Sweetness in the Salt

The big salt merchant in Yangzhou, WU KIN, sells salt tickets (official certificate for transporting salt) to small salt merchants. One day, the small merchants join hand together to fight for a reduction in the ticket price. KIN doesn’t know what to do and he turns to his second son TING HIN for help. HIN is an invalid but he is very clever. He gives a surprising advice by asking KIN to increase the ticket price… On the other hand, members of the anti-smuggling camp have successfully taken over Tau’s Fort, the stronghold for salt smugglers. Leader of the fort TAU MANG tries very hard to escape with his family members but his daughter SING SUET’s lover NIP CHI YUEN has been missing since then. As all salt smugglers are arrested, the small salt merchants have no choice but to purchase the salt tickets from KIN in high price. HIN suffers from diabetes……

SUET pretends to be the daughter of Dr LUI and she follows HIN all the way to Yangzhou. KIN believes that SUET can help cure HIN’s disease so he treats her really kind. KIN’s third son TING FAI misconceives that SUET is a prostitute and SUET scolds him angrily. KIN’s younger sister asks SUET to check the ingredients of a “Forever Young Drug”. During the process, HIN discovers that SUET knows nothing about Chinese medicine. HIN asks his people to follow SUET and they find that SUET stands expressionlessly in the temple for one whole day. HIN decides to question SUET. In the meantime, SUET suddenly learns that the officials have hung the dead bodies of some drug smugglers on the wall of the city tower. She rushes to the city tower and is horrified to see her parents’ dead bodies there. Surprisingly, the official who announces the guilt of her parents is her lover YUEN……

SUET doesn’t want to take everything for granted and she voluntarily asks to work in WU KIN’s salt store. HIN takes good care of SUET in every way and HIN is pleased to see this. Mr CHU, the manager of KIN’s salt store, goes to YUEN’s mother Mrs NIP’s soya sauce store in the evening. He has collected some leftover salt for Mr NIP secretly… YUEN is injured while trying to catch the salt smugglers. Mrs NIP is very worried about him. Her good friend, KIN’s younger sister CHOI TIP, suggests her to find a wife for YUEN so that YUEN will not devote himself completely in his job. TIP suggests Mrs NIP to marry YUEN to KIN’s youngest daughter TING YIN. They bring YUEN to WU’s family to meet YIN without telling YUEN their actual intention. YUEN discovers the truth later and he firmly rejects the plan……

KIN’s eldest daughter TING PIK’s ex-boyfriend CHOI CHI ON is a salt merchant. He makes use of PIK to steal the treasure in KIN’s home. All salt merchants organize a welcome banquet for CHING. ON is not invited but he arrives to send CHING an expensive gift. He declares that he will replace KIN’s position very soon. KIN doesn’t treat ON seriously but HIN believes that somebody is backing ON up secretly. CHING is drunk and he tries to look for his ex-girlfriend LUK NG LEUNG who has already become the owner of a brothel now. Upon arriving at the entrance of the brothel, CHING accidentally meets YUEN and his senior TO YING LUNG who is also his foster father. CHING claims that LUNG is a corrupt official and YUEN is puzzled about it. KIN hides in his reading room to wait for the thief. He finally discovers the thief but… All women in WU’s family are unkind to SUET and SUET decides to leave the place secretly……

CHING suggests all salt merchants to compete for the chief salt merchant position by an open auction and KIN is very worried. HIN and SUET try to console him. YUEN discovers that his secret informer among the salt smugglers has disappeared suddenly. He tries hard to look for him and finally realizes that this informer has captured FAI as a hostage. With the help of CHING’s secretary WONG TUNG PING, YUEN catches the informer successfully. However, the informer is suddenly killed by an arrow when YUEN tries to question him. CHING realizes that YUEN is suspicious on him so he reveals his secret to him… HIN asks the salt merchants to withdraw from the auction for chief salt merchant. The salt merchants agree to do so on the surface but they start raising money secretly with ON. In order to win the auction, KIN asks all staff to help counting his family asset……

SUET sneaks into ON’s home. YUEN discovers her but he lets her go. YUEN finds that LUNG is staying with ON. He questions him and discovers that LUNG is... SUET reveals the details of ON’s auction statement to HIN and they finally win the auction. While YUEN practices martial arts, LUNG suddenly appears to attack him for LUNG believes that YUEN is the one who causes their failure in the auction. YUEN returns home to discover that his mother is committing usury secretly and he is very disappointed. FAI brings YUEN to a brothel. YING UT is fond of FAI but FAI asks UT to serve YUEN instead and UT is very unhappy. KIN finds that HIN is fond of SUET and he continuously persuades HIN to take action. He even buys earrings for SUET on behalf of HIN…

LUNG wants YUEN to return to work but YUEN resorts to drink all the time. YUEN’s mother tries to console him but YUEN scolds her in return. YUEN helps an old woman to catch a thief. The old woman refuses to report the case for she believes that the government officials are even worse than the thieves and YUEN is heart-broken. KIN becomes the chief salt merchant again and he receives a lot of expensive gifts. FAI takes away the gifts for his own use and he damages many of them. KIN is enraged and he starts a quarrel with FAI. YUET hides away from FAI and she agrees to become the mistress of the rich merchant Mr LIU. The Lantern Festival is coming. KIN asks HIN to date SUET but HIN asks SUET to leave work earlier. During the Lantern Festival, PIK asks YIN to arrange a meeting with ON for her. FAI discovers that YUET is acting intimately with LIU. He is enraged and he tries to attack LIU but LIU’s people hit him in return……

YUEN distributes the salt they collected from the salt smugglers to the villagers. LUNG is enraged and he degrades YUEN to gatekeeper. CHING learns that YUEN is degraded and he wants to know the reason but YUEN refuses to tell the details. LIU wants to marry YUET but FAI tries to stop him. NG LEUNG suggests them to compete for YUET. KIN refuses to help FAI so FAI borrows money from others. KIN tries to lock FAI up but SUET helps him to escape. FAI doesn’t have enough money to fight for YUET. YUET and her prostitute friends try to raise money for him but the sum is still not enough… FAI carelessly tells to SUET that everyone knows that HIN likes her. After this, HIN and SUET become very cautious when facing each other… CHING fails to get an answer from YUEN so he questions LUNG. YUEN is drunk at night and somebody attacks him. YUEN is seriously injured and SUET discovers him on the street…

SUET rescues YUEN but she feels uneasy after it. HIN tries to cheer her up by bringing a large group of fireflies to the garden. While CHING and PING travels along the countryside, they discovers ON’s villa at a remote location. CHING tries to tease ON about it and he meets PIK while leaving ON’s place. YIN helps her sister to pass a message to ON and ON sends her an expensive jade bracelet. LUNG is enraged to learn that YUEN is being attacked. He tries to punish the attackers but YUEN steps in to speak for them. The viceroy of Jiangsu appoints YUEN to work for CHING. LUNG doesn’t want to offense the viceroy so he organizes a celebration banquet for YUEN… Yick’s Fort is destroyed by the government and ON persuades the remnant members to rob the WU’s family. SUET’s uncle TAU HUNG was rescued by Yick’s Fort but he refuses to rob the house with others…

The remnants of Yick’s Fort kidnap HIN and they ask for 200 thousand dollars from KIN. SUET runs after the remnants and she meets HUNG. HUNG assures SUET that they will not hurt HIN. KIN is very worried for most of his money was spent on the chief salt merchant auction. FAI tells YUEN about the case. YUEN tries question SUET but SUET refuses to tell the details. SUET tries to deliver HIN’s medicine to HUNG but she is caught by other remnants of Yick’s Fort accidentally. In order to raise money, KIN tries to sell his salt tickets in very low price. The remnants are requested to kill HIN and SUET. HUNG tries to stop them and the group captures him as well. KIN tries to lure away YUEN and FAI so that he could deliver ransom money alone. After receiving the ransom money, the kidnappers try to kill the hostages but YUEN arrives on time to stop them. During the fight, HIN, SUET and HUNG fall down from the cliff accidentally…

HIN helps SUET to take care of HUNG’s injury and HUNG is very grateful. HUNG believes that SUET still loves YUEN and he blames SUET for not taking revenge for her deceased parents. The creditors come to KIN’s home for money. HIN arrives on time to help KIN. He promises to return the money within 10 days. Otherwise, they can take away their salt store. HUNG wants a duel with YUEN and YUEN agrees. HUNG loses the fight. SUET and HIN rush to the site to ask for YUEN’s mercy. A secret that both SUET and HUNG didn’t know is revealed… HIN and YUEN investigate the kidnapping case and they discover that somebody is working behind the scene. YUEN tries to look for hints from different places but he fails to find any useful information. CHING helps arrange a meeting with all salt merchants. YUEN finally discovers that… LUNG realizes that HIN has solved the financial problem of his family. He is very angry and he wants to eliminate HIN……

Recommended by FAI, YUEN becomes a guard at HIN’s house. YUEN’s mother comes to stop him but YUEN insists to take the job. PIK and the others believe that YUEN wants to get close to SUET again. LUNG realizes that YUEN is trying to protect HIN and he is enraged. With the help of SUET and YUEN, HIN successfully makes FAI stay at their salt store. FAI goes out to collect payment but he ends up gambling the money away. He then starts a quarrel with KIN and leaves the house angrily. YIN tries to prevent PIK and ON from meeting each other so that she could get close to ON… ON learns from PIK that HIN is seriously ill so he visits HIN with other salt merchants. Coincidentally, CHING arrives at the same time. HIN wants to meet the salt merchants. KIN and SUET stop him for they want him to take a good rest… CHING questions YUEN about LUNG’s case and LUNG tries to listen to them secretly…

In the evening, an assassin sneaks into WU’s house to kill HIN. YUEN and SUET try to fight with the assassin but they fail… On the next day, YUEN meets LUNG and LUNG teases himself for being kind-hearted. They start a quarrel with each other and break up unhappily. FAI’s maid SIU-YUEN visits him secretly and they end up sleeping with each other. HIN learns that FAI is going to leave Yangzhou. He goes to stop him but he suddenly collapses because of the illness. In the evening, YUEN and SUET meet up to discuss the whereabouts of Dr LUI. TIP misconceives that they are… YUEN finally discovers the whereabouts of Dr LUI. KIN asks SUET to search for Dr LUI with YUEN. Some new salt tickets will be issued by the royal government. KIN asks FAI to attend the meeting with salt merchants……

YUEN and SUET discover that Dr LUI has died from epidemic disease. YUEN is infected by the disease as well. SUET risks her life to take care of YUEN and YUEN finally recovers. YUEN and SUET decide to make up the medical book of Dr LUI. They tell everyone that HIN’s disease is not fatal. PIK discovers that YIN and ON is getting intimate with each other so she tries to blame them. ON discovers that YIN is crying secretly. He questions her and realizes that she has met her mother… CHING meets up with all salt merchants to discuss the arrangement of new salt tickets. ON discloses to everybody that KIN has deserted YIN’s mother long time ago. Everybody is shocked and they want to depose KIN… KIN returns home to scold YIN and YIN runs away. HIN wakes up eventually. Since his health condition is still unstable, his family members try not to reveal the recent family disputes to him. YIN stays in ON’s house and she sleeps with him eventually……

KIN is enraged and he blames ON angrily. He even hit the servant FONG SING. Some government officials suddenly arrive at KIN’s house. They say that SING has died suddenly so they come to arrest KIN. KIN is sent to jail and everybody is very nervous. They rush to HIN for help and SUET tries to organize their work systematically. KIN is in prison and all the salt merchants want ON replace KIN’s position. CHING asks FAI to take up his father’s role and he forces all salt merchants to accept this as an order. FAI discovers that the merchant who used to fight for YUET with him suddenly goes to Yee Tsui Club to make trouble. CHING worries about NG LEUNG and he rushes to the brothel with FAI but they realize that this is a trap… CHING is punished for his misbehavior and he is not able to help WU’s family anymore. YIN runs away successfully and ON sends a wedding invitation to KIN at the prison……

PIK is kicked out from the wedding ceremony. CHING follows her and he discovers that she wants to commit suicide… PIK finally settles down at YUEN’s place. KIN asks FAI to manage all matters for him. FAI returns to the salt store and he is immediately cornered by a large group of merchants. All the merchants ask FAI to return salts to them. FAI is startled and he runs away madly. SUET suggests FAI to borrow salt tickets from ON during the meeting. ON pretends that he is going to help but he teases FAI privately. PIK meets ON and YIN in the restaurant. She tries to hide away nervously. Later, PIK dresses in red and tries to commit suicide again. CHING passes by and rescues her. FAI’s maid SIU YUEN reveals to him that she is pregnant with his baby but FAI ignores her. SUET learns about the case and she tries to speak for SIU YUEN. FAI is under great pressure and he becomes mad……

SUET suggests marrying HIN and KIN agrees. However, HUNG asks her to think twice. People accuse SUET for marrying the very sick HIN because of his money. YUEN is heart-broken to learn about the news but he tries to speak for SUET. YUEN and SUET persuade PIK to return home but PIK rejects them. Members of the WU’s family discover that SIU YUEN is pregnant and they kick her away. YUET brings SIU YUEN to a house in the countryside and SUET promises to find FAI for her. Before the wedding, SUET drinks with her good friends including YUET and SIU YUEN. Her friends realize that SUET is in love with two men at the same time. In the morning, SIU YUEN reveals SUET’s true feelings to YUEN. YUEN sneaks into the house and he asks SUET to run away with him… SUET finally marries HIN and she starts managing the family issues. Her first move is to kick away TIP who always makes trouble in the family.

YUEN doesn’t know if he should help SUET. During the time, he suddenly meets the miserable FAI. SUET has sent a letter to FAI’s grandmother asking her not to give any financial assistance to FAI. CHING wants to help PIK but PIK runs away to the brothel. YUET allows her to stay there and work as a general assistant. CHING discovers that ON is selling salt illegally. He persuades his co-workers to search through ON’s place but they discover nothing. CHING is depressed and he suddenly learns that his beloved NG LEUNG is going to get married. CHING tries to celebrate with her but he gets drunk eventually. LUNG invites CHING’s supervisor to Yangzhou and they discover that CHING is sleeping with NG LEUNG… CHING resigns from his job but he is determined to continue fighting with LUNG. YEUNG agrees to help producing salt for SUET illegally and HUNG also agrees to help. While trying to move the salt, they suddenly meet some government officials…

SUET meets a salt smuggler CHOI NGAN FA who is a kung-fu master. In order to protect everybody, SUET fights with FA alone. She loses the fight but FA appreciates her courageous action. During NG LEUNG’s wedding, CHING comes to the brothel to congratulate her. After drinking, CHING reveals to others that he feels sorry for PIK. PIK overhears their conversation accidentally. SUET brings everybody back to Yangzhou and she meets Dr LUI who pretended that he has died. Dr LUI learns that HIN is seriously ill so he comes to give treatments to him. HIN and SUET visit KIN at the prison. They tell him that the salt store is operating smoothly and they have successfully delayed KIN’s execution date. Somebody hits FAI on the street. YUET rescues him and allows him to work in the brothel. FAI has gone through lots of tortures and he meets PIK at the brothel eventually……

SUET besieges FA successfully but FA escapes eventually by abducting HUNG. CHING continues to provoke LUNG and LUNG recruits some gangsters to beat him on the street. The guard from WU’s family rescues CHING and CHING realizes that PIK is helping him secretly. YUEN asks CHING’s secretary TUNG PING out and he reveals that he has become a salt smuggler. He asks PING to help attacking FA but PING rejects him. During the discussion, they discover that YAM CHIU who used to manage the dead bodies has become a tycoon suddenly. They question him and discover the truth. KIN is released eventually. ON and his servant SING believe that LUNG was helping KIN behind the scene and they are frightened. LUNG and YUEN fight with each other again. LUNG declares that he has no relationship with YUEN anymore. During KIN’s birthday banquet, FAI suddenly appears……

YUEN and his subordinates try to sneak into FA’s tort but they fail. PING arrives on time to rescue them. LUNG doesn’t want CHING to find out the truth and he set the tort on fire. YUEN tries to apologize to SUET’s parents at their grave. HUNG arrives to console him and he understands that YUEN was cheated by LUNG before. The three of them plan to kill LUNG secretly. ON tries to draw away his money from home secretly. LUNG suddenly arrives with FA. He claims that FA is ON’s auntie and he asks FA to stay in ON’s place to keep an eye on ON. HIN reveals to KIN that LUNG is the one who keep attacking their family secretly. He suggests moving the whole family away from Yangzhou and KIN agrees. Before their departure, HIN asks YUEN and SUET out. He reveals to YUEN that he is not practically married to SUET and he asks YUEN to take good care of SUET… CHING and PING go to Suzhou together but they meet some killers on their way……

Dr LUI asks HIN to return to Yangzhou secretly. He wants HIN to stop SUET and the others from killing LUNG. LUNG discovers that his new restaurant staff practices kung-fu and he realizes their plan quickly. He decides to set up a trap for everybody. On the action day, HIN suddenly arrives to stop everybody from carrying out the plan. He brings them to visit SING. HIN has taken SING away from Yangzhou so that LUNG cannot kill SING. HIN visits YIN secretly and he wants her to arrange a secret meeting with ON. CHING and PING eventually survive after the misfortune. CHING goes to the hillside to collect some Chinese herbs for PING and he discovers that LUNG is entering a small village alone... SUET and YUET bring SIU YUEN out. They want to show SIU YUEN that FAI has changed completely and he is now working hard in her parent’s store. However, SIU YUEN is not moved at all……

Both HIN and YUEN try to sacrifice their love for the other and SUET is mad. SUET decides to think about their relationship after meeting with the governor of Jiangsu. They arrive at Suzhou where they meet PIK. PIK comes here to look for CHING since CHING has been attacked by LUNG earlier and PIK doesn’t know if he is still alive. The three of them sneak into the governor’s house and they deliver CHING’s letter to the governor. They also reveal that ON will be helping to unmask LUNG’s sins. The governor asks his subordinates to arrest LUNG but LUNG runs away by abducting HIN. YUEN and the others follow them along the way and they finally discover HIN lying on the floor… All family members rush back to Yangzhou to see HIN for the last time. SIU YUEN also brings her son to WU’s house and she forgives FAI in front of HIN. In the evening, SUET accompanies HIN to watch the firebugs until HIN closes his eyes…

CHING and PIK discover the hiding place of LUNG’s treasures. They ask PING to call for help from the government officers. LUNG suddenly arrives to take the treasures with FA and his subordinates. PIK risks her life to avoid LUNG from meeting CHING. LUNG runs away and he leaves behind some golden bricks that cost several million dollars. CHING and YUEN are proven to be innocent and they return to their post eventually. The governor wants to appoint another person to replace ON’s position and CHING recommends KIN to him. CHING visits KIN to tell the news but the whole family doesn’t want KIN to be embroiled in the matter anymore. KIN is very depressed after losing his son and he reveals his true feelings to CHING. SUET accompanies SIU YUEN to visit her parents. SIU YUEN’s father is very angry with her and he tries to beat her……