Time Flies and You Are Here Episode 1 Recap
> Time Flies and You Are Here Recap
Xie Xiaoman, her mother, and her younger brother traveled by carriage to Wujiang Prefecture. Her mother chided Xiaoman for clinging to the idea of returning to Yuyangli Village. Xiaoman retorted that their family of four had depended on the two hectares of land in Yuyangli, and her uncle, Xie Jing, heartlessly took it, acting like a bandit.
She complained that the decision to sell the land and move to Wujiang to attend a free school was made without consulting her, especially since her studies in the village were incomplete. Her mother insisted that the land was already sold to her uncle and they were now in Wujiang, leaving Xiaoman no choice but to stay. Upon their arrival, Xie Xiaoman's father waited at the city gate, and her brother and mother joyfully embraced him.
Xiaoman, observing her father's weary appearance, felt a pang of heartache, clutching a receipt and vowing that the matter of their land would not simply be forgotten. Meanwhile, at the Commandery Prince's mansion, Yan Boyang mobilized servants to search for Zhao Xiaoqian's prized cricket, Jinguo. Zhao Xiaoqian, lounging with a book over his face, calmly instructed them to be careful, as Jinguo was right by the doorstep, warning them not to let it be bullied by other male crickets.
Zhong Ziyan sat silently nearby. Liangji, the mansion's butler, presented Zhao Xiaoqian with the land deed for the two hectares in Yuyangli Village, a token of gratitude from Xie Jing for past assistance. Liangji also mentioned the neglected study and suggested hiring a literate maid. Zhong Ziyan then pressed Zhao Xiaoqian about the thirteen urgent letters from the capital, asking about his plans.
Zhao Xiaoqian ignored the question until Yan Boyang cried out that Jinguo had escaped, prompting him to abandon his book and rush out to pursue his cricket. As Xie Xiaoman and her family walked through a bustling street, they were caught in the commotion of Zhao Xiaoqian's frantic search. The crowd scattered them, and in her haste to find her family, Xiaoman accidentally stepped on Jinguo, killing the cherished cricket.
An enraged Zhao Xiaoqian seized her, but Xiaoman stomped on his foot, called him "insane" and a "playboy," then swiftly fled, inadvertently dropping her receipt. Zhao Xiaoqian attempted to give chase but was stopped by Zhong Ziyan, who reminded him of the thirteen letters from the capital and his mother's insistence on his return to the Imperial College, hinting it was a pretext for his arranged marriage with Shen Zhaowen.
Liangji added that if Zhao Xiaoqian returned, they would forgo hiring a new maid for the study. Zhao Xiaoqian defiantly stated he had no intention of returning, then picked up Xiaoman's dropped receipt. Later that evening, at their uncle Su's residence, where Xie Xiaoman and her brother were to stay, their cousin whispered disdainfully, labeling them a "broke family."
When Xiaoman later confided in her mother about wishing to live with her parents, her mother explained that her father's yamen hostel was far and filled with a mix of people, deeming it unsuitable. Xiaoman, still determined to reclaim their land, was frustrated when her mother dismissed the idea as impossible. Her despair deepened upon realizing her precious receipt was now lost. Unbeknownst to her, the missing receipt was in Zhao Xiaoqian's possession.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaoqian, facing an impending exam, dismissively told Zhong Ziyan that his plan was simply to "burn" the papers. The next day, Xie Xiaoman and her brother arrived at Bailu Academy. Before the exam, her cousin, Xie Ruying, criticized their family for repeatedly borrowing money. Xiaoman retorted, accusing Ruying of burning her brother's palm years ago, an accident that forced her parents to stop working for a year, leading to their financial difficulties.
Shortly after, Xiaoman was shocked by the high cost of the academy's textbooks—two sets amounted to two strings of cash, nearly her father's monthly salary. When she questioned the inflated prices, the bookseller rudely dismissed her. During the exam, Xie Ruying deliberately engaged her in conversation again, leading the teacher, Director Xu, to mistakenly accuse Xiaoman of cheating.
Director Xu, already holding a poor impression of her, believing she sought only shortcuts and a good marriage, instructed her to report to the Teachers' Office after the exam. Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaoqian, Yan Boyang, and Zhong Ziyan proceeded with their plan to burn the exam papers in the Teachers' Office. Xiaoman, arriving as instructed, smelled smoke and rushed in to extinguish the flames. However, she was met with Director Xu's fury and wrongly accused of setting the fire.
Covered in ash and unable to name the real culprits, Xiaoman was left helpless as no one believed her. Later, Xie Xiaoman overheard students discussing that most of the burnt papers belonged to the Jingnv Pavilion (for female students), while many from the Luming Pavilion (for male students) remained intact. Realizing the truth, Xiaoman rushed to the Luming Pavilion and confronted Zhao Xiaoqian, who tried to bar her entry.
Once inside, she directly accused him of arson and demanded her lost receipt. Zhao Xiaoqian nonchalantly confirmed he had thrown her receipt into the fire, igniting Xiaoman's fury. She declared it was extremely important to her, but he dismissively asked if she was afraid of him. Xiaoman boldly replied, "Why should I?" infuriating Zhao Xiaoqian, who retorted, "Then, wait and see."
Returning home, Xiaoman found the Su family's carriage had already departed, leaving her to walk to her uncle Xie Jing's house. There, her parents, uncle, aunt, and grandmother were waiting. Her parents scolded her and instructed her to kneel and apologize to her grandmother. Xiaoman defiantly refused, publicly accusing her uncle of seizing their land and forcing her father to work as a coroner and her mother as a washerwoman.
She argued that they were only in contact now because her elder brother had prospects. When her uncle denied it, Xiaoman cited the meager twenty strings of cash he paid for their two hectares as proof of his cruelty. Her grandmother, enraged, threw a cup and challenged Xiaoman to reclaim the land from the Commandery Prince of Julu herself. To appease the grandmother, Xiaoman's father slapped her, compelling her to kneel.
Later that night, her father waited for her in the rain, apologizing for hitting her. Xiaoman shared her cherished memories of Yuyangli, emphasizing how the land had sustained them, calling it her "savior." Her father reassured her that she was his "beloved daughter, the apple of my eye," promising never to hit her again but urging her to think before acting.
Inspired by a previous conversation with her former mentor, Li Su, who encouraged her to find a way to achieve her goals, Xiaoman resolved to earn money and redeem her land. She went to the Commandery Prince's mansion and applied for the vacant position of a maid to clean the study, affirming her literacy and readiness to start the next day for fifty cash a day. During her work, she discussed the gifted land with Liangji.
She calculated that at her current wage, she would need to work two thousand days to earn the hundred strings of cash required to buy back the land. Liangji, sympathetic and noting the Prince's disinterest in the land, agreed to hold it for her, provided she diligently balanced the accounts. Meanwhile, Zhong Ziyan informed Zhao Xiaoqian that his mother's letters to Principal Yang were a subtle attempt to force his return to the capital for his marriage with Shen Zhaowen.
Zhao Xiaoqian then asked Zhong Ziyan to investigate why Xiaoman was at the Teachers' Office that night. Liangji also reported to Zhao Xiaoqian about the newly hired maid and mentioned that the tassel on his deceased elder brother Zhao Xiaojie's sword had loosened. Zhao Xiaoqian, instantly concerned, stated he would personally take it to be repaired. Xiaoman, discovering the sword tassel during her cleaning, recognized its intricate pattern but was warned by Liangji not to touch the Prince's precious possession. Suddenly remembering another task, Xiaoman abruptly left the mansion early, passing Zhao Xiaoqian without either of them recognizing the other.
