Eighteen-year-old Wen Zhiyi leaves the countryside for the county town and moves in with her reconstituted family, where she washes clothes, cooks meals, and constantly has to watch her steps around her stepsister. Everything changes when she becomes the young maid in the home of Director Xu, the head of a machinery factory. Stern on the surface, he quietly allows her to study for exams after finishing her chores and secretly helps her find materials for self-study examinations. By day, she does laundry, cooks, and carefully manages every penny; by night, she studies by lamplight and works through practice papers. From a country girl looked down upon by others, she begins to pursue independent qualifications, sell agricultural products, and consider opening a shop. And the factory director who always catches her securely whenever she falls from a ladder seems to see her as more than just a little maid.