This Thriving Land Episode 3 Recap
> This Thriving Land Recap
On the day of Ning Xiuxiu’s wedding, she was kidnapped by bandits, who demanded a ransom. Unwilling to sell his land to save her, Ning Xuexiang sent his second daughter, Ning Susu, to replace Ning Xiuxiu as the bride. Fei Zuoshi, worried about the deception, ordered Beard Liu to guard the door of the bridal chamber, allowing no one inside. She then had Fei Wendian toast every guest, and he quickly became heavily intoxicated.
As Fei Wendian stumbled into the bridal chamber, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. Ning Susu was so scared she turned her face away, not daring to make a sound. Fei Zuoshi reassured Ning Susu, telling her to sleep soundly and that everything would be alright after this night. Meanwhile, Feng Dajiao had successfully rescued Ning Xiuxiu alone from Chicken Ridge.
As they made their way back, exhausted, Ning Xiuxiu tried to offer Feng Dajiao money, but he refused, emphasizing that he did not save her for any reward. He urged her to keep the rescue a secret to protect her reputation and her future with Fei Wendian, stating that “the less said, the less trouble.” As Hu San’s men approached, Feng Dajiao bravely created a diversion, telling Ning Xiuxiu to hide while he lured the bandits away.
After evading the chase, Feng Dajiao discovered a severely wounded Du Chunlin, bleeding profusely. Du Chunlin, insistent on reaching the county hospital immediately, was quickly transported by Feng Dajiao on a makeshift sled, as Feng Dajiao assumed Ning Xiuxiu had safely made it back to the village. Ning Xiuxiu arrived home at dawn, physically and emotionally drained. Her mother was overjoyed to see her but quickly realized the depth of her daughter’s anguish.
Ning Xiuxiu, upon finding her dowry gone, believed the marriage was off and declared her intention to go to the Fei family immediately. It was then that her father, Ning Xuexiang, confessed that Ning Susu had taken her place as the bride. Enraged by her father’s refusal to ransom her and his willingness to sacrifice her sister, Ning Xiuxiu screamed at him and ran out of the house, proclaiming that Ning Xuexiang was no longer her father.
Fei Zuoshi, having spent a sleepless night worrying about Fei Wendian discovering Ning Susu's true identity, was unexpectedly confronted by Ning Xiuxiu at the Fei residence, demanding to reclaim her rightful place. Fei Zuoshi sternly informed her that according to Fei family customs, a kidnapped bride not returned by midnight could not enter their home. She further stated that Ning Susu and Fei Wendian had already completed the wedding rites and consummated the marriage.
When Ning Xiuxiu tried to confront Fei Wendian, Fei Zuoshi blocked her, even inviting her to see Fei Wendian and Ning Susu together in the bridal chamber to underscore her point. To definitively end the matter, Fei Zuoshi produced a bloody white handkerchief, claiming it as proof of Ning Susu’s purity and the marriage’s consummation, though it was in fact her own blood from a finger prick. Heartbroken and with nowhere else to turn, Ning Xiuxiu left the Fei family.
Overwhelmed by despair and the broken promises of her childhood sweetheart, Ning Xiuxiu stumbled aimlessly through the village. She eventually collapsed near the Ox figure stone on Turtle Hill, succumbing to profound exhaustion and emotional anguish. A villager, Silly Tiao, discovered her unconscious and, mistaking her for dead, ran in a panic to Tietou. Tietou then rushed to Turtle Hill and brought the unconscious Ning Xiuxiu back to her home.
Back at the Ning home, Ning Xiuxiu finally regained consciousness but lay in bed, consumed by bitterness, refusing all food and drink. She angrily accused her father, Ning Xuexiang, of not selling his land to rescue her. Ning Xuexiang, concerned about her purity, asked if she had been defiled by the bandits. Ning Xiuxiu, in her bitterness, lied and claimed she had been repeatedly assaulted by the bandits. Ning Mother was heartbroken by her daughter's suffering.
Ning Kejin, Ning Xiuxiu's brother, overheard this and declared his intention to fight the bandits, but Ning Xuexiang stopped him and kicked Tietou out of the courtyard. The news of Ning Xiuxiu's alleged defilement spread rapidly through the village, fueled by Tietou's recounting to curious villagers. People like Humpback Guo openly criticized Ning Xuexiang's perceived greed. Meanwhile, at the Fei residence, Fei Wendian woke up, bewildered to find Ning Susu, not Ning Xiuxiu, by his side.
He frantically called for Fei Zuoshi. Ning Susu tearfully explained that Ning Xuexiang had forced her into the bridal sedan to buy time for Ning Xiuxiu’s rescue, with the promise that she would be replaced once Xiuxiu returned. Fei Wendian, distraught, immediately declared his intention to find Ning Xiuxiu, and Ning Susu expressed her desire to return home.
However, Fei Zuoshi, who had already been informed by Beard Liu about the rampant village gossip of Ning Xiuxiu's defilement, vehemently forbade them from leaving. She asserted that their appearance in the village would irrevocably ruin Ning Xiuxiu’s already fragile reputation.
Despite Fei Wendian’s passionate insistence that Ning Xiuxiu was still his beloved, Fei Zuoshi sternly invoked the Fei family’s ancestral rule: they do not accept a remarried woman, especially one who has been defiled by bandits, making it impossible for Ning Xiuxiu to ever enter their home as his wife. Faced with his aunt’s unyielding stance, Fei Wendian reluctantly acquiesced.
While Feng Dajiao was at the county hospital, he later learned that Du Chunlin was a Communist Party member and had been taken away by his organization, leaving a thank-you note. Feng Dajiao reflected that he had unknowingly saved a significant figure who fought for the betterment of the poor. Back at the Ning home, Ning Xiuxiu continued to refuse all food and drink.
Her mother tried desperately to coax her, expressing deep sorrow and wishing she could endure her daughter’s suffering herself. During this time, Lianye, a servant, informed Ning Mother that a matchmaker had arrived. The matchmaker was proposing a marriage between Ning Xiuxiu and Feng Dajiao, Feng Er’s son. Ning Xuexiang was enraged by the proposal, viewing it as Feng Er’s exploitative attempt to profit from their family’s misfortune.
He furiously cursed the matchmaker and Feng Er, vowing that Ning Xiuxiu would never marry into such a family, even if it meant she remained unmarried for life. Despite her parents’ fierce objections and pleas, a weakened but resolute Ning Xiuxiu rose from her bed. She approached the matchmaker and, asserting her own agency, accepted the marriage proposal. She declared that she would leave with the matchmaker immediately, without a dowry, effectively severing ties with her family. When her distraught parents tried to physically stop her, Ning Xiuxiu threatened self-harm, forcing them to reluctantly concede to her desperate and defiant decision.
