Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain references to suicide, domestic abuse, child abuse, child death, and wartime violence.

The first section introduces the narrator, who recalls that when he was “ten years younger than [he is] now, [he] had the carefree job of going to the countryside to collect popular folk songs” (3). While the narrator is from the city, the job required him to roam the countryside and interact with local farmers. He recounts how he met many fascinating people and almost fell in love, but the most memorable part of that job was meeting Fugui.

The first time the narrator saw Fugui, Fugui was “an old man in one of the nearby fields patiently trying to coax an old ox into working” (6). The narrator watched Fugui talking to his ox as if the ox were a person. The narrator was curious and decided to strike up a conversation with Fugui. The two sat down under a tree, and Fugui proceeded to tell the narrator the story of his life.