Song of Youth Episode 12 Recap
> Song of Youth Recap
Lin Shaochun, with the help of her godmother, earns considerable money by securing cleaning jobs at noble households in the capital, selling fruits and lotus roots, and collecting old clothes which she skillfully refurbishes and sells cheaply to the poor. Sun Yulou mostly stays at home or attends to his duties at the yamen. His mother, Shen Shi, is relieved when she learns, even by confirming with his attendant, that he has not been seeing Lin Shaochun.
Shen Shi frequently scolds Wu Yuehong for her lack of manners, such as interrupting, and urges her to focus on pleasing Sun Shijie and having children. Shen Shi also mocks Wu Yuehong for not being pregnant, though Wu Yuehong later experiences vomiting. Wu Yuehong, in turn, subtly criticizes Shen Shi's own relationship with Sun Xun, further escalating their friction.
Desperate to conceive and gain Sun Shijie's favor, Wu Yuehong buys an expensive "miracle pill" for men from a quack doctor and secretly adds it to Sun Shijie's tea. This causes him severe stomach pain, and he realizes her deception, moving out in anger. Shen Shi disapproves of Wu Yuehong's unladylike martial arts practice, urging her to learn poetry and gentleness.
When Sun Shijie praises Mr. He's wife for her intellect, making Wu Yuehong feel inadequate, she vows to win him "face" through her strengths. After failing at embroidery, Wu Yuehong sees an opportunity when the Emperor orders officials to exercise, and Sun Shijie is badly injured in a wrestling match.
She invites Sun Shijie's colleagues for a martial arts competition, and despite Sun Shijie's embarrassment, she intervenes by subtly using hidden "red dates" to ensure his victory against Mr. He and subsequently scares away other colleagues. Deeply humiliated, Sun Shijie declares he will divorce her, but Sun Xun forbids it due to family alliances. Wu Yuehong, furious, returns to her family, and Sun Xun orders Sun Shijie to apologize and bring her back within two days.
Meanwhile, while traveling by carriage, Sun Shijie accidentally causes a young woman's clothes to be soiled. Immediately captivated by her beauty, he attempts to compensate her with his ancestral jade pendant, which she refuses. He secretly gives the pendant to her maid, who then reveals their address to him. Separately, Jia Fengyuan seeks Sun Xun's assistance to secure a vacant Censor position, but Sun Xun evades his request.
When Su Yingxue delivers clothes she made for Sun Xun and Shen Shi, Jia Fengyuan is smitten by her. He finds an excuse to follow her, and in his attempts to seduce her, he plays the flute for her nightly. Su Yingxue, initially cautious and fearing repercussions, eventually succumbs to his persistent sweet words. One evening, while at Jia Fengyuan's courtyard, she encounters Xu Fengqiao. After a brief conversation, Xu Fengqiao departs.
Jia Fengyuan then declares his feelings to Su Yingxue and, in a dramatic gesture to prove his sincerity, stages a scene by calling for servants. Terrified, Su Yingxue hides with him behind a rockery, where he asks her to discover who Sun Xun plans to recommend for the Censor position.
