Chen Wang once shyly confessed his love to Miss Lin, but their families were too far apart in status, so he married Li Jingwan, a farmer's daughter instead. After passing the imperial examinations, Chen Wang grew increasingly cold toward his wife. Seeing Li Jingwan suffer one indignity after another in her own home, Miss Lin stepped in to stand up for her. As the two women grew closer, Miss Lin and Li Jingwan became like sisters. They opened a dessert shop and a restaurant together, and their business flourished. But after Chen Wang ingratiated himself with the Cavalry General's household, his success made him a threat, and he was persecuted. His family was ruined, and he was exiled to the frontier. Years later, Chen Wang returned in disgrace and tried to reconcile, but was rejected. Miss Lin and Li Jingwan, meanwhile, began a new life in the water towns of Jiangnan, with restaurants spanning the country.
