The chapter opens with a flashback to 20 years ago, when the Governess's eldest son is about to enter the royal court. The Governess is so worried about her son that she summons the nanny the next day. The nanny rushes to help her son, who has fallen into the freezing river. The child's legs have been soaked in the water, and his vocal cord has been injured. He will never walk again. The narrator then tells the story of how the father of his son is a prominent member of the royal family, and other officials try to win him over. He says that he will take office in the county of Ningyuan county, which is in the south of China. He tells his son that it is a dangerous area with bandits and thieves, but that it might be the best place for him. He promises to come back in a year's time to see him. When he does, he promises to have two children, one for him and the other for his wife. He is still waiting for her to get married, and he tells her that he has other thoughts about her. He thinks that she is a serpent spirit, and that she must have seen everything that has ever happened to her. She tells him that she has made her decision to marry him, and they are to be together.