Learning Summary

Over the next three years Snow Flower visits the Lu family often, but Lily is not invited to Snow Flower's home. When Lily's mother questions Madame Wang about why Snow Flower's family has not reciprocated, Madame Wang reminds her that the girls' eight characters did not all match and mentions that there was no complaining when this idea was first raised, and, further, they could not chance the possibility that Lily's future husband might see her in Tongkou if she went there. She suggests that Snow Flower's family suffers over her relationship with the lower-class Wu family and offers to terminate the laotong. Lily's mother apologizes in shame and fear.

Because Madame Wang stepped into Lily's life and will arrange marriages for both Lily and Beautiful Moon, the local matchmaker, Madame Gao, has been cut out of her territory. Madame Gao goes to...