When We Were Young Episode 5 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Xia Er visited her adoptive father at the nursing home, where the medical staff informed her that his condition was worsening, and his moments of clarity were becoming increasingly rare. She learned that her father found her in a park when he was already in his forties and a bachelor. Xia Er, tearfully, promised to buy him new clothes and delicious food, regretting that she currently couldn't earn money and was instead in debt.
As her father’s dementia worsened, he struggled to recognize her, asking if she was wearing long johns and calling her a "silly girl" for claiming him as her father. Xia Er entrusted his care to the medical staff, vowing to uncover the mystery of her and Chu Yinyin's identities and settle her debts so she could properly care for him. Meanwhile, Chu Mingzhu discovered that Xiao Mei had mistakenly placed the DNA test report in Chu Yinyin's room.
Panicked, Chu Mingzhu searched and found the intact report in her study. She questioned Xiao Mei, who, fearing repercussions, lied and claimed she must have remembered incorrectly, suggesting that Xia Er had seen the report and left it on Chu Mingzhu’s desk. Xia Er felt compelled to accelerate her investigation into Chu Yinyin's disappearance and the clues left behind.
She met with Xu Konglin, Li Bai, and Li Nike to discuss the connection between Chu Yinyin’s disappearance and the book "The Taming of the Wild Boar". Xu Konglin proposed a theory that the wild boar's prolific breeding might relate to genetics. However, Li Nike was dismissive, arguing that since Chu Yinyin had returned, further investigation into her disappearance seemed unnecessary and likely just a prank to gain attention.
Xia Er, pretending to be Chu Yinyin, fiercely defended the seriousness of the situation, stating that if she hadn't been lucky, she might have been "thrown into the wild." She declared her intention to continue the investigation alone, growing frustrated when Li Bai also voiced doubts about wasting time on something that might not exist. As she stormed off, Xu Konglin followed her, urging her to tell him what kind of person she truly was.
Xia Er, recalling her past at the New Southern Vocational Technical School—cheating on exams and busily selling stockings and facial masks—felt like a useless person compared to the "Chu Yinyin" Xu Konglin knew. She then rescinded her previous demand, telling Xu Konglin that she would no longer investigate and that he should return the book.
After Xia Er left, Li Bai asked Li Nike if she was interested in Chu Yinyin, to which Li Nike retorted that she found Chu Yinyin to be "interesting." Li Bai then deduced that Li Nike harbored feelings for Xu Konglin. Back at the house, Chu Mingzhu subtly probed Xia Er about whether she had seen any document folder. Xia Er, ever vigilant, pretended complete ignorance, knowing it was a test.
Chu Mingzhu, determined to see "Chu Yinyin" excel, informed Xia Er that she would be moving into the school dormitory to improve her grades and help regain her memories. Despite Xia Er's strong internal reluctance, fearing exposure of her true identity and the inability to earn money for her adoptive father, she couldn't refuse Chu Mingzhu’s authoritative stance. Before Xia Er moved, Chu Mingzhu gave her the password to Chu Yinyin's laptop, "Lovemum520," explaining that the numbers were her birthday.
Xia Er, finding it difficult to remember, immediately changed it to "123456." Xia Er moved into the school dormitory, sharing a room with Li Nike. Shortly after her arrival, Li Bai, who had just seen "Chu Yinyin" off at the dorm entrance, was still around. Xia Er, seemingly unaffected by Li Nike's sarcastic remarks about her recent poor test scores and needing to take medicine, defiantly made herself at home by placing her mirror in Li Nike's space.
She then took medicine using Li Nike's cup, which further irritated Li Nike, who immediately declared she would throw the cup away. Xu Konglin and Li Bai went to the library to return "The Taming of the Wild Boar". There, they learned from the librarian that the entire system had recently been upgraded, and all books had been re-labeled with new reference numbers.
The librarian also clarified that the book they had wasn't supposed to be in section "32" under the old system. This meant their previous clue, "32-75," was not referring to "The Taming of the Wild Boar". Xu Konglin asked the librarian to help find the book labeled "32-75," but was told it was impossible without the new code or title.
Xu Konglin then told Li Bai that if it wasn't the book about wild boars, it must be another important book. Li Nike, overhearing their conversation about the re-labeling, mobilized her friends to search the library for any book still bearing the old "32-75" label. After an afternoon of searching, Li Nike successfully located the book, an English edition of "Hamlet". Li Nike took the book to her room, hoping to uncover its secrets.
Believing that hidden messages could be revealed by heat, she tried to burn a page, accidentally setting the book on fire before quickly extinguishing it. When Xia Er returned to the dorm to get her student ID, she smelled something burning and questioned Li Nike, who quickly hid the book.
Xia Er, after Li Nike left, searched Li Nike's room and found the book, noting its new label: "Foreign Literature 33-90," but she didn't realize its significance at that moment and placed it back on Li Nike's desk. Later, Xu Konglin deduced a correlation between the old and new library reference numbers: books previously in a "32" row were now in "33" for foreign literature.
Realizing the book she had seen in Li Nike's room was the one they were searching for, Xia Er later attempted to retrieve it. Li Nike caught Xia Er in her room and accused her of stealing, but Xia Er cleverly feigned sleepwalking to escape the confrontation. To finally obtain the book, Xia Er deliberately spilled water on Li Nike, creating a distraction to steal the book from Li Nike's bag while she was changing her uniform.
Meanwhile, the real Chu Yinyin confided in Xia Er (who was masked) about her amnesia and how she believed she was hit by Liu Qiang because she owed him ¥5,600. Xia Er, in her mind, was astonished at how quickly the debt had escalated from ¥2,000. When Chu Yinyin questioned how Xia Er knew so much about her past, Xia Er spun a tale of being a "hardcore fan."
Chu Yinyin then showed Xia Er a notebook where she had meticulously recorded all her debts and bad habits, vowing to study hard, earn money to repay everything, and never again engage in harmful activities. Xia Er, however, was secretly concerned, wondering how she would manage if the real Chu Yinyin became so capable, and even subtly advised her to not push herself too hard with studies, suggesting she aim to be an average student.
Xia Er later confronted Liu Qiang, accusing him of hitting Chu Yinyin. Liu Qiang vehemently denied it, claiming he was a chivalrous and reasonable person, which made Xia Er doubt if he was truly the assailant and wonder about Chu Yinyin’s connection to Chu Mingzhu. Xu Konglin's parents, aware of "Chu Yinyin's" amnesia, encouraged him to be more caring and supportive of his classmate during her difficult time.
