especially when seeing her friends' social media posts. Zhang Zhi argued that in their town, people lived more genuinely and were not "chasing empty things."
When the bill arrived, the restaurant owner refused payment, recalling that Zhang Zhi had covered his son's urgent surgery expenses previously. Zhang Zhi insisted, stating that business was business, and discreetly placed the money under the plate. Later, in the car, Wang Manni asked if "Young Director Zhang" meant his father was "Old Director Zhang." He clarified he was "grassroots," having worked his way up. He then drove a long distance to a cinema for their movie.
When Wang Manni questioned why they had to drive so far, Zhang Zhi explained that the cinema was run by a "good brother." They would receive free tickets today, and in return, his brother could bring family or friends for a free meal at Zhang Zhi's mother's restaurant. He called this an "exchange things with things" system that strengthened their bond, asserting that "favor is the most valuable currency" in their town.
Wang Manni, however, found this concept reminiscent of a "primitive society" and wondered if owing favors wasn't more difficult in the long run. Xu Huanshan visited Gu Jia's father at the nursing home, bringing him daily necessities and a cashmere sweater from Gu Jia. Gu Jia's father worried about Gu Jia spending money, but Xu Huanshan assured him she only bought valuable items.
The father then asked if Gu Jia was too busy with her new venture to take care of the household. Xu Huanshan admitted that the tea was not selling well, causing Gu Jia to work late every night. However, he quickly reassured his father-in-law that he was still there to manage things at home, promising they wouldn't argue over trivial matters, prompting Gu Jia's father to admit he was being "narrow-minded." Xu Huanshan offered to play chess, but his father-in-law declined, citing Xu Huanshan's lack of skill.
