Summary

At the end of November, it was cold and everyone was starving. Chen fried poplar leaves for them to eat. Soon the leaves ran out, too. Meanwhile, the dogs "grew sturdier and sturdier" (7). They continued having sex. Chen said their mating season ended in December.

On "the last day of December," Chen told Zhao "it was time" (7). Zhao did not ask what he meant.

Chen said that every November he made "a beauty trap," using the same method each time (7). This year, they would use White Beauty. At the appointed time, Zhao, Chen, Liu, and Yang met up. Chen led the plan, telling Zhao that this was their only way to survive the winter. Zhao swore he would do whatever they told him to do.

The four boys "stole White Beauty" and trapped her in "the ancestral temple" (7). They distracted her with "a...