Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong met with boat seller Zhao Chengzhou and reached a tentative agreement to buy his boat after an inspection the next day. After celebrating with drinks at home, Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing were interrupted by their children before they could go to bed.

• Lin Xiuqing introduced Zhao Chengzhou to Ye Yaodong, who recognized him as the skipper seeking to sell his boat.
• Ye Yaodong brought home blue-banded sea snakes, and Lin Xiuqing served Zhao Chengzhou drinks and food while the men discussed the boat.
• Father Ye and Lin Jingye joined them, and Ye Yaodong and Zhao Chengzhou agreed to inspect the boat the next day and complete the sale if it was in good condition.
• Ye Yaodong gave Zhao Chengzhou, Lin Jingye, and Father Ye two sea snakes apiece before they left.
• Ye Yaodong carried Lin Xiuqing into their room after drinking, but their sons interrupted them and asked to go night fishing.
• Lin Xiuqing refused to let the boys go to the shore, and the family argued over who got to sleep beside her before settling down.

Ye Yaodong prepared the sea snakes he had caught, gave one to A-Guang, and warned him that the weather at sea was turning rough. Back home, he discussed buying a boat and caring for Lin Xiuqing and their unborn child, then left her exasperated by his teasing.

• Ye Yaodong divided the sea snakes among his brothers and A-Guang, then prepared two jars of liquor with herbs and snake meat.
• Ye Yaodong ran into Lin Jishang while carrying a sea snake to A-Guang and exchanged greetings with him.
• Ye Yaodong startled A-Guang with the dead snake, punched him, and warned him that rough seas might make going out to sea unsafe.
• Ye Yaodong returned home to Lin Xiuqing and discussed the boat purchase, their savings, and the fines they might face for having another child.
• Ye Yaodong urged Lin Xiuqing to focus on her health and the baby, then teased her as they went to bed.

Ye Yaodong bought meat, completed the inspection and purchase of Uncle Zhao’s iron-hulled boat, and celebrated with a meal for his father, Uncle Lin, and Uncle Zhao. He then asked Father Ye for help finding a trustworthy deckhand and waited to learn which brother would take over his old wooden boat.

• Ye Yaodong bought ribs, pork belly, and fat, then persuaded Lin Xiuqing to use them for lunch.
• Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, and Uncle Lin inspected the iron-hulled boat at sea, registered the purchase, and paid Uncle Zhao.
• Ye Yaodong invited Uncle Zhao and Uncle Lin to lunch, where the guests praised Lin Xiuqing’s cooking.
• Ye Yaodong asked Father Ye to help find a reliable deckhand and discussed transferring his little wooden boat to one of his brothers.
• Ye Yaodong learned his brothers each earned over two hundred yuan that month, making it unlikely either would leave their fishing work to take the old boat.

Ye Yaodong proposed that Father Ye leave his boat to Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua and work with him instead. Father Ye was left weighing the arrangement, including Ye Yaodong’s offer of wages or a share of the profits.

• Father Ye asked Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua whether either wanted to take over Ye Yaodong’s little wooden boat, but both declined.
• Father Ye said he would sell the little boat after neither brother wanted it.
• Ye Yaodong suggested Father Ye rent his boat to the two brothers and join Ye Yaodong’s fishing work.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua welcomed the proposal and offered to rent Father Ye’s boat.
• Ye Yaodong offered Father Ye wages or ten percent of the profits, with a minimum of eighty, and Father Ye considered the deal.

Ye Yaodong prepared his newly bought boat for its ceremonial first outing, then heard that an ocean-going fishing boat from their town had suffered a deadly mutiny. After collecting a rich catch, he returned home reassured that his family’s small boat and trusted crew were safer.

• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that villagers had brought firecrackers and suggested setting off them at an auspicious time before the boat’s first trip.
• Ye Yaodong agreed to wait, painted the boat, and borrowed a small wooden boat to retrieve his pot trap nets.
• At the pier, Ye Yaodong heard that a fugitive and the chief engineer had helped trigger a massacre aboard an ocean-going boat, leaving only five survivors out of twenty-eight.
• Ye Yaodong considered the dangers of hiring unreliable crew and decided he felt safest relying on his father.
• Ye Yaodong hauled in a varied catch, including plump white shrimp and a sea bass, and returned home as Lin Xiuqing expressed relief that his father would crew their small boat.

Ye Yaodong took his new boat out with Father Ye for a trial run, setting longlines in nearshore waters before they encountered an enormous ocean sunfish being eaten by sea lions. They left it alone and planned ways to make better use of the wait before hauling their lines.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye launched their seventeen-meter boat amid firecrackers and congratulations from villagers.
• Ye Yaodong steered the boat while Father Ye baited the hooks, and together they set a thousand longline hooks in midwater.
• The pair spotted a giant ocean sunfish and kept their distance because their village considered catching one bad luck.
• Sea lions attacked and devoured the ocean sunfish while Ye Yaodong and Father Ye watched from the boat.
• Father Ye suggested using nets or traps while the longlines soaked, and Ye Yaodong agreed to borrow A-Zheng's cast net and later get materials for a net.
• Ye Yaodong pulled out his makeshift fishing rod, prompting Father Ye to grumble that he was thinking about fishing for fun again.

Ye Yaodong caught a soft cuttlefish while fishing with his father, then hooked a large yellowtail amberjack that snapped his bamboo rod and escaped. He and Father Ye began hauling in the longline, recovering another amberjack and several soft cuttlefish.

• Ye Yaodong caught a soft cuttlefish with a shrimp-baited hook, and Father Ye put it in a bucket to keep it alive.
• Ye Yaodong switched to fish bait and hooked a huge yellowtail amberjack, but Father Ye's pull snapped the bamboo rod and the fish escaped.
• Father Ye promised to make Ye Yaodong a new rod, then steered the boat to the longline float so they could haul in the line.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye landed a smaller yellowtail amberjack with the landing net, and Father Ye bled the fish.
• Ye Yaodong hauled up a large soft cuttlefish and then another one, continuing to retrieve the longline with anticipation.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in a profitable longline catch, but discovered they needed far more bait for another round. As they retrieved the lines, Ye Yaodong landed an albacore tuna and watched a neighboring trawler’s crew lose their prized yellowfin tuna overboard.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye brought in a diverse catch, including a large yellowtail amberjack and many Spanish mackerel, while using up their bait.
• Ye Yaodong agreed to buy the small fish and shrimp his eldest and second brothers caught so they could supply future longline trips.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a trawler chasing a large fish, then hooked and landed a roughly 1.2-meter albacore tuna with Father Ye’s help.
• The trawler’s fisherman proudly showed Ye Yaodong and Father Ye a yellowfin tuna they had caught, claiming it was bigger and more valuable than their albacore.
• A wave rocked the trawler, and its fisherman dropped the yellowfin tuna into the sea; he and his wife tried to grab it but failed.

After Li Lao'er and his wife dropped a yellowfin tuna and fought over the loss, Ye Yaodong noticed an odd object drifting nearby and stopped Father Ye from moving the boat. Li Lao'er tried to scoop it up first, setting Ye Yaodong against him as they competed for the unknown object.

• Li Lao'er’s wife blamed him for dropping their yellowfin tuna, and the couple fought violently on their boat.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye urged Li Lao'er to stop hitting his wife and return to fishing, then prepared to move away from the quarrel.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a long, pale-gray object floating near Li Lao'er’s boat and asked Father Ye to help scoop it up.
• Li Lao'er’s wife told him to grab the object before Ye Yaodong’s family, and he reached for it with his own landing net.
• Father Ye objected that they had spotted the object first, and Ye Yaodong cursed Li Lao'er for trying to take it.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye fought Li Lao'er over a piece of floating debris, then discovered it was valuable light-gray ambergris. They hid their find and planned to keep it secret while finishing their fishing work.

• Li Lao'er tried to scoop up the floating object, but Father Ye and Ye Yaodong stirred the water to keep it out of his reach.
• Father Ye finally retrieved the object, and Ye Yaodong recognized it as ambergris after examining its weight, texture, and smell.
• Ye Yaodong told Father Ye the large, light-gray piece was valuable, and they agreed to hide it and tell no one what it was.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye decided to get Li Lao'er and his wife out of their way before hauling in the remaining Longline Hooks.

Ye Yaodong and his father kept the ambergris hidden after retrieving their longlines, then brought it home before returning to sell their catch. The albacore tuna fetched 108 yuan, and Ye Yaodong bought bait for the next day as the villagers watched.

• Ye Yaodong told Li Lao'er the ambergris was painted wood, and Li eventually left to trawl again.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye finished hauling their catch and agreed to fish in a different area the next day to avoid Li Lao'er.
• Ye Yaodong hid the ambergris in a covered bucket and hurried home, where Lin Xiuqing stored it safely away from the children.
• Ye Yaodong returned to the pier and sold a 49-jin albacore tuna to A-Cai for 108 yuan.
• Ye Yaodong bought mixed fish and shrimp for bait, surprising villagers who had begun considering longline fishing.

Ye Yaodong sold his catch, protected the valuable ambergris with a painted wooden imitation, and planned for his family as his fishing work began bringing in money. After bad weather forced him back to shore, he went shopping with Lin Xiuqing and grew upset when he learned she had bought new winter clothes for everyone except herself.

• Ye Yaodong sold nearly fifty yuan of catch, shared some fish and Soft Cuttlefish with his father, and brought more seafood home for his family to eat.
• Ye Yaodong carved and painted a wooden imitation of the ambergris, then hid the real piece and took the fake out to sea as a supposed float weight.
• Strong winds and waves forced Ye Yaodong and the other boats to turn back, so he stored the bait and went back to sleep.
• Ye Yaodong persuaded Lin Xiuqing to buy cloth and cotton for winter clothes, and they also purchased materials for a large fishing net.
• Ye Yaodong learned Lin Xiuqing had bought clothes for the family but none for herself, and told her he was earning money now and was no longer useless.

Ye Yaodong secretly bought Lin Xiuqing a sewing machine and materials, and she happily tried it despite telling him not to make big purchases without consulting her. Before heading out to sea, he learned that Father Ye was considering A-Guang as a match for his younger sister and planned to discuss it with A-Guang’s father.

• Ye Yaodong arranged for Lin Jishang to deliver a Swallow Brand sewing machine, floral cloth, and cotton after dark.
• Lin Xiuqing scolded Ye Yaodong for buying the expensive machine without asking, then eagerly unpacked it and sewed a sleeve.
• Ye Yaodong went to the pier before dawn, where Father Ye spoke with A-Guang’s father about meeting for a drink.
• Ye Yaodong asked Father Ye about A-Guang’s visits and learned that the families were discussing a possible marriage with his younger sister.
• Father Ye planned to hear A-Guang’s father out and then ask Ye Yaodong’s younger sister what she wanted.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discovered a vast sardine migration and spent the night hauling sardines and pelicans aboard with a hand cast net. At dawn, they saw predators feeding across the school and decided to follow it while setting longline hooks.

• Ye Yaodong spotted a huge gathering of seabirds and slowed the boat to investigate with Father Ye.
• Ye Yaodong identified the fish as migrating sardines, and he and Father Ye agreed to cast a hand net while setting their longline gear.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in several enormous netfuls of sardines, and they accidentally caught pelicans among them.
• After daybreak, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye saw sharks, whales, dolphins, and other predators feeding on the sardines across the sea.
• Father Ye took the helm while Ye Yaodong prepared to set longline hooks as they followed the sardine school.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye followed the Sardine Run, set their longline hooks, and used a hand cast net to catch valuable big fish. The chapter left them exhausted but still fishing, with their boat near A-Guang's and their catches being bled and stored on ice.

• Father Ye regretted not preparing a trawl net and hoped Ye Yaodong's brothers would find the Sardine Run as more boats gathered around it.
• Ye Yaodong finished setting bottom longline hooks, then cast his hand net and caught a Mahi-Mahi.
• Father Ye took over casting and caught a Bonito, while Ye Yaodong bled the big fish and stored the Mahi-Mahi on ice.
• Father Ye caught another Bonito and a Pelican as Ye Yaodong struggled to haul the heavy net aboard.
• Ye Yaodong called to A-Guang, who said his boat had caught plenty of big fish, before both crews returned to fishing.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye fished through the sardine storm, rescued a woman who fell overboard, and hauled in several large fish. Exhausted and ready to return, they cast one last net for a Marlin but could not lift it over the gunwale.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye rested, then resumed casting nets for large fish as the sardine shoals drew fish and fishing boats across the sea.
• When a middle-aged woman fell overboard, Ye Yaodong and two other fishermen swam out and helped bring her aboard, where the fishermen revived her.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye continued fishing, caught a Great Blue Shark, and decided to head back because they were exhausted and short on space.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye left their Longline Hooks in the sea for his brothers to retrieve the next day, then spotted a Marlin and cast one last net for it.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye dragged the heavy net to the gunwale but could not haul it aboard.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in a huge catch after working through a sardine storm, with A-Guang helping them bring aboard a marlin. They returned to the pier exhausted but delighted, where their families were stunned by the boatload of fish and began unloading it.

• A-Guang crossed to Ye Yaodong and Father Ye's boat and helped them haul aboard a marlin with their damaged net.
• Ye Yaodong nearly cut himself while bleeding the marlin, then rested as the boats headed back toward shore.
• Ye Yaodong realized the catch included thousands of jin of sardines, large fish, and nineteen gannets, and thought it had already paid for the boat.
• Lin Xiuqing and Mother Ye anxiously waited at the pier, then were amazed when Ye Yaodong's boat arrived packed with fish.
• Mother Ye fetched baskets and Lin Xiuqing went to bring Ye Yaodong's brothers to help unload the catch.
• Father Ye excitedly recounted the day's fishing to Mother Ye and the women nearby while Ye Yaodong added details.

Ye Yaodong and his family weighed and sold an enormous catch, while the buyers negotiated prices for the rare big fish. Exhausted from hauling fish, Ye Yaodong went home for Lin Xiuqing to help him wash, and the chapter ended with him urging her to remove his underpants.

• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua arrived and helped the family unload and sort the huge catch, while Lin Xiuqing worried about Ye Yaodong's aching arms.
• A-Cai assured Ye Yaodong he would pay fairly for the valuable big fish, and the buyers gathered to discuss their prices.
• The catch included 6,506 jin of sardines and numerous large fish; Ye Yaodong kept some sardines and two pelicans for his family.
• Lin Xiuqing put away the weighing slip and planned to help Mother Ye clean and dry the sardines that evening.
• At home, Ye Yaodong was unable to lift his arms, so Lin Xiuqing helped wash him while he teased her about taking off his underpants.

Ye Yaodong recovered at home after a tiring day of fishing while Lin Xiuqing cared for him, and his brothers agreed to help retrieve his longlines and fishing pots. The brothers headed out together, and Ye Yaodong found the buoy marking his gear and prepared to haul in the catch.

• Lin Xiuqing washed, dressed, and fed Ye Yaodong, while their children fussed over his sore arms.
• Ye Yaodong asked Ye Eldest Brother and Ye Second Brother to help retrieve his longlines and fishing pots, and Father Ye suggested they trawl near the sardine-run grounds.
• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law made envious remarks about Ye Yaodong's recent earnings as the family cleaned and dried 150 kilos of sardines.
• Lin Xiuqing rubbed tea seed oil into Ye Yaodong's aching muscles, and he asked her to share the two pelicans among the family households.
• Ye Yaodong joined Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua on their first trip to sea together, and he directed them toward his longline buoy.
• After searching the nearby waters, Ye Yaodong found the buoy, and Ye Yaopeng steered the boat toward it.

Ye Yaodong and his brothers retrieved his longline and hauled in a varied catch, prompting Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua to plan to try longline fishing themselves. After finishing, Ye Yaodong fell asleep while they prepared to trawl.

• Ye Yaohua began retrieving the longline and caught a Lalun fish, black seabream, and several unusually large Tinggong fish.
• Ye Yaopeng took over hauling, caught blue mackerel and a sea wolf fish, and asked Ye Yaodong about longline fishing.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua agreed to have a few hundred hooks made after they caught a green grouper.
• Ye Yaodong scooped up a barking boxfish, recognized its poisonous surface, and returned it to the sea.
• Ye Yaohua was sprayed in the face by a squid, and the brothers later hauled up a bonito weighing just under thirty jin among their final catches.
• The brothers finished retrieving the longline, planned to try the method themselves, and Ye Yaodong fell asleep while they prepared to trawl.