Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye encountered a giant whale shark that followed their boat, frightened them, and burned Father Ye’s hand when he grabbed the hot engine. After Ye Yaodong fed it their leftover bait, the whale shark dropped its remoras and disappeared, leaving Ye Yaodong to catch three of them before he hesitated over his next plan.

• Father Ye panicked when a whale shark surfaced beside their boat, and he burned three fingers on the hot engine while trying to flee.
• The whale shark followed the boat and leaped out of the water, drenching Ye Yaodong and Father Ye with its splash.
• Ye Yaodong guessed the whale shark was asking for food and poured their leftover bait into its open mouth.
• The whale shark submerged, resurfaced, and shed its remoras before diving away; Ye Yaodong caught three remoras in his cast net.
• Ye Yaodong considered using the remoras for another fishing attempt but hesitated because Father Ye’s burned hand still hurt.

Ye Yaodong tried to use remoras to catch bigger fish, but a Luzhou Island crew chased him and Father Ye across the sea. They escaped by returning to the whale shark, which turned on the pursuing boat, leaving Ye Yaodong stunned and wary of getting closer.

• Ye Yaodong explained to Father Ye how they could tether remoras and use them to find larger fish.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a Luzhou Island boat, and its crew pursued him and Father Ye when he tried to flee.
• After failing to find A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao, Ye Yaodong turned back toward the whale shark as the pursuers closed in.
• Ye Yaodong found the whale shark still floating nearby and circled it before speeding away.
• The Luzhou Island crew stopped chasing Ye Yaodong and lowered a net to catch the whale shark.
• The whale shark struck the Luzhou Island boat with its tail, shocking Ye Yaodong and Father Ye.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye watched a whale shark smash a fishing boat to pieces, then tried to leave before it turned on them. The whale shark followed Ye Yaodong’s boat, and he realized it was tangled in fishing net and might be seeking help.

• The whale shark battered a fishing boat, throwing people into the sea and eventually breaking the vessel apart.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye decided to leave the area, but the whale shark swam toward three nearby boats and then chased Ye Yaodong’s boat.
• The whale shark submerged, then surfaced beside Ye Yaodong’s boat as he approached A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao’s boat.
• Ye Yaodong noticed fishing net tangled around the whale shark’s body and cuts on its head and body.
• When Ye Yaodong slowed his boat, the whale shark slowed and struggled beside it, leading him to ask whether it wanted him to untangle the net.

Ye Yaodong decided to free a whale shark tangled in a fishing net, despite his father’s fears. After the shark calmly allowed him to cut the net from its fin, Ye Yaodong climbed onto its back to continue, while A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao watched and learned why he had stayed near the enormous creature.

• Ye Yaodong explained that the whale shark’s wounds and struggles would worsen unless someone cut the net free, and persuaded Father Ye to let him try.
• Ye Yaodong asked Father Ye to signal A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao to keep their distance, then climbed overboard with scissors.
• The whale shark stopped struggling as Ye Yaodong cut the net from its right fin, and it settled again after nearly tossing him with an excited movement.
• Ye Yaodong climbed onto the whale shark’s back to continue freeing it, while Father Ye gradually relaxed and A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao drew closer to watch.
• A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao told Father Ye they had seen the whale shark rampage and explained that they had fled rather than help the people from the Luzhou Island boat.

Ye Yaodong freed the injured whale shark from the net, and it showed its gratitude before following his boat for a while. Exhausted, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye headed home, leaving the story with the whale shark finally stopping its pursuit.

• Ye Yaodong spent more than half an hour removing the net from the whale shark while the others watched from the boats.
• Ye Yaodong reached into the whale shark’s mouth to clear the net caught there, then climbed back aboard after freeing it.
• The whale shark rubbed against the boat and leaped and rolled in the water, and Ye Yaodong took its display as a sign of happiness.
• Ye Yaodong decided to head home instead of visiting the submerged reef, while Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng stayed out to fish.
• The whale shark followed Ye Yaodong and Father Ye’s boat for a while before finally stopping.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned to shore and learned that newspaper staff had witnessed the whale shark attack a fishing boat. Father Ye recounted how Ye Yaodong freed and fed the whale shark, and the villagers were left half convinced as Ye Yaodong identified it as a gentle whale shark.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned to shore with their damaged net and found villagers already discussing a huge fish attacking a fishing boat.
• The villagers explained that newspaper staff had seen the attack while out at sea with local fishermen and planned to publish photographs of the enormous fish.
• Father Ye told the crowd that the people aboard the attacked boat were pirates from Luzhou Island and that the whale shark had kept them from robbing the fishing boats.
• Father Ye described how Ye Yaodong climbed onto the whale shark to remove the net tangled around it, then fed it bait from their boat.
• The villagers questioned Ye Yaodong about the story, and he identified the creature as a whale shark that would not eat people.

After Ye Yaodong rescued a whale shark, villagers doubted his story, but newspaper staff and county officials visited him to hear the details. He agreed to be interviewed, earned a five-yuan contribution fee, and looked forward to the story and photos appearing in the paper.

• Ye Yaodong and his father left the villagers, who questioned their account of the whale shark, and went home.
• Ye Yaodong told A Qing about rescuing the whale shark, then the newspaper staff and county officials arrived to interview him.
• Ye Yaodong recounted how he freed and fed the whale shark while the newspaper staff took notes.
• Ye Yaodong agreed to receive copies of the photographs and learned the article might be published in a few days.
• The newspaper staff offered Ye Yaodong five yuan for his account, and he accepted the fee.

Ye Yaodong joked with his family after the newspaper visitors left, then learned that his sons had gathered Younai fruit while collecting firewood. His youngest son’s innocent remark about his parents led to an embarrassing misunderstanding, which Ye Yaodong defused by promising the boys Malt Milk; the family ended lunch reminiscing about his childhood.

• Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing to let him keep the five yuan the newspaper visitors had given him as spending money.
• Ye Chengyang excitedly told Ye Yaodong that his brother had found milk, and Ye Yaodong realized the boys meant Younai fruit rather than cow’s milk.
• Ye Chengyang repeated that his father drank his mother’s milk, so Ye Yaodong covered his mouth and promised the older boys Malt Milk to distract them.
• Lin Xiuqing scolded Lin Guangyuan for going along with the boys to pick fruit, and Ye Yaodong teased her about the embarrassing remark.
• At lunch, Ye Chenghu brought up Ye Yaodong drinking milk, and Ye Yaodong explained that the Old Lady had brought him goat’s milk when he was a child.

Ye Yaodong bought Malt Milk for his children and Hongfa Instant Noodles for the family, but scolded the children when they rudely grabbed the purchases. The children went home to stand in the corner, while Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing put the food away and prepared to eat.

• Ye Yaodong told Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang to keep his fondness for drinking milk secret, then promised to buy them Malt Milk.
• Villagers questioned Ye Yaodong about the newspaper reporter who had visited, and he left for town to shop.
• Ye Yaodong bought two tins of Malt Milk and eleven packets of Hongfa Instant Noodles.
• The children rushed to take the purchases from Ye Yaodong’s bicycle, so he sternly made them return everything and scolded them for their bad manners.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua joined in reprimanding the children, who went home to stand in the corner.
• Ye Yaodong brought the Malt Milk and Instant Noodles inside, explained what had happened to Lin Xiuqing, and the family prepared to eat.

After disciplining the children, Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing treated them and the Old Lady to malt milk, then shared instant noodles the next morning. As the family savored the rare treats, Ye Yaodong noticed the worsening wind and waves and suspected another typhoon was coming.

• The three children behaved quietly after being scolded, and Lin Xiuqing made malt milk for them and the Old Lady.
• Ye Yaodong persuaded the Old Lady to drink her malt milk by threatening to give it to the dog.
• Ye Yaodong woke to the smell of instant noodles and found the children gathered by the stove, though Ye Chenghai and Ye Chengjiang took their siblings home rather than stay for food.
• The family ate instant noodles, and Ye Yaodong made the Old Lady and children eat them before they went mushy.
• The children finished the leftover broth and noodles, while Ye Yaodong noticed the wind and waves had risen and agreed another typhoon might be coming.

With a typhoon approaching, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye went out to retrieve their fishing gear and encountered the whale shark again. After it blocked their boat from leaving, they wondered if it was trying to lead them somewhere and followed it.

• Ye Yaodong decided to retrieve his fishing pots and longline before the wind and waves worsened, while his brothers waited before moving their boats to the typhoon shelter.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in four strings of full fishing pots, including around thirty jin of swimming crabs.
• As they began retrieving the longline, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye saw the whale shark from the previous day approach their boat again.
• The whale shark circled nearby while they hauled in a plentiful catch, then blocked the boat when they tried to leave.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye noticed the whale shark swimming ahead of them and decided it might be leading them somewhere, so they followed it.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye followed a whale shark to a stranded baby whale shark on a beach. They decided to use their fishing boat to pull it back into the sea, but first Ye Yaodong returned with rope and struggled to figure out how to tie it.

• The whale shark repeatedly blocked Ye Yaodong's boat until he followed it toward a small island.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye found a baby whale shark stranded on the beach, while the larger whale shark stayed nearby.
• Father Ye wanted to drag the baby aboard to sell it, but Ye Yaodong worried the larger whale shark would retaliate and they lacked the equipment to haul it in.
• The two men tried to push the baby whale shark but could not move it, so Ye Yaodong proposed tying it to the boat and towing it into the sea.
• Ye Yaodong returned with rope and circled the whale shark, muttering about how difficult it was to tie up, while Father Ye nearly stumbled into the water hearing him.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye struggled to free a stranded whale shark, only for a wave to beach it again before they finally released it farther offshore. They returned with their catch as the village prepared for a possible typhoon.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye tied a rope around the smaller whale shark and used their fishing boat to drag it into deeper water.
• Ye Yaodong untied the whale shark, but a wave swept him and the shark back toward shore, stranding it again.
• Ye Yaodong looped the rope around the whale shark's tail, and Father Ye towed it farther out to sea.
• Ye Yaodong cut the rope and released the smaller whale shark, which swam alongside the larger whale shark before both disappeared beneath the surface.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned with a good catch, unloaded it, and split up so Ye Yaodong could sell the fish while Father Ye took the boat to the Typhoon Shelter.

Ye Yaodong brought home a valuable catch as the village prepared for an approaching typhoon, while he weighed the cost of buying a refrigerator and decided against it. After unloading his gear, he and Lin Xiuqing found scallops and clams washed up on the beach and called the children over to gather them.

• Ye Yaodong divided the catch he had kept between himself, his father, and his mother to share with relatives, then pushed the loaded handcart home.
• Villagers at the Mazu Temple asked Ye Yaodong about his catch, the typhoon, and whether he would appear in the newspaper, and he said he did not know if the story would be published.
• Ye Yaodong took the filthy pot trap nets to the beach to wash them, while Lin Xiuqing offered to help after lunch.
• Ye Yaodong spotted live scallops and clams washed up beside the stones and asked Lin Xiuqing to bring a bucket.
• Lin Xiuqing fetched the children, who ran excitedly toward the beach to gather shellfish.

During summer break, Ye Yaodong and his family gathered seafood on the beach, where he encouraged the children to save money from their best finds. The family headed home for lunch, with Ye Chenghu caught hiding extra sea snails and Ye Yaodong teasing Lin Xiuqing about admiring him.

• The children rushed onto the beach to collect shells and crabs, and Ye Chengyang caught a small octopus after being knocked over by a wave.
• Ye Yaodong caught a large mud crab for Ye Chenghu and offered to sell the children’s valuable finds while secretly giving them the money.
• Ye Chenghai persuaded the other children to hide their best catches in Ye Yaodong’s bucket so their mothers would not take the money.
• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law scolded their children for playing instead of gathering clams and scallops, and the children briefly returned to collecting seafood.
• As the crowded beach filled with people, Ye Yaodong suggested taking the seafood home to eat and returning later.
• Ye Chenghu asked to sell his sea snails, then revealed two more he had hidden in his pocket; on the walk home, Ye Yaodong teased Lin Xiuqing about smiling at him.

Ye Yaodong and the children returned to the beach to gather seafood as the typhoon approached, while the boys secretly saved valuable finds to sell. After Lin Xiuqing mentioned a giant trumpet conch someone else had found, Ye Yaodong explained its value and regretted missing it.

• Ye Chenghai blamed Ye Chenghe for wanting lunch, and the brothers fought before fleeing their angry mother.
• Ye Yaodong took the children back to the beach, where they gathered seafood and secretly kept valuable finds for themselves.
• Ye Yaodong sold the children’s catch and divided the money among them, while keeping his own mud crabs for the family.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that a villager had found a large trumpet conch, and Ye Yaodong explained its value and wished he had stayed longer.

Ye Yaodong and the children enjoyed another profitable low-tide outing, then spent the evening sneaking instant noodles while the children dreamed of eating them every day. When the typhoon arrived, Ye Yaodong secured the osmanthus saplings and reassured Lin Xiuqing that the money buried beneath their yard was safe.

• Ye Yaodong shared the day's earnings among the children, who begged to go collecting again and planned to buy instant noodles.
• The children secretly gathered at Ye Yaodong's home to crush and season instant noodles, and Ye Yaodong let his sons have some too.
• The next day, Ye Yaodong took the eager children out again after the tide receded and divided up their new haul.
• The typhoon suddenly strengthened, keeping the children from the beach as they ran and played in the wind.
• Ye Yaodong braced the osmanthus trees with stakes and rice straw while Lin Xiuqing asked whether their buried savings were safe.

As a typhoon battered the coast, Ye Yaodong’s family took shelter in their newly built house, which stayed dry through the storm. Worried that his parents were enduring leaks at the Old House, Ye Yaodong set out to bring them over despite his family’s concerns.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing brought the animals and children indoors as the wind and waves grew stronger.
• Ye Yaodong checked the new house for leaks and reassured the Old Lady that he would provide her with more comforts in the future.
• The power went out during dinner, so Ye Yaodong lit a candle while the family ate by its light.
• The Old Lady worried that Ye Yaodong’s parents were suffering in the leaking Old House, and Ye Yaodong put on his straw rain cape and hat to go fetch them.

As a typhoon battered the village, Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaopeng brought Father Ye and Mother Ye from their leaky old house to Ye Yaodong’s home. The family gathered safely indoors, where a sudden impact against the window left them wondering if a fish had hit it.

• The Old Lady worried about Father Ye and Mother Ye staying in their old house, so Ye Yaodong went with Ye Yaopeng to fetch them through the storm.
• Father Ye and Mother Ye resisted leaving, but the brothers persuaded them to pack clothes and come to the new house.
• The brothers helped Mother Ye down the slippery road as they returned, and the family saw enormous waves crashing along the shore.
• Ye Yaodong brought his parents into his home, where Lin Xiuqing prepared hot water and a place for them to sleep.
• A loud smack hit the window, and Lin Xiuqing exclaimed that it might have been a fish.

During a typhoon, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye found fish and shellfish blown to their doorsteps, then decided to collect more from just outside the courtyard while tied to the gate for safety. A powerful gust began raining large Silver Pomfret around them, and they started gathering the unexpected catch.

• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that a fish had struck the window, and he and Father Ye went outside to find a Baogong Fish.
• Father Ye found a sea cucumber and blood clams by the gate, while Ye Yaodong picked up a large Red Snapper at Ye Yaohua's doorstep.
• Ye Chengjiang wanted to search the beach, but Ye Yaohua stopped him and sent Ye Yaodong and Father Ye home with the fish.
• After spotting stranded fish near their courtyard, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye decided to gather some from the gate and tied themselves to it with straw rope.
• A strong gust blew large Silver Pomfret onto and around Ye Yaodong and Father Ye, who hurried to collect them as more fish fell from the sky.