The character of Yang Ermai is from Lu Xun's novel The Hometown, which is part of the collection The Scream. When she was young, Mrs. Yang was called "Tofu Shi Shi", reflecting the author's characterization of a person who "leads a hard and wanton life".

A fragment of the novel:

But I saw a woman with convex cheekbones, thin lips, fifty years old or so, standing in front of me, with her hands between her thighs, without a skirt, and with her feet spread out, like a thin-footed compass in a drawing instrument. People are called Yi "tofu shi Shi" but rubbed with white powder, cheekbones are not so high, lips are not so thin, and sitting all day, I have never seen this round type of posture.