Yingnü smiled as she said to herself， "What are you so proud of yourself for？ Because of your dad？ Your dad is still mine."
One drizzly afternoon， the wealthy Uncle He forced Yingnü to do something without her consent. That day was the fifth of rain， and white mould had begun sprouting in a corner of the house. Madam， as ever， sat mumbling to herself in a round-back armchair， while Father shut himself away with a cigarette by the fireplace， time passing slowly， like an old woman treading with difficulty through the marsh.
Yingnü slept for two days， and awoke with swollen eyelids. She felt her whole body was bloated. She was absent-minded for a while， but she could no longer fall asleep. So she found the bamboo hat from the back of the door.
"Where do you want to go？" Madam asked.
Yingnü hesitated for a moment. It was an accidental， but vital moment.
"My stockings are broken. I'm going to buy a new pair." In the end she added， "It doesn't matter if it rains." Yingnü walked out with her bamboo hat on， and she could feel the sullen gaze of Madam for a long time on her back.
Yingnü travelled straight to town， her shoes covered in yellow mud by the time she arrived. Uncle He's small store tottered alone in the wind and rain. From the start the family did not understand why he had opened the store， not on the secure Flagstone Street， but by the roadside. Later it was apparent that his little shop was more crowded than the street outside. After carefully thinking about it， she understood that it was because the country people earned their money in difficult ways， so it was harder for them to buy anything on the Flagstone Street； however， on their way back， they would regret not buying anything. So when they happened to be in He's shop， they would buy anything without questioning the price， as if they had found something they had lost， and which had been granted to them by another's kindness. Plus， Uncle He wore a pair of sunglasses， and drove a noisy motorbike to get his goods from the faraway port of the Yangtze River. His goods were more varied than others'， making his shop more attractive.
Uncle He sat alone in his small store in the rain， counting playing cards， an open bottle of a wine called Zhu Ye Qing ( "Green Bamboo Leaf" ) sitting before him， and listening to the sound of mud being trudged up by passers-by on the roadside. Looking up， he quickly asked， "Yingnü， you've come into town？" Yingnü looked inside the store and asked if Juzi had come yet. Juzi often manned the store， and Yingnü would come to keep her store from time to time.
"Juzi and her mother have gone to celebrate her uncle's birthday. You're soaking wet—what's the use of standing out there， come in， come in." Yingnü's bamboo hat had a hole， through which the rain swept down her jet-black hair onto her shoulders， soaking half her body.
Shaking the water from her hat she stepped inside， and He offered her a cup of hot tea from his thermos. He took a white undershirt and black jacket with a red flower pattern on it from the shelves， throwing them onto the bed， and told her to get changed.
In the space behind the shelves of wood lay another world， dim and suffused with the sound of rain， its narrow space damp and greasy. A cricket called from a corner of the room. Yingnü realised that her lips were dry. She felt an urge to go back home and have Father make a bowl of ginger tea for her to warm herself with.
But the white shirt laying on the bed seemed to bring light to the dimness， and the red flower patterns on the other item of clothing also seemed piercingly bright in the dark. Yingnü was familiar with the price of things—Madam and Father would not give her more than ten yuan to buy clothes. The girls of Dragon Boat Village got clothes from their husband's or fiancé's family. When it came to the festive season， they would always have three or four new sets of clothes， while their own parents were only responsible for their dowry. Because Yingnü was not married or engaged， she could not possibly have any nice clothes. Once Uncle He had come right out and said： "Yingnü， you're Juzi's classmate， you can have a half price discount if you buy clothes from me." That time Juzi had mocked her. "Yingnü， even if you bought the clothes， you barely have any chance to put them on， since you're always chopping firewood or feeding the pigs." It made Yingnü so angry that， for a long time， she did not visit Juzi's shop. Later， Uncle He gave her a box of rouge and a pair of plastic earrings， and told her， "You come to help me often， so this is for you. As wages." Yingnü realised that she had helped Juzi with sweeping the floor and wiping the counter， so she accepted them. Ever since then， Uncle He continuously gave her little gifts， and Yingnü accepted them with gratitude and impunity.
Just as she stood there， hesitating， Uncle He came closer， smelling of liquor， placing his hands on her shoulders. "Still standing here all wet？ Why don't you get changed？" But all she could say was no. Pushing her， he said， "What do you mean， no？" Yingnü felt unsteady， falling upon the dim bed， involuntarily crying out in fear. Uncle He stepped forward and took her in his arms. She heard a muffled voice， asking her， "Why don't you get changed？ I'll help you …"
Yingnü was suddenly overcome by fear and indignation. She breathed heavily， like a rising stream. The shelves seemed to slant， as if about to collapse. From the dark roof there came all kinds of strange images of monsters， and tears rose to her eyes.
"Uncle He， please let me go …"
"Don't call me that. Yingnü， I love you. I'll give everything to you …"
"Someone help me！" She yelled in desperation.
