the good Earth5

Wang Lung brings his concubine, Lotus, to his house, and his father, who is now very old, is angered and alarmed. "There is a harlot here! And I had one woman and my father had one woman and we farmed the land."
After many days, Wang Lung decides to go back to the land, which has dried up after the flood. The land is now very moist and fertile, and Wang Lung forgets about Lotus for a while; he recovers from his boredom. Wang Lung becomes even more rich and respected; villagers come to him for advice and council. His sons can read and help him when he is dealing in the market. His eldest son, however, becomes sullen and won't go to his lessons. Wang Lung decides to begin preparation for the son's betrothal.
Wang Lung tries to kick his father's brother, who had been staying at his house, out because he had been wasting food and resources, but he finds out that he is part of a major band of robbers. Wang Lung has to treat his uncle carefully to make sure that he is not robbed.
At one point, there is a very large plague of locusts. All the villagers despair for their fields, but Wang Lung decides to fight the locusts. He and his men set fire to a few of his fields and run after the locusts. Thousands of the locusts die, and they leave Wang Lung's best fields alone. Most of the other villagers' fields are devoured, so Wang Lung can fetch prime prices on the grain market.
O-lan despises Lotus, and will not deign to be in the same room with her. At one point, she tells Wang Lung that his eldest son often goes into Lotus' room when Wang Lung is gone. He decides to pretend to go away and then check on Lotus. He hears his son speaking with Lotus, and he grows very angry. He decides to allow his son to go south and study at the university there.