Recaps

Ye Yaodong learned that Xu Laifu had stolen the fake ambergris from his home, while the Xu family and villagers believed it was real. He explained the mix-up to his companions and hurried to the Xu house after letting his mother confront them first.

• Ye Yaodong heard at the dock that Xu Laifu had admitted stealing ambergris from him on his great-uncle's orders, and that Mother Ye had gone to the Xu house.
• Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, his brothers-in-law, A-Zheng, Xiao Xiao, and Xiao Liu headed toward the Xu house while neighbors backed their claim against the Xu family.
• Ye Yaodong told his companions that the stolen item was only a painted piece of wood that he and Father Ye had once used to trick Li Lao'er.
• Ye Yaodong decided to keep the fake-ambergris story straight and avoid claiming the stolen item was real, so the Xu family could not turn suspicion back on him.
• Ye Yaodong and his companions picked up their pace to see how Mother Ye's confrontation with the Xu family was going.

Ye Yaodong and his family joined Mother Ye in confronting the Xu family over stolen ambergris, only to discover that the supposed treasure was merely a piece of wood. The fight shifted into a dispute over compensation, while Ye Yaodong questioned Xu Laifu about whether he had stolen anything else.

• Mother Ye and her relatives searched the Xu family home and fought with the family as villagers watched.
• Ye Yaodong and Xiao Xiao restrained the Xu family's old lady and stopped the Li Lao'er Family from slipping away.
• Ye Yaodong told Mother Ye that the item he had picked up was wood, not ambergris, and the family stopped fighting in surprise.
• Xu Laifu admitted he had stolen only the piece of wood and said his great-uncle had told him to take it.
• Villagers attacked the Li Lao'er Family after learning they were outsiders who had encouraged the theft.
• The Xu family demanded compensation, but Ye Yaodong rejected their claim and kicked Xu Laifu while asking what else he had stolen.

Mother Ye and Ye Yaodong confronted the Xu family over stolen longans and seabird eggs, recovered eggs as compensation, and saw the villagers drive Li Lao'er and his family out of the village. The family left the dispute behind and headed to the pier to finish weighing the day's catch.

• Mother Ye found seabird eggs in the Xu family's cupboard, and the Xu family continued to deny stealing them.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua arrived and learned that the supposed ambergris was only a piece of wood, while Mother Ye demanded compensation for the missing eggs and longans.
• Ye Yaodong pried open a locked cupboard, and Mother Ye took a basket of chicken eggs as compensation with the villagers' approval.
• Secretary Chen and the women's director ended the argument and blamed the Xu family for causing trouble.
• The villagers drove Li Lao'er and his family out of the village for starting the dispute.
• Ye Yaodong and his brothers went to the pier to weigh their catch while Father Ye and Mother Ye headed home.

Exhausted after a hard day at sea, Ye Yaodong returned home and discussed his catch and the trouble over the stolen ambergris with Lin Xiuqing. The Old Lady secretly brought him a specially stewed old hen to nourish him, and Mother Ye caught them as she delivered it.

• Ye Yaodong came home exhausted, ate with Lin Xiangrong, and told Lin Xiuqing that his catch had earned nearly two hundred from squid and over forty from pen shells.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that Xiao Liu had warned Mother Ye that a boy from the Xu family had stolen their ambergris, but the ambergris was still at home.
• The Old Lady secretly brought Ye Yaodong a stewed old hen and urged him to eat it to regain his strength.
• Ye Yaodong ate the chicken and soup, while the Old Lady said she had bought the hen and wanted to keep the meal from his sisters-in-law.
• Mother Ye walked in with steamed eggs, discovered the Old Lady's chicken, and complained that Ye Yaodong was receiving special treatment.

After the squid catch dwindled and rain cut their fishing short, Ye Yaodong and the others returned to shore, where he collected part of his earnings from A-Cai. He counted the season as a success and planned to rest for the baby's one-month celebration before heading back to work.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye ended their fishing trip early because of heavy rain, while Ye Yaodong's brothers-in-law showed off a haul of crabs, shellfish, and a large sea bass.
• At the buying station, Ye Yaodong and the villagers pressed A-Cai to pay out some of the money owed for their squid catches, and Ye Yaodong collected five hundred yuan.
• Ye Yaodong estimated that he had earned around two thousand yuan during the squid season, even after paying a fine and buying a net hauler.
• Lin Xianghui said he and Lin Xiangrong would return home after the baby's one-month celebration to help their aging parents and pick waxberries.
• Lin Xiuqing urged Ye Yaodong to buy ointment for his sun-damaged skin, and he joked that he needed whitening cream before people mistook him for Xiaojiu's grandfather.

Ye Yaodong fretted over his sun-darkened skin and joked with Lin Xiuqing while she cared for their one-month-old daughter, Ye Xiaoxi. The family prepared a modest gathering for the baby, and Ye Yaodong went to fetch the village barber so she could have her one-month haircut and bath.

• Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing for ways to lighten his skin and joked about looking too old to be his daughter's father.
• Ye Yaodong asked to wash his face with Lin Xiuqing's expressed milk, but she said she had used it to water the vegetables.
• Lin Xiuqing soothed Ye Xiaoxi back to sleep, and Ye Yaodong left the room after admiring the baby.
• Ye Yaodong rode into town early to buy food for two tables, while the families prepared to celebrate Ye Xiaoxi's one-month milestone without holding a banquet.
• Father Lin and Lin Mother arrived with clothes and shoes, gold and silver jewelry, waxberries, and waxberry wine for their granddaughter.
• After returning with groceries, Ye Yaodong tasted the sweet waxberries and rode off to fetch the village barber for Ye Xiaoxi's haircut.

Ye Yaodong celebrated Ye Xiaoxi’s one-month milestone with family and friends, then hosted a lively evening of drinks and dice after the guests left. Drunk and overjoyed, he returned to Lin Xiuqing, who tried to keep him from getting carried away.

• Ye Xiaoxi was awakened while her head was shaved, and Mother Ye rolled a red egg over it before bathing her.
• After lunch, the Lin family prepared to leave, and Ye Yaodong reluctantly said goodbye to them and the children.
• Ye Yaodong divided the leftover waxberries among the households, gave Ye Chenghu money to buy marbles, and invited friends over for drinks.
• Ye Yaodong hosted the group with leftover food and rice wine, and they played dice until they were too drunk to continue.
• Ye Yaodong staggered back to Lin Xiuqing, hugged and kissed her, and drunkenly praised her as she told him to keep his hands to himself.

After Ye Yaodong came home drunk, Lin Xiuqing questioned him about his behavior and possible secrets, but he denied having done anything wrong. The next morning, she remained suspicious while he tried to reassure her, then she sent him to make rice porridge.

• Ye Yaodong drunkenly kissed Lin Xiuqing, tried to grope her, and was stopped when she punched and scolded him.
• Lin Xiuqing cared for the baby, tidied up, and let the drunk Ye Yaodong fall asleep across the bed.
• Ye Yaodong woke the next morning with a hangover and tried to recall what he had done while drunk.
• Lin Xiuqing questioned Ye Yaodong about his stiff reaction and whether he had hidden anything from her, while he insisted he had no illicit intentions.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong to make rice porridge while she nursed Little Nine.

Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing to the county hospital for her sterilization operation, then cared for her at home while she recovered. As squid season neared its end, he prepared to resume longline fishing and heard that nearby villagers were finding pearls in shellfish.

• Mother Ye came to watch the children while Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing to the county hospital for her sterilization operation.
• Ye Yaodong brought Lin Xiuqing home, served her tea and food, and insisted she rest while he arranged for Mother Ye to cook for a few days.
• Ye Yaodong changed Ye Xiaoxi's dirty diaper and washed her after she cried, then let Lin Xiuqing finish dressing her.
• Ye Yaodong helped Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law sort shellfish and heard reports that villagers had found pearls inside them.
• Ye Yaodong prepared his longline hooks and bait as squid season ended, while Ye Yaopeng and Father Ye encouraged him to fish for larger catches.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye set longline hooks and fished with a cast net, catching a valuable big oil-spotted grouper and several threadfin. They iced the catch and continued setting the lines before planning to collect their fishing pots later.

• Ye Yaodong wore the sunproof hat A Qing had made while he and Father Ye baited longline hooks aboard their boat.
• Ye Yaodong accidentally scattered a handful of shrimp into the sea instead of throwing his baited hook, then explained that he had chummed the water.
• Ye Yaodong cast his net near the bait and caught several threadfin and three mullet.
• Ye Yaodong spotted splashing fish and cast again, hauling in a big oil-spotted grouper that excited him and impressed Father Ye.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye put the catch in a basket with ice and covered it with an old quilt before returning to baiting the remaining hooks.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in their fishing pots as they prepared to leave the waters temporarily to avoid trouble with the Haiqing Village fishermen. After freeing several stuck pots, Ye Yaodong searched the reef and found a coconut snail, a sea cucumber hosting a pearlfish, and a concealed hollow among the rocks.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discussed collecting the pots and squid eggs before moving to different fishing grounds to avoid the men from Haiqing Village.
• They hauled in the pots, finding fish, small green lobsters, sea cucumbers, and a large sea bass before the sixth pot became stuck.
• Ye Yaodong geared up and dived into the cold water, where he freed seven or eight pots caught near the submerged reef.
• Ye Yaodong failed to catch a small green lobster but found and bagged a coconut snail.
• Ye Yaodong found a sea cucumber with a pearlfish inside it and put the sea cucumber in his mesh bag.
• Ye Yaodong stirred through nearby seagrass and uncovered a concealed hollow among the rocks.

Ye Yaodong collected abalone, sea cucumbers, coconut snails, a small green lobster, and a venomous wolf-fang eel from the submerged reef. After returning to the boat, he joked with Father Ye about diving and working, then sorted his catch while Father Ye hauled in the fishing pots.

• Ye Yaodong found two huge coconut snails, gathered sea cucumbers, and pulled a small green lobster from a reef crack.
• Ye Yaodong caught a wolf-fang eel in his hand net, intending to take it home to help A Qing's milk supply.
• Father Ye helped Ye Yaodong aboard and noticed his coconut snails and bulging mesh bag.
• Ye Yaodong refused to teach Father Ye to dive, and they traded jokes and complaints about work.
• Ye Yaodong emptied his catch into a seawater bucket while Father Ye returned to hauling in the fishing pots.

Ye Yaodong freed the fishing pots stuck around a submerged reef and revealed his diving equipment to Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng. He offered to teach them to dive, while reassuring Father Ye that he would not teach him because of his age and rheumatism.

• Ye Yaodong dove to free the last stuck fishing pots while Father Ye hauled them aboard.
• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng arrived, and Father Ye told them Ye Yaodong was underwater retrieving the pots.
• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng realized Ye Yaodong had been gathering sea cucumbers, abalone, small green lobsters, and pen shells around the submerged reef.
• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng explained that two boats had tangled their trawling net, so they had come early to try catching squid.
• Ye Yaodong surfaced wearing diving equipment and explained that it let him stay underwater for ten or twenty minutes.
• Ye Yaodong offered to teach Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng to dive if they kept his equipment secret, then told Father Ye he should stay out of the water because of his age and rheumatism.

Ye Yaodong taught A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao to dive, and they enthusiastically collected abalone and other seafood around submerged rocks. Xiao Xiao proposed sharing the catch as partners, and Ye Yaodong agreed to give each of them a third of it.

• Ye Yaodong taught A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao how to use the diving equipment and warned them about diving safely.
• A-Zheng surfaced with two sea cucumbers, and Xiao Xiao returned underwater with a mesh bag full of abalone.
• A-Zheng and Ye Yaodong joked about A-Zheng’s debt and the IOU while they waited for Xiao Xiao.
• Xiao Xiao suggested that they take turns diving and share the valuable catch because multiple divers could collect more.
• Ye Yaodong agreed to split the catch into three equal shares, with him providing equipment and A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao providing the labor.

Ye Yaodong and his friends made a large haul of abalone, sea cucumbers, and small green lobsters after several dives, then returned to catching squid and gathering squid eggs. Father Ye urged Ye Yaodong to bring his brothers to the promising diving grounds, and Ye Yaodong agreed to seek them out the next day.

• A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao made several dives with Ye Yaodong, filling their baskets with abalone, sea cucumbers, and small green lobsters.
• Ye Yaodong ended the diving after his friends took two more turns, and they agreed to divide the catch into three shares.
• After eating noodles, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned to their marked buoys and collected squid and squid eggs.
• Father Ye asked Ye Yaodong why he had not invited his older brothers to dive, and Ye Yaodong explained that their boats were elsewhere.
• Father Ye suggested Ye Yaodong fish near his brothers the next day and later bring them to the diving grounds, and Ye Yaodong agreed.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye finished squid gathering, trawled for fish, and retrieved their longline hooks. They hauled up a battered fishing pot containing a valuable live blue East Star Grouper, leaving them delighted with their unexpected catch.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye stopped gathering squid and trawled nearby, bringing aboard a catch of Shuigu fish.
• While retrieving their longline hooks, they scooped up a black, mussel-covered marker float that Ye Yaodong had mistaken for possible ambergris.
• Ye Yaodong felt a heavy catch on the line, and he and Father Ye hauled up a torn fishing pot instead of a large fish.
• They found one mud crab and two orchid crabs caught in the pot, then discovered a live blue East Star Grouper in its fish-collecting bag.
• Ye Yaodong cradled the struggling grouper and prepared to vent its swim bladder so they could keep it alive.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye finished hauling in their catch and prepared to head home after collecting squid. Ye Yaodong made one last dive, but an embarrassing mishap in the water drew laughter from a nearby boat.

• Ye Yaodong punctured the East Star Grouper’s swim bladder, while Father Ye saved the torn fishing pot to repair and tossed small live crabs and mantis shrimp back into the sea.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in the remaining longline hooks, sorted their mixed catch, and stacked the crowded boat’s gear.
• At the buoy, Father Ye kept scooping up squid while Ye Yaodong stopped fishing and agreed to dive once more before they left.
• Ye Yaodong surfaced behind the boat to relieve himself, then panicked when he saw what had floated up in front of him.
• A nearby boat arrived and its crew spotted Ye Yaodong bare-assed in the water, teasing him as he hurried aboard.

After Ye Yaodong and his companions joked around while heading back from a poor day of fishing, two boats carrying the father and his sons who had confronted them earlier came charging toward them. Ye Yaodong and his companions fled, leaving their fate uncertain as the chapter ended.

• Ye Yaodong climbed out of the water, changed clothes, and traded crude jokes with Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng while Father Ye urged everyone to head back.
• A-Zheng remembered that he had forgotten to tell Xiao Xiao something, but Ye Yaodong set off before he could explain.
• Ye Yaodong and his companions headed home alongside other fishing boats after catching little that day.
• Ye Yaodong recognized the father and his two sons approaching in one boat, while another boat with three people came toward them as well.
• Ye Yaodong told Father Ye to warn Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng to run, then opened the throttle and sped away with the others close behind.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye fled from their pursuers at sea, then turned back to taunt them once their boats became separated. After Ye Yaodong and his companions toyed with the pursuers using hit-and-run maneuvers and a slingshot, they headed home near nightfall, leaving the frustrated men behind.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sped toward shore while two boats pursued them, but one pursuer fell far behind.
• Ye Yaodong turned back with Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng to confront the isolated boat, which fled before they could surround it.
• Ye Yaodong repeatedly charged at the pursuers and sped away, while Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng copied his hit-and-run tactics.
• Ye Yaodong used a slingshot to pelt one pursuer's boat with stones as Father Ye steered away.
• With the stones gone and darkness approaching, Ye Yaodong and the others headed back, leaving the pursuers angry and empty-handed.

Ye Yaodong’s group returned safely after shaking off the boats that tried to ambush them, then unloaded their catch and learned that Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng had found pen shells while freediving. At home, Ye Yaodong suggested a new way to cook the pipa lobsters Ye Huimei brought over, ending dinner by teasing Lin Xiuqing about their supposed benefits.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye decided to fish elsewhere the next day after A-Qiu and his relatives stopped chasing them.
• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng told Ye Yaodong they had found pen shells while freediving near a small island, and they weighed their underwater catch at the buying station.
• Ye Huimei brought over pipa lobsters and explained that A-Guang’s aunt had found them hidden by two boatmen, who would no longer be kept on.
• Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing to prepare the pipa lobsters with scallion oil and suggested making spicy crab, though he admitted he could not cook it himself.
• Ye Yaodong served himself Sea Snake Wine, explained what pipa lobsters were, and offered to peel one for Lin Xiuqing, claiming it would promote lactation.

Ye Yaodong shared a seafood meal with Lin Xiuqing and the children, then went out fishing with Father Ye and moved to a different fishing ground. After seeing large fish leaping from the water, he rigged up a makeshift handline, and the sea suddenly erupted as he baited it.

• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing about his earnings and the trouble at sea, then took the crying baby from her and got soiled.
• Father Ye burned talisman paper before setting out with Ye Yaodong, who baited the longline hooks while his father steered.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye set their lines in a different fishing area and later met Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua hauling a good catch.
• Ye Yaodong sorted their catch, set aside squid to dry, and noticed large fish repeatedly leaping from the water.
• Ye Yaodong made a handline from a hook and small stick, but the sea erupted just as he baited it.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye spotted a shoal of jumping mullet while trawling, but the fish repeatedly stopped and moved before they could catch them. They managed to cast two nets over the shoal before it vanished again, leaving them with a modest catch and hoping more fish remained.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hurried to haul in their trawl net after spotting a large shoal of jumping fish, then identified them as mullet.
• The mullet stopped jumping just as the boat reached their location, and Ye Yaodong and Father Ye failed to catch any with the hand cast net.
• Ye Yaodong spotted the mullet churning the sea again farther away, and Father Ye steered the boat toward them.
• Ye Yaodong cast his hand net over the shoal and caught a netful as two other boats, including his brothers' boat, arrived and began fishing.
• The mullet disappeared again after Ye Yaodong cast a second net, leaving him and Father Ye with about seventy or eighty jin from two casts.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye spent the afternoon chasing mullet schools, guided by seabirds, and brought in a large catch. They planned to fish the same stretch of sea over the next few days.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye caught two casts from a mullet school before it moved, then learned from Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua that mullet had been appearing in the area for several days.
• Ye Yaodong spotted another school to the east, and he and Father Ye caught three netfuls before the fish disappeared.
• Ye Yaodong followed seabirds northeast to another school, where he and Father Ye caught two netfuls of smaller mullet.
• Ye Yaodong led the boats after more schools, and he and his family caught over two hundred additional jin after chasing several of them.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye ended the day with over four hundred jin of mullet and nearly eighty yuan in total sales, then planned to fish the area for the next few days.

Ye Yaodong sold a large catch of mullet, bought shade netting for the family homes, and discussed planting trees with Lin Xiuqing and the children. He planned to settle the squid accounts and ask Fatty to find osmanthus saplings the next day.

• Ye Yaodong told his brothers that he had followed seabirds to find the mullet schools, and they discussed looking for more fish while trawling.
• Ye Yaodong bought shade netting and helped his brothers put it up outside their houses.
• Ye Chenghu said he wanted to start school, and Lin Xiuqing agreed to send him in the second half of the year.
• Ye Chengyang cried when Ye Yaodong joked about stewing his pet softshell turtle.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed planting trees, and the children suggested several kinds before they settled on osmanthus.
• Ye Yaodong said he would ask Fatty to find osmanthus saplings and planned to collect the squid money from A-Cai.

Ye Yaodong let several villagers follow his boat as he searched for fish, and they made a substantial catch before returning to shore. The villagers regretted that Lan Da and Lan Er had left early and asked Ye Yaodong to lead them again, so he shared his method for tracking fish schools.

• At dinner, Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed the coconut snail meat and her recovery after childbirth.
• Ye Yaodong spent several days fishing near Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua's assigned plot, catching far more than the other villagers.
• Ye Yaodong agreed to let three villagers' boats follow him, warning that he could not guarantee they would find fish.
• After Lan Da and Lan Er left early, Ye Yaodong found several schools of mullet and a school of Spanish mackerel with the boats that remained.
• Back on shore, Lan Da and Lan Er regretted leaving, and the villagers asked Ye Yaodong to take them along again.
• Ye Yaodong refused to lead a larger group but advised the villagers to watch where seabirds flew after fish schools disappeared.