Aureliano Segundo returns from his honeymoon but is unable to resist returning to Petra. He takes a picture of her as the queen, wearing Fernanda's dress, which offends her so much that she packs her bags and leaves town. He convinces her to return and manages to briefly resist Petra, who is unconcerned because she knows the power she has over him and keeps a pair of his boots as a souvenir. Fernanda eventually consents to sharing Aureliano after he convinces her of Petra’s effect on the animals’ fertility, so long as he does not die in Petra's bed. Fernanda does not get along well with the family; she closes up the Buendía house, which was previously open during daylight hours, reduces the family’s interactions with the town, and implements formal dinners. Fernanda and Aureliano Segundo have a son, the fourth Jose Arcadio in the family, and a daughter, Renata Remedios.

The president holds a jubilee for Colonel Aureliano Buendía, which Buendía rejects. All 17 of his sons arrive in Macondo for the celebrations. Aureliano Segundo holds a massive party and tries to get them to stay in Macondo and work for him.