Pursuit of Jade: Ep 1 - Ep 5 Recap - Pig Butcher Drags Home a Very Pretty Half-Dead Man
I'm late and this is a lot of episodes so it will be a high level recap.
Meet the main characters! Fan Changyu, a recently orphaned woman who is a pig butcher and has the cutest little sister ever (Fan Changning).
She found a man mostly dead in the snow so naturally she brought him home and discovered that he was very pretty and she should keep him (as one does, if I've learned anything from dramas it's that you should always bring home and then marry Very Pretty Injured Men in Distress)
The man calls himself Yan Zheng, but he is actually the Marquis of Wu'an, Xie Zheng. He's now suspected of being dead and decides to hide out at the very nice pig butcher's house until his injuries heal. Unfortunately, he's been acquiring more injuries along the way, despite Fan Changyu's best efforts.
Fan Changyu is in danger of losing her house to her gambling uncle because her family doesn't have a male heir. The solution? Get married to the pretty invalid as a maternal husband (he joins her family). That way she can win the court case. She very sweetly says she will support her husband with her pig butchering skills. He needs identification papers so he doesn't get dragged away as a refugee, so it's win-win.
It turns out that not only is Fan Changyu a great pig butcher, she also knows martial arts. Which helps her defend her house against some local thugs:
Fan Changyu also has a former fiance who thinks he's Oh So Fancy because he is a scholar. His family leeched off of the Fan family and then dropped her like a hot potato once her parents died. Him and his mother are the worst
Also important, Uncle and Madam Zhao, who live next door. Uncle Zhao is a veterinarian who has been treating Yan Zheng's injuries. They are very invested in the Fan Changyu's marriage.
I like them. They are shippers
Highlights of these episodes include: Yan Zheng attending his own memorial for his own supposed death, Sexy Wound Care Fake Wedding Night, and Pretty Invalid Won't Eat Pig Intestines.
Back with more and better recaps tomorrow! Hope everyone is enjoying this show as much as me, the first five episodes flew by.
Posted Mar 8, 2026, 4:02 AM UTC