In rural Hunan province called Puwei (nicknamed the Common Beauty Village), a county in China, Lily is destined to become a laotong pair with Snow Flower, a girl of the same age frrom Tongkou (the Wood Mouth Village). The laotang relationship is characterized as a sisterly relationship that is far stronger and closer than a husband and wife's. Lily's aunt describes a laotong match this way: "A laotong relationship is made by choice for the purpose of emotional companionship and eternal fidelity.