Though the village head wilfully inflicts injury upon Qiuju's husband and refuses to offer an apology, he rushes to Qiuju's rescue when she suffers from acute labour pain. In her endeavour for justice, Qiuju is helped by virtually everyone she happens to meet and wants to see. These include government officials such as the police officer and the public security chief as well as the man in the street such as the janitor and small vendors. The villagers carry Qiuju to hospital through the rugged country road and throng to the new-born baby's party to offer their best wishes and sincere congratulations. In such a congenial community, honesty and kindness become prevalent and unpleasant wrongs forgotten.
Life is given an idyllic, humane touch and everything is shrouded in simplicity and primitiveness.
But unexpectedly, the equilibrium is disrupted. As Qiuju is ready to forgive and forget, as her family and the villagers bask in happiness and festivity, the village head is whisked away in a police car, to the loss, bewilderment and shock of Qiuju who has virtually given up hope for justice and decided to make up with her adversary. The artist has let his audience to judge and come to their own conclusion. But the seemingly neutral note that the story ends on signifies that life is neither carefree, unrestrained and idyllic as evidenced in Red Sorghum nor restricted, stifling and nightmarish as revealed in Judou and Raise High the Red Lanterns. And prevailing and pervasive is the nostalgia and pursuit for a primitive life uncorrupted by human civilisation.