Resumo do episódio 1 de The Lady in Butcher's House
> Resumos de The Lady in Butcher's House
Yunlai Town, a picturesque water village in Jiangnan, thrived despite the passage of time, with a river flowing through it, lined with bustling shops. Hu Jiao, a young woman who grew up there, described her hometown as a place where people diligently worked every day to lead vibrant and fulfilling lives. However, she noted that this pursuit of a lively existence nearly cost her family their lives.
She later understood that such peaceful times were only possible because some were willing to risk their lives to protect them. Her story, she said, began there, expressing a guess that others, too, deeply loved this mortal world. Seven years prior, a young man named Xu Qingjia arrived in Yunlai. He inquired about the Hu Pork Butchery along the riverbank and bought a pair of cloth shoes.
At the time, the Hu Pork Butchery was confronted by local thugs demanding protection money. Hu Jiao’s sister-in-law, Wei Shi, was visibly frightened, but Hu Jiao herself, despite her youth, remained unfazed. With masterful knife skills, she expertly chopped meat, displaying a formidable presence that startled the thugs, who quickly left without their demanded fee. Soon after, Xu Qingjia approached the butchery. He greeted Hu Jiao politely and introduced himself, revealing their pre-arranged marriage.
Hu Jiao, however, found him unimpressive, scoffing at his thin and unimpressive physique, deeming him too weak for physical labor. Her elder brother, Hu Houfu, recognized Xu Qingjia and confirmed his identity as Hu Jiao’s betrothed. Xu Qingjia, born into a scholarly family, was meant to marry Hu Jiao due to a long-standing agreement between their fathers, who were close friends. After his parents passed away, Xu Qingjia was instructed to seek refuge with the Hu family.
Despite Hu Jiao's disdain, seeing him as a useless scholar like her own father whose weakness forced her mother to work herself to death, Xu Qingjia promised that once he achieved scholarly honors, he would ensure she would no longer have to toil at the butcher's block. This promise marked the beginning of seven years where he resided with the Hu family, though their interactions were minimal, limited to brief encounters during holidays. Seven years passed.
One day, a group of troublesome customers, led by the same thug from years ago, once again disrupted the Hu Pork Butchery, attempting to drive away actual customers by placing small, repetitive orders for minced pork. Hu Jiao's sister-in-law suggested closing early, but Hu Jiao refused, understanding that doing so would only embolden them.
She explained that reporting them to the officials was futile as the thugs were simply "lining up to buy meat," and her deceased mother's rule dictated that every piece of meat, no matter how small, must be properly prepared.
As the tension escalated and Hu Jiao prepared to confront the ringleader, news suddenly arrived: Xu Qingjia had passed the Imperial Examinations with scholarly honors and was arriving in town, dressed in red robes and riding a horse, to fanfare and public acclaim. Seeing this, the troublemakers immediately changed their tune, clamoring to buy all the meat from the Hu family. Meanwhile, Hu Houfu had been pulling a cart of pork when he encountered Old Master Luo on the road.
Hu Houfu initially sold some pork to Luo at a low price. However, Luo, a malicious and disrespectful man, belittled Hu Houfu and proceeded to mock Hu Jiao with disrespectful words. Enraged, Hu Houfu furiously defended his sister, declaring she was smarter than both of them and that no good man was worthy of her, before turning against Luo. As Hu Houfu returned, villagers congratulated him on Xu Qingjia's return.
However, Hu Jiao, enraged by Xu Qingjia's years of absence and silence, which had brought shame to her family, rushed forward and attacked him. Despite his academic success, she saw no honor in the connection and wanted to break off the engagement. Xu Qingjia later apologized to Hu Jiao’s father, explaining that after failing the Imperial Examination the first year, he was too ashamed to return home, choosing instead to stay in the capital to re-study.
He had sent a letter through a classmate, but it must have been lost. Without a steady income, he couldn’t afford to send another, and only dared to return after achieving success. His older brother and sister-in-law felt sympathy. Hu Jiao remained resolute, insisting on ending the engagement. Her father, initially agreeing that his daughter was not worthy of a scholar, changed his mind after Xu Qingjia whispered something to him, firmly upholding the marriage.
Furious, Hu Jiao ran off to vent to her close friend, Lin Cui. She declared her desire to marry Lin Cui's brother, A'Niu, describing him as courageous, strong, and adept in martial arts, and dismissing Xu Qingjia as weak and unimpressive. Lin Cui was surprised by her friend's taste, finding Xu Qingjia to be much more impressive than her own brother.
The next day, Hu Jiao took matters into her own hands, ambushing Xu Qingjia in a forest and tying him to a tree, threatening him to break off the engagement with her father. During the scuffle, she accidentally lost his silver hairpin. Later, at a welcoming banquet for Xu Qingjia, the Hu family generously hosted their neighbors.
Hu Jiao suddenly appeared at the table and, before sitting down, asked the assembled neighbors to bear witness, to see if Xu Qingjia was worthy to be the Hu family’s son-in-law.
