Wild Ambition Bloom Episode 36 Recap
> Wild Ambition Bloom Recap
As Japanese forces continued their sweeping invasion of North China following the fall of the Northeast, they indiscriminately ravaged the land, leaving countless common people in dire straits. Gao Qianyi urgently reported to Xia Yuan that Shouyuan Apothecary’s branches throughout North and Northeast China had been plundered, burned, seized, or sealed off, and even the venerable old store in Qizhou had been shut down.
Xia Yuan, Xu Hongnian, and Mei Sandu were left in despair, with Xia Yuan lamenting that all their decades of effort had come to nothing and wondering how they could continue doing business. Meanwhile, Mr. Ma Juncai, a committee member of the National Government, approached Chu Shaohua to propose a joint venture for a pharmaceutical factory. He stated that the government would cover all factory construction costs and operational logistics, asking Chu Shaohua only to invest the Miracle Pill formula.
In return, she would receive a mere ten percent of the shares. Cheng Hui strongly protested, citing international practice that a technology investment like the Miracle Pill should command at least fifty percent of shares, with an additional twenty percent for their unique mechanical purification and extraction technology and advanced production and sales management system.
Mr. Ma acknowledged Cheng Hui's points but argued that due to the nation's dire situation, with Northeast China already fallen and Japan poised to attack North China, international practices were not applicable. He urged Chu Shaohua to prioritize national service over personal gain, stating that building factories was imperative for national livelihood and wartime preparation.
Cheng Hui argued that while serving the nation was a shared responsibility, the terms were excessively demanding, reminding Mr. Ma that the Miracle Pill was the Chu family's ancestral treasure, and Chu Shaohua couldn't face her ancestors by simply surrendering it. Chu Shaohua insisted on retaining at least sixty percent of the shares and exclusive control over the formula. Mr. Ma maintained that the formula must be shared to expedite production for wartime needs.
After Mr. Ma left, implying Chu Shaohua was being selfish, she reflected that if the nation ceased to exist, the formula would be useless. She decided to trust the government once, on the condition that the Miracle Pills produced by the joint factory would strictly be used for fighting the Japanese invaders and never for civil war, and all profits, including her own, would be donated to the anti-Japanese war effort.
Mr. Ma readily agreed, promising to build the factory swiftly. Cheng Hui, however, expressed concern about her substantial personal sacrifice, but Chu Shaohua believed her ancestors would support her, reiterating that personal interests were insignificant compared to the nation's survival. Xia Yuan sought assistance from Komura Morikazu, who offered to help return Shouyuan Apothecary's branches in Northeast and North China and revive their sales and supply chains.
Komura clarified that he did not seek money, but a "true friendship" where their "souls intertwine and we share prosperity and suffering together." His conditions were a thirty percent share in all those branches, which his family would purchase at market value, and, as a smaller request, the formula for the Miracle Pill. Xia Yuan, understanding the gravity of the demands, asked for time to consider. Back at Shouyuan Apothecary, the partners debated Komura's offer.
Mei Sandu adamantly opposed it, asserting they must not agree to such terms, preferring to sacrifice the apothecary rather than let the Japanese have their way. Xu Hongnian argued it was the only means to save their business and all their fortune. Gao Qianyi reminded them of previous criticisms and the loss of Xia Yuan's position as Chairman of the TCM Guild due to Japanese dealings, warning that collaborating with Komura would irrevocably brand them as traitors.
Xu Hongnian countered by citing individuals who prospered by adapting to the times compared to those who faced ruin for resisting, though Mei Sandu held onto hope that the National Government would defend North China. Xia Yuan found himself caught in an ethical dilemma. That evening, a conflicted Xia Yuan visited Jujing Apothecary and met Yu Xinzheng, a new employee.
He discovered that Yu Xinzheng was the son of Yu Zhonghe, who had accompanied Xia Yuan from Qizhou to Shanghai, and the grandson of Yu Taizheng, a senior worker at Shouyuan Apothecary. Yu Xinzheng expressed his family's three generations of loyalty, hoping his own son would also benefit from Xia Yuan's patronage. Hearing this unwavering loyalty, Xia Yuan was overwhelmed with shame and broke down, muttering promises not to let them down.
Meanwhile, Cheng Hui met with Wen Zhiqiu to discuss the potential government collaboration. Wen Zhiqiu provided him with comprehensive materials, including precautions for previous government collaborations, site selection advice, lessons from past business experiences with the government, details about Ma Juncai's rise to power, and the shareholder structure of Greater China Pharmaceuticals. Soon after, Mr. Ma presented the contract for the joint venture.
Chu Shaohua meticulously reviewed it and discovered two major discrepancies: the contracting party was Greater China Pharmaceuticals, a private entity, not the National Government as initially agreed. Mr. Ma claimed this was for confidentiality as the Miracle Pill was now a military supply, but he refused to show the entrustment agreement, citing state secrecy.
Chu Shaohua also noticed that the crucial clause stipulating the non-use of Miracle Pills in civil war and the donation of all profits to the anti-Japanese effort was absent from the written contract. Mr. Ma explained these were sensitive military and partisan issues that could only be verbal promises. Chu Shaohua found these explanations unconvincing and insisted on written terms.
Mr. Ma pressured her, calling these "details" irrelevant in a time of national peril, but Chu Shaohua firmly stated it was a matter of principle. Mr. Ma, increasingly frustrated, accused Chu Shaohua of going back on her word, to which she retorted that he was the one reneging. He then asked Cheng Hui and others to leave the room for a private negotiation.
Mr. Ma offered to increase Chu Shaohua's shares to fifty percent if she signed, but she reiterated her demand for a written commitment to resist Japan, not merely shares. She confronted him directly, accusing some people of using patriotism as a facade to pursue selfish interests that betrayed the nation. Mr. Ma challenged her, asking if she knew the true shareholders of Greater China Pharmaceuticals and the consequences of offending them.
Chu Shaohua confirmed she knew and, precisely because of that, she wouldn't trust their verbal promises. Unfazed by his threats, she declared, "Suit yourself," and defiantly tore the contract into pieces. Mr. Ma, enraged, slammed the door and left. Cheng Hui suggested Chu Shaohua lie low, but she refused, saying fleeing was not her style, and asked him to dispose of the torn contract. Later, Chu Shaohua visited a street food stall frequented by Wen Zhiqiu.
They sat silently, ate their wontons, and left separately without a word. Separately, Kang Erniu was in a cafe for a business meeting regarding joining the Women Association when Mrs. Xia dramatically confronted her. Mrs. Xia offered 20,000 silver dollars and a car for Kang Erniu to leave Xia Yuan. Kang Erniu retorted by offering Mrs. Xia 200,000 silver dollars and a foreign-style house to leave Xia Yuan instead, then mockingly commented on Mrs. Xia's wealth.
Infuriated, Mrs. Xia ordered her servants to beat Kang Erniu. Later, a bruised Kang Erniu confronted Xia Yuan, demanding he take responsibility and accompany her to the hospital. Xia Yuan, preoccupied with an important meeting, refused, instead offering her money to go to the hospital and then shopping. Kang Erniu accused him of heartlessness, realizing he didn't care for her. Feeling utterly betrayed and at her wit's end, she went to Chu Shaohua.
After examining Kang Erniu’s bruises, Chu Shaohua supported her decision to leave Xia Yuan. Kang Erniu confessed her failed plan to use Xia Yuan to learn business and make money. Chu Shaohua sympathized and offered her a position as Vice General Manager, overseeing sales at Shaohua Pharmaceuticals, along with a ten percent share. She revealed she knew Kang Erniu had once anonymously bought her house for double its value, saving her from a financial crisis.
Chu Shaohua considered it time to return that kindness, emphasizing their friendship was invaluable. Kang Erniu, touched, agreed to join Chu Shaohua, asking if Chu Shaohua would forgive her if she ever betrayed her. Chu Shaohua reassured her that after all their years of friendship, nothing was unforgivable. Meanwhile, Xia Yuan decided to proceed with Komura Morikazu's terms. He forged a contract to sell the Miracle Pill formula and pressured Gao Qianyi to sign it.
Gao Qianyi was reluctant and expressed discomfort, but Xu Hongnian persuaded him that signing was the only way to avoid ruin. Gao Qianyi reluctantly relented, and Xia Yuan dispatched him to retrieve the apothecaries in North and Northeast China. Soon after, Chu Shaohua received an anonymous threatening letter containing a bullet, but she remained resolute.
Xia Yuan, accompanied by Xu Hongnian, Mei Sandu, and Gao Qianyi, confronted Chu Shaohua at Chichun Apothecary, claiming that her mother and Zhou Yan had sold him the Miracle Pill formula years ago to save her brother, Shaozhong. He presented a contract allegedly bearing the thumbprints of her mother, Zhou Yan, Gao Qianyi, Xia Yuan, and Lei Yuting of Anke Hall.
Chu Shaohua immediately disputed his claim, stating that in her memory, only the Chichun Apothecary signboard was sold, not the formula. She pointed out that neither her mother, Zhou Yan, nor Shaozhong ever mentioned selling the formula to her. Chu Shaohua explicitly questioned the authenticity of the contract, suggesting Xia Yuan might have concocted the story on a whim, especially since her deceased mother's thumbprint couldn't be verified.
Xia Yuan insisted the proof existed, listing the other thumbprints, but Chu Shaohua dismissed it as easy to forge. As a compromise, Xia Yuan offered Chu Shaohua half the rights to the Miracle Pill formula, which she staunchly refused, asserting that the formula unequivocally belonged to the Chu family and had no connection to him. When Xia Yuan threatened to take the matter to court, Chu Shaohua defiantly accepted the challenge.
Cheng Hui later advised her to settle, fearing she might lose everything in court, but Chu Shaohua was determined to fight for what was rightfully hers. To prepare, she asked Kang Erniu to find Zhou Yan to obtain her thumbprint or testimony, and instructed Cheng Hui to book her a train ticket to Peking for Qizhou, where she hoped to find old documents with Shaozhong that could resolve the dispute.
Before leaving, Chu Shaohua sought out Gao Qianyi, pressing him for details about her mother selling the signboard. Gao Qianyi, however, was evasive, claiming he couldn't recall clearly and eventually advised her to ask Xia Yuan, who "knows the details better."
