Wang Lung generally despises his uncle’s wife. She’s almost as lazy and immoral as her husband, always demanding luxuries they can’t afford. Early on, Wang Lung tells her off for letting her daughters talk to men in the village, and she blames her husband’s chronic bad luck for their lack of dowry funds, rather than his laziness. When Wang Lung’s uncle’s family moves into his house, the uncle’s wife immediately sees that Wang Lung is in love with a woman besides his wife, and tells O-lan. She also gives Wang Lung the idea to buy Lotus, and he has her make the arrangements. However, he never really trusts her, and tries to keep Lotus from talking to her. The uncle’s wife urges her husband to blackmail Wang Lung for money, and Wang Lung eventually gets her addicted to opium to keep her from causing trouble and draining his coffers.