Wind Direction Episode 8 Recap
> Wind Direction Recap
In the summer of 1987, Hu Yue and Yang Songbai, both divorced, formed a new family. Their home, however, was filled with constant bickering, planting a seed of sorrow in the heart of Hu Yue's daughter, Hu Qiumin. One day, Hu Yue presented Hu Qiumin with a new dress, but the 17-year-old refused to wear it, expressing a desire to cut her hair short like her mother. Hu Yue chided her for being willful, worried about Yang Songbai’s family’s opinion.
Hu Qiumin retorted that Yang’s family looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts. Later, a heated argument erupted between Hu Yue and Yang Songbai. Yang had returned late, not responded to his pager, and smelled of alcohol. Hu Yue confronted him, accusing him of seeing an old colleague named Ge Juan and threatening to report him to his superior. Yang called her crazy, exasperated. The escalating fight pushed Hu Qiumin to her breaking point.
She cut her long hair and sat precariously on the edge of a bridge. Cheng Miaomiao and Li Si rushed to persuade her, but Hu Qiumin was emotionally distraught. She confessed that her life had been a constant struggle, with her parents fighting daily since she could remember. When they divorced at six, she hoped for peace, but her mother remarried Yang Songbai, only for the fighting to continue.
Yang, her stepfather, rarely came home and treated her mother and her like subordinates. She wondered why two people who didn’t love each other would form a family and envied Cheng Miaomiao and Li Si’s warm families. Just then, Hu Yue and Yang Songbai arrived at the bridge. Instead of understanding Hu Qiumin's pain, they continued to argue publicly. In a desperate act, Hu Yue jumped into the river, prompting Li Si to jump in after her.
High school teacher Gao Feiyang and Qiang Xiaowa, another student, were the actual rescuers. Qiang Xiaowa quickly left the scene after bringing them to safety. At the hospital, Li Si, eager for recognition, asked for his school demerit to be cancelled and for praise on the factory’s TV station. Cheng Miaomiao corrected him, pointing out that Gao Feiyang was the true hero and revealing that Qiang Xiaowa had also helped.
She also mentioned that Li Si’s father, Li Dahai, had gone to the front line to catch oil thieves. Niu Lingling, Li Si's mother, seeing an opportunity, tried to set up Gao Feiyang with her 23-year-old cousin, Yan. She highlighted Yan’s impressive family background: her father was a recently retired leader, and her mother was an oilfield cadre.
Niu Lingling implied that a marriage with Yan would secure Gao Feiyang's future, offering benefits like housing and career advancement, especially regarding teacher promotions. Gao Feiyang politely declined, stating he wasn’t in a rush and already had a good job and dormitory. He also noted a difference in their preferences, as he enjoyed spicy food while Yan did not.
Niu Lingling had to leave abruptly when she received a call about a family matter, urging Gao Feiyang and Yan to get to know each other better. Back at the hospital, Hu Yue, after being rescued, denied that her jump had anything to do with Yang Songbai, claiming she was just "pissed off by Min" and "acted on impulse." After Jia Daiyu and Niu Lingling left, Hu Yue hid and cried alone.
When Yang Songbai entered, he scolded her for being irrational and impulsive, similar to Hu Qiumin. Overhearing this, Hu Qiumin burst in to defend her mother. She accused Yang Songbai of looking down on them, especially her mother, who served him "like a master" every day, only to be barked at and treated like a subordinate. Hu Qiumin declared that she had had enough of his domestic tyranny, saying he had little real ability but picked fights at home.
Yang Songbai was stunned by her outburst and left in a huff. Meanwhile, Cheng Miaomiao and Cheng Yaya discussed family dynamics and divorce with their parents, Cheng Pengfei and Jia Daiyu. Cheng Yaya questioned whether there were families that never fought and if divorce was good or bad. Cheng Pengfei thoughtfully explained that divorce was a life choice, neither inherently good nor bad, emphasizing personal responsibility.
Jia Daiyu, however, firmly declared that their family structure was unshakable, like a mountain that wouldn't change for a hundred years, and that she and Cheng Pengfei would never divorce. Niu Lingling, still worried about Li Dahai catching oil thieves, urged Li Si to burn incense and pray for his safety. At the factory office, Huang Lijuan confronted Li Dahai, holding him by the collar, furious that her husband, Liu Gang, had been fired.
She accused Li Dahai of unjustly firing Liu Gang and denied that Liu Gang had stolen oil, demanding proof. Li Dahai explained that Liu Gang had been reported for stealing oil with outsiders, had a history of violence, and had even sold tools like a pipe wrench to the thieves. He stressed that the decision to fire Liu Gang was made by the factory management, not him, and that not pressing criminal charges was a significant act of leniency.
Huang Lijuan tearfully pleaded her case, emphasizing their poverty, her parents’ illnesses, and Liu Gang being the sole breadwinner. She threatened to expose the factory’s actions. Niu Lingling tried to mediate, but Li Dahai remained firm, citing the factory’s zero-tolerance policy. At school, Han Shu, a teacher, called Yuan Shanqing into the office to discuss his repeated tardiness since the semester began.
Yuan Shanqing consistently denied any problems at home or school, and his student record was notably blank regarding parent information or contact details. Han Shu expressed concern and a desire to help, but Yuan Shanqing remained tight-lipped. In class, Luo Zheng wrote "Wanted Criminal" in large letters on Yuan Shanqing’s desk. Cheng Yaya, angered by this, swapped desks with Yuan Shanqing. Later, Liu Junbao, Liu Gang’s son, cried in class, blaming Li Si's father for his father's dismissal.
Other students sympathized, making Li Si feel like the "evil son of a landlord." Cheng Miaomiao suggested Li Si talk to his father. Cheng Yaya, deeply affected, retrieved sandpaper from home and meticulously erased the "Wanted Criminal" from Yuan Shanqing's desk. On his way to deliver food to Cheng Pengfei at the hospital, Cheng Yaya encountered a distressed Yuan Shanqing, who was desperately trying to pay for his sister’s medical treatment but lacked thirty yuan.
Cheng Yaya offered to lend him the money. Hu Qiumin's attempt to jump and her mother's desperate act made the children realize that adults also carried immense sadness, often silently enduring their burdens. It became clear that while many choices could be made in life, one's family and parents were not among them.
In that era, the term "original family" didn't exist, but it was understood that if parents couldn't be a shelter, every danger became a barrage of gunfire, leaving many to spend their lives healing the wounds inflicted by those early experiences.
