Resumo do episódio 16 de Our Dazzling Days
> Resumos de Our Dazzling Days
With the workshop director's tacit permission, the workers at the East Chemical Plant felt they had nothing to fear. Led by Zhang Xiaoman, the group worked through the night on their side project of manufacturing gas stove brackets, fueled by the hope of extra income. However, the high spirits were dampened by sloppy craftsmanship.
Ding Guoqiang was furious when he inspected the work of his apprentice, Shi Dongming, finding a weld so rough he compared it to an old woman's fungal nail. He harshly reminded Shi that as industrial workers, they represented a high standard whether they were building fighter jets or simple stove parts. He insisted that every small part required precision, demanding that the botched work be redone immediately.
Despite the internal friction, the first batch of samples was completed and delivered to the railway freight yard. Xia Limin, now making a living as a taxi driver, helped transport the goods and expressed his pride in seeing Zhang Xiaoman taking initiative. Zhang Xiaoman was quick to credit Xia Lei, noting that without Xia Lei’s website, they never would have connected with such a client.
Seeing the two friends working together like they did as children brought great satisfaction to Xia Limin. The customer was delighted with the quality, soon sending the first payment and placing subsequent orders. For a brief moment, the workers felt a rare sense of joy as they gathered to divide their earnings. This prosperity was short-lived. Tragedy struck when Shi Dongming’s addiction to cough medicine led to a critical error during a late-night shift.
While Sun Lulu was visiting the workshop to see Wang Dongdong, a massive explosion occurred, engulfing the workspace in flames and destroying everything they had built. In the aftermath, the factory leadership sought to assign blame, accusing Zhang Xiaoman of misappropriating state assets and violating safety regulations. Ding Guoqiang stepped forward to defend his apprentice, arguing that the production line would never have been used without the workshop director’s "agreement in principle."
He pointed out that the group's only goal was to improve the lives of the workers during hard times. The confrontation ended with the factory leadership singling out Director Zhao Hai for a formal criticism while suspending Zhang Xiaoman, Ding Guoqiang, Shi Dongming, and Wang Dongdong from duty. Now facing an uncertain future, the group fell into a deep slump.
Ding Guoqiang scolded Shi Dongming, demanding he quit drinking and promising the group that as long as he had food, he would not let them go hungry. When Xia Lei received the news of the explosion over the phone, his entrepreneurial ambitions were cooled by the harsh reality. He began to question if he was truly suited for starting a business, while his partner Fan Weijie focused on damage control to protect their website's reputation.
Meanwhile, Yan Xiaodan returned to Shanghai from her study tour in France, her mind full of the architecture she had seen in Paris and Italy. Sharing photos with Meng Ge, she spoke of the profound beauty of being immersed in art rather than just seeing it in pictures. Yan Xiaodan confessed that she wished she had a superpower to be in two places at once—studying at Tongzhou University by day and auditing classes in Europe by night.
Meng Ge encouraged her to realize that she could make such a life a reality through further study abroad. Zhuang Sen returned from Beijing and sought out Zhang Xiaoman with a plan to sell clothing. The two began operating a stall in the Tiecheng night market, calling their brand "JM," representing "Johnson" (Zhuang) and "Man."
Zhuang Sen initially tried a "mystery marketing" tactic by wrapping the stall in dark cloth to pique curiosity, but when no customers appeared, they pivoted to loud shouting to attract the crowds. During their time at the market, Zhang Xiaoman noticed the popularity of grilled chicken rib stalls. He encouraged Ding Guoqiang to try the business, confident that Ding’s cooking skills would make him a local sensation.
Initially, Ding Guoqiang was hesitant to lower himself to street vending, but he eventually agreed to look for equipment. He met a worker from the Chaoyang Machinery Plant, a sister unit, who was selling grills. Feeling a sense of kinship over their shared struggles, the man sold Ding a large grill for only fifty yuan, barely covering the cost of materials.
Ding’s first attempt at grilling was a disaster; the ribs were burnt black, and the exhaust fan he had installed was actually blowing air inward because the blades were on backward. Despite the burnt food, his friends cheered him on. Xia Limin encouraged him, saying that earning a living through one's own skill was never shameful, even for a war hero.
Taking the advice to heart, Ding Guoqiang and his wife, Zhou Huiying, set up a stall in the East Chemical Plant night market under a banner that read "Old Ding’s Grilled Chicken Ribs." On opening night, their neighbors and friends, including the Xia family and Wang Dongdong, came out to support them. Zhang Xiaoman even arranged for Wang Dongdong and his wife to act as shills, pretending to be enthusiastic customers to draw in the public.
Surrounded by this support, Ding Guoqiang finally cast aside his concerns about his reputation and focused on his new craft. At the Yan household, Yan Wenyuan noticed his daughter’s lingering hesitation and encouraged her to pursue her destiny of traveling the world. He suggested that if her bond with Zhang Xiaoman was strong enough, Xiaoman would find a way to catch up to her regardless of the distance.
Zhang Xiaoman, meanwhile, insisted on giving Ding Guoqiang a portion of his savings to help with the family's expenses, refusing to take no for an answer. Zhuang Sen soon received a payment from a film crew and took Zhang Xiaoman to look for a permanent storefront. They found a spot on a busy commercial street with a yearly rent of 15,000 yuan.
Although Zhang Xiaoman was wary of the high cost and the messy state of the shop, he was persuaded by Zhuang Sen’s enthusiasm. However, they fell into a trap set by a middleman who demanded a 10,000 yuan deposit before signing a lease. Because the film crew was paying him in installments, Zhuang Sen was short on cash and asked Zhang Xiaoman to chip in over 2,000 yuan. When Xia Lei visited the Yans, the conversation turned to his future. Recognizing that Xia Lei was losing faith in his website business, Yan Wenyuan offered to help him secure an internship at a large company in Shanghai to gain professional experience.
