The story is set after the Cultural Revolution when the Communist Party was promulgating the idea that all citizens were equal.
The story opens with Mr. Chiu eating lunch with his bride in the square near Muji Train Station, just as his two-week honeymoon is ending.
Mr. Chiu is concerned about his acute hepatitis that he had suffered from three months earlier and is afraid of a relapse.
While in jail, he asks a guard to provide him with medical attention for fear that his hepatitis has flared up again.
Mr. Chiu is unfazed by the fleas in the mattress, and is amazed to find that he doesn't miss his wife a lot.