Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye worked through the day hauling and resetting their fifty gill nets, catching three adult otters while releasing a pup. They returned with a huge catch but left the longlines for the next day, and agreed to hire A-Sheng to help with the remaining work.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sped up their net work by hauling in several nets before stopping to remove the fish and straighten the mesh.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye tried to approach a group of otters, but the animals dived underwater and escaped.
• In the afternoon, a net caught three adult otters and a pup; Ye Yaodong and Father Ye tied up the adults and Ye Yaodong released the pup.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye agreed to hire A-Sheng to help remove fish from the nets and left the longlines in the water until the next day.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled and reset all the nets by nightfall, returning with over twelve hundred jin of toadfish, several hundred jin of other fish, and three otters.

Ye Yaodong returned to the Pier late with Father Ye and learned that dried toadfish could sell for far more than fresh ones. He considered using his market shop to sell dried seafood, but Father Ye and Mother Ye questioned whether he should keep the fish instead of selling them.

• Mother Ye hurried home to tell the family that Ye Yaodong and Father Ye had returned safely, while Ye Yaodong went home briefly for water and the fish they planned to keep.
• Ye Yaodong returned to the Pier by bicycle and helped Father Ye, Mother Ye, and A-Cai unload the catch.
• A-Cai told Ye Yaodong that boats from East Bridge Village were staying at sea for two or three days to catch more fish, and quoted the low fresh price for toadfish.
• Ye Yaodong asked how much dried toadfish would sell for and considered hiring people to dry his catch and selling it through his market shop.
• A-Cai said dried toadfish could fetch over forty fen per jin, and Father Ye and Mother Ye objected when they realized Ye Yaodong was thinking of keeping some instead of selling it.

Ye Yaodong decided to keep and dry the cheap toadfish himself so he could earn more by selling them as dried fish. After discovering three forgotten otters in his boat, he brought them to A-Cai, who offered sixty yuan for them.

• Ye Yaodong calculated that selling the toadfish fresh would bring only forty-odd yuan and decided to dry them himself.
• Father Ye and Mother Ye agreed to help, and Ye Yaodong planned to hire his sisters-in-law to gut and dry the fish.
• After the catch was weighed, Ye Yaodong noticed the total was unexpectedly low and remembered the three otters in his boat.
• Ye Yaodong brought the otters to A-Cai, who offered twenty yuan each for them.

Ye Yaodong arranged to hire his cousin Ye Yaosheng to help handle the heavy fishing workload. After a strong longline catch, he and Father Ye still decided to stop setting the longline because tending it took too much time alongside their fifty gill nets.

• Ye Yaodong sold the day's catch for a little over 176 yuan, and Father Ye agreed they needed to hire extra help.
• Mother Ye went to ask Ye Yaosheng to join them, and he agreed to come work the next day.
• Lin Xiuqing prepared packed rice and radish-and-bone soup for the crew, while Ye Yaodong offered Ye Yaosheng three yuan per day.
• Ye Yaodong and the others retrieved the longline before hauling the gill nets and caught a large Pampus argenteus and over a hundred smaller ones.
• Although Father Ye regretted giving up after the good catch, Ye Yaodong decided to stop setting the longline because it added too much work.

Ye Yaodong and his crew struggled to haul and reset fifty gill nets, but their large catch and longline haul promised another profitable day. As they waited for the fish to be weighed, a woman suddenly shouted nearby, drawing everyone’s attention.

• Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, and Ye Yaosheng hauled in and reset the nets, then agreed to bring them ashore the next day for cleaning and to set longlines while they dried.
• Ye Yaosheng asked about the covered machine aboard the boat, and Ye Yaodong said he had borrowed it and told him to leave it alone.
• The crew met Uncle Lin on the way back and learned that he had caught two otters; they later helped each other unload their catches.
• Ye Yaodong estimated that the extra toadfish and longline catch would bring in roughly two hundred yuan before deductions.
• As the men waited for the catch to be weighed, a woman shouted nearby, and they turned to find out what was happening.

Ye Yaodong and his family caught Wang Laowu and Wang Jianqiang stealing sand intended for Mazu’s temple and made them return it. The village let the pair go after Ye Yaosheng pleaded for them, and Ye Yaodong returned to discussing the family’s work processing a large catch of toadfish.

• Mother Ye discovered Wang Laowu and Wang Jianqiang loading sand onto a handcart and was shoved when she confronted them.
• Ye Yaodong arrived, stopped Wang Jianqiang from fleeing, and beat him while Mother Ye explained what she had witnessed.
• Wang Laowu claimed they had only borrowed the sand, but Ye Yaodong insisted the theft be brought before the village; he also argued with Ye Yaosheng about his planned marriage to Wang Laowu’s daughter.
• Ye Yaosheng asked the others to let the matter go, and they agreed after the father and son unloaded the sand; everyone then covered the pile again.
• Mother Ye told Ye Yaodong that the family had been gutting more than twelve hundred jin of toadfish, and he suggested getting extra help the next day.

Ye Yaodong decided to dry his large catch of cheap toadfish and test selling the dried fish, prompting Uncle Lin to keep some of his own catch too. After returning home with 1,420 jin of toadfish, Ye Yaodong found the family’s drying space full and arranged to hire more help and hang the fish up the next day.

• Ye Yaodong told Mother Ye and Uncle Lin he planned to dry the toadfish and try selling a few hundred jin at the wholesale market entrance.
• Uncle Lin decided to keep his already-weighed toadfish and dry them, while A-Cai worried that other fishermen would follow suit and reduce his purchases.
• Ye Yaosheng helped move Ye Yaodong’s catch, and Ye Yaodong’s haul brought in 162 yuan and three jiao, including 1,420 jin of toadfish.
• Ye Yaodong returned home to find trays of toadfish spread outside his sisters-in-law’s homes and suggested hanging the fish on lines to make more drying space.
• Ye Yaodong saw Lin Xiuqing carrying the sleeping Ye Xiaoxi and told her to put the baby down, then said they would clean the fish the next day and hire another worker.

Ye Yaodong and his family cleaned fishing nets and prepared a large batch of toadfish to dry while village rumors inflated his earnings. When strong winds forced him to stop fishing, he joked that his sons would support him in old age, but Ye Chengyang insisted he wanted to raise dogs instead.

• Ye Yaodong went to the Old House with the dogs and washed fifty fishing nets with Father Ye before helping clean the slippery toadfish.
• Villagers asked Ye Yaodong about selling his dried fish and gossiped that he had made a fortune, while his older brothers prepared to try setting gill nets.
• Strong north winds kept Ye Yaodong's family from fishing, and Mother Ye regretted that they had not left the nets out for another day.
• Ye Yaodong joked that his sons would fight over supporting him when he was old, but Ye Chengyang said he wanted to raise dogs.
• Ye Chengyang believed Ye Yaodong's threat to make dog-meat hot pot, then ran to hug the dogs and cried while the adults laughed.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye took a small batch of their dried fish to the early market to test sales, where individual customers bought it steadily. They sold two sacks before daybreak and befriended a neighboring dried-shrimp vendor.

• Ye Yaodong, Lin Xiuqing, and Father Ye weighed the dried fish and found they had 1,056 jin and six liang.
• Ye Yaodong decided to take two or three hundred jin to the market that night, and Father Ye agreed to go with him.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye arrived at the market before dawn and set out the dried fish for sale.
• Ye Yaodong bought boiled peanuts while they waited and planned to take them home for the children.
• Customers bought the dried fish a few jin at a time, and the pair sold two large sacks before daybreak.
• Ye Yaodong gave ten salted fish to Brother Wu in thanks for repeatedly lending him a scale.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold most of their dried fish at the city market, then packed up and headed for the bus station with two sacks left. On the way, Ye Yaodong considered buying dried fish from villagers to resell, but lacked the time and storage space to do so until they got their shop.

• Ye Yaodong thanked Brother Wu for lending him a scale by giving him dried fish, and Brother Wu waited until Ye Yaodong finished selling before leaving.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold another twenty jin, then decided to pack up before they risked missing the bus home.
• Father Ye carried the two remaining sacks as they discussed selling their own dried fish when the weather prevented fishing.
• Ye Yaodong suggested buying dried fish from villagers to resell, but noted they lacked time to run a stall often and had nowhere to store the stock before getting their shop.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye carried their goods across the city to the station, where they bought tickets for the two-thirty bus. As they waited outside, Ye Yaodong discovered that a pickpocket had stolen the small change from his pocket, but the money hidden against his body remained safe.

• Ye Yaodong took over carrying the load when Father Ye's shoulders began to ache, and the two stopped to buy tea eggs and scallion pancakes along the way.
• Father Ye marveled at the city's crowds and streets as they continued toward the station.
• Ye Yaodong left Father Ye guarding their sacks and went inside to buy tickets for the two-thirty bus.
• After buying the tickets, Ye Yaodong found that a pickpocket had taken the yuan and change from his pocket, though the money in his concealed cloth bag was safe.
• Ye Yaodong returned to Father Ye, and they sat outside the station to wait as passersby noticed the fishy smell from their open sack.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold their dried fish rapidly outside the bus station, then discovered their tickets had been stolen again. After Ye Yaodong bought replacements, they saw local thugs harassing an old vegetable seller and hurried away, relieved they had left before the trouble began.

• Ye Yaodong drew a crowd by pitching the dried fish, and a buyer lent him a scale so he and Father Ye could weigh and sell it.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold both sacks of dried fish, with Ye Yaodong directing customers to the Aquatic Products Wholesale Market for possible future sales.
• Father Ye handed the money to Ye Yaodong, and they packed up and left the station before the crowd could cause trouble.
• Ye Yaodong found that thieves had stolen their bus tickets, so he bought two replacements while Father Ye waited.
• Ye Yaodong returned to find thugs harassing an old vegetable seller, and he and Father Ye kept their distance and left the man unaided.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye ran into Captain Chen and Group Leader Zhao after watching them stop some thugs, and arranged to deliver dried fish to the military the next morning. They barely caught their bus home, where they discussed selling their remaining stock and buying dried fish from villagers.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye saw Captain Chen and another young man beat down thugs who were harassing an old vegetable seller.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye recognized Captain Chen and learned that the other man was Group Leader Zhao from the Logistics department.
• Ye Yaodong told Group Leader Zhao that he had more dried fish at home, and Zhao asked him to bring two hundred jin to an address the next morning.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hurried to the station and boarded their bus just before it departed.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discussed selling their remaining dried fish to the military and buying more from villagers.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discussed selling their dried fish and possibly buying more from villagers to resell. After a tiring bus ride to the county town, Ye Yaodong hired a tractor to get them home faster, leaving them to endure the rough road before an early delivery the next morning.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye planned to sell their dried fish at the military base and considered buying additional fish from villagers to resell.
• The crowded bus ride left Ye Yaodong and Father Ye exhausted, and they woke as the bus neared the county town.
• Ye Yaodong asked the bus driver about transport home and agreed to pay eight yuan for a tractor ride.
• Father Ye accepted the expense after Ye Yaodong explained that they needed to get home and rest before their early delivery.
• Ye Yaodong lay down on the jolting tractor, and Father Ye told him to sleep until they arrived.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned home after selling all their dried fish, and Ye Yaodong told the family about a possible delivery deal with the troops. The family prepared to supply more fish the next day, while Ye Yaodong urged Mother Ye to keep their sales and plans private.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye arrived home by tractor, and their family welcomed them after waiting anxiously.
• Ye Yaodong paid the tractor driver eight yuan, and Mother Ye protested that the fare was too high.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing and the family that Captain Chen had offered a chance to deliver dried fish to the troops.
• Ye Yaodong asked Mother Ye to buy a scale, and Father Ye told her to ask the eldest and second eldest to dry more fish.
• Ye Yaodong warned Mother Ye not to reveal their buyers, prices, earnings, or planned deliveries, and she left in a huff.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye delivered dried fish to the military base, where Group Leader Zhao bought an initial batch and agreed to consider ordering more. The chapter left Ye Yaodong hoping to build a lasting business relationship with the base after Group Leader Zhao refused his attempted kickback but accepted a gift for the troops.

• The Old Lady woke Ye Yaodong before dawn, served him sweet potato porridge and salted duck eggs, and prepared hard-boiled eggs for the journey.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye loaded the dried fish onto a tractor and followed directions through nearby villages to reach the military base on time.
• Ye Yaodong admired the soldiers drilling, while Father Ye teased him about imagining he could have become a soldier.
• Group Leader Zhao inspected the dried fish and ordered three hundred jin to try, promising to ask for more if it proved good.
• Ye Yaodong charged a reduced price and secretly offered Group Leader Zhao twenty-six yuan, but Group Leader Zhao refused the money.
• Ye Yaodong gave the troops another twenty jin of dried fish, which Group Leader Zhao accepted.

Ye Yaodong sold another sack of dried fish at the market after delivering 300 jin to the military, then returned home with his father. Neighbors mistook the unsold fish for proof that the business was failing, leaving Ye Yaodong to let their baseless rumors spread.

• Ye Yaodong arranged with Uncle Zhou to pick him and Father Ye up from the market and asked him to keep the military sale quiet.
• Ye Yaodong sold one sack of dried fish during a short market stall, bought roasted beans for the family, and rode home with Father Ye.
• Ye Yaodong learned that Ye Chenghu had been kept after school for poking a classmate during a test and gave both boys roasted beans.
• Lin Xiuqing asked about the remaining dried fish, and Ye Yaodong explained that the military had taken 300 jin and might request more later.
• Neighboring women saw the sacks of leftover fish and complained that they had kept fish to dry after hearing rumors of Ye Yaodong's profits.

Ye Yaodong agreed to buy dried fish from Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua, giving his brothers a safer way to earn more than selling their catch fresh. After counting the day’s sales, he and Lin Xiuqing discussed sharing the profits with Father Ye for his help.

• Ye Yaodong told Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua that he would buy their dried Toadfish for thirty cents per jin and their mixed fish for fifteen cents per jin.
• Ye Yaodong explained the prices and persuaded his brothers that they could earn more by drying their catch and selling it to him.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua agreed to the arrangement and went home pleased with the prospect of earning more without taking the goods to market.
• Ye Yaodong counted the money from his sales, including the military’s payment for three hundred jin of dried fish.
• Lin Xiuqing suggested giving Father Ye a share of the fish business’s profits, and Ye Yaodong agreed to settle his share at the end of the month.

Ye Yaodong went out to set gill nets while Lin Xiuqing received a phone call ordering another thousand jin of dried fish for delivery the next morning. She learned the order came from Zhao Weimin and waited for Ye Yaodong to return so they could decide how to gather enough fish.

• Ye Yaodong and his father loaded fifty gill nets and fishing gear onto their boat and left to set the nets.
• Lin Xiuqing checked Ye Chenghu's dirty clothes, showed him the sweater she was knitting for him, and sent him back to play.
• A village messenger told Lin Xiuqing that someone had called for Ye Yaodong and would call again in ten minutes.
• Lin Xiuqing answered Zhao Weimin's call and agreed to tell Ye Yaodong to deliver a thousand jin of dried fish to the same place the next morning.
• Lin Xiuqing told the Old Lady about the order, and they decided to wait for Ye Yaodong before buying more dried fish.

Ye Yaodong learned that Zhao Weimin wanted a thousand jin of dried fish delivered the next day, so he began gathering supplies from the neighbors. After checking the fish they brought, he and Lin Xiuqing started buying the amount needed for the order.

• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that Zhao Weimin from Logistics had called to order a thousand jin of dried fish for delivery the next day.
• Ye Yaodong hurried out to ask the neighbors how much dried fish they had available.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing agreed to pay the same price he had offered his eldest and second brothers to avoid disputes over the accounts.
• Ye Yaodong returned home, ate, and calculated that he needed to buy 640 more jin because his family already had 360 jin.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing inspected the neighbors’ dried fish for dampness or anything mixed in, and found no problems.