Colourful Life

The late Mr. Chang’s mistress, FUNG (TSUI SUK YEE), has run the family dyeing business for over 20 years since he died. She presents the most precious piece of fabric from the shop for a princess’s wedding. However, nobody else appreciates its quality. FUNG and another mistress, HING (LO YUEN YEN), carry the fabric into the palace. Unfortunately, HING upsets the king’s mistress, WAI. She then insults the Chang’s production and persuades the king to marry HIN (LAM MAN LUNG, FRANKIE) with the Tibetan king’s daughter, JEW (MAN CHUNG HAN). The Tibetan king agrees with her suggestion. Accidentally, HIN and JEW meet in a restaurant and have some misunderstanding. On the wedding day, HIN discovers that JEW is the girl that he dislikes, and wants to cancel the wedding. Eventually, they get married for many family reasons. Later, JEW makes a mistake and FUNG gets her to do something to atone for it.

JEW is very grateful to FUNG for not punishing her. FUNG and HING go to a temple to get some holy water for POK (YUEN SIU CHEUNG, LOUIS) and HIN, hoping they will be elected in the public exam. However, selfish POK drinks it all up and gets an upset stomach. YUNG (CHEUNG CHUNG KEI, RONALD) annoys FUNG because he only enjoys his life and does not work. JEW makes fun of SHING for being stupid and upsets MONA (SO YUK WAH, LOUISA). Later when JEW finds out that there is something wrong with SHING, she feels guilty and apologizes to him. She accidentally hurts HIN’s hand. He gives up revising for his exam because he knows he cannot write for a while. SHANG (CHOY TSE KIN) is like a brother to HIN, so he tries every way to help him. He is fooled by some cheats with some cheap medicine. JEW helps him to catch the cheats and gets his money back. She realizes how important the exam is to HIN, so she uses an old treatment to treat HIN’s hand.

HIN’s body turns stiff. JEW knows she has made a big mistake and tries to save him. HIN was originally going to thank JEW for helping him, but when he sees her breaking his beloved ink box, he turns away. POK and HIN set off for their exams. On the departure day, HIN still tricks JEW. HING laughs at YIM (MUI SIU WAI) for being unable to produce a baby after being married for a long time. YIM learns that one of the servants’ family has some financial difficulties, so she sets a plan secretly. JEW is the big winner in a mahjong game and nobody dares to gamble with her again. YIM thinks that FUNG is going to hand SHING one of their branch shops and sets up a trap to blacken him. The exam results are announced and people gradually bring in good news around the village.

HING tries to bribe LUNG to save POK, but fails. FUNG decides to ask for the king’s mercy in person. The king is convinced by her touching words and only punishes POK gently. HIN stands out in the exam and is welcomed by everyone. LUNG prepares a big banquet for him. However, JEW embarrasses him over the dinner table. They split up on the way home after the argument. HIN gets lost on a trail and falls down the hillside with a girl that he likes. He then finds out that JEW is still not yet home. A female body which has a similar dress on is found near the river bank and the whole family mistakenly assumes that JEW is dead. POK and YUNG work very hard in front of FUNG. HIN meets his dream girl again.

HIN’s dream girl is actually MONA’s sister, MONSIE (KWONG MAN SHUN, MAY), who has come to stay with MONA for a few days. She realizes how hard her sister’s living is in the Chang’s family after staying only a few days. YIM knows how lazy YUNG is and worries that he will lose the battle over the branch shop, so she thinks of a secret plan. HIN, JEW and MONSIE pick flowers in the countryside for FUNG’s birthday. Both MONSIE and JEW are bitten by snakes. However, HIN only carries MONSIE home. HING learns what MONA is buying for FUNG’s birthday, and decides to get it before hand. SHING buys a jade Buddha for FUNG and bothers MONA. HING and CECI (KWOK SIU WAN, FLORENCE) want to win money to buy FUNG a present and end up losing. On FUNG’s birthday banquet, YUNG is found out pretending to have a limp and upsets FUNG. Everyone also finds out about JEW’s background.

The whole family is avoiding JEW and EMMA (WANE, IRENE) and confuses them. A man robs EMMA who is somehow falsely accused of stealing by NAM (TANG SIU CHUEN, JOHNNY). She feels this is unfair and takes NAM’s wallet instead. HING forces CECI to drink down some holy water in order to get her a grandson. MONSIE loses a hairpin and turns JEW into a suspect. FUNG decides to recover the hairpin for one more day. EMMA finds it eventually, but everyone thinks that she is the thief. JEW wants to walk away but is scare of being accused of being a fugitive, so she stays unwillingly. YIM wrongly thinks that she is pregnant and pleases FUNG. She also forces everyone to treat her like a queen.

YUNG and YIM want to tell the truth about the false pregnancy, but they don’t want to let go of the branch shop, so they make up a plan. They realize that JEW knows their secret, so they want to take her down first. JEW is accused of causing YIM to have a miscarriage. She then finds out that YIM has bribed the doctor and tries to let FUNG know. JEW and EMMA meet CHAN, who has come from a long way to find his son. JEW recognises one of CHAN’s belongings, the ‘Golden butterfly’ and sets him up to investigate in the Chang’s house. HIN comes to pick up JEW and she takes the chance to trick him. However, it ends up with HIN losing his balance and kissing her.

JEW searches for the ‘Golden butterfly’. She makes every woman in the family believe in ‘planting gold’ and shows all their gold jewels. MONSIE meets her unwanted fiance JOE and he follows her around. Luckily, HIN helps her out and she tells him about her escaping from the prearranged marriage. SHING assumes FUNG has given him up and realizes this is not true later. LUNG’s son, BEON (KWOK YIU MING), is appointed as the supervisor for the whole dyeing industry, but his father does not agree with his working style. BEON and YUNG argue over an antique bowl and BEON keeps this in his heart. FUNG gives a pair of hairpins to JEW. JEW takes the chance to ask about the ‘Golden butterfly’. FUNG invites LUNG and BEON for dinner. YUNG realizes who BEON is. JEW accidentally finds out where the ‘Golden butterfly’ is.

JEW wants to confirm HIN’s really identity, but fails. GI (WU, MYOLIE) is molested by some bad men and luckily saved by SHANG. MONA raises some money from CECI in order to pay off her sister’s debt. However, someone steals it. CECI asks MONA for her money back, so MONSIE decides to sell her mother’s hairpin to pay back CECI. GI sends SHANG a wallet to thank him. BEON asks every dyeing shop to send him a sample to check the standard. FUNG decides to show him the best of their shop. POK tries his best to flatter BEON, but fails. BEON takes revenge on YUNG by killing his beloved cricket. JEW cannot confirm whether HIN has a mole on his chest, but she realizes his feelings over MONSIE when she finds out that he has given her money to buy her mother’s hairpin back.

JEW tries to match HIN and MONSIE up. CECI and YIM fight over a ‘thousand babies’ picture. FUNG bins all the overdue dye in order to keep the high standard. LUNG lectures BEON on how to be a good official. The whole Chang family foresees losing a big order from the government. FUNG passes the business to POK and delights HING and CECI. MONA makes a mistake in distributing the servants and causes SHING’s injury. FUNG understands her difficulties and only scolds her a little, but she feels awful. SHANG sends something back to GI and moves her. JEW sets up a plan to injure HIN but something bad happens.

JEW looks for SHANG to get the last evidence to prove HIN’s identity, but fails. MONSIE plans to go back home and this bothers HIN. JEW tells MONSIE about the real situation between her and HIN. She also makes her tell the truth in front of him. JEW matches up GI and SHANG and tries to look for a jade pendant. When SHANG dates GI, he is laughed at for dating the master’s daughter. POK places a wrong order and pushes the blame onto YUNG. CECI is a very mean woman. One of the servant maids, MIU, upsets her and gets slapped on the face. MIU swears to take her revenge. MONSIE falls over in some mud. When she takes a wash in the river, she is spotted by BEON and shocks him with her beauty. HING and CECI see JEW talking secretly with a man and tell everyone in the family to reveal her bad doings.

JEW wants HIN to date MONSIE openly, so she takes them out together. This helps improving JEW and HIN’s relationship. GI misses SHANG a lot. She gets to see him under JEW’s help. YIM and YUNG fall into a trap because of their greed. MIU gets close to POK when CECI goes back to her parents’ home. When she returns, she annoys POK by talking too much. JEW suspects SHANG is CHAN’s son when she notices that SHANG has a similar taste in eating to a Tibetan. MONSIE sees a woman scolding BEON in the market and assumes that he has betrayed that woman, but later she finds out she has made a mistake. MONA takes her gold jewels to a pawnshop to help her own family’s debt. However, she is spotted by CECI and gets reported.

MONA takes FUNG’s advice and tells everyone about her family’s situation. BEON is invited to the Chang’s house. He sees HIN and MONSIE are discussing something and draws MONSIE’s attention by setting up a chess game. YIM and YUNG find out POK and MIU’s relationship. CECI and HING notice some expensive herbs have gone missing and suspect MONA. MONSIE spends a long time on the chess game with BEON while HIN studies hard. JEW goes to check on HIN in the study and turns it into a mess. HIN knows that JEW is homesick and spends the whole night drawing the desert to relax her. The butler retires. FUNG suggests promoting SHANG and makes WAN very happy. JEW follows WAN out and finds…

JEW asks WAN if she knows anything about CHAN’s son, but fails, so she turns to NAM. HING learns that GI is meeting a man secretly and sends some servants to watch her closely. JEW asks MONA to teach her embroidery. MONA knows that JEW and HIN might start loving each other after they are together for a long time and tells MONSIE to leave soon. MIU uses every way to let everyone know that she is pregnant. CECI is shattered when she finds that it is POK’s baby. FUNG persuades her to accept MIU as POK’s mistress. JEW makes a purse for HIN but gets laughed at. The study is on fire. JEW and MONSIE arrive at the scene at the same time. JEW is worried about HIN. When he comes out safe, they hug in front of MONSIE.

MONSIE is invited to a chess competition. JOE makes fun of her. BEON punches him in the face and MONSIE is very grateful about it. BEON proposes to her and confuses her. MONSIE is notified of some family tragedies and rushes back with MONA and SHING. JEW knows that HIN cannot concentrate because of the cicada calls and sorts it out for him. FUNG lectures POK on how to run the family business and upsets HING. HING follows GI and finds out that SHANG is the man whom she is meeting. MONA’s father is put in jail for no reason. Although MONA and MONSIE report to the officials, it is no help. EMMA finds the nurse who helped deliver CHAN’s son and makes JEW believe that SHANG is CHAN’s son. MIU plays some tricks to convince everyone that CECI wants to kill her. POK slaps CECI for this.

CECI is kicked out of the house. MIU worries that POK will take her back and forces him to divorce her. MONA and SHING return home and tell everyone that MONSIE is going to marry BEON. HIN is shocked by this news and spends all his time in drinking. YIM finds out that MIU stole the herbs. MIU knows that YIM will buddy up with her and tries to please her. YIM worries that YUNG will get himself a mistress and forces him to swear not to. MIU pushes all the blame to YIM when they are found out about the stealing. BEON tests MONSIE and finds out that she loves HIN. BEON loses his temper. Although MONSIE accepts his apology, she sees his true character. JEW goes to make a prayer for HIN in the rain and moves him.

HIN leaves for the exam only after JEW recovers from a cold. She impresses him by giving him a coat. JEW forces WAN to tell her where CHAN’s son is and finds out he died a long time ago. HING is shocked when GI runs away with SHANG and wants to file a lawsuit. FUNG stops her. BEON tricks POK and convinces him that he will get a big order from the government. BEON suspects that MONSIE still misses HIN and gets mad at her. MONA is bothered by wanderers and SHING cannot fight them off. Luckily, MONA’s cousin, MING, suddenly appears and helps them out. POK learns from SHING that another shop has got the government order. He interrogates BEON and finds out that it is his bad intention starting from the beginning. MING suggests running away with MONA again and bothers her. The family shop is in serious debt. There are problems with dyes and fabrics. The officials decide to close their shop and they are forced to move out of the house.

FUNG understands that BEON will not help them out of this crisis. MIU runs away with some expensive belongings. FUNG decides to move to some poor areas when she sees everyone keep their bad habits even in this tough situation. She wants to start up another business again although all the others think it is impossible because no one will put their bill on hold any more. Luckily, someone they helped before brings them business. SHING assumes that MONA has run away with MING. Although he feels upset, he also feels weak to do anything to rescue the situation. Some fabrics are dyed in the wrong way. POK and YUNG both push the blame to each other. HING accuses FUNG of bias towards YUNG and asks to split the family. She then eats a sick chicken and gets ill. POK will not take care of her fearing he will get infected too. Only FUNG will get close to her. Everyone hands out all their money to buy HING the necessary medicines.

JEW gets HING to drink her herb tea. HING thanks FUNG when she recovers. POK and HING find CECI and persuade her to stay. JEW guests a man, HONG, who claims the he has been robbed. He brings a big order to the shop and pleases FUNG. POK and YUNG get robbed after shopping for some fabrics. They lose all their goods and money, but FUNG is happy to see them protecting each other. HIN is selected as a scholar after the exam. He thanks JEW for taking care of his family in bad moments. JEW finds out that HIN has a mole on his chest and buddies up with EMMA to force WAN to tell the truth. They finally confirm HIN’s real identity. CHAN wants to kill HIN. Luckily, he is saved by a Tibetan. The king is convinced by LUNG saying that HIN has ganged up with Tibetans in order to kill everyone one in the Chang family.

HIN and JEW flee to Tibet. They learn what is happening in Tibet on the way. JEW discusses how to help HIN with his father. However, he gets hold of her and uses her to get HIN to show up. LUNG thinks it is time to kill BO. Luckily, some tribes save him. On the execution day, everyone from the Chang family tells each other their last word. They also tell FUNG that they have already taken some poison and it starts to work… BEON and LUNG are caught. BO thanks FUNG for taking care of HIN for so many years. However, he wants to take HIN back to Tibet and let HIN make the decision. Five years later, everyone is having a headache trying to buy FUNG a birthday present…