The Bond Episode 8 Recap
> The Bond Recap
Qiao Yicheng finally purchased a new television for the family, and everyone gathered excitedly around it. While they were enjoying the new set, Qiao Zuwang loudly complained about Qiao Erqiang's frequent trips to the bathroom, calling him "lazy." That evening, Qiao Sanli was scheduled for her first night shift. Qiao Yicheng, concerned, offered to pick her up, noting that the weather forecast predicted rain.
Qiao Sanli assured him she could return home herself, but then revealed she would have a ride from an old classmate, Wang Yiding, who now worked in the machine repair shop at her factory. Qiao Simei immediately recognized him as "the man who repairs your bicycle." Qiao Yicheng, after some thought, decided to invite Wang Yiding over for dinner to thank him for looking after Qiao Sanli.
Qiao Sanli initially hesitated, pointing out that they had never invited a classmate home before. Qiao Simei, however, half-jokingly suggested they simply treat him as a potential suitor, prompting Qiao Sanli to scold her for talking nonsense. Later, Qiao Sanli conveyed the invitation to Wang Yiding, who, despite his shyness, eventually agreed to visit. On the day of the dinner, the family prepared a feast, including chicken and fish.
Seeing the elaborate spread, Qiao Zuwang wondered if it was someone's birthday. Qiao Simei blurted out that it was for Qiao Sanli's "boyfriend," causing Qiao Sanli to again tell her to stop talking nonsense. Qiao Zuwang, however, was intrigued, declaring he wanted to see "which pig is trying to get into my cabbage patch." When Wang Yiding arrived, he quickly impressed the family by fixing a broken wooden shelf and the leaky roof.
A neighbor, Aunt Wu, praised his capability, mistaking him for a handyman. Qiao Simei corrected her, calling him "my sister's colleague," while Aunt Wu suggested he fix her roof too. Qiao Zuwang then jokingly compared Qiao Yicheng's poor repair skills to Wang Yiding's. Qiao Yicheng, observing Wang Yiding, remarked to Qiao Sanli that the young man was honest and skilled.
He encouraged Qiao Sanli to treat him well but warned her to wait until the "age of late marriage" before considering marriage. Qiao Simei accused Qiao Yicheng of being biased, reminding him how he had scolded her for dating while now being lenient with Qiao Sanli. Qiao Yicheng retorted that Qiao Sanli was more discerning than Qiao Simei, whose previous boyfriend was a "repeater."
Qiao Simei then turned her critique to Wang Yiding's appearance, calling it "a bit sorry for the audience." Qiao Yicheng quickly countered that good looks don't guarantee a good person. As dinner continued, Wang Yiding quietly ate while Qiao Zuwang barraged him with questions about his family, asking about his parents' jobs and where he lived. Upon learning Wang Yiding had a younger brother, Qiao Zuwang shook his head dismissively.
Suddenly, Ma Suqin's husband burst through the Qiao family's main door, kicking it open. He smashed household items and overturned the dining table, shouting at Qiao Erqiang for "sleeping with my wife." Qiao Erqiang, in a daze, retaliated by smashing a wine bottle over the husband's head, injuring him. The police soon arrived and took Ma Suqin's husband away.
Qiao Yicheng and Wang Yiding rushed Qiao Erqiang to the hospital, while Qiao Yicheng sent a terrified Qiao Sanli and Qiao Simei home to their still-cursing father. At the hospital, Wang Yiding diligently handled Qiao Erqiang's admission procedures and stayed to keep him company. News of the incident quickly spread, with rumors of Qiao Erqiang's "corruption" circulating among the neighbors.
Qiao Simei wondered why Qiao Erqiang would get involved with an "old woman," but Qiao Sanli quickly defended him, insisting he was an "honest person." Back home, Qiao Zuwang, seeing Qiao Sanli making chicken soup for Qiao Erqiang, grumbled about the expense but then scooped all the chicken for himself. Later, Qi Weimin and Wei Shufang arrived to visit Qiao Erqiang.
Qiao Simei, unable to hold back, blurted out the entire embarrassing story, much to the dismay of Qiao Yicheng and Qiao Sanli. Qiao Yicheng was furious, especially after Qi Weimin revealed that his mother, Wei Shufang, had learned about the incident from Aunt Wu at the market.
Qiao Yicheng fumed that Aunt Wu was a busybody who "specialized in dealing with the camel trade in the Nine Countries," to which Qi Weimin calmly responded that as relatives, there was no need to hide such matters. Qi Weimin then offered Qiao Yicheng some money for Qiao Erqiang, but Qiao Yicheng angrily refused. The neighborhood continued to buzz with gossip about Qiao Erqiang. Qiao Yicheng, visibly upset, returned to the hospital.
Qiao Simei, meanwhile, secretly gave Qi Weimin's money to Qiao Sanli, wary of Qiao Yicheng's stern demeanor. Qi Weimin, concerned about Qiao Sanli and Qiao Simei being alone at home, offered to drop off Wei Shufang and then check on the girls. Qiao Yicheng responded sarcastically, telling him to go ahead and be the "good brother" to the whole family. Back at home, Wang Yiding crafted several new chairs to replace those broken in the attack.
He declined Qiao Sanli's invitation to stay for dinner, explaining he needed to go to the hospital to help Qiao Yicheng with Qiao Erqiang's discharge, promising to return later for wontons. Qiao Simei, watching him leave, commented that Wang Yiding was a truly good person, adding, "if only he were a little more handsome, it would be better." News then arrived that Qiao Zuwang was furloughed from his factory under a national policy of "suspension of work without pay."
He went to the factory director's house to protest, complaining bitterly about being discarded after a lifetime of hard work and threatening to hang himself. The director, unfazed, offered a thicker rope and said he would hang himself too, explaining it was a national policy due to surplus labor. Defeated, Qiao Zuwang returned home. Oblivious to Qiao Erqiang's impending discharge, Zuwang, after an early dinner, took a rope and left the house again.
At the hospital, Qiao Yicheng sent Wang Yiding home, stating he had "some matters" to discuss with Qiao Erqiang. Qiao Yicheng pressed Qiao Erqiang for details about the incident, but Qiao Erqiang only said that Ma Suqin "treated him well" and "has a good heart." Qiao Yicheng, sighing, tried to persuade him to forget Ma Suqin, dismissing their relationship as a "moment of youthful confusion." But Qiao Erqiang, surprisingly resolute, declared, "I want to be with Ma Suqin."
Enraged, Qiao Yicheng called Ma Suqin a "bad person," prompting the usually quiet Qiao Erqiang to vehemently defend her, shouting, "You are not allowed to say that to her! We are not messing around, it is love!" Qiao Yicheng, further provoked, dared Qiao Erqiang to hit him. He then issued an ultimatum: either Qiao Erqiang gave up on Ma Suqin, or he was "no longer part of the Qiao family," instructing him to "take your things and get out."
Qiao Erqiang defiantly stated he was "going to find her." Meanwhile, Qiao Sanli, Qiao Simei, and Wang Yiding waited anxiously outside their home for Qiao Yicheng and Qiao Erqiang. Qiao Simei, fearing the worst given Qiao Yicheng's temper, even speculated he might have "killed" Qiao Erqiang, which Qiao Sanli quickly refuted. When Qiao Yicheng finally returned, his grim face confirmed Qiao Erqiang was not with him.
Qiao Erqiang went to the factory, where a kind master revealed that an anonymous letter, detailing Qiao Erqiang and Ma Suqin's ice skating trip and other exaggerated incidents, had been sent to Ma Suqin's husband. This had led to Ma Suqin filing for divorce, being beaten and hospitalized, and ultimately resigning to return to her hometown in Dongbei. The master advised Qiao Erqiang to forget her and find a new job.
Having lost his job, Qiao Erqiang returned home to find Qiao Zuwang in a foul mood. Angry that Erqiang had lost the job he had found for him, Zuwang took his frustration out on Qiao Simei during dinner, angrily overturning her bowl. This finally pushed Qiao Yicheng to his breaking point.
He exploded at Qiao Zuwang, accusing him of never caring for his children: not when they were hungry, not when they were bullied, not about their schoolwork, not about Qiao Sanli's night shifts, not about Qiao Simei going to Beijing alone, and not even about Qiao Erqiang's hospitalization. While acknowledging Qiao Erqiang's wrongdoing, Qiao Yicheng asserted that he had more right to scold and punish Qiao Erqiang than Qiao Zuwang did as a father.
Qiao Zuwang, defeated, mumbled curses and retreated to his room. Only then did Qiao Simei dare to cry, comforted by Qiao Sanli. Having been kicked out, Qiao Erqiang had gone to stay with his aunt, Wei Shufang. Qiao Yicheng later went to their house to find him, interrupting a family celebration for Qi Weimin's acceptance into a graduate program.
Pulling his cousin outside, Qiao Yicheng angrily accused Qi Weimin of helping Erqiang hide from him and go to the Northeast to find Ma Suqin. Qi Weimin tried to reason with him, but Qiao Yicheng, obsessed with the family's "face," refused to listen and made rude insinuations, infuriating his cousin. After searching unsuccessfully for Ma Suqin, Qiao Erqiang finally returned home.
Qiao Yicheng, still stern, announced he had found Qiao Simei a job at a local binding factory, instructing her to work hard and read more. He then took the opportunity to broadly scold his siblings, particularly Qiao Erqiang, for being disobedient and "turning a deaf ear" to his words, warning them not to embarrass the family again or they would be disowned. Qiao Simei, ever quick-witted, broke the tension with a playful retort about his preachy "yin and yang" lecture, which made the other siblings laugh.
