Fugui eventually reunites with his wife and children, but is forced to start a shadow puppet troupe with a partner named Chunsheng. The Chinese Civil War is occurring at the time, and both Fugui and Chunsheng are conscripted into the Kuomintang during a performance. Midway through the war, the two are captured by the revolutionary army and serve by performing their shadow puppet routine for the revolutionaries. Eventually Fugui is able to return home, only to find out that due to a week-long fever, Fengxia has become partially deaf and mute.