Against the Current Episode 42

The passing of a matriarch

Jinqi has a chat with gpa where he asks why he treats the painting of an artist he really didn’t care for like a good friend? He responded that it was in the Shen collection and Mr Xu just happened to find it and hang it up in the store. He tried again to justify going for survival over helping the Shens. After all these years he is still trying to convince himself. I am relieved he has some remorse which proves there is a heart there somewhere. This was the puzzle piece that confirmed his suspicions. As he burns the mementos in front of LanXiang I think he hopes she will confirm his thoughts on her identity. He didn’t confirm his treason with her or volunteer that he saw what she did with the evidence. Here I think they have tacit understanding and choose to leave it wordless. There is no need to worry about witnesses or betrayers if nothing is confirmed aloud. They go from their happiest moment to saddest. The matriarch’s disease eventually took over and there was nothing more to be done except pass the reins to her family and wish them to live well. She had everything set in advance so that her children would know what she wanted. She was well aware of how useless her husband would be. She gave her blessings to her children and family and passed along the house tokens to LanXiang. 2nd Madam and daughter brazenly try to usurp authority over house and brain dead patriarch was all for it. Luckily JinQi confirmed arrangements already taken care of. I liked LanXiang’s solution to shut up mean girl. Unfortunately that was only round one. She is actually threatening Xiu Lai’s children if they don’t frame LanXiang. Her prejudice and hypocrisy will hopefully catch up soon. We do not need manic mom and mean girl offspring in charge of anything. There is no task small enough for them to handle properly. i’m kinda with the kids to throw it back in her face for trying to harm LanXiang. But she is quietly and patiently teaching them how to let go of resentment and outsmart them rather than return in kind. She did not earn madam’s love because of her status. I find that the mom’s bias is on her. She did have the mom’s respect. She knew LanXiang would do as she wished and keep the household in order. She entrusted her youngest to LanXiang’s care to teach her how to live well. It is funny seeing all the divorcees in a row with their children. This has their family looked down on, but how many would have divorces if allowed? At that time, probably every single house. At least one. There are no words for the obtuseness of the dad and uncle. They could not do anything that would be remotely funny in that scenario. I really wish he would have done over the top mourning than proving once again he was a worthless twit.😝

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The reigns of the household

He realized who she is, and she understood that he knows. At least I think so. That scene where he burned all those items he had collected over the years gave me the impression of that kind of understanding between them... If I am wrong, I hope they will somehow explain it to me later. 😌Jinqi's mother dying was an emotional scene, but I was super mad at the ladies from the second branch and actually Jinqi's father too... 😤His wife had been ill for God knows how long and he knew nothing, and then he walked in there like nothing had happened, wondering why all the servants were crying so loudly... Insufferable man. 😒But Jinqiao's wife annoyed me the most. She always seemed disappointed with everything she got — gifts were too humiliating, her husband got too little honour, and then more and more of this and that... But now, First Madam died literally minutes ago, and she's already plotting how to get the reins of the household... I hope Lanxiang will be able to keep the role First Madam entrusted to her, but I suspect that if the ladies from the second branch want to involve Old Master, he might have to learn of Lanxiang's true identity. 🤔I just hope they can solve it quietly within the family and there's no big fuss or public announcements to the world, because I think that's not necessary... However, that, of course, would remove the gossip about the Lin family's First Young Madam being born a slave (but the Shens are still considered traitors, so I don't know if that would be better). 🥺

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