Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong and his friends unloaded a huge Spanish mackerel catch, negotiated a price with A-Cai, and weighed the fish. The total came to 7,628 jin worth 1,601 yuan and 88 fen, leaving Ye Yaodong surprised by how little it seemed compared with his expectations.

• Ye Yaodong told his mother to wait for explanations until they had unloaded and weighed the remaining fish.
• Ye Yaodong gave his mother two Spanish mackerel and other seafood to take home, and Lin Xiuqing persuaded her to keep them for fish balls.
• Ye Yaodong and his friends bargained with A-Cai and agreed to sell the Spanish mackerel for twenty-one fen per jin.
• A-Cai used an abacus to calculate the catch at 7,628 jin, worth 1,601 yuan and 88 fen.
• Ye Yaodong questioned the total, then reconsidered after Lin Xiuqing began checking the calculation and he compared the sum with workers' wages.

Ye Yaodong and his companions sold their Spanish mackerel catch for 1,601 yuan and 88 fen, with payment due in a day or two. At home, Ye Second Sister-in-Law challenged him keeping his share, but Ye Father defended his different contributions and said he wanted the household to split once the houses were finished.

• Lin Xiuqing confirmed the catch weighed 7,628 jin and Ye Yaodong accepted a receipt for the payment to be collected later.
• Ye Yaodong said he might rent the boat again, while Lin Xiuqing and the family prepared to help with construction work the next day.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that Ye Second Sister-in-Law seemed concerned about the money from his fish sale, and he insisted he had earned it himself.
• Ye Father praised Ye Yaodong's catch, then Ye Second Sister-in-Law argued that his proceeds should help pay for the houses as his brothers' fishing earnings did.
• Ye Father defended Ye Yaodong's shore foraging and construction work as contributions to the family, and said he wanted the household to split after the houses were completed.

Ye Yaodong agreed to keep helping with the family house and decided to rent a boat again despite Lin Xiuqing’s worries about the cost and the extra friends joining. The next morning, he hurried to the dock with the group, where Fatty offered to buy diesel.

• Ye Father ordered Ye Yaodong to help build the family house, and Ye Yaodong left to eat at A-Guang’s.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing that renting the boat would cost ten yuan for two days after the owner demanded more money.
• Ye Yaodong explained that Chen Wei and Fatty wanted to join the next trip, and Lin Xiuqing worried that more people would divide any earnings.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing went to bed after arguing playfully about his stamina.
• The next morning, Ye Yaodong set off for the dock with the eager group, and Fatty volunteered to buy diesel.

Ye Yaodong and his companions made two trawling runs near the Isolated Island but caught only small amounts of seafood. When the tide began to ebb, they landed on the island and found its rocks densely covered with shellfish and other seafood.

• Ye Yaodong and his companions set out to trawl near the Isolated Island, joking as A-Guang steered the boat.
• Ye Yaodong asked to steer, and the group teased A-Guang about not having a wife or children.
• The first net brought up only a small mix of mantis shrimp, crabs, shrimp, and fish, so the men tried another run farther offshore.
• The second haul was slightly larger but still modest, and A-Guang headed for shore as the tide went out.
• Ye Yaodong and the others landed on the Isolated Island and found its rocks covered with mussels, sea melon seeds, limpets, goose barnacles, and wild abalone.

Ye Yaodong and the others gathered abundant shellfish on the Isolated Island as the tide receded, but his friends soon ran out of room in their buckets. Ye Yaodong filled his extra sacks and arranged for the others to help with his family’s housebuilding if needed, then asked them to carry a sack to the boat, where they realized they had made a mistake.

• Ye Yaodong searched the rocks and gathered juvenile abalone, goose barnacles, and large snails while the others picked nearby.
• A-Guang, A-Zheng, and Fatty filled their buckets and had to stop gathering because they had brought no sacks.
• Ye Yaodong used his two sacks to collect blue mussels, ox-eye limpets, sea melon seeds, snails, and shellfish-covered shells.
• Ye Yaodong explained that he was gathering seafood to help reduce expenses for his family’s housebuilding, and A-Zheng offered to help with the work.
• Ye Yaodong asked the others to carry a full sack onto the boat, and they realized they had done something stupid.

Ye Yaodong and his companions gathered shellfish on an isolated island, then he found a mass of sea centipedes and collected them alone. He later explored the mudflat and caught a heavy female mud crab.

• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng realized they could empty their buckets onto the boat and keep gathering shellfish, and the others followed suit.
• Ye Yaodong rested after filling a sack, then headed into the shallows as the tide receded to search for other catches.
• Ye Yaodong discovered a mudflat covered with sea centipedes, but his companions refused to help him catch them.
• Ye Yaodong filled his bucket with sea centipedes and left the rest to search the island's muddy shore.
• Ye Yaodong spotted and caught a large female mud crab that he estimated weighed about a jin and a half.

Ye Yaodong searched the isolated island’s mudflats and shallows, gathering a large variety of seafood. As the tide began to return, he told the others and showed them his unusually abundant catch.

• Ye Yaodong found several large mud crabs, dug razor clams from the mud, and collected mudskippers beneath rocks.
• Ye Yaodong caught three little white octopuses, gathered wang snails, and carefully caught three stonefish.
• When the tide began coming in, Ye Yaodong called to the others and headed back toward the boat.
• Xiao Xiao, A-Zheng, and Chen Wei compared their catches with Ye Yaodong’s and marveled at his seven big mud crabs and full basket.

Ye Yaodong and his companions gathered shellfish and mud crabs on an island before returning to the wharf with a boatload of their haul. His mother arrived and was astonished by the amount of shellfish aboard.

• Ye Yaodong kept catching sea centipedes and told A-Guang where he had found mud crabs.
• A-Guang found two mud crabs before the tide rose, and the group packed up and returned to the boat.
• The group joked about their tiring day and Fatty's sunburn as they headed back to the wharf.
• The others went home for sacks and a handcart while Ye Yaodong stayed aboard to watch the shellfish.
• Ye Mother came to the wharf to wait for her husband, saw Ye Yaodong's boatload, and asked how he had gathered so much.

Ye Yaodong returned with a large haul of shellfish and sea creatures, and his family sold the valuable catch. He and his companions collected the previous day's earnings, split the money, and decided to celebrate together.

• Ye Yaodong gave Ye Mother his sea centipedes and seven mud crabs to sell, and she told Ye Father how much he had caught.
• Ye Father told Ye Yaodong to collect the previous day's payment from A-Cai and divide it fairly among the group.
• Lin Xiuqing sorted Ye Yaodong's remaining shellfish, separating large, valuable ones to sell and keeping the rest for the family.
• Ye Yaodong and his companions went to A-Cai's to collect 1,601 yuan and 88 fen, then split the earnings four ways after expenses.
• The group left the remaining 1 yuan and 88 fen for liquor and agreed to celebrate with food and drink.

Lin Xiuqing counted the family’s recent seafood earnings, while Ye Yaodong helped build the house and arranged to take Grandma to the County Hospital for dentures. Grandma reluctantly went with him on Monday after he refused to back down.

• Lin Xiuqing kept the amount Ye Yaodong earned from his friends private, counted more than four hundred yuan in the day’s income, and helped prepare the shellfish.
• Ye Yaodong promised Grandma he would take her to the County Hospital for removable dentures, but she refused to spend his money on herself.
• Ye Yaodong joined his second brother and the workers at the house plot, and his friends arrived later to help carry stones.
• Ye Mother asked whether to pay Ye Yaodong’s friends, and he said they could be fed instead of given wages.
• Ye Yaodong discussed the hospital visit with Lin Xiuqing, who gave him fifty yuan for Grandma’s dentures.
• Grandma refused to go on Monday, but Ye Yaodong insisted he would buy dentures for himself if she stayed behind, so she reluctantly accompanied him.

Ye Yaodong took Grandma to the county hospital and paid to have her fitted with removable dentures, then brought her safely home. Grandma enjoyed eating with her new teeth and spent the afternoon showing them off around the village, spreading word of Ye Yaodong’s devotion.

• Ye Yaodong and Grandma waited for a bus, rode the winding mountain route to the county town, and took a rickshaw to the hospital.
• Ye Yaodong had Grandma fitted with removable dentures, while she fretted about the expense and urged him not to waste money on food.
• Ye Yaodong brought Grandma home by bus and picked corn and snake gourds so she could try eating with her new teeth.
• Grandma made dough-drop soup with seafood, ate happily with her dentures, and praised how well they worked.
• After Ye Yaodong left to check on the house, Grandma strolled around the village showing off her dentures and telling everyone he had taken her to the hospital.

Ye Yaodong learned that his grandmother had told the village about the dentures he bought her, then discussed their cost with Lin Xiuqing. The next morning, his father said a typhoon would keep the family from fishing for several days, and Ye Yaodong asked whether they should move their boat to the Typhoon Shelter.

• Xiao Xiao asked Ye Yaodong how much his grandmother's dentures had cost, and Ye Yaodong said the total was under thirteen yuan including fares.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing the dentures had cost twelve yuan, two jiao, and eight fen, and she counted and locked away the money.
• Father Ye and Ye Yaohua returned early from fishing because the waves had grown rough, and they said the commune had forecast a typhoon in the next few days.
• Father Ye postponed taking Ye Yaodong out to sea until after the typhoon, while Mother Ye and Lin Xiuqing discussed drying fish, shrimp, and mussels to save food.
• Ye Yaodong asked Father Ye whether they needed to take their boat to the Typhoon Shelter.

Ye Yaodong accompanied Father Ye to secure their newly repaired boat in the Typhoon Shelter, learned to steer and cast a net, and brought home a good catch. As the typhoon brought days of changeable weather and rain, Ye Yaodong pulled Lin Xiuqing away from her net weaving to walk by the sea and see what they could find.

• Ye Yaodong persuaded Father Ye to take him along to the Typhoon Shelter, where Father Ye taught him to steer and cast a net.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye caught a variety of fish and seafood before mooring and securing their boat at the shelter.
• Father Ye took the best catch to sell and sent Ye Yaodong to call his mother back to clean the rest.
• After the typhoon brought several days of shifting weather and heavy rain, Ye Yaodong invited Lin Xiuqing to walk by the sea.
• Lin Xiuqing scolded the children for splashing in puddles, then went with Ye Yaodong toward the shore, where he hoped they might find something to collect.

During a typhoon, Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing to the beach, where the retreating tide stranded seafood for them to collect. They continued along the shore together as the sky darkened and more waves brought clams onto the sand.

• Lin Xiuqing followed Ye Yaodong to the beach and found several Giant Clams in the receding tide.
• Lin Xiuqing spotted a Dai Fish washed ashore, and Ye Yaodong shielded her from a wave before kicking the slippery fish into their sack.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing found a fresh Golden Pomfret and added it to their haul.
• Ye Yaodong moved a rock and found a small Mud Crab, then startled Lin Xiuqing with it and followed her along the beach.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing kept collecting enormous clams as waves rolled them onto shore and the weather grew overcast.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing searched the shore during a typhoon and collected a large haul of stranded seafood. They found a rare luhua grouper, and Lin Xiuqing went home for a bucket while Ye Yaodong stayed to guard it.

• Lin Xiuqing and Ye Yaodong collected clams and spotted a dead sea bream, which Lin Xiuqing tossed back into the sea.
• Lin Xiuqing found a large mud crab, and Ye Yaodong caught it before they continued along the shore.
• Ye Yaodong caught two bighead croakers and an oyster snail as they searched among the rocks.
• Lin Xiuqing found a conger eel and then a luhua grouper, which Ye Yaodong recognized as rare and valuable.
• Lin Xiuqing ran home to get a bucket while Ye Yaodong watched the grouper and caught a mud crab with damaged pincers.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing gathered seafood along the reef before finding an enormous coconut snail that might contain a valuable treasure. Lin Xiuqing returned with a steelyard hook, and Ye Yaodong began extracting the snail’s flesh, but its contents remained unknown.

• Lin Xiuqing brought Ye Yaodong a bucket, and they continued collecting stonefish, stone crabs, and red octopuses along the reef.
• Lin Xiuqing found a giant coconut snail washed ashore, and Ye Yaodong explained that it might contain a valuable treasure.
• Ye Yaodong decided to extract the snail’s flesh with a steelyard hook so they could check inside it.
• Lin Xiuqing hurried to borrow a steelyard hook, fell and scraped her knees on the way back, then urged Ye Yaodong to open the snail.
• Ye Yaodong hooked the coconut snail’s foot and began hanging it upside down to let its flesh detach from the shell.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discovered a rare, flame-patterned Melo pearl inside a bailer shell while searching the beach during a typhoon. They decided to keep it hidden at home for now, and left to continue looking for seafood.

• Ye Yaodong hung the bailer shell from a scale until the snail meat slipped out, revealing something inside.
• Lin Xiuqing found an orange-red pearl in the shell, and Ye Yaodong identified it as a rare, valuable Melo pearl.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed how difficult it would be to sell the pearl and chose to keep it as a good-luck charm.
• Ye Yaodong entrusted the pearl to Lin Xiuqing and asked her to lock it away when they got home.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing packed the shell and snail meat, then continued searching the beach for seafood.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing gathered a large haul of seafood during the typhoon before being caught in a downpour on the way home. Father Ye identified their Luhua Grouper as a valuable catch, and the family prepared to sort the haul and take the marketable seafood to A-Cai.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing continued shore gathering despite her scraped hand and collected a large variety of seafood.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing headed home as dark clouds gathered, but heavy rain soaked them before they arrived.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing poured their catch into a basin, drawing the family’s attention to the Mud Crabs, Conger Eel, and Luhua Grouper.
• Father Ye recognized the Luhua Grouper as more valuable than an ordinary Tiger Grouper and told them to sort the catch for A-Cai.

Ye Yaodong sold the catch he gathered during the typhoon for twenty-five yuan and eighty cents, including twelve yuan for a rare Luhua grouper. He returned home to find Lin Xiuqing had hidden the Melo pearl safely.

• Lin Xiuqing hid the Melo pearl while Ye Yaodong went to sell the catch.
• Ye Yaodong bargained with A-Cai and sold him the Luhua grouper for twelve yuan.
• A-Cai bought the rest of the catch at the usual rates, paying Ye Yaodong twenty-five yuan and eighty cents in total.
• Ye Yaodong returned home and told his family how much he had earned.
• Ye Yaodong gave Lin Xiuqing the money and confirmed that she had hidden the Melo pearl.

During a typhoon, Ye Yaodong cared for Lin Xiuqing’s scraped hands and knees before the family settled in for a stormy afternoon at home. With the roof leaking and the power out, the family lit candles and played cards until dinner.

• Ye Yaodong picked sand from Lin Xiuqing’s wounds, but Ye Chenghu barged in and embarrassed them with his misunderstanding.
• The family ate lunch as the sky darkened and the typhoon’s wind and rain intensified.
• Ye Yaodong discovered the roof was leaking, and Mother Ye lit candles after the power went out.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing to stop making nets in the dim light, then joined his brothers in playing cards.
• Father Ye joined the card game and kept switching partners, while Ye Yaodong and Ye Eldest Son won money.
• Mother Ye stopped Father Ye from playing more cards and told him to weave bamboo trays for drying fish.