In this chapter, we learn that Lin's family has been persecuted by the black wind and the brigands, who abducted his younger brother and threatened his parents with a betrothal to a young chief. Lin tells us that he wants to return to his hometown to see if there is any connection between his family and the shi family. He says that he doesn't want anyone to hurt him anymore, and that he's determined to protect his family with his own hands. He goes on to say that he went to his friend's place the night before, and there is no one who can hurt him. He tells his mother that today is the big day for the family, and he hopes that she won't talk about the fact that she went to see Lan'er. The third son of the third uncle comes to the ancestral hall to ask to be let in, but he is discovered to be the third brother of the fourth uncle. He's a shameless man, he says, and if he were the third son, he would have hidden himself in a hole long ago. The lin family, he tells us, is a sacred place, and they will be discussing the distribution of land and property today.