When We Were Young Episode 19 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Hua Biao rose early and, fearing his grandmother might wander off due to her condition, subtly retrieved her keys and locked the main door. He then took her place at the family's bun stall, where he began to study traditional Chinese medicine, researching ancient herbal remedies. Meanwhile, at Yang Xi’s home, Yang Chao arrived for breakfast, announcing exciting news.
Due to his exceptional academic performance in electronic engineering, he had been accepted into an exchange program at MIT with a full scholarship. His parents were overjoyed and embraced him, ready to sell everything to support him. However, Yang Chao then revealed his true ambition: he wanted to start a technology company with his classmate, He Xiaoming. Despite having over a hundred small inventions, his parents dismissed them as useless and flatly refused to lend him money for his venture.
Yang Chao was frustrated, as only his sister, Yang Xi, understood and supported his entrepreneurial dream, playfully choosing "Starting a company" over MIT for him. Back at school, Hemei was distraught over a particularly difficult physics problem, vowing to master it after the teacher threatened punishment for repeated errors. She even cut a lock of her hair as a symbol of her resolve.
During class, Yang Xi, learning that the string for Hua Biao’s cherished stone had broken, started braiding a new one with colorful threads. Hua Biao, noticing her distraction, urged her to focus on her studies, offering to tutor her. Yang Xi, feeling defeated by her recent mock exam results, was dismissive, expressing her belief that it was too late for her to improve.
Hua Biao wondered why she was so fixated on the small stone, while Yang Xi wondered why he was so fixated on her grades. They both realized the answer was the same: because it was important to the other person. After school, Ertiao enthusiastically invited his classmates to his home for karaoke. However, most declined, prioritizing their studies. Hua Biao insisted that Yang Xi come with him to study.
At Yang Xi’s home, Hua Biao, Li Yu, and Yang Xi gathered for a study session, with Yang Xi’s mother, Du Yuemei, supervising and actively participating. Yang Xi, however, remained uncooperative, much to her mother’s frustration. Simultaneously, at Ertiao’s house, his father, Situ Dongfeng, angrily confronted him for running a business using his connections, smashing the door to Ertiao's room and discovering his inventory.
A heated argument ensued, with Situ Dongfeng insulting Ertiao’s poor grades and disparaging his friends, the "Speeding Five." Enraged, Ertiao called his mother, exposing his father’s infidelity, and Situ Dongfeng slapped him. Ertiao then stormed out of the house. That night, Hua Biao returned home, where his grandmother questioned him about locking her in all day. Hua Biao tried to cover his actions, claiming he was afraid she might go out alone.
He then subtly tested her memory by asking about the Gaokao date and the current date, finding her answers surprisingly clear, which made him doubt her dementia diagnosis. The next morning, Du Yuemei told Yang Weiguo and Yang Xi about an upstairs neighbor whose son gained extra points for an art exam by practicing a single piano tune for a year. Inspired, she suggested Yang Xi take up an instrument like the violin.
Yang Xi, who claimed she couldn't sing a note, protested, leading to another argument with her mother. At school, Hua Biao noticed Yang Xi and Ertiao were both absent. That evening, as Hua Biao’s grandmother prepared buns, she gazed at her deceased son Junsheng's photograph and had a momentary hallucination of him returning, leading her to accidentally burn her hand on the pressure cooker. Hua Biao quickly tended to her injury.
The family then faced further hardship as Li Yu’s father and Yang Xi’s mother, Du Yuemei, both lost their jobs. Witnessing the grim reality, Yang Chao quietly put away his startup guide. Soon after, Yang Weiguo received a call from Mr. Kong, informing him that Yang Xi had skipped school all day. Frantic, Du Yuemei, accompanied by Yang Chao and Li Yu, immediately set out to search for her. They eventually found Yang Xi loudly singing karaoke at Ertiao’s house.
Yang Chao tried to persuade her to come home, but Yang Xi defiantly refused, saying she hated being home and felt like a fool who would ruin her family’s perfect image. Du Yuemei then addressed both Yang Chao and Yang Xi, acknowledging that she and their father had always tried their best for them. She conceded that they had grown up and were tired of their parents, but reaffirmed their unchanging love.
She stated that they accepted their children's choices—Yang Chao could go to MIT or start his company, and Yang Xi could choose a good university or a vocational school. However, if they ever regretted their choices and returned home, they must accept their parents' endless words. Before leaving, Du Yuemei quietly told Yang Chao not to reveal her job loss to Yang Xi. Following Granny's hand injury, the "Speeding Five" rallied to help her, tirelessly making and selling buns.
Friends, teachers, and students from both Yucai and Huiying high schools came out in full support, helping Hua Biao earn a significant amount of money for his grandmother. Li Yu presented Hua Biao with a good luck amulet he had brought from Japan for Granny's well-being. Yang Xi also gave Hua Biao a newly braided five-strand red string for his cherished stone, assuring him it was secure. Hua Biao expressed his gratitude, wishing for his grandmother's continued safety and health.
