He passes them and sees that the rains have washed away their clay faces and that their clothes are in tatters. Now that his fortune is on the rise, he again takes notice of the condition of his gods. The fact that the uncle is connected with the marauding bandits will later carry greater significance during the winter of the flood, when Wang Lung would have been raided by bandits if his uncle were not a part of the group.Īs always, Wang Lung's view of the gods follows the rise and fall of his own fortunes.
At this time also, we discover that rumors associate Wang Lung's uncle with bandits Wang Lung, however, is only thankful that his uncle is not here. Wang Lung has never forgotten that Ching gave O-lan a few beans to chew on so as to get through her labor before they left for the south. Unlike Wang Lung, who refused as long as possible to sell his "fool," we discover that Ching was forced to give his own daughter away in order to keep her from dying of starvation. When Wang Lung's neighbor, Ching, visits him, Wang Lung volunteers to help Ching plow his land.
He receives strength from the land and, "for a long time it seemed to Wang Lung that he wished to see no human being but only to be alone on his land." Again, Pearl Buck emphasizes the importance of the land and how Wang Lung takes his strength from the land.
When he returns home, he finds that the peach trees and other trees are budding and the land is ready for planting. He buys good seed from the south, even seeds which he has never planted before - such seeds as celery, lotus, and "fragrant red beans." He is so pleased to be returning to his good earth that he pays more for an ox than he should have paid, but his sense of being once again close to his land allows him this extravagance. With the money which Wang Lung opportunistically received, he immediately makes plans to return to his "good earth" as soon as possible.
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