Summary

It is now 1980, and Dieu Lan, Ngọc, and Hương have traveled back to the Nghệ An province, to Mr. Hai’s residence. Remembering Diệu Lan’s fondness of straw from her walk to Hà Nội, Hương falls asleep in a straw nest, thinking about her tentative marriage with Tâm, who wants to marry next spring.

Hương wakes up in a bamboo bed, covered in bug bites, and realizes her grandmother and mother must have carried her to bed. The three women, along with Mr. Hai, walk through the village to get to Diệu Lan’s old house. A villager recognizes Diệu Lan and apologizes for the things done to her family during the Land Reform.

Hương is surprised to see the house is drastically different from Diệu...