The protagonist, a 20-year-old unmarried girl and commune cook in Stone Village. Orphaned at a young age, she lives with her aunt Feng Xingmei and uncle Lin Defei, who mistreat her and force her to do all household chores while giving her the worst food. She is malnourished and thin. She discovered she is pregnant after being assaulted by a man (possibly drunk or drugged) in a wheat field the day before educated youths returned to the city. She hears the telepathic voice of her unborn child Suisui, who warns her of danger. She plans to escape to Shanghai to find the child's father.
