On the eve of the new year, the two young men go out to buy sweet potatoes. The narrator tells the men that he has already told them to put on more clothes so they can celebrate the New Year together. He tells them to wait outside for him. He asks them if they want to eat, and they all agree that they would like to. He then asks them which college they are going to choose, and the young men tell him that it is too far from home. He also tells them that he is still here, and that he wants to see what life is like outside of China. The young men give him some money, and he gives it back to them.