After Thankamma departs, the house feels submerged in silence. JoJo clings to the bride, even sleeping with his fingers in her hair. She takes reassurance from her husband’s distant snores and sleep-talk but keeps her distance, speaking only to announce meals. Shamuel checks in often; at her request he procures paper and pen so she can write her mother.

In her letter she reports learning the house, caring for JoJo, and notes his terror of water after a frightening episode when pouring water on his head made him faintlike. She resolves to wash his head with a cloth instead. Imagining her widowed mother’s harsh treatment at home, she invites her to visit. Weeks later, via the achen, her mother replies with love but firmly discourages any visit, offering no reason, which deepens the bride’s worry.

Thankamma’s lessons echo as the bride manages small crises: recognizing a hen ready to lay with JoJo’s help—he calls her "Ammachi," delighting her—and nesting it in the pantry. Visitors are few; Georgie and his wife, Dolly Kochamma, call once. She learns Georgie received two acres from her husband after Georgie’s father died in debt, yet her husband keeps his distance. Shamuel says Georgie isn’t much of a farmer. The bride relishes bathing in the creek and river, while JoJo anxiously waits at home and resists bathing.

At mango harvest, Shamuel and helpers pile fruit by the kitchen. After sharing widely, she turns the surplus into syrups, jams, and thera, with JoJo guarding the drying sheets. Her husband’s habit of pocketing thera gratifies her. She also treats JoJo with salted, chili-dusted unripe mango, which he devours.

She assumes charge of the ara and the cellar of preserves, where she senses a gentle, sweet‑toothed spirit and addresses it kindly, later wondering if it is JoJo’s late mother. When the monsoon arrives, she rejoices, but her husband and JoJo recoil from rain; a sudden downpour makes him stagger. She secretly witnesses him bathe at the well in sections, avoiding soaking—elegant but joyless. Despite loneliness, the kitchen feels welcoming, and she credits a benevolent presence for her culinary success, confirming her growing command of the household.