Yummy Yummy Yummy Episode 21 Recap
> Yummy Yummy Yummy Recap
Following Shen Shaojie, the Shen family arrived at their new residence, only to find the house still under construction. Shen Jianshe and Li Fengxia regretted entrusting such an important matter to Shen Shaojie, as the rent had been swindled by the broker, Ms. Du. Shen Shaojie had even defended Ms. Du, claiming she previously said she had an elderly mother and a young child to support, and her husband neglected his duties, leaving the whole family reliant on her.
He believed she resorted to fraud out of desperation to feed her family. Li Fengxia, however, was furious, pointing out that Shaojie had given the money without even seeing the house himself, despite Ms. Du claiming repairs were needed due to wind damage. She chastised him for falling for such an obvious scam, comparing his intelligence to that of a donkey. Angrily, Li Fengxia declared she would report the case to the Capital Prefecture immediately.
Shaojie tried to intercede, promising to get the money back without involving the authorities, but Li Fengxia was determined. Meanwhile, a subordinate informed Lin Yan at the Capital Prefecture that a complaint of agent fraud had been filed by the Shen family against Ms. Du, specifically regarding a large sum of house rent. Lin Yan was informed that the official handling the case sought his instruction due to his relationship with the Shen family.
Separately, Liu Feng had managed to find Ms. Du's address through his family's connections with the Price Stabilization Office, despite other agents being unwilling to disclose her whereabouts. The Shen family, accompanied by Liu Feng, rushed to Ms. Du's residence, only to find officials from the Capital Prefecture sealing the house. Cheng Hu, a constable, informed them that Ms. Du had already been arrested and taken to the Capital Prefecture for trial.
At the Capital Prefecture, the Shen family finally met Ms. Du. Shen Yangyang immediately noticed Ms. Du's striking resemblance to her biological mother, Mei, which made it clear to everyone why Shen Shaojie had been so easily deceived. Shaojie, still moved by the resemblance, pleaded with Lin Yan for leniency for Ms. Du, reiterating his belief that she was a vulnerable woman with no other means of support.
However, Lin Yan revealed that Ms. Du was a notorious fraudster, known for inflating property prices and amassing a fortune, owning a large mansion with dozens of servants. Ms. Du confessed that Shaojie had seemed "too easy to deceive," and she felt compelled to take advantage of him, acknowledging her past unethical practices but stating this act of fraud was punishable by imprisonment. Terrified, Ms. Du knelt before Shen Shaojie, returning his money and begging for forgiveness to avoid jail.
This scene triggered a vivid memory for Shaojie of his painful breakup with Mei, where he desperately pleaded for her to reconsider, promising to change and not be inferior to her new partner. His recollection ended with Mei leaving him, asking him to take care of Yangyang. Back in the present, Yangyang, seeing Ms. Du's distress and her resemblance to Mei, also pleaded for Ms. Du's forgiveness.
Li Fengxia and Shen Jianshe, moved by their children's pleas, agreed to drop the charges. Feeling ashamed and embarrassed by his repeated failures, Shaojie retreated into a room, repeatedly muttering "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form." His family tried to comfort him, with Li Fengxia urging him to come out and Shen Shaoguang reminding him that her brother was probably upset by the resemblance.
Yangyang tearfully apologized to her father, promising to believe in him even if he couldn't be a great hero, reassuring him that it was okay to not be as good as others. Shaojie, touched by his daughter's words, emerged, promising never to let her down again. After the resolution, Li Fengxia thanked Lin Yan for his help with Ms. Du's matter.
Lin Yan offered for the family to return to Yunshui Manor if they couldn't find a new place, offering to send Cheng Hu to escort them. However, Li Fengxia politely declined, stating they would stay at the restaurant for now and would find a new house soon. She added that Ms. Du's incident was an exception, and they would handle future house-hunting diligently. Lin Yan then asked Liu Feng to safely escort the Shen family back to the restaurant.
Later, Liu Feng reflected on Lin Yan's evident affection for Shen Shaoguang, concluding that Shaoguang also seemed to reciprocate his feelings. He acknowledged that his own pursuit of Shaoguang was futile and that a romantic relationship was not destined.
He discussed with Liu Weng that for him, establishing a career was more important than marriage, and that a friendship and business partnership with Shaoguang would be beneficial, especially if she were to become Lin Yan's wife, which would elevate the Liu family's standing. Meanwhile, Cao Rong reported his investigation findings to Lin Yan. The servant who stole the slips from the Princess's residence had been reported dead and removed from the register five years prior.
Further investigation revealed numerous soldiers had been similarly reported dead in recent years, with no graves found, suggesting they were alive and their deaths faked. Interestingly, the officials who processed these deregistration requests in the Ministries of Revenue and Personnel were all former students of Zhao Xunzhi at Hongwen Academy, and they had all resigned and returned home after meeting with him. Lin Yan realized that Prince Zhao was behind these suspicious activities, collecting soldiers through fake deaths.
Cao Rong, enraged by this corruption, immediately declared his intention to report Prince Zhao to the Emperor, even at the cost of his life. Lin Yan, however, urged him to calm down, reminding him of his promise not to act impulsively. He explained that a rash move would alert their enemy and make the situation more difficult to resolve, advocating for a cautious approach. Cao Rong, trusting Lin Yan as he had trusted his father, agreed to follow his lead.
Lin Yan concluded that they needed a pretext to subtly approach the extremely cautious Zhao Xunzhi. At the restaurant, Jingwen visited Shen Shaoguang, revealing her decision to marry Lin Yan. She explained that her grandfather was very pleased with him, and given her age and lack of a father to arrange her marriage, it was a practical choice.
Jingwen noted that while Lin Yan was older, he possessed good character, and she believed a marriage without deep emotional attachment would spare her the heartbreak her mother suffered by loving her father too deeply. Shen Shaoguang, despite her internal surprise, maintained a calm demeanor, acknowledging Lin Yan as a trustworthy man and encouraging Jingwen to treat him well, emphasizing that he carried much unspoken pain.
Jingwen, in turn, expressed surprise that Shen Shaoguang, at twenty-five, was not pressured by her family to marry, and praised her for planning for herself. Shen Yangyang, still eager to attend Hongwen Academy, discussed her aspirations with her family. Li Fengxia and Shen Jianshe expressed frustration, lamenting that despite now having money, they still faced barriers to her admission, reminiscent of their struggles in modern times to get into good schools without a school district house.
Yangyang, however, declared her strong desire to attend, especially to see the Crown Prince. Later, at Hongwen Academy, the family was informed that Yangyang's admission had been approved. Zhao Xunzhi, the mentor, welcomed Yangyang, confirming she could start classes the next day, provided she attended disguised as a boy, in accordance with the academy's rules. The family, overjoyed, wondered how this miracle occurred. Zhao Xunzhi then revealed that it was due to Shen Shaojie's persistent and eccentric efforts.
A flashback showed Shaojie repeatedly begging Zhao Xunzhi to admit Yangyang, promising to be his "ox or horse." He went to extreme lengths, cleaning Zhao Xunzhi's shoes, sunbathing his books to "remove dampness," and even sneaking into Zhao Xunzhi's bed at night to warm it up. Faced with Shaojie's relentless and bizarre antics, Zhao Xunzhi, exasperated, finally relented, making an exception for Yangyang's admission under the condition that Shaojie disappear immediately.
Upon returning to the restaurant, the family celebrated Yangyang's admission, but discovered a letter from Shen Shaojie. In the letter, Shaojie announced his departure, stating that at thirty, it was "the prime age for exploration." He declared his intention to become a "great hero" and return in glory, hoping to "meet at the peak" with Yangyang after she excelled at Hongwen Academy.
He also left a box of money he had saved, comprising the funds Ms. Du had swindled from him, as Yangyang's pocket money. Shen Jianshe was worried about Shaojie, doubting his capability, but Li Fengxia comforted Yangyang, assuring her that her father was intelligent and resourceful, and would return a successful man. They encouraged Yangyang to study diligently at Hongwen Academy to make him proud.
Separately, Lin Yan discussed with Liu Chang that his attempts to approach Zhao Xunzhi through Censor Pei had failed, indicating that Prince Zhao had likely forewarned Zhao Xunzhi to be on guard. He stressed the need for a new plan to avoid rashly entering Hongwen Academy. Suddenly, Shen Yangyang appeared, having overheard their conversation.
She presented Lin Yan with a candied hawthorn as a token of thanks, explaining her upcoming enrollment at Hongwen Academy due to her father's efforts, and offered to help Lin Yan approach Zhao Xunzhi. Lin Yan, unwilling to involve a child in such a dangerous matter, firmly refused and brought Yangyang to Shen Shaoguang. Yangyang passionately argued for helping Lin Yan, invoking family values of helpfulness and justice.
Shen Shaoguang then pulled Lin Yan aside, expressing her concern that he might be exploiting Yangyang. Lin Yan explained that he brought Yangyang to her because he couldn't dissuade the child himself and didn't want to conceal her intentions from the family. Shaoguang apologized for her hasty judgment. Yangyang, joining them, further clarified that it was her own initiative to help, not Lin Yan's instigation.
Despite the potential risks associated with Zhao Xunzhi, Li Fengxia and Shen Jianshe supported Yangyang attending Hongwen Academy, viewing it as an opportunity for growth and even a chance to add a commendable achievement to her resume by helping Lin Yan. Lin Yan, while acknowledging the merit of their argument about Hongwen Academy's quality, reiterated that Zhao Xunzhi's agreement to admit Yangyang likely stemmed from ignorance of their family ties and Shaojie's unique approach.
He still urged Yangyang to focus on her studies rather than helping him directly. Li Fengxia, however, encouraged Yangyang to help, emphasizing their resilience and the valuable experience it would be. Yangyang, calling Lin Yan "the coolest," remained eager to assist him.
