This Thriving Land Episode 26 Recap
> This Thriving Land Recap
Glutton Fei’s wife’s condition worsened, so Glutton Fei sought a loan from Ning Xuexiang for medicine, but Ning Xuexiang refused, demanding all outstanding debts be settled instead. Yinzi went to the field shed to find Tietou. Tietou, having been falsely accused by Silly Tiao’s parents of impregnating their daughter, felt he couldn’t face Yinzi and decided to leave Tianniu Temple Village.
He expressed that he could no longer stay in the village or his home, feeling humiliated by Silly Tiao’s constant demands and her parents’ attempts to blame him. He also revealed that his mother threatened to hang herself whenever she saw him, making his home unbearable. Tietou didn't want to burden Yinzi, who already led a difficult life. Ning Xiuxiu and Feng Dajiao intercepted Tietou, urging him not to flee.
Ning Xiuxiu warned him that leaving would only fuel more harmful gossip, twisting the truth even further. She advised him that the best way to prove his innocence was to marry Yinzi, explaining that if he stayed calm, people would believe he was wronged. She suggested he treat Silly Tiao well, and when the baby was born, its resemblance would reveal the true father.
She added that once he and Yinzi were married and united, the villagers’ opinions would overwhelm Silly Tiao’s parents, forcing them to take her back. Tietou, still concerned about having to support Silly Tiao for life if the child resembled her, reluctantly agreed to return home. Feng Dajiao, understanding his financial strain and conveying Ning Xiuxiu's support, offered him three silver dollars to help with the wedding preparations, urging him to act like a man and come back with them.
Unable to find Tietou, Yinzi returned home disappointed. Upon entering, she witnessed her mother attempting suicide, only to be saved by her family. Her mother cried, stating she didn’t want to be a burden anymore. The entire family wept around her. Yinzi, distraught, slapped herself, vowing to cure her mother, and the two embraced, crying heartbrokenly.
News spread through the village that Yinzi’s mother had tried to kill herself and that Yinzi was going to Ning Xuexiang to borrow money for medicine, drawing comments from onlookers about the family’s dire situation and how they would repay the loan. The next morning, Yinzi went to Ning Xuexiang’s house to seek a loan. Tietou discussed with his mother the plan to marry Yinzi.
His mother was initially hesitant, asking how they could afford to marry Yinzi when they had no grain to sell before autumn. Tietou reiterated Ning Xiuxiu’s advice: marrying Yinzi, who trusted him, would help counter the gossip and shame Silly Tiao’s parents into taking her back. Seeing the logic in his argument and eager to send Silly Tiao away, his mother agreed and promptly went out to borrow money.
Tietou, seemingly relieved, then told Silly Tiao that he was going to marry Yinzi. Yinzi approached Ning Xuexiang, asking for twenty silver dollars to buy medicine for her mother, enough dried sweet potatoes and cornmeal to feed her family for half a month, to be delivered by Kuangzi every half month until her mother recovered, and funds to send her younger brother and sister to school. Ning Xuexiang then asked what she could offer in return.
Yinzi, implicitly offering herself in marriage, made the deal with Ning Xuexiang, who was clearly pleased. Ning Xuexiang dispatched Kuangzi to accompany Yinzi to purchase the medicine and provisions. Later, when Kuangzi helped carry the goods towards Yinzi’s home, he seemed reluctant to go inside. Yinzi took the medicine and food home, bringing joy to her family.
Her mother questioned where she got the money, and Yinzi reassured her that it was “honestly obtained” and no one would demand it back. Tietou had planned to wait for his mother to secure the money, send Silly Tiao away, and then send a matchmaker to Yinzi’s family to propose. However, Yinzi came to the shed to find him, even bringing him a pot of fluffy steamed corn buns.
Tietou, who had been avoiding Yinzi out of shame, explained that he didn’t want to drag her into his troubles. Yinzi, expressing unwavering trust, told him, "I don’t care what others say. I believe you," adding that his trust mattered more than the entire village’s.
She reminded him how he had always helped her with farming, caring for her siblings, and even sneaking food from home during hard times, making her feel she could endure anything with him by her side. Moved by her words, Tietou swore he would never let her live a hard life again, promising that once his mother returned with the money, he would send a matchmaker to propose.
Yinzi, believing him, then declared, "I, Fei Yinzi, will belong to you sooner or later." The two then shared an intimate moment in the shed. Due to a severe drought that year, Feng Er was anxious about impending crop failure. He discussed with his parents the need to conserve grain, suggesting they eat less rich food while allowing Ning Xiuxiu to eat more substantial meals, specifically to avoid her complaining about their thriftiness.
After careful consideration, Feng Er decided to follow Ning Xiuxiu’s agricultural advice starting next year, allowing her to plant whatever she deemed best on their fields. Meanwhile, a matchmaker arrived at Glutton Fei’s house with a substantial betrothal gift from Ning Xuexiang. A crowd, including Humpback Guo and Pillar, gathered to watch the commotion, learning that Ning Xuexiang was interested in Yinzi. Villagers openly gossiped about Ning Xuexiang’s advanced age, calling him shameless for pursuing such a young girl.
Yinzi’s mother was distraught, unwilling to marry her daughter to the elderly Ning Xuexiang, who was older than Glutton Fei and whose daughter, Ning Xiuxiu, was older than Yinzi. She clung to the hope that Tietou would marry Yinzi in the autumn. The matchmaker, however, urged her to abandon that hope, revealing that Tietou had impregnated Silly Tiao, who was now seven or eight months pregnant, and her parents had practically forced her upon him.
Despite this, Yinzi’s mother adamantly refused to marry Yinzi to Ning Xuexiang, weeping uncontrollably. The matchmaker then disclosed that Yinzi had actually approached Ning Xuexiang herself, seeking him out proactively, and that Ning Xuexiang was merely trying to save face for Yinzi by sending a matchmaker. Ning Susu went to Humpback Guo to buy scented soap. Humpback Guo refused to allow her to add it to her tab, insisting on cash, citing his recent financial difficulties and need to restock.
Ning Susu, surprised by the change in policy, said she would ask Fei Zuoshi for the money. Humpback Guo then let slip that Ning Xuexiang was going to marry Yinzi, and that Ning Kejin had already ordered red silk for the wedding. Ning Susu was utterly shocked, having no knowledge of her father’s intentions. She immediately went to Ning Xiuxiu, who was also oblivious to the news.
Ning Xiuxiu, equally stunned, prepared to confront Ning Kejin, instructing Ning Susu to question Ning Xuexiang directly for an explanation. Upon hearing that Yinzi was to marry Ning Xuexiang, Tietou was distraught, smashing things in frustration and blaming his mother for delaying his marriage plans. His mother tried to console him, suggesting he find another good girl from a nice family, but Tietou was consumed by the thought that Yinzi had never truly wanted to marry him.
He rushed to Yinzi’s house, desperately calling for her to open the door, even threatening to break it down. When she finally appeared, Yinzi sternly warned Tietou not to seek her out again, leaving him utterly heartbroken and despairing. He repeatedly asked "Why?" and "What did I do wrong?" . Ning Susu confronted Ning Xuexiang at home, accusing him of shamelessness and ruining Yinzi’s life. Ning Xuexiang angrily retorted, claiming Yinzi had come to him personally, eagerly seeking his help.
He insisted that he was not just marrying her but saving her and her entire family from ruin, a deed he felt worthy of being honored in the Fei family’s ancestral hall. He argued that it was a difficult decision, as he had to consider the many mouths in her family. Ning Kejin, joining the conversation, supported his father, pointing out that Ning Xuexiang was merely remarrying, not taking a concubine, and that many wealthy men had multiple wives.
He even suggested that Yinzi was fortunate to marry into the Ning family, and that she could care for Ning Xuexiang in his old age, something his daughters couldn’t do. Ning Xiuxiu, who was also present, was shocked by Ning Kejin’s “feudal” mindset, leading to a heated argument between them. Ning Xiuxiu and Ning Susu went together to find Yinzi, but Glutton Fei blocked their entry.
He told Ning Xiuxiu to stop bothering Yinzi, stating that she was a woman about to be married and that it was her own decision. He even threatened to move the wedding date forward if they continued to interfere. Ning Kejin, along with his wife Lianye, came to Ning Xuexiang’s house to help decorate the new room for the wedding. While decorating, Ning Kejin expressed concern about Ning Susu and Ning Xiuxiu potentially obstructing the marriage.
He advised Ning Xuexiang not to delay the wedding for ten days as initially planned, but to get it done quickly to avoid any further trouble. Ning Kejin suggested having the wedding in just three days, and Ning Xuexiang readily agreed. That very night, Ning Xiuxiu, Ning Susu, and Feng Dajiao went to Tietou’s shed to find him.
Ning Xiuxiu and Feng Dajiao expressed their belief that Tietou and Yinzi would regret it for the rest of their lives if they separated. Ning Susu brought food (grain, pretending it was for disaster victims) and they urged him to take Yinzi and leave the village, to "fly far away" and start a new life elsewhere, assuring him that with his strength and Yinzi’s hard work, they could make a living anywhere.
They suggested returning in a year or so, after the gossip had died down. Tietou, however, was concerned about who would care for his mother and who would farm the land he had just leased permanently. Ning Susu promised that they would take care of his mother and send her to him once he was settled. Ning Xiuxiu, in turn, pledged that they would farm his leased land and store all the grain for him after the autumn harvest.
Moved by their support, Tietou tearfully agreed, stating he would immediately go find Yinzi and take her away. Ning Susu, however, remained skeptical, believing Tietou would not actually leave. The next morning, Ning Xuexiang dispatched Kebbi with a horse-drawn carriage to pick up Yinzi for the wedding. Kebbi mentioned that, at Yinzi’s request, the wedding would be a quiet affair with no drums, gongs, or a banquet, though he speculated his uncle might still collect gifts.
Ning Xiuxiu intercepted the carriage midway, attempting to persuade Yinzi to come with her to the Women’s Association in the county for help. Yinzi, however, politely declined, expressing gratitude for Ning Xiuxiu’s concern. She revealed the desperate state of her family, with her father’s failed venture in the Northeast leaving them struggling to feed six mouths, even with her constant efforts of foraging for wild vegetables and locust flowers.
Yinzi tearfully explained that by marrying Ning Xuexiang, her mother would receive medical care and medicine, and her father and siblings would have enough food and clothing. She emphasized that this was her own choice, a sacrifice to trade herself for her family’s survival, and she accepted her fate.
