The reader learns from the beginning that Ying-Ying has a bad relationship with her daughter. They never talk anymore and her daughter is consumed by the modern world. She has no time for her mom and only listens to her headphones. We then hear the story of when Ying-Ying first encountered the Moon Lady. The setting of this encounter is in China at Tai Lake. "At the dock, I watched as the old ladies and men started climbing aboard a large boat our family had rented. The boat looked like a floating teahouse, with an open-air pavilion larger than the one in our courtyard. It had many red columns and a peaked tile roof, and behind that what looked like a garden house with round windows" (74). This quote describes the setting, which is different than the other chapters. Ying-Ying begins with how Amah, her nanny, dresses her in a beautiful yellow silk jacket and skirt. Amah tells her that women never express their wishes because that becomes selfish desires, but with the Moon Lady, a lady can express one wish. At the party, Ying-Ying becomes bored and watches a man gut fish. The blood and scales end up all over her dress, and Amah sees her dress ruined. She then rips off Ying-Ying's dress and rips it off of her because she is furious. Ying-Yingis flung over board and ends up finding the play with the Moon Lady. She wishes to be found by her parents, but she is angry because she realizes it will not come true. This reminded me of when my brother told me Santa Claus was not real. It was the idea of the man who got everyone's presents to them in one night and how his magical elves made them that was ruined by the fact that it is just my parents.
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