Episode 1 recap: Zhuang Jie returned to her hometown and reunited with old friends.
The 9th Funeral Professional Skills Competition was divided into three professional competition categories: Funeral Service Attendant, Embalmer and Cosmetologist, and Orphan Care for Disabled Children. Chen Mai Dong sat on the judging panel, scoring and giving comments, and personally demonstrated how to face and arrange each body, giving them the final dignity and respect, and understanding the relatives' hatred towards death.
After a simple surgery, social gangster Zhuang Jie prepared to take the high-speed train from Shanghai back to her hometown to recuperate. However, during the transfer at the station, she encountered her former high school classmate Chen Mai Dong. Initially, Zhuang Jie didn't recognize him until she saw the faint scar on Chen Mai Dong's forehead, and suddenly realized who he was, so she took the initiative to say hello.
However, Chen Mai Dong showed an impatient expression, misunderstanding that she was intentionally approaching men, and he walked towards the station exit with his luggage. Zhuang Jie followed closely behind and recognized Chen Mai Dong again, but he still maintained a cold and indifferent attitude, even though he knew that Zhuang Jie wanted to hitch a ride, he bluntly refused.
Zhuang Jie's hometown is in Nanping Town. Since she went to work in Shanghai, she rarely returned home in a year. Fortunately, her Uncle He helped take care of the family, so she wasn't too worried. Her mother, Liao Tao, was known in the town as a capable wife. Shortly after marrying He Zhangyue, she started selling braised chicken. Her small business was doing quite well, providing more than enough to support the family. During the year when Zhuang Jie was preparing for university, Liao Tao became pregnant and gave birth to a half-sister, He Niao Niao.
Nowadays, the family has two braised chicken shops in town. Liao Tao is responsible for sales and product development, while He Zhangyue is in charge of butchering and cooking. Therefore, most of the time, Liao Tao is busy in the shop. On the day Zhuang Jie returned home, He Zhangyue happened to be tending to the flowers and plants in the yard. When he confirmed that it was Zhuang Jie, he happily took her luggage and put it in the room, eagerly talking about how her little sister He Niao Niao is struggling with her studies and can't compare to her elder sister.
As for Chen Mai Dong, he had just returned to Nanping Funeral Parlor and was about to personally handle a tricky matter.
Because the deceased died at a drinking table, his buddies, who were intoxicated, caused a scene at the funeral parlor. Chen Mai Dong used a small strategy to lock them in a negotiation room, immediately arranged the cremation process for the deceased, and told his apprentice, Feng Xilun, not to blame these people as they were simply struggling to accept the painful reality.
As Zhuang Jie passed by downstairs, she overheard the neighbors discussing trouble involving Director Wu Xuehua. Curious, she went upstairs to investigate and discovered Wu Xuehua and the elderly neighbor being forced by Chen Nai Nai to play table tennis, and both of them were defeated miserably. Chen Nai Nai threatened that she would not stop unless the neighborhood committee arranged a marriage for her eldest grandson. Zhuang Jie helped Wu Xuehua deal with Chen Nai Nai and taught her how to use WeChat's "Shake" feature to find a daughter-in-law. However, Chen Nai Nai became interested in Zhuang Jie and liked her more and more as she got to know her.
In the late afternoon, Zhuang Jie finally went to her mother's braised chicken shop. Although the shop was not large in scale, it had the best location in the town center, with three or five people waiting in line at the entrance. Liao Tao was startled when she first saw Zhuang Jie and scolded her for not informing her in advance that she was coming back.
He Zhangyue specially prepared a table full of delicious food, and Zhuang Jie had a close relationship with her little sister, He Niao Niao. The whole family was happy and harmonious. Early in the morning, Zhuang Jie heard He Niao Niao being scolded by her mother, which made it impossible for her to sleep, so she decided to spend money and have her little sister wash her hair instead.
Chen Nai Nai added Zhuang Jie as a friend on WeChat's "Shake" feature, but unexpectedly, the clever He Niao Niao took this opportunity to ask Zhuang Jie for a hundred yuan as pocket money, or she would report to their mother about playing with WeChat's "Shake" feature. An elderly man from a neighboring village passed away, and because it was a joyous funeral, the family hired a suona band and opera troupe to celebrate in a lively manner.
Due to Chen Mai Dong's unique profession, he was recognized by the mourning family and was pulled to sit in front of everyone. Since he didn't have many friends, he decided to stay with his grandmother and watch the performance. Coincidentally, Zhuang Jie came over to make a delivery and saw Chen Mai Dong sitting in the front row. She took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him and unexpectedly discovered that Chen Nai Nai's eldest grandson was Chen Mai Dong himself.
Comments(Episode 1)