This has nothing to do with this blogpost, but I ordered a ticket to the Fall Out Boy tour for next year. I haven’t gone to a concert since I was a teenager and when I did, I absolutely hated it because it was way too overstimulating. But I love their music and I’m much older now – and medicated – so I hope it’s a different experience. It won’t be until June, but I’m already looking forward to it. And you know what else I’m looking forward to? That’s right, there’s a proper segue into the episode for you.
Jinshi is waaaay too comfortable in Maomao’s presence yet also incredibly uncomfortable. We’ve all been there when we were younger, right? These characters are teenagers after all and although I haven’t been prolific when it comes to dating, I definitely had my fair share of teenage romances that led to nowhere. Awkward, embarrassing yet they do make for some fond memories. He lets Maomao remove the make-up to then apply it again, presumably so it feels clean again. There is a very funny frame where Maomao is cleaning it and the “scar” seems to just despawn for a frame instead of gradually being wiped out as it is then seen in the close-up.
It is nice to see that Basen and Jinshi are somewhat close – or at least that’s what I’m reading into this interaction talking about him. Gaoshun’s son has taken over to care for the emperor’s son. Perhaps it feels less stifling to have someone of a younger age with him. And it also makes for a much funnier reaction when Basen eventually walks in on the duo goofing around being way too close into each other’s space.
We move forward to the planned discussion between the villagers and the landlord. What the landlord wants here is good old capitalism. Drive out the smaller business, replace them with cheap labor and take over the industry, reducing the quality of the product while increasing the profit. It’s a tale as old as time. The main issue here is hinging on the idea that the previous landlord couldn’t read. So the son of this landlord is now claiming that although the contract looks perfectly valid, it shouldn’t be upheld due to the old landlord’s inability to read. The insinuation here being that the villagers tricked him into accepting a bad deal while the villagers themselves say the landlord was just a kind man. So the obvious next step for Maomao to take is to figure out if there were any witnesses. I love how quickly she interjects herself into any situation. Sure, it’s because the story would be dull if she was always an outsider, but she also does this interjecting with the right approach and with enough insight that even though not everyone will like it, they will have to admit that she’s knowledgeable and clever.
And for once – and please don’t make me look like a fool by the end of this paragraph – I think I’ve figured out something that’s going on here and that Maomao is about to use as leverage. The lord of this region is either operating a brewery or siphoning parts of his rice to a nearby brewery which explains why there is such clear and decent quality sake in this location where otherwise it shouldn’t. With Jinshi saying earlier on that something is wrong with the amount of rice being delivered from this region, I think it’s a safe bet that the amount is lower than expected due to this other use for the rice. Now I’m not sure what a drinking contest is going to prove here but it looks like Maomao has a plan. Years of working and living at the Verdegris House has given her enough confidence to play dangerous games. Meanwhile the already triggerhappy followers of the local lord bite very quickly. Now let’s see what Maomao’s plan is to drink these guys under the table. Because that is exactly what she’s doing.
It’s surprising to me that these people are so quick to bite though. They’re basically throwing away their entire plan for a chance at making a quick buck. I love that the way she’s won this is just with a skill difference. She’s just built different. And to make them honor the deal, she’s using the knowledge she gained earlier about the rice being sent to the brewery without it getting taxed. And not only is this guy a capitalist, but he’s also evading taxes which makes him a criminal to the people and to the law. And Guen has noticed something that I noticed as well, and that is the fact that Maomao is behaving very differently compared to normal but it’s because she’s drunk.
And I was wondering where the Romeo & Juliet of it all would pop up, considering we saw the early signs of this subplot in the previous episode, but there we have the landlord’s daughter and the papermaker’s son running into the meeting to try and break things up, adding yet another layer of complexity to the entire situation. They’re the reason why they dislike each other so much. The landlord doesn’t want this random schmuck to date his daughter. I do love how the important plot lines get resolved to a satisfying point and then the romance between the two villagers…. Well she doesn’t care enough to resolve anything. Great writing. Another absolutely fantastic episode, probably my favorite of the season just to see Maomao in her element and both Jinshi and Maomao being so down bad for each other. This season is seriously delivering.
