This Thriving Land Episode 9 Recap
> This Thriving Land Recap
After the New Year, Ning Xiuxiu desired to rent some good land from Fei Zuoshi for Feng Er, whose passion for farming was paramount. Feng Er was overjoyed at the prospect, urging Ning Xiuxiu to finalize the arrangement quickly. Ning Xiuxiu, however, was hesitant. She feared Fei Zuoshi might misinterpret her request as an attempt to settle old scores, given Fei Zuoshi had deceived her with a fake blood sample to prevent her marriage to Fei Wendian.
Ning Xiuxiu resolved to discuss the matter thoroughly with Ning Susu before proceeding. Her in-laws were optimistic, especially Feng Er's mother, who believed Susu, being Ning Xiuxiu's biological sister, could certainly help. Feng Er even began planning to plant sesame on a mu of land to make oil for Ning Xiuxiu.
Despite their enthusiasm, Ning Xiuxiu maintained that the matter could not be rushed and she needed to find the right opportunity, though Feng Er stressed the urgency as plowing season was soon after the New Year. Feng Dajiao, however, supported Ning Xiuxiu's caution and suggested they eat first.
Meanwhile, Humpback Guo returned to the village, having traveled in a donkey cart from the city, bringing a variety of new and foreign goods, including matches, foreign nails, celluloid combs, and clear foreign mirrors. Villagers eagerly gathered to examine and purchase his wares as Humpback Guo recounted the latest news from the outside world.
He spoke of the Northern Expedition Army, describing them as an unstoppable force, having conquered lands south of the Yangtze River and subdued warlords like Wu Peifu and Sun Chuanfang. He suggested that people should stock up on goods, as future supply might be uncertain due to the war.
When villagers questioned the benefits of this new army, Humpback Guo explained that the Northern Expedition Army was fighting foreigners and corrupt warlords, promising to waive land taxes and military levies, and specifically targeting "local tyrants and evil gentry" who exploited farmers. Feng Si, upon hearing this, became excited and urged Humpback Guo to tell them when the army would arrive in Ox Temple Village. Ning Susu arrived at Humpback Guo's stall.
He then remembered he had a letter from Fei Wendian for her, though he'd forgotten to bring it. He told her to come to his house later that evening to pick it up. That evening, when Ning Susu went to Humpback Guo's house for the letter, he mischievously offered her a "sea mushroom," claiming it was delicious. Ning Susu tentatively tried it, only to discover it was a live, eight-legged sea snake that moved in her mouth.
Horrified, she fled, but Humpback Guo quickly caught up to her, handing her the letter and a box of foreign candy, which he called "chocolate." Ning Susu was initially wary, fearing it might also be alive, but was pleased to accept the gift. Ning Susu immediately took Fei Wendian's letter home to read it aloud to Fei Zuoshi.
Wendian wrote that he would not be returning for the New Year due to his demanding schedule at school, where he was teaching new poetry and had become the editor-in-chief of the poetry club. More significantly, he mentioned that he was interning in nearby villages, living and working alongside farmers, which he found transformative. He stated he felt he was "changing" and had found his direction, aspiring to be a "new master of this era" and control his own destiny.
He urged Fei Zuoshi to provide grain to the tenants for New Year, acknowledging their immense struggles with heavy taxes and rent. Fei Zuoshi firmly refused this specific request, scoffing and asserting that she always provided for the tenants with other New Year's provisions and was already generous. She also noticed that Wendian made no mention of Ning Susu in his letter, a fact Ning Susu found unremarkable, stating she didn't consider him a close relative.
Fei Zuoshi dismissed Wendian's new ideals as a passing phase, believing he would eventually return to take his place as master of the household. She then instructed Beard Liu to prepare an abundance of firecrackers, emphasizing the need for a grand celebration now that Ning Susu had joined their family. Later, when Susu ate the chocolate, staining her mouth black, Fei Zuoshi was alarmed, mistaking it for something harmful, until Susu clarified it was just the foreign candy.
At the Feng household, Ning Xiuxiu had ash on her face from trying to light the stove with damp firewood. Her mother-in-law, feeling sympathetic, instructed Feng Er to buy matches so Ning Xiuxiu wouldn't suffer. When Feng Er returned with the matches, his proud demeanor amused a neighbor who jokingly asked what treasure he held. Feng Er's mother explained the matches were for Ning Xiuxiu, and another neighbor praised Ning Xiuxiu for inspiring Feng Er to spend on "foreign things."
Ning Xiuxiu, though grateful, deferred to her mother-in-law to try the matches first, finding the new "foreign item" fascinating. Feng Dajiao, meanwhile, was brimming with happiness, confiding in the Ox figure that Ning Xiuxiu now truly considered their family her home. He vowed to work even harder, believing their future would be brighter, and told the Ox figure he felt Ning Xiuxiu was staying, promising to find a "wife" for the Ox figure someday.
He then burned paper for the Ox figure, pledging to bring Ning Xiuxiu to visit next time. Meanwhile, Tietou's mother was furiously chasing him, angered by his habit of stealing grain from home to give to Yinzi's poor family. Feng Dajiao intervened, reassuring her that a little grain wouldn't starve them. He suggested that if Tietou worked hard on their thirteen mu of land next year, he could earn enough to marry Yinzi by autumn.
Tietou's mother vehemently refused, fearing that Glutton Fei's entire family would freeload off them. Feng Dajiao tried to reason with her, explaining that once Yinzi married into their family, she would be theirs, and Glutton Fei's laziness was his own problem. He even offered to take care of Tietou's mother at his own home if her fears came true. Reluctantly, Tietou's mother returned home, still fuming.
In the fields, Yinzi was diligently searching for forgotten corn kernels, a desperate effort to feed her hungry siblings. Tietou arrived, telling her it was a futile task as the fields had been picked clean by both people and animals. He offered her a bag of cornmeal he had stolen from his own home. Yinzi expressed concern about his mother's wrath, but Tietou brushed it off, saying her beatings were like "scratching an itch" and he was used to it.
He asked if Yinzi's father knew he was the one providing the grain. Yinzi laughed, saying her father only cared about eating. Tietou then declared his intention to work tirelessly on his family's fertile land next spring, promising to earn enough to send betrothal gifts and marry Yinzi by autumn. He then playfully lifted Yinzi and spun her around, loudly proclaiming her his wife, their joyful laughter echoing through the fields.
On New Year's Eve, Ning Xuexiang arrived at Feng Si's house with his men to collect a debt of fifteen silver dollars. Feng Si, knowing his intention, had locked his door, and his family hid silently inside. Ning Xuexiang cursed and sang outside, threatening to take Feng Si's four mu of land if he didn't pay. Just then, Feng Dajiao and Ning Xiuxiu arrived to deliver food and meat to Feng Si.
Seeing Ning Xuexiang causing a commotion, Ning Xiuxiu calmly approached. She pasted a "Fu" character (luck) on the door and began sweeping the courtyard, subtly but firmly indicating that it was inappropriate to collect debts on New Year's, wishing him future blessings if he spared them. Ning Xuexiang tried to engage her, but Ning Xiuxiu ignored him, continuing to sweep until he reluctantly left. She then left the New Year's goods for Feng Si's family.
Following Fei Wendian's suggestion, Fei Zuoshi instructed Beard Liu to deliver grain to all the tenants. Ning Susu sat idly by the gate, lost in thought, remembering how Ning Xiuxiu used to cut paper window flowers for every window at their home during New Year's.
Missing her sister, Susu was comforted by Fei Zuoshi, who reminded her that her husband's home was now her true family for life, and promised her plenty of red paper to cut window flowers if she wished. She then led Susu inside for the New Year's Eve dinner. That night, Ning Xiuxiu personally prepared a grand New Year's Eve feast, inviting Feng Si's family and Tietou and his mother to join them.
Feng Si's wife was visibly delighted by the abundance of meat and other dishes, noting that she and Tietou had no idea what they would have eaten otherwise. As they toasted to the parents' health and prosperity, Feng Dajiao praised Ning Xiuxiu, quoting her mother who said Ning Xiuxiu could make their days "blossom." When Ning Xiuxiu pressed him, he vaguely claimed it was from a dream.
Tietou, emboldened, toasted his mother and declared his intention to work hard in the coming year to finally marry Yinzi. His mother immediately bristled, reiterating her firm opposition, fearing Yinzi's impoverished family would become a burden. Meanwhile, in Glutton Fei's humble home, Yinzi and her siblings found joy in their simple steamed buns, playing a game with straw to decide who got bigger bites, while their father tried to cheat.
Separately, as villagers set off firecrackers in the streets, Feng Er specially sought out Ning Susu, who was sitting by the gate. He asked her to visit Ning Xiuxiu, and Ning Susu gave him a large bag of peanuts, melon seeds, and candies for Ning Xiuxiu. Across the village, Ning Xuexiang sat alone, drinking in silence. The sound of firecrackers and laughter from outside only amplified his bitterness.
He complained to his late wife's memorial tablet about his children not visiting and vowed never to give them another half mu of land. He reminisced about having provided for them without making them work, lamented his own financial woes, and blamed "bandits" for his misfortunes, not his wife. He resolved to fight his "ungrateful brats" to the end. Later, Ning Xiuxiu and Feng Dajiao stayed up late together, keeping the brazier burning bright to "guard the year."
Ning Xiuxiu, reflecting on Feng Dajiao's earlier comment, asked him how he knew her mother's specific words about her, as she didn't remember him ever meeting her mother. Feng Dajiao revealed that he had long wished to tell her: he had made a solemn vow to her mother that he would cherish Ning Xiuxiu for life.
He confessed that he once saw her as a distant "person in a painting," but now, with her by his side, he found her "a thousand times better." He pleaded with her to trust him and stay, promising to show her how well he would treat her. The next morning, the first day of the New Year, Feng Dajiao's mother prepared to take Ning Xiuxiu to Goddess Mountain to pray for a child, and Feng Dajiao quickly hitched the cart.
Ning Susu arrived, surprising them, to offer her New Year greetings. She told Ning Xiuxiu she came first because Ning Xiuxiu had promised they'd always be like sisters. Learning of the temple fair, Susu eagerly asked to join. Feng Er, seeing Susu, directly reminded Feng Dajiao about the land rental from Fei Zuoshi, but Feng Dajiao simply waved him off and departed with the women.
Simultaneously, the tenants arrived at Fei Zuoshi's house to offer New Year's gifts, but she politely declined, explaining that it was the Fei family's tradition to give, not receive, during the New Year. The tenants thanked her profusely and offered blessings for her family to have a child soon. On the way back from the temple fair, Ning Susu, too impatient to wait, finished her candied hawthorns.
Back home, she observed Feng Dajiao's family, noting that despite their apparent lack of possessions, they seemed to lack nothing at all. She then boldly asked Ning Xiuxiu about intimate details of her marriage with Feng Dajiao, making Ning Xiuxiu blush and change the subject. Ning Susu remarked how good Feng Dajiao was to Ning Xiuxiu, even giving her the sweetest part of his sweet potato while eating only the skin himself, which made Susu envious.
Ning Xiuxiu humbly attributed it to good luck. Susu then lamented her own fate, recalling Fei Wendian's words that she was a "sacrifice for marriage," implying all three of them were. Ning Xiuxiu dismissed Wendian's cynical view, asserting that one's life is what one makes of it, irrespective of external circumstances. She then began to confide in Ning Susu about a matter she wanted to discuss.
