Whereas the last chapter was heavy, even somewhat brutal, this chapter of Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) gets our protagonist and his buddy Qin Zhong out of the Jia compound, outside the city walls, and into the open air. On-going funerary matters aren’t going to prevent Baoyu from enjoying a scenic trip and maybe even learning a little about rural agricultural life. A roadside encounter between Baoyu and “the second girl” leaves fantastical impressions that seem to diverge from reality along multiple dimensions.