An early form of Hakka theater is a basic 「three character tea-picking play,」 with one chou (comic characters) clown and two dan (female characters) singing Mountain Songs. The plot is usually simple, dealing with the daily lives of ordinary people. Jesting and jeering abound. Costumes are simple, the performance casual and full of comical improvisation. This play, Flirtation at A Public House, is one such example. It is one of the Ten Masterpieces which the Rongxing Hakka Theater Troupe compiled from amateur manuscripts. The series of plays centers around a character, Zhang San-lang, s tea vendor. Plays in this series can either be performed individually or continuously as a long drama.

In this play, Zhang San-lang comes home from a tea-vending trip elsewhere. With the profits he has made, he goes to local wine tavern to have a drink. Two ladies from the tavern, seeing that he is generous with his money, attend to his needs most courteously. The three characters banter in songs. Tunes used in this act are Ancient People of Twelve Months, Melon Nuts, and Selling Wine. The tune of Selling Wine is particularly lively and vivacious. Its form is not strict. The performers can improvise freely, as long as they end the tune with the phrase 「na-ai-yo-yo.」