Yummy Yummy Yummy Episode 23 Recap
> Yummy Yummy Yummy Recap
On Chinese New Year's Eve, the Shen family gathered for a celebratory dinner. While serving dumplings, Shen Jianshe presented Li Fengxia with a ring, hoping to make amends for previous misunderstandings. He recalled her displeasure when he bought her a carriage and then a ring of the wrong size, expressing his wish that she would no longer scold him. Li Fengxia, focused on dinner preparations, playfully feigned forgetting to prepare lucky money, though she had it ready all along.
Shen Yangyang discovered a copper coin in her dumpling, believing it to signify all her wishes would come true in the new year. She then eagerly collected lucky money from her grandparents, Shen Shaoguang, and Deyuan. Shen Shaoguang told Deyuan that he was part of their family when giving him his lucky money. Lin Yan, unprepared for the custom, gave Shen Yangyang all the loose silver from his purse, insisting it was enough to cover his and Liu Chang's share.
Shen Yangyang also received a letter from her father, Shen Shaojie, which contained a single copper coin—the only lucky money he could afford to send after being reduced to begging. Reading his letter aloud, the family learned he claimed to be halfway to the "peak" of his career, confident in his charm to gain popularity wherever he went. However, his actual experiences were far from successful.
He had tried performing a "talk show" for villagers, promising refreshments but failing to deliver, leading to a hostile crowd. He also attempted to preach about gender equality, encouraging women to divorce, which resulted in him being beaten. Another time, while competing in martial arts, he begged his opponent not to hit his face, citing his "female fans."
Despite these failures, his letter maintained a cheerful tone, expressing his longing for Shen Yangyang and urging her to be enterprising and innovative like him. He boasted of a good, stable, and high-paying job, and his ability to easily get along with colleagues, reassuring his family not to worry. Li Fengxia, putting on a brave face, urged everyone to continue eating the dumplings. Shen Shaoguang then announced that their renovated restaurant would reopen after the New Year.
Shortly after, the Princess and Pei Fei arrived. Having learned Pei Fei could not afford to travel home for the holiday, the Princess had skipped the palace festivities to accompany him to the lantern festival, and now they hoped to have some hot pot at Shen's restaurant. Shen Shaoguang explained that her parents had taken Shen Yangyang to the lantern festival and encouraged Deyuan to join them.
Lin Yan added that he and Shen Shaoguang would stay behind to host their guests. Once seated, they were served warm Tusu wine and hot pot. The Princess was particularly impressed by the unique frozen tofu, inquiring about its preparation. Shen Shaoguang explained how cutting the tofu into cubes, blanching it with salt, and then freezing it created its distinctive porous texture, allowing it to absorb flavors well. The Princess then invited Shen Shaoguang to join them at the table.
Shen Shaoguang, concerned about Lin Yan's alcohol tolerance, advised him to drink less. However, Pei Fei hinted that Lin Yan's true capacity was far greater than he let on. The Princess then interjected, recalling a time when Second Master Huan's uncle hosted a banquet where Lin Yan drank all their prized Jiannan wine without showing any signs of intoxication.
Shen Shaoguang, hearing this, realized Lin Yan had lied about his poor alcohol tolerance and remembered everything from their past encounters, and a flood of memories returned to her. Lin Yan, sensing her realization, admitted he remembered everything as well. The Princess, noticing the unusual dynamic between Lin Yan and Shen Shaoguang, then offered Shen Shaoguang the catering for several banquets she planned to host around the Lantern Festival.
After dinner, the Princess, curious about the frozen tofu, went to the backyard to observe its making process. She then requested a tour of the newly expanded warehouse. As Shen Shaoguang and Lin Yan stepped into the warehouse, the Princess pulled Pei Fei away from the entrance, then quickly closed and locked the door from the outside, trapping them inside.
Shen Shaoguang initially thought of prying open the door, but Lin Yan advised against it, suggesting that the Princess enjoyed playing tricks and forcefully exiting would displease her. They decided to wait. Inside the warehouse, Lin Yan noticed several water shield plants and asked Shen Shaoguang about her family's cooking methods for them. Shen Shaoguang admitted her family rarely ate water shield but kept it specifically for him, hoping it would make him feel at home.
Lin Yan, touched, expressed his appreciation. Later, as Shen Shaoguang moved to open a window, Lin Yan, who was standing close behind her, kissed her. Disturbed, Shen Shaoguang instinctively tightened a red string around her wrist to regain her composure. Outside, the Princess had attempted to eavesdrop before settling down with Pei Fei to watch the moon.
She confessed her feelings to Pei Fei, who, misunderstanding her, suggested she was trying to set him up with Shen Shaoguang, observing that both Lin Yan and Shen Shaoguang clearly had feelings for each other but were hesitant to express them. The Princess clarified that she was speaking about herself. Pei Fei, however, gently rejected her advances, expressing his belief that he was unworthy of her favor.
When the Princess pressed him, asking if he had ever harbored genuine feelings for her, Pei Fei remained steadfast, asking her not to make things difficult for him. Disappointed and angered, the Princess abruptly turned and left. Back inside, Lin Yan noticed the red marks on Shen Shaoguang's wrist and discovered a jar filled with small paper slips, each bearing his name. Convinced she harbored deep feelings for him, he confronted her, asking why she continued to suppress her emotions.
He promised that once his current affairs were settled, he would speak to her family and secure their blessing for their relationship. Shen Shaoguang, however, confessed that she was not his real fiancée and her family had never lived in Qingyang. She admitted to deceiving him, explaining that the lie was initially concocted to save her family from execution and later continued to secure shelter at Yunshui Manor. She insisted she had no feelings for him.
Lin Yan was stunned, reminding her of all the ways her family had treated him, asserting that their genuine care could not be faked. Despite his pleas, Shen Shaoguang firmly reiterated her lack of feelings, expressing deep regret for having usurped the identity of his true fiancée, Lady Zheng. The following day, Shen's Diner reopened with much fanfare, offering a new "Little Spring Platter," inspired by the imperial spring platter.
Customers were amazed by the fresh produce, and Shen Shaoguang explained it was cultivated in a "greenhouse." Many patrons praised Lin Yan as a diligent official, sentiments Shen Shaoguang feigned not to hear. Later, Cheng Hu and his colleagues from the Capital Prefecture came to dine.
While a colleague grumbled about having to work during the Lantern Festival, Cheng Hu lauded Lin Yan's swift actions, pointing out that even the Emperor referred to Lin Yan as the "Zhao Guanghan of our dynasty." As Lin Yan arrived, a citizen immediately approached him to report a land encroachment. Lin Yan assured the citizen the matter would be handled properly and quickly intervened when Cheng Hu and his colleague began to discuss Shen Shaoguang.
That evening, Liu Chang returned from his investigations. He confirmed that Lady Zheng, Lin Yan's true fiancée, resided in Shi'an County and had indeed moved there from Qingyang. He also confirmed that in the Qingyang dialect, the pronunciations of "Shen" and "Zheng" were strikingly similar, which explained how the Shen family had managed to deceive Lin Yan for so long. Liu Chang advised Lin Yan to sever all ties with the Shen family.
However, Lin Yan, holding a warm pastry, seemed lost in thought, recalling Shen Shaoguang's promise to take him to see the lantern festival. He then instructed Liu Chang that after completing their current official duties, their next stop would be Shi'an County. Late that night, Li Fengxia found Shen Shaoguang, whom she called Jicai, in the kitchen, unable to sleep. Noticing fresh red ligature marks on Shen Shaoguang's wrist, Li Fengxia was heartbroken.
She gently took the knife from Jicai, urging her not to harm herself. Jicai confessed that she had been using the pain from tightening the rope as a "desensitization method" to try and forget Lin Yan, but it wasn't working. Li Fengxia embraced her, calling her a "silly girl," and assured her that sincerely loving someone showed immense courage. She praised Jicai for bravely cutting her losses and urged her never to hurt herself again, promising to always be there for her.
