Chapters 10-12 Summary

In Chapter 10, Chueh-hui is imprisoned in his house. He eagerly reads all accounts of the student protests in the newspaper, but the stories are short and after a few days there are none at all. He grows very restless and impatient. One day he sees the maid Ming-feng talking with another maid in the garden. He hides among the plum trees so he can listen to them. The other maid leaves, and Ming-feng begins to gather plum blossoms for Madame Chou and Mrs. Chang. Chueh-hui helps her, despite her protests. He tells her that he wants to protect her, and she confesses that she thinks about him a lot. Chueh-hui feels that he is in love. That night Chueh-min says that he loves Chin. They younger brothers hear Chueh-hsin playing a sad song on his flute.

Chapter 11 begins as the clash...