In this chapter An-mei tells of the how she lives with her grandmother. Her mother became the third concubine of a rich man and her grandmother was ashamed of her daughter so she forbid An-mei and her brother to speak their mother's name. An-mei did not remember her mother, but when Popo, her grandmother, became ill her mother came to visit. An-mei then remembers of a time when she was four and her mother came begging for her but An-mei spilled hot soup all over her neck when reaching for her mother. This event caused a scar on her neck.
"'Your dying clothes are very plain. They are not fancy, because you are still a child. If you die, you will have a short life and you will still owe your family a debt. Your funeral will be very small. Our mourning time for you will be very short'" (47).
The previous quote was said by Popo when taking care of An-mei after the incident with the soup. I think these words provide the feeling that a patient must feel when being told they only have so long to live. This quote also shows how some people are unappreciative of the people they have in their lives.
"I was four years old. My chin was just above the dinner table, and i could see my baby brother sitting on Popo's lap, crying with an angry face. I could hear voices praising a steaming dark soup brought to the table, voices murmuring politely, 'Ching! Ching!'-Please, eat!" (46)
This quote is the opening paragraph in one of the narratives within the book. This book has many individual narratives that connect throughout the book. This specific story tell of the memory of the event in which An-mei received her scar from the soup.
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