This Thriving Land Episode 15 Recap
> This Thriving Land Recap
Fei Wendian returned home after a long absence, summoned by a one-word letter, "Return," from Ning Xiuxiu. He had planned to send Ning Susu back to her family to end their mismatched marriage, but he discovered she was pregnant with his child, which made him unable to speak of divorce. Meanwhile, his principal sent him a letter, urging him to rally farmers and initiate a peasant movement.
Fei Wendian attempted to persuade Fei Zuoshi, his sister-in-law, to reduce rent and interest rates for the tenants and grant them permanent tenancy rights. Fei Zuoshi flatly refused, stating she was going to the Goddess Temple to fulfill a vow, thanking the Goddess for granting the Fei family an heir and praying for Susu and the baby.
When Fei Wendian pressed her on the matter, she quickly left, instructing him to take good care of Ning Susu at home and forbidding Susu from leaving. Soon after Fei Zuoshi departed, Fei Wendian also left to spread awareness about the Farmers' Association. Bored and confined at home, Ning Susu secretly snuck out. Fei Wendian went to the fields and found Zhuzi and his wife plowing.
He tried to explain the importance of the Farmers' Association, rent reduction, interest cuts, and permanent tenancy rights. Zhuzi, however, was only concerned with cultivating his rented land. He advised Fei Wendian that these changes were only welcome if the landlords agreed and suggested he first convince Fei Zuoshi before trying to persuade others. Despite Fei Wendian's earnest attempts, his words seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Elsewhere, Ning Susu sought out Humpback Guo to buy snacks, including chocolate and dried persimmons. Humpback Guo, noticing her cravings, deduced she was pregnant. He told her he had no foreign candy like chocolate, but offered her nut kernels. Ning Susu bought everything he had and told him to bill Fei Zuoshi. Unbeknownst to them, Hu San and his bandits raided Pan Xiaogui's home, capturing several hired laborers as hostages.
Tietou managed to escape the chaos at Pan Xiaogui's house and, by chance, encountered members of the Farmers' Association who were promoting their cause. He quickly joined their ranks and was appointed director of the Ox Temple Village Farmers' Association. He distributed wooden badges to the villagers, emblazoned with a plow as the association's emblem, and vigorously promoted permanent tenancy rights.
Having faced rejection from the villagers, Fei Wendian sought out Tietou, hoping to offer his meticulously compiled work notes from his investigations. Tietou, however, scoffed at his offer, dismissing Fei Wendian as a landlord's son who had no place in the Farmers' Association. Just then, Tietou received news from Comrade Bai's messenger: a struggle session against the despotic landlord Pan Xiaogui was scheduled for that afternoon in Xiazhuang Village, and Tietou was to bring his activists to observe and learn.
Excited, Tietou immediately left with his followers. Fei Wendian tried to talk to Feng Dajiao about the Farmers' Association, but Feng Dajiao, eager for the spectacle, chose to follow Tietou instead. Fei Wendian returned home dispirited, finding Fei Zuoshi already back from the Goddess Temple. She chastised him for not taking better care of Ning Susu.
He then informed her about Pan Xiaogui's struggle session, emphasizing that Pan Xiaogui's downfall was partly due to his refusal to reduce rent and interest for his tenants. Fei Zuoshi, however, believed she was different from Pan Xiaogui, citing Pan Xiaogui's long history of misdeeds. Fei Wendian implored her to take the lead in reducing rent and interest for her tenants, but Fei Zuoshi vehemently refused, even scolding him for wanting to "overturn the world."
Ning Susu, in her room, clearly overheard their entire conversation. After witnessing Pan Xiaogui's struggle session, Tietou was determined to immediately hold one for Fei Zuoshi. Feng Dajiao tried his best to speak up for Fei Zuoshi, repeatedly emphasizing that she was not like Pan Xiaogui and was a good-hearted person. However, Tietou insisted on making an example of Fei Zuoshi, driven by resentment for her taking back his family's land.
He vowed that this would be the Farmers' Association's first big move and planned to rally all the farmhands in the village, especially the Fei family's tenants, to demand permanent tenancy and reduced rent and interest. He dispatched men to notify the villagers to gather at his house after dinner, preparing for the struggle session that very night. Ning Xiuxiu, distressed, worried that her father, Ning Xuexiang, would also be subjected to a struggle session.
Feng Dajiao tried to convince Ning Xiuxiu to let him warn Fei Zuoshi, but Ning Xiuxiu refused, fearing Tietou would resent Feng Dajiao. Her greater concern was for her own father, so she urged Feng Dajiao to try persuading Tietou again. Meanwhile, Fei Wendian, anticipating Tietou would target Fei Zuoshi, resolved to take the punishment in her place, a gesture that began to make Fei Zuoshi uneasy.
Feng Dajiao went to Ning Kejin, explaining the situation and urging him to convince Ning Xuexiang to reduce rent and interest to avoid Pan Xiaogui's fate. Ning Kejin, while initially dismissive, eventually promised to protect Ning Xuexiang. Feng Dajiao then returned to Tietou, advising him against targeting Fei Zuoshi first. He argued that it would appear as personal revenge, undermining the Farmers' Association's credibility with the villagers and even with Mr. Bai and other officials who appointed him.
Tietou pondered this, admitting his sole desire was to "crush that old widow," but acknowledged the importance of gaining public trust. He decided to postpone targeting Fei Zuoshi and instead declared his intention to target Ning Xuexiang, Feng Dajiao's father-in-law, first. Feng Dajiao then suggested gathering all the village landlords for a meeting to first ask who would voluntarily agree to rent reduction, interest cuts, and permanent tenancy, but Tietou rejected the idea of diplomacy before force.
Ning Xiuxiu tirelessly worked through the night to embroider a flag for the Farmers' Association. She also wrote a letter to Ning Xuexiang. As she was about to deliver the letter, she encountered Tietou. Unable to read, Tietou demanded Ning Xiuxiu read the letter aloud. In the letter, Ning Xiuxiu urged her father to cooperate with the Farmers' Association, warning that resisting would make him an enemy of all tenants, just like Pan Xiaogui.
Tietou, while allowing her to continue embroidering the flag, still forbade Ning Xiuxiu from interfering or leaving her home, ordering a guard to watch her. Feng Dajiao, enraged by Tietou's ingratitude given Ning Xiuxiu's efforts to embroider a flag for the association, accused him of being ungrateful. Feng Er and his wife, hearing the commotion, rushed over and severely reprimanded Tietou, who, facing their combined anger, reluctantly left with his men.
That night, Tietou sent his four squad leaders to notify tenants for a gathering, but only a handful showed up, citing exhaustion or other commitments. Frustrated by the low turnout, Tietou decided to personally go door-to-door to rally more support. He intended to arrest Ning Xuexiang at dawn the next day and dispatched men to guard the village entrance to prevent anyone from warning Ning Kejin.
Feng Dajiao attempted to persuade Tietou to wait until Ning Xiuxiu finished embroidering the flag, but Tietou was impatient, declaring he wouldn't wait even if the flag wasn't finished. Ning Xiuxiu continued to work on the flag all night, and her mother-in-law, seeing her dedication, brought her a warm bowl of millet porridge, expressing concern for her being caught between her landlord father and the farmhands' association.
Ning Xiuxiu explained she simply wanted to do her part for the Farmers' Association, regardless of whether the flag was used. Meanwhile, Tietou managed to gather more tenants during the night and ordered the removal of the guards watching Ning Xiuxiu. Feng Er, worried, discreetly went to warn Ning Xuexiang. By morning, Ning Xiuxiu finally completed the flag. Tietou, pleased with the finished banner, proudly held it aloft and led the assembled tenants towards Ning Xuexiang's residence.
Humpback Guo observed the procession, making sarcastic comments about the Farmers' Association's shabby appearance. Tietou invited him to join, but Humpback Guo politely declined, stating he didn't farm and already had comfortable shoes and pants. As Tietou's group arrived at Ning Xuexiang's house, they found Ning Kejin and his militia brothers diligently performing their drills at the entrance. The militia's disciplined and agile movements intimidated many of the tenants, who, disheartened, began to disperse and return to their homes.
Tietou tried to rally his remaining men, but the momentum was lost. Ning Kejin provocatively invited Tietou to join their practice, but Tietou, focused on his objective, simply demanded Ning Xuexiang come out. Ning Kejin deflected, saying they would talk later, and ordered his militia to continue their drills, effectively blocking Tietou's path. Seeing the grim situation, Feng Er, who had followed the procession, quickly decided to leave, recognizing the imminent confrontation.
