The Bond Episode 35 Recap
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Qu Aying pushes Qiao Zuwang outside to enjoy the sun; she has bickered with their neighbor Wu Yi for most of her life, and now she sees Zuwang's health deteriorating day by day. Qu Aying tells Zuwang that her daughter-in-law, Meiqin, is pregnant. She suggests that Meiqin sleeping in the damp and cold living room is bad for her health and proposes swapping rooms with Zuwang, having him move into the living room. To her surprise, Zuwang agrees.
Meiqin feels uneasy and thinks they should wait for Qiao Simei to return and ask for her opinion, but Qu Aying seizes the opportunity while Simei is away and has people switch the rooms. When a sick Qiao Yicheng is found sleeping in the living room, Qiao Simei returns and is furious. Zuwang, however, tells her to get out. Meiqin, on the other hand, secretly follows Simei out to apologize, saying she didn't know it would turn out this way.
Acting like the lady of the house, Qu Aying flaunts her position in front of Yicheng and Simei, declaring that Zuwang agreed to the room swap. She justifies her actions by citing her care for the elderly and the need for her pregnant daughter-in-law to have a place to stay. Yicheng calmly asks Zuwang just one question: if he agreed to the move. Sitting listlessly in his wheelchair, Zuwang gives a noncommittal response, which chills Yicheng's heart.
He remembers years ago when the siblings had grown up and were crammed into one room; he had suggested Zuwang switch rooms, but his father had adamantly refused, saying he would die in that room. Now, he has easily given it to an outsider. Without another word, Yicheng tells Simei to pack her things and move in with him, and to vacate her current room as well.
Meiqin runs out to apologize to Simei, who is kind to her, reassuring her that it's not her fault and to focus on her pregnancy. Simei gives Meiqin some money, asking her to take good care of Zuwang and make sure he doesn't fall again. Meiqin urges Simei to come back, fearing Qu Aying will completely take over.
She confides that she dislikes the city and just wants to return to the countryside to grow vegetables and earn her own money. While Simei is sympathetic, she remains angry about the house situation and at Yicheng for hiding the fact that he had long been renting his own apartment. Qiao Sanli, however, remains sympathetic to Yicheng, feeling he has been burdened by his siblings for years. Yicheng takes leave to visit Xiang Nanfang.
Before leaving, he gives Qi Weimin a sum of money, asking him to deliver it to Qiao Zuwang and to say it's from him (Weimin), not to mention Yicheng. Weimin complains about Yicheng's strained relationship with his father and notes his poor complexion. Qiao Qiqi visits Zuwang, who is no longer as spirited as before.
When Qiqi casually remarks that the house is nice, Zuwang says he will leave it to him, adding that Qiqi resembles his mother with a unique kind of good looks. Qu Aying and Meiqin return from a shopping trip with bags in hand. Qiao Erqiang accompanies Ma Suqin on a trip back to her hometown in the northeast, as she hasn't been back in years. Simei also plans a solo trip to Tibet.
She tells Sanli that Qi Chenggang proposed getting back together, but she refused, explaining that she misses her past self, not him. Yicheng arrives with his luggage at the place where Xiang Nanfang is temporarily working, only to witness another man giving her a bouquet of flowers. Following Yicheng's instructions, Weimin gives the money to Zuwang, who remarks that Weimin is a good person and that "family harmony is the source of all prosperity."
Qu Aying greets Weimin, claiming her care for Zuwang isn't a burden but a matter of "sincere hearts exchanging sincerity." Meanwhile, Yicheng cooks a homemade meal for Nanfang. She explains the flowers were an early birthday gift from a business partner and that she is not interested in others' affections, preferring the pickled vegetables Yicheng makes. Looking down, Yicheng says he will teach her how to make them while he has time.
She playfully refuses, insisting she only wants to eat the ones he makes. Yicheng jokes that he regrets marrying her and says that in their next life, he’ll be her older brother and nag her for a lifetime. Back at home, Zuwang wants a bigger bed, but Qu Aying uses it as an excuse to replace all the old furniture, hinting for more money. Zuwang only agrees to a new bed.
Annoyed, Qu Aying storms back to her room, leaving Zuwang to sleep alone in the living room. Later, Zuwang sends Qu Aying and Meiqin away and summons Yicheng. He tearfully complains that his children are ignoring him and throws the money from Weimin on the floor, revealing he knows it was from Yicheng. He accuses Yicheng of no longer seeing him as a father by sending money through an "outsider."
Yicheng retorts that Weimin is their cousin, not an outsider, and reminds Zuwang that their uncle was the one who cared for them during his years of vice. Yicheng confronts him about letting an outsider take over the house while never once caring about the hardships his children faced. As Yicheng is about to leave, Zuwang tearfully asks if the feud between them will ever be resolved.
With red eyes, Yicheng quietly says it's too late, revealing his own health is failing, and tells Zuwang to live a long life, as from now on, they will each fend for themselves. Yicheng meets with Qi Weimin again, his tone now polite instead of sarcastic. He reveals his illness—kidney problems—and that he's been undergoing dialysis with a poor prognosis. He asks Weimin, as if entrusting his last wishes, to help his younger siblings if they ever face insurmountable difficulties.
Weimin scolds him for being fatalistic, insisting modern medicine can cure anything, but Yicheng replies that some illnesses are curable and some are not, and it's a matter of fate. Weimin admits he has always been jealous of Yicheng because of the siblings' close bond, while Yicheng confesses he was jealous of Weimin for having such a good father.
Yicheng asks Weimin to keep his illness a secret, which angers Weimin again over him hiding such a big secret from his family. Weimin reveals he is the second person to know, as Yicheng had already told Zuwang. Weimin then hands Yicheng the property deed, explaining that Zuwang had given it to him during his last visit, with "Family Harmony is the Source of All Prosperity" written on it. When Xiang Nanfang returns home, Yicheng is gone.
He has left only a letter in which he asks for a divorce. To address this, Song Qingyuan meets Yicheng for a meal. Song Qingyuan notes Yicheng's tendency to act unexpectedly and relays a message from Nanfang: she does not agree to the divorce and doesn't want to press for a reason yet, willing to wait for Yicheng to tell her himself what has happened.
Yicheng tells him to tell her not to wait, but Song Qingyuan refuses to act as their messenger anymore. He asks Yicheng why he lives such a tiring life. Yicheng simply replies, "It is tiring."
