The Lady in Butcher's House Episode 4 Recap
> The Lady in Butcher's House Recap
Upon learning of Xu Qingjia's disappearance, Hu Jiao remembered that wolf packs often roamed near Xishan. She mobilized relatives and friends, including A Niu and others, to search deep in the mountains. As night fell, a sudden heavy rain poured down, and the surroundings were pitch black, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face, which greatly increased the difficulty of the search.
Hu Jiao looked down and discovered wolf tracks on the ground, realizing something was wrong. She quickly pulled out a dagger, walking forward while observing her surroundings. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She instinctively swung her fist, only to find that the person was Xu Qingjia, whom everyone had been searching for. Because it was still raining outside, the two first hid in a cave.
Xu Qingjia recounted his escape from the wolves, not understanding how he managed to outrun them, unaware that Jia Quan had already lent him a helping hand behind the scenes. After a fire was lit in the cave, it gradually warmed up a lot. Hu Jiao told Xu Qingjia to turn around, and she took off her wet clothes.
Inadvertently glancing at the graceful figure projected on the rock wall, Xu Qingjia quickly averted his gaze, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. Coincidentally, A Niu Ge suddenly appeared at the cave entrance. Xu Qingjia rushed over and hugged Hu Jiao, blocking A Niu Ge's prying eyes. Hu Jiao, in turn, picked up a stone and threw it out of the cave. That night, Hu Jiao finally returned home safely, escorted by Xu Qingjia and A Niu Ge.
She angrily chased A Niu Ge away, then pulled Xu Qingjia and pushed the door to enter the courtyard. The next day, as Hu Jiao was arranging her wedding dress, she noticed Hu Tingzhi stumbling at the doorway, carrying a bundle in his hand, as if he had something to give her. Hu Tingzhi took out a dark green wedding dress.
Although the style was old and the embroidery crude, it was, after all, the wedding dress Hu's mother wore when she married Hu Tingzhi. So, when Hu Jiao finished listening to her father's heartfelt words, her expression became solemn, and she ultimately decided to wear this wedding dress for her marriage. Meanwhile, Xu Qingjia, remembering the agreement he and Hu Jiao made in the cave, put pen to paper and wrote a divorce agreement, to serve as their three-year pact.
Originally, the divorce agreement was to be hidden in a brocade box, but after much thought, fearing it might be discovered, he hid it inside the umbrella handle instead. At this moment, he sensed someone outside the door, but upon opening it, saw nothing unusual, so he didn't take it to heart. In the blink of an eye, it was the wedding day.
The Hu family hosted a banquet for relatives and friends, and Jia Quan also came to offer congratulations. Since it was customary for the head mistress of the family to dot the bride's forehead with a floral pattern, and considering Hu's mother had passed away early, the task fell to Hu Tingzhi. Hu Jiao looked carefully at her father, feeling a sudden sadness. If it weren't for this occasion, she wouldn't have noticed how much her father had aged.
At the banquet, Jia Quan found an opportunity to chat with Xu Qingjia, not believing that he could be so noble as to give up a brighter future and return to his hometown to marry an ordinary woman. Jia Quan guessed Xu Qingjia's intention: by insisting on returning to his hometown to marry Hu Jiao, he would gain a good reputation for not forgetting his origins.
Therefore, Jia Quan warned Xu Qingjia that his actions were pushing him onto a dangerous path. Chancellor Jia had originally taken a liking to Xu Qingjia and intended to marry his young daughter to him. Who would have thought that Xu Qingjia would be so unappreciative, insisting on returning to his hometown to marry Hu Jiao. His actions could incur Chancellor Jia's enmity and implicate the Hu family.
Even if he gained a good reputation for not forgetting his origins, it would just be a pleasant story, offering little help to his official career. The banquet outside was in full swing, and no one noticed a man in black sneaking into the bridal chamber. Just as he was about to take the divorce agreement from the umbrella handle, Hu Jiao unexpectedly walked in, scaring him into quickly grabbing the umbrella and hiding.
Hu Jiao found the umbrella in the corner, puzzled. As she was examining it closely, she saw Xu Qingjia enter from outside. He glanced at the divorce agreement inside the umbrella handle, saw it was still there, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Qingjia stated that when he was drinking with Jia Quan earlier, the latter had already seen through their fake marriage. Hu Jiao's heart immediately tightened upon hearing that their secret was about to be exposed.
However, even if Jia Quan was suspicious, he hadn't found any concrete evidence. Xu Qingjia comforted Hu Jiao, telling her there was no need to be nervous. The man in black had originally intended to slip away, but unexpectedly, A Niu and others started shouting about wanting to "disturb the bridal chamber," so he had no choice but to shrink back and wait for the right moment.
