The chapter opens with a description of the early morning scene. The narrator tells us that the young people are up early because they want to see the snow piled up in the morning. He says that he likes the snow because he likes to see it. He also says that winter is boring because his husband is too dull. He wants to take him to a party, but he doesn't know how to do it because he's a good conversationalist. He tells her that they live in the same house, but that they don't have much time to talk. He asks her if there's any particular reason why she likes the house so much. She says that she heard that her mother- in-law liked plants. She adds that her husband hasn't told her about her mother in law. The young people ask if they can have tea, and the narrator says he'd love to have some. He adds that he didn't realize that they were close because he had been through the "stormy period of puberty" when he was a kid. He then asks if he learned the tea ceremony, and he says he did. He goes on to say that he had a friend, but now he can't call him a friend because he no longer lives with him. The tea is served, and then the newspaper comes in. It's the same newspaper that the narrator has read every day for the past year. The newspaper says that it's because the family always buys the best products. The man who comes in is his father. The