Perfect Match Episode 2 Recap, Plot

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Madam Li returned to the rented house and told her daughters about the events at the temple. They all agreed that if things continued like this, they would eventually have to return to Luoyang. However, they had boasted to their neighbors that they would settle in Bianjing, and if they went back now, they would become a laughingstock.

The five sisters each had their own opinion, but the eldest sister, Shou Hua, spoke decisively, as she always did when a decision had to be made. Shou Hua, steady and wise, believed that the most urgent matter was to start a business to relieve their financial worries. As for their mother's insistence on marrying them off, it was best not to argue further. They should go along with it and follow her wishes. The other sisters nodded in agreement.

They then persuaded Madam Li to use their savings to rent a large house with a shopfront and a courtyard behind it. The front part would serve as a tea shop, and the back part would be their family residence. After listening to her daughters, Madam Li agreed, thinking that running a business was something she was good at. Just then, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't retrieved the portraits she had left behind.

She couldn't help but let out a cry. Meanwhile, the monks at the temple had been packing up the portraits, but a gust of wind blew one of them away. Since Pan Lou was always busy, the Li family decided to open their tea shop, "Si Fu Tea House," across the street to attract customers. Kang Ning looked back at the bustling Pan Lou and happened to make eye contact with Chai An, who was on the upper floor.

Chai An, looking down from above, gave her a slight nod, but Kang Ning pretended not to notice. Fan Lianghan had been ordered by his wife, Fu Hui, to stop drinking and was looking quite pitiful. Chai An, already irritated by his behavior, was relieved when his servant, De Qing, reported that a new tea and wine shop had opened across the street. Chai An knew that the owner of Pan Lou, himself, was no fool.

He had already seen through the Li family’s intentions and ordered De Qing to ensure that Pan Lou would start offering morning tea service the next day. Although the profit wasn't the main concern, it was crucial that they didn't let the Li family steal their customers. Taking advantage of a moment when he was flattering Chai An, Fan Lianghan begged him to offer advice on how to escape Fu Hui's control.

Though Chai An had no desire to interfere in their marital issues, he was so fed up with Fan Lianghan's clingy nature that he subtly suggested sending his parents-in-law back to their home. Fan Lianghan was overjoyed by this suggestion and immediately saw it as a solution. The next morning, the Li sisters busied themselves in the kitchen, each with a task. They quickly steamed a batch of hot, sweet-filled buns.

However, despite their efforts, business at the Si Fu Tea House was dismal, just as Chai An had predicted. The shop was nearly empty, as Bianjing was already full of tea houses, and Chai An’s decision to offer tea at Pan Lou had negatively impacted their sales.

Madam Li and her daughters discussed a strategy to get Fu Hui to ask Fan Lianghan to speak with Chai An, hoping that Pan Lou, which had the upper hand, might at least allow the Li family to share some of the customers. However, Fu Hui, too, was troubled by her own situation. When talking about sending her parents-in-law back, she mentioned that Fan Lianghan was sick and blamed her for being too strict.

She scolded her for wanting to take a concubine. Upon hearing this, Madam Li was furious, believing that the Fan family was bullying them. She wanted to confront the Fan family, but Shou Hua quickly advised her to avoid trouble. Luckily, Kang Ning was quick-witted and came up with a plan to handle both the Chai and Fan families. First, she suggested that Madam Li close the tea house for two days.

Then, they would have Fu Hui pretend to be generous, allowing her husband to take a concubine, claiming that she needed to stay in the city and carefully select an appropriate woman. Chai An, seeing that Si Fu Tea House had closed, speculated about the reason. De Qing revealed that the shop across the street seemed to be undergoing renovations, changing from a spacious layout to smaller rooms, which left him puzzled.

Meanwhile, Kang Ning went to Bianjing’s famous shops to personally sample the food and instructed her maid, Chun Lai, to learn about the local tastes, so they could cater to them. At that moment, Fan Lianghan, claiming that his life was at stake, sent for Chai An. When Chai An arrived at the Fan family mansion, he discovered that the supposed life-or-death matter was actually about Fan Lianghan choosing a concubine.

Three women from poor families, who were not as beautiful as Fu Hui and lacked skills like singing or tea ceremonies, didn’t interest him much. Chai An noticed a figure standing behind a screen and immediately realized it was Kang Ning. He advised Fan Lianghan to avoid taking a concubine if he wanted to live a long life.

Fan Lianghan, confused, followed Chai An to Pan Lou, where they coincidentally encountered the singer Zhen Niang, whom Kang Ning had arranged for him to meet. Fan Lianghan fell in love with her at first sight and soon discovered her identity. He decided to spend money to take her as a concubine. Hearing about this, Chai An found it suspicious and feared it would cause trouble.

He sent a message to Fan Lianghan, urging him to abandon the idea of taking a concubine. Unfortunately, Fan Lianghan ignored the advice and happily brought Zhen Niang back, introducing her to his parents. Fan’s mother told Zhen Niang to serve tea to Fu Hui as a form of greeting, and from then on, she entered the Fan family as a concubine.

To everyone’s surprise, Zhen Niang bowed gracefully and tearfully shared her background, expressing her gratitude for the Fan family’s help. Upon learning that she was the daughter of a scholar, Fan’s father grew serious and ordered her to leave Bianjing and return to her hometown with some silver. When Chai An hurriedly arrived at the Fan family, he was horrified to find that Fan’s father was about to punish Fan Lianghan with family law.

Fu Hui stood in front of her husband to protect him, while Chai An used kind words to stop a tragedy from happening. After this incident, Fan Lianghan clung to Fu Hui, seeking comfort and declaring that no woman outside could compare to her. He promised never to take a concubine again. However, Chai An noticed that Zhen Niang was meeting with Kang Ning privately.

When he tried to approach them, Kang Ning, having anticipated this, signaled Chun Lai to stop him, and they quickly left in a sedan, throwing two crab meat buns for him to taste. Soon, Si Fu Tea House reopened with a new approach. It offered not only tea but also calligraphy, paintings, and delicious pastries, which attracted many customers. Chai An, curious about the success, visited and discovered that his own famous paintings were being used to decorate the shop.

Angered and frustrated, he decided to tell Fan Lianghan the truth about Zhen Niang. Fan Lianghan, realizing his mistake, immediately returned to follow Chai An’s advice.

Episode 1 Recap

Episode 3 Recap

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