Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong divided the 1,080 yuan from the abalone and sea-snail catch with his parents and rewarded Ye Huimei for helping. Later, he walked home with A-Guang and learned that villagers were upset after his older cousin's family stopped letting them watch television; Ye Yaodong said he would not share a television he bought.

• Ye Yaodong brought 1,080 yuan from A-Cai's house to the Old House, where Mother Ye counted it with Father Ye.
• Ye Yaodong offered his parents most of the money, but Father Ye insisted they split it evenly; Ye Yaodong also gave Ye Huimei forty yuan, and Father Ye persuaded Mother Ye to give her another note.
• A-Guang arrived with fish from his maternal uncle, and Ye Yaodong left with him, hearing that A-Guang's boat was repaired and ready to sail again.
• Ye Yaodong and A-Guang heard villagers complain that Ye Yaodong's older cousin's family had stopped letting them watch television.
• Ye Yaodong watched his Eldest Cousin's Wife sweep up the villagers' litter, then told A-Guang he would not carry a television outside for the village if he bought one.

Ye Yaodong helped his family harvest sweet potatoes and make sweet potato starch, while joking with his wife and relatives. The chapter ended with him slipping away from the women’s questions about his sudden success and rumored wealth.

• Ye Yaodong woke to find that Ye Chengyang had peed on his chest, then got up and took the children to help harvest sweet potatoes and radishes.
• Lin Xiuqing helped Ye Yaodong in the field, where they discussed drying sweet potato slices and whether to make starch.
• Ye Chenghai asked Ye Yaodong to save him a roasted sweet potato, but fled when his mother appeared with a switch.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing dug sweet potatoes while their sons pulled radishes, then Ye Yaodong went to the Old House to help his parents make starch.
• Father Ye ground the sweet potatoes, and Mother Ye filtered the slurry so it could settle before being washed and dried into starch.
• The women praised Ye Yaodong’s change and asked about his rumored wealth, and he joked with them before leaving.

Ye Yaodong helped Lin Xiuqing process their radish and sweet potato harvest, then learned Secretary Chen wanted to report him as a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household. Ye Yaodong denied having enough money, and Secretary Chen left to stop the report.

• Ye Yaodong shredded radishes while his sons coated sweet potatoes with mud mixed from their own urine, so he took over preparing them for roasting.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing spent two more days harvesting radishes and sweet potatoes, replanting the field, and finishing most of the household work.
• Ye Yaodong checked on his father's rheumatism at the Old House and was intercepted by Secretary Chen, who asked to speak at his home.
• Secretary Chen told Ye Yaodong the county wanted to honor Ten-Thousand-Yuan Households and asked whether he qualified, offering to lend him money to reach the amount.
• Ye Yaodong insisted he was far short of ten thousand yuan and joked that he was impotent, prompting Secretary Chen to leave and try to stop the report.

Ye Yaodong tried to avoid being named a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household after the village committee submitted his name without his consent, but he kept fishing rather than waiting at home. As the winter solstice approached, Lin Xiuqing began making Grass-Wrapped Kueh, and Ye Yaodong helped prepare the ingredients and dough.

• Secretary Chen told Ye Yaodong the village committee had already submitted his name for Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household recognition and proposed lending him the money he lacked.
• Ye Yaodong refused to take the spot, objected to the village committee's decision, and continued going out to sea for four days.
• Ye Yaodong earned steady money from fishing and checking his Fishing Pots before rain and cold weather kept the family indoors.
• Lin Xiuqing decided to make Grass-Wrapped Kueh for the winter solstice, and Ye Yaodong bought squid and pork for the filling.
• Lin Xiuqing and Ye Yaodong prepared the savory filling and sweet potato dough, planning to make extra dumplings and some sweet ones.

Ye Yaodong tried to avoid a visit from county officials who had come to recognize the village’s Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household. He claimed the village had confused his name with his cousin Ye Yaohong’s, and the officials agreed to visit Ye Yaohong’s family instead.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing made grass-wrapped kueh, shared some with relatives, and kept the rest for their family.
• Secretary Chen told Ye Yaodong that county officials were coming to learn about his fishing success and recognize him as a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household.
• When the officials arrived, Ye Yaodong introduced his Eldest Cousin's Wife and said the report had mistaken him for Ye Yaohong.
• Secretary Chen backed Ye Yaodong’s explanation, and Ye Yaodong's Eldest Cousin's Wife enthusiastically confirmed that Ye Yaohong’s family was the Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household.
• County Magistrate Wu accepted the explanation, and Ye Yaodong's Eldest Cousin's Wife led the officials toward her home.

After the village mistakenly named Ye Yaodong as a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household, the officials and villagers went to recognize Ye Yaohong instead. Ye Yaodong watched the crowd gathering at his cousin’s house and suspected the investment scheme would soon collapse, while he returned to ordinary family chores and prepared to go fishing.

• Ye Yaodong explained to his family that the village had meant to name Eldest Cousin, Ye Yaohong, as a Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household, and his relatives looked forward to collecting interest from him.
• Lin Xiuqing and Ye Yaodong wrung out bedding, and she searched Ye Chenghu’s hair for lice while Ye Chengyang watched.
• Ye Yaodong warmed Lin Xiuqing’s hands with clam-shell balm, then went to the Old House after deciding he might head out to sea that night.
• Ye Yaodong stopped outside Ye Yaohong’s house and found a larger crowd than before, with villagers praising Ye Yaohong and hoping to invest in his business.
• Ye Yaodong heard villagers plan to wait for the next interest payment before investing and concluded that Ye Yaohong’s scheme would soon collapse, making the New Year difficult for the village.

Ye Yaodong learned that county officials were investigating his cousin’s Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household nomination, then took his family to gather seafood at Oarfish Island. As the tide receded, he spotted something ahead that shocked him, but the chapter ended before revealing what it was.

• Ye Yaodong watched the county officials leave his eldest cousin’s house after they failed to resolve questions about the Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household nomination.
• Ye Yaodong told his family the village committee had confused the names, then arranged to go out to sea with his father that night.
• Ye Yaodong brought Mother Ye and Ye Huimei to Oarfish Island, caught a large red octopus, and warned Ye Huimei to be careful on the rocks.
• Ye Yaodong stayed to gather seafood with his family instead of trawling, and they filled several sacks as the tide went out.
• Ye Yaodong looked across the receding shore, saw something startling, and felt the hair on his arms stand on end.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye found a decomposing man’s corpse drifting toward the deserted island and decided to bury him rather than leave him at sea. After the family offered incense and prayers at the grave, they left the island, believing the dead man had been given a place to rest.

• Ye Huimei and Ye Yaodong spotted a corpse drifting toward the island, and Father Ye joined them as Mother Ye and Ye Huimei recoiled in fear.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye recalled the superstition that ignoring a corpse at sea brought misfortune, so they decided to haul him ashore and bury him.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye dragged the corpse up the island, dug a pit, and buried him despite their fear and disgust.
• Ye Yaodong asked Father Ye to bring incense and offerings, then prayed for the dead man to find peace in his next life.
• Father Ye returned with Mother Ye and Ye Huimei, and the family bowed, lit incense, and left the grave.

After the family buried the remains they had found, they tried to calm their fears and continued foraging while the low tide kept them ashore. Ye Yaodong discovered a huge gathering of horseshoe crabs around the fishing boat, leaving the family to collect them and wonder whether their recent good fortune came from sea luck.

• Father Ye burned talisman papers over the family, and Mother Ye suggested arranging rites after they returned.
• The family decided to keep foraging until the tide rose, and Ye Yaodong went to the boat to fetch food.
• Ye Yaodong spotted many horseshoe crabs surrounding the fishing boat and called the others over to help gather them.
• Ye Yaodong explained that horseshoe crabs were also called couple fish, and the family filled bamboo baskets with them.
• Mother Ye and Father Ye wondered whether the catch was a reward for burying the remains, while Ye Yaodong credited the family's strong sea luck.

Ye Yaodong and his family collected a boatload of Couple Fish and returned with a profitable catch, then prepared for Ye Huimei’s engagement the next day. That night, Ye Yaodong dreamed that a drowned corpse had his own old face, but he put the fright aside and went back to sleep beside Lin Xiuqing.

• Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, Mother Ye, and Ye Huimei gathered the Couple Fish and shellfish before the rising tide, then hauled in their longline and gill net, which yielded tiger prawns.
• Ye Yaodong kept some Couple Fish and tiger prawns for the family and sold the rest of the Couple Fish, earning over a hundred yuan from them and nearly two hundred yuan from the day's catch in total.
• Ye Yaodong cleaned the Couple Fish for Lin Xiuqing to cook and kept quiet about finding a floating corpse at sea.
• Ye Yaodong woke from a nightmare in which the corpse's face became his own old face, then comforted Ye Chengyang and reassured Lin Xiuqing that he was fine.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed preparing New Year gifts and supplies, joked together in bed, and Lin Xiuqing told him to sleep on the little bed after he teased her.

Ye Huimei became engaged to A-Guang, and Ye Yaodong slept off the banquet before discussing New Year visits with Lin Xiuqing. After returning from her family’s home, they heard that their sisters-in-law were considering investing more money with Eldest Cousin and warned them to wait; Ye Yaodong suspected Eldest Cousin’s Wife would be blamed for the women’s enthusiasm.

• Ye Huimei got engaged to A-Guang, who arrived with wedding sweets and took her to the banquet with her three brothers.
• Ye Yaodong slept until nightfall after drinking at the banquet, then called Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang inside to eat.
• Lin Xiuqing arranged for the couple to deliver New Year gifts to her family on the sixth, and they made the visit together.
• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law told Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing that Eldest Cousin had returned and paid them interest, and they considered investing more money.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing urged the women to wait before investing more, and Ye Yaodong predicted Eldest Cousin’s Wife would be beaten over it.

Ye Yaodong warned his family that Ye Yaohong was likely running off with the villagers’ investments, and his brothers and parents agreed not to put in more money. After hearing that Ye Yaohong had beaten his wife over the Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household title, Ye Yaodong remained sure the scheme would soon collapse and ended the day helping his family roll rice balls.

• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law returned from Ye Yaohong’s house after learning that villagers were investing money before he left, and Ye Yaodong urged his brothers not to invest more.
• Ye Yaodong warned Mother Ye and Father Ye that Ye Yaohong was likely collecting one last batch of money before fleeing, and they agreed not to get involved.
• Ye Yaodong ran into Ye Yaohong carrying a Combination Lock Case and taunted him about the Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household title before Ye Yaohong hurried away.
• Ye Second Sister-in-Law reported that Ye Yaohong had beaten his wife badly after she brought the title to the village committee, and Ye Yaodong said his suspicions were confirmed.
• Ye Yaodong joined Lin Xiuqing and the children in rolling rice balls, joking with them about rolling little balls and making big money.

Lin Xiuqing performed the winter-solstice Kitchen God offerings while Ye Yaodong read about corruption and pyramid schemes. After the village committee discovered Ye Yaohong's wife had been beaten, villagers who had invested in his scheme stormed his home demanding their money back.

• Lin Xiuqing arranged offerings to the Kitchen God and Kitchen Goddess, and Ye Chenghai burned a hole in his clothes while setting off firecrackers.
• Ye Yaodong read a newspaper report about a corruption case and decided not to risk joining illicit business himself.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing suspected Ye Yaohong might be running a pyramid scheme after noticing a newspaper warning about one.
• Village committee members entered Ye Yaohong's home and found Eldest Cousin's Wife and her eldest daughter visibly injured.
• News of the pyramid scheme spread, and angry investors gathered at Ye Yaohong's home to demand their money back.

Ye Yaodong heard that Ye Yaohong had been exposed as a suspected pyramid-scheme operator, and he went to see creditors confront the family at Ye Yaohong’s home. The crowd dispersed without resolving whether the money could be recovered, while Ye Yaodong learned that both sisters-in-law had invested a thousand yuan and anticipated more trouble when their husbands returned.

• Lin Xiuqing sent Ye Yaodong to buy vinegar, and he overheard villagers discussing Ye Yaohong’s sudden departure and suspected scam.
• Ye Yaodong went to Ye Yaohong’s home, where creditors demanded repayment and relatives tried to calm them by asking them to wait until the deadline passed.
• After the crowd left, Ye Yaodong learned that Ye Second Sister-in-Law had invested one thousand yuan and Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law had secretly increased her investment to the same amount.
• Father Ye scolded both women for handing over their savings without consulting their husbands, while Ye Yaodong left them to explain themselves when their husbands returned.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing what had happened, and she kept the children from going next door when scolding began.

Ye Yaodong’s family dealt with the fallout after his sisters-in-law nearly lost their money, then celebrated Ye Huimei’s wedding. During the festivities, Ye Yaodong warned Lin Jishang about a coastal crackdown and later learned that officials had found evidence against Ye Yaohong and were preparing to arrest him.

• Mother Ye and the Ye brothers harshly scolded Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law for nearly handing over the family’s money.
• Ye Yaodong carried Ye Huimei out for her wedding, gave her two hundred yuan as a nest egg, and celebrated with her at A-Guang’s home.
• Ye Yaodong warned Lin Jishang that a crackdown had begun and asked him to look for a net hauler without breaking the law.
• Secretary Chen told Ye Yaodong that officials had found evidence of Ye Yaohong’s smuggling and were preparing to arrest him.
• Ye Yaodong walked toward Ye Huimei’s return-visit banquet, thinking the arrest might happen within days.

After Ye Yaohong was exposed, villagers descended on his home and looted his belongings while Ye Yaodong and his relatives tried to protect the children and recover stolen items. Days later, Ye Yaohong was arrested, and Ye Yaodong’s teasing of Ye Chenghai ended with the boy being chased with a whip for boasting that education was unnecessary.

• Villagers crowded into Ye Yaohong’s home and fought over his appliances and other possessions after news of his scheme spread.
• Ye Yaodong, A-Guang, and the other Ye brothers stopped two young men who were attacking children and stealing from Eldest Cousin’s Wife, then recovered a watch and other belongings.
• Three days later, villagers learned that Ye Yaohong had been arrested on suspicion of smuggling, and they continued cursing his family over their lost money.
• Ye Yaopeng argued with Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law about her decision to invest more money with Ye Yaohong, while Ye Chenghai complained to Ye Yaodong about studying and work.
• Ye Chenghai said that people could do big things without an education, and Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law grabbed a whip and chased him for refusing to study.

After Little New Year offerings, Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing spotted glowing blue waves, which he recognized as blue tears caused by Noctiluca. The village watched the rare winter bloom for three nights, and by the fourth evening it had receded.

• Ye Yaodong helped Lin Xiuqing prepare dried sweet potatoes, and the neighborhood children turned his home into their base for roasting them.
• On Little New Year, Ye Yaodong bought offerings for the Kitchen God, and the family celebrated after the offerings were taken down.
• Ye Yaodong noticed blue light in the waves and called Lin Xiuqing outside; he explained that the glow was blue tears, a kind of red tide.
• The children and villagers gathered to watch the blue waves, while Ye Yaodong reassured them that the Noctiluca was nontoxic.
• After the children spread the news, more than half the village came to the shore the next evening to watch the blue tears glow among the waves and rocks.
• The blue tears lasted three days and had disappeared by the fourth evening, relieving villagers who hoped they would not disrupt fishing after New Year.

Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing and their children to the crowded market, where the family enjoyed New Year treats and had their first family portrait taken. They left the market outing with sugar figures and plans to collect their photographs in a week.

• Ye Chenghai asked Ye Yaodong to secretly return half his lucky money after his mother confiscated it, and Ye Yaodong told him they would discuss it later.
• Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing and the children by minibus to the market, where they navigated the crowds and bought cotton candy.
• Ye Yaodong suggested a family portrait, and the four of them posed for two photographs that would be ready in about a week.
• Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang spun for sugar figures, landing on a tiger and a monkey, and watched the craftsman make them.

Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing and their children to the market, where he arranged to buy three Angong Niuhuang Wan pills for the elderly in the family despite not having enough cash on hand. After browsing the market, the family went to the cinema to watch Shaolin Temple, leaving Ye Yaodong's promise to collect the medicine at the hotel for later that afternoon.

• Ye Yaodong ran into Hong Wenle at a pharmacy and learned he had bought Angong Niuhuang Wan for his elderly relatives.
• Ye Yaodong decided to buy the three remaining pills for the elderly in his family, but Lin Xiuqing pointed out they had not brought enough money.
• Hong Wenle paid for the three pills and told Ye Yaodong to find him at the hotel that afternoon to collect them.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing continued around the market, buying snacks and treats for their children.
• Ye Yaodong bought two tickets for Shaolin Temple from a scalper and took his family into the cinema.
• Ye Yaodong, Lin Xiuqing, and their children settled into their seats and watched the movie as the screening began.

After a family outing, Ye Yaodong bought the promised medicine and checked on his elderly grandmother, who had given money to his cousin’s family. He returned home to find his sons had shaved their heads to imitate the martial artists they had seen at the cinema.

• Ye Yaodong took his family home from the outing, shared snacks with his nieces and nephews, and rode to town to buy five pills from Hong Wenle.
• Ye Yaodong visited the Old House and found that his grandmother had gone to Eldest Cousin’s home, where she gave the family fifty yuan for the New Year.
• Ye Yaodong escorted his tearful grandmother home and reassured her that she should enjoy the holiday instead of worrying about her descendants.
• Ye Yaodong returned home to find Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang with shaved heads, practicing martial arts moves after Lin Xiuqing took them to get their hair cut.