Song of Youth Episode 26 Recap
> Song of Youth Recap
Chen Boyuan brought Taoyao to a dilapidated house, claiming it was his home. Taoyao, thinking he was still feigning poverty, followed along, only to find creditors waiting. They demanded a hundred taels, but Chen Boyuan explained Lin Shaochun had already helped him repay the sum. The creditors clarified that Lin Shaochun only covered the principal, leaving Taoyao stunned. She realized she had fallen into Lin Shaochun's trap.
Lin Shaochun had previously offered to help Chen Boyuan, out of gratitude for the Chen family's past kindness to the Sun family, on the condition that he take Taoyao out of the capital without harming her. Penniless, Chen Boyuan sold Taoyao to the creditors, who dragged her away as she cursed him and Lin Shaochun. Meanwhile, Shen Qingyao and Mei Yiniang personally arrived to take Sun Shijie home.
Ashamed, Sun Shijie refused, vowing to become self-reliant so that when Taoyao returned, she would stay. Shen Qingyao was both angered and worried by his continued attachment to Taoyao. Yao Dizhu, traveling towards Muchen, took shelter from a heavy rain with Sun Junhao and his brothers in a ruined temple, where they were ambushed by black-clad assailants. The attackers stole a wooden hairpin, a gift from Liu Huilan before her death.
Sun Junhao swiftly killed the assailants and retrieved the hairpin, discovering a wet hidden paper note. It revealed Liu Huilan had been taken by Yelang, a notorious and cunning bandit leader in Muchen, to be his wife, and died trying to escape. Yao Dizhu speculated Liu Huilan might have known she was being targeted by Yelang.
During their time in the temple, Yao Dizhu told Sun Junhao she was going to Muchen to confront a man named Sun Junhao for a debt, intending to make him fall for her and then abandon him for his arrogance. Unbeknownst to her, Sun Junhao was the man she sought. He sprinkled pear blossom powder on her clothes and played a captivating tune on his flute.
The next morning, Sun Junhao sent Ajiu to escort Yao Dizhu away, fearing Yelang, but she refused, insisting on going to Muchen alone. Exhausted and resting, she attracted three wolves. She climbed a tree in fear, only for the wolves to be killed by a masked man. This man then knocked her out and took her to Yelang's lair. Yelang demanded Liu Huilan's belongings, but Yao Dizhu feigned ignorance, claiming the hairpin was elsewhere.
Yelang ordered her execution, but Sun Junhao arrived in time with his men, rescuing her. Sun Junhao was injured, as was Yelang, who then fled with his remaining bandits. Yao Dizhu thanked Sun Junhao, realizing he had been secretly protecting her.
Despite Sun Junhao's pleas for her to return home, explaining that he had killed the wolves and Yelang would return, Yao Dizhu stubbornly insisted on following him to Muchen, recalling her master's advice that a true man is ambitious and broad-minded. She helped him bandage his wounds and vowed to stay. Soon after, Yao Dizhu collapsed with a high fever. Sun Junhao rushed her to Muchen to Mr. Baicao, who diagnosed her with a serious illness requiring rest.
Yao Dizhu, feigning additional weakness, convinced Sun Junhao to let her stay. She quickly recovered and helped Mr. Baicao in his clinic. To make Yao Dizhu give up and leave, Sun Junhao arranged for a soldier to impersonate him. Yao Dizhu confronted the impostor, finding him unimpressive, and angrily scolded him. Sun Junhao again urged her to go home, but she refused, insisting on staying to defend the country with him.
Mr. Baicao then revealed Sun Junhao's past: he was the sole survivor of a brutal war, rescued from the battlefield by Mr. Baicao and his disciple, Qu Linger. Sun Junhao was deeply depressed by the loss of his comrades, but Qu Linger's devoted care gradually healed his physical wounds and helped him regain his spirit. They lived a peaceful life, gathering herbs and shopping. However, while they were selling medicine in the city, Yelang and his bandits attacked.
Qu Linger, unwilling to abandon their precious medicines, was killed by Yelang. Heartbroken and enraged, Sun Junhao fought back fiercely, killing many bandits before Yelang escaped. Fueled by grief, vengeance, and a desire to protect the people of Muchen and honor Qu Linger, Sun Junhao re-enlisted in the army.
