Song of Youth Episode 17 Recap
> Song of Youth Recap
The story begins with Su Yingxue pleading with Jia Fengyuan not to leave her. Jia Fengyuan initially refuses, claiming he never suffered such indignity even when destitute, but eventually embraces her, unable to abandon her sorrow. Meanwhile, Lin Shaochun rises early to assist Xu Fengqiao in managing the household, despite Sun Yulou's worries about her being bullied by the difficult sisters-in-law. Lin Shaochun assures him she will neither offend nor be bullied.
Xu Fengqiao formally introduces Lin Shaochun to the household staff, including powerful housekeepers like Rong Shou's wife (whose husband is the mansion steward) and Qing Xi's wife. Lin Shaochun immediately delves into the household accounts and discovers a monthly discrepancy of one hundred taels of silver. Xu Fengqiao claims she personally covers this deficit, but Lin Shaochun is suspicious.
Further investigation into cosmetic prices reveals they match the ledger, making Lin Shaochun wonder if Xu Fengqiao truly adds her own money. However, housekeepers complain to Xu Fengqiao that Lin Shaochun is naive, unaware of the capital's buyers' cartel that fixes prices and provides kickbacks. Xu Fengqiao, receiving her kickbacks, decides to let Lin Shaochun manage for a while, confident she will either resign or lose money trying to fix things, while Xu Fengqiao continues to profit.
Sun Yulou cautions Lin Shaochun about the difficulty of uncovering internal corruption. Lin Shaochun, unwilling to let merchants overcharge, gathers her godmothers and other esteemed ladies from various households. She reveals that the Sun family is charged higher prices by the local buyers than other households. When the buyers refuse to lower their prices, Lin Shaochun proposes that all the ladies jointly boycott them and instead source goods from Jiangnan, a move that could save half their expenses.
Her godmothers and the other ladies eagerly support this plan. This move infuriates Xu Fengqiao, as it completely cuts off her illicit income. She instructs Rong Shou's wife and Qing Xi's wife to tell the buyers to be patient, promising to drive Lin Shaochun out of the Sun family once the immediate crisis passes. Xu Fengqiao then incites the housekeepers to resist Lin Shaochun, aiming to isolate her.
The arrival of the Duke of Nan'an, a close friend of Sun Xun who loves the Sun family's home-cooked meals, provides Xu Fengqiao an opportunity. Shen Shi tasks both Xu Fengqiao and Lin Shaochun with preparing a grand banquet.
Xu Fengqiao feigns illness and recommends Lin Shaochun handle the entire event alone, a suggestion Shen Shi accepts, cautioning Lin Shaochun that the Duke is a man of strong temperament who shows his displeasure if the food is not to his liking. In the kitchen, Lin Shaochun finds Rong Shou's wife and the other housekeepers feigning severe illness and refusing to work.
Realizing this is sabotage, Lin Shaochun sends her personal maid, Xiaohong, with money to order a banquet from Hongyu Tower. Sun Xun entertains the Duke with pastries while awaiting the main feast. However, Lin Shaochun discovers that Xiaohong, instead of going to the restaurant, has been sitting in the garden and lies about losing the money. Lin Shaochun, suppressing her anger, sends easy-to-digest pastries to the Duke.
Xiao Cui, Rong Shou's daughter, confronts her mother about bullying Lin Shaochun, warning her they might lose their monthly stipend. Her mother beats her. Xiao Cui later encounters Lin Shaochun and pleads for her mother's forgiveness. Lin Shaochun then confronts the housekeepers in the kitchen. She pretends to believe their illness is "deep in the bone marrow" and proposes a painful "scraping with a knife" treatment, even deliberately pricking one with a needle.
Terrified, the housekeepers abandon their act and quickly prepare the banquet. The feast is a success, much to the Duke of Nan'an's delight, who praises the food as even better than before. Everyone, except a shocked Xu Fengqiao, breathes a sigh of relief. After the banquet, Lin Shaochun brings Rong Shou's wife before Shen Shi to report her misconduct, accusing her of deliberately sabotaging the banquet due to a grudge over the reduction in buyer expenses.
Rong Shou's wife tearfully begs for forgiveness. Considering Rong Shou's wife's long service, Shen Shi punishes her by docking three months of rice money. Lin Shaochun, dissatisfied with the leniency, intends to protest, but Sun Yulou stops her, offering to take three days leave to take her out and clear her mind. Lin Shaochun decides she needs to thoroughly reform the household management. Lin Shaochun attempts to gather information from junior maids, but Rong Shou's wife obstructs her.
From Sun Xiaoxian, Lin Shaochun learns that Rong Shou's wife and Qing Xi's wife are loyal to Xu Fengqiao and are powerful figures even Mei Yi Niang and Sun Xiaoxian hesitate to offend. Lin Shaochun decides on a new strategy: she attends Qing Xi's wife's son's wedding, offering congratulations and later gifting her an expensive hairpin. This public display of favor leads to rumors that Qing Xi's wife has been "bought off" by Lin Shaochun.
Rong Shou's wife, unable to tolerate Qing Xi's wife's smugness, loudly quarrels and even fights with her, witnessed by many maids and housekeepers. Lin Shaochun, observing Xiaohong, suspects her of being Xu Fengqiao's spy. She uses a blank ledger, claiming it contains incriminating evidence against the maids, to scare Xiaohong into confessing. Xiaohong, after apologizing to Lin Shaochun, immediately reports back to Xu Fengqiao. Rong Shou's wife suspects Qing Xi's wife of betraying them, but Xu Fengqiao, uncertain, advises caution.
Lin Shaochun then threatens to expel disobedient maids, prompting them to beg for mercy. She then promises not to punish past mistakes if they truthfully confess their wrongdoings, which they eagerly do.
