Recaps

Ye Yaodong joined his family and friends for shore foraging at the pier, where his first catches quickly stirred everyone’s competitive spirit. He continued searching the rocky shallows, pleased with his luck as the group spread out to forage.

• Ye Yaodong met his friends at home, gathered his tools, and set off with them for the pier.
• Ye Yaodong’s family had already reached the beach, where Lin Xiuqing told the children to stay out of the water.
• Ye Yaodong headed to the rocky shore while the children stayed with the adults to dig for clams.
• Ye Yaodong uncovered a tiger prawn beneath a rock, and Xiao Xiao found a mudskipper.
• Ye Yaodong found two stone crabs beneath another rock and continued farther along the beach.

Ye Yaodong found a nest of large blood clams and then spotted a tiger grouper beneath a rock, while his friends envied his luck and teased A-Guang about changing his unlucky name. The group gathered around as Ye Yaodong prepared to drive the grouper out from under the rock.

• Ye Yaodong found and collected eighteen or nineteen large blood clams, impressing Xiao Xiao, A-Zheng, Chen Wei, and A-Guang with his haul.
• A-Guang chased Ye Yaodong away from his searching patch because his own bucket was nearly empty, and Ye Yaodong joked that A-Guang's name brought bad luck.
• Ye Yaodong suggested A-Guang change his name to Pei Shun, and the group laughed and teased one another about names, fortune-telling, and martial arts manuals.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a tiger grouper beneath a large rock and called the others over.
• Ye Yaodong told A-Guang to move aside so he could use fire tongs to make the grouper swim out.

Ye Yaodong caught a large tiger grouper and brought it to Lin Xiuqing to sell at the buying station along with his blood clams. After his family praised his luck and urged him to keep searching the beach, he returned to look for more seafood.

• Ye Yaodong coaxed a tiger grouper from beneath a rock and caught it with Xiao Xiao's bucket.
• Ye Yaodong decided to sell the grouper, and Xiao Xiao returned the bucket to him filled with seawater.
• Ye Yaodong brought the grouper to Lin Xiuqing and asked her to take it to the buying station.
• Ye Mother insisted that Lin Xiuqing sell Ye Yaodong's blood clams with the grouper, and Ye Yaodong removed the stone crabs so she could take them.
• Ye Mother urged Ye Yaodong to keep searching the beach, and he headed back down to look for more seafood.

Ye Yaodong and his friends searched the shore at low tide, and Ye Yaodong found a particularly good haul, including two Black Octopuses. As the group headed home, they planned to pool their catches and share a meal and drinks at A-Guang’s place that evening.

• A-Guang showed Ye Yaodong the lone Cat's Eye Snail he had found, and Ye Yaodong soon spotted another large one nearby.
• Ye Yaodong searched the shore with his friends as the tide returned, filling his bucket with catches including Stone Crabs and Mudskippers.
• Just as the group prepared to leave, Ye Yaodong found a Black Octopus beneath a rock, then uncovered another when they moved it.
• The group noticed A-Guang had already gone home after finding little, and Ye Yaodong suggested they pool their catches for dinner and drinks at A-Guang’s place.
• Ye Yaodong and his friends agreed to invite Fatty and have him bring homemade rice wine.

Ye Yaodong took the children home from the beach, where they had buried Ye Chengyang in the sand, and helped them bathe while their mothers stayed behind. The bath descended into splashing and teasing, leaving Ye Yaodong soaked and helpless.

• Ye Yaodong scolded the children for burying Ye Chengyang and took them home to wash and eat.
• Ye Yaodong handed the bucket of seafood to A-Zheng and walked the children home, answering Ye Chenghai’s questions along the way.
• Ye Yaodong brought hot water to the backyard and helped the younger children bathe while the older ones washed themselves.
• Ye Chengyang splashed Ye Yaodong during his bath, and Ye Chenghai drenched him with leftover basin water.

Ye Yaodong washed up, joked with Lin Xiuqing and their children, then ate sweet potato vermicelli with his family. Ye Mother told him to go to the dock in an hour to help sort the catch, and he agreed, hoping to see what the boats had brought in.

• Lin Xiuqing returned and told Ye Yaodong to wash himself while she washed their son.
• Ye Yaodong searched for clothes, teased Lin Xiuqing, and accidentally tangled Ye Chengyang in a sheet, making him cry.
• Ye Yaodong ate sweet potato vermicelli soup with sand clams while Ye Mother continued making vermicelli sheets.
• Ye Mother ordered Ye Yaodong to go to the dock in an hour and help sort the catch as his father and the others returned.
• Ye Yaodong promised to go, wondering what the boats might catch and thinking he wanted a boat of his own.

Ye Yaodong asked A-Guang about borrowing a small boat so he could get used to going to sea and forage around nearby uninhabited islands. A-Guang planned to ask his aunt’s husband the next morning, and Ye Yaodong invited their friends to join if he secured the boat.

• Ye Yaodong told A-Guang he wanted to try a small boat before going out to sea with his father, and A-Guang offered to ask to borrow his injured aunt’s husband’s boat.
• Ye Yaodong suggested they visit an uninhabited island during the next day’s spring tide, and A-Guang agreed to check about the boat in the morning.
• Ye Yaodong explained that he needed to work harder because his family would soon split into separate households, and A-Guang invited him to find work at Yujing Wharf.
• Ye Yaodong invited the card players on the trip, but Fatty declined, Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng agreed, and A-Wei refused.

Ye Yaodong helped his family sort and sell their fishing catch at the wharf, surprising them with how quickly he worked. He left again after returning home, while Ye Mother planned how to keep the household’s seafood and sons’ work in order.

• Ye Yaodong went to the wharf, where Ye Mother was waiting for the returning fishing boats.
• Ye Father and Ye Yaopeng brought in a catch of crabs, mantis shrimp, shrimp, fish, and other seafood, and Ye Yaodong helped sort and bind it.
• Ye Mother estimated the catch would sell for over thirty yuan before fuel and repair costs, and Ye Yaopeng invited Ye Yaodong to take turns fishing.
• Ye Yaodong avoided the invitation and left after reaching home, saying he would not be back for dinner.
• Ye Mother told her daughters-in-law to divide some seafood for their parents and set aside a good share for Lin Xiuqing to take to hers later.

Ye Yaodong persuaded Lin Xiuqing to let him skip shore gathering if A-Guang could borrow a boat, so he could explore an uninhabited island and test his fear of going out to sea. The next morning, his grandmother secretly gave him a boiled egg for nourishment before he set out.

• Ye Yaodong returned tipsy from A-Guang's house, and Lin Xiuqing agreed to go shore gathering with him again after he promised to help her.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing that he might explore an uninhabited island with A-Guang if they could borrow a boat, and she urged him to be careful.
• Ye Yaodong said he would try a short trip to see whether he got seasick, despite his family's hopes that he would go out to sea.
• Ye Yaodong's grandmother secretly tucked a boiled egg into his pocket, saying he needed nourishment after several days of shore gathering.

Ye Yaodong hurried A-Guang out of bed to arrange a boat rental for their planned trip to sea. A-Guang secured the boat for two yuan plus fuel, and they planned to meet at the wharf before noon.

• Ye Yaodong left home early and woke A-Guang, pestering him to ask his aunt about borrowing a boat.
• A-Guang got up, and the two traded jokes and insults before he went to speak with his aunt and uncle.
• A-Guang returned and said the boat could be rented for two yuan for half a day, with Ye Yaodong agreeing to cover the cost.
• A-Guang said he had already paid, so Ye Yaodong agreed to use his two yuan for diesel instead.
• Ye Yaodong told A-Guang to buy diesel at the wharf around ten thirty, and they agreed to take the boat out after the tide went out.

Ye Yaodong went to the building plot and helped his eldest brother, Ye Yaopeng, haul yellow earth for the house. After accidentally tipping over a barrow, he returned home sweaty and prepared to gather seafood.

• Ye Yaodong remembered that construction would begin the next day and went to the plot to check on Ye Yaopeng's work.
• Ye Yaodong offered to help Ye Yaopeng carry yellow earth and pushed a barrow up the hill.
• Ye Yaodong tipped the loaded barrow on the rough road, so Ye Yaopeng took over pushing while he dug more earth.
• Ye Yaodong worked for a while, then went home hungry to prepare his tools for gathering seafood.
• Lin Xiuqing and the family were surprised when Ye Yaodong said he had helped Ye Yaopeng haul earth.

Ye Yaodong went out with A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and A-Zheng to gather seafood at the Isolated Island, but his fear of the sea overwhelmed him during the trip. He jumped into the water to face that fear, sank after his leg cramped, and was rescued by Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng.

• Ye Yaodong ate early, gathered his tools, and met Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng at the dock while A-Guang brought the boat.
• Ye Yaodong bought diesel, and the group set off for the Isolated Island.
• As the boat crossed the open sea, Ye Yaodong grew pale and panicked while recalling his earlier near-drowning.
• Ye Yaodong jumped into the sea near the island, but his leg cramped and he sank without knowing how to swim.
• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng pulled Ye Yaodong to the surface, and he regained his ability to swim.

Ye Yaodong and his friends spotted a feeding frenzy of Spanish mackerel near the shore and used a net from A-Guang’s boat to haul in thousands of jin of fish. They filled the boat with several catches and celebrated their unexpected windfall.

• Ye Yaodong recovered from his leg cramp and swam with his friends back to the boat.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a school of Japanese Spanish mackerel feeding in the shallows, but the group realized they had brought no nets.
• Ye Yaodong told the men to search the cabin, and A-Guang found a net aboard the boat.
• A-Guang steered toward the school while the men cast the net and hauled in hundreds of jin of Spanish mackerel.
• Ye Yaodong and his friends made several more casts, filling the livewell and cabin with thousands of jin of fish.

Ye Yaodong and his companions finished fishing after catching a huge haul of Spanish mackerel, and Ye Yaodong realized he had overcome his fear of the sea. They headed back with their catch and decided to keep a sea bass and some Spanish mackerel for dinner.

• Ye Yaodong joked that he had sacrificed himself to Mazu for good luck, and the men decided to cast one last net before returning.
• While checking the hold, Ye Yaodong realized that concentrating on fishing had helped him overcome his fear of the sea.
• Ye Yaodong and his companions agreed to sell their Spanish mackerel and rent A-Guang's aunt's boat again to forage the next day.
• On the final haul, the men caught a large sea bass along with a few Spanish mackerel and buckets of smaller seafood.
• A-Zheng and the others decided to keep the sea bass and some Spanish mackerel to make soup and dumplings for dinner.

Ye Yaodong and his friends brought several thousand jin of Spanish mackerel to the pier and divided some of their catch to take home. Their huge haul stunned the villagers and Ye family, who gathered at the buying station to see it.

• Ye Yaodong arranged for the friends to keep some Spanish mackerel and seafood for their families while sharing the rest.
• The friends stopped near the pier, collected baskets from A-Cai, and brought him back to help unload their catch.
• A-Cai saw the boat was packed with Spanish mackerel and agreed to help carry them ashore while Ye Yaodong asked about the price.
• Basket after basket of fish drew a crowd at the buying station, where villagers learned that Ye Yaodong and his friends had caught several thousand jin.
• Ye Mother and Lin Xiuqing came to the buying station and asked Ye Yaodong whether he had caught all the fish; he credited A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and A-Zheng as well.

Ye Yaodong and his friends unloaded a huge Spanish mackerel catch, negotiated a price with A-Cai, and weighed the fish. The total came to 7,628 jin worth 1,601 yuan and 88 fen, leaving Ye Yaodong surprised by how little it seemed compared with his expectations.

• Ye Yaodong told his mother to wait for explanations until they had unloaded and weighed the remaining fish.
• Ye Yaodong gave his mother two Spanish mackerel and other seafood to take home, and Lin Xiuqing persuaded her to keep them for fish balls.
• Ye Yaodong and his friends bargained with A-Cai and agreed to sell the Spanish mackerel for twenty-one fen per jin.
• A-Cai used an abacus to calculate the catch at 7,628 jin, worth 1,601 yuan and 88 fen.
• Ye Yaodong questioned the total, then reconsidered after Lin Xiuqing began checking the calculation and he compared the sum with workers' wages.

Ye Yaodong and his companions sold their Spanish mackerel catch for 1,601 yuan and 88 fen, with payment due in a day or two. At home, Ye Second Sister-in-Law challenged him keeping his share, but Ye Father defended his different contributions and said he wanted the household to split once the houses were finished.

• Lin Xiuqing confirmed the catch weighed 7,628 jin and Ye Yaodong accepted a receipt for the payment to be collected later.
• Ye Yaodong said he might rent the boat again, while Lin Xiuqing and the family prepared to help with construction work the next day.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that Ye Second Sister-in-Law seemed concerned about the money from his fish sale, and he insisted he had earned it himself.
• Ye Father praised Ye Yaodong's catch, then Ye Second Sister-in-Law argued that his proceeds should help pay for the houses as his brothers' fishing earnings did.
• Ye Father defended Ye Yaodong's shore foraging and construction work as contributions to the family, and said he wanted the household to split after the houses were completed.

Ye Yaodong agreed to keep helping with the family house and decided to rent a boat again despite Lin Xiuqing’s worries about the cost and the extra friends joining. The next morning, he hurried to the dock with the group, where Fatty offered to buy diesel.

• Ye Father ordered Ye Yaodong to help build the family house, and Ye Yaodong left to eat at A-Guang’s.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing that renting the boat would cost ten yuan for two days after the owner demanded more money.
• Ye Yaodong explained that Chen Wei and Fatty wanted to join the next trip, and Lin Xiuqing worried that more people would divide any earnings.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing went to bed after arguing playfully about his stamina.
• The next morning, Ye Yaodong set off for the dock with the eager group, and Fatty volunteered to buy diesel.

Ye Yaodong and his companions made two trawling runs near the Isolated Island but caught only small amounts of seafood. When the tide began to ebb, they landed on the island and found its rocks densely covered with shellfish and other seafood.

• Ye Yaodong and his companions set out to trawl near the Isolated Island, joking as A-Guang steered the boat.
• Ye Yaodong asked to steer, and the group teased A-Guang about not having a wife or children.
• The first net brought up only a small mix of mantis shrimp, crabs, shrimp, and fish, so the men tried another run farther offshore.
• The second haul was slightly larger but still modest, and A-Guang headed for shore as the tide went out.
• Ye Yaodong and the others landed on the Isolated Island and found its rocks covered with mussels, sea melon seeds, limpets, goose barnacles, and wild abalone.

Ye Yaodong and the others gathered abundant shellfish on the Isolated Island as the tide receded, but his friends soon ran out of room in their buckets. Ye Yaodong filled his extra sacks and arranged for the others to help with his family’s housebuilding if needed, then asked them to carry a sack to the boat, where they realized they had made a mistake.

• Ye Yaodong searched the rocks and gathered juvenile abalone, goose barnacles, and large snails while the others picked nearby.
• A-Guang, A-Zheng, and Fatty filled their buckets and had to stop gathering because they had brought no sacks.
• Ye Yaodong used his two sacks to collect blue mussels, ox-eye limpets, sea melon seeds, snails, and shellfish-covered shells.
• Ye Yaodong explained that he was gathering seafood to help reduce expenses for his family’s housebuilding, and A-Zheng offered to help with the work.
• Ye Yaodong asked the others to carry a full sack onto the boat, and they realized they had done something stupid.

Ye Yaodong and his companions gathered shellfish on an isolated island, then he found a mass of sea centipedes and collected them alone. He later explored the mudflat and caught a heavy female mud crab.

• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng realized they could empty their buckets onto the boat and keep gathering shellfish, and the others followed suit.
• Ye Yaodong rested after filling a sack, then headed into the shallows as the tide receded to search for other catches.
• Ye Yaodong discovered a mudflat covered with sea centipedes, but his companions refused to help him catch them.
• Ye Yaodong filled his bucket with sea centipedes and left the rest to search the island's muddy shore.
• Ye Yaodong spotted and caught a large female mud crab that he estimated weighed about a jin and a half.

Ye Yaodong searched the isolated island’s mudflats and shallows, gathering a large variety of seafood. As the tide began to return, he told the others and showed them his unusually abundant catch.

• Ye Yaodong found several large mud crabs, dug razor clams from the mud, and collected mudskippers beneath rocks.
• Ye Yaodong caught three little white octopuses, gathered wang snails, and carefully caught three stonefish.
• When the tide began coming in, Ye Yaodong called to the others and headed back toward the boat.
• Xiao Xiao, A-Zheng, and Chen Wei compared their catches with Ye Yaodong’s and marveled at his seven big mud crabs and full basket.

Ye Yaodong and his companions gathered shellfish and mud crabs on an island before returning to the wharf with a boatload of their haul. His mother arrived and was astonished by the amount of shellfish aboard.

• Ye Yaodong kept catching sea centipedes and told A-Guang where he had found mud crabs.
• A-Guang found two mud crabs before the tide rose, and the group packed up and returned to the boat.
• The group joked about their tiring day and Fatty's sunburn as they headed back to the wharf.
• The others went home for sacks and a handcart while Ye Yaodong stayed aboard to watch the shellfish.
• Ye Mother came to the wharf to wait for her husband, saw Ye Yaodong's boatload, and asked how he had gathered so much.

Ye Yaodong returned with a large haul of shellfish and sea creatures, and his family sold the valuable catch. He and his companions collected the previous day's earnings, split the money, and decided to celebrate together.

• Ye Yaodong gave Ye Mother his sea centipedes and seven mud crabs to sell, and she told Ye Father how much he had caught.
• Ye Father told Ye Yaodong to collect the previous day's payment from A-Cai and divide it fairly among the group.
• Lin Xiuqing sorted Ye Yaodong's remaining shellfish, separating large, valuable ones to sell and keeping the rest for the family.
• Ye Yaodong and his companions went to A-Cai's to collect 1,601 yuan and 88 fen, then split the earnings four ways after expenses.
• The group left the remaining 1 yuan and 88 fen for liquor and agreed to celebrate with food and drink.

Lin Xiuqing counted the family’s recent seafood earnings, while Ye Yaodong helped build the house and arranged to take Grandma to the County Hospital for dentures. Grandma reluctantly went with him on Monday after he refused to back down.

• Lin Xiuqing kept the amount Ye Yaodong earned from his friends private, counted more than four hundred yuan in the day’s income, and helped prepare the shellfish.
• Ye Yaodong promised Grandma he would take her to the County Hospital for removable dentures, but she refused to spend his money on herself.
• Ye Yaodong joined his second brother and the workers at the house plot, and his friends arrived later to help carry stones.
• Ye Mother asked whether to pay Ye Yaodong’s friends, and he said they could be fed instead of given wages.
• Ye Yaodong discussed the hospital visit with Lin Xiuqing, who gave him fifty yuan for Grandma’s dentures.
• Grandma refused to go on Monday, but Ye Yaodong insisted he would buy dentures for himself if she stayed behind, so she reluctantly accompanied him.