Our Times Episode 25 Recap
> Our Times Recap
After days of failing to find work, Xiao Chuang and Zhang Ping Ping were on the verge of being completely shut out by local thugs. Desperate, Xiao Chuang pleaded for an opportunity, which led to a job offer paying 50 yuan a day. To their surprise, this job involved carrying deceased bodies to the morgue at a medical university for clinical trials.
Zhang Ping Ping was terrified and wanted to quit, but Xiao Chuang, realizing the 50 yuan was essential for their month's rent, insisted on continuing. He pushed past his immense psychological fear to complete the task. Afterward, Zhang Ping Ping was uncontrollably sick. They received their pay and boxed meals, and Xiao Chuang even agreed to return for future work. Looking at the food, both felt nauseated. Zhang Ping Ping declared she could not continue with such work.
Xiao Chuang then decided he would handle the mortuary jobs alone, tasking Zhang Ping Ping with trailing Huang You Wei instead. On his way back, Xiao Chuang unexpectedly encountered Xie Hang. Zhang Ping Ping, recognizing the moment, discreetly excused herself. Xiao Chuang, flustered, invited Xie Hang inside. She remained silent until they were alone, then demanded an explanation for their breakup, stating he owed her one.
Xie Hang already knew about his dismissal from Huayan and wanted to hear the rest from him directly. Xiao Chuang confessed that when her parents had finally approved of him, he had just been fired from Huayan and was penniless. He felt he couldn't ask her to wait for him again and believed leaving was the best choice to avoid causing them more pain.
When Xie Hang pressed him about his presence there, he initially evaded, but as she prepared to leave, he finally revealed he had been scammed in a business venture, nearly beaten to death, and was now in Foshan seeking to recover his losses and lie low. More profoundly, Xiao Chuang confided that he was an orphan: his mother passed away during his birth, his father abandoned him at his grandmother's, and his grandmother also died when he was twelve.
He grew up relying on the kindness of others, and Xie Hang was the first person to offer him the warmth of a family, a bond he refused to betray or let her suffer for. With tears in her eyes, Xie Hang moved to embrace him, but Xiao Chuang pulled back, insisting he was dirty from carrying bodies that day. Xie Hang, however, did not mind at all. They embraced, finding solace in each other's arms.
Later that day, Zhang Ping Ping, passing a video hall, impulsively spent her newly earned money to watch a movie. The proprietress informed him that these were new laserdiscs, costing 20 yuan for an overnight screening. Zhang Ping Ping paid and watched "Fight Back to School." Meanwhile, Xiao Chuang and Xie Hang lay together, acknowledging that it was a day neither would ever forget. Xiao Chuang promised to never again hide anything from her and to always be honest.
He had developed two photos of them from Beijing, giving one to Xie Hang. As Xie Hang prepared to return, she acknowledged his need to resolve his own issues, only asking him to take care of himself. She told him she had returned the clothes he bought her and placed that money, along with the 20,000 yuan training fee, in a drawer for him, urging him not to endure hardships alone.
As she left, Xiao Chuang gave her his grandmother's pendant, his most treasured possession, asking her to wear it daily as a symbol of his constant presence. On the bus back to Guangzhou, a reluctant Xie Hang discovered that Xiao Chuang had secretly put the 20,000 yuan back into her bag. After Xiao Chuang finished drying the bedsheets, Zhang Ping Ping returned and recounted his night at the video hall, mentioning the "LD laserdiscs."
Xiao Chuang immediately sensed a lead and insisted Zhang Ping Ping take him there. At the video hall, the proprietress proudly explained her advanced equipment, with a full set costing over 10,000 yuan. Xiao Chuang tried to get her to connect him with the seller, but she refused. Undeterred, he showed her a photo of Huang You Wei, and to his astonishment, she confirmed it was the man who sold her the equipment.
She also revealed that Huang You Wei traditionally returned to pay respects to his ancestors every year, though she couldn't guarantee it for the current year. With this crucial information, Xiao Chuang resolved to stay and wait in Foshan. Upon returning to Beijing, Xie Hang confided in Lydia that she and Xiao Chuang had reconciled, but she remained deeply worried about his struggles. Meanwhile, Tan Qizhang instructed Pei Qinghua to travel to Hong Kong alone to establish a trading company.
This new entity would streamline Huayan's import of spare parts, and its operation was to be kept strictly confidential. Tan Qizhang explained his distrust of Lin Yimin's commitment to the independent R&D project and emphasized the necessity of maintaining absolute control over this crucial import channel.
When asked about Xiao Chuang, Tan Qizhang seemed unfazed by the news that Xiao Chuang refused to return to Huayan, remarking that "everyone has their own calling" and acknowledging Xiao Chuang's proud and ambitious nature. Seeing his upcoming trip to Guangzhou as an opportunity, Pei Qinghua asked if he could leave a day or two early to visit Xiao Chuang, which Tan Qizhang approved.
Pei Qinghua then called Lu Hainiu to inquire about Xiao Chuang's whereabouts, but Lu Hainiu was vague and abruptly ended the call upon hearing that Pei Qinghua was coming to Guangzhou the next day. Separately, Xu Yang had divorced, with his child's custody awarded to the mother, but he was determined to fight for it back, taking his teacher's advice to focus on his career seriously.
When Lin Yimin heard from Xu Yang that Pei Qinghua had been sent to Guangzhou by Tan Qizhang, he grew suspicious. To test Tan Qizhang, Lin Yimin deliberately brought up the idea of establishing a trading company for import parts. Tan Qizhang feigned surprise and agreed to discuss it with the director.
Recognizing Tan Qizhang's maneuvering, Lin Yimin immediately contacted his younger brother, Lin Yifu, who owned a trading company in Hong Kong, instructing him to make it available for use, asserting his own preemptive move. Upon arriving in Guangzhou, Pei Qinghua located a phone booth with international service and called Tan Yuan.
Despite the late hour for her, Tan Yuan insisted she wasn't tired until Pei Qinghua gently pressed her to get some sleep, promising to call her earlier the following week. After this, Pei Qinghua found Lu Hainiu, who attempted to evade him, but without success. Sensing Lu Hainiu was being dishonest about Xiao Chuang, Pei Qinghua pressed him until Lu Hainiu reluctantly provided Xiao Chuang's phone number.
Pei Qinghua, sensing that Xiao Chuang was deliberately hiding his true situation during their phone call, immediately decided to travel to Foshan. Meanwhile, Xiao Chuang had secured a job painting Mrs. Wang's wall for 15 yuan. His condition for the low price was to move her redwood furniture into his own living space. He desperately wanted to maintain a semblance of success so that Pei Qinghua wouldn't witness his current struggles.
To reinforce this image, Xiao Chuang donned a suit when he went to pick up Pei Qinghua at the bus station. Upon seeing Xiao Chuang, Pei Qinghua was visibly relieved, believing his friend was doing well. When Pei Qinghua mentioned he was hungry and expected a meal, Xiao Chuang, still playing the part of a successful businessman, claimed he was weary of rich foods like "big fish, big meat, and seafood" from constant business engagements.
Instead, he asked Pei Qinghua to cook him a northern-style dish. Pei Qinghua opened the refrigerator, found some beef, vegetables, and Cantonese flat noodles, and then headed into the kitchen to prepare a meal.
