The narrator and his niece go to investigate a broken vase in a hotel lobby. They find that the owner of the broken vase is none other than the head of a national security bureau. The niece asks the narrator if he is a disciple of the "three schools of arithmetic," the "taoist ma-yi school," or the "public security bureau." The narrator says he is, and he hopes the inspector can find his father, who has been missing. He says he will repay the inspector if she can find her father. He tells the niece that his son is a good kid, and that he will not do anything wrong. He asks the niece if she is looking for him to learn medical techniques, and the niece says she is. She tells the narrator that she is intruding on her private room, and she says her son has never done anything wrong