Wild Ambition Bloom Episode 5 Recap
> Wild Ambition Bloom Recap
Early one morning, Chu Shaohua arrived at the apothecary to find three accountants from brothels in Bada Hutong blocking the entrance, loudly demanding payment from Chen Ershun. To avoid disrupting business, Chu Shaohua calmly invited them inside, offering them tea and snacks while promising that Chen Ershun would soon arrive. An employee questioned her decision to let them in, but Chu Shaohua assured him someone would handle the situation.
Soon after, Mr. Chen and Chen Dashun arrived, alerted to the commotion. The accountants presented IOUs and bills personally signed by Chen Ershun, revealing he owed a total of 1,115 silver dollars. Mr. Chen, angered by his son's recklessness, declared that a debt must be paid and instructed Chu Shaohua to retrieve money from the cash box. Chu Shaohua discovered the cash box was short by three to four hundred silver dollars.
She explained that she had been recovering at home after giving birth to Xuan for the past two months, during which Chen Ershun managed the Yurong Powder accounts. It became clear he had embezzled a significant amount. Upon Chen Ershun’s return, Mr. Chen furiously confronted him, beating him for his disgraceful actions. After Chen Ershun tearfully apologized, Mr. Chen paid off all his debts, then sent him back to their hometown that very night.
Song Ping was instructed to stay and care for Chen Ershun’s mother and Xuan. Mr. Chen also decided to entrust the entire Yurong Powder business to Chu Shaohua. With Chen Ershun’s messy accounts in hand, Chu Shaohua had to visit Linfang Pavilion, a brothel, to reconcile them. Madam Yan, the brothel owner, took the opportunity to demand a commission for Chen Ershun's past business.
As Chu Shaohua finished the accounting and prepared to leave, she overheard Madam Yan furiously scolding a woman named Lu Ningxiang. Ningxiang, terrified, fled downstairs. Chu Shaohua immediately recognized Ningxiang as her good friend, Kang Erniu. Seeing the bruises on Kang Erniu’s body, Chu Shaohua was determined to buy her freedom. She sent an employee to buy external trauma ointment and personally tended to Kang Erniu's wounds.
Moved, Kang Erniu tearfully confided in Chu Shaohua, revealing that she had eloped with Wu to Peking after they stole money from the Xia family. After their money ran out, Wu, who preferred gambling over honest work, accumulated large debts and sold Kang Erniu to the brothel.
Chu Shaohua vowed to rescue her, but Kang Erniu, feeling utterly defiled and hopeless, refused the help and forced Chu Shaohua to leave, stating that her life was ruined and she wanted to waste away in Linfang Pavilion. Undeterred, Chu Shaohua, pretending to be a client named Mr. Chen, arranged to meet Kang Erniu again. She recounted a childhood memory of Kang Erniu saving her from drowning, reminding her of their unbreakable bond and her unwavering support.
Chu Shaohua assured Kang Erniu that she could start over if she wished. Hope sparked in Kang Erniu's eyes. Chu Shaohua then confronted Madam Yan, offering to buy Kang Erniu's freedom. Madam Yan, seeing an opportunity, initially demanded an exorbitant 3,000 silver dollars, insisting that all of Kang Erniu's belongings and room furnishings must also remain.
Madam Yan justified the inflated price by listing all the expenses she had incurred for Kang Erniu's upkeep and training, dismissing Kang Erniu's reminder that Wu had sold her for far less. Chu Shaohua, lacking such a large sum, sought a loan from Chen Dashun.
He regretfully informed her that, despite years of working with his father, he had only saved just over two hundred silver dollars, and after helping to pay off his brother's recent debts, only one hundred silver dollars remained. Chu Shaohua returned to Kang Erniu, explaining the financial predicament and suggesting a delay of one year for her rescue.
Kang Erniu reacted with fury and despair, accusing Chu Shaohua of giving her false hope and being as deceitful as the men who had promised to save her. Kang Erniu declared that she now hated Chu Shaohua more than Wu and dramatically severed their friendship, ordering her to leave. Heartbroken, Chu Shaohua walked away, vowing never to meddle in Lu Ningxiang’s affairs again.
Sometime later, Madam Yan surprisingly approached Chu Shaohua, encouraging her to redeem Kang Erniu and lowering her price to 2,000, then 1,500, and finally 1,000 silver dollars. Chu Shaohua, feigning disinterest, decided to play hard to get. She told Madam Yan that she had initially considered buying Kang Erniu for her mentally challenged younger brother in the countryside, estimating a cost of around eighty to one hundred silver dollars, which would be like getting him a wife.
She refused to pay a thousand. Madam Yan, becoming increasingly desperate, finally offered to sell Kang Erniu for 500 silver dollars, pressing for an immediate transaction. Curious about Madam Yan’s urgency, Chu Shaohua subtly inquired with another brothel owner, Madam Tao, about Lu Ningxiang. She was shocked to learn that Kang Erniu was rumored to be dying of "black pox," a severe and highly contagious form of syphilis, and was considered beyond saving.
Armed with this information, Chu Shaohua confronted Madam Yan, declaring she would not buy a "living corpse." Just then, Mr. Zhao, a prominent gang leader, arrived. Hearing the argument, he intervened, insisting that Chu Shaohua, having expressed interest, must buy Kang Erniu. Seizing the opportunity, Chu Shaohua bargained the price down to 300 silver dollars, stating she needed 200 for medical treatment.
She then presented an additional condition: Mr. Zhao must help her find Wu and deliver him into her custody, vaguely describing Wu as a distant relative. Mr. Zhao agreed, with the condition that he would not be responsible if Kang Erniu died in Chu Shaohua's care. Upon leaving the brothel, Chu Shaohua realized Mr. Zhao's men were following her and deliberately spread conflicting stories about Wu's identity to different people she encountered.
She eventually confided a "truthful" story to Blind Li, a fortune teller: Wu had stolen a valuable Ginseng King and a large sum of money from their former employer, who was now offering a 5,000 silver dollar reward. When Mr. Zhao’s men reported this back, he realized Chu Shaohua’s true motive was the reward. Seeing a chance to get rich, Mr. Zhao dispatched all his men to find Wu, intending to keep the Ginseng King for himself.
Chu Shaohua returned home and discussed the funds with Chen Dashun. He agreed to borrow from his business partners to gather the remaining 197 silver dollars by the next morning. Chu Shaohua paid Madam Yan the 300 silver dollars. The sight and smell of Kang Erniu, appearing sickly and covered in lesions, made the brothel employees recoil as she was carried away. Meanwhile, Mr. Zhao’s men quickly found and apprehended Wu.
Mr. Zhao interrogated him, demanding to know the whereabouts of the Ginseng King, but Wu was genuinely clueless. Back at the apothecary, after bathing and eating, Kang Erniu was overjoyed, declaring she was free. Chu Shaohua then revealed her elaborate plan. Days prior, she had given Kang Erniu a special medicine in pill and powder form. The pill, taken daily, caused a foul body odor.
The powder, mixed with water and applied to her skin, made it appear to be festering. Chu Shaohua had also instructed Kang Erniu to eat sparingly and neglect her hygiene to look increasingly emaciated. Furthermore, Chu Shaohua had arranged with Physician Zhang to confirm the fake diagnosis.
Physician Zhang had told Madam Yan that Lu Ningxiang had contracted black pox, the most dangerous form of syphilis, and was in its final stage, advising her to quickly remove Kang Erniu to prevent further infection. This deception successfully pressured Madam Yan to sell Kang Erniu for a mere 300 silver dollars. Overwhelmed with emotion, Kang Erniu expressed immense gratitude, wondering how she could ever repay such kindness.
