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Lakshmi gradually picks up a few words in the city language, including the word “whore,” which she understands to be an angry insult, although she is unaware of the word’s full meaning. When she witnesses Harish being bullied by other boys who call his mom a “whore,” she reflects that Harish does not really have a normal life, and she starts to resent him less. Harish checks Pushpa’s temperature often to see if she has a fever. Mumtaz says that if her fever comes back, both she and her children will be cast out on the street.

Lakshmi continues calculating her remaining debt in her notebook, as well as recording new words that she learns in the city language. Harish sees her doing this and asks if she would like him to teach her to read the city language, starting with the words in his storybook. She gladly accepts, and they start doing lessons each day after Harish’s school is over and before customers arrive. She learns that there are actually two city languages: English and Hindi, with Hindi being more similar to her native language. She learns many simple words in both languages quickly and can state her name, age, and place of origin, along with naming basic emotions and objects.