Part III: Chapter 16, The Death of Mao Summary and Analysis

A number of people continue to show up on Cheng's doorstep, claiming to be Meiping's friend to trick Cheng into saying something against the Chinese government. She devises a scheme to allow A-yi to stay at her cousin's home in the evenings to avoid opening the door to these strangers. Cheng places a sign on her door telling visitors to leave her alone unless it is a matter from the Chinese government directly. When she finds her sign torn up, she asks the Zhus if they saw a burglar in the night and they make up a story about losing two shirts on their laundry line. Although Cheng knows that the Zhus have done the damage, she goes to the police to report suspicious behavior, not naming the Zhus...