Summary

Section 5 contains the chapters “Gold For Chicken,” “The Last Gathering,” “The Walls Crumble,” and “The Youn Invasion.”

Seven months after her departure from Ro Leap, “Gold For Chicken” recounts Loung’s visit to her mother and Geak on one day off granted to her by Met Bong. She walks to the village and spots her mother and sister working, and their reunion is bittersweet as they embrace while Loung notices how sick and frail Geak is. Ma takes a few hours off work to fill Loung in on their life, stating that they have more rice rations now but no meat. Her recent attempt to travel to another village to exchange her old gold earrings for a chicken for Geak resulted in Ma’s getting beaten by a soldier and...