Recaps

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold their dried fish rapidly outside the bus station, then discovered their tickets had been stolen again. After Ye Yaodong bought replacements, they saw local thugs harassing an old vegetable seller and hurried away, relieved they had left before the trouble began.

• Ye Yaodong drew a crowd by pitching the dried fish, and a buyer lent him a scale so he and Father Ye could weigh and sell it.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold both sacks of dried fish, with Ye Yaodong directing customers to the Aquatic Products Wholesale Market for possible future sales.
• Father Ye handed the money to Ye Yaodong, and they packed up and left the station before the crowd could cause trouble.
• Ye Yaodong found that thieves had stolen their bus tickets, so he bought two replacements while Father Ye waited.
• Ye Yaodong returned to find thugs harassing an old vegetable seller, and he and Father Ye kept their distance and left the man unaided.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye ran into Captain Chen and Group Leader Zhao after watching them stop some thugs, and arranged to deliver dried fish to the military the next morning. They barely caught their bus home, where they discussed selling their remaining stock and buying dried fish from villagers.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye saw Captain Chen and another young man beat down thugs who were harassing an old vegetable seller.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye recognized Captain Chen and learned that the other man was Group Leader Zhao from the Logistics department.
• Ye Yaodong told Group Leader Zhao that he had more dried fish at home, and Zhao asked him to bring two hundred jin to an address the next morning.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hurried to the station and boarded their bus just before it departed.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discussed selling their remaining dried fish to the military and buying more from villagers.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discussed selling their dried fish and possibly buying more from villagers to resell. After a tiring bus ride to the county town, Ye Yaodong hired a tractor to get them home faster, leaving them to endure the rough road before an early delivery the next morning.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye planned to sell their dried fish at the military base and considered buying additional fish from villagers to resell.
• The crowded bus ride left Ye Yaodong and Father Ye exhausted, and they woke as the bus neared the county town.
• Ye Yaodong asked the bus driver about transport home and agreed to pay eight yuan for a tractor ride.
• Father Ye accepted the expense after Ye Yaodong explained that they needed to get home and rest before their early delivery.
• Ye Yaodong lay down on the jolting tractor, and Father Ye told him to sleep until they arrived.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned home after selling all their dried fish, and Ye Yaodong told the family about a possible delivery deal with the troops. The family prepared to supply more fish the next day, while Ye Yaodong urged Mother Ye to keep their sales and plans private.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye arrived home by tractor, and their family welcomed them after waiting anxiously.
• Ye Yaodong paid the tractor driver eight yuan, and Mother Ye protested that the fare was too high.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing and the family that Captain Chen had offered a chance to deliver dried fish to the troops.
• Ye Yaodong asked Mother Ye to buy a scale, and Father Ye told her to ask the eldest and second eldest to dry more fish.
• Ye Yaodong warned Mother Ye not to reveal their buyers, prices, earnings, or planned deliveries, and she left in a huff.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye delivered dried fish to the military base, where Group Leader Zhao bought an initial batch and agreed to consider ordering more. The chapter left Ye Yaodong hoping to build a lasting business relationship with the base after Group Leader Zhao refused his attempted kickback but accepted a gift for the troops.

• The Old Lady woke Ye Yaodong before dawn, served him sweet potato porridge and salted duck eggs, and prepared hard-boiled eggs for the journey.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye loaded the dried fish onto a tractor and followed directions through nearby villages to reach the military base on time.
• Ye Yaodong admired the soldiers drilling, while Father Ye teased him about imagining he could have become a soldier.
• Group Leader Zhao inspected the dried fish and ordered three hundred jin to try, promising to ask for more if it proved good.
• Ye Yaodong charged a reduced price and secretly offered Group Leader Zhao twenty-six yuan, but Group Leader Zhao refused the money.
• Ye Yaodong gave the troops another twenty jin of dried fish, which Group Leader Zhao accepted.

Ye Yaodong sold another sack of dried fish at the market after delivering 300 jin to the military, then returned home with his father. Neighbors mistook the unsold fish for proof that the business was failing, leaving Ye Yaodong to let their baseless rumors spread.

• Ye Yaodong arranged with Uncle Zhou to pick him and Father Ye up from the market and asked him to keep the military sale quiet.
• Ye Yaodong sold one sack of dried fish during a short market stall, bought roasted beans for the family, and rode home with Father Ye.
• Ye Yaodong learned that Ye Chenghu had been kept after school for poking a classmate during a test and gave both boys roasted beans.
• Lin Xiuqing asked about the remaining dried fish, and Ye Yaodong explained that the military had taken 300 jin and might request more later.
• Neighboring women saw the sacks of leftover fish and complained that they had kept fish to dry after hearing rumors of Ye Yaodong's profits.

Ye Yaodong agreed to buy dried fish from Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua, giving his brothers a safer way to earn more than selling their catch fresh. After counting the day’s sales, he and Lin Xiuqing discussed sharing the profits with Father Ye for his help.

• Ye Yaodong told Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua that he would buy their dried Toadfish for thirty cents per jin and their mixed fish for fifteen cents per jin.
• Ye Yaodong explained the prices and persuaded his brothers that they could earn more by drying their catch and selling it to him.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua agreed to the arrangement and went home pleased with the prospect of earning more without taking the goods to market.
• Ye Yaodong counted the money from his sales, including the military’s payment for three hundred jin of dried fish.
• Lin Xiuqing suggested giving Father Ye a share of the fish business’s profits, and Ye Yaodong agreed to settle his share at the end of the month.

Ye Yaodong went out to set gill nets while Lin Xiuqing received a phone call ordering another thousand jin of dried fish for delivery the next morning. She learned the order came from Zhao Weimin and waited for Ye Yaodong to return so they could decide how to gather enough fish.

• Ye Yaodong and his father loaded fifty gill nets and fishing gear onto their boat and left to set the nets.
• Lin Xiuqing checked Ye Chenghu's dirty clothes, showed him the sweater she was knitting for him, and sent him back to play.
• A village messenger told Lin Xiuqing that someone had called for Ye Yaodong and would call again in ten minutes.
• Lin Xiuqing answered Zhao Weimin's call and agreed to tell Ye Yaodong to deliver a thousand jin of dried fish to the same place the next morning.
• Lin Xiuqing told the Old Lady about the order, and they decided to wait for Ye Yaodong before buying more dried fish.

Ye Yaodong learned that Zhao Weimin wanted a thousand jin of dried fish delivered the next day, so he began gathering supplies from the neighbors. After checking the fish they brought, he and Lin Xiuqing started buying the amount needed for the order.

• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that Zhao Weimin from Logistics had called to order a thousand jin of dried fish for delivery the next day.
• Ye Yaodong hurried out to ask the neighbors how much dried fish they had available.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing agreed to pay the same price he had offered his eldest and second brothers to avoid disputes over the accounts.
• Ye Yaodong returned home, ate, and calculated that he needed to buy 640 more jin because his family already had 360 jin.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing inspected the neighbors’ dried fish for dampness or anything mixed in, and found no problems.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing collected 120 jin of dried fish from neighbors, but Ye Yaodong still needed more stock for a buyer. He set out with scales and a handcart to ask relatives and friends for dried fish, starting with Uncle Lin.

• Lin Xiuqing paid Ye Yaodong's sisters-in-law and the neighboring women for their dried fish, while they asked whether he would buy more later.
• Ye Yaodong refused to promise future purchases and said he would ask his relatives first, reassuring the neighbors that he would let them know if he needed more.
• Lin Xiuqing worried that Ye Yaodong's sisters-in-law might gather dried fish from many relatives and sell him more than he could use, but he said he could limit purchases of mixed fish if necessary.
• Ye Yaodong took the scales and handcart and planned to visit Uncle Lin, A-Guang, A-Zheng, Xiao Xiao, and his aunts and uncles to collect the remaining stock.
• Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing to have his parents help him after dinner because he still needed to collect just over 500 jin before nightfall.

Ye Yaodong offered to buy Uncle Lin’s family’s surplus dried fish after learning they could not sell it, and Aunt Lin agreed. When villagers heard he was buying, they rushed to fetch their own fish, but Ye Yaodong said he already had enough.

• Ye Yaodong found Aunt Lin struggling to sell the several hundred pounds of dried fish her family had prepared.
• Ye Yaodong offered to buy the fish at set prices, and Aunt Lin agreed to sell the whole lot.
• Ye Yaodong and Aunt Lin carried the sacks outside, weighed and checked the dried fish, and began sorting it.
• The neighbors gathered, heard Ye Yaodong was buying dried fish, and hurried home to bring their own stock.
• Ye Yaodong told the villagers he had enough fish from Aunt Lin and would contact them if he needed more later.

Ye Yaodong inspected Auntie Lin’s dried fish to buy a large, mostly uniform batch for a military customer, while neighbors tried to sell him their mixed fish. He and Father Ye finished sorting the goods and waited for Auntie Lin to return so they could weigh them, leaving the next morning’s delivery and fishing work to be arranged.

• Ye Yaodong refused the neighbors’ mixed dried fish, explaining that he needed fish of the same kind for the customer.
• Auntie Lin agreed to keep more of her catch for drying and left to tell Old Lin not to sell that day’s fish.
• Father Ye and Mother Ye arrived, and Mother Ye discussed whether other households should dry more fish for possible future orders.
• Mother Ye proudly told the neighbors about her Women’s Federation wages and benefits until Father Ye urged her to leave and contact Ye Yaodong’s friends.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye inspected and sorted the bags of mixed fish and toadfish, then waited for Auntie Lin to return before weighing them.

Ye Yaodong bought dried fish from Uncle Lin and arranged help for his fishing work before delivering another load to Group Leader Zhao. Group Leader Zhao ordered a thousand jin every five days until the New Year, leaving Ye Yaodong eager to scale up his supply.

• Ye Yaodong weighed 552 jin of toadfish and 89 jin of mixed fish from Aunt Lin and agreed to pay 178 yuan and 95 cents.
• Ye Yaodong bought the dried fish from Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin, then arranged for A-Guang to help his father and Brother A-Sheng haul in the nets.
• Ye Yaodong took the goods to the army base, where Group Leader Zhao bought a thousand jin and took the remaining dried mixed fish as well.
• Group Leader Zhao asked Ye Yaodong to deliver a thousand jin every five days until the New Year and said he would place an order in advance afterward.
• Ye Yaodong realized the army's order could amount to roughly nine thousand jin and calculated that supplying it could earn him around two thousand yuan.

Ye Yaodong sold the soldiers his dried fish and secured an order for 1,000 jin every five days until the New Year. He returned home to tell Lin Xiuqing and the Old Lady, then planned how to gather and store enough fish for future deliveries.

• Group Leader Zhao bought Ye Yaodong's entire cartload of dried fish for 440 yuan and ordered 1,000 jin every five days until the New Year.
• Ye Yaodong rode home with Uncle Zhou and excitedly told Lin Xiuqing and the Old Lady about the order.
• Ye Yaodong explained that they would need to buy fish from village families as well as dry their own catch to meet the order and build reserves.
• The Old Lady urged Ye Yaodong to ask A-Guang's father-in-law to save his family's catches for drying.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing agreed to stockpile fish carefully and use their brothers' homes for storage if needed.

Ye Yaodong arranged to buy the village’s catch for drying and received fruit from his father-in-law. At the pier, Father Pei confronted Rat after Rat concealed a large swallow pomfret, which A-Cai then eagerly inspected.

• Ye Yaodong asked neighboring families to keep their catch for him to buy, and Father Lin brought tangerines and pomelos to the family.
• Father Lin drank too much at lunch and stayed to sleep, then refused Ye Yaodong’s offer of fresh fish and hurried home.
• Ye Yaodong reached the pier and helped Father Pei and Rat carry in their catch, which Ye Yaodong planned to buy for drying.
• A-Cai complained that Ye Yaodong was taking away his business by buying dried fish, and Ye Yaodong promised to keep selling him fresh catch.
• Father Pei questioned Rat after discovering Rat had hidden a large swallow pomfret; Rat apologized and explained that his wife had found it by a rocky island.
• A-Cai saw the washbasin-sized swallow pomfret and eagerly lifted it to admire its weight.

Ye Yaodong watched Father Pei settle the catch and refused to let Rat's wife take more mixed fish for free. After driving the couple off with a sharp retort, he made peace with A-Cai and spent the lull trading jokes with him.

• Ye Yaodong praised the Large Swallow Pomfret as better than Large Dou Pomfret, and A-Cai weighed it at three jin and six liang.
• Father Pei insisted the catch be divided fairly and loaded the mixed fish he planned to take home, refusing Rat's wife's request for more free fish.
• Ye Yaodong suggested Rat's wife buy mixed fish from another boat, then mocked her when she complained that it would cost money.
• Rat's wife stormed off with Rat, while A-Cai laughed at Ye Yaodong's sharp tongue.
• Ye Yaodong took sunflower seeds from A-Cai's pocket and joked with him until A-Cai went to fetch a stool.

Ye Yaodong waited at the shore while Uncle Pei discovered that a hired worker had hidden a valuable swallow pomfret from the catch. After his family’s boat finally returned with a good haul and a giant squid, Ye Yaodong and his mother welcomed them and decided to keep some squid for rice dumplings.

• A-Cai explained why he and A-Gui had not been nominated as Ten-Thousand-Yuan Households, and Ye Yaodong stayed at the pier to help with incoming boats.
• Uncle Pei found a large swallow pomfret hidden among the mixed fish and suspected a worker had been stealing valuable catch; he warned the captain of his second boat to be honest.
• Ye Yaodong considered choosing reliable workers and possibly having his father receive the catch if he bought another boat.
• Ye Yaodong waited with Mother Ye until dark for their boat to return, then reassured her that delays at sea were hard to control.
• Father Ye said the boat had brought in a good catch despite damaged nets, and A-Guang showed them a diamondback squid weighing over ten jin.
• Ye Yaodong decided the family could keep the squid for rice dumplings instead of selling it.

Ye Yaodong unloaded and weighed his catch while preparing dried fish for an upcoming delivery, as villagers flocked to Lin Xiuqing to ask about selling their own fish. At sea the next day, Ye Yaodong spotted a Red Snapper, and Father Ye was bitten by it while removing it from the net.

• Ye Yaodong and his family unloaded the catch, and A-Cai calculated that the fish they were taking home weighed 1,111 jin.
• Ye Yaodong estimated that several sunny days would let the households dry enough fish for the delivery and earn him about two thousand yuan.
• Lin Xiuqing spent the morning turning away villagers and people from nearby villages who wanted to sell dried fish, then hid inside to escape the crowd.
• Ye Yaodong offered to ask Lin Xiuqing to crochet Ye Yaosheng a hat and reminded Father Ye to wear the mask he had given him against the cold.
• While hauling in the net, Ye Yaodong spotted a brightly colored Red Snapper, which Father Ye tried to remove before it bit his thumb.

After a productive fishing trip, Ye Yaodong told Father Ye he wanted to investigate ordering a larger boat with refrigeration equipment for deep-sea fishing. Father Ye earnestly urged him to wait and stick to safer, smaller-scale plans, but Ye Yaodong remained determined to look into it.

• Father Ye bit his thumb while handling a live fish, and Ye Yaosheng helped him bandage it before Ye Yaodong reminded him to wear gloves.
• Ye Yaodong and the others hauled in a catch of more than 1,300 jin, and Ye Yaodong calculated that the dried fish from the recent trips would total around 3,000 jin.
• Ye Yaodong told Father Ye that he wanted to visit a shipyard and ask about ordering a larger boat with better refrigeration and freezing equipment.
• Father Ye argued that Ye Yaodong should wait for a boat to rent out instead of risking money on a larger deep-sea fishing vessel.
• Ye Yaodong softened his tone and asked to look into the options first, while Father Ye continued warning him about the dangers and his limited experience.

Ye Yaodong persuaded Father Ye to consider a larger boat for short trips farther offshore, and they agreed to inspect a shipyard before deciding. At home, Ye Yaodong teased Ye Chenghu with a mandarin until the boy damaged his homework and tried to placate him before he could call Mother Ye.

• Ye Yaodong explained to Father Ye why a larger boat could let them fish in deeper coastal waters for a few days at a time, and Father Ye agreed to look into shipbuilding with him.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned home with their catch, and Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong to move the fish to the back yard for cleaning and drying.
• Ye Chengyang offered Ye Yaodong a mandarin while Ye Chenghu worked on his homework, and Ye Yaodong teased Ye Chenghu by eating one in front of him before giving another to Ye Chengyang.
• Ye Chenghu accidentally tore a hole in his exercise book and broke his pencil, then quickly offered to fetch Ye Yaodong a mandarin to keep him from calling Mother Ye.

Ye Yaodong proposed that Lin Xiuqing’s father manage their planned city shop, believing his experience hawking fruit would suit the work. Lin Xiuqing thought the idea might work but doubted her father would agree, and Ye Yaodong planned to ask him in person.

• Ye Chenghu brought Ye Yaodong a Bitter Tangerine, and Ye Yaodong learned that his father-in-law had brought the fruit while selling mandarins around town.
• Ye Yaodong suggested that Lin Xiuqing’s father manage their city shop, and he argued that the older man could learn to handle customers despite his limited Mandarin and travel experience.
• Lin Xiuqing worried that her father would feel uncomfortable in the city and might refuse, while Ye Yaodong said he would discuss the job with him in a few days.
• Mother Ye arrived with her sisters to clean fish, and Lin Xiuqing gave the two aunts Bitter Tangerines to take home.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing agreed to set aside dried fish for her father because he had refused payment for the fruit.

A cold front kept Ye Yaodong from going out to sea, so he and Father Ye set off with A-Guang to inspect the shipyard. Their journey ended with Ye Yaodong and A-Guang bickering as they rode through the wind.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing searched the bed at night and found baby Ye Xiaoxi hanging partly over the footboard.
• The next morning, Ye Yaodong learned the frost and strong wind had kept the boats in, and he decided to visit the shipyard with Father Ye.
• Father Ye reluctantly left his half-finished radish harvest and joined Ye Yaodong, who then detoured to borrow A-Guang's bicycle.
• A-Guang joined the trip after hearing they were going to the shipyard, turning their party of two into three.
• Ye Yaodong and A-Guang argued over who was heavier and who had insulted Father Ye, then continued pedaling while Father Ye rode alongside them.

Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, and A-Guang visited the county’s shipyard to learn about ordering a large fishing boat. After hearing that deliveries were booked about a year and a half ahead, Ye Yaodong discussed boat designs and equipment with Factory Director Wu as the director began showing them the boats under construction.

• Father Ye, Ye Yaodong, and A-Guang arrived at the shipyard and looked over its half-finished boats and busy workers.
• An old gatekeeper fetched Factory Director Wu after Ye Yaodong explained why they had come.
• Factory Director Wu told them that deliveries were scheduled roughly a year and a half ahead because orders had increased and boatbuilding took time.
• Ye Yaodong asked about the cost and specifications of a boat over twenty meters long, and Factory Director Wu explained the choices in hull design, machinery, and fishing equipment.
• Factory Director Wu offered to show them the boats under construction and explain their equipment and construction.

Ye Yaodong toured a shipyard and considered buying a larger fishing boat, but Father Ye and A-Guang urged him to choose a cheaper option and pay off his shop first. After leaving, Ye Yaodong teased A-Guang, then crashed his bicycle into a ditch and was left muddy as A-Guang and Father Ye rode on.

• Factory Director Wu showed Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, and A-Guang the shipyard and its boats.
• A-Guang suggested pooling money with relatives to buy a two-deck boat, but Father Ye argued that Ye Yaodong could not afford it and should buy a boat to rent out instead.
• Ye Yaodong decided to consider the purchase at home with A Qing after paying off the shop, and he gave Father Ye and A-Guang rice dumplings.
• Ye Yaodong kicked A-Guang while they were peeing, then pedaled away as A-Guang chased him with Father Ye on the bicycle.
• Ye Yaodong looked back to taunt A-Guang, lost control of his bicycle, and fell beside a ditch with one foot in the filthy water.
• A-Guang laughed at Ye Yaodong and rode off with Father Ye, while Ye Yaodong cleaned his foot and picked up his bicycle.

Ye Yaodong persuaded Lin Xiuqing to support ordering a larger boat, arguing that the deposit and delayed delivery would give them time to save. The Old Lady also approved as long as Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing agreed, leaving the boat purchase to be settled after he returned to the shipyard.

• Ye Yaodong returned home with Father Ye and A-Guang, then told Father Ye not to join their next outing.
• Ye Yaodong explained the shipyard’s boats and prices to Lin Xiuqing, who worried about spending so much while their family was already doing well.
• Ye Yaodong laid out their savings, expected dried-fish earnings, and the thirty-percent deposit, persuading Lin Xiuqing that they could afford a new boat.
• Lin Xiuqing agreed to the purchase and asked that they keep their current boat; Ye Yaodong said they could decide later whether Father Ye would operate it or rent it out.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing that Father Ye had promised to compensate him for the boat passed to his older brothers, but said he was not counting on it.
• The Old Lady brought Ye Yaodong warm slippers and noodles, offered to lend him money, and said he and Lin Xiuqing should make the final decision together.