Chapter Summaries

As New Year approached, Ye Yaodong brought home the family photos, though someone stole the money from his pocket while he was in town. The family gathered to admire the pictures and celebrate their prosperity, and Mother Ye gave the children New Year money intended to help cover their school fees.

• Ye Yaodong picked up the family photos in town, paid to leave his bicycle outside a shop, and discovered that someone had stolen the money in his pocket.
• Ye Yaodong confessed to Lin Xiuqing that he had kept two yuan from the pork money, and she teased him for spending or losing any cash he carried.
• Lin Xiuqing and the children admired the photos, while Ye Yaodong explained that he had also collected pictures for his brothers and A-Guang.
• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law came to collect their families' first photographs as the family discussed celebrating New Year's Eve together at the Old House.
• Mother Ye gave each child a red envelope with one yuan and ten cents, telling them to give the yuan to their mothers for their school registration fees.

Mother Ye gave the women extra New Year’s money to help pay for the children’s schooling, and the Old Lady handed out red envelopes to her great-grandchildren. After Ye Yaodong returned home at midnight, the Old Lady secretly gave him her lifetime savings and urged him to keep some for himself.

• Mother Ye explained that she was contributing money toward her grandchildren’s school fees, and her daughters-in-law thanked her for supporting the family.
• The Old Lady gave each great-grandchild a New Year’s red envelope, delighting the children and bringing warmth to the family gathering.
• Ye Yaodong went out to play cards, offered incense at the Mazu Temple, and returned home after midnight.
• The Old Lady called Ye Yaodong to the table and gave him the money she had saved over half a lifetime, explaining that she had put it aside for him.
• Ye Yaodong tried to refuse the money, but the Old Lady insisted and suggested he hide some for himself and give the rest to Lin Xiuqing.

On New Year’s Eve, Ye Yaodong received the Old Lady’s savings as New Year’s money and worried that her gift might mean she sensed her life was nearing its end. The family welcomed the lunar new year together, and the chapter ended with Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang eating shark fin their father had saved for them.

• The Old Lady insisted that Ye Yaodong accept her savings, saying she would move back to the Hometown if he refused.
• Ye Yaodong showed the red packet to Lin Xiuqing, and she locked it away while he shared his fears about the Old Lady’s health.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing joked together before going to bed after midnight.
• On the first day of the lunar new year, Ye Yaodong set off firecrackers and offered incense while the children played in their new clothes.
• The Old Lady served Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang shark fin that Ye Yaodong had saved for their breakfast.

On New Year’s Day, Ye Chenghu bragged about eating shark fin while Ye Yaodong discussed plans to have Lin Xiuqing’s parents manage his city shop. The family planned for the older couple to move there after the fifteenth, while Ye Chenghu kept scheming about ways to show off.

• Lin Xiuqing stopped Ye Chenghu from taking his bowl of shark fin outside, and Ye Yaodong told him to eat it before it got cold.
• Ye Yaodong discussed with his parents taking dried fish to the city and asking his father-in-law to look after the shop.
• Ye Chenghu told his grandparents about the shark fin and fled when Mother Ye teased him about earning a perfect score.
• Ye Yaodong explained to Lin Xiuqing that her parents could bring a radio and grow vegetables in the city, and she agreed they could return if they did not adjust.
• Ye Chenghu asked when his father would take him to the city, and Lin Xiuqing realized he wanted to impress his classmates.
• Lin Xiuqing recalled that Ye Chenghu had already bragged about the shark fin to his cousins, prompting Ye Chenghe to wish he were Ye Yaodong’s son and get scolded by his mother.

Ye Yaodong tried to teach Ye Chenghu to keep a low profile and not envy what others had, but Ye Chenghu’s longing for soda led his father to promise to buy some before Lin Xiuqing stopped him. The chapter ended with Ye Chenghu still holding Ye Yaodong to his promise.

• Ye Yaodong told Ye Chenghu that showing off could invite jealousy and urged him to make a fortune quietly.
• Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang asked Ye Yaodong about soda, and Ye Yaodong claimed he had drunk so much that he no longer wanted it.
• Ye Chenghu argued that he wanted others to envy his good parents, and Ye Yaodong promised to buy him soda when they got home.
• Lin Xiuqing rebuked Ye Yaodong for encouraging showing off and warned him not to give the children everything they wanted.
• Ye Yaodong withdrew his promise and told Ye Chenghu to study and earn money for the things he wanted, but Ye Chenghu insisted that his father had promised him soda.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing returned home with their children after a New Year visit, while Ye Chenghu schemed to get his father to buy him soda. The chapter ended with Ye Chenghu ruefully reflecting on his father’s claim to be head of the household as Ye Yaodong cared for Lin Xiuqing.

• Ye Chenghu asked Ye Yaodong for soda, but Lin Xiuqing refused to let him have more treats and caught him trying to swap his malt milk for it.
• Ye Yaodong emptied the bucket to make Lin Xiuqing a seat on the crowded bus, where Ye Chenghu secretly asked him to buy soda with his fifty cents.
• Lin Xiuqing spotted the father and son conspiring, while Ye Chengyang revealed that his uncle had given the money to Ye Chenghu to share with him.
• After the family got home, the boys ran off, and Ye Yaodong massaged Lin Xiuqing’s sore shoulders and brought her hot water and a drink.
• Ye Chenghu pressed Ye Yaodong about when he would buy the soda, then watched his father tend to Lin Xiuqing and sighed that he was supposedly the head of the household.

After the weather cleared, Ye Yaodong delivered dried fish to the military, opened his City shop, and brought Father Lin and Lin Mother to help run it. As they unloaded their stock, a reseller placed an order for five hundred jin of dried toadfish, giving the shop a promising start.

• After weeks of rain, Ye Yaodong received a military order for two thousand jin of dried fish and delivered it in two trips.
• Ye Yaodong arranged doors for his two shops, bought a small iron-frame bed and a radio, and brought Father Lin and Lin Mother to the City.
• Ye Yaodong and the elderly couple unloaded dried fish at his shop near the New Market and spoke with passersby who asked about the goods.
• A short, stout middle-aged reseller ordered five hundred jin of dried toadfish to try, promising to buy more if it sold well.

Ye Yaodong sold 500 jin of dried toadfish to Boss Zhou on the New Market’s opening day and began attracting other curious customers. Boss Zhou left with the fish and Ye Yaodong’s contact number, while Ye Yaodong hoped for future bulk orders.

• Boss Zhou visited Ye Yaodong’s newly opened shop and agreed to buy 500 jin of dried toadfish to test the market.
• Ye Yaodong gave Boss Zhou the Village Committee phone number and offered 20 jin of assorted dried fish for free.
• Father Lin and Lin Mother helped weigh the fish as other market visitors browsed and bought a dozen or so jin.
• Boss Zhou paid Ye Yaodong 225 yuan for the 500 jin of dried toadfish and took the free assorted fish.
• Ye Yaodong saw Boss Zhou off and invited him to contact him if the fish sold well.

Ye Yaodong's new dried-fish shop drew strong sales on its opening day, delighting his family and the elderly couple helping run it. After bringing in another load overnight, he caught a thief in the shop, and business remained brisk as customers and fish dealers bought more than two hundred jin.

• Ye Yaodong helped Father Lin and Lin Mother sell dried fish, set off firecrackers to mark the shop's opening, and counted the day's earnings.
• Ye Yaodong returned home with the money, showed his family the sales proceeds, and explained how well the shop had done.
• Ye Yaodong brought another load of dried fish and two sets of tables and chairs to the city during the night.
• Ye Yaodong caught a man stealing dried fish from the shop, forced him to drop it, and let him escape after a struggle.
• Ye Yaodong helped serve customers through the morning, and the shop sold more than two hundred jin of dried fish.

Ye Yaodong reassured Lin Xiuqing that her parents were adjusting to running the shop, then rested at home before dinner. The family discussed feeding him well and slaughtering a chicken, while Ye Chenghu dodged talk of getting a hundred marks and complained that studying was too hard.

• Lin Xiuqing questioned Ye Yaodong about how her parents were managing the shop, and he offered to take her to see them or have her father call.
• Lin Xiuqing brought Ye Yaodong water to soak his tired feet while the Old Lady praised his hard work and suggested stewing him a chicken with tonic herbs.
• Ye Chenghu ran away after overhearing the Old Lady mention that he might bring home a hundred marks, then returned when Lin Xiuqing called him for dinner.
• The Old Lady decided to catch a chicken at the old house while Mother Ye was at work, and Ye Yaodong agreed that they could slaughter it.
• Ye Yaodong scolded Ye Chenghu for arriving late to dinner, and Ye Chenghu complained that getting a hundred marks was too hard.

Ye Yaodong promised to take Ye Chenghu to the city if he earned perfect scores in Chinese and math, and the reward motivated the boy to start his homework. The family left the softshell turtle alive for now, while Ye Yaodong settled for stewing a chicken.

• Ye Chenghu complained about having to attend school, and Ye Yaodong challenged him to earn perfect scores in Chinese and math for a trip to the city.
• Ye Chenghu eagerly accepted the challenge, and Lin Xiuqing agreed that the trip could motivate him to study.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing found Ye Chenghu doing his homework after dinner and discussed using rewards to encourage the children.
• Ye Yaodong suggested killing the children's softshell turtle to stew with a chicken, but Lin Xiuqing warned that the boys would be upset.
• Ye Yaodong gave up on the turtle and decided to stew only the chicken.

After delivering dried fish, Ye Yaodong rested with his family and discussed his new boat and Ye Chenghu’s school goals. The next morning, he decided to set gill nets, but learned Uncle Pei had called Father Ye away to inspect a friend’s boat.

• Ye Yaodong ate chicken soup and joked about being a good-for-nothing, while Lin Xiuqing scolded him and the family shared the meal.
• Mother Ye scolded Father Ye for letting a chicken go missing, but he defended Ye Yaodong and urged him to eat well.
• Ye Yaodong and his parents discussed getting his boat built and suggested that the children could learn shipbuilding after junior high.
• Ye Chenghu declared that he would earn a hundred on his exams, and Lin Xiuqing explained that Ye Yaodong had promised him a trip to the city for perfect scores.
• After learning that boats had gone out to sea overnight, Ye Yaodong planned to set gill nets and discovered that Uncle Pei had called Father Ye away to inspect a friend's boat.

Ye Yaodong learned that Uncle Pei’s friend had brought back over thirty thousand jin of Bombay duck and arranged to buy the dried fish for his shop. After agreeing to take the whole batch if it was properly prepared, Ye Yaodong left with his father to return to setting the gill nets.

• Ye Yaodong waited for his father to return, then learned Uncle Pei had called him over to discuss a large haul of Bombay duck and dried shrimp.
• Father Ye explained that his friend had over thirty thousand jin of Bombay duck to sell, and Ye Yaodong decided to inspect it and consider buying the dried fish and shrimp.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye cycled to the pier, where workers were cleaning the fish and preparing them to dry.
• Ye Yaodong met Uncle Pei and the fisherman, then agreed to buy all the dried Bombay duck at fourteen fen per jin if it was fresh and properly prepared.
• Ye Yaodong planned to give Uncle Pei a referral fee, and the group agreed that the seller would contact him as batches dried so he could collect them.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned from arranging a bargain purchase of Bombay duck and discussed expanding their dried-seafood business. After setting their nets, they planned to check on Ye Yaodong’s boat and give A Hai a chance to learn about shipbuilding.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye agreed to buy Bombay duck through Father Pei and planned to give him a commission.
• Father Ye urged Ye Yaodong to track the dried-fish business, while they discussed buying more stock and asking the village for dried fish.
• Ye Yaodong suggested that his sisters-in-law gather shellfish to dry and sell, and Father Ye agreed to raise the idea with them.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye ate lunch aboard their boat, then set gill nets and buoys at a quiet fishing spot.
• Ye Yaodong asked Father Ye to check on the boat being built at the shipyard and suggested taking A Hai along on a weekend to see whether he was interested in learning a trade.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye set gill nets and caught fish that leaped into the boat and net, while Ye Yaodong arranged to buy dried shellfish from his sisters-in-law. The women then asked Lin Xiuqing to prepare lunch for their school-aged children while they went out to gather shellfish, leaving her to consider an unexpected burden.

• Ye Yaodong worried that his young nephew might be led astray if he watched the shop alone in the city.
• A fish leaped into Ye Yaodong's chest, and several mullet later jumped beneath the gill net he was setting; he and Father Ye finished laying all forty-two nets before returning to shore.
• Ye Yaodong told Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua that he would buy dried shellfish, and both brothers agreed to have their wives gather and dry it for sale.
• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law visited Lin Xiuqing during dinner and asked her to prepare lunch for their children while they went shellfish gathering.

Lin Xiuqing refused to take on the regular care of her six nieces and nephews because she already had too much work and too many children to manage. The family agreed that the children’s maternal grandparents would help, with Mother Ye offering to step in if needed.

• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law asked Lin Xiuqing to look after their six children while they worked, but Lin Xiuqing explained that she could only help for a day or two.
• Ye Yaodong, Mother Ye, the Old Lady, and Father Ye suggested that the children stay with their maternal grandparents, who could also cook for the children and their parents.
• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law agreed to ask their parents for help, and Mother Ye offered to cook for them if the grandmothers were unavailable.
• After the sisters-in-law left, Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing joked with Mother Ye as the family returned to their meal and chores.

Ye Yaodong went to recruit Ye Yaosheng for a fishing trip, while Second Uncle Ye used the visit to push his son to prioritize Ye Yaodong’s work and abandon his plans with the Wang Family. Ye Yaosheng agreed to leave for sea at five the next morning, and Ye Yaodong headed home.

• Ye Yaodong listened as local women complained that the Village Committee had taken nearly two months to deliver a fifty-yuan reward and a certificate for donating a sea monster.
• Ye Yaodong visited Second Uncle Ye’s home to ask Ye Yaosheng to join the crew at five the next morning.
• Second Uncle Ye overruled Ye Yaosheng’s promise to help the Wang Family build a pigpen and urged him to work for Ye Yaodong instead.
• Ye Yaosheng agreed to go with Ye Yaodong, who left for home with his flashlight after ending Second Uncle Ye’s rambling.

Ye Yaodong took Ye Chenghu home after promising to reward him with trips to the city for perfect scores, then set out to sea with Ye Yaosheng and Father Ye. They spotted an unmanned boat covered in strange, writhing growth and prepared to inspect it.

• Ye Yaodong considered his debts and told Ye Chenghu to go home, promising to take him to the city whenever he earned two perfect scores.
• Ye Chenghu proudly shared the promise, while the other children envied him and their mothers worried about their own sons wanting to visit the city.
• Ye Yaosheng apologized for his father's earlier remarks and asked Ye Yaodong whether A-Guang's family was still renting out a boat.
• Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaosheng discussed the possibility of renting a boat and Ye Yaodong's plans for his own fleet.
• As the three men headed out to sea, Father Ye spotted a small boat drifting nearby, and they approached it.
• Ye Yaodong recognized the boat's dense covering as barnacles and shellfish, and Ye Yaosheng fetched a long hook to pull it closer.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discovered that a drifting wooden boat was covered in valuable Sea Chicken Feet, then hauled it aboard. Ye Yaodong found the boat’s wood rotten, while Ye Yaosheng offered to split it open later to collect shipworms to eat.

• Ye Yaodong recognized the wriggling growth on the boat as Sea Chicken Feet, and explained to Father Ye and Ye Yaosheng that they were Goose-Neck Barnacles.
• Father Ye used a hook to draw the little boat alongside their vessel, and the three men hauled it onto the deck.
• Ye Yaodong inspected the boat and found that its wood crumbled easily, making it unsuitable for Ye Yaosheng to use.
• Ye Yaosheng suggested that shipworms might be inside the holes in the wood and said he wanted to collect and eat them once they reached shore.
• Ye Yaodong offered Ye Yaosheng the boat to split open after they docked, while privately recoiling at the thought of eating shipworms.

Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaosheng salvaged barnacles and shipworms from a rotten wooden boat, joking about eating the worms raw. Ye Yaodong offered to lend Ye Yaosheng money for a small fishing boat, but Ye Yaosheng declined, saying he preferred to save up rather than owe anyone.

• Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaosheng pried barnacles from the boat while Father Ye steered and watched them work.
• Ye Yaodong found a shipworm and teased Ye Yaosheng by offering it to him raw, but Ye Yaosheng insisted it should be cooked.
• Ye Yaodong explained how shipworms damaged wooden boats as the two men continued removing barnacles.
• Ye Yaodong noticed Ye Yaosheng's swollen, cold-exposed fingers and asked whether he washed his own clothes.
• Ye Yaodong offered to lend Ye Yaosheng money to buy a small fishing boat, but Ye Yaosheng refused because he did not want to owe anyone.