The chapter opens with a discussion of money and how it can be difficult to make a living. The narrator tells us that it's not easy to make money, and that's why young people are so scared of making money. He tells us how he heard that the eldest son of the family has been giving money to the youngest daughter, who has been spending it on living expenses. He asks where the money came from, and the young daughter tells him that it came from an old man who stopped her on her way to the store. She says that the old man stopped her because he thought what she was saying was logical, and she doesn't blame him for thinking that someone with brains would spend money on buying a stone from someone who wouldn't have a stranger. ninghuan tells the narrator that the party is coming up, and he wants to make sure that everyone is nice to her. He says that he's sorry that she lied to him about the stone, but that she can't lie anymore because she's ashamed of her appearance at the party. He reminds her that she and zixing grew up together, so why didn't you allow them to lie to each other when they were younger? zixing tells the story of how he saved him when he fell into the river, and how he lied to the family about the value of the stone. He also tells the tale of how the eldest daughter is pregnant, and says that young people don't care what their parents say anymore.