This chapter's epigraph comes from a conversation between Cai Mingyu and his mother, who is in the process of moving out of the village. The two women discuss the difficulties of finding a husband in the village, and Cai tells his mother that she should not have to work for a living. He tells her that he does not want a husband, but that she must find a way to earn a living for herself and her family. The mother, however, refuses to listen to her son's advice. She tells him that she has moved out, and that her son has not been able to find a husband. She accuses her son of not being able to do what he wants now that he has left, and she threatens to beat him to death if he continues to refuse to follow her instructions. She then reveals that her husband's daughter has been spending money to learn embroidery. She says that she is angry because her husband has spent so much money on her daughter's education. She also reveals that the village chief will have to deal with her husband if he beats her son again. She promises to return to her own village and not cause such a ruckus.