Pan’er is now desperate to the point that she doesn’t care if she gets in trouble with the law anymore. She storms into the real estate guy’s place; and before he can react, she overpowers him and holds him at… her hairpin’s mercy (?).
None of the servants dare do anything. Fearing for his life, the realtor yields and agrees to return to her the deposit she made.
Who the heck needs Qianfan anymore if Pan’er’s hairpin is this powerful??
Anyway, to be clear: that deposit amount should have been returned to Pan’er anyway when the deal was broken. But the realtor took advantage of a loophole in the contract to withdraw that money from her.
Du Changfeng once again offers to help the ladies. He tries to convince San-niang to take some of his household belongings and sell them for money. He has no use for them anyway. Awww. While San-niang still hesitates, Zhaodi snatches them, thanks Changfeng, and runs off to sell them right away. Haha, she’s adorable. But be nicer to Chen Lian, though, OK!
Ruzuo takes Yinzhang to a cheap gathering. Yes, it’s cheap AND full of old perverts who are after young, vulnerable women. They won’t stop staring and whispering about the women present, and in a vulgar, blunt way. There’s no doubt about it anymore, Ruzuo is a fraud.
He convinces Yinzhang to play some music for a self-declared minister who can’t keep his hands off of her. This whole gathering is on another level of creepy, it’s like a get-together of a human-trafficking gang in disguise.
What’s worse is, the “minister” and these men here don’t know squad about music. And there’s nothing that pisses off Yinzhang more than people disrespecting her art.
Yinzhang is already fed up at this point, then she meets Haohao, who gives her some more valuable information: Ruzuo’s family isn’t rich or powerful, he got his job with bribes, and he flirts as often as he breathes. It’s the kind of thing that Yinzhang should have looked into before moving in with him, to be honest.
During the party that night, they try to drug Yinzhang. Here’s the deal: Ruzuo lures innocent girls into this den and sells them to these rich men, who would in turn help him advance in his career. Of course, if Ruzuo had used his brain a little more, he would have realized that Yinzhang’s talents could’ve brought him a lot more profit than these sleazy guys he hangs out with. Our girls are surrounded by mediocre villains.
Yinzhang pretends to pass out and the maids take her to a bed chamber. Ruzuo comes in later to check on her. When his back is turned, she shoots up, smacks him on the head with a vase, binds, and gags him. I am amazed at how physically strong our leading ladies are.
And Ruzuo… I guess you should have worked out more instead of spending all your time inventing cheesy pick-up lines.
Yinzhang is really pissed now, she is in evil sorceress mode. She plucks out a string from her Pipa and does something to Ruzuo’s fingers that makes him yell in pain. Then, she makes him sign a paper, knocks him unconscious, and drags a maid to lie beside him to create a scene that no doubt does not flatter him. That is one satisfying scene I don’t even care if it’s unrealistic anymore. Go Yinzhang.
That same night, a hurricane hits and destroys several buildings, Pan’er’s teahouse included. Pan’er hits rock bottom and loses her drive. The next morning, Chi Pan acts like an adult for once in his life and runs out to clean up the damage done to the wharf he’s responsible for.
A bitter official barges in to make things difficult for Chi Pan, going so far as to make him lick his boots and insulting all merchants present. What’s with the obsession with watching people eat dirt and mud in this drama?