LAKAN'S TRAGIC PAST 😭 PHARMACIST REACTS to Apothecary Diaries Episode 23

[@DefinitivelyZach]

And now I've lost all past suspicion and hate I had for Lakan..... I just feel so bad for them, such an unfortunate situation, if only they could've communicated better. MaoMao was born because of this so it's not all bad, but the pain both of them and Maomao must have felt from this..... it's just so sad..... brb crying until the last episode 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@mikediaz2816]

fengxian's buy out got cancelled because she got pregnant by lakan...as maomao said a courtesan getting pregnant will lose all of her value...since fengxian is the top earner of roukoshukan the brothel almost went bankrupt so she has to sell her body to random guys to earn something...thats when she got syphyllis...fengxian always thought that lakan will redeem her thats why she let her self got pregnant but lakan is out for 3 yrs...fengxian's letters are also being intercepted so lakan has no idea of what is happening to fengxian...the yubikiri is fengxian's desperate move to get lakan's attention by that time fengxian is already mentally unstable due to the progression of syphillis...

[@yellowsoy2475]

Given the context in this episode and looking back on episode 19. That look of shock and horror must be “Oh crap that really is my daughter and oh crap she is really hurt”

[@sakuracoy1990]

are they cutting many onions from this episode? bawling my eyes out rn

[@dylanjohnston4388]

I'm wondering was it the Lakan father not sending him the letters? He must have known about their relationship

[@katsucandy]

@@dylanjohnston4388 Lakan's family is kind of.... Not great. I mean, his dad gave up on him when he was still a young kid and instead put all his attention on his other child/made Lakan's younger step-brother the heir. And his opinion of Lakan never really gets better, as we see in the flashback. So like, someone in the family definitely knew, considering all of Fengxian's letters got to Lakan's room, but... Nobody told him shit 🙃

[@karne3156]

so that why maomao said to her mother "foolish woman" it make more sense due to the fact that she decide at her own will to lower her own value for lakan but only for him to miss the signal completely

[@Kilie_Morton._.OrangeCat_Roo]

Guess that’s why maomao is just as clueless 💀💀damnit papa

[@NaCl1572]

3:52 The characters for balsam is also the writing of Fengxian's name, and woodsorrel is also known as "cat's paw", referring to Maomao.

[@febed01]

I think it was in episode 12, when the 3 sisters were teasing Maomao about Jinshi, they've shown a bouquet of flowers, with 3 voluptuous flowers surrounding a tiny yellow flower 🙂

[@LibeliumDragonfly]

Woodsorrel is actually not "cat's paw", the author just got it confused with buttercup, which has very similar looking flower.......

[@cheyennemoore8380]

@@LibeliumDragonfly It did remind me of buttercup flowers from the Hunger Games where that's talked about.

[@yellowsoy2475]

And Luomen’s words come back full circle “Don’t make conclusions based on conjecture”.

[@natashka06]

I read somewhere that Cutting the little finger was an old practice (and one of the most extreme ones) to show devotion and love to a client from a courtesan. Apparently, they'd do this to sort of say "I love only you" and it was frowned upon since it was a very visible "mark" to all clients that the courtesan was in love with someone that wasnt them. And remember that Maomao had nightmares of her mother holding the knife over her while she was a baby, that's where the little piece of finger came from and why Maomao would look at her finger a few episodes back and partially why she resents her father... So yeah, very important episode that makes all the dots connected 😊

[@roribeedm]

Two of the big reasons for a courtesan to perform Yubikiri (literally "Finger cut off") were to show devotion to a customer who couldn't pay out their contract or if the courtesan was required to sleep with her customers. In either case, you're right it was a way to say "I love you and only you no matter what happens".

[@natashka06]

@@roribeedm thank you so much for replying and clarifying it further! 🙂

[@Some_guy_passing_by]

Tbh , Fengxian wouldn't have cut Maomao's finger-pulp ( thank Goodness it was just the pulp) , she went insane out of grief and Syphilis :(

[@melina_0455]

SO either it's a curse, either it's a love letter. How on point : considering how well Lakan and Fengxian manage to communicate, he could perfectly take one as the other. The same way she might have interpreted his absence as rejection.

[@OriLOK2]

It's so nice hearing Lakan's voice actor bring this part of his story to life. It was so heart-wrenching to hear the emotions in his voice. He and FengXian just got pushed around by the world and Maomao ended up lost in the tides.

[@JennyAnimations]

I say both of them actually caused this. Fengxian didn't tell Lakan she was carrying his child. And Lakan didn't jump at the chance when Fengxian's buyout was cancelled.

[@amandabernard8179]

How could he. I don't think he would of had the money ​@JennyAnimations

[@rastello275]

I love how this anime teachs you in the best way to not SAY or DO anything based on assumptions. Lakan is just a tragic character with a bad reputation but because of OUR lack of knowledge on the situation, we judged him guilty of something really bad and he was just another victim.

[@saedo9723]

Lakan says the fingering severing was a curse, a curse upon him cause she thought he abandoned her. The small bit is Maomao's as a baby. But they grow back a bit that young, so that's why her's are just mis-shapened

[@roribeedm]

Only the anime mentions it being a curse as far as I know. I know the manga refers to it as a "trending ritual" and the LN doesn't say anything about a ritual or a curse. There's multiple explanations of what it actually means in a historic context in other comments.

[@syafiqaszamin6411]

it's more accurate as a vow, not a curse.

[@RoteKirschbluete]

To give a little more detail for people wondering why Fengxian cut her finger. A courtesan can get regular customers with promises of love but some customers want a stronger proof of their love, a definite answer that their love (and money) are appreciated by the courtesan. There were multiple ways a courtesan could proof her love and one of the most basic ones is the blood vow, where the courtesan writes a litter and smears it with her blood. Another would be cutting their hair, getting a tattoo or pulling a nail. Fengxian chose the finger cutting, a practice that was used rarely but was still well known and considered one of the strongest proof of a courtesan's affection.

[@JadeQueen25]

hey, in the manga, at least, Maomao's mom cut off her finger herself, as a symbol of how serious she was about him. She also cut off the tip of baby Maomao's pinky too, which they showed in the flashbacks, and that's why Maomao commented before on how hers is slightly misshapen. Love your videos as always, thanks for posting!

[@AC_Art-N-Stuff]

Yeah, the anime is a little hard to follow in that respect. I would've liked to have an extra scene at the end of the episode when Maomao was contemplating the rosebud where it flashes to the scene of Fengxian with the knife, just to remind the audience that it was Fengxian who cut their fingers. Hopefully the full story will be animated next episode where everything is put together :D

[@Shinekage]

Like Lakan said, its a popular way to curse someone. She did it at time she was almost completely gone mentally and all she could think was resentment.

[@Ncyphen]

Yes, it was in the anime, too. Maomao's flash back to her mother holding a knife to her, that was the moment she cut the tip of Maomao's finger, and then her own.

[@firemaiden029]

The redstring of faith is said to be tied to your pinky connecting you to your soulmate. By cutting your pinky you sever your connection to your soulmate, therefore cursing your soulmate with the severed redstring.

[@IZEASGT]

The details will probably be revealed in the season finale next week.

[@SheeeenaH]

The real reason why phone was invented:

[@mikediaz2816]

lakan is not a bad man...he might be weird but not a bad man...the things that happened are all result of bad luck on both of their side

[@DefinitivelyZach]

bad luck and bad communication!

[@ChocomelJuice]

Well, Lakan himself acknowledged that it is partially his fault cause he didn't think it through enough but yeah, he is not a bad person Tho still, he was talking so weirdly then with Jinshi, like bro why'd you smile so creepily😭

[@NaCl1572]

@@DefinitivelyZach Both had their own plans and gamble, but both ended badly. Fengxian planned to get pregnant by Lakan to decrease her price so that he could buy her out, but the latter didn't notice the hints, and he was sent away much longer than intended.

[@tkim2320]

@@NaCl1572not only not noticing hints that night but wasn’t able to read any of the letters she wrote him probably telling him that she’s pregnant and so her value decreased, please buy her out. From her end, it looks like he ghosted her after he slept with her.

[@Sup_D]

@@DefinitivelyZach Both Lakan & Fengxian were bad at communication. And the result, Maomao is also bad at communicating with people.

[@martianunlimited]

#14:00 The chariot is the strongest and most versatile piece in the game. It's basically the rook. Jinshi is the "advisor" which is a defensive piece that is confined to the palace and Gao Shun the minister, (the other defensive piece)

[@LibeliumDragonfly]

@@firemaiden029 It's actually pretty useless most of the time, it's just positioned next to the commander, therefore, more significant.......

[@martianunlimited]

Ya, the advisor is actually one of the weakest piece, in terms of value, it's just slightly worth more than a pawn that has not crossed the river, and worth the same as a pawn that crossed the river.

[@MedusaLegend]

When we think that they could have been a happy weird family, Lakan, Fengxian and Mao Mao if not for the drama in the inner palace.

[@fanskucing597]

If Jinshi isn't swapped they will live together as a family! Well minus Jinshi being dead. But can't win all.

[@0th_Law]

Don’t forget Luomen!

[@Ozai75]

In the Manga and the Light Novel it's the previous Emperor that sends him on a campaign that takes 3 years for him to complete it. It's a really bad series of events for them. It's an amazingly sad set of happenstances between them.

[@roribeedm]

Manga and LN it's his father who gave the order and since his father was an officer in the military it was an order from his superior officer as well. I think it was the web novel version that had the Emperor order the military campaign, it's also the version that has Fengxian in a completely different situation at this point in the story from what I've heard. We're up to 5 different versions of this series now and none of them stick to the same events unfortunately. Even the anime deviates from the LN and first manga versions.

[@Sup_D]

The Emperor had nothing to do with Lakan being sent away, it was Lakan's Dad (in the Light Novel & Manga, not sure about the Web Novel). Also, it wasn't a campaign, but a political dealing work.

[@Ozai75]

@@Sup_D ah yeah you are right. Man I've read so many versions of this that it's all jumbled. Haha

[@JessieLayla]

17:50 In the manga, Lakan thinks to himself that he wants another game of shogi while FengXian wants another game of go. I don't speak Japanese, so I dont know how accurate this is, but there was a page at the end of this manga chapter to try to explain this. The potential explanations were: 1. She was hoping for a girl, he was hoping for a boy 2. They wanted this moment together to last forever 3. They both wanted to keep winning so as to keep having their way with each other Again, I dont know how accurate this is, but I think they're kind of cute explanations and they add something to the story in their own way. Not a spoiler, just a manga-only detail that I thought was nice and others might enjoy 😊 Looking forward to uour future videos!

[@blizzaga1]

It's not Shogi, but Xiangqi btw.

[@Nemi-pp2zs]

​@@blizzaga1both games are verry similar, komplex and have little differences in the rules to play. In the novel the play go an shogi and the anime went more after the novel. I think it's a matter from translation from japanese in other languages if they say shogi or not, it's a a translation thing that you not can only see for those games. So what, for the story it doesn't matter wich game it is in the end.

[@blizzaga1]

@@Nemi-pp2zs In the ranobe they play 将棋, it can be Shogi or Xiangqi depending on context (just like in English "chess" can be regular chess, or Japanese chess, or Chinese chess). It's obviously Xiangqi since it's in China. You can clearly see in the anime Xiangqi board and pieces, it is VERY different from Shougi. Heck, Lakan even says [shanchi:], not [shougi]. Also yes, chess, shogi, and xiangqi are all similar and it makes perfect sense to translate it as "chess" for Western audience. Not "shogi" though.

[@AngusKhan21]

I thought that Lakan was better at chess than FengXian, and that he had wanted to choose chess so that he could beat her and ask for whatever he wanted. This was his "terrible thought", that he would (as he said to Jinshi later) "force himself" upon her. Instead, he chose to play go with her because she is better than him at go. That way she would win the bet and be able to take whatever she wanted. FengXian offering for him to choose their game was a test to see if he cared about what she wanted, or if he just wanted to take advantage of her.

[@dayan5454]

first one is probably out of the table as a child never even crossed Lakans mind, and why would it, it's mentioned somewhere in the manga that courtesans do not often get pregnant against their will, as they have plenty of methods to either avoid or stop a pregnancy. This also implies that fengxian probably planned to get pregnent all by herself, by planning ahead to the next time he visits her and ensuring she was fertile then.

[@TheLightbane]

There are more twists and turns in this anime series than a game of Twister played by Contortionists. 11:52 I LEGIT thought that was red wine mate! 😂 20:20...If his deployment overseas had actually been six months....MaoMao's life would have been COMPLETLY different.

[@OriLOK2]

Also if he hadn't promised to be back in six months she could have medically induced an abortion to get rid of the 3 month pregnancy, but he promised to be back in the month the baby was to be born, so she had no choice but to hold out until the pregnancy was term.

[@amandabernard8179]

​@OriLOK2 I think that you miss read the timing wrong. Plus I think abortions were very uncommon and life threatening back then

[@forotherpurpose3671]

17:47 I read a comment somewhere, saying that Fenxian specialized in Go, while Lakan specialized in chess (xang qi). During their initimate moment, by saying they wanted to play their own specialty, it means both Fenxian and Lakan wanted to keep winning the bet and make the other party do what they want. Basically they wanted the moment to never end 😢😭💔

[@braxat52]

12:25 So, the trick probably wasn't to make him drink the "poison", which was still down to chance, but just make him "drink". Since he could always just give up and lose the bet, Maomao probably just used the idea of poison as a distraction to ensure he drank the normal booze.

[@TheDarshes]

I think the trick was, she knew she could hardly win against him, even 1 of 5 let alone 3 of 5. She needed to make sure he at least throw 1 game. That's why she cooked "3 cups will kill you" trick. Lakan wouldn't risk her life and she knew it, so she knew he would throw at least 1 game to be sure that Maomao would not drink 3 dose of "poison". And that was all she needed to make him forfeit the game by making him pass out.

[@alexusman]

What do you mean "probably"? Everything was literally explained in the plain text in the episode. She just added a bit more of booze to 3 out of 5 cups of the same booze.

[@janewow77]

- Fengxian is good at Go (black and white stones) board games, Lakan in Chess (Shogi). Iirc, it was mentioned by Lakan when he was in Jinshi's office that he could win her in Chess but not Go. She's good at Chess but Go is her best. When Fengxian asked about the bet, he chose Go, as if to let her win. - That's why I didn't really want to explain about his condition before because I knew it'll be explain in this episode anyway. People can be too quick to tell about his condition. - Lakan's father was in military, Lakan got position in military bcs of his family. Order to study abroad is not just order from a father but a boss indeed and in military, you have to do a boss' order. 'Study abroad', I don't really remember it in manga or novel, only 'a long trip' or 'war'?! 🤔 - Not just her finger, baby Mao Mao's finger... since like earlier episodes, we got to see the anime showing Mao Mao's pinky finger. Noooo I am not ready...next week is last episode of this anime too...Frieren too... 😭

[@huuthien2911]

The word of "study arboard" is a mistranslation. Understandable since the concept is quite unfamiliar with English speaker. The actual meaning was "a trip to province local office and convince them to follow the Central Gorverment's new policy". Due to the different interest between Central and local government, it became a very long trip.

[@Sup_D]

@@huuthien2911 Well, they could have had simply translated as "work abroad" instead, or use the term "canvass" like the official Manga translation did.

[@Feiy16]

In the light novel, it seemed like it wasn't just his father who sent him away but also the Empress Regnant because of what happened with Luomen. So, when he returned and needed to climb the political ladder to reclaim his daughter, he retook headship and formed a connection with the current Emporer to seize power from the Empress Regnant. It may have been an act of retaliation against her, for himself, and his uncle. The only way he could get revenge against such a powerful piece was to maneuver her grandson to take power over the country.

[@raeveii]

It's the fact that Fengxian told Lakan that courtesans can't be "mothers" cuz they have a reputation to uphold. Then there's Maomao, who came out of the courtesan's womb, and Lakan was not around to claim them both in his care. Then the rabbithole goes deeper cuz IF Loumen is Lakan's "intelligent but clumsy" uncle, then there's reason to suspect Loumen being banished from the palace, was because of Jinshi's birth. It's INSANE how everything and everyone eventually connects 😭

[@glyyyn451]

Jinshi's birth >foul-play >Loumen taking the blame thus dishonored their Noble name >Lakan being sent away as punishment Now excuseme and hold tf up cause ohmygod the BUTTERFLY EFFECT IS WILD😩🤌

[@roribeedm]

Not Jinshi's birth. Maomao theorized that he was banished from the palace after Fengming accidentally killed Ah-duo's baby with honey, and that was why he was "physically punished" (kneecap removed). Episode 11 when Ah-duo was leaving the palace and Maomao noticed how much she and Jinshi looked alike.

[@glyyyn451]

@@roribeedm yes it was around that time both lady ah-dou's kid and the former prince was born [one of which IS Jinshi]. Still, it's the fact that one died and Loumen took the fall which led one thing to another.

[@exia0616]

From the manga, Maomao added powder on the drinks where as in the anime its liquid. From the manga maomao said she added salt and sugar into the drink to somehow increase the body absorbtion or something like that. Edit: Fengxian didnt get her left pinky got cut by others. She cut it herself. The anime also showed the time when she cut it herself. The scene in question is when Maomao i think went home after her date with jinshi she dreamt the scene in which young maomao was about to be stabbed by a knife by Fengxian. Fengxian at that time already have some symptoms from the syphillis in a desparate attempt to reach out to lakan she decided to cut of her left pinky and a portion of maomao's left pinky to show that she wants him. Thats why everytime a close up of maomao's hand is shown, they chose to show that there is something wrong with her pinky.

[@roribeedm]

Episode 18 has the dream sequence, and so many people misinterpret it thinking she was trying to kill Maomao. Maomao even looks at her pinky when she wakes up and Fengxian's position when stabbing down would have put the knife well away from Maomao's body based solely on her hand position.

[@Silverhorse777]

6:00 Xiangqi, a Chinese variant of chess, vaguely similar to shogi in Japan. 7:38 It seems that Maomao would love to try Russian Roulette with poison... *shudders* 12:00 Yea, she literally just gave him a "hard" version of what we call in Russia Yorsh or Nothern Lights - the "light version" would be vodka + beer in the first case and vodka + champagne in the second, but "hard" is whatever alcohol you have + pure ethyl alcohol, a student party prank. Poor Lakan literally just effectively drank a full glass of vodka in one gulp) And yeah, Maomao totally likes the thoughts of Heiter and Fern in Frieren - alcohol is the best medicine))) BTW, in the manga and LN she instead added a mix of sugar and salt into what he thought was water, but actually was sake, to force the absorption of alcohol. They changed it here to pure alcohol to make it believable, I guess. And, I wanted to ask this for a long time - how actually physically possible it is for someone to get drunk from just one sip? Like, we have anime characters get really drunk from a chocolate with liquor in it, but this is impossible, unless you eat a ton of it... And that famous scene with Nagisa from Clannad where she got totally wasted from one sip of sake... That means all the alcohol should just go into your bloodstream all at once, totally ignoring your liver (which MAY be possible if you have certain conditions), and even like that it should be a lot of alcohol, not just one sip... 13:53 A rook, but Xiangqi have very different rules... but yeah, we can say it's a rook piece in normal chess. He also sees Jinshi as a queen piece and Gaoshun as a bishop piece, if we use the normal chess terminology. 16:10 In the story, we see all the girls as flowers here. Remember episode 12, when we saw a bouquet of flowers, with a lone yellow flower in the center? That's Maomao and her big sisters. Woodsorrel is her flower here. Able to get rid of poisons and dubbed as a cat's foot... you can see why))) 17:50 It's a metaphor. Fengxian always won in Go, but Lakan always won in Xiangqi in their matches. Basically, they each said "I want to win this round", if you know what I mean) Also some fans interpreted it as that Fengxian wanted a girl, but Lakan wanted a boy... gosh, Maomao's parents were just two overly intelligent idiots who fell in love with each other, unable to communicate properly... 18:45 Yeah, Maomao's foster father, Luomen, is actually her grand-uncle, and Lakan's uncle. As he said it in episode 7 - inner palace... it must be fate. 19:30 Yeah, as Gaoshun said several episodes earlier, "Jinshi" is actually 19, and Maomao is 18 here. I won't say anything further, since it's a giant spoiler) 20:40 Yubikiri, the ultimate form of "pinky promise". You know what that means. 23:50 Remember this phrase from Meimei. This is only the first half of Lakan's story we saw here, the rest will be in the next episode.... and gosh, when I've read that part of the manga, I haven't cried that hard in a long time... 25:20 No, Fengxian did it herself. And then she sent it to Lakan - "you didn't hold your part of the promise". Remember that recurring nightmare Maomao had, her mother with a knife over her hand?

[@vdinh143]

So that's why Korone wants our fingers 😅

[@bahrurri93]

i love how you phrase about maomao's parent " the just two overly intellegent idiots who fell in love with eac other, unable to communicate properly" 😅 its funny and sad at the same time 😢😂

[@Kuroro2345]

So, the lullaby Fengxian is singing? Not only was she singing this in her first official appearance (when Maomao checked up on her), but we heard this lullaby being hummed back in episode 8, by the courtesan who tried poisoning that spoiled playboy. And Meimei calling Fengxian "Big Sis" is because she studied under her in her childhood.

[@richardd5645]

I think he has alcohol sensitivity (ALDH2*2 allele) more common in East Asian populations (protective alleles of ADH and ALDH are also more common). Morozova et al. Mol Genet Genomics (2014).

[@juliejaropillo7079]

From all of the reactor i had watch no one had put together of Maomao dreams with the knife on one of the previous episodes. That it was her mother cutting her finger for that letter.

[@roribeedm]

That's been driving me up a wall too. Everyone thinks that scene was Fengxian trying to kill Maomao, but she was holding Maomao's left hand with her own left hand. In the position she was in she would have had to stab across her arm to get to Maomao. Heck, Maomoa even looks right at her pinky when she wakes up.

[@alexusman]

The fact that you've read LN or manga doesn't make you smart or special, there are hundreds of thousands of people who've read the story too. So get lost with your spoilers, reactors see what they are shown by the anime.

[@dayan5454]

@@alexusman this is shown by the anime, though. Maomao has looked to her pinky finger I think at least 3 times in the anime, one of them rtight after the dream, and the last time she mentions the finger being desfigured directly. plus in the scene where Maomao visits Fengxian, one of her hands has a bandage that would hide the lack of her finger. It has always been there.

[@marielblanco7013]

10:05 Lakan knows it's a trap set by Maomao, but he's happy to follow whatever his beloved daughter is planning 18:43 His name is Luo Men, and yes, Maomao and him are actually related by blood

[@teongreen5254]

If he is Lakans uncle that would make him Maomaos great-uncle.

[@0th_Law]

@@teongreen5254Well, he’s still her dad, of course. Still, in a sense, she is her own cousin.

[@dragon12234]

An explanation of the finger cutting: likely she did it to herself as an offering, as Lakan does say in the episode "finger cutting is a popular way of cursing someone", so it was probably some kind of spell. Cut off your finger and send it to the target of your curse. Funnily enough its kind the opposite of the meaning of finger cutting in Japan, where a Courtesan would cut her finger and send it to her best clients as a symbol of her devotion (in Japan it was much more fo used on the girlfriend and romance fantasy), of course, as this might offend the other clients, it was quite common to make fake fingers to send out as well

[@roribeedm]

The sad thing is, the "curse" thing was only added by the anime. The manga mentions Yubikiri as a trending ritual, not a curse. Also we have actually seen the night that Fengxian cut off Maomao's finger in the anime. If you go back and watch the dream sequence in episode 18, you can see Fengxian holding down Maomao's hand with the pinky extended. Everyone seems to think this scene is Fengxian trying to kill Maomao, but with the way she's holding Maomao down and how Maomao looks at her pinky when she wakes up....well...kinda obvious what we're seeing now that more has been revealed.

[@vdinh143]

There are several varieties of board games in Asia. Go originates in China and spread to Japan for most of its development, but Japan also has Shogi. This game that Maomao is playing with Lakan is called Elephant Chess (Xiangqi) which bears a lot of similarity with Western chess with the exception of a piece called the cannon which can only attack/capture an enemy piece by jumping over a third piece of either color.

[@roribeedm]

A fair number of the pieces have different names. The Cannon, Bishop, Advisor, General, and Cavalry. There are also terrain zones on the board that change how a piece behaves.

[@dgk030593]

Fun fact: balsam in Chinese is鳳仙 (Fengxian) which is also her name

[@karne3156]

at the end where maomao give lakan the withered rose, and showing that she have the bud it basically she saying : "you are not getting this "bud" , go and get your "withered rose" back"

[@ElanorPam]

pretty sure lakan is autistic. prosopagnosia is pretty common among autists, i still have trouble recognizing coworkers or family members if they're wearing different clothes or change their hair. mao mao is also pretty classically autistic, with her hyperfocus on poisons, lack of facial and voice inflections, and difficulty with subtle social cues. autism does tend to run in families...

[@Heppoko_]

At the time of the broadcast, there were quite a few apologies to Lakan in Japan, saying that they were suspicious of him and misunderstood him as a bad guy and that they were really sorry. 5:30　Balsam and Woodsorrel Yes, as was mentioned a bit in the anime, nail polish is made from Balsam and Woodsorrel. Balsam is written in Japanese as "鳳仙花(Hōsenka)" and Woodsorrel is written as "片喰(Katabami) Or 猫足(Nekoashi)". 鳳仙(Fengxian) in 鳳仙花(Hōsenka) is Maomao's mother's name, and the 猫(Neko/Cat) in 猫足(Nekoashi) is Maomao's name. The small yellow flowers in the first opening and also in this episode are Woodsorrel. 9:57 Another reason, I believe, is that Lakan wanted to play with his beloved daughter in Xiangqi, which is his specialty, for a long time. His idea was to win in the end and end up with three wins and two losses. Maomao, however, had different ideas. She simply wanted Lakan to drink alcohol for a reason. Lakan was for a win by Xiangqi, Maomao was for a win by default, and this is the result of this difference in thinking. 13:20 As will come out later, this uncle is Luomen. In fact, if Luomen and Lakan are written in kanji, they become 羅門(Luomen) and 羅漢(Lakan), which indicates that they are related to each other, a family called 羅(La), in other words. Incidentally, the author still seems to regret about reading Luomen differently from Lakan. When read in the same form as Lakan, Luomen becomes Lamon. * The author later set up this discrepancy by saying that when he was studying in the West, the pronunciation over there became Luomen, and that it stuck. In other words, Maomao, although not officially recognized, is by blood the daughter of a La family, and since Lakan is a general, she is actually from a fairly good family. * She herself insists she is from the pleasure district, though.

[@godleydemon]

So I actually came over to your reaction just so I could explain this scene a little better and all of the nuance alot of people probably missed. This is just the start of the finale of this arc and it's already "mwha!" chefs kiss. Mao Mao sets Lakan up for failure from the very beginning and completely out menuevering him, he didn't even see it coming. The entire episode shows the little bits and pieces she sets up to trap Lakan. She knows that Lakan has affection for her, to an almost obsessive degree, but that doesn't stop him from using her as a pawn as well. As it's been shown nearly the entire season, even to the point where she nearly got herself killed from his machinimations. First step, make him unstable by making his plan fail, Lakan actually didn't expect them to make blue roses. Even if Mao Mao knew the secret, the timeline was to short. It was actually a trap, making Jinshi focus on the blue roses part, while he completely forgot it takes more than two months for a rose to bloom. Next, she needs to make him sentimental. Using the nail polish that her mother always used to wear, she had to use a slightly different herb due to availability and expense but was able to get it just prior to meeting Lakan. This actually ends up working out better, as his mind is drawn to the color and gets irritated that it isn't the same. Only to be shocked when his daughter is wearing the correct color. This knocks his mentality even more as he's getting emotional whip lash. Then he's invited to talk/have a game with her, which though it strikes his curiosity, he can't figure out what she's up to. He's been to shaken up by her subsequent blows. Then Mao Mao explains the rules of the game and pours the drinks. As mentioned in the episode, Lakan is a light weight. He doesn't drink it, he doesn't even know what it tastes like. Let alone high concentrated sake and Mao Mao knows this. On the contrary, Mao Mao is highly resistant to all poisons, including alcohol. That's why the stipulations in the rules of winning and losing. Seeing her lose at Go was also a bit of a surprise to him, because he saw her challenge him so confidently. He thought she must be a prodigy like him, only for her to be trounced so badly that it was embarrassing. But as his mind is spinning trying to figure out the scheme, all he can see is her nails. Picking up the Go pieces, the same color, the same movements. I might have to have someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe in the novel it's described that she even mimicked her mother's facial expressions. All to continually make him off balance till he had no choice left but to lose so he could drink the poisoned cup. Thing was, she never poured poison in the first place, they were all high quality sake cups. What she poured was just more sake. So the entire setup was giving him a taste of his own medicine. He was attempting to make Jinshi look like a fool with his trick of drawing focus to the rare part of the blue roses, while the real problem was the time it took. Mao Mao made Lakan do exactly the same thing. She just provided more distractions and misdirections. It was also a test, because this plan doesn't work if his love for her mother isn't there anymore. May May btw is another misdirection, it's also something May May needs to move on but that's for later. Next bit is spoiler for next episode, since this a two part finale. I won't go to in depth though. Mao Mao's mother is still alive, though not quite all there in the head. Her mother often sings a specific song on specific days due to her ongoing mental deterioration. These days coincided with the days Lakan used to visit when he was off work in the capital. It's why she challenged him on that specific day, and sent him there to be cared for by May May. Who is the closest person to the isolation hut Mao Mao's mother lives in. I think you might be able to guess some of the things that happen next, but I'll leave that for next episode.

[@VKHikara]

Lakan's face recognition case is actually a real mental illness called Prosopagnosia, or face blindness. And the way he uses chesses as their faces is actually one of the solutions to live with this disorder. For the finger severing case, there is a song called Yubikiri by scop and Hatsune Miku, and this is the description. Yubikiri means "finger cut-off." In the tradition, a prostitute would cut off her pinky to give to a client whom she fell in love with. If the client loved her back, he would cut off his pinky and send it to the prostitute. If not, he would send her pinky back. Fengxian wasn't in the right mental, so she had to use this "curse" to prove her love and to know LAKAN's love, but in the end, she did not receive what she want. Her mind is broken, and she becomes what she is now. Another case that would be revealed in the next episode is the other finger, it is a special but real one because it only happens to a young baby. The manga/LN did not go deeper into that, so I doubt anime would do. It connected to the way Maomao always looks at her hand during the last scene at episode 3 and so on.

[@Puppet007]

For the finger part, I thought that it was a piece of an umbilical cord that stays on babies days until they fall off. Right now, he never knew that Fengxian was still taken care of at the Verigis house in secret. So he’s going to assume that Maomao wants him to buy Meimei since she’s the oldest active courtesan at the brothel but it’s really going to be Fengxian. Never read the manga but I might cry watching the next episode.

[@alexpartlow8623]

So Maomao's nightmare/memory earlier in the season wasn't her mom trying to kill her as a baby but to cut off the tip of her pinky. FengXien cut off both their fingertips and sent to Lakan as Pinky-swear curse. No wonder Maomao was scared of love and her parents obsession. And no wonder Loumen took in Maomao he must feel responsible for being the reason Lakan was sent away without knowing.

[@rwbymetal2582]

I believe Fengxian intended/plotted to become pregnant in order to cancel the buyout contract but did so without informing Lakan. She expected Lakan to return in 3 - 6 months after their tryst, and with her value diminished he could buy out her obligation. So with Lakan not returning, tragically Fengxian spiraled downward, and it took til now 18 ish years later before Lakan fully realized what happened those three years he was away. The only positive was the birth of our darling protagonist Maomao ❤

[@DanA-zf8bt]

19:16 Correct. MaoMao is 1.5 years younger than Jinshi. This was confirmed only by an interview of the author

[@ChocomelJuice]

No, like Lakan said "severed finger" is to curse the recipient, she send him her finger to curse him cause she though he abandoned her and she hated him for that

[@roribeedm]

There is actually no mention of it being a curse in the manga or LN. The manga refers to it as a "trending ritual". Historically, a courtesan cutting off the tip of her finger to send to a customer was a sign of devotion. It was usually done if the customer couldn't afford to pay out the courtesan's contract or if the courtesan was required to sleep with her customers. Yubikiri is still a thing today, but it's done by children and it's called a pinky swear. Yubi means finger and Kiri means cut or cut off, so there are still hints of the tradition's dark past.

[@AngusKhan21]

Lakan said that he had heard that. Lakan is also a goofball with poor social skills. I think he just pulled a MaoMao and jumped to conclusions based on conjecture. I think the fingers had a different meaning than he thought, and that Lakan has been hating and punishing himself all these years in shame while FengXian meant it as a sign of devotion. The central theme in this anime is misunderstandings.

[@sairi_a]

The "finger severing" was in a flashback in a previous episode, now that you have context for what was going on

[@jadek1756]

This episode was MIND BLOWING. I literally could NOT keep seated!

[@FloatingFatMan]

A withered rose is still a rose.

[@pockypimp]

When she started pouring the poison I immediately thought of "The Princess Bride" and Iocane powder.

[@jacksparrowismydaddy]

now that I think about it, its also interesting that he sees them as go prices rather chess pieces after meeting Mao mao's mother.

[@BlackHayateTheThird]

Hey all, in the future to respect Zach's wishes and not to spoil him (and others who are just following the anime), anything that is a known spoiler (based on the manga or novels of a plot point or anything speculated to be revealed in an upcoming episode), let's comment SPOILER and leave a few lines to hide the actual spoiler. I totally get the want to discuss and speculate, but it does/ can ruin the experience for others. I also think general speculation is fine (and fun!), and learning info after the episode airs/ episode is in discussion, such as pointing out the Pheonix crest on Jinshi's clothes indicating he's from the Emperor's family is fine. It's so much fun seeing your reactions, Zach, as well as learning about things from a pharmacist's perspective, and it's fun as a community to talk about these episodes on Zach's KZbin page, so let's make sure we keep making it fun for all and guarding spoilers properly.

[@nikm3r]

MaoMao and Frieren ending next week, but we got absolute peak coming back on April 7.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

mushoku tensei?

[@vridathegrimm]

NOTE: he was sent to the OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY and was fighting as a strategist for the military for the entire time he was gone except for maybe a month or two where he took over his family. It was not that he forgot he literally from what I have heard could not come back and had no time to visit. Also Lihaku thinks the mother is dead thats what the Madam at the Verdegris house told him all this time (14 or so years cause Mao Mao is 17 and he did not get anything for 3 years) he thought her mother was dead also one night cost 44 or so Taels of silver equivilent to 44,000-220,000 copper coins this was from the scene where we saw the little silver boat things this is to give you an idea of how much it costs for him to see her also remember a few eps back when they went over how much it would cost to buy out a courtisan? it would probably be ALOT more than that

[@mikakestudios5891]

So much happened in this episode that i don't even know how to feel.

[@caliithildae8500]

When Fengxian made the bet, she let him pick the game, and he picked Go. In an earlier episode Lakan told Jinshi that he could never beat her in Go, so he picked the game that would let her win the bet. Also brothels like this would have abortives to prevent pregnancies, so Fengxian chose to keep the child. Her plan would likely have worked out too had he not been sent away. The crazy way these events and situations are woven together. Ah Duo swaps babies, and then through the honey the other baby dies. This causes Luomen to be banished, bringing shame on his family, and as a result Lakan's father sends Lakan away since he was close to his uncle and wanted to hide the shame, so Lakan could never find out about the pregnancy nor could he contact Fengxian and let her know of any delays. Had any of those events changed, the swap, the honey, Luomen taking the blame, Fengxian and Lakan likely are together and raise Maomao. On the other hand, since Lakan is the head of his clan now it's possible Maomao would have ended up one of the Emperor's concublines, or as a court lady as it was her adoptive father (great uncle) that brought her love of medicines.

[@Clourie]

I knew Lakan wasn't a bad guy. (Maybe bcoz watching too much anime, they often try to make a good guy look shady😂)

[@dayan5454]

yes, he never fooled me because he was too "suspiciously suspicious". but I disagree that people were only basing themselves on assumptions, the men himself said he wanted to take advantage of fengxian. I meant, that's no assumption, it's straight out there. if he wasn't so blatantly suspicious I might have fallen for that one.

[@xxMapSyrxx]

I was wondering for the finale next week if you would be able to talk about what you want to see in a future season? This series, both light novel and manga, is very popular and there is a very good chance a second season will be made sometime down the pipeline. There will be a lot of interesting pharmacy related stuff, including more structural stuff on health care and public health in general, in later seasons.

[@Lunaria_Vale]

Reading this part in the manga made me sad. But paired with the amazing voice acting and the emotions in it made me tear up.

[@jonathanhare1999]

I'm seeing this slightly different. His father sent him abroad for much longer then he would've guessed. They didn't forward her letters to him. Maomao was born, and because of her lowered status her mother had to begin servicing customers. Feeling abandoned by him and then becoming Ill, she cut off a finger and part of Maomao's finger and mailed it to him. Remember he said that sending the fingers was a curse!

[@roribeedm]

I am not happy with the studio after watching this episode. I won't give any details on what the scene contains, but there is a scene in the manga that they didn't put in the episode that is so important to the history between Lakan and Maomao and Lakan's feelings as a whole. Without that scene, if we see Maomao's side of it in the next episode it's only going to look bad for Lakan, and that is a real loss. The cut scene was the most tender, but heart wrenching scene and it not being animated is a huge loss. For anyone who is curious, please find a site where you can read the manga online, and read the last 6 pages of chapter 37. It's such a little thing, but it is so important to Lakan's character.

[@DefinitivelyZach]

I can only hope that they include it in the next episode then

[@exia0616]

Now that you mentioned it i was kinda shock it is not included in this episode. Also minor nitpick for me they mentioned "study abroad" instead of being sent out for military campaigns/expedition.

[@JessieLayla]

I'm still holding out hope that the part you've mentioned will be worked into next week's episode instead. Fingers crossed!

[@roribeedm]

@@JessieLayla I expect they will have Maomao's side of the event, but I doubt they will have Lakan's side. Plus it won't have half the emotional impact that it would have had if it were the end of this episode. If it had ended this episode it would have had everyone crying.

[@roribeedm]

@@exia0616The manga doesn't specify what type of expedition it was that Lakan was sent on in this chapter. It may get specified later on, but at this point it was only said that he was sent abroad.

[@itsnotgayifitsclay]

I want more of lakan and fengxian story!!! I WANT TO SEE THEIR ENDING TOGETHER!

[@cheyennemoore8380]

I had the same thought when I heard about his uncle. That would mean if it is Loumen, then he's her biological great uncle, and her adopted dad. Which would be awesome. That would make her and Jinshi close in age yes, which is why I've had difficulty believing he was much older. They look more close in age than you'd think. Next episode is gonna be hype. Just the title got me excited.

[@XxSilver_RosexX]

Next up is lakan buying fengxien out, i mean you already figured that out lmao

[@Wyxh3194.Hanime]

That hurts .. 😭😭😭

[@LeeLaBahHeh]

You think the reason the uncle knew Maomao really well was cause he basically raised Lakan~. The uncle might have even stayed in the pleasure district out of guilt and concern for both Lakan and Maomao~.

[@xenobazilla]

11:01 First time in the history of Chess that someone win by Knock-out 17:24 This is the moment when Lakan said to himself, "It's...GO time!!!"

[@adrian_shepherd4003]

Zach in a previous episode relatively at the beginning Maomao talks about how her mother cut her pinkie if I remember? That was Fengxian doing cutting her and Maomao's finger she wasn't punished. She cursed Lakan( was mentioned in this episode)

[@Dryltd]

We know what type of drinking games you play where the winner drinks. Good times.

[@gprovidakes]

Recall earlier her Mom cut off her finger and her own to finally get his attention.

[@shirabe64]

Sometimes courtesans would make a sign of devotion particularly if they love a client or they think they will be bought out. Sometimes it’s writing poems about them. Sometimes they would cut off their hair or even a fingernail. In Japan there are stories where someone indeed cut off digits or whole fingers to show they were serious.

[@NocandNC]

Really loved the reveal that Luomen is Maomao's great-uncle - even though we know he's her adoptive father, it was hard not to think 'these two seem related' when seeing how similar they are in their intelligence and skills. So there was a blood relation after all! I wonder if he and Lakan still speak at all... well, it's Maomao's story so maybe we won't find out, but I'm curious!

[@fanskucing597]

Minor spoiler : Luomen is the only person who can make Lakan behaved (he respected him as parental figure more than his own dad) it also explained why Lakan never forcefully claimed Maomao because he knew she is taken care well.

[@chuckbrotton2449]

Supposedly, the main traditional type of high alcohol, distilled liquor in China (baijiu, generally made from sorghum) is known for it's very strong taste. In terms of distinction of flavor, more on par with whiskey than, say, vodka. If he had early on realized that he was an extreme lightweight drinking something like plum wine and generally avoiding alcohol, the distilled liquor would taste vile. It would be like someone who never drank before having a double shot of Wild Turkey 101

[@NocturnusArtemis]

Maomao spiked the drinks with a mixture of Salt and Sugar in the manga which she said helps the alcohol to be absorbed (by stimulating the stomach I guess?) something that makes me curious is how one person can have a what could be considered average tolerance for alcohol and another could be delicate to it. I understand exposure can increase tolerance (even leading to addiction) however how can genetics play into it?

[@Fusako8]

LOL. This is the sort of error I'd expect myself to make. No, LOSER drinks in drinking games. (My dad is alcoholic, so I have NEVER partaken. But I did live in the dorms for 3 years at Uni, so I've witnessed drinking games.)

[@Lahann_]

I must say Lakan is one of my favourites characters in the show

[@joseangeles8382]

I believe Fengxian DID tell Lackan she was pregnant, he was just not there to receive the letter that said she was pregnant. She wrote him desperately until eventually she believed he abandoned her and that’s why she sent him the fingers. And that’s why the old lady was so mad at him and hit him with the broom, because she thought he purposely abandoned her as well, and right after making her pregnant, which would have reduced her price enough for him to buy her, but he wasn’t there to buy after essentially making her “worthless”

[@JennyAnimations]

This family really likes speaking vaguely. If you miss it, Fengxian saying her not being bought was a hint to Lakan that she was pregnant and available for him to buy. If Lakan noticed it, he would've done something before he was sent out. Another thing, in manga Lakan was sent to warzone, not for study.

[@sarahgrellchen5687]

after that episode it hit me so hard he wanted to buy maomao free since he didnt make it in time for her and her mother, he wanted to safe her from having the same fate of growing up in that house, also could it be lakans oncel was a doctor that was thrown out by the palace....i was thinking the same that lakans oncel is maomaos adoptive dad, also i think you missed it but jinhsi said himself hes only 19 and plays the role of the 24 old one. i think its really sad she asked when he comes back and with that thougt that in 3 months he would take her home she lowered her value for him with that hope in mind and then because of lakans father both went downhill

[@JennasHoover]

Regarding the finger, it was common for prostitutes in historical Japan to cut off their pinkie finger (hence pinkie promise) and send it to their lover if they can't be with them. It was an act of devotion. There are videos here about it and since this is a fictional world, it still fits.

[@Shadx27]

MaoMao's plan was Inconceivable!

[@Its_Dave_Just_Dave]

"hes just a lightweight" Lakan never drinks alcohol and the stuff in the glasses was very high strength, probably of 50% +

[@Hakitosama]

Told you that there was more to Lakan than meet the eye ;)

[@tudiseja]

Everyone in MaoMao's family are a weirdo in some way.

[@roribeedm]

Or a huge jerk. I mean, Lakan's dad definitely ain't a father of the year candidate just from what we've seen of him in this episode.

[@fanskucing597]

It's likely they won't make appearance even in season 2 but Lakan's nephew (Maomao's cousin) is also weird eccentrics. It runs in the family.

[@naylaw1928]

I hate to say it because I love the grandma but I'm lowkey salty at her because, while all of this is simply unfortunate timing and everyone catching strays, she is the one who turned him away. the man who was clearly remorseful without hearing his side But then again as she's beating him you can hear the pain in her voice either for ruining her business or for breaking the heart of what would be one of her surrogate daughters. I didn't even notice the first few times but she beat him until the broom broke. It Prolly broke her heart to see one of her daughters who was normally so cold hearted and highly coveted slowly fall in love and fall from grace just to be left a mess

[@dustydave961]

Wow, what an episode! We finally understand Lakan's backstory. Spoilers: I also thought Lakan's uncle could Maomao's adoptive father.

[@sarahhermanson4272]

It’s worse than you think. It was her finger and baby Mao Mao’s pinky finger.

[@joanlegend]

Part of me wonders if Maomao's parents could get a happier ending if Lakan didn't go abroad..? Ehhh.. one more episode TT

[@jabbawookeez01]

😭 i feel so sad for lakhan buddy needs his redemption arc or whatever for them to accept him

[@GarnetReaper]

I think u missed a bit of text cause he even said that it is a curse/insult to send a finger to the person. Usually your own. She cut her own finger and the tip of maomao's finger off to send to him. We see this moment when maomao remembers a memory in her read that woke her up a few episodes back. Do so, I read on wiki, means u are severing the red sting that connects you to someone. But that could not be in chinese culture.

[@kaustralishamal2054]

I'm not sure if it's the same because this is Cchina, but in Japan courtesan used to demostrated their love for a client with bizarre gifts, the most extreme one was cutting a finger. More information from linfamy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHfRcnWem9GLgNk

[@ecicitsym]

12:52 from what I remember about Chinese culture is that mental illnesses and the like are big red flags. So if that holds true, that would explain why Lakan's father abandoned him and his mother as she birthed a "defective" child. (Not even entertaining the idea that it was his side of the family from which it could have come from.)

[@Kjaskar3003]

I don't think she was bought out. They were talking about buying her out and that her price exploded but then she (probably knowingly or rather on purpose) got pregnant and was not bought out for that reason. And after the Baby was born she had to sell out her body. Regarding the "fingers" I will check on the episodes where we do see her if there are finger missing but Maomao does not miss a finger right? At first view I thought it looked like maybe the umbilical cord but seems I was wrong. Maybe they had the finger from some dead body to make him believe she is dead? Because as I understand it Lakan thinks that Fengxian is dead and he wanted to buy out Maomao from the Rokushukan. Could be wrong about that too though lol

[@therethan-family1234]

At least when reading the TV-Tropes article of Maomao's mother, she sounds much more responsible for what happened. She made a calculated effort to get pregnant by the most ideal partner (no mention if she really loved him). When her plan fell through and she was now "worthless" she directed her hatred at Lakan and her infant daughter, even though she is just as responsible for what happened. She is a prideful and scheming woman. And I view Lakan as an emotionally stunted person who was taken advantage of. (afaik, this is no spoiler, but a difference in how the story is described in the Novel versus anime.)

[@gprovidakes]

Fengxian The people who Maomao cherishes, Loumen, old lady, Meimei, Juka, Pairin, perhaps her mother, Fengxian, need closure and this her way of perhaps not healing but closure so all of them can move forward. Lakan was self aware of his issues that his Uncle Loumen tried to help him. But in his arrogance he did not try to really understand those around him. His failure to connect either Fengxian or understand her communications with him. After THREE years he finally understood. He was not malicious just lazy and neglectful - abandoning Fengxian dooming her to her shameful state and disease. Maomao understands it was not all his fault so she does not hate him but also has no affection for him. His stupidity does not excuse him nor does she forgive him, but does not see him as malicious. He may even a grown more self aware ergo his clumsy attempts to connect with his daughter whose mother he abandoned for 3 critical years. Recall her comment she lost ability for love in Fengxian womb.

[@gprovidakes]

While Lakan is not evil, he was negligent and arrogant. 3 years 3 years 3 years

[@0th_Law]

Honestly, I’d say this Lakan’s backstory was done better in the manga, if only because of the of the different medium.

[@dnidaz2553]

I didn't think they would make me feel bad for Lakan, but, only knowing the side of the story from her mother and sisters i understand why mao mao hates him so much

[@amandabernard8179]

I can't tell if the reason why I like lakans arc is because I love foxes or if it's the beautiful tragedy of his love story.

[@Taneth]

Maomao has the hardest-working liver in ancient China.

[@Nour-db7ig]

She cut it herself

[@amystreasuresdesign]

Mao Mao lost the first 2, Lakan threw the 3rd game.

[@marcoftheninja6278]

My question here is.... Does Lakan know that Maomao's mother is still around? Because I strongly assume, that that old courtisan, Lakan is supposed to buy out of the brothel, is her...

[@runajain5773]

Maomao mother value very high at the time lakan do not have strong position so he have much money so mother know that so she impregnated with lakan so Her value will down and lakan have much money to buy her so she send letter to him but sadly she was sent in military campaign stuff after he return he was in good position his excepts let mother value downgraded and granny brountal has bad reputation she got diseases when lakan came to hometown knowing what happened he run to know her but granny go away say she died so obviously he depressed but he saw her daughter with louman (lakan uncle who teach to face as chess head )lakan really love her daughter

[@naylaw1928]

Not a spoiler just a clarification the mom deliberately cut off her own finger and the baby's finger to curse the man you did this to her it's almost the equivalent of airdropping a middle finger to someone you hate the most Is part of why Mao Mao had that bad dream

[@ulrik03]

I think both Lakan and Fengxian fucked up big time. But of course Fengxian paid the price. Yeah, Fengxian should have made sure that Lakan was on board before "lowering her value", but also Lakan should have thought a bit farther than playing chess and feeling sorry for himself before being sent away. All he had to do was ask his uncle to check in on Fengxian, but it never entered his mind. If she really was important to him he wouldnt have ignored her for three years.

[@RalisIstodalhar]

I dislike it when Translators do this. They're playing Shogi, "Chinese Chess." The Light Novel specifies, That she just added some salt and sugar to the drink to help absorption. and Yes, Luaman Maomao's adopted Father, is actually her Great-Uncle. Fengxian cut off her own finger... and Maomaos.... we see this in some of Maomao's nightmares earlier in the season.

[@samuelsun3560]

not alot of people see the connection between with Lakan and Luomen I'm happy and the great reveal is that Luomen is Maomao's granduncle theres not alot of them that instantly recognizes it. I instantly recognized the clothes the doctor was wearing.. hence i immediately knew Luomen is both her adoptive father and her biological granduncle i mean.. how can you not put two and two together... both men share the same phyisical features like a missing kneecap.. and the same clothes

[@DefinitivelyZach]

it's a great reveal

[@Shadercheg]

As i get it, she choped her finger herself, to curse a man whom she blames for abandoning her after that all in she made with the pregnancy

[@chuuu4610]

It’s a show of devotion as well as a curse. The red light district in Apothecary Diaries is also based on historical Japanese red light districts where courtesans would cut off their finger to send to their best customer in hopes of being bought.

[@roribeedm]

If you want to see Fengxian chop off Maomao's fingertip, just go back and watch the dream sequence in episode 18. Makes a lot more sense now why Maomao looked at her pinky when she woke up.