Summary
Jui-chueh is close to giving birth when Mistress Chen informs the family elders about the "curse of the blood glow." According to Mistress Chen, if a woman gives birth in a house while a corpse is still entombed there, the corpse will spurt blood. Mistress Chen says the only way to ensure the Venerable Master Kao's body will be safe is to move Jui-chueh out of the city and over a bridge. Though Chueh-hsin is concerned for his wife's safety, he does not argue and agrees to find a suitable house outside of the city. Chueh-hsin helps Jui-chueh pack. Though they both know the danger of Jui-chueh giving birth so far away from home and without access to midwives and doctors, Jui-chueh is unwilling to let Chueh-hsin look unfilial, and Chueh-hsin is unwilling to confront anyone. Chueh-hsin asks Jui-chueh to ensure Hai-chen does not become like his father.
When the servant Yuan Cheng informs Chueh-hui that Jui-chueh will give birth outside of the city, Chueh-hui thinks the notion is too ridiculous to be true. Then, he is furious with Chueh-hsin. Yuan Cheng pleads with Chueh-hui to intervene and convince Chueh-hsin to let Jui-chueh give birth at home. Chueh-hsin asks for Chueh-hui's sympathy, saying he alone bears the abuse Chueh-hui and Chueh-min accrue from the relatives. Chueh-hsin's words move Chueh-min, but Chueh-hui accuses Chueh-hsin of both killing Mei and putting Jui-chueh's life in jeopardy. Chueh-hui leaves the family compound and works on the magazine with his friends.
Jui-chueh moves into the house outside of the city. She is uncomfortable, lonely, and fearful, but she does not complain. Jui-chueh becomes so distraught that she beats her womb, saying, "you have ruined me!" to her unborn child. Though Chueh-hsin, Chueh-min, Chueh-hui, Hai-erh, Shu-ying, Shu-hua, and Chin accompany Jui-chueh and visit at various times, only Shu-hua is permitted to remain in the house. Jui-chueh has an awful premonition that every time Chueh-hsin departs, it will be the last time they see one another.
Chueh-hsin explains that he wrote to Jui-chueh's mother against Jui-chueh's wishes. Jui-chueh's mother intends to come to Chengdu as soon as possible. Jui-chueh notices that the temple where Mei is buried is nearby her compound and expresses interest in visiting Mei's grave. Chueh-hsin warns Jui-chueh not to got there.
Chueh-hsin returns to Jui-chueh after four days. Having been delayed by business, he arrives late in the afternoon. When Chueh-hsin arrives, Jui-chueh has already gone into labor. Unlike at the birth of his first child, Chueh-hsin is not allowed to be with Jui-chueh because of the supposed curse. Jui-chueh begins to scream in pain; clearly, something has gone wrong with the birth. Chueh-hsin tries to break down the door, but the servants and midwife, given instructions by Mistress Chen and Ke-ming, do not permit him to enter. Chueh-hsin, still deferring to his family, gives up.
After a final, terrible scream, the baby is born. Chueh-hsin relaxes for a moment, believing Jui-chueh's pain has ended. Shu-hua exclaims that Jui-chueh's hands are cold, meaning the childbirth killed her. Chueh-hsin begins to weep. Chueh-hsin recognizes that the social order and its meaningless rules and traditions have killed Jui-chueh, and he was complicit.
Soon after, Madam Chou and Mrs. Li, Jui-chueh's mother, arrive. Mrs. Li is devastated and blames herself for her daughter's death. Mrs. Li says she should have never allowed Jui-chueh to marry into the Kao family.
Analysis
Mistress Chen informs the family of the "curse of the blood glow," which says that if Jui-chueh gives birth in the compound before the Venerable Master Kao's corpse is removed, the corpse will spurt blood. Though the Venerable Master Kao is dead, Mistress Chen affirms that the family's duty is to protect the patriarch, even if, in doing so, they endanger Jui-chueh and her child. Before the Venerable Master Kao's death, Chueh-hsin had broken the status quo a few times to protect his son. However, when Jui-chueh is being moved, Chueh-hsin does not object. Since the Venerable Master Kao's death, Chueh-hsin assumed the family's highest position and with it, new responsibilities. Jui-chueh, now the wife of the family patriarch, complies without argument, even when she is scared and uncomfortable in the compound outside the city. Chueh-hui helps Jui-chueh pack, symbolically affirming his role in leading her to her death by not contesting his family's wishes.
The servant Yuan Cheng remarks to Chueh-hui that "only rich people" have such absurd customs that senselessly endanger lives. This comment is particularly poignant; it contrasts Chueh-hui's education and rebellion and the servant's wisdom and bravery in openly questioning the status quo. Jui-chueh, unable to question the patriarchal system, blames her unborn child for her misfortunes. This assignment of blame is an interesting contrast, as the primary duty of a Confucian wife is to bear sons, a duty Jui-chueh fulfills twice over. The child both assures Jui-chueh's value within the family and dooms her.
Jui-chueh sees Mei's tomb and remarks that she would like to visit Mei. Chueh-hsin warns Jui-chueh not to go there, foreshadowing Jui-chueh's death. In this statement, Chueh-hsin tries to tell Jui-chueh not to die, like Mei. This statement places the responsibility on Jui-chueh, though Chueh-hsin's refusal to stand up to his family kills both Mei and Jui-chueh. Chueh-hsin is delayed at the job he did not want and as a result, misses the death of the wife he did not choose to marry. This ironic situation lays bare the severity of the consequences of Chueh-hsin's "compliant bow" strategy.
Chueh-hsin attempts to break down the door and get to Jui-chueh, who screams for him, but after a weak attempt to defy his family's wishes, Chueh-hsin gives up and listens to Jui-chueh die. Chueh-hsin also blames the child, not himself, for his wife's avoidable death. Mrs. Li, Jui-chueh's mother, curses herself for allowing Jui-chueh to marry into the Kao family. This statement implies that the Jao family structure might not be typical, perhaps that other families have already embraced the New Culture ideas.
