The Rent Collector: Chapter Five Summary & Analysis

Sang Ly rubs Nisay with menthol oil, preparing Nisay for a traditional Cambodian remedy in which she scrapes his skin with the edge of a coin to release the “toxic air” from his body. The practice also ruptures blood vessels, leaving red lines on the skin for several days. An American doctor working for a charity once derided Sang Ly for the practice, calling it superstitious and foolish, but the Western antibiotics he provided did not help any more than the scraping. As Nisay cries, knowing that the painful scraping is about to begin. Sang Ly tries to soothe him, telling him that though the scraping is painful, it is meant to make him stronger.

Since they do not have running water, Sang Ly must carry it by hand from a vendor’s stall. While she is doing so, a neighbor, Teva Mao, watches Nisay for her. On this errand, Sang Ly runs into Sopeap, who apologizes that she was not it in a state to teach on Friday, but tells her that they can begin today, immediately. Sopeap will make arrangements for someone to take care of Nisay for the day. The sudden generosity stuns Sang Ly. When she mentions Ki’s doubt that Sopeap can even read, the thought amuses Sopeap, and she tells Sang Ly that of all the names she has ever been called, her most treasured is “teacher,” which her students referred to her as while she was a literature professor for nine years at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.