This chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel, when the narrator is a young boy in a small town in China. He is introduced to the protagonist, who is called Zbigniew, and the protagonist's father, who was a famous poet. The protagonist is introduced as a young man, who has been orphaned by his father, and who has come to live in the small town of Zibo, in the province of Gansu. The narrator is also introduced to his father's family, who are also young men. The young man's mother is a famous writer, and his father is the founder of a famous literary magazine. The two young men are very fond of one another, and they have a very close relationship. The younger man is very shy, but he is also very kind to the older man. The older man is a poet, and he and the younger man are very good friends. The old man asks the young man to marry him, but the young men refuse, saying that they will not marry until