- It's bad weather time again.
- This time, instead of a drought, there's a flood. But Wang Lung isn't scared. After all, he has a whole warehouse full of food.
- The only problem is that Wang Lung is bored. He's got too much time on his hands. Now that he's all big and rich, everyone else does everything for him. So, all of a sudden, he finds problems where there are none.
- For example, all of a sudden O-lan is hideous to him. How's that for loyalty? Trying to run away from his feelings and his guilt, Wang Lung wanders in the streets.
- But even the old teashop that he used to go to isn't good enough anymore; he's too rich to go there now. No, he's got to go to the fancy new teahouse. Of course, with all the gambling and the pictures of ladies, we're pretty sure that it's a brothel. But it does serve tea, so we guess that's technically accurate.
- So, imagine who he sees when he goes there. If you are thinking his uncle, you're close—but no cigar. It's Cuckoo. Now, Wang Lung had just been minding his business drinking tea before Cuckoo came along and started to bully him.
- Let's just say that Cuckoo is a bad influence.
- By the end of the chapter, we can kind of see where this is going.