Hi everyone!

Today I’m sharing my episode 1-4 notes on Pursuit of Jade, because I’m enjoying it very much, and I was wondering if you’d like to join me? 🤗

These are my episode 1-4 notes, exactly as they appear on Patreon.

I hope you all enjoy, and I hope you’ll consider joining us over on Patreon, for the rest of the squees and discussions! ❤️

Episode notes:

E1-4. I’m really enjoying this one right away, you guys.

In fact, I liked it so well after just one episode, that I decided right then and there, that this show deserved a spot on Patreon.

Now that I’ve finished watching the first four episodes, I do think that my drama instincts were right – there is a lot to like in this show. 😁

In no particular order, here are the various things that I’m enjoying so far.

First of all, Show is very pretty to look at, and I’m not just talking about our leads (I’ll talk about them later).

Everything is very deliberately and tenderly framed and filmed, such that even little throwaway moments feel like they’re handled with care, like a pretty shot of water, as our female lead Changyu helps her little sister Ning to wash her face.

From the big things to the smallest details, everything is beautiful to look at, and you can just tell that Director Zeng enjoyed bringing out the beauty of this story world. 🥲

Another thing that I found myself enjoying very soon into my watch is how Tian Xi Wei comes across as Changyu.

Honestly, when I’d first heard about the casting for this show, I’d wondered how I would take to her in this role, because my impression of her had mostly been in the “wide-eyed porcelain doll” realm of things, from my watch of her in “New Life Begins.”

I needn’t have worried; Tian Xi Wei is nothing like a porcelain doll in this show. 😁

I really like that they’ve roughed her up a little to make her an earthy butcher, because this makes her pretty features contrast nicely with her casual, slightly untidy sort of styling.

That contrast makes her look interesting to me, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that this is the most appealing I’ve found Tian Xi Wei on my screen thus far.

Beyond the styling and appearance of our female lead Changyu, I really like how she comes across as a character.

She’s practical, competent, and focused when it comes to dealing with life, and yes, she’s affected by the gossip about her (that she’s unlucky), but importantly, she doesn’t cower.

I love how she just lets that gossipy lady go on for a bit during the New Year celebration where she’s butchering a pig – and then, when the lady doesn’t stop, she just tosses that basin of pig’s blood water on her, while smilingly telling her that the water will wash away any bad luck.

See what I mean by not cowering? Clearly, it bothers her that people are saying that she’s unlucky, particularly since part of it has to do with her parents’ recent deaths. But she won’t take it lying down, AND, she won’t give other people the satisfaction of seeing that their words have gotten to her.

From this scene alone, I already decided that I really liked Changyu. 🤩

But then, I soon saw that there was much more to like about her.

Like how we see that she’s warm and appreciative of Mrs. Chen’s kindness and trust – and right after that unpleasant run-in with the gossipers, no less. There’s a sheen of sad wistfulness in her eyes, but by and large, she’s steady and amiable, and I like that too.

To me, this shows strength of character, which makes her doubly strong, since Show’s also demonstrated that she’s unusually strong, not just for a woman, but in general.

Gotta love a strong female lead. 🥰

And we see that strength put to good use very quickly, as she stumbles on male lead Xie Zheng, heavily injured and on death’s door, and buried under a thick layer of snow to boot.

It says so much about her heart, that she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from picking him up and taking him home, even though she knows that she doesn’t have the money to pay for medicine.

Gotta love our girl’s big heart, yes? 🥲

Not only that, I love that she’s cutely funny.

What I mean is, Show doesn’t make her clumsy or stupid and then make her the butt of jokes.

Instead, the funny comes from her being warm-hearted and helpful – just misguided due to incomplete information, like when she tries to stop Xie Zheng’s bleeding, by feeding him medicine meant for goats. 😁

On a related tangent, I have to also say that I really like the way Show balances everything tonally.

One moment, we’ve got Changyu telling Mrs. Zhao that the reason she wanted to help the injured stranger was because his injuries reminded her of her parents’ injuries when they’d been attacked by bandits, and that’s really poignant, considering that she’s recently lost both parents to said attack.

And then soon after that, we have her feeding Xie Zheng goat medicine, then thwacking him so hard on the back that he passes out – and so she carves a memorial tablet for him, because she’s anticipating his death.

It’s a great mix of light and heavy, all blended into one harmonious fabric that doesn’t feel heavy in the watch experience – at least so far.

Also, can I just say, I do enjoy Director Zeng’s attention to detail.

Like when Changyu sees Xie Zheng face to face for the first time and realizes that he’s a Very Handsome Man, it’s endearing and completely relatable, the way she surreptitiously corrects her posture to be more ladylike.

That tells us very quickly and effectively, that Changyu is definitely more aware of Xie Zheng than she is of the average person. Very nicely done, I thought.

And I’m over here like, “Same, girl. Same” – because as you guys know, I have a very big soft spot for Zhang Ling He. 😁

If you were wondering, YES, I am swooning at how beauuuutiful Zhang Ling He looks in this, with that amazing mane of glory and that gorgeous bone structure. 😍😍😍

As with Changyu, I am finding a lot to appreciate about Xie Zheng too.

Clearly, he’s in a situation where he has to be secretive in order to protect himself, which is why he appears guarded.

However, we do see a lot of decency come through, like the way he is grateful to Changyu for saving him, and refuses to get her into trouble when those soldiers come searching for fugitives, even though he literally has nowhere else to go.

This is a scene that thrilled me greatly, because we get to see just how smart and tactical both our leads are, in their own ways.

I love how Changyu is quick-thinking and creative in choosing to hide him in the pig sty, then planting Ning nearby as a decoy, and finally, in knocking over that bucket of offal, as a deterrent.

As for Xie Zheng, I love how he’s not helpless, even though he’s badly injured. The way his whole body is tense and on guard reminds me of a panther, and the way he quickly breaks a chopstick to create a weapon that he can use, is so badass. 🤩

I also lapped up the detail of him crouching in readiness, chopstick weapon in hand, even as he hides in the pig sty.

It’s so great, watching them both be active agents in this situation.

Yes, Xie Zheng thankfully doesn’t need to actually use the chopstick as a weapon because Changyu’s multi-pronged strategy works, but I love the idea that he was ready to spring into action, if the situation called for it.

Later, when Changyu’s uncle shows up at the house with those moneylenders, I do love how Changyu is so firm and badass – and literally kicks their butts with some very impressive martial arts. Ooh!

Our female lead is even cooler than I’d first imagined 🤩

On that note, I do think that Changyu’s father wasn’t just a simple butcher, or even a convoy guard, which is what she’d heard about his pre-butcher days.

There must be something quite special about her parents’ circumstances that had caused them to go into hiding as peasants.

Plus, there’s the fact that the hairpin which Changyu’s mother had left her, had clearly been much more valuable than the pawnshop owner had been willing to admit.

I’m sure that Changyu’s family backstory will eventually intersect meaningfully with Xie Zheng’s own backstory, but that’s something I’m content to leave for later, along with the hints of court and military politics that we get in these episodes.

In the meantime, I am loving every indication that we get, that Xie Zheng is a case of “still waters run deep” – all of his quiet watchfulness and observation comes across as him absorbing information about his surroundings, and organizing it in his head very strategically.

I find that I really like this quality about him, where he never jumps into action straight away, but rather, only takes action when it makes sense to him.

Jumping ahead a bit, I’d say that his reaction when those moneylenders come to ransack the house while Changyu is out, is a perfect example.

He hides and observes them first, and doesn’t move to interfere – until it becomes clear that they have found the title deed for the house and intend to steal it, which would leave Changyu and Ning homeless.

That’s when he gets involved, stepping in to warn the thugs to leave the deed behind.

I find it extra cool, that he doesn’t feel the need to fight overtly in this scene.

Instead, he’s using very specific, calculated moves, to help Mr. Zhao and the other neighbors gain the upper hand over the thugs, while quietly ensuring that he snatches the title deed back, when the opportunity presents itself.

Keeping a low profile while secretly being the hero of the day? The stars in my eyes are only growing, just so you know. 🤩😁

I really like how our OTP connection is growing in a slow, steady sort of way.

I’m not feeling romantic sparks just yet, but I do think that this is by design, with Show allowing room for them to connect as people first.

Like in that scene after the moneylenders have been kicked out the first time, where Changyu opens up about her parents, and Xie Zheng likewise reveals that he doesn’t have any family left in the world.

This is such a poignant moment of solidarity, where they both realize that they have both similarly lost their parents. 🥲

It feels like a perfect moment for Changyu to blurt out her truth about being a butcher, and for Xie Zheng to state for the record that he has no intention of laughing at her, particularly since she’s done so much to save him and take care of him.

This feels like an important early moment of connection, and I feel like this is the foundation on which we get that marriage agreement, soon after.

It’s really ruefully amusing, the way Show has Changyu role-playing the marriage invitation with a pig, but importantly, this allows Xie Zheng to hear her true thoughts and difficulties, and why having a matrilocal marriage would enable her to keep the house.

I do think that the reason Xie Zheng decides to agree to the marriage, is because he wishes to repay Changyu for her kindness in saving him, and not because he has any romantic feelings for her just yet.

On that note, I do feel that Xie Zheng is a “pay what is owed” kinda guy; ie, I believe that he would repay a kindness, if it were within his ability.

Like the way he secretly goes about getting Changyu’s hairpin back, once he overhears her talking with Ning, and learns that she’d pawned her mother’s hairpin in order to take care of him.

I do believe that Xie Zheng understands that the hairpin is important to Changyu, since it had been left to her by her mother, and that’s why he chooses to get it back for her, as an expression of his gratitude.

Another scene I really enjoyed, is the scene where Changyu gets Xie Zheng to keep her company, while she pays respects to the Marquis of Wu’an – which is Xie Zheng’s real identity.

I thought it was really clever, the way Show has Xie Zheng use the name Yan Zheng (言正), which are parts of his real name, and then has Changyu reverse engineer it, to use the memorial tablet that she’d carved for Yan Zheng, for Xie Zheng (ie 言正 becomes 謝征).

It’s quite humorous, the way Xie Zheng gets suspicious and wary when he sees Changyu writing 謝征 in the sand after first writing 言正, only to later learn that it’s not because Changyu is onto him – but because she just wants to pay her respects to the Marquis of Wu’an, who’s believed to be dead.

I find this moment really important, because I believe this must be the first time that Xie Zheng’s had the luxury of hearing about himself, from someone outside of the court or military.

Changyu has no hidden agenda; this is simply her pure, unadulterated opinion of Xie Zheng – and it must soothe his misunderstood soul, to have someone respect everything that he’s done and everything that he’s stood for, without even knowing him. 🥲

I do believe that this is a foundational moment to Xie Zheng’s growing sense of connection to Changyu.

First, there’s the way he defends the house against those thugs, like I mentioned earlier, and then, there’s the way he volunteers to coach her, so that she’d be equipped to speak before the magistrate, when her uncle brings the case to court.

Quite possibly my favorite scene in these four episodes, is when Song Yan comes knocking on Changyu’s door and starts to talk big about helping her – by taking her as his concubine.

I love the way Xie Zheng listens from the shadows for a while, but soon comes out of hiding, most likely because he can’t bear Song Yan’s self-importance and arrogance.

The manner in which Xie Zheng and Changyu slide so easily into a sequence of improv is just SO GREAT.

First, he pulls her in and pushes her head against his shoulder, and she plays along; then, when Song Yan keeps going on about her lack of morals, she tells him to look closely, then wraps her arm around Xie Zheng’s, before leaning over to kiss him on the cheek, declaring that he’s her legal husband.

The way Xie Zheng doesn’t miss a beat, and leans over to kiss her right back on her cheek, is just GOLD. 🤩

I mean, it’s unexpected and therefore funny, but also, it effectively communicates that they are a team, and I LOVE that “us against the world” energy they give here. 😍

SO good!

And then of course we have the wedding, where I just love how everyone gapes in awe at Xie Zheng’s beauty (SO pleased that his very presence just stops all the gossipers in their tracks).

I also giggled when Song Yan repeatedly asks Changyu whether she’ll accept (接 jiē) his gift, and Xie Zheng holds out his hand to Changyu and she takes it, thus completing the ceremonial “fetching” of the bride by the groom, which is known as 接亲 (jiēqīn).

Punny!

How satisfying too, when Changyu breaks the clay figurines with her feet, thus effectively breaking any old connections that she might have with Song Yan.

Even though I know that this is a business arrangement, I still can’t help but melt a little at The Pretty, because Xie Zheng and Changyu sure look great together.

The way she declares that she doesn’t expect him to change his surname to match hers is thoughtful and generous, and shows that she is considerate of him and his identity, even though he’s agreed to help her.

And I love how he’s so gentle and cooperative, declaring unabashedly that he’ll follow her lead.

The way she quietly whispers to him that they’ll discuss matters and decide together, and the way he agrees without missing a beat, makes me think that they’re going to make an excellent team, going forward. 🤩

I’m honestly eagerly looking forward to watching more episodes, so that I can witness our OTP learning to navigate these newly married waters. 🤗

Also, I just have to give a shout-out to Ning, who is the cutest little munchkin!

Unlike many other dramas where I’ve seen youngsters being written to be quippy and wise beyond their years – ie, the schtick is that they’re like tiny little adults – I absolutely love that Ning is allowed to be a child.

She’s precocious and quippy, yes, but in the capacity of a child, and there’s just something so charming about that, that I hadn’t realized that I’ve missed in child characters.

I love how loyal Ning is to her big sister, and likewise, I love how Changyu loves her and protects her, always putting her safety first.

This was a great set of episodes – and I haven’t even touched on Show’s earthy, nonchalant approach, like eating innards, when it comes to demonstrating class differences between our characters (thanks to Elaine, for pointing this out over on Patreon!).

All in all, a very satisfying set of opening episodes indeed, and I hope you’ll join me for the ride!

PS: Please don’t talk about spoilers beyond these episodes in the comments – we need to protect the innocent (that would include me, of course 😇).

*I’m covering this show on the ⭐ Premium Access (US$18) Tier on Patreon*

To view episode 1-4 notes in Patreon, along with everyone’s comments, you can go here!

You can find my Patreon page here, and for all future episode notes for this show you can click here.

Episodes 3-4 notes will be out next week! I hope you’ll consider joining us!

It’ll be a way to have fun, and support me at the same time? 🥲❤️

PS: For more information on what the Patreon experience is like, you might like to check out my Support page (here!) and my Patreon update post for March (here!).