Growing Up

After so many years together, Tay and Mae finally decide to get married. Poh Choo emigrates to Singapore with her husband Jimmy and daughter Li Lien, and for the first time in years, she and Jimmy will live together with their son, Chee Keong.

Tay and Mae spend quality time in a chalet--David's wedding gift to them. They must also deal with the issue of sex after marriage: each not knowing if the other wants it and each not wanting to disappoint the other. Tay in particular must deal with a lot of internal conflicts, including guilt.

Tensions rise between Mae and Poh Choo and Mr Tay is caught in the middle. Meanwhile, Jenny goes to work as David's boss. If that doesn't bruise his ego, her flirting with his colleague should crush whatever pride he has left.

Relationships suffer at the Tay home as Poh Choo and Jimmy get on Mae's nerves and Gary's closeness to Chee Keong irks Karen and Poh Choo. On a brighter note, Jimmy gets free juice and David and Jenny get married.

Trouble is afoot (surprise!) when money disappears from the coffeeshop till. Elsewhere, Jimmy meets an old friend, and Poh Choo and Chee Keong call a truce.

Mae gets her son Meng to work in Tay's coffeeshop in hopes that they will bond. Unfortunately, it backfires and things turn nasty when Jimmy frames Meng for stealing from the till. Li Lien finally breaks through to Meng, and although he keeps his feelings to himself, he fancies her as well--of course, unknown to both of them, they are supposed to be uncle and niece.

Li Lien and Meng's relationship takes off and she sneaks into the disco where Meng works to meet him--and of course, have some fun. She gets into trouble with Gorilla Sam and his gang of glue sniffers, and is sabotaged by Sam's girl Rose. Gary and Karen re-establish the status of their relationship and decide to try for a second child.

Mae's auntie dies; ironically, her death gives Mae an opportunity to reunite with Meng. Meanwhile, Li Lien and Meng discover the unpleasant truth of their relationship, and Jimmy falls back to his old gambling ways. Following symptoms of possible pregnancy, Karen consults a doctor to do a test. The test turns out negative and she gets a second blow when she finds out that she needs to have her womb removed.

Gary and Karen treat Elvis like a precious commodity when they realize that he will be their only child. Jimmy buys a karaoke machine and brings it to the flat and once again, Mae finds living in the crammed flat increasingly intolerable. She pushes Tay to move into her flat, but plans are suddenly scrapped when she finds out from Karen that she must undergo surgery.

Poh Choo's conflict with Mae over Li Lien and Meng's relationship deepens, and Meng discovers that he is not really Mae's son. This gives him the idea of further pursuing his relationship with Li Lien now that they are no longer blood-related. Karen seeks a second option on her condition and is relieved to know that she will not need to lose her whole womb and might still be able to conceive. Gary starts working at the coffeeshop.

Li Lien is nearly raped by Gorilla Sam--and Meng, who rescues her, is ironically accused of the attempt. The fracas causes Mae to break up with Tay and she moves out. Jimmy's gambling addiction worsens and he borrows money from head loan shark Leng Kor.

Jimmy fails to pay his debt and is forced to convert the coffeeshop into a gambling den. Gary discovers this much to his shock--and worse, that Keng Joo is involved as well. The loan sharks vandalise the coffeeshop and Jimmy disappears, leading his family to suspect that he might have been murdered.

Li Lien does some growing up when she learns of her father's chronic gambling habit and that her mother is actually a much stronger woman than she thought. Meanwhile, Mae is pregnant and Tay must deal with the shock and responsibility of being a father again.

Poh Choo's dreams of a better life in Singapore are shattered and she becomes depressed. The family worries about her and even fears that she might attempt suicide. Jimmy, who's been hiding in an abandoned house, sneaks home for food and to clean up, but runs into Chee Keong, who wants his father to return and face the consequences, but Jimmy refuses because he is basically a coward.

Poh Choo has enough of Jimmy and decides to divorce him, much to her children's distress. Chee Keong finally gets to speak with the girl of his dreams, Donna--but his happiness is short-lived when she gets killed in a road accident the next day. Meanwhile, Mr Tay is preoccupied with a drive to keep fit and stay young and healthy to prepare himself for his new child-to-be.