Truth Summary

Rather than return to her natal home on the fourth day, Lily has planned to go to Snow Flower's for her Sitting and Singing month. Snow Flower's house, beautiful on the outside, reeks and is sparsely furnished. It is filthy and revolting, and a peasant woman is working in the kitchen. Lily's new servant waits outside for her.

Snow Flower is dressed badly. The home has clearly, at one time, been luxurious, but is now all but empty. Snow Flower tells her they were once prosperous, and the house was glorious, but her grandfather fell from favor when the Emperor died. Snow Flower's father was raised in a house with too many women and thus, was cowardly and susceptible to vice. Snow Flower says her father, after spending lavishly, took to the pipe; a famine had wiped out their crops, and her father's...