“You are such a gross piece of shit!” Mei shouted in disgust, walking to the room with a sense of dignity. Bing followed as she said, “I know my name. I know what Mei means. It’s been written in our family book since I was born. According to the date of birth and the eight characters of a horoscope, that Mei means my fate is sad, my marriage is doomed and at least half my life is full of bitterness, but if one day all this bitterness and sadness could be surmounted by me with someone’s help, the goodness and the happiness will come. Just like the well-known poem: ‘Sharp edge of a sword comes out from grinding, and plum blossom’s fragrance comes from the bitter cold’. I was born in winter, a typical season for freezing and starving. When they gave me this name, on the other hand, they also indicated another word mei没 with the same pronunciation but meaning not being as good as, especially not having a boy. They were disappointed because they expected the fi rst born must be a son, not a daughter. That’s why my father gave me a name Mei. It seems absolutely right. It does mean something like that. Now I’m undergoing my fate.”