Wild Ambition Bloom Episode 25 Recap
> Wild Ambition Bloom Recap
Wen Zhiqiu’s affection for Chu Shaohua deepened, and knowing her dream to establish apothecaries across the nation, he arranged for Kang Erniu to prepare models of various houses, including one representing their future home. He spent a night carving apothecary signs for different regions and meticulously set up the display in a hotel room at Astor House, intending for Chu Shaohua to hang the signs herself.
However, Chu Shaohua’s visit to Astor House led to an unexpected encounter with Xia Chu, who was overjoyed to see her alive, having believed she had died in a cliff fall. Xia Chu, meanwhile, had begun a relationship with Zhou Jieru during his studies in France. Though thrilled to see Xia Chu, Chu Shaohua felt a pang of discomfort seeing him with Zhou Jieru and impulsively introduced Wen Zhiqiu as her fiancé to mask her feelings.
Wen Zhiqiu, realizing the deep connection between Chu Shaohua and Xia Chu, abandoned his plan to confess his love. He initially resisted Chu Shaohua's request to continue the pretense, stating he had standards and wouldn’t fake a relationship that could harm his reputation, especially after a previous dangerous incident where he almost lost his life.
Yet, after Shaohua’s persistent pleas, and offering to redesign the Hugu Pill packaging and put him in sole charge of Xia Yuan’s guild election, Wen Zhiqiu reluctantly agreed. Chu Shaohua noticed his unusual behavior, but Wen Zhiqiu kept his true feelings to himself. Returning home disheartened, Chu Shaohua informed Kang Erniu about Xia Chu and his new girlfriend, finding some solace in their apparent happiness.
Kang Erniu, eager to know if Wen Zhiqiu had proposed, discovered he hadn’t, and that Chu Shaohua viewed him merely as a good partner. Concerned, Kang Erniu sought out Wen Zhiqiu, finding him intoxicated and despondent. She chided him for letting the opportunity pass, but Wen Zhiqiu confessed he perceived Chu Shaohua still harbored feelings for Xia Chu and didn't want to force her.
He reflected on Chu Shaohua’s composure and clarity, contrasting it with the melting frost and rising heat he observed in her today. He had believed they were two trees growing together, but now understood she needed to "feel the spark again." In a moment of despair, he discarded the carved signs for Chichun Apothecary and their shared home, only to retrieve them from downstairs, unable to truly let go.
That night, Xia Chu, Wen Zhiqiu, and Chu Shaohua all grappled with their unspoken feelings, finding no sleep. Xia Yuan sought to become the chairman of the TCM Guild, with Chu Shaohua’s full support, but his approval rating stood at a mere 20%, significantly trailing Tian Tongdao’s 30%, with the remaining 50% undecided. Three months prior, Xia Yuan had, through Mr. Lu’s connections, secured a bulk order of 500,000 boxes of anti-epidemic powder for the Zhejiang-Shanghai Allied Forces.
However, within a month, the allied forces suffered a defeat, rendering the entire batch unsellable. Xia Yuan implored Wen Zhiqiu and Chu Shaohua to help him offload the massive inventory. Both Chu Shaohua and Wen Zhiqiu found the task challenging; selling such a large quantity at a loss would take a long time, estimating 20 years with their current distribution or six months if over 300 Shanghai pharmacies joined.
However, those pharmacies would only participate if there was a substantial profit. After careful consideration, Chu Shaohua proposed a drastic solution: donate all 500,000 boxes to Shanghai's 500,000 industrial workers, ensuring each received one box. Xu Hongnian and Mei Sandu vehemently opposed this, arguing it would incur a massive loss of 100,000 silver dollars, while the cost was only 30,000.
They proposed an alternative plan to sell the medicine at a significantly reduced price (5 wen ex-factory, 40 wen retail) through over 300 pharmacies, which they calculated would still result in a loss of 28,000 silver dollars, a sum they also deemed too high. They then suggested sending the medicine to the north, but Chu Shaohua reminded them it was specifically formulated for the southern climate and would be ineffective elsewhere, thus damaging Jujing Apothecary's reputation.
Chu Shaohua then presented Xia Yuan’s campaign strategy, highlighting the substantial cost of roughly 32,000 silver dollars needed for public relations and networking, including reporter interviews, newspaper/magazine ads, fliers, and posters, to counter the prevalent perception among local apothecaries that he was merely a "northerner who came to Shanghai to make a quick buck," viewed as "mercenary and cold-hearted."
Weighing his options, Xia Yuan ultimately agreed to donate the anti-epidemic powder to the industrial workers, seeing it as a strategic move to improve his public image and bolster his candidacy for guild chairman. Chu Shaohua then visited Baoxing Cotton Mill, her former workplace, where she found Xia Chu delivering a powerful speech.
He rallied the female workers, emphasizing their vital role in society and urging them to overthrow the old regime and establish a new one based on equality, free of class and exploitation, deeply resonating with Chu Shaohua. Yin Amei and Luo Cuiying spotted Chu Shaohua and introduced her to Xia Chu.
Hearing of her plan to provide free medicine to industrial workers, Xia Chu readily offered his help in distribution, leveraging his network of workers' organizations like the Workers' Club and League of Comrades, which spanned every factory, dock, and station in Shanghai, ensuring direct delivery. Chu Shaohua asked if they could also distribute business cards for Jujing Apothecary and Wen's Pharmacy, to which Xia Chu agreed.
He further suggested printing slogans on the medicine packaging, encouraging workers to unite and fight for equal rights, a proposal Chu Shaohua enthusiastically accepted. With his busy schedule of speeches—including one at Domestic and Foreign Cotton Mill No. 8 and another for the Printers' Union—Xia Chu connected Chu Shaohua with Yin Amei for future arrangements and instructed her to contact Pang Tiaodu for the medicine delivery.
Chu Shaohua personally went to Zhabei Cargo Dock to find Pang Tiaodu, where Xia Chu happened to be giving a speech. Meanwhile, Wen Zhiqiu received a phone call from Mr. Zheng from Songjiang, requesting early settlement of accounts due to a family emergency. Wen Zhiqiu went to find Chu Shaohua for the ledger, only to learn from his staff that she had gone to Zhabei Cargo Dock to deliver anti-epidemic powder, filling in for Sun who was on leave.
He promptly drove there. At the dock, as Xia Chu was passionately speaking about worker exploitation, a man fell into the water. Xia Chu immediately jumped in, rescuing the worker and performing emergency first aid, successfully reviving him. The grateful dockworkers rallied around Xia Chu, pledging their support, declaring, "You call the shots on union matters. We'll do whatever you say." Chu Shaohua, witnessing this, was deeply impressed.
Wen Zhiqiu, however, arrived and misconstrued her presence as a deliberate attempt to see Xia Chu. Seeing her gaze fixed on Xia Chu, a bitter feeling overcame him, and he subtly remarked on their long acquaintance, then pointedly suggested she clarify her single status to Xia Chu, asking why she didn't want him to know she was single, or if he was "the one you can't forget." He further accused her of coming to the dock for Xia Chu.
Chu Shaohua, dismissing his accusations as narrow-minded and ignorant, reacted angrily, threatening to push him into the river. Wen Zhiqiu, feeling unheard and disappointed, told her, "I'm really disappointed in you," and walked away, declaring he was done pretending to be her fiancé because it was no longer necessary. Kang Erniu, discerning Chu Shaohua’s lingering feelings for Xia Chu, urged her to confess.
However, acknowledging Xia Chu’s relationship with Zhou Jieru, Chu Shaohua chose to keep her emotions buried, stating Xia Chu had moved on with his life. Kang Erniu also shared her new Spring Garden Restaurant, a lavish establishment where Mu Ziru was a major shareholder and paid for most of the luxurious French lights and Italian tablecloths.
Kang Erniu also reserved a private terrace just for herself and Chu Shaohua, revealing her continued ambition to make movies, explaining she needed a backup plan despite Mu Ziru's kindness. Chu Shaohua was pleased she hadn't let love cloud her judgment, and Kang Erniu advised her to learn from past suffering. Chu Shaohua contemplated the idea of living alone, finding solace in her career. The conversation returned to Xia Chu.
Kang Erniu urged Chu Shaohua to pursue him if she still loved him, but Chu Shaohua felt it was too late. One morning, while making deliveries, Chu Shaohua encountered Xia Chu leading a street protest alongside workers and students, including Yin Amei. From Yin Amei, Chu Shaohua learned they were heading to Louza Police Station on Nanjing Road to petition for the release of arrested students. Unable to join due to her commitments, Chu Shaohua promised to bring them food.
Chu Shaohua then went to Kang Erniu's Spring Garden Restaurant, requesting meals for 200 people. Kang Erniu, demonstrating her patriotism, generously offered to prepare food for 400, covering half the cost herself, stating, "I'm Chinese too." Moments later, Mu Ziru rushed in, urgently warning Kang Erniu not to go out. He revealed that Everson had deployed numerous armed Indian officers to Louza Police Station on Nanjing Road, with explicit orders to open fire on the protesting workers.
Realizing the grave danger, Chu Shaohua immediately raced to warn Xia Chu. Arriving at Louza Police Station, she witnessed the police brutally attacking workers and students. Xia Chu rescued a wounded student and entrusted him to Chu Shaohua’s care, telling her, "I'm leaving him to you." After ensuring the student's safety, Chu Shaohua saw Xia Chu suffer a gunshot wound. She rushed to his side, and he embraced her tightly, tearfully declaring, "We'll never be separated again."
Chu Shaohua solemnly agreed. Back at his apothecary, Wen Zhiqiu learned Chu Shaohua had gone to Nanjing Road and hurried after her. From a distance, he saw Chu Shaohua bandaging Xia Chu's wound. Xia Chu, needing to return to his command post, received Chu Shaohua's promise that she would wait for him. Relieved to find Chu Shaohua safe, Wen Zhiqiu later invited her to dinner.
He subtly tried to probe her feelings for Xia Chu, lamenting her current state compared to her "stingy and money-obsessed" past self, who was "focused only on her career, with no feelings, no distractions." Chu Shaohua deflected his questions, asserting that her bond with Xia Chu transcended time and separation, with their feelings remaining unchanged even after years apart or believing the other was dead.
Wen Zhiqiu, perceiving her confidence as a dismissal of his own feelings, and realizing she had checked her watch multiple times, suspected she had a date. When she confirmed she did, he asked if the girl was pretty, and Wen Zhiqiu replied, "Prettier than you." Feeling unappreciated and annoyed, he left abruptly, expressing his disappointment in her and stating he needed to see Xia Chu, leaving Chu Shaohua to pay the bill for their untouched meal.
Meanwhile, the city was in turmoil with ongoing strikes in the Concession, as businesses vowed not to reopen "unless a satisfactory agreement is reached." Despite the turmoil, Wen's Pharmacy and Jujing Apothecary continued their joint donations for the cause. Chu Shaohua was also busy planning new branch locations on Nanjing Road, Wusong Road, and East Yan'an Road, even amidst the chaos.
