- Wang Lung and his family pack everything and head out to the South. They pass the earth gods; then they get to the town. The gates of the House of Hwang are locked.
- Tons of people are sitting outside, wishing for food and shelter, but the door stays locked. We get the feeling that the poor people are going to resent the rich Hwangs for this sometime soon.
- There are tons of other people going South. They are getting on something called a "firewagon"— that would be a train. Wang Lung has never heard of it, and he's kind of scared, but there's nothing else to be done.