The Bond Episode 1 Recap
> The Bond Recap
Qiao Yicheng lay in the earthquake shelter, his younger siblings clinging to him, complaining of hunger. He promised to make them Immortal Soup once they were home. Back at their house, Second Aunt Wei Shufang arrived, searching for Qiao Zuwang. She learned from Qiao Yicheng that his father was at Uncle Li's house, gambling. Furious, Wei Shufang stormed over to confront him.
At the gambling table, Qiao Zuwang was boasting about his youthful good looks, claiming he was no less handsome than a movie star. Wei Shufang burst in, urgently telling him that her sister, Wei Shuying, was at the hospital, about to give birth. She emphasized that at thirty-four or five, her sister was considered a geriatric pregnancy, making complications highly likely. Qiao Zuwang was dismissive, nonchalantly asking what woman didn't give birth and pointing out it wasn't her first child.
His gambling companions, seeing Wei Shufang's distress, urged him to go, offering to take his place. Wei Shufang, desperate, pulled him onto a tricycle to the health clinic. Along the way, she chastised his indifference, reminding him that Wei Shuying had walked to the distant clinic alone to save money. Qiao Zuwang remained unconcerned, suggesting that walking was good for a smooth delivery and even offered to get off and walk if Wei Shufang was in such a hurry.
At the clinic, the staff rushed around, causing Wei Shufang to grow fearful for her sister. Qiao Zuwang, however, remained unfazed. Soon after, a nurse announced that Wei Shuying had given birth to a baby boy, weighing only four catties and eight liang. Wei Shufang immediately worried about the baby's small size, attributing it to Qiao Zuwang's poor care during the pregnancy. Qiao Zuwang quickly named the baby Qiao Qiqi, simply because it was 1977.
While Qiao Yicheng attempted to cook for his hungry siblings, he accidentally cut his hand. The increasing urgency of the doctors and nurses amplified Wei Shufang's anxiety, especially as her sister still hadn't emerged from the delivery room. Aunt Wu, witnessing Qiao Zuwang's continued indifference, openly criticized him for his wife's suffering, noting how Wei Shuying had managed the household and cared for him while heavily pregnant.
Qiao Zuwang retaliated by cruelly bringing up Aunt Wu's deceased husband, sparking a heated argument between them. A neighbor rushed over to the Qiao home, telling Qiao Yicheng to quickly take his siblings to the hospital to see their mother, warning it would be too late otherwise. Upon arrival, the children found Qiao Zuwang furiously arguing with the doctor, in denial that his wife could be gone after giving birth to a child.
While his younger siblings were too young to fully grasp the situation, Qiao Yicheng knew in his heart that his mother was gone. For the memorial, Qiao Zuwang obtained a small, blurry photograph. Wei Shufang wept, lamenting that her sister had never even taken a good photo in her entire life. Neighbors instructed the children to kowtow and cry for their mother. The younger children sobbed openly, but Qiao Yicheng stood silently, leading a neighbor to remark on his hard-heartedness.
Qi Zhiqiang, Wei Shufang's husband, arrived with his son, Qi Weimin. Some neighbors began to gossip about Qi Zhiqiang, mentioning his past in the army, his good job at a car factory with excellent benefits, and his frequent visits to Wei Shuying while she was alive, speculating about his intentions and even the paternity of the new baby.
Upon hearing this hurtful gossip about his mother, Qiao Yicheng pushed the gossiping neighbor away and finally burst into heart-wrenching sobs, while others tried to comfort him, saying it was good for him to cry. Wei Shufang then asked Qiao Yicheng to place his mother’s portrait inside the house. Qi Zhiqiang, ever helpful, took care of the children, even fixing a broken hook on a bed netting.
Wei Shufang urged Qiao Zuwang to take more responsibility for the family, especially with the children being so young. Qiao Zuwang, however, indulged in self-pity, complaining about his "bitter life" and the lack of financial contributions from the many visitors. He pointedly remarked on Qi Zhiqiang's good fortune, which angered Wei Shufang. She reminded Qiao Zuwang of the time and money she and Qi Zhiqiang had already spent helping him.
Wei Shufang asked for a specific red bed netting as a keepsake, explaining that Wei Shuying had saved it for years to make quilts for her daughters' weddings. After some reluctance, Qiao Zuwang agreed. The next day, Wei Shuying was to be cremated. Wei Shufang and Qi Zhiqiang discussed adding money to buy a more respectable urn, but Qiao Zuwang scoffed, stating that a dead person had no need for an expensive ash box.
The next day, the health clinic called Qiao Zuwang, instructing him to pick up Qiao Qiqi and settle the bill. Qiao Zuwang gathered his three older children and even pulled Qiao Yicheng out of school, declaring they needed a larger group to create "momentum" for their argument. At the clinic, he outright refused to pay, shamelessly suggesting they keep the newborn Qiao Qiqi as collateral for the debt.
The nurse angrily rebuked him as a scoundrel, to which Qiao Zuwang retorted that he was "frank and upright." As his younger children cried, Qiao Zuwang angrily kicked Qiao Yicheng for not crying like the others. Just then, Qi Zhiqiang and Wei Shufang arrived. Qi Zhiqiang immediately offered to pay, but Qiao Zuwang refused. Wei Shufang quickly intervened, handing the money to the nurse and apologizing for Qiao Zuwang’s difficult mood.
As they took the children home, Wei Shufang firmly reminded Qiao Zuwang that the money was a loan from them and he must remember to repay it. That evening, Wei Shufang vented her frustration to Qi Zhiqiang, condemning Qiao Zuwang as a "jerk" who had feigned madness and played the victim to avoid his responsibilities.
She revealed that he had used their money to buy only the cheapest urn, pocketing the rest for his own indulgences like alcohol, pork, and gambling, leaving them to bear the financial burden and the gossip. Neighbors expressed pity for Qiao Qiqi, born motherless and saddled with such a negligent father.
Qiao Zuwang refused to buy milk powder or even milk, instead instructing Qiao Yicheng to simply add sugar to rice water and feed it to Qiao Qiqi, cautioning him not to mess it up and burn the baby, which would cost more money. His younger siblings watched longingly as Qiao Yicheng carefully fed the baby. When Qiao Yicheng was done, his siblings took turns licking the spoon.
At night, Qiao Qiqi cried, and Qiao Yicheng was always the one to comfort him, while Qiao Zuwang seemed to pretend not to hear. In the morning, before Qiao Yicheng and Qiao Erqiang left for school, and while Qiao Sanli and Qiao Simei were still asleep, Qiao Yicheng reluctantly handed Qiao Qiqi to Qiao Zuwang.
Out of concern, Qiao Yicheng paused to watch as Qiao Zuwang then casually passed the baby over to Aunt Wu, asking her to watch him for "two days." Aunt Wu, though pitying the baby, reluctantly agreed but stated she couldn't take care of him long-term. After Qiao Yicheng left, Qiao Zuwang, who had acted pleasant to Aunt Wu's face, immediately began cursing her for making excuses.
A few days later, Qiao Zuwang returned a small sum of money to Wei Shufang, who immediately pressed him for the remainder of the loan. Qiao Zuwang resorted to emotional manipulation, claiming Qiao Qiqi wouldn't survive and threatening to take the children and jump into Xuanwu Lake if Wei Shufang didn't help him. Wei Shufang dismissed his threats, reminding him he frequently made such claims.
He then proposed that Wei Shufang permanently raise Qiao Qiqi, stating he, as a "male cow," couldn't produce milk and feared for the baby's life. Wei Shufang, citing her own family's financial struggles and her three children, was hesitant. After some haggling, Qiao Zuwang reluctantly agreed to pay her seven yuan a month for Qiao Qiqi's upkeep.
Wei Shufang took the baby, promising to find him a "clean, honest, well-educated family" with good financial conditions, believing it would be better for Qiao Qiqi's future. She immediately scoffed at Qiao Zuwang’s sarcastic offer of thanks. Later, Aunt Wu, unaware of the arrangement, offered Qiao Yicheng some old clothes to make a small undergarment for Qiao Qiqi.
Qiao Yicheng quietly informed her that Qiao Qiqi had been taken to Second Aunt Wei Shufang's house, leaving Aunt Wu to lament Qiao Zuwang's heartless actions. One of their chickens laid an egg. Qiao Zuwang instructed Qiao Yicheng to steam it, giving the children a meager portion before consuming the rest himself. Qiao Erqiang, longing for treats like walnut cake, decided to sell the eggs to buy something tasty. However, after a long wait, no one bought them.
A security officer from the neighborhood committee, Ms. Liu, discovered Qiao Erqiang's makeshift stall, accused him of "illicit trading," and prepared to confiscate their chicken, as raising poultry in the city was illegal. Aunt Wu quickly intervened, appealing to the officer's pity for the motherless children. She offered to slaughter the chicken herself in front of the officers if they would allow the family to keep the meat for soup. Ms. Liu agreed.
The children, knowing Qiao Zuwang's fondness for chicken gizzards, secretly ate them, planning to deny any knowledge of their whereabouts. Later, Qiao Zuwang searched for the gizzards, and upon finding them missing, immediately accused Aunt Wu of stealing them, claiming she habitually marinated salted chicken gizzards. He stormed off to confront her.
Before leaving, he instructed Qiao Yicheng to save a bowl of chicken soup for his noodles the next day, telling the children to eat as much of the rest as they could, leaving nothing behind. Meanwhile, Qiao Erqiang sat alone on the roof, crying.
