Wild Ambition Bloom Episode 9 Recap
> Wild Ambition Bloom Recap
After Chen Ershun, the younger son, seized the family property and business in Peking, he expelled his mother, Mrs. Chen, his wife, Song Ping, and his elder brother's widow, Chu Shaohua, along with her daughter Xuan, to their old home in Qizhou. Shaohua's family, including her mother, her brother Shaozhong, and sister-in-law Zhou Yan, visited them. Zhou Yan pressed Shaohua to remarry, arguing that it was the only way for her life to improve.
However, Shaohua firmly rejected the idea, asserting her desire to build a future for herself and her daughter. She deeply mourned her late husband, Chen Dashun, reflecting on the jewelry and money he had saved for her, which she now kept. Meanwhile, Mrs. Chen, encouraged by her cousin, Aunt Song Er, continued to hoard the dozens of silver dollars Chen Ershun had given her, claiming the family had no money.
This meant Shaohua and Song Ping were forced to eat coarse wowotou, while Mrs. Chen and Xuan enjoyed fine steamed buns. Song Ping, unaccustomed to such hardship, complained to Shaohua, inadvertently revealing Mrs. Chen's hidden wealth. Seizing this opportunity, Shaohua approached Mrs. Chen, requesting a loan of 40 silver dollars to start a small business. She highlighted Qizhou's status as a medicine market and their family's historical involvement in the trade, suggesting they possessed the ideal conditions for success.
Mrs. Chen adamantly refused, declaring that business was a man's domain and that Chen Ershun's money was sufficient. Shaohua countered by pointing out that she and Song Ping were still eating coarse grains, and even offered to write an IOU, promising to repay the principal and interest within three months. Mrs. Chen remained unmoved, fearing potential losses and that Shaohua might use the money to aid her own family. She then forbade Shaohua from leaving the house.
Later, Shaozhong arrived, claiming their mother was ill with a cold and wished to see Shaohua. Sensing her mother was simply missing her, Shaohua rushed home with Shaozhong. He secretly tried to give her two silver dollars for Xuan, but Shaohua politely declined. On the way, Shaohua spotted Chichun Apothecary, a business once owned by her family ancestors but sold by Shaozhong after he was framed. She stopped to look around.
Inside, herb farmers were trying to sell Ziwan, but the current owner, Yi Dajin, offered a meager two jiao per jin. The desperate farmers pleaded for a higher price, explaining they couldn't survive on so little, especially since Shouyuan Apothecary and other dealers were colluding to suppress prices despite a bumper harvest. Shaohua intervened, appealing to Yi Dajin to show compassion and offer a fair price, arguing that Shouyuan Apothecary was already wealthy.
Yi Dajin dismissed her, reminding her that Chichun Apothecary no longer belonged to her family. He mocked her, claiming Ziwan was medicine, not grain, and that he couldn't simply encourage people to "eat more medicine." He threatened to lower his offer even further if they continued to bother him. Angered, Shaohua vowed to reclaim Chichun Apothecary one day.
Upon reaching home, Shaohua discovered her mother was not ill, and the summons was a ploy by Zhou Yan to introduce Shaohua to Master Zeng, a man 30 years her senior. Mrs. Fang, the matchmaker, eagerly praised Master Zeng's wealth and good health, highlighting his 300 mu of medicinal farmland and his generous offer of 30 silver dollars as a betrothal gift.
She emphasized that Shaohua, as his second wife, would preside over the household, as his daughters were already married. Shaohua expressed reservations about remarrying so soon after Chen Dashun's death, but Mrs. Fang insisted she seize this rare opportunity. Shaohua agreed to meet Master Zeng that very day. During their private conversation, Master Zeng, delighted, declared Shaohua more than worth his 50 silver dollars.
Shaohua, however, claimed a fortune-teller had predicted she would bring misfortune to her father and husband, citing the deaths of her grandfather, father, father-in-law, and Chen Dashun as proof. Master Zeng, now wary of her "powerful destiny," hesitated. Shaohua then cleverly suggested her cousin as a suitable match, describing her as attractive, blessed with good fortune, and destined to bear two sons. She proposed a betrothal gift of only 20 silver dollars for her cousin.
Master Zeng, pleased with this proposition, agreed to visit Shaohua's family on the fourth day of the lunar month. Shaohua cautioned him to keep their arrangement secret from Mrs. Fang, fabricating a story that Mrs. Fang intended her cousin for her nephew. Shaohua returned home and informed Zhou Yan of the agreed meeting on the fourth. Zhou Yan was thrilled. Shaohua then revealed Mrs. Fang's deceit: Master Zeng had offered 50 silver dollars, not 30, for the betrothal gift.
Zhou Yan was furious at being short-changed. Shaohua, pretending to agree to the marriage, instructed Zhou Yan not to disclose anything to Mrs. Fang and to prepare a lavish feast for Master Zeng's visit. On the fourth, Zhou Yan, eager to impress, prepared chicken and meat stews, having borrowed one silver dollar for the expenses. Mrs. Chu expressed concern about Shaohua's absence, and Zhou Yan sent Shaozhong to fetch her. Shaozhong, however, deliberately delayed. Master Zeng arrived punctually.
Zhou Yan, meticulously dressed, greeted him warmly and served him tea. Master Zeng, mistaking her for Shaohua's cousin, complimented her. Zhou Yan, believing he was referring to Shaohua, enthusiastically spoke of Shaohua's satisfaction with the match and pressed to set a wedding date. Master Zeng, still under the impression she was the cousin, began to make suggestive remarks and inappropriate physical advances. Realizing the grave misunderstanding, Zhou Yan confronted Shaohua.
Shaohua slapped Zhou Yan, condemning her disgraceful actions and warning her against any future schemes. Enraged, Zhou Yan declared that she and Shaozhong would sever all ties with Shaohua. Witnessing the confrontation, Mrs. Chen understood Shaohua's unwavering resolve not to remarry and promised to treat Shaohua and Xuan kindly. Shaohua seized the moment to ask Mrs. Chen for a loan of 20 silver dollars to start a business, but Mrs. Chen firmly refused.
Left with no other option, Shaohua pawned Chen Dashun's gold and silver jewelry. The pawnbroker initially offered 25 silver dollars for an absolute pawn or 15 for a redeemable one. Shaohua, lamenting the original cost of over 100 silver dollars, chose absolute pawn for 25 silver dollars. She then added a hairpin, bringing the total to 26 silver dollars. Armed with capital, Shaohua approached a herb farmer, offering an attractive price of 0.
2 silver dollars per jin for his harvest of over 1,000 jin of Ziwan. She offered a 10% deposit upfront and promised full payment on the final day of the Qizhou Medicine Market, with conditions of exclusivity, immediate delivery, and strict confidentiality. The farmer readily agreed. Shaohua, now holding a delivery order for the Ziwan, presented it to a silver billshop for a loan.
Despite the unusual collateral of undelivered crude drugs, she persuaded the owner, who eventually granted her 150 silver dollars. She immediately used this money as a 10% deposit to reserve over 4,000 jin of Ziwan from other farmers. With this new reservation as collateral, she secured another loan of 500 silver dollars, which she again used as a deposit to reserve 15,000 jin of Ziwan. She then sought another loan for 4,000 silver dollars, using this larger quantity as collateral.
As several pawnshop owners gathered for a game of mahjong, their casual discussion about Ziwan prices revealed a shocking truth: they all held Ziwan collateral from the same person – the Chen family's eldest daughter-in-law (Shaohua). Realizing Shaohua's audacious scheme, they rushed to confront her at Dafa Silver Billshop, where she was attempting to secure a 5,000 silver dollar loan, offering over 40,000 jin of Ziwan (valued at 8,000 silver dollars) as collateral.
They accused her of fraud and demanded their money back. Shaohua calmly maintained her innocence, pointing out that her contracts did not prohibit her method of re-collateralization. She explained that all their loaned money had been disbursed to the herb farmers, and the Ziwan, now thriving, guaranteed the full recovery of their principal and interest. She acknowledged the risks involved but warned that any breach of contract on their part would severely damage their reputations.
She then boldly proposed a plan: if Mr. Li of Dafa Silver Billshop would lend her the 5,000 silver dollars to acquire the entire season's Ziwan harvest, she would then control the market price, not only preventing a fall but driving prices beyond historical highs. The other pawnshop owners, now swayed by the prospect of profit and eager to avoid losses, urged Mr. Li to accept. After careful consideration, Mr. Li agreed to a 4,000 silver dollar loan.
With this final sum, Shaohua successfully acquired over 170,000 jin of Ziwan from the farmers. When the Qizhou Medicine Market officially opened, there was a noticeable absence of Ziwan. As instructed, Shaohua's worker, Wang, had turned away numerous buyers offering high prices, some as much as four jiao per jin. Soon, Yi Dajin arrived, realizing that Shaohua controlled the entire supply of Ziwan in Qizhou, which amounted to over 100,000 jin.
He initially offered three jiao per jin, claiming the year's Ziwan was subpar. Shaohua, however, revealed her contracts with the herb farmers, confirming her control over the Ziwan from both Mingguan Town and Zhengzhang Town. Impressed by her bold strategy, Yi Dajin then increased his offer to four jiao per jin. Despite the significantly improved price, Shaohua steadfastly refused to sell.
