The Bond Episode 34 Recap
> The Bond Recap
Qiao Simei visited Qi Weimin, asking him not to be upset with Qiao Yicheng. Chang Xinyu, however, supported Qiao Yicheng's stance on a family matter and advised Qiao Simei to be more cautious, giving her a new silk quilt. Later, Qiao Erqiang and Ma Suqin were invited to the old house for dinner, seemingly due to a situation involving Wenbin.
Qiao Simei, returning with Qiao Qiao, saw the gathering and immediately went to her room without eating, accusing Qiao Erqiang of being a "traitor" for socializing with "the enemy." Ma Suqin, who was with Qiao Erqiang, reassured Simei not to worry, stating she was much smarter than him and would not be taken advantage of by Qu Aying's family, who were clearly trying to get Qiao Erqiang to teach Wenbin culinary skills.
As a TV show about Xinjiang played, Qiao Simei's thoughts drifted back to when she traveled alone to Xinjiang to find Qi Chenggang. Chang Xinyu was promoted to director of the provincial radio station's news center. Qiao Yicheng and Song Qingyuan celebrated her success. As Chang Xinyu and Song Qingyuan were leaving, Qiao Yicheng stumbled. Despite his protests, they insisted Song Qingyuan drive him home.
Feeling unwell, Qiao Yicheng went to the hospital for a check-up, where he unexpectedly ran into Qiao Qiqi and Xiao Zhi. Qiao Qiqi explained that Xiao Zhi, whose quiet personality resembled his own, had been diagnosed with autism after her teacher suggested a check-up. She had been undergoing treatment for almost half a year. Both Qiao Qiqi and Qiao Yicheng decided to keep their respective health issues a secret from the rest of the family to avoid causing worry.
Qiao Qiqi feared distressing Qi Weimin, and Qiao Yicheng did not want to burden his siblings. A few days later, Qiao Simei returned from a business trip to find Meiqin, Qu Aying's daughter-in-law, living in her home with Qiao Zuwang's permission. Meiqin was drying the silk quilt Qi Weimin had given Qiao Simei, claiming they needed a quilt and found one "unused" in Qiao Simei's room.
Enraged, Qiao Simei confronted them for entering her room and taking her precious quilt without asking. Qiao Zuwang, however, was surprisingly generous, giving Qu Aying a few hundred yuan to buy new quilts for Meiqin and Wenbin. Qiao Sanli later revealed to Qiao Simei that Qu Aying had already moved in with Qiao Zuwang, acting as if she were his wife.
Qiao Simei, undeterred, declared she would never move out of the old house, vowing to disrupt Qiao Zuwang's potential wedding to Qu Aying. Qiao Sanli cautioned her not to tell Qiao Yicheng, as he had been busy, looked unwell, and was appearing bloated, while Qiao Zuwang, ironically, seemed to be thriving. Wenbin, after a few months of working under Qiao Erqiang, expressed his desire to open a restaurant and asked to learn more culinary skills.
Ma Suqin quickly suggested he enroll in a culinary school for systematic training instead. Meiqin, in a seemingly more docile manner than Qu Aying, addressed Qiao Simei as "Sister" and offered her home-grown vegetables and dried goods, but Qiao Simei maintained a distance. Before receiving his test results, Song Qingyuan advised Qiao Yicheng to take a break, noting that his family issues had been constant since they met, always interfering with his attempts to live his own life.
Qiao Yicheng confessed that he now only wished for a peaceful life with Xiang Nanfang. When Song Qingyuan asked if he wanted children, Qiao Yicheng instinctively replied that in his heart, he already felt like he was a father of both sons and daughters. The doctor confirmed Qiao Yicheng's diagnosis as chronic nephritis and strongly recommended hospitalization to prevent it from progressing into uremia. As Qiao Yicheng stood alone on the city wall, contemplating his diagnosis, his phone rang.
It was Qiao Simei, informing him that Qiao Zuwang was planning a birthday banquet for Qu Aying, which Qiao Simei suspected was a thinly veiled wedding celebration. She angrily pointed out that Qiao Zuwang had never celebrated his late wife's or his children's birthdays. Qiao Yicheng, however, decided not to intervene this time, telling her to let Qiao Zuwang do as he pleased and to stop gathering in person for such discussions.
That evening, Qiao Zuwang discussed Qu Aying's birthday with her. He offered to give her a large red envelope from the bank. Qu Aying, however, pushed further, expressing her deepest wish for a home in the city, a suggestion Qiao Zuwang deliberately ignored, changing the subject to the heavy rain. Meanwhile, a tipsy Qiao Erqiang, at his restaurant, told Wenbin they could go into business together.
The next morning, regretting his drunken promise, Qiao Erqiang was advised by Ma Suqin to simply play dumb. On Qu Aying's birthday, Qiao Zuwang was hit by a car while on his way to the bank, sustaining a comminuted fracture. Doctors warned the family that due to his age, recovery would be slow, and paralysis was a possibility, advising them to prepare for the worst.
Qu Aying, along with her son and daughter-in-law, rushed to the hospital, pushing Qiao Zuwang's own children aside to dramatically weep by his bedside. Qiao Zuwang's constant complaints day and night disturbed other patients in his ward, prompting Qiao Yicheng to arrange for him to be moved to a room with a vegetative patient. Qu Aying, worried about losing her chance at the house, grew visibly distressed by Qiao Zuwang's condition. Qi Chenggang took Qiao Qiao to her dance class.
Back at the hospital, Qiao Zuwang, disturbed by the death of his vegetative roommate, began clamoring to go home and demanded his children come to the hospital. Qiao Yicheng, without argument, arranged for his discharge. When Qiao Simei returned home, Qi Chenggang had already dropped off Qiao Qiao. Meiqin, finding Qi Chenggang handsome, appeared shy.
Qu Aying's attitude towards Qiao Zuwang underwent a complete reversal; from attentive, she now refused him even a simple pear, criticizing Qiao Erqiang in the process. While cooking, Meiqin asked Qiao Simei if she and Qi Chenggang would ever reconcile. Qiao Simei sighed, noting that one couldn't judge a man solely by his looks, hinting at Meiqin's own arranged marriage experience. The conversation also briefly touched on the possibility of Meiqin being pregnant.
Qiao Zuwang's condition worsened, and doctors stated that recovery was impossible. Qiao Yicheng took charge, proposing that each sibling contribute a monthly sum of money to Qu Aying as compensation for her care, with Qiao Sanli managing the payments. He instructed them not to give Qu Aying any additional money privately and encouraged them all to visit Qiao Zuwang regularly. All the children except Qiao Yicheng frequently visited Qiao Zuwang.
During one visit, Qiao Erqiang tried to feed Qiao Zuwang a banana, but Qu Aying quickly snatched it away, fearing Qiao Zuwang would make a mess and she would have to clean it. When Qiao Erqiang expressed his displeasure, Qu Aying defensively claimed that even if she received no credit, she deserved recognition for her hard work. Qiao Sanli then arrived to deliver the monthly expenses to Qu Aying. After Qiao Erqiang left, Qu Aying assured Qiao Sanli she would take good care of Qiao Zuwang.
