Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong returned home with Dragon-and-Phoenix Soup after joking and eating with his friends, then helped settle his family for the night. He ended up sleeping at the opposite end of the bed from Lin Xiuqing, thwarting his hopes of getting close to her.

• Ye Yaodong joked with his childhood friends, helped clean up, and took leftover Dragon-and-Phoenix Soup home for his wife and sons.
• Ye Yaodong found the front door locked, woke Lin Xiuqing at the window, and persuaded her to let him in with the soup.
• Lin Xiuqing heated the soup and fed the boys while Ye Yaodong changed and asked how much the mud crabs had sold for.
• Ye Yaodong told the boys to settle down, and Lin Xiuqing soothed them to sleep before lying beside him.
• Lin Xiuqing moved to the opposite end of the bed, so Ye Yaodong got up and moved there too.

Ye Yaodong tried to rekindle intimacy with Lin Xiuqing, but his embarrassing performance and the creaking bed frustrated them both. He promised to build a better life with her after the household split, then woke when one of their sons wet the bed and Lin Xiuqing went to care for the children.

• Ye Yaodong initiated sex with Lin Xiuqing, but finished quickly and felt his pride take a hit.
• Ye Yaodong persuaded Lin Xiuqing to cuddle with him and moved them to the foot of the bed, where the creaking boards interrupted their intimacy.
• Ye Yaodong promised Lin Xiuqing they would make a good life together after the family split into separate households, but she dismissed his words.
• A child cried after wetting the bed, and Lin Xiuqing got up to cover the children with the sheet, leaving Ye Yaodong unable to hold her through the night.

Ye Yaodong woke early and heard his sisters-in-law insist that he help with the house construction, then discovered he could not stomach the household privy and resolved to improve his life. After breakfast, he offered to help his grandmother pick corn and took Ye Chengyang outside.

• Ye Yaodong woke as Lin Xiuqing dressed the children, and Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang teased him for being a lazybones.
• Ye Second Sister-in-Law and Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law urged the family to have Ye Yaodong help with the upcoming house construction.
• Ye Yaodong got up, avoided the privy after seeing the toilet bucket and hearing blowflies, and decided he needed a proper toilet.
• Ye Yaodong ate dried Bombay duck with congee and offered to pick corn for his grandmother.
• Ye Yaodong carried his bowl to the back door and took Ye Chengyang outside to play.

Ye Yaodong took his younger son and the old lady to pick corn and snake gourds, with several children joining them. After gathering their crops and catching Ye Chenghu picking from a neighboring plot, they found Ye Chengyang gnawing on a vine-bound snake gourd and headed home with the children dirty and in high spirits.

• Ye Yaodong left with his younger son and the old lady to pick a small amount of corn and snake gourds for the family.
• Ye Chenghu and the other children spotted them and eagerly ran along to help gather crops.
• Ye Yaodong warned the children to pick only ripe corn, then limited them to a few ears each so the old lady would not sell the whole harvest.
• Ye Chenghu returned with corn from a neighboring plot, and Ye Yaodong added it to their sack while telling him not to pick other people's crops again.
• The family realized Ye Chengyang was missing, then found him gnawing on a snake gourd still attached to its vine; it swung into his forehead and knocked him backward.

Ye Yaodong helped his family and brother with chores, showing more responsibility than he had in the past. After leaving Ye Yaohua to burn weeds for fertilizer, he noticed the receding tide and headed home to get his hook and bucket.

• Ye Yaodong returned home with the children, where Lin Xiuqing scolded Ye Chenghu for his torn, dirty clothes.
• Ye Yaodong ignored the neighbors' gossip and went to check on Ye Yaohua's work at the building plot.
• Ye Yaodong offered to push Ye Yaohua's cart of weeds to an open area by the beach so they could be burned for ash.
• After Ye Yaohua began burning the weeds, Ye Yaodong left and saw people digging along the exposed beach as the tide receded.
• Ye Yaodong decided to go home for his hook and bucket so he could search the beach near the pier.

Ye Yaodong joined his family and friends for shore foraging at the pier, where his first catches quickly stirred everyone’s competitive spirit. He continued searching the rocky shallows, pleased with his luck as the group spread out to forage.

• Ye Yaodong met his friends at home, gathered his tools, and set off with them for the pier.
• Ye Yaodong’s family had already reached the beach, where Lin Xiuqing told the children to stay out of the water.
• Ye Yaodong headed to the rocky shore while the children stayed with the adults to dig for clams.
• Ye Yaodong uncovered a tiger prawn beneath a rock, and Xiao Xiao found a mudskipper.
• Ye Yaodong found two stone crabs beneath another rock and continued farther along the beach.

Ye Yaodong found a nest of large blood clams and then spotted a tiger grouper beneath a rock, while his friends envied his luck and teased A-Guang about changing his unlucky name. The group gathered around as Ye Yaodong prepared to drive the grouper out from under the rock.

• Ye Yaodong found and collected eighteen or nineteen large blood clams, impressing Xiao Xiao, A-Zheng, Chen Wei, and A-Guang with his haul.
• A-Guang chased Ye Yaodong away from his searching patch because his own bucket was nearly empty, and Ye Yaodong joked that A-Guang's name brought bad luck.
• Ye Yaodong suggested A-Guang change his name to Pei Shun, and the group laughed and teased one another about names, fortune-telling, and martial arts manuals.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a tiger grouper beneath a large rock and called the others over.
• Ye Yaodong told A-Guang to move aside so he could use fire tongs to make the grouper swim out.

Ye Yaodong caught a large tiger grouper and brought it to Lin Xiuqing to sell at the buying station along with his blood clams. After his family praised his luck and urged him to keep searching the beach, he returned to look for more seafood.

• Ye Yaodong coaxed a tiger grouper from beneath a rock and caught it with Xiao Xiao's bucket.
• Ye Yaodong decided to sell the grouper, and Xiao Xiao returned the bucket to him filled with seawater.
• Ye Yaodong brought the grouper to Lin Xiuqing and asked her to take it to the buying station.
• Ye Mother insisted that Lin Xiuqing sell Ye Yaodong's blood clams with the grouper, and Ye Yaodong removed the stone crabs so she could take them.
• Ye Mother urged Ye Yaodong to keep searching the beach, and he headed back down to look for more seafood.

Ye Yaodong and his friends searched the shore at low tide, and Ye Yaodong found a particularly good haul, including two Black Octopuses. As the group headed home, they planned to pool their catches and share a meal and drinks at A-Guang’s place that evening.

• A-Guang showed Ye Yaodong the lone Cat's Eye Snail he had found, and Ye Yaodong soon spotted another large one nearby.
• Ye Yaodong searched the shore with his friends as the tide returned, filling his bucket with catches including Stone Crabs and Mudskippers.
• Just as the group prepared to leave, Ye Yaodong found a Black Octopus beneath a rock, then uncovered another when they moved it.
• The group noticed A-Guang had already gone home after finding little, and Ye Yaodong suggested they pool their catches for dinner and drinks at A-Guang’s place.
• Ye Yaodong and his friends agreed to invite Fatty and have him bring homemade rice wine.

Ye Yaodong took the children home from the beach, where they had buried Ye Chengyang in the sand, and helped them bathe while their mothers stayed behind. The bath descended into splashing and teasing, leaving Ye Yaodong soaked and helpless.

• Ye Yaodong scolded the children for burying Ye Chengyang and took them home to wash and eat.
• Ye Yaodong handed the bucket of seafood to A-Zheng and walked the children home, answering Ye Chenghai’s questions along the way.
• Ye Yaodong brought hot water to the backyard and helped the younger children bathe while the older ones washed themselves.
• Ye Chengyang splashed Ye Yaodong during his bath, and Ye Chenghai drenched him with leftover basin water.

Ye Yaodong washed up, joked with Lin Xiuqing and their children, then ate sweet potato vermicelli with his family. Ye Mother told him to go to the dock in an hour to help sort the catch, and he agreed, hoping to see what the boats had brought in.

• Lin Xiuqing returned and told Ye Yaodong to wash himself while she washed their son.
• Ye Yaodong searched for clothes, teased Lin Xiuqing, and accidentally tangled Ye Chengyang in a sheet, making him cry.
• Ye Yaodong ate sweet potato vermicelli soup with sand clams while Ye Mother continued making vermicelli sheets.
• Ye Mother ordered Ye Yaodong to go to the dock in an hour and help sort the catch as his father and the others returned.
• Ye Yaodong promised to go, wondering what the boats might catch and thinking he wanted a boat of his own.

Ye Yaodong asked A-Guang about borrowing a small boat so he could get used to going to sea and forage around nearby uninhabited islands. A-Guang planned to ask his aunt’s husband the next morning, and Ye Yaodong invited their friends to join if he secured the boat.

• Ye Yaodong told A-Guang he wanted to try a small boat before going out to sea with his father, and A-Guang offered to ask to borrow his injured aunt’s husband’s boat.
• Ye Yaodong suggested they visit an uninhabited island during the next day’s spring tide, and A-Guang agreed to check about the boat in the morning.
• Ye Yaodong explained that he needed to work harder because his family would soon split into separate households, and A-Guang invited him to find work at Yujing Wharf.
• Ye Yaodong invited the card players on the trip, but Fatty declined, Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng agreed, and A-Wei refused.

Ye Yaodong helped his family sort and sell their fishing catch at the wharf, surprising them with how quickly he worked. He left again after returning home, while Ye Mother planned how to keep the household’s seafood and sons’ work in order.

• Ye Yaodong went to the wharf, where Ye Mother was waiting for the returning fishing boats.
• Ye Father and Ye Yaopeng brought in a catch of crabs, mantis shrimp, shrimp, fish, and other seafood, and Ye Yaodong helped sort and bind it.
• Ye Mother estimated the catch would sell for over thirty yuan before fuel and repair costs, and Ye Yaopeng invited Ye Yaodong to take turns fishing.
• Ye Yaodong avoided the invitation and left after reaching home, saying he would not be back for dinner.
• Ye Mother told her daughters-in-law to divide some seafood for their parents and set aside a good share for Lin Xiuqing to take to hers later.

Ye Yaodong persuaded Lin Xiuqing to let him skip shore gathering if A-Guang could borrow a boat, so he could explore an uninhabited island and test his fear of going out to sea. The next morning, his grandmother secretly gave him a boiled egg for nourishment before he set out.

• Ye Yaodong returned tipsy from A-Guang's house, and Lin Xiuqing agreed to go shore gathering with him again after he promised to help her.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing that he might explore an uninhabited island with A-Guang if they could borrow a boat, and she urged him to be careful.
• Ye Yaodong said he would try a short trip to see whether he got seasick, despite his family's hopes that he would go out to sea.
• Ye Yaodong's grandmother secretly tucked a boiled egg into his pocket, saying he needed nourishment after several days of shore gathering.

Ye Yaodong hurried A-Guang out of bed to arrange a boat rental for their planned trip to sea. A-Guang secured the boat for two yuan plus fuel, and they planned to meet at the wharf before noon.

• Ye Yaodong left home early and woke A-Guang, pestering him to ask his aunt about borrowing a boat.
• A-Guang got up, and the two traded jokes and insults before he went to speak with his aunt and uncle.
• A-Guang returned and said the boat could be rented for two yuan for half a day, with Ye Yaodong agreeing to cover the cost.
• A-Guang said he had already paid, so Ye Yaodong agreed to use his two yuan for diesel instead.
• Ye Yaodong told A-Guang to buy diesel at the wharf around ten thirty, and they agreed to take the boat out after the tide went out.

Ye Yaodong went to the building plot and helped his eldest brother, Ye Yaopeng, haul yellow earth for the house. After accidentally tipping over a barrow, he returned home sweaty and prepared to gather seafood.

• Ye Yaodong remembered that construction would begin the next day and went to the plot to check on Ye Yaopeng's work.
• Ye Yaodong offered to help Ye Yaopeng carry yellow earth and pushed a barrow up the hill.
• Ye Yaodong tipped the loaded barrow on the rough road, so Ye Yaopeng took over pushing while he dug more earth.
• Ye Yaodong worked for a while, then went home hungry to prepare his tools for gathering seafood.
• Lin Xiuqing and the family were surprised when Ye Yaodong said he had helped Ye Yaopeng haul earth.

Ye Yaodong went out with A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and A-Zheng to gather seafood at the Isolated Island, but his fear of the sea overwhelmed him during the trip. He jumped into the water to face that fear, sank after his leg cramped, and was rescued by Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng.

• Ye Yaodong ate early, gathered his tools, and met Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng at the dock while A-Guang brought the boat.
• Ye Yaodong bought diesel, and the group set off for the Isolated Island.
• As the boat crossed the open sea, Ye Yaodong grew pale and panicked while recalling his earlier near-drowning.
• Ye Yaodong jumped into the sea near the island, but his leg cramped and he sank without knowing how to swim.
• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng pulled Ye Yaodong to the surface, and he regained his ability to swim.

Ye Yaodong and his friends spotted a feeding frenzy of Spanish mackerel near the shore and used a net from A-Guang’s boat to haul in thousands of jin of fish. They filled the boat with several catches and celebrated their unexpected windfall.

• Ye Yaodong recovered from his leg cramp and swam with his friends back to the boat.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a school of Japanese Spanish mackerel feeding in the shallows, but the group realized they had brought no nets.
• Ye Yaodong told the men to search the cabin, and A-Guang found a net aboard the boat.
• A-Guang steered toward the school while the men cast the net and hauled in hundreds of jin of Spanish mackerel.
• Ye Yaodong and his friends made several more casts, filling the livewell and cabin with thousands of jin of fish.

Ye Yaodong and his companions finished fishing after catching a huge haul of Spanish mackerel, and Ye Yaodong realized he had overcome his fear of the sea. They headed back with their catch and decided to keep a sea bass and some Spanish mackerel for dinner.

• Ye Yaodong joked that he had sacrificed himself to Mazu for good luck, and the men decided to cast one last net before returning.
• While checking the hold, Ye Yaodong realized that concentrating on fishing had helped him overcome his fear of the sea.
• Ye Yaodong and his companions agreed to sell their Spanish mackerel and rent A-Guang's aunt's boat again to forage the next day.
• On the final haul, the men caught a large sea bass along with a few Spanish mackerel and buckets of smaller seafood.
• A-Zheng and the others decided to keep the sea bass and some Spanish mackerel to make soup and dumplings for dinner.

Ye Yaodong and his friends brought several thousand jin of Spanish mackerel to the pier and divided some of their catch to take home. Their huge haul stunned the villagers and Ye family, who gathered at the buying station to see it.

• Ye Yaodong arranged for the friends to keep some Spanish mackerel and seafood for their families while sharing the rest.
• The friends stopped near the pier, collected baskets from A-Cai, and brought him back to help unload their catch.
• A-Cai saw the boat was packed with Spanish mackerel and agreed to help carry them ashore while Ye Yaodong asked about the price.
• Basket after basket of fish drew a crowd at the buying station, where villagers learned that Ye Yaodong and his friends had caught several thousand jin.
• Ye Mother and Lin Xiuqing came to the buying station and asked Ye Yaodong whether he had caught all the fish; he credited A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and A-Zheng as well.