Ch. 51Getting Grandma fitted for dentures

Ye Yaodong took Grandma to the county hospital and paid to have her fitted with removable dentures, then brought her safely home. Grandma enjoyed eating with her new teeth and spent the afternoon showing them off around the village, spreading word of Ye Yaodong’s devotion.

  • Ye Yaodong and Grandma waited for a bus, rode the winding mountain route to the county town, and took a rickshaw to the hospital.
  • Ye Yaodong had Grandma fitted with removable dentures, while she fretted about the expense and urged him not to waste money on food.
  • Ye Yaodong brought Grandma home by bus and picked corn and snake gourds so she could try eating with her new teeth.
  • Grandma made dough-drop soup with seafood, ate happily with her dentures, and praised how well they worked.
  • After Ye Yaodong left to check on the house, Grandma strolled around the village showing off her dentures and telling everyone he had taken her to the hospital.

Ch. 52A typhoon was coming

Ye Yaodong learned that his grandmother had told the village about the dentures he bought her, then discussed their cost with Lin Xiuqing. The next morning, his father said a typhoon would keep the family from fishing for several days, and Ye Yaodong asked whether they should move their boat to the Typhoon Shelter.

  • Xiao Xiao asked Ye Yaodong how much his grandmother's dentures had cost, and Ye Yaodong said the total was under thirteen yuan including fares.
  • Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing the dentures had cost twelve yuan, two jiao, and eight fen, and she counted and locked away the money.
  • Father Ye and Ye Yaohua returned early from fishing because the waves had grown rough, and they said the commune had forecast a typhoon in the next few days.
  • Father Ye postponed taking Ye Yaodong out to sea until after the typhoon, while Mother Ye and Lin Xiuqing discussed drying fish, shrimp, and mussels to save food.
  • Ye Yaodong asked Father Ye whether they needed to take their boat to the Typhoon Shelter.

Ch. 53Taking the Boat to the Typhoon Shelter

Ye Yaodong accompanied Father Ye to secure their newly repaired boat in the Typhoon Shelter, learned to steer and cast a net, and brought home a good catch. As the typhoon brought days of changeable weather and rain, Ye Yaodong pulled Lin Xiuqing away from her net weaving to walk by the sea and see what they could find.

  • Ye Yaodong persuaded Father Ye to take him along to the Typhoon Shelter, where Father Ye taught him to steer and cast a net.
  • Ye Yaodong and Father Ye caught a variety of fish and seafood before mooring and securing their boat at the shelter.
  • Father Ye took the best catch to sell and sent Ye Yaodong to call his mother back to clean the rest.
  • After the typhoon brought several days of shifting weather and heavy rain, Ye Yaodong invited Lin Xiuqing to walk by the sea.
  • Lin Xiuqing scolded the children for splashing in puddles, then went with Ye Yaodong toward the shore, where he hoped they might find something to collect.

Ch. 54Beachcombing in a typhoon

During a typhoon, Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing to the beach, where the retreating tide stranded seafood for them to collect. They continued along the shore together as the sky darkened and more waves brought clams onto the sand.

  • Lin Xiuqing followed Ye Yaodong to the beach and found several Giant Clams in the receding tide.
  • Lin Xiuqing spotted a Dai Fish washed ashore, and Ye Yaodong shielded her from a wave before kicking the slippery fish into their sack.
  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing found a fresh Golden Pomfret and added it to their haul.
  • Ye Yaodong moved a rock and found a small Mud Crab, then startled Lin Xiuqing with it and followed her along the beach.
  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing kept collecting enormous clams as waves rolled them onto shore and the weather grew overcast.

Ch. 55A bountiful haul on a typhoon day

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing searched the shore during a typhoon and collected a large haul of stranded seafood. They found a rare luhua grouper, and Lin Xiuqing went home for a bucket while Ye Yaodong stayed to guard it.

  • Lin Xiuqing and Ye Yaodong collected clams and spotted a dead sea bream, which Lin Xiuqing tossed back into the sea.
  • Lin Xiuqing found a large mud crab, and Ye Yaodong caught it before they continued along the shore.
  • Ye Yaodong caught two bighead croakers and an oyster snail as they searched among the rocks.
  • Lin Xiuqing found a conger eel and then a luhua grouper, which Ye Yaodong recognized as rare and valuable.
  • Lin Xiuqing ran home to get a bucket while Ye Yaodong watched the grouper and caught a mud crab with damaged pincers.

Ch. 56The enormous coconut snail

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing gathered seafood along the reef before finding an enormous coconut snail that might contain a valuable treasure. Lin Xiuqing returned with a steelyard hook, and Ye Yaodong began extracting the snail’s flesh, but its contents remained unknown.

  • Lin Xiuqing brought Ye Yaodong a bucket, and they continued collecting stonefish, stone crabs, and red octopuses along the reef.
  • Lin Xiuqing found a giant coconut snail washed ashore, and Ye Yaodong explained that it might contain a valuable treasure.
  • Ye Yaodong decided to extract the snail’s flesh with a steelyard hook so they could check inside it.
  • Lin Xiuqing hurried to borrow a steelyard hook, fell and scraped her knees on the way back, then urged Ye Yaodong to open the snail.
  • Ye Yaodong hooked the coconut snail’s foot and began hanging it upside down to let its flesh detach from the shell.

Ch. 57Melo pearl

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discovered a rare, flame-patterned Melo pearl inside a bailer shell while searching the beach during a typhoon. They decided to keep it hidden at home for now, and left to continue looking for seafood.

  • Ye Yaodong hung the bailer shell from a scale until the snail meat slipped out, revealing something inside.
  • Lin Xiuqing found an orange-red pearl in the shell, and Ye Yaodong identified it as a rare, valuable Melo pearl.
  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed how difficult it would be to sell the pearl and chose to keep it as a good-luck charm.
  • Ye Yaodong entrusted the pearl to Lin Xiuqing and asked her to lock it away when they got home.
  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing packed the shell and snail meat, then continued searching the beach for seafood.

Ch. 58Home soaked to the skin

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing gathered a large haul of seafood during the typhoon before being caught in a downpour on the way home. Father Ye identified their Luhua Grouper as a valuable catch, and the family prepared to sort the haul and take the marketable seafood to A-Cai.

  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing continued shore gathering despite her scraped hand and collected a large variety of seafood.
  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing headed home as dark clouds gathered, but heavy rain soaked them before they arrived.
  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing poured their catch into a basin, drawing the family’s attention to the Mud Crabs, Conger Eel, and Luhua Grouper.
  • Father Ye recognized the Luhua Grouper as more valuable than an ordinary Tiger Grouper and told them to sort the catch for A-Cai.

Ch. 59Made money again

Ye Yaodong sold the catch he gathered during the typhoon for twenty-five yuan and eighty cents, including twelve yuan for a rare Luhua grouper. He returned home to find Lin Xiuqing had hidden the Melo pearl safely.

  • Lin Xiuqing hid the Melo pearl while Ye Yaodong went to sell the catch.
  • Ye Yaodong bargained with A-Cai and sold him the Luhua grouper for twelve yuan.
  • A-Cai bought the rest of the catch at the usual rates, paying Ye Yaodong twenty-five yuan and eighty cents in total.
  • Ye Yaodong returned home and told his family how much he had earned.
  • Ye Yaodong gave Lin Xiuqing the money and confirmed that she had hidden the Melo pearl.

Ch. 60The roof leaked and the power went out

During a typhoon, Ye Yaodong cared for Lin Xiuqing’s scraped hands and knees before the family settled in for a stormy afternoon at home. With the roof leaking and the power out, the family lit candles and played cards until dinner.

  • Ye Yaodong picked sand from Lin Xiuqing’s wounds, but Ye Chenghu barged in and embarrassed them with his misunderstanding.
  • The family ate lunch as the sky darkened and the typhoon’s wind and rain intensified.
  • Ye Yaodong discovered the roof was leaking, and Mother Ye lit candles after the power went out.
  • Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing to stop making nets in the dim light, then joined his brothers in playing cards.
  • Father Ye joined the card game and kept switching partners, while Ye Yaodong and Ye Eldest Son won money.
  • Mother Ye stopped Father Ye from playing more cards and told him to weave bamboo trays for drying fish.

Ch. 61After the typhoon

After a typhoon battered the village, Ye Yaodong checked the damage and waited with his family for the sea to calm. The tide finally receded the next day, and the Ye family headed to the beach to gather seafood.

  • Ye Yaodong stayed awake through the storm, made room for Lin Xiuqing and the boys, and slept on benches while rain leaked into the house.
  • At dawn, Ye Yaodong went to the shore with the villagers and saw the high waves and damage left by the typhoon.
  • After the radio confirmed the typhoon had made landfall, Father Ye discussed repairing the roofs, delaying construction, and waiting to fish until the sea was safer.
  • Ye Yaohua and Mother Ye proposed going shore gathering, but the tide stayed high and the family remained away from the shore that day.
  • At noon the following day, the tide receded, and the Ye family went to the beach to gather seafood.

Ch. 62Dussumier's thryssa

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing searched the beach after the typhoon, collecting seafood and spotting a huge fish that might be a Dussumier's thryssa. The chapter left them trying to identify and catch the valuable fish.

  • Ye Yaodong spotted a large sea bass in the waves and scooped it into his bucket.
  • Lin Xiuqing found a large trumpet snail, and the couple gathered clams as the tide receded.
  • Ye Yaodong's second brother and sister-in-law joined them, and Ye Yaodong picked up two mud crabs.
  • Lin Xiuqing called Ye Yaodong over to a huge, still-moving fish that they suspected was a Dussumier's thryssa.
  • Ye Yaodong explained that the fish was prized for sashimi in Japan, while his second sister-in-law wondered how much it would sell for.

Ch. 63Over a Meter and Over a Hundred Jin-Pay More

After the typhoon, Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing found a giant Dussumier's thryssa stranded on the beach and brought it to A-Cai's buying station. A-Cai measured it at 1.2 meters and weighed it at 115 jin and 8 liang, then tried to bargain over its price.

  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing found a huge Dussumier's thryssa on the beach, and the Ye family helped load it into a sack.
  • Ye Yaodong agreed to go fishing with Father Ye the next day after the family praised his recent luck.
  • Father Ye and Ye Yaodong carried the fish to A-Cai's buying station, where A-Cai measured and weighed it.
  • A-Cai offered 25 cents per jin, and Ye Yaodong argued that the fish's exceptional size made it worth more.

Ch. 64A silver tongue

Ye Yaodong talked A-Cai into raising the price for the Dussumier's thryssa and Lin Xiuqing’s other catch, earning a forty-yuan receipt. The couple headed home pleased with their growing savings, while Ye Yaodong teased Lin Xiuqing about going out to sea with Father Ye the next day.

  • Ye Yaodong persuaded A-Cai to pay thirty fen a jin for the Dussumier's thryssa by invoking their friendship and reminding him of the earlier Spanish mackerel deal.
  • A-Cai calculated the value of the fish, sea bass, and mud crabs, and Ye Yaodong asked him to round the total up to forty yuan.
  • Ye Yaodong checked the receipt and gave it to Lin Xiuqing to keep, while Father Ye took the clams home and went to look for the others.
  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing carried their buckets home, happy about the money they had earned.
  • Ye Yaodong teased Lin Xiuqing about missing him when he went out to sea with Father Ye, and she pinched him after he joked about secret lovers.

Ch. 65Emergency rescue for a drowning victim

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing returned to the shore and found A Bin pulled from the sea and not breathing. Ye Yaodong performed CPR until A Bin revived and an ambulance arrived, then Secretary Chen asked him to teach the villagers the technique.

  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing hurried back to the shore after seeing a crowd gathered by the water.
  • Several young men brought A Bin ashore, and the villagers panicked when they realized he was not breathing.
  • Ye Yaodong pushed through the crowd, explained that A Bin needed CPR, and began chest compressions and rescue breaths after checking for a pulse and airway obstruction.
  • A Bin showed signs of life, but Ye Yaodong continued CPR with help from his brothers until the ambulance arrived.
  • After the medical staff took A Bin away, Secretary Chen praised Ye Yaodong and asked him to teach the villagers CPR.

Ch. 66Teasing his wife

After saving Secretary Chen’s grandson, Ye Yaodong discussed teaching his sons to swim and teased Lin Xiuqing at home. His friends then dragged him out to go fishing for rice eels despite the flooded fields.

  • Ye Yaodong promised to teach Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang to swim and warned them not to enter the water without an adult.
  • Ye Yaodong pretended to teach Lin Xiuqing first aid, then flirted with her until she escaped to help with dinner.
  • A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and their friends arrived to congratulate Ye Yaodong for saving Secretary Chen’s grandson and summoned him outside.
  • Ye Yaodong objected that the recent typhoon had flooded the fields and made fishing for rice eels impractical, but his friends took him along.

Ch. 67Fishing for rice eels

Ye Yaodong went rice eel fishing with his friends in the flooded fields after the typhoon and caught a bucketful, including an unusually large eel. The group headed home at sunset, with Ye Yaodong set to cook his catch for his family.

  • A-Zheng stopped Ye Yaodong from heading home and explained that Xiao Xiao had found fresh eel holes in the rice fields.
  • Ye Yaodong changed into rubber boots and joined his friends, who supplied simple fishing rods and earthworms.
  • Xiao Xiao, A-Wei, and the others began catching rice eels while Ye Yaodong found a large one on his first try.
  • Ye Yaodong avoided two burrows with foam at their entrances because they held brooding eels, then kept fishing until his bucket held five or six jin.
  • The friends compared their catches and agreed that Ye Yaodong would wash the dishes next time they drank because he had caught the most.
  • As the sun set, Ye Yaodong and his friends packed up and headed home so he could stew the eels for his family.

Ch. 68Every Family Had Its Little Brats

Ye Yaodong shared his rice eel catch with his family, prepared to go fishing that night, and joked with the villagers about letting Lin Xiuqing manage their money. The evening ended with him falling from his reclining chair after a group of children pushed it, and he chased Ye Chenghu in anger.

  • Ye Yaodong brought home rice eels, and Father Ye agreed to take him out to sea that night.
  • Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing collected the fish-sale money and bought fish for the workers' meal.
  • Ye Yaodong gave rice eel meat to Lin Xiuqing and his grandmother while the family ate.
  • Ye Yaodong joked with the villagers that Lin Xiuqing held all his money, then changed the subject when they pried into his earnings.
  • The children tipped Ye Yaodong's reclining chair over, and he chased Ye Chenghu after the boy blamed the prank on a bet.

Ch. 69A bursting net on the first haul

Ye Yaodong went out to sea with Father Ye for his first post-typhoon trawling trip, learned the gear and took the helm. Their first haul was packed with rays, and Ye Yaodong steered as they set the next net while watching the sunrise.

  • Ye Yaodong joined Father Ye at the wharf and headed out to sea after Mother Ye packed food and gave him two eggs.
  • Father Ye explained how to deploy the winged trawl, then let Ye Yaodong take the helm while the net dragged.
  • Father Ye and Ye Yaodong hauled in a catch of nearly a hundred jin of rays, along with red seabream, shrimp, and crabs.
  • Father Ye let Ye Yaodong steer and shoot the next net after their first haul covered their costs.
  • Ye Yaodong kept the boat on course as the sun rose over the sea and thought about bringing Lin Xiuqing out to see it.

Ch. 70A Net Bursting with Fish

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled several profitable nets, mostly full of rays, and stocked up on cheap yellowtail scad. Their final net held an unexpected prize: a large red grouper.

  • Father Ye and Ye Yaodong hauled in a second net full of rays, including two Chinese fanrays and a great blue shark.
  • Ye Yaodong set a third net that brought up over a hundred jin of cheap yellowtail scad, which they planned to dry or salt.
  • After eating, Ye Yaodong steered the boat and set another net while Father Ye rested.
  • Father Ye and Ye Yaodong hauled in a fourth net bursting with rays.
  • Their final net contained swimming crabs, mantis shrimp, assorted fish, and a large red grouper.

Ch. 71Red Grouper

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned from a profitable fishing trip with hundreds of jin of rays and a large red grouper, drawing attention from the village. At the fish buyer’s stall, Ye Yaodong asked A-Cai to agree on the grouper’s price before weighing it.

  • Ye Yaodong and Father Ye found a red grouper weighing nearly three jin among their catch and kept it separate to protect its value.
  • Father Ye told Ye Yaodong to sort the catch and head back before the tide grew too low.
  • Uncle Lin praised Ye Yaodong’s recent hard work, then learned that the boat had caught hundreds of jin of rays and a large red grouper.
  • Villagers gathered to watch as Ye Yaodong and Father Ye unloaded their large catch, and Mother Ye urged them to take it to be weighed.
  • A-Cai admired the red grouper, and Ye Yaodong asked him to settle the price per jin before weighing it.

Ch. 72Nearly a Hundred Yuan in a Day

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold their catch after Ye Yaodong bargained A-Cai up to a higher price for the Red Grouper. Their haul earned ninety-six yuan and five fen, and the family kept the cheap Yellowtail Scad to eat; after returning home, Ye Yaodong woke from a nap and Lin Xiuqing sent him out to watch the children while she bathed.

  • Ye Yaodong negotiated with A-Cai until he agreed to pay eight yuan per jin for the Red Grouper, which weighed two point eight jin.
  • Father Ye told the villagers that Ye Yaodong had steered and hauled the nets, and A-Cai weighed the rays at eighteen fen per jin.
  • Ye Yaodong and Mother Ye decided to keep the Yellowtail Scad rather than sell it for three fen per jin.
  • A-Cai weighed the rest of the catch, bringing the total to ninety-six yuan and five fen, while Lin Jingye prepared to sell his own catch.
  • Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned home with the fish they had kept, ate warm dough-drop soup, and slept until dinner.
  • Ye Yaodong woke and clung to Lin Xiuqing, but she told him to go watch the children while she bathed.

Ch. 73A visit of thanks

Secretary Chen brought his family to thank Ye Yaodong for saving his grandson, and the Ye family accepted their generous gifts after initially refusing. Secretary Chen also warned them that Lin Jishang had tried to buy their house plot, leaving the family alert to further attempts to interfere with their building plans.

  • Secretary Chen and his family visited the Ye household with expensive gifts to thank Ye Yaodong for giving his grandson first aid.
  • Father Ye and Mother Ye repeatedly refused the gifts, but eventually accepted them after Secretary Chen insisted.
  • Ye Yaodong asked after the boy, and Secretary Chen's wife said he had returned home and was recovering.
  • Secretary Chen told the Ye family that Lin Jishang had asked to buy their house plot, but the plot certificate had already been issued and registered.
  • Father Ye thanked Secretary Chen for the warning, and Secretary Chen's family declined the Ye family's invitation to stay for dinner.

Ch. 74Coming to Their Door

After Secretary Chen’s family left, Mother Ye sold their gifts and secretly gave the proceeds to Lin Xiuqing, while urging Ye Yaodong to work harder. As the brothers continued building their houses, Lin Jishang and two men arrived to ask about buying the plot, and Ye Yaodong refused to consider selling it.

  • Ye Yaodong let the children hope for tea cakes and canned oranges, but Mother Ye put the gifts away to save for future gift-giving.
  • Mother Ye exchanged the cigarettes and liquor for money and secretly gave the proceeds to Lin Xiuqing, explaining that the gifts had been meant for Ye Yaodong.
  • Mother Ye urged Ye Yaodong to work harder, and he defended his friends and the help they had given with the houses.
  • While working on the houses, Ye Yaodong saw Lin Jishang arrive with two unfamiliar men asking for him.
  • Lin Jishang said his mother's cousin wanted to buy the plot, and Ye Yaodong rejected the request because construction was already underway.

Ch. 75A different house plot

Ye Yaodong urged his family to consider selling their unfinished house plot at a high price and building on vacant land by the beach instead. The family waited for Lin Jishang and his companions to make an offer, then went inside with them to discuss the sale.

  • Lin Jishang and two men asked Ye Yaodong's family to sell their house plot, and the family claimed it had excellent feng shui to encourage a high offer.
  • Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing he wanted to build farther back from the shore, and she considered the advantages of living near the beach.
  • Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaopeng advised Father Ye to hear the offer before deciding, while Ye Yaohua hoped the plot's feng shui would raise its price.
  • Lin Jishang and his companions arrived after dinner, and Father Ye led the Ye family men inside to talk with them.
Arc 3 of 33