In Chapter 17, having bought the Hwang land with the jewels, the rise of the House of Wang continues by Wang Lung asking Ching to sell him his land and to move in and be the overseer of Wang Lung's land. Still feeling strongly about the importance of the land, Wang Lung has his sons go with him to the fields, where he tries to teach them how to farm the land.
Since he is now wealthy, he does not allow O-lan to work in the fields with him. Soon, she gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl. And as the House of Wang increases in number, so does his wealth. He has taken care to build his fortunes so securely that when bad years come, he will have enough to carry him through and will never have to leave his lands. He has to hire more laborers every year and must build additions to his house.
As he becomes an important person, he realizes the need to have a son who can read and write because his own illiteracy has not only been a source of embarrassment to him, but it has also put him at the mercy of the grain merchants. Consequently, the first move away from the land occurs when Wang Lung sends his eldest son to school. The second son, upon hearing this, causes so much dissension that Wang Lung lets both of them go to school. And then, for the first time, the two sons are named: Nung En is the eldest and Nung Wen is the second son.
