Part two started with a visit to Four-Eye's village. Four-Eyes was a friend of the narrator and Luo who had suffered similar circumstances as the two main characters. His family was captured and labeled as class-enemies. At his home, Luo and the narrator discovered a mysterious suitcase that Four-Eyes refused to speak of an later hides.
Speculating the suitcase to be full of banned literary works, the boys were determined to find its contents. Their chance finally came when Four-Eyes badly needed help carrying a rice hod. In exchange for work, Luo and the narrator wanted a novel. They were rewarded with a book by French author,
Honore de Balzac.
After reading the novel, the boys are captivated by Balzac's depiction of passion, love, and desire. While the narrator was reading the novel, Luo was visiting the seamstress when the two made love.
Hoping to get more books, the two return the Balzac novel and asked Four-Eyes for another but he refused. Later on, the boys found another chance to gain a novel. Four-Eyes had been assigned by his mother to collect folk songs from the area (the old miller who lived farther up the mountains had all the songs) to publish in a Maoist journal. However, he was unable to get any songs from the old miller. The narrator and Luo offered to help and ultimately found the songs. However, Four-Eyes was
ungrateful with the song's discussion of love and did not give them a book. Instead, he changed the lyrics to fit Maoist ideals. This infuriated the narrator who punched Four-Eyes.
Later, the two boys are sent see another movie in town. There, the narrator, pretending to be Luo, meets Four-Eyes's mother. She tells him that Four-Eyes had completed his re-education and was allowed to return home.While the narrator was dissapointed at the prospect of losing the suitcase the seamstress recommended stealing the books.
At Four-Eyes's re-education commencement festival, Luo and the narrator prepared to steal the suitcase when Four-Eyes was away at the celebration. Despite
almost getting caught by
Four-Eyes and his mother, the two successfully made off with the suitcase.
