Rosy Business
Set in Eastern China in the mid-19th century Qing Dynasty, the mercantile Chiang family and the ambition and jealousy surrounding the issue of who will inherit the family business when Chiang Kiu dies. Hong Po-kei marries into the Chiang family as Chiang Kiu's fourth wife. She gains ownership of Hing Fung Nin, the family rice shop, and guides the ambitious coolie Chai Kau to rise in the social status ladder.
Episodes
Accompanied by his female chef HONG PO-KEI, the Prince is delivering a batch of royal rice to the city of Wuxi. On the way, they are under siege by a group of famine victims but KEI manages to convince their leader CHAI KAU to give way by offering them some rice in exchange. TSEUNG KIU, owner of Wuxi’s Hing Fung Lin Grain Store, is a well-known philanthropist and offers to donate one-third of his fortune to the relief fund. As a token of appreciation for his generosity, the Emperor has sent the Prince to Wuxi to hold a special rice feast for KIU. KIU asks his sons, PIT-MAN, PIT-CHING and PIT-MO to prepare three different gifts for the Prince. KAU has killed and eaten gang leader PANG HANG’s dog after arriving in Wuxi. HANG, the chief of Green Sect, is furious to learn that his dog is killed and decides to have KAU beaten up as revenge……
YEE and PANG KIU ask MAN to call the police without causing any disturbance to the Prince and the feast. KEI gets caught and is brought to the front of the Prince. The Prince states that he will have KEI executed upon confirmation of her identity. KIU begs the Prince to release KEI. He emphasizes that KEI’s father was a good official and that he did not open the Royal Rice Store for his own benefit but only for the sake of thousands of famine victims. The Prince points out that anyone who has broken the law should get punished and KIU continues to intercede for KEI by asking for punishment upon him. The incident is finally over… KIU proposes to KEI and KEI accepts, although she knows she can only be his fourth wife. YEE and the other two wives of KIU object to the marriage and go to have a word with KIU’s mother KWAI YUK-YUE. However their request is refused and they end up getting a severe telling-off……
The Yellow-breasted Buntings have posed a threat to the grain harvest. For this reason, MAN has launched a “Kill the Birds” Campaign and asks all the Wuxi citizens to join it. KEI urges MAN to stop the campaign at once, for wiping out the birds will cause damage to the ecosystem and lead to pest outbreaks eventually. MAN, however, refuses to take KEI’s advice. CHING meets YAU MAN and her mother in the city of Suzhou and the two of them have just been kicked out into the street. YAU MAN’s mother HING tells CHING about their story. CHING sympathizes with them and gives them some money. Not long after, CHING runs into YAU MAN again in Wuxi. YAU MAN says HING has passed away and as CHING is about to give her money, KIU, who is standing at the corner of the street, means to fling the hot cigarette ash at HING’s feet. KEI points out to KIU that CHING has the potential to progress further and does deserve more opportunities……
Members of the TSEUNGs are debating whether or not to pay the ransom. As everyone is at a loss of what to do, HANG tells the TSEUNGs not to worry and that he will get all his followers to save MO. KIU is on a business trip and is astonished to learn that MO has been kidnapped. He decides to go back to Wuxi and as he is about to set off, he gets a letter from KEI. KEI wants KAU to do some observing and find out if there are any suspicious-looking individuals among the workers. To elicit his help, KEI decides to treat him to a nice meal. YEE and other members of the family receive a letter from KIU, in which he emphasizes that the kidnap case is to be dealt with by KEI. KAU plays a trick on HANG but gets caught on the spot. To seek revenge, HANG frames KAU for theft and has him arrested. PANG KIU is so worried about MO that she cannot get to sleep……
KIU returns to Wuxi and decides to pay the ransom. KEI tries to stop him but in vain. KEI bribes HANG’s mistress HOI-TONG and finally manages to save KAU. KAU returns to the warehouse and spreads the message that he has had dinner with KIU and that KIU has made it clear that he will not pay the ransom no matter what. KAU reiterates KIU’s assertion that he will fight back by whatever means with all his money if MO ends up being killed by the kidnappers. CHING finds MO in the hill and manages to carry him back to the city center in the middle of the night. MAN happens to discover CHING and MO. Immediately he brings MO back to TSEUNG’s Mansion claiming that it is he himself who has rescued the little brother. KIU would like to appoint CHING to the post of First Deputy Manager……
MAN makes a formal apology to KIU but KIU is still very angry and refuses to forgive him. During the breakfast, MAN discloses his plan to start a new business in Beijing, which, to everyone’s surprise, is supported by KIU. The TSEUNGs hold a party for MO to celebrate his safe return, during which MAN tries to befriend KAU and KIU is pleased to see such a scene. KAU gets drunk and declares himself as a member of the “HONG’s Gang”. KEI is irked and dismisses KAU in front of the guests. Police officers from the other province come to look for CHING. They say YAU MAN is arrested and would like CHING to provide more information for further investigation. CHING gets a little upset when he hears that YAU MAN and her mother have been captured. KAU keeps apologizing to KEI. KEI is moved by his sincerity and finally allows him to rejoin Hing Fung Lin as a worker. The price of rice increases sharply as a result of the natural disasters……
Not wanting to be oppressed by HANG, KIU takes KAU’s advice and decides to go for land transport as an alternative means. As instructed by KIU, CHING is to manage and oversee the whole delivery process. To avoid the bandits, CHING makes full use of every minute and refuses to take a rest even when it rains hard. CHING stumbles along the way and breaks his arm. KEI attends a meeting on behalf of KIU, in which she urges the rice retailers to unite against the proposed increase in water transport costs. She reveals that she has been working on the possibility of developing land transport and that if it works, all the rice retailers will no longer have to rely on the water transport services provided by HANG. As CHING and the workers are getting close to Wuxi, a group of bandits led by SHA CHUN-TIN suddenly arrive and take away the rice by force. KAU asks CHING to go while he himself will stay and try to get back the rice……
KAU has finally convinced TIN to send the rice back to Wuxi. KAU who has done a real good job comes back to Hing Fung Lin in great honour. KEI announces his promotion to the post of Foreman during the celebration party but KAU does not seem to be very happy at all. CHING is shocked to see YAU MAN at home. KIU explains that he much sympathizes with the girl and her mother and that he offers to be their guarantor and lets them stay at TSEUNG’s Mansion as maids. KIU has a heart attack suddenly and falls into a dead faint in the street. Luckily a British minister passes by and manages to rescue KIU with his western medical knowledge. KIU announces to his wives that he is going to entrust all his business to KEI so that he can get a good rest. KAU gets attacked and is seriously injured. KEI and KIU go to see HANG and ask him to spare KAU. KIU falls unconscious again……
YEE reveals to PANG KIU that KIU did not marry her for love, but PANG KIU does not believe her at all. YEE and PANG KIU bring FONG to the front of the Guanyin statue and make her describe how KIU was forced to marry PANG KIU all those years ago. YEE asks KEI to return the power to MAN claiming that she has never heard KIU mention anything about the formal delegation of authority to his fourth wife. Full of perplexity, KEI runs into PANG KIU and FONG. To her surprise, PANG KIU and FONG also urge her to step down. KEI needs CHING to lock the audit room for a while so that she can go out and look for evidence to support her claim. Unfortunately her plan is discovered and thwarted by YEE later on. KAU reveals that he would like to leave Hing Fung Lin but KEI does not ask him to stay. All KEI says is that she will try her best to protect him from HANG’s persecution……
KEI is grateful to YUE for her timely support. YUE says she understands that taking care of the whole family is too big a burden to be borne by KEI. TONG appreciates KAU’s courage and honesty and begins to flirt with him. KEI tries to update the unconscious KIU on how their family is getting on. She says she is pleased to see a brand new CHING, who wastes no more time fooling around and works really hard to help with the family business. KEI who would like to promote KAU to the post of Second Deputy Manager goes to the rice warehouse to tell him the good news. But by the time she arrives, KAU has left already. KAU finds TONG so irresistible that he finally decides to have a drink with her at her home. MAN sees KAU sneak into TONG’s home and he goes to tell HANG about this at once. HANG hurries back and finds out that what MAN said is true. He gets furious and is resolved to kill KAU……
While KAU is besieged by HANG’s followers, KEI gets into the hut where KAU has been hiding himself. She makes it clear that no one can harm KAU and that she will try her very best to protect him no matter what. HANG arrives and starts the negotiation with KEI. KEI tries to prove KAU’s innocence with substantial evidence and HANG is finally convinced. The minister pays KIU a follow-up visit, after which he points out that KIU’s condition is improving and that he may wake up any time soon. Worrying that KIU, after regaining consciousness, will find out all the evil deeds he has been doing, MAN turns to his mother for advice. KEI proposes promoting KAU to the post of Second Deputy Manager but KAU turns her down. After delivering the rice to Wuxi, members of SHA’s Gang invite KAU to a drink, during which they ask KAU to be their Second Deputy Master……
CHING gives in to FONG’s request and agrees to accompany her back to her hometown. To protect YAU MAN and her mother from further harm, CHING asks them to go with him as well. It is getting sizzling hot in Wuxi and KEI discovers that there are lots of locusts flying around. Having read KIU’s diary, KEI realizes that a great disaster may strike soon. KAU has decided to leave Hing Fung Lin… KAU runs into TONG on the street and keeps pestering her for an answer as to who is trying to frame him. TONG, however, says she is clueless about what he is talking about. KEI invites all rice retailers to a meeting. She points out that Wuxi will soon be hit by a locust plague and that they will have to have enough rice reserves in case of emergency. But the rice retailers do not seem to have taken her advice very seriously. KEI insists harvesting the crops but is stopped by MAN and FAT……
While MAN and KAU are quarrelling, millions of locusts have arrived, thus throwing the city of Wuxi into complete confusion. KEI asks the workers to go back home and stay with their families while she and KAU will continue to help out at Hing Fung Lin. Thinking that KIU may wake up soon, YEE needs MAN to look for the minister at once despite the locust plague. KEI is not aware that KIU has already come round from unconsciousness. CHING and YAU MAN who have just come back to Wuxi go to see KEI at Hing Fung Lin. MAN stays with KIU all day long, during which he emphasizes that it is he who has been taking care of the family business and combating against the locust plague. The price of rice increases sharply after the locust plague is over. MAN urges KEI to push up the price as the rest of the rice retailers do but this suggestion is rejected by KEI right away……
MAN has got all the credit for leading the city out of the locust crisis. Thinking that it is too unfair to KEI and CHING, YAU MAN would like to tell KIU the truth but is stopped by KEI and CHING in the nick of time. HANG does not have any reaction to the anonymous letter. KAU finds it a bit discouraging and decides to write him another one. Having received a series of anonymous letters, HANG finally manages to catch MAN and TONG in bed together. HANG promises to keep the matter secret on condition that KEI can pay him a huge sum of money as compensation. KAU realizes that KEI may have been caught in trouble. KEI asks KAU if the anonymous letters were sent by him and KAU admits everything at once. He explains why he did so but KEI gives him a severe telling-off in return saying that he has plunged Hing Fung Lin into an unprecedented crisis……
To prevent MAN from being expelled from the family, YEE offers to give him a lecture by beating him repeatedly with a thick stick and finally manages to make KIU change his mind. PANG KIU remains steadfast in her belief that KIU has never loved her. KIU would like to give her an explanation but this does not help much. PANG KIU says she is confused about their relationship and has decided to accompany MO to Hangzhou for the public examination. KAU is planning to team up with SHA’s Gang in developing land transport services, which, however is opposed by KEI. Suspecting that CHING and YAU MAN are going out, KIU needs KEI to join him in spying on them. TONG is left with no way out and decides to turn to KAU for help. With KAU’s financial assistance, TONG can finally go back to her hometown……
MAN hates KAU so much that he is resolved to seek revenge. TONG goes to see KAU again revealing how she is kicked out of her family home. KAU sympathizes with her and offers her further help. HANG shows up suddenly and tries to bribe KAU with a lot of money hoping that he will not snatch away too many business deals. However his request is rejected by KAU right away. TONG pays KAU a visit at his new home, during which she offers to be his girlfriend. YEE suggests bringing MAN to the bungalow so that he can live with YUE. YUE and FONG try to intercede with KIU on behalf of MAN. KAU announces his marriage to TONG and sends HANG an invitation card deliberately, hoping that this will stop him from hassling TONG any further. HANG notices that someone is stalking KAU. After some investigation, he makes a discovery. KAU is kidnapped by a trio of hit men on his wedding night……
KIU learns from Magistrate LAM that the Taiping troops have been attacking Hangzhou. He gets so worried when he knows that MO and PANG KIU have lost contact with the family. KEI needs HANG and his gang to help look for MO and PANG KIU while she herself has sent a team of security guards to rescue them. KAU has disappeared for nine solid days. TONG asks HANG about KAU’s whereabouts but gets beaten up at the end. TIN and his followers who are determined to avenge KAU’s death plan to attack HANG in the middle of the night. KEI discovers their assassination plot and manages to stop them in time. KEI proves that HANG has nothing to do with the kidnap of KAU and no one is really optimistic about his chances of survival. After returning home, KEI asks CHING to keep stalking MAN. CHING follows MAN around and makes a shocking discovery. CHING tells KEI about what he has found but KEI needs him to keep it secret……
MAN blames HING for spreading the rumor that he has murdered KAU, thus causing a great hubbub in the TSEUNG’s Mansion. To everyone’s surprise, KEI defends MAN and forbids anyone in the family from mentioning it again. Knowing that KAU is still alive, TIN decides to bring him back to the hideout for treatment. KEI has a word with CHING suggesting he and YAU MAN bring their wedding forward so that KIU can have something to look forward to before he leaves this world. The security guards hired by KIU manage to rescue MO and bring him back to Wuxi from Hangzhou. KIU and HANG are shocked to see the urn beside MO. HANG insists that KIU is responsible for the death of PANG KIU. He blames KIU and urges MO to reveal how PANG KIU lost her life on her way back to Wuxi. KIU is on the verge of death but YEE manages to deter KEI and CHING from returning home by stratagem. KEI and CHING come back just in time……
KEI does a check on the family’s assets. She locks everything inside the audit room and passes the key to MAN. The following morning MAN discovers that all the assets and relative documents have gone. KEI, CHING and the rest of the family have been hiding themselves in the basement of the church. MAN has a meeting with the workers, during which he announces that Hing Fung Lin will soon re-open and that KEI and CHING have already got on the police’s wanted list. The minister tells KEI that someone is waiting to see her. She follows the minister to a secret place and is shocked to see KAU there. MAN is about to dismiss the workers who have been on good terms with KEI. Suddenly the Prince arrives saying that he is entrusted with announcing the will of the late KIU. In the meantime, KEI and the rest of the family show up with the assets and relative documents. MAN is detained by the police for questioning……
KEI reveals to MAN that KAU is still alive and that she has a feeling that the family is being watched. Knowing that KAU is going to take revenge on MAN, YEE forbids her son to get out of the mansion. MAN asks his servant to arrange for him to flee from Wuxi. MAN leaves the mansion and heads for the pier in the middle of the night. After he gets on the boat, KAU appears suddenly and starts to attack him. TIN is killed by the Taiping troops and KAU is appointed as the new leader of the gang. Magistrate LAM has a meeting with the rice retailers in an attempt to convince them to stay. But at the same time KEI discovers that Magistrate LAM has started destroying some of the important documents. KAU blames KEI for revealing his whereabouts and refuses to talk to her any more. KEI invites HANG and all rice retailers to a meeting, in which she asks HANG and his gang to help patrol the streets so as to keep the city in order……
KAU is going to take revenge on MAN. KEI and CHING have noticed that and do their best to stop him at once. YEE who is desperate to save her son takes KEI hostage with a gun. General CHIU from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom wants to have 30% of rice yield from the rice retailers as military food. He appoints his childhood friend HANG as the Captain of the Wuxi Civil Guards while KAU will take up the post of Deputy Captain. FONG and CHING visit the grave of KIU, where they run into YEE. YEE reveals that MAN has set up a small rice shop but has got into debt after the outbreak of war. She asks to borrow a large quantity of rice grains from CHING so that MAN can settle the debts as soon as possible. CHING gives in to FONG’s persistent request and promises to give MAN a hand without letting KEI know about this. HANG alleges that KEI has stored up rice in secret and immediately brings her to General CHIU’s place for punishment……
CHING has finally decided to take over the family business. The TSEUNGs are very happy about this and hold a celebration party for him later on. YEE sneaks into KEI’s bedroom and does something to her diary. A group of troops led by General CHIU suddenly arrive at the TSEUNG’s Mansion for a thorough search. General CHIU needs KEI to explain her relationship with the Prince and finally decides to have her detained in custody. Before she is arrested, KEI passes the keys to CHING and lets him take over the management of Hing Fung Lin during her absence. YEE opines that the second will of KIU should no longer be valid now that KEI is sent to prison. She then urges CHING to step down at once. Worried about KEI’s safety, FONG grabs the keys and the authority stamp and pass them to YEE right away. KAU promises HANG that he will collect all the training fees for the Civil Guards by the end of the day……
KAU reveals the truth to everyone. Having realized how well-liked and respected KEI is, General CHIU finally decides to release her. Upon the instruction of General CHIU, KAU heads for HANG’s house to confiscate his fortune, the process of which gives him a huge sense of pride and enjoyment. HANG is made to look after tuberculosis patients as punishment. KEI and KAU finally manage to convince General CHIU to allocate a certain amount of rice to Wuxi citizens every day. After that, General CHIU even decides to appoint KEI and KAU as government officials. General CHIU asks to meet KEI individually, during which he tries to sexually assault her. KAU tries to stop him but gets arrested by the soldiers eventually. Later KEI manages to rescue KAU with her wit and courage. The Qing soldiers are getting closer to Wuxi and all the Taiping officials will have to be escorted out of the city……
KAU runs into HANG who has just crawled out from the wreckage. He asks HANG about KEI’s whereabouts and HANG means to mislead him by advising him to go find KEI at the hut where tuberculosis patients are grouped together. Against all odds, KAU finally manages to find the unconscious KEI. Knowing that KEI and KAU have been arrested, CHING and FONG hurry to the government house to see Magistrate LAM. But by the time they arrive, MAN and YEE have already been sitting around for quite a while. Desperate to save KEI, CHING have got thousands of Wuxi citizens to sign a petition in support of KEI. They kneel down outside the government house begging for an amnesty for KEI but the police manage to disperse the crowd by force. Having learnt from MO that the Prince is fighting a battle nearby, CHING decides to meet him in person along with the duly signed petition……
The Prince is amazed at how united Wuxi citizens are in supporting KEI. He is deeply touched by their sincerity and finally agrees to their request. Knowing that the Prince has lost a number of battles and is no longer respected inside the palace, Magistrate LAM warns him to mind his own business and not to get involved in KEI’s case. While clearing the things left behind by FONG, CHING finds a letter written by her before she went to see the Prince. Hoping to share her last words with others, CHING decides to show the letter to the rest of the family. MAN and HANG spend most of the time fooling around. YEE suggests MAN leaving Wuxi but MAN refuses to take her advice. With the Prince’s help and support, KEI and KAU have finally proved their innocence. YEE is shocked to see MAN in disguise. MAN who has got a number of torches with him is going to set the rice warehouse on fire. YEE tries to stop him but is pushed to the floor……
