The whole family finally reunited. Amidst joyful tears, they couldn't help but remember the second son who had passed away in Hong Kong. Ashan's mother repeatedly blamed herself, while Ashan's father continuously comforted her, and in the end, they held each other and cried. Ashan and the eldest sister also shed many tears. Ashan secretly decided that tomorrow he would send this good news to his brother in heaven using a kite, so that he could also share in their happiness.
That evening, their landlord, Mr. Zhou, insisted on treating everyone to a meal and even slaughtered a big fat pig for the occasion. The conversation at the table was entirely in Taiwanese, so Ashan's mother had to keep translating for Ashan's father, who was from another province. Ashan and Dachuan not only ate heartily but also secretly gave some food to Ah-Mei (aka Wang Jingmei) and Ah-Tu (aka Wang Huotu). The four children ended up with bellies as round as the pregnant cat at Ashan's house.
The neighbors came to see the excitement, as they had never seen a real Nationalist Army officer before. Ashan wasn't sure what they thought of this out-of-province soldier, but he saw their reactions change from fear and caution to relaxation and warm greetings. Ashan's father, however, looked somewhat clueless, unable to understand the neighbors' words, and could only keep a smile on his usually serious face.
Ashan's father was born into the Lin family on Hainan Island. During the late Qing Dynasty, when the government was corrupt and China was divided by foreign powers, the winds of reform began to blow. It was said that the Lin family had been exiled to Hainan Island by the imperial court and had been scholars for generations. By Ashan's father's generation, the family was still farming but also ran a private school to educate local children. As scholars, they were often discontent with the ruling government and sympathetic to reformists. Thus, during lessons at the private school, they would inevitably express a sense of concern for the country.
When Dr. Sun Yat-sen initiated the revolution, the Qing Dynasty fiercely sought to eliminate revolutionaries. At that time, Ashan's eldest uncle, who was teaching at the private school, was reported by a local named Chen for promoting revolutionary ideas. According to Qing law, this crime warranted the execution of the entire family. On the same day that Ashan's eldest uncle was arrested, Ashan's father and a group of private school students, about eleven or twelve years old, were smuggled out by their families and sailed to Singapore overnight. Their goal was to preserve a line of the family, ensuring the continuation of their lineage.
全家人終於又團聚了。在歡欣的淚水中，難免又想起在香港去世的二哥。阿三媽一再的怪罪自己，阿三爸一再的安慰，最後是倆人相擁而泣。阿三及大姐也陪了不少的眼淚。阿三已經暗自裏決定，明天一定要把這好消息，用風箏送給在天上的二哥，讓他也好高興一番。
晚上房東周老先生執意要請大家吃飯，還特地宰了大肥豬，席中全是台灣話，忙得阿三媽一直幫阿三爸這個外省人翻譯。大川和阿三除了大塊吃肉外，還偷偷送了些給阿美及阿土。四個孩子真是把肚子都吃的像阿三家那隻又懷了孕的母貓。
鄰居們也來看熱鬧，因為他們還沒見過真正的國軍軍官。阿三也不知道他們到底如何議論這位外省軍人，也見得他們從畏懼、提防、鬆懈，到放心地開懷問好。只是阿三爸倒像是個二愣子，鄰居的話又聽不太懂，只好在平常嚴肅的臉孔上堆滿了笑容。
阿三爸出生在海南島的林姓家族。時值滿清末年，朝廷腐敗，中國又遭列強割據，改革之風漸起。阿三爸家族相傳是遭朝廷放逐來到海南島，世代都是讀書人。到了阿三爸這一代，家裏還是在耕作之餘，開了私塾授業鄰近子弟。因為讀書人家總是不滿當政朝廷，同時又趨於同情改革份子。所以在私塾授課時，總難免言辭之間，透露出一股文人憂國的意念。
就在孫中山先生倡導革命之時，滿清極力想肅清革命份子。當時在私塾任教阿三爸的大哥，被陳姓鄉人密報鼓吹革命思想，照滿清朝律，這種罪可是要滿門抄斬的。於是在阿三大伯被捕的同一天，阿三爸及一批年約十一、二歲的私塾學生們，在家人的掩護下，連夜坐船逃到南洋新加坡去了。為的是要留下一條根脈，使得家族的香火得以延續。
