Twelve Letters Episode 1 Recap
> Twelve Letters Recap
In the pouring rain of a dark night, a somber woman penned a letter. After placing it in an envelope, she vanished, leaving behind only a chrysanthemum cat. The letter, a suicide note, was addressed to her nineteen-year-old self, expressing her exhaustion and inability to escape Meiwan Town or "him." She wished for a chance to choose if her life could begin again, dating the letter September 3, 1991.
Years later, in the winter of 2026, a security guard named Zhang Quan in Beixing City noticed an old man, Yu Zhiyong, repeatedly breaching the property. Zhang Quan confronted him, asking why he sat there daily. Yu Zhiyong initially claimed he was "waiting for a letter" but later corrected himself, saying he was "sending letters." Zhang Quan, frustrated, tried to get him to leave, explaining the property was scheduled for demolition and he risked losing his job.
Nian, Yu Zhiyong's daughter, arrived to take him home. Zhang Quan complained about the old man's persistent intrusions, which had already led to a confrontation with his coworker. Nian attempted to persuade her father to move to Beijing with her, mentioning she had already bought tickets and arranged a car with her friend Miaomiao. However, Yu Zhiyong refused, insisting he had something important to do and would return afterward.
Nian, exasperated, argued that his refusal was a burden that cost her a relationship with Mingxiao and jeopardized her job in Beijing. She urged him to visit a doctor instead of just taking medication, but Yu Zhiyong remained steadfast in his desire to "send letters." The next morning, Nian awoke to find her father gone. She discovered a note from him, explaining he didn't want to leave, burden her, or make her angry, and that his illness wasn't entirely bad.
He reiterated his need to complete an important task before returning. Nian reported him missing to the police, identifying him from a blurry surveillance image, though the police found no trace of him at the factory she suggested. Concerned about her father's confused state, Nian returned to the property where he often sat.
There, Zhang Quan informed her that Yu Zhiyong had visited again the previous night, put a letter in the mailbox, and then mysteriously disappeared, as if he had "crawled into the mailbox." Dismissing Zhang Quan's "nonsense," Nian opened the mailbox herself. Inside, she found a letter addressed to Ye Haitang, dated September 3, 1991.
Overcome with emotion, Nian tearfully apologized to her father, promising not to force him to move and begging him to come home, as a cat meowed nearby. The story then shifted to Meiwan Town in 1991. Li Chadong, along with Tang Yixun and another subordinate, was discussing their plan to buy a large trawler, which required over ten thousand yuan.
Li Chadong instructed his men to carry out two debt collection jobs west of the bridge, after which they were to meet Bao. At Ye Yibo's house, Li Chadong and his men confronted Ye Haitang, demanding a 1,000-yuan debt owed by her father. Ye Haitang stated her father was absent and informed them it was her Grandma’s seventh-day memorial. Unmoved, Li Chadong ordered his men to take items as collateral.
When a subordinate found and seized some cash, Ye Haitang pleaded with them, revealing it was her Grandma's money. To honor the deceased, Li Chadong agreed not to seize more items but warned Ye Haitang to tell her father to pay by next month. As they left, Ye Haitang tried to retrieve the money from the subordinate to no avail, and Tang Yixun paused, looking back at her with a conflicted expression.
Later, at the video store, Tang Yixun discussed his ambitions with a friend, expressing his and Li Chadong's goal to save money for a ten-meter trawler capable of sailing fifty nautical miles, aiming for a more respectable livelihood transporting goods. Meanwhile, Li Chadong received a phone call from his boss, who demanded the collection of a debt, regardless of the borrower's mother having passed away and a funeral being held.
Following this, Bao, a more dominant figure in the underworld, confronted Li Chadong, telling him to assign Ye Yibo's debt to Qiang, one of Bao's own men. Bao reminded Li Chadong of his dependence and instructed him to remember his place. Tang Yixun, despite being involved with Li Chadong, also attended school. On his first day, he arrived late, drawing a reprimand from Miss Tan (Tan Xin), his teacher.
She urged him to finish his senior year for a diploma and to avoid debt collection and fighting with Li Chadong. Tang Yixun reassured her that Li Chadong never involved him in such activities. In class, Miss Tan introduced Tang Yixun, who identified himself to the class, which included Ye Haitang, the class monitor. Miss Tan instructed Ye Haitang to assist Tang Yixun with textbooks and class funds.
After school, Tang Yixun encountered Shen Xiaojun, a student who boasted about his brother's connections with Qiang from Old Street, offering protection. Tang Yixun politely declined an invitation to play pool, saying he had other commitments. On the street, Ye Haitang confronted Tang Yixun, demanding her Grandma's money back and threatening to report him to the school. Tang Yixun denied having the money. Ye Haitang accused him of being involved in debt collection for her father's gambling debts.
A classmate, observing them, later identified Tang Yixun as a "hooligan" seen at an Old Street pool hall and advised Ye Haitang to keep her distance from him. Ye Haitang also worked at the Sunshine Bookstore, where her boss discussed a new marketing idea: "Write a letter to your future self." Ye Haitang liked the concept, and the boss explained it as a way for customers to write "diaries" of their feelings, which the bookstore would store for future retrieval.
While drinking tea with his subordinates, Li Chadong discussed the violent debt collection for "mustache," one of Bao's fellow villagers. He stated their plan to buy a trawler in a month, envisioning a legitimate business transporting clothing to earn respectable money, even if it meant undercutting Bao's prices.
Li Chadong then informed Tang Yixun that they would no longer pursue Ye Yibo's debt, stating that "Bao's men" would handle such "small debts" as they were "a bunch of scumbags" who used brutal methods. Tang Yixun expressed concern for Ye Yibo's daughter, Ye Haitang, acknowledging her pitiful situation. The next day, a new mailbox mysteriously appeared outside the Sunshine Bookstore. The owner discovered a letter inside, addressed to Ye Haitang.
Thinking it perfect for their new event, he asked Ye Haitang to get a lock for it. At school, as Ye Haitang collected class funds, Shen Xiaojun and another student mocked her. Later, Shen Xiaojun rummaged through Ye Haitang's bag and found the letter. Ye Haitang confronted Tang Yixun outside, accusing him of writing the letter and threatening to call the police. Tang Yixun denied it.
Shen Xiaojun then read the "corny" love letter aloud in class, attributing it to "Xun." Ye Haitang tried to retrieve it, but Shen Xiaojun resisted. Tang Yixun intervened, kicking Shen Xiaojun and taking the letter. Miss Tan entered, believing Tang Yixun was responsible. Despite his denials and explanation that the handwriting was similar but not his, Miss Tan dismissed his claims, ordering him to write a self-criticism. He refused.
Later, Ye Haitang's father, concerned about the incident, met with Miss Tan. He took responsibility for neglecting Ye Haitang's upbringing, acknowledging her sensitivity and the profound impact of her Grandma's passing. He pleaded with Miss Tan to give the students a second chance, suggesting they were "just trying to make friends" and promising such an incident wouldn't recur. Miss Tan agreed not to blame Ye Haitang, advising her father to be more attentive.
Tang Yixun, present at the meeting, was identified by Ye Haitang's father. When he tried to lecture Tang Yixun on focusing on studies and upholding student ethics, Tang Yixun retorted, "Who are you to lecture me?" and again denied writing the letter. Ye Haitang's father attempted to defuse the situation, suggesting they treat it as a joke, but warned Tang Yixun of serious consequences if it happened again. Miss Tan confirmed the letter had been "thrown away."
As Ye Haitang's father and Miss Tan left, Ye Haitang remained. A voiceover, presumably from Nian, concluded the episode: "A'Tang, I wanted to help you escape this endless suffering, but I never imagined I was opening another abyss. The abyss is more terrifying than a mire, because demons lurk within."
