Summary

The story opens in China after the Cultural Revolution. the totalitarian government established by Mao Zedong governs the country. The story takes place in the fictional Chinese city of Muji. The protagonist, Chiu Maguang, is a university professor. He is waiting at Muji Train Station with his wife, a recent college graduate. They married recently and are now at the end of their honeymoon. They are waiting for a train so that they can return to their home city of Harbin. While waiting for their train, they eat lunch outside in the town square. Nearby, two railroad policemen are conversing and drinking tea while occasionally looking towards Chiu and his wife. A statue of Chairman Mao stands in the town square. The narration notes that during the honeymoon, Chiu often worried about his liver; he had had severe hepatitis three months prior and feared...