Chapter Summaries

After a local gang came looking for them, Ye Yaodong and his group fled toward their boats, where they caught a stowaway. Ye Yaodong pretended the man had stolen his two thousand-odd yuan, turning the pursuers against him as the boats prepared to leave.

• Father Ye and Father Pei ordered everyone to pack their belongings and leave the Educated Youth Site after they realized the fight could bring trouble.
• Ye Yaosheng and the others warned that a gang carrying sticks and flashlights was heading toward them, so the group hurried through the dark toward the pier.
• Ye Yaodong's group saw the gang reach the deserted site, then spotted the pursuers approaching the pier as they loaded their boats.
• Ye Yaodong found a man hiding beside the diesel engine, kicked him, and had the others seize him while another person jumped into the sea.
• Ye Yaodong shouted that two thousand-odd yuan had been stolen and beat the captive, making the pursuers suspect that the men in the water had taken his money.

Ye Yaodong escaped a confrontation by turning two groups against each other, then spent the night sleeping aboard with his crew. At dawn, he and Father Ye began scooping up jellyfish near town, planning to deposit their money before returning to the fishing grounds.

• Ye Yaodong pretended that a thief had stolen his money and engine, distracting the men onshore while the swimmer escaped and some of them chased him.
• Ye Yaodong and his companions sailed away as the two groups splashed after each other, then settled down to sleep aboard their boats.
• Father Ye moored in a quiet stretch of shore, and the exhausted men slept until dawn.
• Ye Yaodong woke to find Father Ye already scooping up jellyfish and learned they were near town.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye planned to scoop jellyfish on the way to town, deposit their money, and then return to the ocean trench.

Ye Yaodong and his companions sent their earnings home by telegraphic remittance, then continued moving between villages as they fished for jellyfish. As the jellyfish dwindled and the group grew weary, Ye Yaodong proposed spending their final days near a small island to avoid further lodging troubles and local jealousy.

• Ye Yaodong and his two older brothers and Father Pei went to the Post and Telecommunications Bureau, where they sent their money home by telegraphic transfer.
• After returning to the boat, the men replenished their supplies and continued along the coast until they found a village where they could rent lodging for a few days.
• The group repeatedly moved between villages after staying no more than three days, trying to avoid attention and resentment from locals.
• As the jellyfish became scarce and the group grew tired, Ye Yaodong suggested finding a small island where they could sleep aboard and have Second Sister-in-Law cook ashore.

Ye Yaodong and the others decided to stay on a nearby island and leave the jellyfish grounds before the Mid-Autumn Festival as their catch dwindled and the waters remained unsafe. After reuniting with the Lü family and hearing about the danger they had escaped, they agreed to work a few more days, then head home in time for the holiday.

• Ye Yaodong’s group docked at a nearby village for water, moved their belongings to an uninhabited island, and continued fishing from there.
• Ye Yaodong’s boats encountered Lü Hongwei and his family, who said neighboring villagers had chased them at sea and that rumors and jealousy had made Ye’s group unsafe in their former village.
• Lü Hongwei told Ye Yaodong that villagers had blamed Lü Jingshan for stealing their money and had beaten him, while others had threatened to drive the outsiders away.
• Father Lü advised Ye Yaodong’s group to head home soon because the jellyfish season was nearly over and staying away from home was dangerous.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye agreed to work three more days, rest for a day, and leave a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Pei promised the crew a celebratory restaurant meal, and everyone eagerly discussed returning home and bringing food for the holiday.

Ye Yaodong and the others finished their fishing trip and prepared to return home after earning good money. Before leaving, Ye Yaodong washed up in town and bought local specialties and gifts to take home.

• Ye Yaodong calculated that his net earnings would be around 6,500 and looked forward to seeing his family again.
• After two more days of fishing, Ye Yaodong settled the wages and gave each temporary worker a thirty-yuan red envelope.
• Ye Yaodong and the others decided to keep the jellyfish blood for themselves and planned to sail into town before heading home.
• The group went to a bathhouse after passersby recoiled from their smell, then washed for half an hour.
• Ye Yaodong bought mooncakes, pork cracklings, mahua, and other local cakes to bring to his family, his father-in-law’s family, and friends.

After a successful jellyfish-fishing trip, Ye Yaodong and the others shopped, feasted, and set out for home the next morning. On the boat, his maternal cousins discussed saving up to join him on future trips, and Ye Yaodong encouraged them to take the risk.

• Ye Yaodong bought local food and gifts, including scarves, a wool coat, an umbrella, a walking stick, and hair clips, while Father Ye bought a scarf of his own.
• The group checked into the guesthouse, celebrated their successful trip with a seafood feast and liquor, then slept before their journey home.
• Ye Yaodong and the others boarded their boat at dawn and set off for home, discussing another fishing trip the following year with Chen Jiannian.
• Ye Yaodong's two maternal cousins said they hoped to save enough to get a boat and join him next year, and Ye Yaodong encouraged them to try.

While returning by boat, Ye Yaodong and the others spotted a fleet of smuggling boats and then watched a sailfish pursue one fishing boat toward an isolated island. The boat tilted sharply, leaving them unsure whether it had capsized.

• Ye Yaodong handed out playing cards, and Eldest Maternal Cousin went to play on another boat while Father Ye steered.
• Father Ye spotted dozens of boats carrying goods, and the group discussed the smuggling trade as they watched them pass.
• Ye Yaosheng noticed that one boat had stopped and that two boats had turned back toward it.
• Father Ye said he had seen a large fish nearby, and the group watched a sailfish leap from the water and chase the boat toward an island.
• The pursued boat tilted to a forty-five-degree angle, and Ye Yaodong and the others wondered whether it had capsized.

Ye Yaodong and the others collected floating cargo from a smuggling boat that had been attacked by a sailfish, discovering fabric, watches, cassette tapes, clothes, shoes, and mosquito nets. After sharing a few goods with the crew, they resumed their journey home as the wind picked up.

• Ye Yaodong watched a sailfish attack a school of fish, then noticed boxes and sacks floating near the damaged boat being towed toward shore.
• Ye Yaodong and the crews of the nearby boats retrieved the floating cargo before the smugglers could return for it.
• Ye Yaodong's boat opened its packages and found fabric, electronic watches, cassette tapes, women's clothes, and nylon mosquito nets.
• Ye Yaodong let the crew take a few items each, and the other boats shared some of their finds with their crews as well.
• Ye Yaodong and the others set off again, sorting and drying the goods while Father Ye steered toward home through increasingly windy weather.

Ye Yaodong and the other fishermen faced rough waves on their return, then discovered Ye Eldest Brother and Second Older Brother Ye’s boat had broken down and towed it home. They arrived at the village late at night, unloaded their goods with help from Lin Jishang’s men, and saw their families rush out to greet them.

• Ye Yaodong and the fishermen endured rough seas and ate provisions while discussing the risks of fishing and the value of education.
• Father Pei noticed Ye Eldest Brother and Second Older Brother Ye’s boat had fallen behind, so he alerted Father Ye and they turned back to investigate.
• The brothers’ boat had broken down, and Father Ye, Father Pei, and the others secured it for towing and slowly brought it home.
• The group dropped Chen Jiannian at the town pier, then reached the village pier around nine and met Lin Jishang and several other men waiting there.
• Lin Jishang lent the fishermen handcarts and arranged for his men to help push their goods home.
• As Ye Yaodong and the others approached their homes, lights came on in three neighboring houses and their families hurried outside to welcome them.

Ye Yaodong returned home with his family after a long trip, where they were warmly welcomed and excitedly questioned about his journey and the goods he brought back. The family unloaded their unexpected free finds and agreed to sort and divide them the next day.

• Ye Yaodong arrived home to find his children and relatives waiting for him because the Old Lady had stayed up expecting his return.
• His cousins headed home after escorting the family, while Ye Yaodong invited them to come for drinks the following evening.
• Ye Yaodong gave his sons pork cracklings, and the adults explained that the sacks and other goods had been picked up for free.
• Ye Yaodong presented the Old Lady with a walking stick that delighted her.
• Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing to bring the handcart and suggested that his mother pick out fabric, clothes, and electronic watches the next morning.
• Father Ye urged the brothers to move their belongings inside and postpone discussing how to divide the goods until the next day.

Ye Yaodong returned home with salvaged goods, gifts, and more than eight thousand yuan in earnings, and reunited with his family. After sharing gifts and arranging to visit Lin Xiuqing’s parents for Mid-Autumn, he and Lin Xiuqing went to bed together.

• The sisters-in-law divided the recovered household goods between their homes, while Ye Yaodong brought his belongings inside and discussed sorting and sharing the clothes and fabric.
• Ye Yaodong arranged to visit Lin Xiuqing’s family with festival gifts and gave treats to the children, who stayed up excitedly to welcome him home.
• Ye Yaodong gave the Old Lady and Lin Xiuqing silk scarves, and the Old Lady happily accepted hers after he reassured her about its bright color.
• Ye Yaodong sent the children to their own room, then gave Lin Xiuqing the money from his trip and said they had earned a little over eight thousand yuan.
• Lin Xiuqing thanked Ye Yaodong for his hard work, and after teasing each other, they prepared for bed.

After nearly two months away, Ye Yaodong reunited with Lin Xiuqing and their baby before discovering relatives crowding his family’s home to inspect the goods brought back from the trip. The relatives tried to take the goods under the pretense of helping, but Ye Yaodong stopped them and drove them out.

• Ye Yaodong fell asleep after being intimate with Lin Xiuqing, and she covered him with a sheet and let him rest.
• Ye Xiaoxi woke Ye Yaodong the next morning, and he played with her while Lin Xiuqing told him his father and uncles had gathered next door.
• Ye Yaodong found a crowd of relatives flattering his father, Ye Yaopeng, and Ye Yaohua while rummaging through the returned goods and asking to join their next trip.
• The relatives dumped sacks of clothes onto the floor and began grabbing items despite Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law trying to stop them.
• At Old Lady’s urging, Ye Yaodong struck an iron basin to get everyone’s attention, accused them of acting like robbers, and helped his family make them leave.

Ye Yaodong and his family sorted the salvaged clothes and goods while relatives and neighbors kept coming to look. He left the story with the goods organized, Lin Xiuqing pleased with new clothes and leather shoes, and more visitors likely to arrive.

• After relatives grabbed and dirtied goods at Father Ye's house, Ye Second Sister-in-Law and Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law cursed them while sorting the clothes.
• Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing and the Old Lady back to their home, where neighbors and relatives arrived hoping to see the goods.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing turned visitors away until they had finished sorting, and Father Ye sent away those who went to his house.
• Ye Yaodong encouraged Lin Xiuqing to keep several pieces of clothing for herself and set aside three patterned pieces for his mother.
• Ye Yaodong traded two electronic watches for a pair of little black leather shoes for Lin Xiuqing.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing sold watches, clothes, and fabric brought back from Zhejiang Province, while his mother helped attract buyers. After gifting mooncakes and local specialties to Secretary Chen and A-Cai, Ye Yaodong headed to the pier and spotted A-Guang.

• Ye Yaodong finished sorting the goods and sent local specialties to Lin Jishang.
• Mother Ye brought several women home, and Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing displayed the watches, clothes, and fabric outside.
• The watches sold out quickly, and villagers crowded around to buy clothes and fabric while Ye Yaodong watched for theft.
• By evening, most goods were sold, though many cassette tapes and a few clothes remained; Ye Yaodong planned to sell the tapes in town.
• Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing to calculate the day's earnings, then took mooncakes and local specialties to Secretary Chen and A-Cai.
• At the pier, Ye Yaodong learned that the available goods had already been shipped and spotted someone who looked like A-Guang.

Ye Yaodong returned home and saw how A-Guang’s boat partnership brought in money while keeping him home to care for his pregnant wife. After his parents warned him that villagers were borrowing from his brothers, Ye Yaodong hosted friends for drinks, shared stories and gifts from his trip, and taught them a new drinking game.

• Ye Yaodong met A-Guang at the shore and helped him collect and sell the catch from his partnered fishing boat.
• Ye Yaodong considered buying another boat to earn income after assessing his trip’s profits and his other assets.
• Mother Ye told Ye Yaodong that villagers had borrowed two hundred yuan from his parents and urged him and his brothers not to lend more.
• Ye Yaodong’s friends and cousins gathered at his home, where he recounted his trip and gave them mooncakes and local specialties.
• A-Zheng and Xiao Xiao said they wanted to join Ye Yaodong’s next trip, while A-Guang regretted missing the voyage.
• Ye Yaodong taught his friends the drinking game Knocking Seven as their gathering grew lively.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing visited her parents for the Mid-Autumn Festival, bringing local specialties, fabric, clothes, and gifts for the children. After spending the day with her family, they headed home with baskets full of provisions from her parents.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing left their younger son with Father Ye and traveled with Ye Xiaoxi to visit Lin Xiuqing’s parents.
• Father Lin and Lin Mother welcomed the couple and protested the gifts until Lin Xiuqing explained that Ye Yaodong had obtained them without spending money.
• Ye Yaodong gave electronic watches to Lin Guangyuan and Lin Dongxue, encouraging them to study hard, while the younger children received treats.
• Lin Guangyuan and Lin Dongxue promised to work hard, and the adults later lectured Ye Yaodong about being too generous.
• Lin Xiuqing’s parents loaded the couple’s baskets with dried vegetables, a chicken, a duck, honey, and rapeseed oil before the couple set off home, joking together on the way.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing returned home to a warm meal and learned that Ye Huimei was in labor, then waited for news before going home to care for their children. The next morning, they learned Ye Huimei had given birth to a daughter, while the family prepared to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival and discussed the growing household.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing returned to the village, where neighbors greeted them after hearing about Ye Yaodong’s recent earnings.
• The Old Lady served them chicken soup and told them Ye Huimei had gone into labor at A-Guang’s Home.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing visited A-Guang’s Home, waited until nightfall, and returned home before Ye Huimei gave birth.
• Ye Second Sister-in-Law told the family the next morning that Ye Huimei had given birth to a daughter in the early hours.
• The family discussed sending baby clothes to Ye Huimei and inviting Lin Xiuqing’s parents for Mid-Autumn dinner, while Ye Yaodong held Ye Xiaoxi and celebrated a hen’s first egg.

On Mid-Autumn Festival, Ye Yaodong discussed buying another boat to rent out, and his family agreed to look into the idea. The celebrations were interrupted when Mother Ye returned with news that someone had reported Ye Yaodong for smuggling, leaving the family scrambling to learn whether the accusation had been intercepted.

• During the festival dinner, Ye Yaodong told Father Ye he wanted to buy another boat and rent it out for income.
• Lin Xiuqing recognized that Ye Yaodong was considering the same arrangement as A-Guang, and the family agreed to ask about the boat's earnings before deciding.
• Ye Yaodong suggested Father Ye eat at his home regularly, and Father Ye agreed to bring rice over the next day.
• After dinner, Mother Ye hurried back and told Ye Yaodong and his brothers that Secretary Chen had said someone reported Ye Yaodong for smuggling.
• Ye Yaodong questioned whether the report had been intercepted, but Mother Ye admitted she had forgotten to ask as curious neighbors gathered around.

Ye Yaodong learned that two denunciation letters accusing him and Lin Jishang of smuggling had been intercepted by Secretary Chen. After discovering the letters had been mixed up, Ye Yaodong and Lin Jishang compared their accusations and went home knowing the reports had not been sent.

• Ye Yaodong’s family panicked after hearing someone had reported them for smuggling, and Ye Yaodong went to ask Secretary Chen what had happened.
• Secretary Chen told Ye Yaodong he had intercepted an anonymous letter addressed to the County x Committee and gave it to him.
• Ye Yaodong read the letter and found that it accused him and Lin Jishang of smuggling together at the pier.
• Ye Yaodong took the letter to Lin Jishang’s house and left it with his wife, then met Lin Jishang on the road.
• Lin Jishang showed Ye Yaodong another denunciation letter, and they realized Secretary Chen had mixed up the letter targeting Lin Jishang with the one targeting Ye Yaodong.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Jishang discussed the accusations and parted for home after confirming the letters had been intercepted.

Ye Yaodong reassured his family after an anonymous report accused him of smuggling, but village gossip soon shifted to Xu Laifu, who was found badly beaten and missing a hand. After selling the last cassette tapes, Ye Yaodong teased Lin Xiuqing about spending their money and dragged her toward the bedroom, leaving dinner delayed.

• Ye Yaodong showed his brothers and family the anonymous report letter, assured them the village committee had cleared him, and burned the letter.
• Word spread that Ye Yaodong had been reported for smuggling, but villagers mostly dismissed the accusation because they knew he made his living fishing.
• Ye Yaodong heard that Xu Laifu had been found at the village entrance with a hand cut off, and later learned Xu had spotted him and Lin Jishang at the pier.
• Ye Yaodong encountered Lin Jishang while selling cassette tapes in town, asked indirectly about Xu Laifu, and kept his distance when Lin denied involvement.
• Lin Xiuqing counted the money from the cassette sales, and Ye Yaodong teased her about buying a tape recorder or television before playfully pushing her toward the bedroom.