Thousand Years For You Episode 4 Recap
> Thousand Years For You Recap
Lu Yan, seeking to investigate the secrets within the Yu ancestral temple, asked Dengdeng about its access. Dengdeng explained that only Yu family members were allowed inside on important festive occasions. She then proposed that once they were married the following day, he would officially become a Yu family member, and she could take him to worship ancestors. Lu Yan agreed to the marriage.
He then presented Dengdeng with a hairpin, telling her it was an item to protect her from evil. Internally, he resolved to protect her until the full moon, regardless of the spiritual clan's intentions. Dengdeng, touched by his gesture, happily promised to wear the hairpin constantly and treat him well after their wedding. The next day, as Qingquan Stronghold bustled with wedding preparations, some villagers voiced strong objections.
They feared their Chief was being "allured by a male coquette" and worried he might give "bad suggestions" that could "destroy our Qingquan Stronghold." Lv Er intervened, quashing the argument and showing them a wedding invitation addressed to Gu Beixi, subtly implying Dengdeng’s disinterest in him and ensuring the wedding could proceed as planned.
Meanwhile, Gu Beixi, still fixated on eliminating Lu Yan, prepared to attend the wedding with valuable gifts and his "ancestral dagger," intending to disfigure Lu Yan’s face. At the wedding, Dengdeng, unimpressed by the other chiefs' stingy offerings, generously instructed Dahai to distribute surplus food and money to needy villagers, particularly the sick, elderly, and those with newborns. When Gu Beixi arrived with lavish gifts, Dengdeng accused him of trying to facilitate opium smuggling through Qingquan Stronghold.
Gu Beixi vehemently denied the accusation, claiming he had long severed ties with illicit merchants and supported the opium ban, insisting his gifts were sincere. Dahai, noticing Gu Beixi's wealth and influence, suggested he would make a good match for Dengdeng. However, Dengdeng remained suspicious, fearing the gifts might be "loot" intended to frame her. Later, Gu Beixi overheard some guests discussing Dengdeng's preference for "good-looking" and "clean" men over his "messy" long hair.
Mistakenly concluding she liked short-haired men, he promptly shaved his head. He then confronted Lu Yan, who was calmly practicing calligraphy. Gu Beixi first tried to bribe Lu Yan with money to leave Qingquan Stronghold, then threatened him with a gun. Unfazed, Lu Yan effortlessly subdued Gu Beixi, binding him and leaving him in the woodshed. Lu Yan declared that Dengdeng was his, and whether now or later, she would be. He called Gu Beixi an "eyesore."
Back in Dengdeng's room, her elaborate wedding dress, made of "top-quality brocade," proved too tight and "burst a seam." She sent for Mr. Bu to fix it. Feeling a void in her wedding party, Dengdeng lamented to Dahai that she wished he were a girl, so she could have a "pretty cute little wedding wench." After some hesitation, Dahai dramatically drank some wine and, to Dengdeng's astonishment, transformed into a woman.
Dahai explained this was an aftereffect from his previous injury by wild men, occurring every time he drank, though he reverted when sober. Dengdeng, initially shocked, soon found humor in the situation, promising to seek "science" to cure him. She recruited female Dahai to serve as her wedding wench, primarily to help her deflect drinks and ensure she wasn't too intoxicated for their "bridal chamber" night.
When Mr. Bu arrived to mend the dress, he observed Dengdeng's deep emotional investment in the wedding, contrasting it with Lu Yan's perceived "acting based on circumstance." He explained that a truly loving man would constantly watch, listen, touch, care for, and share his life with the woman he loved, questioning how much Dengdeng truly knew about Lu Yan.
Dengdeng, momentarily disheartened, nonetheless asserted that she desired "his whole being," and sincerity was secondary as long as she "got him," vowing to proceed. As Dengdeng prepared for the ceremony, she wondered if the hairpin Lu Yan gave her was from another woman. Her Second Uncle advised her to remove it, saying it "does not fit." Dengdeng hesitated, considering if it might be a keepsake from Lu Yan's mother, but ultimately decided to keep it.
As she wore it, a dark mist surrounding her suddenly dissipated. At the same time, Lv Er inexplicably woke up in Dengdeng's room, disoriented. Dengdeng, with no time for explanations, hurried him to prepare for the ceremony. The auspicious time arrived, and the wedding ceremony began. Earlier, villagers had tried to force Lu Yan into a "wedding sedan," mocking him for being a man marrying into the family, but he used his powers to scare them off.
Now, at the main ceremony, Lu Yan reluctantly participated but defiantly refused to step over the burning fire pit. Dengdeng’s brief annoyance quickly turned to a smile. Throughout the early rituals, Lu Yan remained uncooperative, prompting guests to pity him for marrying the "female overlord."
During the "bow to each other" segment, Dengdeng, noticing his lack of engagement, forcefully grabbed his hand, warning him to be "serious" and to "remain in your proper sphere, stay in the stronghold, and be my consort." Lu Yan immediately pulled his hand away. Then, Dahai, still in female form, arrived with a rooster, instructing Lu Yan to "offer tea to the main husband, Dahong," a ritual that many onlookers found deeply insulting for a man.
