After Ah Q had bowed, he returned to T'uku Temple. The sun was sinking low, when by degrees he came to the realization that there was something strange about the world. On thinking over the matter seriously, he finally realized that the reason was his own bare shoulders. Recalling that he still had his tattered lined coat, he threw it over his body and lay down. When he opened his eyes, the sun had already gilded the top of the west wall; he sat up, muttering unpleasantly.
On rising, he sauntered about the streets as in former times; and felt that there was something painful about the strangeness of the world, although the physical pain of his shoulders was greater by far. It seemed that ever since that eventful day, the women of Weichuang had suddenly become shy; and as soon as they caught sight of Ah Q approaching, one and all of them would hide behind their respective doors. The most extreme case was that of the near pentagenarian Tsou Ch'i-sao, who followed the others in confused retreat, at the same time calling her eleven-year-old daughter to get out of the way
