Episode 1 recap: Hui is Rejected by Her Long-Waited Lover
In Episode 1, at a photography studio, a newlywed couple is having their pictures taken. The photographer, Uncle Li, notices that the bride's dress is a bit disheveled and asks Hui (played by Wang Lin) to fix it. A little girl peeks in curiously from outside, and the photographer can't help but make a playful face at her.
Fast forward to the 1930s: the little girl, Xian, has grown up and graduated from a girls' school. Her boyfriend, Cong, who is also a photographer, rides his bicycle to take her home. Cong expresses a desire to meet Xian's mother, but Xian (played by Dong Jie) wants to introduce them properly.
Upon arriving home, Xian discovers that Uncle Li has already left. She quickly deduces that he left because Hui rejected his marriage proposal. Although Hui had promised to marry Uncle Li to make ends meet, he had spent years helping them run the photography studio and taking care of the mother-daughter duo. Xian, who sees Uncle Li as a father figure, is furious with her mother for being so fickle. Hui explains that she is waiting for Xian's biological father to return, but Xian believes this is just an excuse.
When Xian decides to find Uncle Li, Hui doesn't object. Instead, she gives Xian the engagement ring to return to him and expresses her apologies. Xian tries to convince Uncle Li to stay, promising to care for him like a father regardless of her mother's feelings. However, Uncle Li feels uncomfortable with his position and plans to return to his hometown.
Xian believes her mother's hope of her father returning is unrealistic and takes back the ring she was supposed to return, asking Uncle Li to wait for good news from her. Later, Xian confronts her mother, demanding that she return the ring herself and threatening to leave if Uncle Li goes.
Hui, still holding the money and the ring, seeks out Uncle Li to thank him. He explains that he stayed for Hui's sake out of his own will for all those years. Now that Xian has grown up, he feels it's time to leave, believing Hui should not wait for someone unworthy. Hui, however, insists that she is willing to wait.
When Hui returns home, she finds that Xian has left a note and run away. Distressed, Hui goes out to search for her, while Xian hides in a corner, watching her mother call for her in the pouring rain without making a sound. Later, she sees Uncle Li helping Hui search with an umbrella, yet she remains silent.
After a day of searching with no success, Hui is heartbroken and cries, having never been apart from Xian before. Uncle Li comforts her, assuring Hui that Xian will be fine. However, when they return home and find Xian still missing, Hui, frantic, attempts to go out again, but Uncle Li physically restrains her.
Meanwhile, Xian arrives at Cong’s place, where he tends to her injured arm and cooks for her. She is surprised and notices a birthmark on Cong's arm. While developing photos in a darkroom, Cong urges Xian to return home, fearing for Hui's worry. But Xian insists she will stay another night, and Cong reluctantly agrees to sleep on the floor while Xian takes the bed.
The next morning, Xian returns home to find Hui has fallen ill, and Uncle Li is taking care of her. When Hui sees Xian, she slaps her in anger, but quickly tears up, asking where she had been. Xian tells the truth, and Hui embraces her tightly, warning that she cannot do this again, or she herself will not survive. Both have tears in their eyes.
Uncle Li decides to leave. Xian clings to his arm, not wanting him to go. He wishes he could have a daughter like Xian. She expresses her desire to call him "Dad," something she's never done before. Hearing her call him that brings tears to Uncle Li’s eyes as he reminds her to take care of her mother, a moment witnessed by Hui.
As Uncle Li prepares to leave in a rickshaw, Hui rushes to bring him back. When Xian sees Uncle Li return and hears that her mother has agreed to be with him, she joyfully embraces him.
That evening, the three of them sat together for dinner and held a simple ceremony. Under Xian's watchful gaze, Uncle Li slipped the ring onto Hui's finger. Xian hoped for a grand wedding celebration, but Hui felt that a simple family meal with a few sweets to share would suffice. Xian accompanied Hui to custom-make a cheongsam, selecting a red one, which she believed suited her mother perfectly.
The next day, filled with excitement for the wedding, Xian was dismayed to find Uncle Li's basket of groceries had fallen to the ground. Her mother sat silently in her room, and a newspaper on the floor bore a shocking headline. Confused, Xian pressed Uncle Li for answers, but he remained quiet, while Hui locked herself away.
What should have been a joyous wedding day turned into disappointment as the ceremony was ultimately called off. Uncle Li began packing his bags to leave again, prompting Xian to rush after him to ask why. It was then that Uncle Li revealed the truth: the newspaper reported that Xian's biological father had returned from Nanyang, and Hui planned to find him. If he returned, Uncle Li would feel ashamed, and Hui would struggle to cope.
Though Xian was reluctant to let Uncle Li go, she had no choice but to watch him leave. At a party, Hui finally located her long-lost love, Bo Chao. She inquired why he hadn't returned all these years and urged him to come back, but Bo Chao explained that his immediate priority was to marry the woman at the party, whose ex-husband was a wealthy shipowner. He hoped Hui would forget him.
Distraught, Hui fainted on her way home and was taken to the hospital. Xian came to care for her, heartbroken to see her mother refusing to eat or drink. Fearing that Hui might abandon her for love, Xian was relieved when Hui finally ate the food she offered. Hui was soon discharged and hurriedly asked Xian to return the hospital bills to Cong. She also planned to find a photographer quickly to get the studio running well.
The tailor delivered the red cheongsam, and Hui looked at it with mixed emotions. Cong visited Xian and discovered she couldn't cook, so he offered to help her in the kitchen. He felt that Xian was like a pampered young lady, relying on others for everything. This inspired Xian to consider getting a job, and Cong agreed to ask at the newspaper, which made Xian very happy, as it meant she could be near him every day.
While helping Hui wash her feet, Xian suddenly felt how much her daughter had grown up. Xian expressed her desire to work and become an independent woman, but Hui opposed the idea, insisting that if Xian wanted to work, it should be at the photography studio. Xian felt a bit disappointed.
The next morning, Hui posted a job advertisement. When Xian came downstairs, she saw her mother busy cleaning and quickly rushed to help.
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