The narrator introduces us to the young woman who has just arrived at the yan mansion. She's the eldest daughter in law of the old woman. The young woman tells us that her mother is sick and needs to be treated by a highly-skilled doctor. The doctor is called Miss Gu, and she's a bit of a mystery to the narrator because she doesn't know how to use a stethoscope properly. The narrator is shocked to learn that Miss Gu is actually an expert in Chinese medicine. He's never heard of such a thing before, and he was too impulsive to believe that she could cure his mother.