Resumo do episódio 12 de Northwards
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Li Yan initially believed Xia Fenghua's grandmother and aunt had come for money, but their true intention was to adopt a young boy from their hometown, Xiaobao, into the family to ensure a male heir for Xia Maotian. Xia Maotian was stunned upon learning this, while Li Yan was enraged. Fenghua, after speaking with Xiaobao, discovered her grandmother’s underlying motive was to claim family assets.
Xiaobao revealed that his original name was Xiaojun, but his grandma now called him Xiaobao, as in "baby," and that his grandma had told him he would inherit the family property because Fenghua's family only had a daughter. He also mentioned that Fenghua's family owned a large ship. Xia Maotian vehemently rejected the plan, accusing his mother of feudal thinking.
His mother countered, arguing that girls cannot be entered into the family genealogy, and without a son, who would continue their family line? She emphasized the Xia family's ancient lineage as a prestigious clan and worried that without a male heir, his deceased father would not rest in peace. Li Yan firmly stated she would never accept another child, asserting her happiness with just Fenghua and warning that if Xia Maotian gave in, she would divorce him.
She passionately recounted the hardships she faced raising Fenghua, including postpartum confinement without help, and how Fenghua was treated coldly for being a girl, causing her to doubt if she was truly her parents' child. The grandmother and aunt, however, continued to mock Li Yan, even suggesting Fenghua was worth less than a stray dog.
Xia Maotian tried to calm the escalating argument, but his mother sat down on the ground, crying and making a scene, drawing the attention of neighbors. Meanwhile, Xiaobao approached Fenghua, explaining that he was starving for three days before her grandmother "bought" him and that he just wanted to live. Fenghua then took him to get food. Xie Wanghe arrived, finding Fenghua disturbed.
He was shocked by the grandmother's actions and, recalling his promise to defend Fenghua, took charge of the situation. Xie Wanghe felt that Xia Maotian, being too filial, needed outside support. Xie Tiancheng, Shao Bingyi, and Zhou Yanlin confronted Xia Maotian, advising him that while filial piety is a virtue, blind obedience is not, especially given modern times. They warned him that if he didn't stand by his wife and daughter now, their hearts would be broken beyond repair.
Li Yan reinforced her ultimatum, stating she would leave with Fenghua if he accepted the boy. Finally, Xie Tiancheng’s stern words compelled Xia Maotian to stand firm. Xia Maotian confronted his mother, revealing he knew her true intention was to claim the demolition compensation from a proposed photovoltaic base in their village, a detail he learned from the village secretary.
He declared he wanted none of the compensation, offering it all to his mother and aunt if they would take the child and cease troubling Li Yan and Fenghua, whom he cherished as his life. He even offered to sign a notarized transfer contract for the compensation.
The grandmother, after a brief pretense of contrition, quickly agreed, expressing her belief that Fenghua's father truly loved her, and stating that if Fenghua's family didn't want the boy, others in the village would. The grandmother and aunt then left with Xiaobao. As they walked away, Xie Wanghe and Officer Shen arrived. Xiaobao courageously confessed to Shen that he was kidnapped by "bad people," giving his parents' names as Zhang Liangyong and Liu Cuiying, although he couldn't remember his home.
Shen immediately recognized this as child trafficking. The grandmother knelt, pleading ignorance and claiming the child was "given" by neighbors and that she simply paid them. Shen, however, stated that forgiveness was not his decision and that she needed to go to the police station to clarify the situation. Fenghua questioned Xie Wanghe if this was "too much," regretting that it was her own grandmother.
Xie Wanghe sarcastically offered to seek a reduced sentence for her, then playfully chided Fenghua for her ingratitude. That evening, Xia Maotian sat silently outside, reflecting. Fenghua joined him, and he shared his remorse, promising to stand up for her and her mother in the future, regardless of anyone's disapproval. He confessed that he had nothing of pride in his life except his daughter, and thanked her for inspiring him to act like a real man in a difficult moment.
Meanwhile, business on the canal was suffering due to the decline of river transport. Xie Tiancheng visited Xia Maotian's newly opened "Flower Street Floating Supermarket," noticing its success. Despite Xia Maotian's attempt to sell him live fish at a discount, Xie Tiancheng bought "belly-up" fish, remarking that all fish die eventually, reflecting his own somber mood. On the other hand, Liang Haihong struggled with driving lessons for a large truck, her instructor calling her the "dumbest person he's ever seen."
Liang Haihong pleaded for another chance. Later, Xie Tiancheng, drinking at home, found Liang Haihong's driving school payment slip. He confronted her about learning to drive a truck, expressing concern for the physical toll it takes, citing their friend Zhang's health issues from the same job. Liang Haihong countered, asking if he had checked their family finances, revealing they had very little money left and still owed neighbors many dividends, asking if they should "run away from debts."
She acknowledged his worry but insisted they had "no way out" and proposed they shoulder the burden together to alleviate his stress. She also suggested he consider opening a floating supermarket like Xia Maotian's, but Xie Tiancheng silently retreated to his room, unable to move past his own emotional block. At school, the "test paper drilling" initiative was a success, with Xie Wanghe’s class average score jumping from an estimated 84 to 92.
Mr. Xu and the principal were delighted, with the principal promising to treat the class to a meal if they maintained their performance in an upcoming joint exam with No. 1 High School. However, after evening self-study, Mr. Xu announced yet another set of test papers from Jiangxi Normal University Affiliated High School, leading to groans and complaints from students, who felt overworked and blamed Xie Wanghe for initiating the rigorous program.
Xie Wanghe apologized and offered to treat them to supper, but a classmate sarcastically thanked him, implying future success would not necessarily lead to gratitude. Unable to find a good buyer for his father's ship in a collapsing market, Xie Wanghe went to a cyber cafe with Zhou Haikuo and Shao Xingchi to post selling information online. He also wanted to find a better solution for a test problem, jokingly lamenting his lack of a "Sharingan" for the upcoming exams.
Xie Wanghe shared his deep concern for his parents, describing his father’s pride on the ship and his mother’s daily struggle with growing gray hairs. He expressed that his only desire was for his parents to live less strenuously, believing nothing else mattered. Upon returning home, Xie Wanghe found his father heavily drunk, crying and apologizing for being a failure who held his son back from his studies. He urged Xie Wanghe to be successful and regain the family's honor, leaving Xie Wanghe heartbroken.
