Wind Direction Episode 4 Recap
> Wind Direction Recap
In June 1979, newly married Jia Daiyu and Cheng Pengfei were distributing wedding candies at the hospital. While greeting colleagues like Dr. Qin, Jia Daiyu noted the generous gift from Xu Fang, the Head Nurse and wife of the Hospital Director. Jia Daiyu urged Cheng Pengfei, a doctor with a college degree at the staff hospital, to network with the leaders. Suddenly, Jia Daiyu’s foot cramped in her high heels.
Cheng Pengfei, anticipating her discomfort, immediately produced a pair of slippers he had prepared. Outside the hospital, they encountered Pei Dawu, Jia Daiyu’s former colleague. Seeing him, Jia Daiyu quickly changed back into her high heels and, instructing Cheng Pengfei to hold her tightly, called Pei Dawu a "traitor." She introduced Cheng Pengfei as the chief surgeon of the Staff Hospital while belittling Pei Dawu's current role as a driver for a leader.
She made cutting remarks, sarcastically asking if the leader trusted him not to "leak secret documents or information again," referencing a past betrayal. Jia Daiyu then boasted about Cheng Pengfei's "real education background" compared to Pei Dawu's driver status. As they left, she promised to congratulate Pei Dawu's future wife on the "blessing" of marrying a driver, still clearly harboring resentment.
Later, Jia Daiyu and other mothers attended an education lecture where "education expert Dr. Jiang Dacheng" emphasized the importance of children's success, quoting Sukhomlynsky. He promoted a package of books, VCDs, health products, and tutoring materials as a shortcut to success. The children, however, were dismayed, complaining that their summer vacation was ruined and their pocket money gone, wishing adults had their own experts to guide them. Back home, Cheng Pengfei vehemently opposed Jia Daiyu's purchases.
He pointed out misspellings in the educational materials and deemed the health products "unqualified" due to a lack of manufacturer details, calling them a "fraud." Jia Daiyu defended them as internally developed by the expert, dismissing Cheng Pengfei's concerns about the expert’s credibility and English pronunciation by recalling Cheng Pengfei's own low English scores. Despite his objections, Jia Daiyu insisted their son drink double the recommended dose of a "high protein brain supplement." Similar arguments erupted in other households.
Yang Songbai confronted Hu Yue for buying the items without consulting him, leading to old financial disputes about their son's expensive college choice in Shenzhen and lavish trips. He, too, called the oral liquid a "fraud." Hu Yue retorted that she spent her own money for their daughter's improvement, accusing Yang Songbai of "hypocrisy" and of always lecturing without providing practical solutions.
She implied he wanted their children to remain in the oil field, while she pushed for big city success. Yang Songbai defended the oil field as their livelihood and accused Hu Yue of projecting her "unfulfilled ambitions" onto the children. Asserting her financial independence, she stated she didn't need to cater to his moods as she had her own job and salary. Meanwhile, Niu Lingling and Li Dahai also argued.
Li Dahai joked about their son inheriting his genes, which Niu Lingling took as an insult, believing he was calling their son "useless." She defended their son, claiming he was better than Li Dahai at his age. During the disputes, Hu Yue even compared her daughter unfavorably to Li Dahai's son, noting that his son was interning in Hong Kong while her daughter had been caught trying to run away from the oil field.
The argument between Jia Daiyu and Cheng Pengfei escalated over the children's future. Jia Daiyu, frustrated, accused Cheng Pengfei of failing to support her in the past against Pei Dawu, which she felt trapped her in the "stupid hospital" for over a decade. She called him overly intellectual, lacking ambition, and content with a meager salary, mockingly questioning his intellectual status as he merely read "rotten English books" and drank coffee.
In a fit of anger, Cheng Pengfei retorted that he wouldn't be there if he hadn't married her, though he immediately tried to retract the statement. Jia Daiyu, deeply hurt, interpreted this as him regretting their marriage. Cheng Pengfei clarified he simply wanted them to live within their means and allow their children to forge their own paths. Convinced his true feelings had surfaced, Jia Daiyu declared she was going to divorce him and stormed out.
Cheng Pengfei tried to apologize, but she was resolute. Their son, Cheng Yaya, witnessed the scene, and when he asked what was happening, his father simply told him to "let her go." Cheng Yaya quickly informed Cheng Miaomiao about the impending divorce, detailing how their mother had declared it and their father resignedly said "let her be," even breaking the remote. Concerned about her father's long-suffered grievances, Cheng Miaomiao brought Cheng Pengfei home from a snack stand.
She offered him two bottles of wine, encouraging him to express his bottled-up feelings and promising to stand by him. After one bottle, Cheng Pengfei became emotional. He complained about Jia Daiyu's "arrogance," recalling how she had used a feather duster on him when he was 17, crushing his dreams.
He mocked her inability to understand his "intellectual" pursuits like reading English books and drinking "hand-ground coffee," given her "logistics and greenery" job, which he described as "just a farmer" whose flowers were "just so-so." He even boasted that he knew the factory manager better because he had cured his father's ears. Cheng Miaomiao wholeheartedly supported her father, suggesting they "fight for him" and demand a divorce. Alarmed, Cheng Yaya pulled her aside, reprimanding her for exacerbating matters.
As the siblings argued, the drunken singing of Jia Daiyu, Hu Yue, and Niu Lingling drifted in from the yard, leaving them stunned. Later, Cheng Miaomiao put her inebriated father to bed. Jia Daiyu, also drunk, was put to bed, muttering about divorcing tomorrow. The discord extended to other households: Hu Yue argued violently with Yang Songbai, feeling excluded by his family after being denied attendance at his nephew's wedding.
Li Si further fanned the flames, telling Hu Yue's daughter to advise her mother to divorce if unhappy, and then encouraging Niu Lingling to divorce Li Dahai, calling him an uncultured "country boy" and urging her to "uphold half the sky." Niu Lingling, however, felt no such grievances. Before the divorce was certain, Cheng Miaomiao had already drafted an "Asset Division Form," clearly stating her intention to stay with Cheng Pengfei.
When Jia Daiyu discovered it, she confronted Cheng Miaomiao, demanding she explain how their family should be divided, as rumors of their divorce were circulating at the factory. Cheng Miaomiao eventually launched into a scathing critique, declaring her parents "unsuitable." She highlighted Cheng Pengfei's impressive background—a college graduate, military veteran, and a life-saving doctor—contrasting it with Jia Daiyu's incomplete technical school education and her boiler team job, calling it a "mismatch."
She criticized Jia Daiyu's drinking, heavy makeup, loud voice, and bad temper, asserting that their living habits were opposite, a fact she and Cheng Yaya had observed for years. Cheng Yaya quickly denied seeing anything. Cheng Miaomiao concluded that Jia Daiyu bullied Cheng Pengfei despite his devotion to the family and that two "opposites" in an unhappy marriage shouldn't stay together "just for the children."
Overwhelmed, Cheng Pengfei finally interjected, unequivocally stating that he was "not" divorcing and had never intended to. Later, the parents, who were meant to discuss educational issues, were sidetracked when Jia Daiyu, Niu Lingling, and Hu Yue started discussing the oil field's impending reform, which involved adjusting 30% of its workforce, particularly in logistics and greenery departments.
Realizing their jobs might be at risk, the three women immediately decided to approach their respective department leaders to secure their positions, leaving the husbands to contemplate the "unreliability" of women and the burdens of parenthood. On a different day, Jia Daiyu encountered Pei Dawu, her first love, now a Secretary. She invited him to their home.
Before his arrival, Jia Daiyu meticulously prepared, dressing exquisitely and wearing high heels, claiming this was her usual habit due to Cheng Pengfei's sophisticated tastes. She offered Pei Dawu "Italian hand-ground coffee," which he politely declined, preferring tea, and subtly pointed out the coffee didn't look Italian. When Pei Dawu complimented their spacious "cadre building" house, Jia Daiyu boasted about Cheng Pengfei's high status.
Pei Dawu corrected her, stating he heard she had volunteered for the Greenery Department specifically to secure the larger house for their two children. Irritated, Jia Daiyu pressed him on what else he knew. Pei Dawu explained his visit was to catch up and, having heard about her "marital difficulties," offered his assistance.
Jia Daiyu fiercely refuted any suggestion of marital problems, proudly proclaiming their family a "model family" with "promising children," citing her son's supposed archaeological discovery and her daughter's supposed return from an internship in Hong Kong. She adamantly claimed she and Cheng Pengfei had "never had a fight." Cheng Pengfei then arrived home. Jia Daiyu stopped him from changing his shoes, keen to maintain appearances.
When Pei Dawu commented on Cheng Pengfei's casual attire, Jia Daiyu interjected, boasting about organizing a volleyball match where she held the "highest position" as referee. Cheng Pengfei, in turn, offered to check Pei Dawu's pulse, diagnosing him with a poor liver from too much rich food and social engagements. Feeling remorseful, Pei Dawu finally apologized to Jia Daiyu for his past betrayal.
Surprisingly, Jia Daiyu expressed gratitude, stating that his betrayal led her to meet Cheng Pengfei and have their wonderful children. She declared herself a satisfied "commoner" and forgave him. They shook hands, burying their past grievances. As Pei Dawu left, he asked if Jia Daiyu had noticed that Cheng Pengfei was starting to look "more and more like him," leaving her perplexed.
Later that night, Cheng Pengfei confessed to Jia Daiyu that he felt he had worked hard for the family and regretted that if it weren't for him, she might have become a Secretary's wife. Their daughter, Cheng Miaomiao, then entered without knocking, and Jia Daiyu immediately scolded her for spreading news about their divorce, which she felt had embarrassed her in front of Pei Dawu, before chasing her around the house.
