Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye finished their trawling and longline work, then hauled in their deep-set gill net with the Rolling Wheel. They caught several toadfish and other fish, released a tiny red grouper, and found a piece of red coral in a parrotfish’s mouth.

• Ye Yaodong abandoned a branch line after hauling up a jellyfish, then cooked rice noodle soup with Father Ye.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye completed two trawling runs and retrieved longlines laden mostly with mullet and toadfish.
• Ye Yaodong retrieved the deep-set gill net using the Rolling Wheel and released a tiny red grouper after puncturing its swim bladder.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye removed a large string of toadfish and several other fish from the gill net.
• Ye Yaodong hauled up a parrotfish and found a small piece of red coral in its mouth, which he kept for his wife.

Ye Yaodong caught a red coral piece in a Parrotfish and learned that his family had thrown away baskets of coral, so he resolved to save any that remained. After bringing in a good catch and returning to shore, he prepared to take the Oarfish to town and explained its earthquake-and-tsunami reputation to his mother and nearby fishermen.

• Ye Yaodong found a bright red coral piece in a Parrotfish, then learned Father Ye’s family had discarded several baskets of coral brought by his eldest aunt.
• Father Ye said the old lady might still have some coral, and Ye Yaodong asked his parents to save any coral they found for him.
• Ye Yaodong sorted the day’s Toadfish and Mullet on the way home and considered setting more Gill Nets for bottom-dwelling fish.
• As the boat reached shore, Ye Yaodong said he would hire a tractor and take the Oarfish to the town pier.
• Mother Ye and nearby fishermen were astonished by the Oarfish, and Ye Yaodong explained that it was also called an Earthquake Fish because it might surface before an earthquake or tsunami.

Ye Yaodong brought his enormous oarfish ashore amid a crowd of curious villagers and prepared to take it to the town pier to attract bidders. After its size and weight were measured, he left by tractor with friends and relatives, while A-Guang joined them and heard how Ye Yaodong had found it.

• Ye Yaodong pushed through the crowd and told A-Cai he planned to take the oarfish to town rather than sell it through him.
• A-Cai measured the oarfish at 6.3 meters and weighed it at 196 jin and 4 liang after subtracting the board.
• Ye Yaodong and the villagers carried the oarfish onto a tractor, and he invited Xiao Xiao, A-Zheng, and his two cousins along.
• A-Guang joined the group and asked Ye Yaodong how he had found the oarfish.
• Ye Yaodong described spotting and following the strange shape at sea, then advised the others to investigate unusual things they encountered.

Ye Yaodong brought his enormous oarfish to Yujing Wharf and drew a crowd by parading it through town. He opened an auction among wealthy local bosses, and the bidding reached 820 yuan as the chapter ended.

• Ye Yaodong and his friends carried the oarfish aloft as they rode through town, attracting a crowd that followed them to Yujing Wharf.
• At the wharf, Ye Yaodong kept the fish on the tractor while the crowd gathered and waited for wealthy buyers to arrive.
• Hong Wenle and several local bosses arrived, and Ye Yaodong explained the oarfish’s size, rarity, and legend.
• Ye Yaodong started the auction at 300 yuan, and the bosses’ bids climbed steadily.
• Hong Wenle bid 820 yuan and offered to serve the oarfish at his hotel, but the other bosses continued considering their bids.

After selling the oarfish to Director Zhao for eight hundred yuan, Ye Yaodong arranged to return by boat to avoid being robbed on the road. As he waited at the pier with his companions, a tractor arrived and club-wielding men jumped out, forcing them to flee into the alleys.

• Director Zhao bought Ye Yaodong's oarfish for eight hundred yuan after Hong Wenle yielded his bid.
• Hong Wenle warned Ye Yaodong to leave quickly, and Ye Yaodong decided to take a boat home because the crowd might attract robbers.
• Ye Yaodong borrowed a telephone to ask his family to send a boat to the pier, while the tractor driver headed home separately.
• At the pier, Ye Yaodong and his companions joked while waiting and discussed how he might spend his money.
• A tractor pulled up at the pier, and men carrying clubs jumped off, so Ye Yaodong and his companions ran toward the alleys.

Ye Yaodong and his companions fought back against the thugs who had chased them through the red-light district, then captured and tied up all ten men. After learning the thugs had beaten a tractor driver to find them, Ye Yaodong and A-Guang prepared to haul the captives to the border defense station while Ye Yaodong’s father arrived with the boat.

• Ye Yaodong, A-Guang, and A-Zheng fled into a small shop, then turned around and beat two club-wielding pursuers, disarming and tying them up.
• Ye Yaodong and the others helped another companion fight off three more thugs, then found his two cousins emerging in disheveled clothes with five stripped-down men behind them.
• The group caught and tied up all five men, threw their clothes into the sea, and learned that the thugs had beaten a tractor driver to discover their location at the pier.
• Ye Yaodong’s father arrived with the boat, and the group gagged the ten captives with their own socks and strung them together.
• Ye Yaodong and A-Guang set off to take the captives to the border defense station while the others boarded the boat.

Ye Yaodong and A-Guang left the captured thugs tied to a tree near the Border Defense Station, then returned to the pier with the others and headed home. After giving Lin Xiuqing the eight hundred yuan from the oarfish sale and telling her about the catch, Ye Yaodong warned her to stay alert for possible earthquakes.

• Ye Yaodong and A-Guang tied the gagged thugs around an osmanthus tree near the Border Defense Station and left them there overnight.
• Ye Yaodong joked that he had lost the eight hundred yuan, alarming everyone before revealing the money was safe and getting mobbed for the prank.
• Ye Yaodong asked Father Ye about Uncle Zhou, then offered his two older male cousins money to make up for their trouble, but they refused.
• Ye Yaodong returned home and gave Lin Xiuqing the eight hundred yuan from the oarfish sale and a piece of red coral to keep.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing how he had caught the oarfish, cautioned her that going to sea was dangerous, and urged her to watch for signs of an earthquake.

After finding an oarfish, Ye Yaodong avoided going far out to sea as waves grew rough, then checked his fishing pots and visited Uncle Zhou. The village spent two nights fearing an earthquake or tsunami, and Ye Yaodong went to the People's Commune to look for news about what had caused the unsettled sea.

• Ye Yaodong turned his boat back when he encountered strong offshore waves, then later checked his coastal fishing pots and brought in a good catch.
• Ye Yaodong set aside shrimp and sea bass for Uncle Zhou, visited him, and learned that he had suffered only minor injuries.
• The villagers watched enormous waves crash offshore and feared an earthquake or tsunami, while Ye Yaodong's family stayed awake through the night.
• After nothing happened for two nights, villagers blamed Ye Yaodong's oarfish for frightening them, and Mother Ye defended him.
• Ye Yaodong went to the People's Commune to read the daily paper and search for news about the rough seas.

After learning about the recent earthquakes and tsunami, Ye Yaodong began studying old newspapers and teaching himself characters with Lin Xiuqing. When the weather cleared, he prepared to go fishing and reluctantly agreed to take Mother Ye and Ye Huimei to gather seafood on an island.

• Ye Yaodong borrowed newspapers from Secretary Chen, then teased Ye Chenghai about failing his tests and sent him running from Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law’s whip.
• Ye Yaodong read the newspapers at home, circled unfamiliar characters, and asked Lin Xiuqing to teach him while their sons waited for lunch.
• After the wind and waves eased, Ye Yaodong collected repaired fishing gear and reserved miscellaneous fish and shrimp for his trip.
• Mother Ye asked Ye Yaodong to drop her and several aunts on an island to gather seafood, and he agreed to take only her and two aunts.
• Ye Huimei pleaded with Father Ye and Ye Yaodong to join the trip, and Ye Yaodong finally agreed to take her instead of the aunts.

Ye Yaodong took his family out to set fishing gear near a familiar island, but at dawn they discovered a newly surfaced reef. As they approached, the family spotted abundant sea snails, small green lobsters, and abalone.

• Ye Yaodong brought extra food and took Ye Huimei, Mother Ye, and Father Ye aboard to help with the day's fishing.
• The family baited ten baskets of longline hooks, set the lines and gill nets, then headed toward the nearby island.
• Father Ye noticed the island's surroundings looked different, and the family waited aboard until daylight to investigate.
• At sunrise, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye realized a dark rocky islet might be a submerged reef pushed above the sea.
• Ye Yaodong steered closer, and the family saw large sea snails, small green lobsters, and abalone covering the reef.

Ye Yaodong and his family discovered a newly exposed reef covered in abalone, sea snails, crabs, and small green lobsters, and began gathering the bounty. As Ye Yaodong and Father Ye continued harvesting, the family agreed to split the catch and keep a few lobsters to eat.

• Ye Yaodong and his family found that an earthquake had raised a vast stretch of seabed above the sea, exposing reefs packed with marine life.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye entered the water and used hooks to pry abalone and sea snails off the rocks while Mother Ye and Ye Huimei scooped up small green lobsters and crabs.
• When the quick-moving lobsters and crabs escaped into the sea, Ye Yaodong told Mother Ye and Ye Huimei to count their catch and then go dig for shellfish on a nearby island.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye filled their buckets with abalone and sea snails, and Ye Yaodong proposed splitting the day’s catch evenly with his father.
• Ye Huimei counted twenty-six small green lobsters, and Ye Yaodong persuaded his mother and father to keep a few for the family to eat.

Ye Yaodong persuaded his parents to save some abalones and green lobsters for the family to eat while they gathered seafood from the reefs. After breakfast, he and Father Ye realized the reef was sinking despite the outgoing tide, so they hurried to collect as much as they could.

• Ye Yaodong convinced Father Ye to keep green lobsters and abalones for the family, including the grandchildren.
• Father Ye took Mother Ye and Ye Huimei to the nearby island, then returned to help Ye Yaodong gather abalones and sea snails.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye paused to cook and eat rice noodles with abalones alongside Mother Ye and Ye Huimei.
• Ye Yaodong noticed the water rising around the reef despite the outgoing tide, and Father Ye agreed that the reef was sinking.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye rushed back to gathering seafood before the reef sank further.

Ye Yaodong and his family gathered abalone and shellfish from the sinking reef before the rising tide forced them to stop, then hauled in their fishing net. The family headed home with a good catch, while Ye Huimei excitedly experienced her first fishing trip and was teased about going to sea with her future husband.

• Father Ye fetched Mother Ye and Ye Huimei to help Ye Yaodong pry shellfish from the sinking reef, and the four filled two more sacks before the rising tide submerged it.
• The family gave up collecting shellfish, counted their catch, and planned to head home after retrieving another sack and hauling in their nets.
• Ye Yaodong showed Ye Huimei how to release a small coral reef fish safely, and she helped free fish and shellfish from the gill net.
• Ye Huimei delightedly found a large small green lobster and asked to haul in the longline, but Mother Ye embarrassed her by mentioning her future husband.

Ye Huimei eagerly helped Ye Yaodong haul in the longlines and proved lucky, bringing up several valuable fish. The family continued retrieving the final hooks after she landed a nearly thirty-pound cobia.

• Ye Yaodong hauled a juvenile grey blue shark aboard after battling it on the longline.
• Ye Huimei began hauling hooks herself and caught a large yellow croaker, followed by several other good fish, including a yellow-spotted grouper.
• Ye Huimei found a heavy fish on the final row, and Ye Yaodong helped her bring a nearly thirty-pound giant cobia aboard.
• Father Ye and Mother Ye praised Ye Huimei, who proudly resumed hauling the remaining line.

Ye Yaodong and his family returned early with a decent fish haul, Small Green Lobsters, and three and a half sacks of Abalone from a reef raised by a recent earthquake. A-Cai was astonished by their catch as the family prepared to sort and sell it.

• Ye Huimei and Mother Ye persuaded Ye Yaodong to take them shore gathering again next month so they could dry more supplies before the New Year.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye brought their catch to A-Cai’s buying station, where A-Cai was impressed by the Giant Cobia and surprised by the Small Green Lobsters.
• A-Cai discovered the family had brought three and a half sacks of Abalone and Large Sea Snails, and Mother Ye excitedly explained how they had found them.
• Ye Yaodong explained that an earthquake had briefly raised the submerged reef and urged A-Cai to sort and weigh the catch before the other boats arrived.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye brought a huge haul of abalone and sea snails back to the pier, then Ye Yaodong rested and helped dry toadfish at home. After hearing village gossip about his catch, he saw a truck arrive at the Village Center to recruit people to sort dried shrimp.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye weighed their catch at the pier, where A-Cai recorded the weights and promised to find buyers for the abalone and sea snails.
• Ye Yaodong took small green lobsters home to eat, while he and his family left the pier as the crowd gathered to admire their haul.
• Lin Xiuqing prepared food and ginger water for Ye Yaodong, then nearly fainted while cleaning fish, so Ye Yaodong took over and sent her to cook dinner.
• Ye Yaodong rested at home and cleaned and salted toadfish for drying while Lin Xiuqing and Mother Ye helped with the fish.
• Ye Yaodong heard exaggerated rumors about his abalone haul during a village stroll, then watched a truck driver recruit villagers to sort dried shrimp for one mao per jin.

Ye Yaodong joined Lin Xiuqing and the villagers in sorting dried shrimp, bought some for his children, and suggested a way to prevent workers from stealing. After earning sixty cents, he planned to go out at high tide to search for his missing fishing pots.

• Mother Ye, Lin Xiuqing, and the children went with Ye Yaodong to the grain-drying ground to sort shrimp.
• The truck driver caught a woman stealing shrimp and sent her away, then warned the workers not to sneak bites.
• Ye Yaodong bought shrimp for Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang and learned from the driver that the shrimp had come from Shenjiamen.
• The driver dismissed A-Wei's wife after catching her stealing, and Ye Yaodong suggested weighing out fixed portions and deducting any shortages from workers' pay.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing sorted shrimp for two or three hours and earned sixty cents.
• After lunch, Lin Xiuqing returned to sorting while Ye Yaodong planned to search for his missing fishing pots once the tide rose.

Ye Yaodong searched for his missing fishing pots and hauled in several strings, finding many moray eels but losing most of the catch to spoilage. He found more pots and uncovered a giant mud crab, while some of his catch appeared to have been stolen.

• Ye Yaodong spoke with Father Pei at the pier before heading out to look for his missing fishing pots.
• A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao told Ye Yaodong where they had seen two of his buoys, and Ye Yaodong hauled in the pots and found three live moray eels.
• Ye Yaodong hauled in another string containing six moray eels, separated them into buckets, and crushed one that attacked his boot.
• Ye Yaodong found more pots, but one string held only a meager catch, leading him to suspect someone had stolen from it.
• Ye Yaodong found another string of pots and hauled up an enormous mud crab.

Ye Yaodong recovered four strings of fishing pots and sold a profitable haul of moray eels, crabs, and other catch, while brushing off rumors that he was close to becoming a ten-thousand-yuan household. At home, his grandmother gave him the coral branches she had saved, and they talked about his recovery and preparations for the winter solstice.

• Ye Yaodong gave up searching for his two missing strings of fishing pots, returned the four he had found to the water, and brought his catch ashore with Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng's help.
• Ye Yaodong showed off his mud crab king and rejected the suggestion that he was nearly a ten-thousand-yuan household, joking that he was still ten thousand yuan short.
• Ye Yaodong sold twenty-eight moray eels for thirty yuan and ninety-six fen, the mud crab king for four yuan, and the rest of his fresh catch for fifteen yuan and change.
• Ye Yaodong's grandmother gave him the coral branches she had saved after his father told her Ye Yaodong wanted them.
• Ye Yaodong told his grandmother that his father could drink the sea snake wine for his leg pain, and they discussed making extra rice dumplings for the winter solstice.

Ye Yaodong returned home with coral, cooked dinner with Lin Xiuqing, and discussed preparations for the winter solstice and his younger sister’s wedding. After dinner, he collected 1,080 yuan from A-Cai for the abalone, sea snails, and extra catch, then prepared to divide the money with those who had helped earn it.

• Ye Yaodong gave the fish and shrimp at the Old House to his mother for her chickens and brought home the coral the old lady had given him.
• Ye Yaodong teased his sons while preparing fish, and Lin Xiuqing cooked a hot-and-sour silver pomfret soup for dinner.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing agreed to harvest radishes and sweet potatoes, plant greens, and finish preparing his younger sister’s dowry.
• Lin Xiuqing asked whether Ye Yaodong could collect the abalone money, and he said he had arranged to meet A-Cai after dinner.
• A-Cai told Ye Yaodong that the abalone, sea snails, and extra catch had sold for 1,080 yuan, which Ye Yaodong collected before leaving to split the money.