Wind Direction Episode 1 Recap
> Wind Direction Recap
Seventeen-year-old Jia Daiyu was deeply in love with a man named Wu, and in a desperate attempt to elope with him, she secretly took a factory car. However, the car ran out of gas mid-journey, a deliberate act of sabotage by Wu himself, who then confessed. This made her realize that the person she loved did not genuinely care for her. Her elopement, driven by a desire to explore the world, created immense turmoil, all because of a "traitor."
Decades later, her daughter, Cheng Miaomiao, would also experience a similar chaotic situation involving "traitors" at the age of seventeen. The year is 1997, in Heping Town, buzzing with the festive atmosphere of Hong Kong's return to China. Cheng Pengfei was meticulously preparing pour-over coffee at home. His high school daughter, Cheng Miaomiao, rushed home from school, eagerly drank the coffee, and immediately regretted it, finding it scalding hot and bitter.
Soon after, Jia Daiyu returned, carrying a heavy amplifier she had borrowed from her workplace. Only their son, Cheng Yaya, was still out. Miaomiao, quick to accuse, claimed Yaya was at the arcade, but her parents were too engrossed in setting up the amplifier to pay her any mind. Meanwhile, Li Si was engrossed in a game at the county farmer's market arcade when his teacher, Xiao Wan, appeared, grabbing his collar.
Xiao Wan's crackdown extended to all students from No. 2 Secondary School. A sudden power outage provided an opportunity for the students to escape. Back home, Cheng Miaomiao reiterated that Yaya must be at the arcade. Jia Daiyu, however, was dismissive, reminding Miaomiao of a previous false accusation where Yaya was actually at a bookstore.
She scolded Miaomiao for trying to frame her brother, asserting that Yaya, a talented student who consistently ranked top in his class, would never go to an arcade. Just as she finished, the phone rang; it was Yaya’s homeroom teacher. Jia Daiyu and Cheng Pengfei immediately rushed out, horrified to learn that Yaya hadn't been at the arcade at all, but had been caught exploring an old tomb in the back mountain.
Upon their return, a cheerful Cheng Miaomiao, unaware of the recent events, was singing happily. Her friend, Hu Qiumin, called her out, informing her that Li Si was once again trying to run away from home. Li Si explained that Xiao Wan had ordered him to write a 5,000-word self-reflection for a school assembly, threatening to call his father if he failed.
Back home, Miaomiao, upset by her mother's perceived favoritism towards Yaya despite his misconduct, tried to persuade Li Si to be a "tainted witness." She proposed that he tell her mother that Yaya frequently went to the arcade, offering to help him write his reflection in return. Li Si staunchly refused, declaring that such an act would be a betrayal and he would rather face a beating.
During a subsequent family meeting about Yaya’s misdeeds, Cheng Miaomiao sarcastically taunted Yaya, prompting an exasperated Jia Daiyu to scold both her children for their increasing naughtiness. At the school assembly, Xiao Wan announced Li Si's punishment: a major demerit and a public 5,000-word self-reflection. Li Si, equipped with the reflection Miaomiao had helped him write, delivered a hasty and disorganized speech. Following this, Xiao Wan publicly commended Cheng Miaomiao for "bravely reporting Li Si's misbehavior."
Enraged, Li Si immediately denounced Miaomiao as a "traitor," comparing her to infamous historical figures. Miaomiao frantically tried to explain that she hadn't intended to report him, but Li Si refused to listen, convinced of her betrayal. Realizing his sister's plot had been to frame him, Cheng Yaya informed their mother. This revelation enraged Jia Daiyu, whose own past gave her an intense hatred for traitors. In the ensuing argument, Miaomiao deflected by calling Yaya a traitor for snitching.
Daiyu retorted that Yaya’s action was merely "timely reporting" to prevent irreversible mistakes, unlike Miaomiao's "moral corruption." She then punished Miaomiao by canceling her dinner and pocket money for the month, ordering her to write a lengthy self-reflection to be displayed in the living room. Meanwhile, other families dealt with their own issues. Li Si's mother, Niu Lingling, and father, Li Dahai, returned home carrying a Caishen statue, their interaction a comedic display of nagging and playful defiance.
Hu Qiumin, Miaomiao’s friend, expressed her desire to move to Shenzhen, but her mother flatly refused, criticizing Hu Qiumin's brother for not returning to the oil field. Hu Qiumin retorted by calling her mother "petty." Her stepfather, Yang Songbai, then called to inform her mother that he would not be able to return home for several days due to a critical equipment malfunction at work.
The next morning, Cheng Yaya left home early, skipping breakfast, to help his teacher print high school final exam papers. Seizing an opportunity, Cheng Miaomiao quickly followed him, securing what she believed was a copy of the high school math exam answers. She presented them to Li Si, hoping this gesture would mend their fractured friendship. Li Si, though wary, decided to trust her one last time.
However, after the exam, a horrified Li Si discovered that the answers Miaomiao had given him were for a completely different test. Consumed by anger, he declared their friendship over and, in his emotional state, tumbled down a flight of stairs. Cheng Miaomiao realized she had been deliberately tricked by Yaya, who was seeking revenge. Li Si, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, despaired, asking why he was always the one caught in the middle of their sibling quarrels.
