When We Were Young Episode 22 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Yang Chao's father was sternly disciplining Yang Chao and Li Yu over their attempt to sell hats. Yang Chao then announced that he had decided to go to America, having received a scholarship from his university. He explained that he had initially wanted to do something good for his mother and father before leaving, and to set a good example for Yang Xi and Li Yu, but he realized his competence was insufficient.
He added that he had learned from Yang Xi to do something he was capable of. At Yang Chao's request, his mother lovingly prepared to sew a hidden pocket in his underwear to keep his money safe. Meanwhile, Li Yu anxiously inquired about his father's true situation in Guangzhou. Yang's parents assured him his father was doing well, but Li Yu remained unconvinced.
Later, Yang Xi headed to Hua Biao's house, intending to study with him and bring some food for his grandmother. However, Hua Biao was about to leave, stating he was unavailable and suggesting "maybe next time." Yang Xi noticed his feet looked peculiar, and Hua Biao explained they were itching because he hadn't worn socks for three days. He then had to rush off. Yang Xi was disappointed and returned home, encountering a worried Li Yu on the way.
Li Yu asked if Yang Xi had received any calls from his father. Yang Xi confirmed she had, though her parents had answered. To ease Li Yu's worries, she revealed that his father had sent her 200 yuan, which she then gave to Li Yu, suggesting he keep it as a "mysterious fund for a rainy day." She reassured him that his father must be doing very well if he was so generous. The intense review sessions continued at school.
Teacher Kong announced the new one-on-one tutoring groups for the upcoming mock exam. Hua Biao and Yang Xi were once again paired together, as were Li Yu and Huang Dengdeng. However, when Situ Ertiao's name was called, it took a long moment for him to respond. Everyone then noticed Ertiao was hunched over his desk, crying. He tearfully revealed that his parents had just divorced, making his recurring nightmare of his mother driving away from him a painful reality.
He questioned why she left and if the outside world was so attractive that she wouldn't come back. Yang Xi tried to comfort him, telling him not to overthink things and that his phone call during a fight with his father wasn't the sole reason for their divorce.
After school, Yang Xi intended to find Hua Biao for their tutoring session, but he quickly said he was unavailable that day and hurried away, promising to make it up on the weekend. Curious, Yang Xi followed him and discovered him meeting a girl at the school gate before they rode off together. Yang Xi cycled after them but was soon spotted by Hua Biao.
When he confronted her, she directly asked if the girl was his girlfriend and if she was the one he loved. Hua Biao then asked Yang Xi if she had someone she loved, and when she confirmed, he simply affirmed that he too was in love with someone. Misinterpreting his words as a confirmation about the girl, Yang Xi, visibly heartbroken, cycled away in tears. Distraught, Yang Xi rode her bike home, her mind preoccupied, causing her to fall.
It was then that she saw her mother by the river, trying to sell beef balls from a small stall, calling out to passersby with little success. This sight deepened Yang Xi's sorrow. Later that evening, Hua Biao returned home and asked Xiao Hu to look after his grandmother, then hurried to Yang Xi's apartment building. He called her name repeatedly from downstairs until she reluctantly came out.
Seeing her tear-stained face, Hua Biao understood she was upset and realized she was jealous. He immediately explained that the girl she saw was Yang Ming's aunt, not his girlfriend, and he didn't have feelings for her. This explanation finally brought a smile to Yang Xi's face. She then asked Hua Biao again who the person he loved was. Instead of answering directly, Hua Biao leaned in and gently kissed her forehead, a gesture that silently conveyed their mutual feelings.
Yang Xi also shared her sadness about her mother struggling to sell her delicious beef balls, prompting Hua Biao to listen intently and encourage her. The next morning, Hua Biao awoke to find his grandmother dressed neatly by his bed, calling him "Junsheng" and urging him to get ready for his wedding to "Hui." She excitedly showed him a hairpin Hui had bought for her.
Moments later, her memory faltered, and she forgot about the wedding, begging "Junsheng" not to leave her, clinging to him as her "only child." As Hua Biao tried to comfort her, she suddenly grew agitated, accusing everyone of wanting to leave her alone. Hua Biao realized his grandmother's Alzheimer's was worsening, filling him with deep concern.
On the way to school, Hua Biao's friends noticed that his bun shop had been closed for several days, and they found his recent behavior quite strange. At the school gate, they encountered Yang Ming, who, seeing he couldn't hide it, admitted he was there to deliver shoes to Hua Biao. Yang Ming then explained that his aunt worked at a hair-regrowth medication factory and had helped Hua Biao get a job cleaning the waste pool there.
He elaborated that the chemical residue in the pool caused foot irritation, which was why Hua Biao's feet had been itching. Hearing this, Hua Biao's friends immediately headed to the factory. Upon seeing Hua Biao working in the pool, they took off their shoes and joined him, offering their support and singing together. Hua Biao explained that he had closed the bun stall due to his grandmother's worsening Alzheimer's.
He shared his newly found dream: to find a cure for his grandmother, hoping for a miracle despite knowing there was no known cure for her condition. Later, Yang Xi unexpectedly appeared at her mother's beef ball stall, announcing she wanted to buy all the remaining beef balls so her mother could close early. Yang Xi then offered suggestions for improving sales, proposing her mother set up a stall on the snack street near their school.
She mentioned that Teacher Kong could help secure a spot there, and recalled how popular Hua Biao's grandmother's bun stall used to be in that area, assuring her mother that her classmates would eagerly support her. As they packed up, the mother and daughter fondly reminisced about singing childhood jingles by the river, and their bond finally returned to its former intimacy.
That night, at home, Yang Xi listened to the "Music at Midnight" radio show, which announced a new segment for love songs and confessions. Inspired, she began writing what she described as the first love letter of her life, referring to the person she liked as "a miracle" she had met in her eighteen years.
