This Thriving Land Episode 30 Recap
> This Thriving Land Recap
Ning Kejin, acting on behalf of Ning Xuexiang who refused to open the granaries, arranged for police-escorted vehicles to transport grain away. Ning Xiuxiu initially blocked the convoy, pleading with Ning Xuexiang to release the grain, but Ning Xuexiang refused, and Ning Kejin forcibly moved her aside, continuing with the transport.
Fei Wendian, having earlier instructed his group to avoid using firearms and sent Xinming to meet Ning Xiuxiu, led a group including Feng Dajiao and Tietou to intercept the convoy mid-route. Ning Xiuxiu and Ning Susu stood in front of the vehicles, threatening to be run over if the grain wasn't released, which enraged Ning Kejin. Feng Dajiao also demanded Ning Kejin hand over the grain, supported by the villagers chanting for food.
Ning Kejin angrily told Dajiao to get out of his way. Ning Xiuxiu reminded him of the villagers he had once saved during the siege of Mazizi Village, questioning how he could harm them. Fei Wendian then eloquently expressed that it was their duty to save people from misery.
Ning Kejin, dismissing Fei Wendian's words as incomprehensible, called him family but warned him that he would not tolerate being robbed of his grain at his own doorstep and threatened them with his loaded gun, eventually firing a warning shot. Fei Wendian's meticulous preparations paid off as his people incapacitated the police escorts, who expressed reluctance to die for the convoy.
Following Feng Dajiao's command, the villagers and disaster refugees quickly swarmed the vehicles, shouting to take the grain, and transported all of it back to their village, leaving Ning Kejin in disbelief. The next morning, Fei Wendian, Feng Dajiao, Ning Xiuxiu, and Ning Susu efficiently organized the distribution, assuring the crowd that everyone would receive food if they lined up orderly. As Ning Xuexiang fumed and prepared to intervene, a servant rushed to inform him that Yinzi was in labor.
Ning Xiuxiu urged him to go, pointing out that his lost grain was now compensated by this blessing. Ning Susu quickly went to assist. Yinzi soon gave birth to a healthy baby boy, bringing immense joy to Ning Xuexiang, who proudly named his son Ning Keyu. Despite his happiness, Yinzi immediately leveraged the moment, demanding he send several bushels of grain and half a year's supply of dried sweet potatoes to her parents.
Ning Xuexiang initially balked at the quantity but, after some playful banter, reluctantly agreed to her demands, jokingly wishing his father-in-law would "stuff his face." Fei Wendian publicly thanked Feng Dajiao and his comrades, acknowledging their unity and the swift, effective action that brought results. He announced that their relief work in that area was concluding and they would soon move to their next assignment.
He cautioned that their confrontation with the police might raise suspicions that their actions were more than just a refugee riot, and to mitigate potential consequences, he temporarily closed the elementary school gathering point, urging everyone to be vigilant. Meanwhile, Ning Susu excitedly informed Ning Xiuxiu that Yinzi had given birth to a son, prompting Ning Xiuxiu to go offer her congratulations. Tietou, upon hearing this news, felt a mix of emotions. Later, Fei Zuoshi visited the ancestral hall.
She reminisced about her past, recalling how she married into the Fei family at eighteen, only to discover her husband suffered from consumption and passed away shortly after their wedding. Her father-in-law, Old Master Fei, then entrusted the entire household to her, even making young Fei Wendian kneel to her, declaring that the family was now in her hands. Fei Zuoshi vividly remembered managing the family single-handedly ever since. Fei Wendian returned home to reconcile with Fei Zuoshi.
She was distressed to see how much weight he had lost, urging him to prioritize his health. She then presented him with the keys to all the Fei family granaries, expressing her heavy heart and feeling of having failed their ancestors because the granaries were now empty.
She recounted how those keys had been a tremendous burden for years, and now, with him having started a family and Ning Susu learning the accounts, she wished to pass on the responsibility, hoping it would be "one burden off my mind." Fei Wendian refused to accept the keys, apologizing for causing her distress and offering to accept any punishment to ease her anger. He acknowledged her immense sacrifices, having witnessed firsthand how she single-handedly sustained the family for years.
He argued that grain could always be regrown, but lives, once lost to starvation, were gone forever, justifying his actions by saying "saving one life brings tremendous good karma." He urged her to release herself from the self-imposed "heavy chains" of guilt towards the ancestors, calling the family's "so-called family rules and teachings" a suffocating burden. Angered by his dismissal of their traditions, Fei Zuoshi commanded him to kneel in the ancestral hall.
Fei Wendian, however, calmly stated he would not. He explained his visit was both to ease her mind and to bid farewell, as he had an urgent mission and had to leave again. After he left, Fei Zuoshi, deeply worried, knelt alone in the ancestral hall, praying to the ancestors for Fei Wendian's safety and for the granaries to be refilled. Feng Dajiao began teaching Meiwei how to do farm work, specifically bundling firewood.
Meiwei, deeming farming ignoble and recalling his parents' advice to gain wealth by any means necessary, initially refused to learn, leading to a firm reprimand from Dajiao. Dajiao impressed upon him the dignity of honest labor and the shame of stealing, warning that without self-sufficiency, no one would look after him. Meiwei then eagerly accepted the lesson. Later, Meiwei spotted a wild rabbit, and he and Dajiao engaged in a friendly competition to catch it.
Meiwei quickly set a trap by the rabbit's burrow and successfully caught one. As they were happily heading home, Fei Wendian was cycling towards the county town when he saw a person lying by the roadside, seemingly unconscious. When he stopped to offer help, the person suddenly subdued him, and other hidden figures ambushed and captured Fei Wendian. Simultaneously, Feng Dajiao was also captured.
Meiwei, witnessing Dajiao's capture and his shout to "run," raced back to the village to report the alarming news. Fei Zuoshi, upon learning of Fei Wendian's disappearance, rushed to Ning Xiuxiu with money, pleading with her to save him, even if it meant losing everything. Xiao Jia arrived, confirming Fei Wendian's bicycle had been found but not him, and added that Dajiao had also been taken by a black car. They suspected the police were involved.
Ning Xiuxiu immediately decided to go to the county police station to question Ning Kejin. Ning Susu insisted on accompanying her. Xiao Jia, however, urged them to wait until morning, as it was too dangerous to travel at night. He promised to report to their organization, which would then investigate and relay any news through Tietou.
The following morning, Ning Xiuxiu, having received some dried food from her mother-in-law and been urged by Feng Er to take all his savings for Dajiao's rescue (which she politely declined for the moment), joined Ning Susu. Ning Susu had brought 50 silver dollars from Fei Zuoshi. The two sisters then rode their bicycle to the county police station. Inside, Fei Wendian was being brutally tortured.
Feng Dajiao, witnessing Fei Wendian's unwavering courage, reflected on his deep respect for Fei Wendian's selflessness for the common people. Fei Wendian, badly injured, told Dajiao to take no blame and to push all responsibility onto him during interrogation, emphasizing that Dajiao was not their primary target and this would ensure his safety.
He then, with the grim expectation of his own death, instructed Dajiao to warn Xiao Jia and Xinming to evacuate immediately, as they were unaware of his capture. He also made a solemn request for Dajiao to look after Ning Susu, wishing for her to be freed from their "empty marriage" and to live a life for herself, unlike Fei Zuoshi's sacrifice.
Feng Dajiao, however, refused to shift the blame, asserting the righteousness of their actions to save lives and declaring his willingness to face the consequences alongside Fei Wendian. Upon arriving at the county police station, Ning Xiuxiu and Ning Susu were initially denied entry by a guard. Ning Xiuxiu, recognizing Ning Kejin's black car, knew he was inside and insisted on staying. Ning Kejin, alerted by the commotion, eventually allowed them in.
The sisters were horrified to find Fei Wendian badly beaten. They pleaded with Ning Kejin for the release of Fei Wendian and Feng Dajiao. Ning Kejin, however, first reminded them that he was only considering helping to regain his and his father's lost dignity, and to be compensated for the requisitioned grain. Inside, Fei Wendian bravely confronted Ning Kejin, taking full responsibility for the grain raid and thanking him for saving lives.
He then openly criticized Ning Kejin for aligning with corrupt "old powers" who were ruining the country. Ning Susu, fearing for Fei Wendian, urged him to stop. Ning Xiuxiu, having heard enough, pressed Ning Kejin to release them, even offering the 50 silver dollars from Fei Zuoshi as a bribe. Ning Kejin then met with the police chief.
The chief revealed that Fei Wendian was on a list of Communists and radical leftists, suggesting they use him as "proof of loyalty" for their own promotions. Ning Kejin, however, strongly defended Fei Wendian as "just a lousy teacher" and not a significant figure. He promised to find the "real big fish" himself to ensure the chief's promotion.
Appealing to their sworn brotherhood and Ning Susu's youth, he implored the chief not to let his "sister" become a widow so young. Swayed by Ning Kejin's fervent plea and the money, the chief agreed to release them. Fei Wendian and Feng Dajiao were subsequently released. Ning Kejin confronted Fei Wendian, explicitly stating he intervened only for Ning Susu's sake and warned him to choose his future path carefully, as he did not wish for his sisters to become widows.
Fei Wendian, in turn, urged Feng Dajiao and Ning Xiuxiu to quickly warn Xiao Jia and Xinming to evacuate, while he himself would go to report to the organization. Ning Susu tried to convince Fei Wendian to return home to Fei Zuoshi, but he insisted he couldn't, as his revolutionary work was dangerous and he didn't want to burden them or have her suffer a life of "empty marriage" like Fei Zuoshi.
Ning Susu, however, asserted that she was no longer a naive girl, was content in the Fei family home, and vowed to take good care of Fei Zuoshi, hoping he would visit them when possible. Meanwhile, Feng Dajiao arrived home to the great relief and joy of Feng Er and his wife, who profusely thanked Ning Xiuxiu for her efforts. Ning Xiuxiu credited Meiwei for his timely warning. Meiwei, still boastful, challenged Feng Dajiao to another rabbit-catching competition, which Dajiao good-naturedly accepted after acknowledging Meiwei's previous victory.
