Cry Me A River of Stars Episode 9 Recap
> Cry Me A River of Stars Recap
The story begins with Yun Jiayu taking A Fan to play with butterflies. A Fan accidentally agitated some wasps, and Yun Jiayu, holding her hand, led her to escape into a river. While in the water, Yun Jiayu inadvertently saw a birthmark on A Fan's neck, realizing she was the daughter of Qianli Nanzheng. Meanwhile, upon hearing that A Fan was in trouble, Tao Junran rushed to find her.
Seeing A Fan drenched, Tao Junran promptly carried her away, leaving Yun Jiayu alone. Later, A Fan visited Yun Jiayu, who was recuperating from an injury, bringing him a special herbal medicine she had used since childhood, claiming it was effective for all ailments. She then noticed Yun Jiayu writing a classical phrase about a man's virtue being his talent and a woman's virtue being her lack of talent.
A Fan vehemently disagreed, questioning why women should be confined to domestic roles while men enjoyed freedom. Yun Jiayu explained the original context, suggesting it was meant to caution against frivolousness, but ultimately agreed that women should have the freedom to choose their own paths, whether in career or family life. Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Tao Junran, who entered Yun Jiayu's residence without permission.
Yun Jiayu sarcastically welcomed him, and Tao Junran claimed he came to deliver medicine out of concern for Yun's injury. Yun Jiayu remarked that with both A Fan and Tao Junran's concern, his wound no longer hurt as much. Seeing Yun Jiayu seemed fine, Tao Junran abruptly decided to leave, pulling A Fan along with him. Outside, A Fan protested Tao Junran's anger over her simply bringing medicine.
Tao Junran warned her that Yun Jiayu was not a good person and was dangerous, urging her to stay away from him. A Fan, however, accused Tao Junran of being petty and speaking ill of Yun Jiayu, who had only said good things about Tao Junran. Just then, Li Yu, A Fan's father, emerged, scolding Tao Junran for upsetting A Fan and, with the help of other villagers, chased him away with a broom.
Later that night, Tao Junran, feeling regretful, sent Cao Qing and San Yuemei to deliver fresh peaches to A Fan. They conveyed Tao Junran's apologies, explaining that he had been unable to eat or drink since returning home. A Fan, touched by his gesture, accepted the peaches and admitted she was no longer as angry.
The following day, a group of unmarried women confronted A Fan, calling her a "shameless bitch" and accusing her of seducing both Tao Junran and Yun Jiayu after seeing Tao Junran take her from Yun's mansion. A Fan's father tried to intervene, but A Fan stopped the women, asking them to explain her wrongdoing. She then produced a bar of soap, claiming it was the secret to her popularity with the two lords, not her person.
She described the soap as having the fragrance of spring and claimed its unique properties, developed over forty-nine days with a secret formula, would make anyone irresistible. Intrigued, the women were convinced when Yun Jiayu appeared and praised the soap's delightful scent, describing it as having the aroma of spring flowers upon first sniff, followed by a mellow and sweet peach fragrance. A Fan gifted a bar to Yun Jiayu, causing the other women to clamor for their own.
Tao Junran arrived, claiming a report of disturbance, and though A Fan insisted everything was fine, he took control, threatening anyone causing trouble with jail time, forcing the women to line up to buy the soap. Yun Jiayu clarified to Tao Junran that he was only returning A Fan's earlier favor for the medicine, then left.
After successfully selling many bars of soap, A Fan divided the earnings, giving a portion to Yun Jiayu, a smaller amount to Tao Junran, and keeping the rest for herself. Tao Junran questioned why Yun Jiayu received more than him. Yun Jiayu, ever gracious, told A Fan to keep his share. Watching this, Tao Junran possessively declared, "She's my woman. Don't you hit on her." Yun Jiayu responded, "I know. So you two have to be good.
Don't break up because of me," before departing. A Fan then playfully asked Tao Junran if he felt embarrassed making such a bold statement in front of Yun Jiayu. Tao Junran asserted he was merely speaking the truth and warned her not to lie to him, or he would make her "miserable." A Fan also expressed her frustration with Tao Junran's constant hostility towards Yun Jiayu, mentioning that Yun Jiayu had given her three flutes.
Tao Junran, surprised, demanded to see them. After inspecting the flutes, he dismissed her judgment of Yun Jiayu based on such gifts and suggested she no longer needed "this" (implying something of his value) if she had Yun's flutes. He then confiscated the flutes, telling her to reflect on everything before approaching him again. Later, alone, Tao Junran wondered if the flutes were indeed made from a Westland national treasure, contemplating what that would mean for A Fan.
A Fan, for her part, resolved to apologize to Tao Junran the next day. Meanwhile, Lian Qi was subjected to a brutal beating by guards during forced labor. Onlookers recognized him as the former richest man in Cloud County, with a guard taunting him for being an Azurelander. Yun Jiayu intervened, ordering the guards to return Lian Qi to prison. In prison, Yun Jiayu visited Lian Qi alone and unarmed.
Lian Qi challenged him, but Yun Jiayu calmly stated they were protecting the same person and his death would not benefit Lian Qi. Yun Jiayu proposed a partnership, demonstrating his knowledge of the "many free Azurelanders" outside and their activities in "Devil May Cry," which he believed Tao Junran also knew about. He pressured Lian Qi, asserting that cooperation was his "last way out," though Lian Qi defiantly told him his affairs were none of Yun Jiayu's concern.
Later, Yun Jiayu chartered A Fan's boat for a trip to the Lovers' Temple, offering a generous sum of five hundred tael, significantly more than the usual monthly rate. He explained he wanted to retrieve items left by a beloved woman who was marrying far away and would sail south in two days, and he wished to see her off immediately. A Fan, delighted by the payment, agreed.
To avoid Tao Junran's jealousy, A Fan decided to bring Jiqing along on the voyage. As they sailed, Yun Jiayu asked A Fan her opinion of him. She praised his good looks, noble background, talent, and kind personality. Yun Jiayu then confided that a national diviner had predicted a lonely life for him, where he would never attain the woman he loved. A Fan encouraged him to only believe positive prophecies.
Suddenly, Jiqing noticed a fast grain transport ship trailing them. A Fan initially dismissed it as unlikely to be a daylight robbery, but the ship was indeed carrying water bandits, who attacked their boat. The bandits tied up Jiqing and A Fan, then abducted Yun Jiayu. Just in time, Tao Junran, who was heading to Devil May Cry after receiving news about sunken silver, arrived with his men.
He bravely fought the water bandits to rescue A Fan, sustaining severe injuries and collapsing unconscious into the water. A Fan pulled the unconscious Tao Junran to shore and desperately performed artificial respiration. He eventually woke up, playfully remarking that she was kissing him, which A Fan denied. As night fell, A Fan went to gather firewood, but Tao Junran insisted he go instead, claiming it was too dark for her.
Later, A Fan discovered Tao Junran had a fever and gently helped him closer to the warmth of the fire. Tao Junran then confessed that it wasn't just the fire, but being close to her that made him feel warm. They spent the night wrapped closely together, A Fan tending to his injuries. The next morning, A Fan was covered in dirt from gathering fruits and vegetables to prepare food for Tao Junran, who had mostly recovered.
When he asked for vegetables, finding the fruits too greasy, A Fan promptly prepared some for him. Tao Junran watched her intently, and when she questioned his gaze, he said, "Now you are taking care of me. In the future, when I marry you, I'll be the one who takes care of you." A Fan, blushing, asked if he was proposing. Tao Junran simply replied, "What do you think?" to which A Fan stammered, "How can I know?"
