When We Were Young Episode 8 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Following up on Li Yu’s decision to have Hua Biao take his place, Yang Xi confronted Li Yu, questioning why he had stood her up for their planned outing. Li Yu, still grappling with his feelings for Yang Xi and memories of his mother's departure, vaguely explained that something unexpected had come up. The awkward tension was broken by the arrival of Yang Xi's brother, Yang Chao, who had returned home to collect clothes for a three-day research field trip.
After warning them about an impending rainstorm, Yang Chao proudly showcased his latest invention, a rainwater collector, asking for help in applying for a patent. Meanwhile, Hua Biao received a call from Yang Ming, who asked him to visit a patient on his behalf in exchange for payment. Hua Biao readily agreed.
At his grandmother’s bun shop, where his friends were having breakfast, Hua Biao claimed he needed to get a gas tank refilled and asked Yang Xi to cover for him at school, telling the teacher he had a stomach ache. As he rushed off, his grandmother pointed out that he had forgotten the gas tank. While eating, his friends speculated about Hua Biao’s frequent meetings with Yang Ming, noting they often exchanged kraft paper bags and suspected it involved money.
During the conversation, Yang Xi inadvertently revealed that Hua Biao had treated her to Pizza Hut, much to her friends' surprise and slight annoyance. Later at school, the director criticized Yang Xi for the dusty handrail at Shanqing Building, as she was the student on duty for cleaning. When asked about her partner, Yang Xi hesitantly named Hua Biao, who rushed in at that moment, claiming he had an unavoidable stomachache.
Unconvinced, the director ordered them both to clean the handrail after class. To finish quickly, Hua Biao suggested they slide down the railing on a rag. They playfully pretended to be the superheroes He-Man and She-Ra as they slid down, only to be caught by the director. He sternly reminded Hua Biao of his past expulsion and warned Yang Xi against such antics. As punishment, he ordered them to hold basins full of water on the playground for twenty minutes.
On the playground, as it began to rain heavily, they embraced the downpour, splashing water on themselves and turning their punishment into a game. Amid their laughter, Hua Biao suddenly fainted. In the infirmary, a feverish Hua Biao woke up and cried out in fear at the sight of an injection needle. Yang Xi calmed him by promising there would be no shot, while secretly signaling the doctor to administer it while he was distracted.
The pain caused Hua Biao to flinch, leading to a brief, awkward physical contact with Yang Xi. Afterward, still disoriented, he vaguely recalled skipping class to play a video game and was frustrated that someone had broken his high score. During a school physical, the girls noted that Yang Xiao Hemei's chest development was more advanced, and the doctor advised her to wear an adult bra.
At the same time, Li Yu, Ertiao, and Hua Biao grew concerned about their sparse leg hair, fearing it was a sign of excessive estrogen. Li Yu got hair growth lotion from his father’s factory, lying that it was for the director’s son. The three applied it liberally to their legs and sat on the rooftop for "photosynthesis" to stimulate growth. However, their legs soon broke out in an intensely itchy rash.
They rushed to wash it off, but with the water cut off at Hua Biao’s house, they desperately ran outside and jumped into a swimming pool. Later, while shopping for bras with Hemei, Yang Xi lamented her lack of suitors. Hemei teased that it was because everyone knew Li Yu had "declared his ownership" of her. That evening, the boys paused to watch the iconic confession scene from "A Chinese Odyssey."
Inspired, Hua Biao asked Li Yu if he should confess his feelings to Yang Xi. Li Yu, haunted by the memory of his mother leaving, felt a deep-seated fear that Yang Xi would also leave him, and struggled to give a sincere answer. The next day, their teacher, Mr. Kong, discovered that Ertiao had dyed his hair red and Yang Xi had gotten a perm for the upcoming Leon Lai concert.
Though a fan himself, Mr. Kong insisted they follow school rules and restore their hair. Later, while buying concert tickets for the class with Yang Xi, Hua Biao, looking pale, fainted again after buying red bean cakes for her, insisting he wasn't hungry himself. It was revealed that Hua Biao was severely anemic because he had been saving money by splitting one meal into two, lying to his grandmother that the school provided dinner.
Overcome with guilt, Yang Xi confided in Hemei, who in turn shared her own anxieties about the relentless pressure to study. Yang Xi later visited Hua Biao, who, happy to see her concern, assured her he would be fine after a good meal. That evening, the director took over their class and forced them to stay late to correct their work, threatening a pop quiz. Determined to make the concert, the students worked furiously and finally passed his test.
They caught the last bus to the venue, only to find the concert had ended early due to the rain. Despite their deep disappointment, they cherished the shared memory, reflecting that it was an experience unique to their youth. In the following days, life returned to a new normal: Yang Xi received a mixtape from Li Yu, Hemei's grandmother brought Hua Biao sauced beef to help him recover, and Hemei prepared for her first private tutoring session.
