Blossom Episode 2 Recap
> Blossom Recap
After Zhao Guqiu returned to her room, she was pressured to agree to Dou Shiying marrying Wang Yingxue. This led to a heated argument between Zhao Si and Dou Shiying’s elder brother. Dou Shiying’s brother argued that since Zhao Guqiu only had one daughter, Wang Yingxue, with her respectable family background, was a suitable choice. Wang Yingxue feigned sorrow, even pretending to want to end her life. Zhao Guqiu, frustrated, threw her hairpin at Wang Yingxue, effectively conceding.
Wang Yingxue continued her act of despair, and Dou Shiying held her tightly. Dou Zhao overheard everything in the room and rushed in to ask what had happened. Dou Shiying lied, claiming Wang Yingxue was merely an ordinary person. Seizing the opportunity, Dou Zhao tried to expel Wang Yingxue. However, Wang Yingxue feigned weakness and fell, prompting Dou Shiying to show concern.
He declared that Wang Yingxue had cared for him closely during his illness, which led to his asthma, and thus he couldn’t abandon her. Carrying Wang Yingxue in his arms, Dou Shiying left, determined to look after her. Dou Zhao, heartbroken, comforted her mother. Dou Zhao reassured Zhao Guqiu that as long as she didn’t consent, Dou Shiying wouldn’t be able to take a concubine, and Wang Yingxue would remain an outsider.
Dou Zhao explained that Wang Yingxue’s father, Wang Xingyi, would never approve of the situation. Zhao Guqiu was stunned by her daughter’s wisdom. Dou Zhao also reminded her mother that she could seek a divorce. If Zhao Guqiu left, Dou Zhao promised to follow her, and they could rely on Zhao Si, who was well-versed in law, to ensure they stayed together.
Wang Yingxue blamed her asthma on the magnolia trees, which were Zhao Guqiu’s favorite flowers and a symbol of her love with Dou Shiying. Whenever Zhao Guqiu saw the trees, she remembered their sweet moments. Yet, Dou Shiying ordered the trees to be cut down to avoid triggering Wang Yingxue’s asthma. Zhao Guqiu resisted, but Dou Shiying knelt and pleaded. Reluctantly, Zhao Guqiu agreed, but as the flowers fell, so did her emotions.
She returned to her room and coughed uncontrollably, her heart heavy with sorrow. One day, Dou Zhao played on a swing alongside her cousin from Zhao Si’s family. Dou Shiying came to push the swing, explaining that he had built it for Zhao Guqiu. Dou Zhao furiously rebuked her father for dividing his love between two women and failing to weigh the importance of his promises.
Although Dou Shiying cared deeply for both Zhao Guqiu and Dou Zhao, he resolved to send Wang Yingxue away to ease their pain. However, his elder brother dissuaded him, encouraging him to focus on expanding the family lineage. Meanwhile, Wang Yingxue revealed she was pregnant, leaving Dou Shiying unable to act. As he wrestled with his dilemma, a servant rushed in to report that Zhao Guqiu had passed away.
Dou Shiying hurried to the scene, finding Dou Zhao weeping bitterly while holding Zhao Guqiu’s lifeless body. Zhao Guqiu had hanged herself using a jar of *zhuangyuan hong* wine she had buried beneath a tree to bless Dou Shiying’s academic success. Stricken with guilt, Dou Shiying read her final letter, where she expressed her only wish: for him to care for Dou Zhao.
At the mourning hall, Wang Yingxue came to pay her respects but was nearly pushed over by Dou Zhao. Dou Shiying, overcome with grief, turned to alcohol and ignored household affairs. Wang Xingyi and Dou Shiying’s elder brother began plotting to make Wang Yingxue his principal wife. Zhao Si was outraged that Wang Yingxue had taken Zhao Guqiu’s dowry and argued with her.
Meanwhile, Dou Zhao continued eating the snacks Wang Yingxue prepared for her, which Zhao Si misinterpreted as a lack of concern. Unexpectedly, Dou Zhao collapsed from poisoning. This incident prompted Dou Zhao’s grandmother, Madam Cui, to return home. Having lived in seclusion on the family estate, Madam Cui stepped in to seek justice, reclaiming Zhao Guqiu’s dowry for Dou Zhao and demanding Wang Yingxue compensate the family with 3,000 taels of silver.
Wang Yingxue resisted, arguing that Dou Zhao was too young to manage property, but Madam Cui insisted she take charge. Dou Zhao, grieving her mother’s suffering and death, refused to accept Wang Yingxue as her stepmother. She proposed observing a three-year mourning period for her mother, during which Dou Shiying agreed not to cohabit with Wang Yingxue. He even moved into Zhao Guqiu’s room to honor her memory. Terrified by these developments, Wang Yingxue knelt to beg for forgiveness.
Standing under the magnolia tree, Dou Zhao mourned her mother and finally felt some relief. However, she realized this was no longer her home or her mother’s. She moved to the family estate with Madam Cui, who doted on her greatly. Dou Zhao confided to Madam Cui that Wang Yingxue constantly schemed against her, forcing her to endure and protect herself. However, she vowed to seek revenge when the time was right.
Touched by Dou Zhao’s resolve, Madam Cui embraced her, urging her to grow strong and rise above petty household conflicts. She gave Dou Zhao a repaired bracelet that once belonged to Zhao Guqiu, symbolizing her hope for Dou Zhao to be resilient like the robust *jiuchongzi* flowers. Dou Zhao silently resolved to thrive, unyielding in the face of adversity. From that point forward, Dou Zhao apprenticed under the renowned scholar Chen Qushui, gaining a deep understanding of worldly affairs.
She also hired two skilled warrior-maids, Su Lan and Su Xin, to ensure her safety. Ultimately, Dou Zhao established herself as a formidable figure in commerce, navigating every challenge with ease. Meanwhile, in the Dingguo Duke’s military camp, a young recruit, Song Mo, arrived. His aunt, Jiang Meisun, immediately opposed his enlistment. However, Song Mo cleverly evaded her and even managed to capture General Yan Chaoqing.
Recognizing his potential and learning that Song Mo had been beaten and expelled from his home by his father, Song Yichun, Jiang Meisun reluctantly allowed him to stay. Song Mo vowed to rise through the ranks, starting from the kitchen staff. Years passed in the military camp, and Song Mo matured into a young general. At the same time, Dou Zhao grew into a sharp and capable businesswoman, amassing wealth and influence.
Observing the political and military landscape, she accurately predicted that Jiang Meisun’s military campaigns would make her stockpiled goods as valuable as gold in the near future. One day, Dou Zhao recalled advice from an elderly man she had once met. He had instructed her to toss a stone into a river, explaining that a mere stone couldn’t alter the river’s course. Only by amassing enough power to “tip the strait” could she change her fate. Inspired, Dou Zhao resolved to acquire that level of influence.
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