Chinese Cinderella

Some months after Nai Nai’s funeral, the children meet Father at the train station, and he informs them that the entire family will be moving to Shanghai. They take a train to their new home, which is located in Shanghai’s French neighborhood. Adeline sees that her father has acquired a German shepherd. Father insists that the dog is harmless, but Adeline is still afraid. Niang informs them that they will be required to sleep on the third floor, while she and her son (Fourth Brother) will sleep on the second with Father. The older children are not allowed to visit the second floor without permission.

Adeline is surprised to discover that nobody plans to escort her to her first day at her new school. The family’s cook begrudgingly takes her there on his way to the market, but nobody arrives to walk her home. She spends hours trying to find her way home but ends up miserably lost. A concerned mother finds Adeline and escorts her into a restaurant, where Adeline is able to call Father. He comes to pick her up and gives her a map so that she will know how to navigate Shanghai in the future.