Red Cherries and a Broken Heart

Learning from her brother Xiao Huai-ya’s letter that he becomes rich, Xiao Tao-hong quits the singing business with her father Xiao Ya-zi. Upon their departure, the famous musician Zhao Zhu-ji comes to make an arrangement to buy their flute. Huai-ya, after saving the rich young man Kong Gui-fen, not only marries his sister Yan-fang but also matchmakes Gui-fen and Tao-hong.

Yan-fang seeks help from Gui-fen after Huai-ya has been imprisoned for his business failure. However, upon his release, Huai-ya resents Gui-fen. They then go into dispute and divorce the other’s sister respectively. Tao-hong goes back to sing for a living and meets Zhu-ji again. She deliberately hides her past in order to learn from Zhu-ji. A year later, Tao-hong finally becomes a famous songstress, and Yan-fang’s accidental re-encounter with Huai-ya leads Gui-fen and Ya-zi to come beg Tao-hong to go home.
Already exhausted and seriously-ill from teaching Tao-hong, Zhu-ji spits blood and dies after knowing Tao-hong’s story at the wedding night. To return the compliment, Tao-hong vows not to reunite with Gui-fen until she brings Zhu-ji’s son Ji-zhu up as a successful musician. With no musical talent at all, Ji-zhu learns nothing from Tao-hong and even plots with Huai-ya to cheat her. Tao-hong dies with anger before she can see Gui-fen and her daughter Xiao-hong again.