Question

What does the title "Two Kinds" mean? What are there two kinds of? What do those two kinds have to do with the piano pieces "Pleading Child" and "Perfectly Contented"?

Answer 1

The title refers to Jing-Mei’s epiphany about mother-daughter relationships.  Jing-mei remembers two different songs, when in fact they are part of the same song.  The song is a metaphor for childhood, because we are sometimes content and sometimes pleading, and childhood is about balance.

Answer 2

The answer is:

The "Two kinds" are two kinds of daughters. One is obedient, and the other is not. These two pieces of piano are part of the same song. When young, Jing-mei acted as a "Pleading Child" begging for the approval of her mother. When the daughter became an adult, she became "perfectly contended" and pleased with what she is.

Hope it helps!