In this chapter, the narrator laments the fact that girls are made to be "filthy cake," "flowers," and "perfume." He is disgusted by the idea that girls should be "meek and gentle," "pure and virtuous" , and "go sing a song." He realizes that his mother has been telling him all along that "xiaoli" must be a "gentle" girl, and he wonders who decided that "girls must be meek, gentle, pure, and virtuous." He thinks that "who decided that girls had to be gentle, virtuous, and pure" was responsible for all of this. The narrator feels that he has no choice but to study hard and excel in order to be a better man than men.