Chapter 3 Summary and Analysis

Yue Daiyun journeys to Zhaitang where she would work on the commune. She is greeted by Deng Minghua of the Beida economics department and taken to the living quarters. Most of the women treat her coldly. The first night she thinks that she has a bleak future.

As a rightist, her tasks involved more hard labor. The peasants are more considerate of and helpful to her than the women are. An acquaintance from the Beida history department gave her some advice about adjusting to the commune. She decides to do what she has to do in order to return home as quickly as possible.

When the women finished their time in the country, Yue Daiyun was sent to live with a peasant family. She shared a room with an elderly couple. The lodgings were much more comfortable than at the commune...