The chapter opens with a conversation between Thomas and his sister. The two men discuss the upcoming spring festival, which marks the end of the school year. Thomas tells his sister that he has heard that the shop is not going to close this year, and she tells him to go home with them. He tells her that he would rather face his parents at home than be alone with his wife. She tells him that his wife is not his wife, but that he is after her "legitimate wife." The two discuss the news of a house fire in Tong city, in which five construction workers were able to save twenty people from the flames.