To the Wonder Recap, Plot, Synopsis
To the Wonder Synopsis
Li Wenxiu, a Han Chinese girl born and raised in Altai, is determined to pursue her literary dreams in the big city. However, she faces numerous setbacks and is eventually forced to return to her hometown, where she relies on her mother, Zhang Fengxia, who runs a small shop. After befriending the Kazakh boy Batai, Wenxiu gradually discovers the beauty of the local area.
To the Wonder Recap
Episode 1 Recap
Li Wenxiu, a nineteen-year-old Han girl, became a true second-generation Xinjiang native because her parents participated in the Construction Corps and settled down here back then. Although Li Wenxiu had never been to university, let alone finished high school, she yearned deeply for the outside world and harbored literary dreams, as if only through words could she feel warmth and find her true self—poor, vain, sensitive, yet full of passion.
In 2001, renowned writer Liu Haibo came to Urumqi to give a lecture. Li Wenxiu was fortunate enough to be selected to ask a question, but due to her introverted and insecure personality, she didn't dare to stand up and respond in the crowd. Instead, she hung her head and hid in a corner. Liu Haibo didn't mind and patiently answered the question on Li Wenxiu's note.
He told her that if she was still young, she should go to school first. If she didn't want to go to school, she should try writing from her own life, learning to love, live, and get hurt. Before the course ended, Li Wenxiu rushed back to the restaurant where she worked. Because she didn't read much, she was mocked by her colleagues. Only Gao Xiaoliang from Guangdong was willing to speak up for her.
Li Wenxiu felt out of place here, so in casual conversation, she revealed to Gao Xiaoliang that she yearned more for the capital, Beijing, hoping to write truly good articles like other writers. Although Li Wenxiu had been working for some time, the money she earned was only enough to cover her daily expenses. But she was very willing to stay in the city. In her opinion, Urumqi was large and prosperous.
Even walking on the street, countless possibilities for life came flooding in, as if as long as she was alive, there was hope of making a name for herself. Meanwhile, Sultan, because he was carrying a knife, did not pass the security check and had to leave the station with a sense of helplessness. Inside the restaurant, colleagues held up Li Wenxiu's diary, mocking and humiliating her with malice. This caused Li Wenxiu to accidentally mess up an important reception.
She had no choice but to pack her things, take the remaining severance pay that Gao Xiaoliang had cheated her out of, and return thousands of miles to Altai to rely on her mother. - Such a long journey home, and problems always seemed to occur. The night bus broke down repeatedly. Li Wenxiu kept changing buses, finally stopping at the end of the Gobi Desert.
Because of the language barrier, Li Wenxiu went through countless hardships, finally appearing before her mother, Zhang Fengxia, in a dishevelled state. The place where she was was extremely barren, yet Zhang Fengxia was still able to find joy in hardship with an optimistic attitude. Since her father passed away, Zhang Fengxia has been taking care of her grandmother, who suffers from dementia, alone.
Fortunately, her grandmother is quite strong, and besides occasionally being confused, it can be considered three generations living together. This night, Zhang Fengxia sat on the grassland drinking, her gaze looking into the distance, her thoughts drifting far away. Li Wenxiu knew that her father's death was a great blow to Zhang Fengxia.
So, in these years, Zhang Fengxia moved homes several times and went to countless places, causing Li Wenxiu to live a life without a fixed residence since childhood. Hearing that Zhang Fengxia was going to a more remote summer pasture, Li Wenxiu tried to persuade her to abandon the idea but was refused by her. Zhang Fengxia told Li Wenxiu that if she wanted a sense of security, she should find it within herself.
If she couldn't get used to living in this kind of place, she should go back to the city and not always depend on her parents. Sultan, relying on travelling long distances by horse, arrived dusty and tired at the place where his son raised horses. He directly stated his attitude that he wanted his son to return home with him.
The supervisor firmly opposed this because Ba Tai had already signed a five-year contract and was an excellent horse breeder trained by him. How could he let him leave the horse farm at this crucial moment? Considering that his older brother had just passed away and the family indeed needed him to take care of things, Ba Tai planned to first bring the Ili Tianma horses back to the summer pasture, and then return to the horse farm next spring.
The supervisor considered it for a moment and then agreed to Ba Tai's request, believing he would keep his promise. That evening, Ba Tai medicated and bandaged the horses' wounds. He stroked the horses with a heavy heart, preparing to set off home early tomorrow morning.
Episode 2 Recap
Zhang Fengxia's small shop was the most lively place on the grassland, where various villagers came and went frequently, and there were quite a few who bought on credit. Sultan's eldest son, Murat, was addicted to alcohol and never paid when he bought things. Zhang Fengxia had originally stopped him from coming again, but he sent his wife Tuo Ken to the small shop. He eventually drank himself to death outside in the cold.
Opening for business in the morning, Li Wenxiu watched over the small shop for Zhang Fengxia. Although she was a bit flustered, she managed to sell some things. Sultan and Ba Tai rode horses past the small shop, attracting the attention of the people around. A warm-hearted aunt learned that Zhang Fengxia and Sultan's families were moving pastures together and couldn't help but gossip about Sultan's brutal nature and the hunting rifle he kept at home.
While looking through the ledger, Li Wenxiu unexpectedly discovered that the villagers owed the small shop a lot of money. She discussed with Zhang Fengxia that she would be responsible for collecting the debts in the village to fund her return to the county town for writing. However, the debt collection process was full of twists and turns. Li Wenxiu mistakenly identified Janar as Jambyl and called Ayo's name Ayo (Bear), which made the other person very angry.
During this time, Li Wenxiu was attacked by a fierce dog and ran wildly to a small grove. On her way back home, she met Ba Tai and was tricked by him into falling into the river, returning home in a dishevelled state. Many villagers had gathered in the small shop, but Li Wenxiu stayed by her grandmother's side in a bad mood.
Zhang Fengxia advised her to give up collecting debts, but Li Wenxiu was stubbornly unwilling to give up. Ignoring lunch, Li Wenxiu set off again to collect debts, asking the neighbors about the situation nearby. Since this area is a spring and autumn settlement, currently most people were not at home except for Sultan's family who were holding a memorial service and Ayibek's mare who was about to give birth.
So Li Wenxiu decided to go to Sultan's family first, as they owed the most money. At this moment, Sultan's family was slaughtering a sheep and holding a feast, which was very lively. Uncle Bek, the village head, told Sultan to put away his hunting rifle and stop thinking about hunting in the mountains. Because Ba Tai still wanted to return to the horse farm, he hoped Uncle Bek would talk to his father for him.
Uncle Bek was hesitant and said he would bring it up after the summer. Li Wenxiu was recognized by Uncle Bek, who mentioned her deceased father, Li Shan. A villager aunt brought Li Wenxiu into the house. However, the ledger was read aloud by a child on the spot. When he read "condoms," everyone present was astonished. Uncle Bek, who understood Chinese, helped translate Li Wenxiu's purpose.
Upon hearing that Murat owed the small shop over two thousand yuan, everyone blamed Tuo Ken for hiding it for over a year and waiting for the creditor to come knocking. Zhang Fengxia rushed over in a hurry, seeing the scene in chaos. She had her daughter distinguish between Janar and Jambyl and told her to apologize to Janar and Ayo.
Zhang Fengxia had previously thought the villagers exaggerated their descriptions of Sultan, but seeing his fierce appearance, as if he might actually kill someone, she became timid. She proactively sought out Uncle Bek to discuss the pasture transfer, hoping he would take her with him to avoid traveling with Sultan. However, Sultan had his son stop Zhang Fengxia and her daughter's path, frightening them.
But the next second, he led a camel over, stating that his family did not have enough money to pay the debt and decided to use the camel as collateral for now. Zhang Fengxia understood Sultan's intention, and her hanging heart finally relaxed. She accepted the camel with a bit of awkwardness, happy that having a camel would make pasture transfers more convenient in the future. Through this incident, Li Wenxiu's perception of the place where she lived changed somewhat.
In the society of these deep mountains, seemingly far from modern civilized order, there were actually spiritual constraints of their own. The instinctive mutual needs between people and nature created a limited but sufficient restraint. On the day of Sultan's family's memorial service, a dozen men rode past on tall horses. Seeing this, the villagers expressed their deep condolences.
That evening, grandmother was unusually lucid and gave Li Wenxiu the money she had saved, but Li Wenxiu did not accept it. Instead, she made up her mind to follow her mother to the summer pasture, suddenly feeling that this place was better than she had imagined, at least making her feel comfortable staying there.
Episode 3 Recap
In the women's bathhouse, the singing was melodious and ethereal, and the harmony and rapport between ethnic groups deeply moved Li Wenxiu. This kind of pure emotion was unprecedented and also something she yearned for in her heart. The next day, Zhang Fengxia took her family to the county town to buy supplies and confirmed with Li Wenxiu again whether she wanted to go with her to the summer pasture. Li Wenxiu gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.
While her mother was arranging for the vehicle, Li Wenxiu noticed the internet cafe next door, so she asked the vendor uncle selling things to help look after her grandmother while she ran to the internet cafe to email Liu Haibo and try submitting a few articles. As expected, the articles aroused Liu Haibo's interest, thinking she was a very promising writer, and he was planning to contact her to meet.
Meanwhile, Zhang Fengxia found the vehicle and was heading back when she met her former landlord, Simahuli, and wanted to settle the rent with him. But the other party felt the house was empty anyway, so he simply let Zhang Fengxia stay for free. Simahuli heard that Tuo Ken was stirring up trouble about remarrying and couldn't help but ask Zhang Fengxia about it.
Zhang Fengxia didn't like getting involved in other people's family matters and brushed him off with a few words. On the other hand, Grandmother woke up and couldn't see Li Wenxiu. Plus, her memory became confused. She kept shouting that she wanted to go back to her old home in Shenyang while walking around with a cane. When Li Wenxiu came out of the internet cafe, she found that Grandmother was gone and was burning with anxiety.
Fortunately, Grandmother didn't walk fast and was quickly found by her. However, Grandmother no longer recognized Li Wenxiu and refused to let Li Wenxiu take her away. Zhang Fengxia came up with an idea, pretended to be a ticket seller, and got Grandmother to obediently get into the vehicle. On the way back, Grandmother still thought Zhang Fengxia was the ticket seller and took out fifty yuan from her small cloth bag as payment for the fare.
Li Wenxiu apologized to Zhang Fengxia for Grandmother getting lost. Fortunately, Zhang Fengxia did not blame her for this, after all, Grandmother getting lost was a common occurrence. While they were talking, Bater rode over on his horse to gossip about the news of Tuo Ken remarrying. Zhang Fengxia gave a simple reply and said no more.
Originally, the eldest son Murat should have inherited the family business, but after he passed away, he left behind a wife and two children. Regarding how to arrange things for the mother and the two children, Uncle Bek came forward to gather everyone for discussion.
According to local customs, Ba Tai should marry Tuo Ken to take care of his sister-in-law and children on behalf of his brother, but Ba Tai strongly opposed it, believing that taking care of them and marrying were two different things. Tuo Ken's original intention was to leave this family. Ba Tai supported his sister-in-law's choice but was misunderstood by his sister-in-law as if he wanted her to stay, and received a barrage of complaints and tearful accusations from her.
Ba Tai came to the small shop to find Zhang Fengxia to ask about his brother's matter. It happened that Zhang Fengxia's family had not yet returned, so he could only wait silently outside until the vehicle loaded with goods slowly arrived. Ba Tai noticed Li Wenxiu took out a horse head from her bag, which was the head of the horse he rode when he was little.
Li Wenxiu explained that the horse head had fallen from the tree, so she helped Ba Tai tie the horse head back onto the tree, watching the scenery and listening to him tell the story of the horse, imagining the simple life of the local people. Because Li Wenxiu had almost lost Grandmother in the county town, this matter quickly spread back to the village, and even Ba Tai had heard about it, which left Li Wenxiu speechless.
Afterwards, Ba Tai found Zhang Fengxia to understand the situation, stating directly that his sister-in-law wanted to remarry and take the children. If his brother had promised his sister-in-law, the family would not insist on keeping the children. Zhang Fengxia said she had never heard of this matter and thought Tuo Ken was lying. Moreover, given Murat's personality, he would never have agreed to Tuo Ken's request.
Afterwards, Zhang Fengxia told Li Wenxiu that everyone has their own way of interacting with the world. She can disagree with them, but she cannot condescendingly change them. In the following days, Li Wenxiu did not receive a call from Liu Haibo for a long time, unaware that Liu Haibo had found the wrong person and mistakenly took another woman present as her. Since this woman was already married with children, she politely declined Liu Haibo's invitation, which made Liu Haibo and others feel somewhat regretful that someone with such excellent writing talent was giving it up.
Episode 4 Recap
As soon as the sky started to lighten, Zhang Fengxia's family began packing their luggage, preparing to move pastures. Unexpectedly, Ayibek had already set off in advance and left a letter, suggesting Zhang Fengxia travel with Sultan's family. After reading the letter, Sultan nodded calmly in agreement, consenting to take them along to the summer pasture, and asked Ba Tai to select a good horse for Li Wenxiu. Soon after, the large group set off grandly.
Along the way, they experienced mud and dense fog, witnessed the vast grassland and the snowline on the Altai Mountains. Whenever they encountered villagers who needed help, Ba Tai would stop without hesitation to lend a hand. The local yurt dwellers would also warmly offer them milk tea, and the entire group was filled with an atmosphere of unity and mutual assistance.
The grassland in early spring was still a bit cold after all, and the wind by the river was even more piercing like a knife. Even though Li Wenxiu was wearing a cotton coat, she still felt the stinging sensation of cold currents brushing against her skin. Ba Tai picked up something from the ground and rubbed it on Li Wenxiu's face. Li Wenxiu felt a warmth, and upon asking, learned it was surprisingly sheep droppings used to treat frostbite.
Those present burst into laughter at the sight. Initially, Tuo Ken still complained that Zhang Fengxia hadn't spoken up for him. Li Wenxiu explained some misunderstandings and unexpectedly learned that he already had someone she liked. In Tuo Ken's description, this gentleman was completely different from Murat. He knew how to cherish and be tolerant of Tuo Ken, allowing Tuo Ken to see the beauty of love.
Grandmother wanted to distribute biscuits to the children, but the biscuit box was snatched directly by Zhang Fengxia, who hugged it nervously in her arms. Everyone set up tents near Fairy Bay for the night. Li Wenxiu accompanied Zhang Fengxia on a stroll around Fairy Bay, listening to the romantic legends of the place. For Zhang Fengxia, Fairy Bay was exceptionally significant, as it was here that she met her husband Li Shan.
Unexpectedly, the next second, the biscuit box accidentally fell into the lake. No matter how Zhang Fengxia chased it, she couldn't catch it. Li Wenxiu asked and learned that the box contained her father's ashes. Facing this accident, Li Wenxiu tried her best to comfort Zhang Fengxia, telling her that the deceased was gone, and five years was enough time for someone to move past the grief. However, Zhang Fengxia's feelings for her husband were deep.
Thinking that she had lost the ashes, she couldn't help but feel regretful and cry. At this moment, several wild wolves with glowing eyes appeared nearby. Li Wenxiu and Zhang Fengxia didn't have time to look closely and quickly scrambled up a tree. Fortunately, Sultan appeared in time, raised his hunting rifle, and shot several wolves. The sound of the gun attracted Ba Tai.
He expressed dissatisfaction with his father hiding the gun, believing that all firearms should be handed over to Ayibek. Zhang Fengxia was extremely grateful for Sultan's life-saving kindness. After returning to the tent, she still felt lingering fear. A group of people lay side by side in the tent. Li Wenxiu and Tuo Ken were talking and laughing heartily, and the atmosphere was warm and pleasant.
The next morning, everyone packed their luggage, performed their prayers, and set off again, heading towards the depths of the desert. Soon, Li Wenxiu met Ba Tai's good brother - the border guard Chao Ge. Although Chao Ge is Mongolian, Mongolian and Kazakh languages have similarities, so Sultan and others had no difficulty communicating with Chao Ge's family. Chao Ge's family warmly hosted them, inviting them into the yurt to taste milk tea and mutton.
After a brief exchange with Chao Ge, Zhang Fengxia guessed that he was exactly the person Tuo Ken was fond of. Indeed, Chao Ge's family actively brought up the children's marriage, hoping Sultan would agree to Tuo Ken remarrying and bringing his two children over. Sultan had a dispute with Chao Ge's family over the custody of the children. Both sides disagreed and could not reach a consensus.
Li Wenxiu couldn't stand listening anymore and interrupted their conversation on the spot. She stated that all traditions and civilizations are slowly explored by humans during world changes, nothing is fixed and unchanging, only adapting to the new era and adjusting one's lifestyle is the correct choice, and clinging to old traditions is very likely to become dross. After her words fell, everyone present fell into silence. Li Wenxiu belatedly realized she had meddled in others' affairs.
Even though Zhang Fengxia quickly apologized, it was of no avail. Sultan decided to lead the group to continue their journey, leaving them to go to the summer pasture on their own. That day, the grandmother, grandchild, and mother, without the help of the large group, were exhausted after only half a day of travel.
Just as Li Wenxiu was forcing herself to set up the tent, she suddenly saw Ba Tai appearing in the distance under the afterglow, riding a fine horse. This scene was like a deity descending from the sky, warm and stunning. In addition, Jambyl also came over with a milk tea pot to visit. They were busy until sunset, and the tent was finally set up. Li Wenxiu personally saw Ba Tai off. The two walked in the dark woods.
Although the bright moon was not visible, the star-filled sky was dazzlingly bright, reveling on the upper half of the world, its brilliance sharply separating from the darkness of the earth. Li Wenxiu quietly tilted her head back to gaze at the starry sky, while Ba Tai looked at her.
Suddenly thinking of something, he reminded her to be wary of the men in the local pastures and not to be too enthusiastic towards them, or she would attract many 'boyfriends'. After saying these words, Ba Tai shyly rode away on his horse. Seeing this, Li Wenxiu smiled.
Episode 5 Recap
In the traditions of the Kazakh people, the cattle, sheep, horses, and camels they raise themselves are considered food exclusively for family, friends, and guests, and are strictly forbidden to be sold as commodities. This means that if strangers visit, the host will generously slaughter cattle or sheep to entertain them, but if the other party proposes to buy, the purity of this friendship is lost.
However, with the changing times, this ancient tradition has gradually faded, but the spirit of curbing desire remains deeply rooted in the hearts of this ethnic group. The grandmother, grandchild, and mother successfully arrived at the summer pasture. To drink fresh sheep milk every day, Zhang Fengxia decided to go out herself to buy sheep. During the bargaining process, the two sides argued fiercely over the price.
As darkness approached, the shepherd suggested Zhang Fengxia stay the night and offered to personally slaughter the sheep Zhang Fengxia had chosen to treat her for dinner. A warm Kazakh shepherd specifically came to the small shop to inform Li Wenxiu that Zhang Fengxia would be exploring the surrounding areas and might return a few days later. Upon hearing that people moving pastures were passing by nearby, Li Wenxiu rushed over in a hurry and indeed saw Ayibek's family.
She arranged to visit Kulan, Ayibek's daughter, when they had time. On her way home, Li Wenxiu encountered Ba Tai herding horses on the grassland. He looked full of charm under the sunlight. According to the Kazakh culture Li Wenxiu knew, friendship or love between people originates from being seen. Therefore, in the Kazakh language, "I like you" translates to "I clearly see you.
" Just as at this moment, Li Wenxiu watched Ba Tai ride towards her, her heart racing, but Ba Tai suddenly turned his gaze towards the herd of horses, seemingly not noticing her presence, which made Li Wenxiu feel deeply disappointed. Despite the picturesque scenery of the summer pasture, opening a tent shop was full of challenges. The tent leaked, and Li Wenxiu had to make makeshift drainage devices with plastic bags overnight.
When her grandmother asked if Li Wenxiu found life in this land boring, Li Wenxiu said she had two worlds: besides life, there was writing, and in that world, she could find many interesting things. Regarding Tuo Ken and Chao Ge's marriage, Ayibek came to speak with Sultan as a mediator, suggesting that the two children would eventually need to return to school, and he feared it would be difficult to care for them thoroughly. But Sultan would not listen.
Ayibek had no choice but to turn to ask him about killing wolves with a hunting rifle. Sultan adamantly denied still having a hunting rifle. Ayibek came to the tent shop to buy things and happened to meet Ba Tai who was visiting Li Wenxiu. He sensed the feelings between the two young people.
After Ba Tai left, Ayibek teased Li Wenxiu about being more open about dating, but seeing Li Wenxiu stubbornly refuse to admit it, he said lying would bring retribution. The next second, the bag filled with rainwater poured onto Li Wenxiu's head, and retribution fell from the sky. Zhang Fengxia came to Fairy Bay alone, triggering emotions and missing her deceased husband, and used a dagger to dig a bullet out of the tree.
At the same time, Gao Xiaoliang got lost in the vast Gobi Desert. Without water and gasoline, he finally collapsed in the desert. As his consciousness blurred, a dusty woman's face appeared before his eyes. When Gao Xiaoliang woke up, he found himself in a tent with Zhang Fengxia sitting beside him. She cut him some mutton to fill his hunger. Zhang Fengxia and Gao Xiaoliang had a simple conversation.
She warned him not to go out at night and not to leave the fire. After speaking, she wrapped herself in her coat and lay down. Gao Xiaoliang was grateful for her rescue and wanted to repay her but was refused. The next morning, Zhang Fengxia helped Gao Xiaoliang flag a car and filled his motorcycle with gas, stating they would part ways once they left the Gobi.
Gao Xiaoliang lied that his friends had cheated him out of money and hoped to follow Zhang Fengxia, even if it was just to work for her, but was refused again. Li Wenxiu and Kulan went to the river to wash clothes and happened to meet Tuo Ken, so they lent her a washboard to use. Tuo Ken revealed that Kulan's cousin was about to get married, Ba Tai would also attend, and invited Li Wenxiu to the wedding.
Meanwhile, Zhang Fengxia left Gao Xiaoliang and returned home. Gao Xiaoliang's motorcycle had problems, and she left him by the woods. Fortunately, a fellow villager helped repair his bike and informed him of Zhang Fengxia's whereabouts. During their chat, Li Wenxiu learned that Kulan already had someone she liked and became curious, but Kulan did not reveal the person's identity. Tuo Ken wanted to attend the wedding and asked Sultan to help look after her children. Unexpectedly, Sultan readily agreed.
Afterward, Li Wenxiu, Kulan, and Tuo Ken happily headed to the wedding. On the way, they picked many wild edible plants and saw a group of boys riding horses at full gallop on a hill, with Ba Tai being particularly prominent and handsome at the front. Meanwhile, guided by a local shepherd, Gao Xiaoliang finally found the small shop run by Zhang Fengxia.
Episode 6 Recap
A romantic Kazakh wedding, rich in ethnic characteristics, the wedding ceremony was very grand. The men raced horses, played 'catch the goat', played instruments, etc. , on the grassland, while the women chatted and gossiped in the felt tents, creating a lively atmosphere. Li Wenxiu tried to find Ba Tai in the crowd, but was taken into a felt tent by Tuo Ken to try on wedding attire. At this time, Chao Ge called Tuo Ken outside.
The two went from initial sweet affection to having a small conflict when the marriage was mentioned later. In contrast, several young men came in from outside. Li Wenxiu didn't have time to take off the attire and quickly turned her back, being mistaken by them for the bride, Narabi. She was even more surprised to learn that Ba Tai and Kulan were going to discuss marriage and get engaged.
After the others left, a young man noticed Li Wenxiu was not the bride, guessed she was the Han girl from the small shop, and kindly helped her hide as she left the felt tent. Suddenly, a melodious song came from outside, like the sweet whispers of lovers; like heavenly music; yet also like a magic spell, causing everyone present to involuntarily immerse themselves in it. Li Wenxiu followed the sound and found them.
In the crowd, Ba Tai lowered his head playing the instrument, slowly singing, and Kulan accompanied him nearby. The two, being a perfect match in talent and appearance, were exceptionally well-suited, giving Li Wenxiu a strange feeling in her heart, followed by helplessness and disappointment. She suddenly realized the person Kulan liked was very likely Ba Tai and could only smile wryly while watching the two of them exchange glances.
As the playing and singing ended, the wedding guests sang and danced. Li Wenxiu took this opportunity to dance wildly as if venting, and without knowing it, she ended up dancing in front of Ba Tai. Ba Tai said he had something important to tell Li Wenxiu. After saying that, he took her hand and ran into the woods, gave half an apple to Li Wenxiu, and fed the other half to the cherished horse Taxue.
Ba Tai revealed to Li Wenxiu that in a while, he would take Taxue to participate in the horse race during Eid al-Adha. If Taxue showed no abnormalities at the racetrack, it would mean she had fully recovered. However, Li Wenxiu felt a little disappointed hearing this news, vaguely mentioning the engagement. Ba Tai seemed indifferent, stating directly that Kulan's heart belonged to someone else, and he also had someone he liked. His gaze then turned towards Li Wenxiu.
As expected, Li Wenxiu looked shy upon hearing this, concealing her inner joy. But unexpectedly, Ba Tai turned around to chase after Taxue, a straightforward move that left her speechless. Because Uncle Ayin misunderstood that Kulan liked Ba Tai, and coupled with Ba Tai winning first place in the 'catch the goat' competition, her lover Mohbiti got drunk and fought with Ba Tai.
Initially, Li Wenxiu wanted to step forward and break up the fight, but later she, like everyone else, simply sat on the side and watched. Ba Tai and Mohbiti also fought after drinking, and drank after fighting. Men's friendship is just that rough and direct. Early in the morning, little daughter Nadila got up to make tea. It just so happened that Sultan was out and not at home, so Nadila was scalded by boiling water and cried loudly.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Li Wenxiu was surprised to see Gao Xiaoliang appear here and even more surprised that he had become her mother's new boyfriend. Zhang Fengxia, on the other hand, believed he was sent by Li Shan from the afterlife to protect her. After eating, Li Wenxiu took Gao Xiaoliang to the pine forest to pick fungus. Gao Xiaoliang told Li Wenxiu about his childhood experiences, which was why he had an urgent desire to make money.
When he learned that jade could be found locally, he conceived the idea of making a fortune. However, the money he had for buying jade was stolen by someone, leaving him in this sorry state. Although Nadila's hand was only scalded by hot water, she was a girl after all, and everyone worried that the back of her hand would be scarred, blaming Sultan for being too careless and causing the child injury.
Sultan had a rather patriarchal mindset, believing that taking care of children should be left to women, and as a result, he was scolded by the elder aunt. Zhang Fengxia, when no one was paying attention, secretly handed the bullet she had dug out of the tree to Sultan. Unexpectedly, Sultan became furious, suspecting that she had reported him for hiding a gun to Uncle Bieke.
Uncle Bieke heard the commotion and came over to mediate, telling Sultan to hand over the hunting rifle. Tuo Ken, holding his daughter, was heartbroken and quite resentful towards Sultan, having long wanted to leave them with his children. Sultan was also full of suppressed anger, so he vented it on his son Ba Tai, warning him to give up the idea of marrying Li Wenxiu. Li Wenxiu would not possibly stay here to herd with him.
Ba Tai said he would return to the horse farm sooner or later. Sultan was furious, picked up the hunting rifle, and was about to kill Taxue. Ba Tai saw this and shielded the horse, but was slapped by his father. The father-son conflict erupted.
Episode 7 Recap
On the slope north of the riverbank, the grass was lush and thick. Li Wenxiu often came here for a nap. The warm sun shone on her body, and when she woke up, it was already sunset. The terrain near the slope was gentle. Sometimes, flocks of sheep would pass by, kicking up dust and bleating endlessly.
Ba Tai, who was herding the sheep, leisurely played with his whip, reining in his horse and walking back and forth horizontally, following the flock neither too fast nor too slow. One day, Ba Tai spotted Li Wenxiu. While she was sleeping soundly, he deliberately tied a shepherd's knot on her shoelace. Li Wenxiu instantly guessed it was Ba Tai's prank, but she quickly forgave him.
Ba Tai lifted her onto his horse and took her to the birch forest, where he peeled off birch bark for her to use as writing paper. Because of his father's interference, Ba Tai subtly expressed his distress to Li Wenxiu. He couldn't follow Li Wenxiu to Beijing, nor could he guarantee that Li Wenxiu would be willing to stay on the grassland.
In Ba Tai's plans for the future, he would return to the horse farm sooner or later, but his family situation made him conflicted. Li Wenxiu couldn't bear to see Ba Tai sad and tearing up, so she expressed her willingness to stay at the ranch, saying she could still create excellent articles. The young couple openly expressed their feelings for each other in the birch forest. Sweetness and promises turned into action, looking forward to a better future.
Gao Xiaoliang had picked wood ear mushrooms and was waiting in the woods for Li Wenxiu to return. He could tell at a glance that she was in love, so he discussed with her not to obstruct his relationship with Zhang Fengxia anymore, as they also wanted to start a family. That evening, Gao Xiaoliang asked Zhang Fengxia if she was willing to leave with him.
As outsiders, they didn't belong to this land, and it would be better for them to go out and make a living elsewhere. But Zhang Fengxia didn't give Gao Xiaoliang a clear answer; she still had some concerns. Gao Xiaoliang didn't press further, willing to give her some time to consider. In the following days, Zhang Fengxia was responsible for drying the wood ear mushrooms and also purchasing these mountain products from her herdsmen friends.
Gao Xiaoliang, meanwhile, went into the pine forest alone to forage. In the deep, dark, damp, and sticky depths of this forest, anything with life willingly hid itself in the shadows, making it extremely difficult to find. Li Wenxiu learned that Zhang Fengxia was going to let Gao Xiaoliang deliver goods and felt a little uneasy. She told her that when she was working in Urumqi, Gao Xiaoliang had cheated her out of two hundred yuan.
Perhaps Gao Xiaoliang wasn't necessarily a terrible villain, but Li Wenxiu felt he was definitely not a good person. Unfortunately, Zhang Fengxia spoke well of Gao Xiaoliang at every turn, which made her very angry. At this moment, Chao Ge suddenly came to find Zhang Fengxia and took her to see the nearby grassland that had been extensively damaged. At a glance, there were large and small pits dug by people, with leftover caterpillar fungus inside.
Because Xinjiang caterpillar fungus is different from Tibetan caterpillar fungus, their medicinal values vary greatly. Therefore, market vendors often use Xinjiang caterpillar fungus to impersonate Tibetan caterpillar fungus to deceive people, losing all conscience for the sake of making money. Since the local grass and water are natural feed for cattle and sheep, herdsmen would absolutely not destroy them. Chao Ge suspected that the person most likely to do this was Gao Xiaoliang.
But Zhang Fengxia firmly believed in Gao Xiaoliang's character and refuted Chao Ge's suspicion for him. Unfortunately, Chao Ge didn't have solid evidence, so he could only brood. Soon, Gao Xiaoliang came back with more wood ear mushrooms. While they were sorting the dried mushrooms, Zhang Fengxia noticed a rainbow by the river and immediately dragged him to go drinking and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
They drank until they were completely drunk in the evening, and Gao Xiaoliang carried her back home. Li Wenxiu still had some feelings of annoyance towards Gao Xiaoliang, always feeling that he had ulterior motives for approaching her mother. The next morning, Gao Xiaoliang packed the wood ear mushrooms onto his motorcycle and, before leaving, said he would stay in the city for two days, hoping Zhang Fengxia would reply as soon as she had thought about it.
Zhang Fengxia hesitated for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Gao Xiaoliang's clothes corner, reminding him that whether he came back or not, he shouldn't associate with people selling fake caterpillar fungus. Gao Xiaoliang replied to Zhang Fengxia not to worry too much. However, local people rarely eat wood ear mushrooms, so Gao Xiaoliang's selling process was not smooth. Finally, relying on Zhang Fengxia's name, he managed to sell the wood ear mushrooms for a hundred yuan.
While eating, Gao Xiaoliang met an old acquaintance in the county town. The other person revealed that he had recently been collecting caterpillar fungus, with prices reaching ten thousand yuan per kilogram, which instantly made Gao Xiaoliang feel tempted. Ever since Gao Xiaoliang went to the county town to sell wood ear mushrooms, Zhang Fengxia often stood by the tree near the intersection, looking into the distance.
Day after day, she never saw that familiar figure, and her heart gradually grew cold. In the blink of an eye, a month passed. Everyone knew that Zhang Fengxia's man had run off with the goods. But Zhang Fengxia didn't forget to settle the money for the goods with them and said that even without a man, she could still live well.
Episode 8 (Ending) Recap
A series of conflicts caused Sultan to fall into self-doubt; he realized his assertiveness had brought trouble to his family. Finally, he agreed to let Tuo Ken take the two children to the county town for school. Tuo Ken told Ba Tai this news and also hoped that the conflict between Ba Tai and Sultan could be resolved, so as not to damage the father-son relationship.
On the day of Eid al-Adha, Ba Tai gave Treading Snow, which he had painstakingly cared for, to Li Wenxiu, trusting that Li Wenxiu and Treading Snow would get along well. Because Eid al-Adha is a major festival, local herdsmen gathered to watch the horse race, and there was also a lively market nearby. Even Zhang Fengxia brought a camel to sell things. Sultan, dressed solemnly, rode a horse carrying a hunting rifle to find Ba Tai.
With Uncle Ayibek's mediation, the father and son finally had a frank and open talk. Although Sultan found it difficult to accept the changing world, he was still willing to persuade himself to let Ba Tai pursue the life he wanted, and he handed in his last hunting rifle. Seeing his father's change, Ba Tai was deeply moved, and the father and son cleared up their past grievances.
On the other side, Chao Ge unexpectedly met Gao Xiaoliang, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, at the market and angrily accused him of damaging the environment, which Gao Xiaoliang denied. Gao Xiaoliang stated that he was buying caterpillar fungus at a high price at the market, and had not personally dug up the turf, so there was no damage.
For this reason, Chao Ge could only condemn Gao Xiaoliang morally, as he had no evidence to prove that the other party had broken the law. Li Wenxiu saw Gao Xiaoliang ride away on a motorcycle and, ignoring Zhang Fengxia's dissuasion, insisted on riding Treading Snow to chase after him. At this moment, Ba Tai was about to participate in a race, so he handed the hunting rifle to Zhang Fengxia for her to pass to Uncle Ayibek.
However, Zhang Fengxia was worried about her daughter's safety, so she did not immediately go to Uncle Ayibek but held the hunting rifle and looked around. On a high slope not far away, Gao Xiaoliang was trading caterpillar fungus with someone and got into a dispute because the other party went back on their word.
Li Wenxiu rushed over, cursed at Gao Xiaoliang, and tried to snatch the pendant from his neck, but was tackled to the ground by Gao Xiaoliang. Zhang Fengxia saw this scene and did not hesitate to press the hunting rifle against Gao Xiaoliang's head. Li Wenxiu seized the opportunity to get up.
Gao Xiaoliang explained that he originally wanted to exchange the old woman's jade pendant for money so he could take Zhang Fengxia away from here in the future, but he didn't do so, which is why he came up with the idea of selling caterpillar fungus. Until this day, Zhang Fengxia saw Gao Xiaoliang's true nature and realized that she and he were completely from different worlds.
Zhang Fengxia, disappointed, injured Gao Xiaoliang and warned him not to think about caterpillar fungus again, or next time he would be shot. However, the more Gao Xiaoliang thought about it, the angrier he became. He furiously chased Zhang Fengxia and her daughter, who were on horseback, on his motorcycle and pulled Zhang Fengxia off the horse. Fortunately, the police arrived in time to catch Gao Xiaoliang.
Li Wenxiu didn't know how to handle a horse and was dragged along by Treading Snow, getting injured. Ba Tai, who arrived late to save Li Wenxiu, pierced Treading Snow's neck with an arrow. To alleviate Treading Snow's suffering further, he personally cut off its head with a knife, and then cried heartbrokenly. Everyone present was moved and saddened by the sight, and Li Wenxiu was already crying uncontrollably. That day, Li Wenxiu sat alone at the table, silently crying.
After crying for a long time, she gradually calmed down, put on her glasses, picked up her pen, and wrote line after line in her notebook, putting an imperfect end to her brief love story. She wrote: The world is bright, the land is vast, late autumn has arrived. After Eid al-Adha, Tuo Ken took the children back to the county town for school and was loving and sweet with Chao Ge.
Sultan sold some livestock and went alone to the deep mountain pasture. Zhang Fengxia followed Ayibek back to Caihong Bulake; memories flooded her heart and were buried deep again. Ba Tai, on the other hand, left without saying goodbye and returned alone to the Burqin horse farm. After saying goodbye to her mother, Li Wenxiu personally came to the horse farm to find Ba Tai and learned that Ba Tai had gone to Qingdao to study.
Zhang Fengxia comforted her heartbroken daughter and told her a phone number from the city. Through the number, she found the Liyuan Publishing House and learned that Liu Haibo had been looking for her for three full months, preparing to publish a collection of her articles. That evening, Li Wenxiu had dinner with everyone and shared her experiences on the grassland.
She said that she had learned about love, life, and getting hurt, but had also caused harm to others, feeling full of guilt. From then on, Li Wenxiu stayed at the publishing house to work, achieving her literary dream and receiving her first payment for her writing. She did not return to Caihong Bulake again, but traveled around, organizing her observations and publishing them.
Several years later, Li Wenxiu saved some money and had seen the vibrant world, finally remembering her mother far away on the grassland. Another three years passed in the blink of an eye. Li Wenxiu bought fireworks and returned to Caihong Bulake for the New Year, inviting Chao Ge, A Yao, Sultan, and others to gather.
Sultan asked Zhang Fengxia to tell Li Wenxiu not to send money every year, and that the truth of what happened back then was not her fault. As the fireworks brilliantly soared into the sky, everyone heard the sound of horse hooves. Following the sound, they looked and saw Ba Tai removing his hat, revealing his familiar face. Li Wenxiu's eyes were filled with tears.
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