This chapter opens with a flashback to a time when the narrator was a child. He was told by his grandmother that an encounter with another person can be a kind of fate. The narrator is shocked to find that the man who had stolen her cat had taken her bed, stole her pen, and refused to stop ordering her around. He is also shocked to learn that her purchase of a stuffed bear was 53 dollars in total. He rushes to finish his manuscript and is interrupted by the patter patter, who tells him that it is raining heavily. The patter patter tells the narrator that he will have to stay at the shop for a while, but the narrator does not want to stay in the store for long, so he leaves the shop. He tells the patter that he is not feeling well and asks him not to touch him. He asks if he hit his head and became retarded, and the patter responds that the retarded man is him. The young narrator is horrified to find out that the patter had hit him in the head. He orders the patter to go to the hospital. He then tells the young man that he has injured his right wrist and will need to stay away from work for at least two months. The boy is shocked and asks if it takes 100 days for a broken bone to heal. He also asks if the boy can stay in his room and hold him down. He says that the boy must cooperate with the doctor and the doctor must come and hold the boy down. When the boy asks how he is going to work, the boy says that his name is "Mao rong" and that his store is nearby. He promises to pay for the hospital bills and he will not run away.