Female, the mother of Qu Hongqi. She lives in a cramped tube apartment building and had not had anyone mention her eldest son in years. When neighbors announce that Qu Hongqi is in the newspaper, she is initially worried something bad happened. Upon learning the good news, she bursts into tears of overwhelming joy mixed with sorrow for her son's suffering. She is proud that her son volunteered for countryside service and proved his worth. She hopes Hongqi will come home for the New Year, having not seen him in five years. She feels deep satisfaction when neighbors who once mocked her family now flatter her.
