Serendipity Episode 37 Recap
> Serendipity Recap
Su Tangli and Jian Mingshu met in Ning’an. Although Su Tangli had her family name restored, her father’s death was still unavenged, so she could not live in peace—and neither could Jian Mingshu. They shared the same goal. The Lin family was managed by the Old Madam Lin, who was the wet nurse of Prince Yu and was highly regarded by him.
Su Tangli noted that although Old Madam Lin had ties to Prince Yu, she wasn’t involved in the case, so she didn’t understand why Jian Mingshu had come here. But Jian Mingshu recalled that the one who annihilated the Jian family back then was Cao Hai, and Cao Hai was likely from the Lin family. To raise such a demon, how innocent could Old Madam Lin be? Jian Mingshu suspected that Cao Hai was the son of Old Madam Lin.
She had already planned to find a way into the Lin household and, when they returned, trap them like rats in a jar. Su Tangli and Jian Mingshu had joined forces for revenge—they were determined to make Prince Yu and Cao Hai pay. Old Madam Lin went to a temple to pray but suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. Jian Mingshu intentionally approached and offered to treat her, saying the medicine would make her feel better.
After taking the medicine, Old Madam Lin felt better immediately and asked Jian Mingshu to continue treating her. Jian Mingshu explained she was merely passing by and only wanted to burn incense for her parents before leaving. Seeing that she looked pitiful, Old Madam Lin insisted she come to the residence to treat her and even offered a monthly payment. Jian Mingshu successfully entered the Lin household.
As she passed by the ancestral hall, she overheard that it only opened when the young master returned for Old Madam Lin’s birthday. To bring Su Tangli into the household, Jian Mingshu spoke of a pitiful girl from her hometown. Old Madam Lin allowed her to call the girl over to work in the kitchen. Su Tangli also successfully snuck into the Lin residence.
Jian Mingshu wanted to confirm whether Old Madam Lin was indeed Cao Hai’s mother—soon, she would know for sure. That night, Old Madam Lin told someone to give Jian Mingshu an extra blanket. While passing a courtyard, she discovered someone was living there—a concubine of the young master, said to be pregnant. Jian Mingshu guessed that this woman might be Aunt Zhou. She quietly opened the door and saw Aunt Zhou heavily pregnant and apparently blind.
Hearing Jian Mingshu’s voice, Aunt Zhou became emotional. She said she had believed Cao Hai’s lies and had betrayed the Jian family, and had been repenting ever since. Aunt Zhou revealed that Old Madam Lin was indeed Cao Hai’s mother. After the Jian family was silenced, they wanted to eliminate her as well, but upon discovering she was pregnant, they locked her up, blinded her, and crippled her legs.
Aunt Zhou begged Jian Mingshu to kill Cao Hai and help her escape. All the Jian family’s assets had been hidden by Cao Hai in the kitchen; only by killing him could they reclaim it. Old Madam Lin didn’t want to keep Aunt Zhou alive and planned to kill her after she gave birth. Old Madam Lin finished copying Buddhist scriptures and had Yu’er deliver them to the small shrine. Jian Mingshu followed and unintentionally saw her mother’s Guanyin statue.
Yu’er said it was a New Year’s gift from the young master to Old Madam Lin last year. Jian Mingshu went to find Su Tangli and confirmed that Cao Hai was indeed Old Madam Lin’s son. There was no way she was unaware of his crimes. Her current wealth and status were all built on the Jian family’s fortune. On the surface, Old Madam Lin appeared virtuous, but in reality, she was a hypocrite with a vicious heart.
Su Tangli had someone procure some firecrackers that could easily blow up an entire family. Jian Mingshu inquired about the location of Old Madam Lin’s birthday banquet and, late at night, she and Su Tangli buried the firecrackers there. Upon returning to her room, Jian Mingshu sensed someone following her and instinctively drew a knife, only to find that it was Lu Chang. Lu Chang forcefully kissed Jian Mingshu—she had snuck out of the capital, quite impressive indeed!
Lu Chang had gone to Jianglin and discovered she wasn’t there, so he concluded she must have come here to take revenge on the Lin family, Cao Hai, and the Prince Yu who was soon to attend the banquet. Jian Mingshu replied that she was no longer the person she once was. Back then, she didn’t understand Su Tangli’s actions or why Nanny Lü was blinded by hatred. She had felt sympathy but not agreement.
But now, Jian Mingshu had become just like them. Lu Chang wasn’t here to stop her—he was just worried about her safety. He was willing to help her take revenge, to do whatever she wanted. Now that he was here, he wouldn’t leave. Jian Mingshu didn’t want him to see her like this and bit him hard. Jian Mingshu cried herself to sleep. When she woke up, she found Lu Chang cooking—he had no plans to leave.
Scholar, top scorer, none of that mattered anymore. Jian Mingshu changed her mind. Though Lu Chang was willing to accompany her, she didn’t want to drag him down to hell. Her left hand was for the dead, her right for the living. Although she couldn’t immediately judge which weighed heavier, she understood she couldn’t let the living suffer for her. Lu Chang was one of the living—he was in her right hand. Upon hearing this, Lu Chang was moved to tears.
