In this chapter, we are introduced to a number of characters who are introduced for the first time in the novel. The first person introduced is a young man named jiang, who is a member of the Communist Party of China. . He is the son of a professor named changwen. He has returned to China to find his mother, who has recently died. He asks jiang to help him find his father, and he offers him a share of the profits from the sale of his father's business, Mariana Trench, a web market that was shut down by the police a year ago. He also offers jiang royalties to fund his secluded lifestyle. This is a very generous offer, and .