"The New Year's Eve Banquet" starts from the snowy days between December 28th and New Year's Eve, and tells the story of the fateful turning point of Su Axiu, a young girl in a small town. Su Axiu has loved painting since she was a child, and was recognized by the painter Mr. Liu as having the potential to develop in Suzhou Qingfeng Painting Workshop. However, because her father wanted to sell her to the lame Li Sanlang for fifty taels of bride price (to raise money for her cousin's wedding), she fell into the desperate situation of "if you don't marry, you will be beaten."
In order to resist fate, Su Axiu, with the help of Mr. Liu (obtaining the key to the hospital and a letter of recommendation to the owner of the art studio), escaped from life and death on New Year's Eve - escaping his father's pursuit, using the intervention of Zheng Zheng and the Yamen (Mr. Liu reported the case in advance) to escape from control, and caught the boat to Suzhou with the help of his mother.
After arriving in Suzhou, Su Axiu started as a line drawing apprentice at Qingfeng Painting Workshop. He encountered difficulties from his colleague Zhao Hu but always focused on practicing painting. Finally, with his outstanding peony screen painting, he was appreciated by the wife of the prefect of Suzhou. Not only did he receive a reward and be promoted to a painter, but he also completely got rid of Zhao Hu's harassment. However, the crisis is still there: her father, Mr. Su, a carpenter (who came to his senses after being educated by the county government), brought his mother to Suzhou to persuade her to go home. She reached a family reconciliation while holding on to her dream; Li Sanlang, who had a grudge and escaped from marriage, brought ruffians into trouble. With the help of scholar Shen Wenxuan, she averted danger and learned to protect herself more proactively.
At the end of the year and New Year's Eve, Su Axiu went home to reunite with her parents and felt the change in her family's attitude. Later that year, she was appointed as the shopkeeper of the small town branch of Qingfeng Painting Workshop. She finally realized her dream of "relying on painting skills between her hometown and Suzhou", completely breaking free from feudal shackles and living a free and happy life.
