Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong worked with Father Ye and Ye Yaosheng hauling in their nets, then spotted a venomous stonefish and secretly planned to take it home for soup. The crew caught an enormous blackback skate, which they lifted toward the table.

• Ye Yaosheng declined Ye Yaodong's offer of a loan but said he might rent a boat from him someday.
• Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaosheng moved the boat aside and joined Father Ye in hauling and sorting the nets.
• Father Ye spotted a stonefish in the gill net, and Ye Yaodong carefully brought it aboard while planning to keep it.
• Father Ye hauled in a huge ray, and Ye Yaodong identified it as a blackback skate rather than a devil ray.
• Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, and Ye Yaosheng supported the enormous fish and prepared to lift it onto the table.

Ye Yaodong and his father hauled in a huge Blackback Skate, which weighed 106 jin, and decided to take it to the City to sell for a better price. After drawing attention at the shore and baffling A-Cai by refusing to sell it to him, Ye Yaodong stored it for the night and planned to travel the next day.

• Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, and Ye Yaosheng hauled a massive Blackback Skate from their gill net and set it aside to take to Hongsheng.
• After they returned to shore, Ye Eldest Brother, Ye Second Older Brother, and other onlookers admired the catch as they carried it to be weighed.
• A-Cai weighed the Blackback Skate at 106 jin, but Ye Yaodong refused to sell it and joked that he was taking it home to guard the house.
• Ye Yaodong arranged to get ice to keep the skate fresh and decided he would take it to the City the following day.
• Since Ye Yaodong would not be going to sea the next morning, he planned to have Father Ye find another person to join him and Ye Yaosheng.

Ye Yaodong helped his family bring home their catch and the shellfish-covered Small Wooden Boat, which broke apart as they loaded it. The wreck revealed shipworms, and Ye Yaosheng collected some before they took the boat halves home.

• Ye Yaodong waited ashore while Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law returned home with their catch, then helped Father Ye load the family’s haul onto a handcart.
• Ye Yaodong went to fetch ice for the devil ray and returned to tell Father Ye that he and Ye Yaosheng would retrieve the Small Wooden Boat.
• Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaosheng carried the Small Wooden Boat ashore as villagers commented on its shellfish-covered hull.
• The Small Wooden Boat slipped from their hands and broke in two, exposing shipworms packed inside the wood.
• Ye Yaosheng collected shipworms in a bucket while Ye Yaodong held a flashlight, and they loaded the boat halves onto the handcart to take home.

Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaosheng brought home a huge devil ray and a wrecked boat, but their work was interrupted when Wang Lizhen arrived to confront Ye Yaosheng about his family calling off their engagement. The neighbors urged Wang Lizhen to leave and discuss the matter with the elders the next day, while Ye Yaosheng remained embarrassed and frustrated.

• Ye Yaodong encouraged Ye Yaosheng to accept the broken engagement and focus on earning money as they brought their catch home.
• Ye Yaodong’s family admired the enormous devil ray, and Ye Yaodong said he would take it to town to sell the next day.
• Wang Lizhen entered the yard calling for Ye Yaosheng, and the family’s dogs surrounded her and tore her clothes as she kicked at them.
• Ye Yaodong called the dogs back, while Mother Ye, Lin Xiuqing, and the children confronted Wang Lizhen for making a scene.
• Ye Yaosheng admitted that he also wanted to end the engagement, and the neighbors urged Wang Lizhen to return the next day with the elders to talk.

Ye Yaosheng left after his engagement to Wang Lizhen was called off, while Ye Yaodong’s family resumed its evening routine and discussed the shellfish his sisters-in-law had gathered. The chapter ended with Mother Ye explaining that authorities had uncovered a child-trafficking hideout in the county seat and rescued missing children.

• Ye Yaosheng thanked Ye Yaodong and left after the Old Lady advised him to let his parents handle any complaints about the canceled engagement.
• Wang Lizhen demanded compensation for her torn clothes, and Ye Yaosheng pulled her away before she could argue with the family.
• Ye Yaodong teased Lin Xiuqing at home before they talked about the shellfish and possible pearls gathered by his sisters-in-law.
• Mother Ye and the others went next door, where Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law were sorting several sacks of shellfish with their children.
• Mother Ye told them that authorities had caught a trafficking gang in the county seat and rescued children after tracing the gang’s hideout.

Ye Yaodong rescued a stonefish from the fish waste and cooked its meat despite his family’s worries, while his relatives cleaned the shellfish he had agreed to buy. They found a pearl that eased their fears about making a loss, but after several more nights yielded none, Ye Yaodong remained unwilling to promise the neighbors he would buy their shellfish.

• Ye Yaodong’s relatives worried that nobody would buy the shellfish meat, but Father Ye reassured them that Ye Yaodong had agreed to take it.
• Ye Yaodong found the stonefish buried in the fish waste, removed its venomous spines, and cooked it despite Mother Ye’s objections.
• Lin Xiuqing tested the fish soup with a silver bangle before Ye Yaodong drank it, then declined to eat any herself.
• Father Ye found a pearl among the shellfish, and the family celebrated the prospect of covering their costs.
• After finding no more pearls over the next three nights, Ye Yaodong refused to promise neighbors that he would buy their shellfish before testing the market.

Ye Yaodong visited Father Lin and Lin Mother at their busy city shop, where he learned they were selling dried fish quickly and arranged a 3,000-jin sale with Boss Zhou. The bulk order and truck pickup eased his storage and transport problems, leaving him confident he could afford the final payment on the large ship.

• Ye Yaodong brought more dried fish to the city and found Father Lin and Lin Mother had adapted well and were selling briskly.
• Father Lin gave Ye Yaodong the shop’s takings, and Ye Yaodong discussed finding a truck to transport more stock.
• A market boy told Ye Yaodong he had a phone call, and Boss Zhou offered to buy 3,000 jin of dried fish and send a Big Jiefang Truck to collect it.
• Ye Yaodong returned with meat buns, urged Father Lin and Lin Mother to eat properly, and told them about Boss Zhou’s order.
• Ye Yaodong planned to rent the couple a nearby house and realized that the sales money would leave him able to make the final payment on the large ship.

Ye Yaodong went to Xinghua Zhong Village to find a place for his in-laws to stay near the market stalls, where Village Chief Wei Aiguo agreed to ask around about houses for rent or sale. He returned to the shop and planned to weigh the dried fish stock and reserve three thousand jin.

• Ye Yaodong entered the village and, after wary residents mistook him for a possible child trafficker, found his way to the village committee office.
• Ye Yaodong asked Village Chief Wei Aiguo about renting or buying a house near the market, and Wei agreed to ask around and report back the next day.
• Ye Yaodong and Wei Aiguo discussed their market stalls, including Wei's unsold shop at entrance three.
• Ye Yaodong returned to the shop and told his in-laws he wanted to rent a house for them, but they objected until he explained the shop would be filled with stock.
• Ye Yaodong planned to weigh the dried fish and set aside three thousand jin, with more stock to check at Uncle Pei's friend's place.

Ye Yaodong collected several days of sales money from Father Lin and began considering buying the Production Team’s tractor. Back home, he teased Lin Xiuqing while they counted the money, but their playful exchange was overheard by their child and the Old Lady, leaving Lin Xiuqing mortified.

• Father Lin gave Ye Yaodong the several hundred yuan he and Lin Mother had earned selling goods, and Ye Yaodong hid it under his clothes for the trip home.
• Ye Yaodong offered to give Old Zhou dried shrimp and learned that the Production Team might sell its tractor.
• Ye Yaodong decided he wanted to buy the tractor and planned to speak with Secretary Chen about getting first priority.
• At home, Ye Yaodong hurried Lin Xiuqing into their room and joked with her while showing her the money.
• Their child peeked in while Ye Yaodong was joking about taking off his clothes, and the Old Lady shut the door after overhearing them.
• Lin Xiuqing blushed and scolded Ye Yaodong for embarrassing her, while he laughed and insisted there was nothing wrong with flirting with his wife.

Ye Yaodong returned with a large sum from selling goods and discussed buying the village Tractor with Lin Xiuqing, who persuaded him it would be an unnecessary expense. They arranged to sell 3,000 jin of dried Bombay Duck to Boss Zhou the next day, freeing space to collect Uncle Pei’s friend’s goods, then counted their money until the Old Lady came in to ask Lin Xiuqing to feed Xiao Jiu.

• Ye Yaodong poured out the money he had earned, and Lin Xiuqing assumed he wanted to discuss buying an expensive appliance.
• Ye Yaodong proposed buying the village Tractor, but Lin Xiuqing argued that they would rarely use it and could hire Uncle Zhou instead.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that their son already had children following him home after school, and Ye Yaodong proudly imagined the boy showing off their future Large Ship.
• Ye Yaodong revealed that Boss Zhou would collect 3,000 jin of dried Bombay Duck the next day, allowing them to weigh and take Uncle Pei’s friend’s goods as well.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing counted their money in the bedroom until the Old Lady came in and asked Lin Xiuqing to feed Xiao Jiu.

Ye Yaodong counted the day’s earnings and learned that his sisters-in-law had found valuable sea chicken feet, which they asked him to sell for them. After returning home to eat, he planned to weigh a new three-thousand-jin order and deliver dried shrimp to Uncle Zhou, but an unexpected turn was foreshadowed.

• Ye Yaodong and the Old Lady counted the banknotes while Lin Xiuqing nursed the child, and they agreed they needed a lockable chest for the money.
• Ye Yaodong rode to notify the seller of dried Bombay duck that he would have room to take their goods the next day.
• Ye Yaodong met Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law, confirmed their bucket contained valuable sea chicken feet, and agreed to take them to town with one of his brothers.
• The Old Lady served Ye Yaodong rice cakes and dried shrimp soup, and he explained that he planned to give a basket of dried shrimp to Uncle Zhou.
• Lin Xiuqing prepared to help with the goods, and Ye Yaodong told the Old Lady that he had another three-thousand-jin order and intended to promote their dried shellfish as a gift.

Ye Yaodong discussed the family’s dried-fish profits before taking Ye Yaopeng to town to sell more seafood. Their hopes of selling the valuable shelled catch collapsed when Wang Maoquan refused it, leaving Ye Yaopeng disappointed and Ye Yaodong without a buyer.

• Lin Xiuqing counted 833 yuan and 26 cents in sales, and Ye Yaodong estimated that roughly a third was profit.
• Ye Yaohua decided to trust Ye Yaodong’s business judgment and keep the city shop rather than give in to his wife’s doubts.
• Ye Yaodong took Ye Yaopeng to town and brought the shelled catch to the restaurant, where Fatty explained that the previous batch had gone unsold and been thrown away.
• Ye Yaodong asked Wang Maoquan to reconsider buying the catch, but Wang refused and told them not to bring it again.
• Ye Yaopeng followed Wang Maoquan a few steps, then stopped and sighed as he accepted that they had no buyer.

Ye Yaodong’s family learned that the buyers would no longer purchase the Sea Chicken Feet, so they decided to eat the small haul themselves. Ye Yaodong then weighed his dried fish and gathered his sisters-in-law’s shellfish meat to sell, leaving them cheered by the prospect of finally earning money.

• Fatty told Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaodong that the buyers had accepted the Sea Chicken Feet earlier only because the Young Master had been away.
• Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaopeng returned home with the Sea Chicken Feet unsold, disappointing the family.
• Ye Yaopeng decided to divide the shellfish among the family and stir-fry it, while Ye Yaohua reminded everyone that their other catches had still been worthwhile.
• Ye Yaodong returned to work and weighed the dried fish with Father Ye and A Qing, discovering the total was over two hundred jin short.
• Ye Yaodong brought over three more sacks to weigh and asked his sisters-in-law to bring out their shellfish meat so he could sell it to Boss Zhou and deliver the rest to the city.

Ye Yaodong checked the dried fish after someone splashed water over the nylon covers, then waited for Boss Zhou to arrive and collect the order. Boss Zhou reached the village and sent for the Big Jiefang Truck, leaving the children excitedly gathering to see it.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing found water on the nylon covers over the dried fish and moved the bags aside to check the sacks.
• Ye Second Sister-in-Law discussed the growing workload and her hopes of renting a shop in the city, then scolded Ye Chengjiang for wanting to skip school.
• Ye Chengjiang told Ye Yaodong that a Big Jiefang Truck had come to the village looking for him.
• Ye Yaodong welcomed Boss Zhou and agreed to inspect, weigh, and load the dried fish when the truck arrived.
• Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengjiang gathered the neighborhood children to watch for the Big Jiefang Truck.

Ye Yaodong’s neighbors and family gathered to see the big Jiefang truck that had come to collect his dried fish. Boss Zhou arrived to inspect and weigh the goods before loading them, while villagers watched and marveled at Ye Yaodong’s success.

• Ye Chengjiang and the other children told the villagers that a big Jiefang was coming to collect Ye Yaodong’s dried fish.
• Ye Yaodong urged the children to study, and the adults warned them to stay clear of the truck as it approached.
• The big Jiefang arrived at Ye Yaodong’s home, drawing a crowd of excited children and curious villagers.
• Ye Yaodong welcomed Boss Zhou, who declined tea and asked to inspect and weigh the goods quickly.
• Ye Yaodong’s family began weighing the dried fish as more villagers and Father Ye arrived to watch and help.

Ye Yaodong and his family finished loading 3,000 jin of dried fish onto Boss Zhou’s truck, and Boss Zhou paid them in full. As the truck prepared to leave, Ye Chengyang said he wanted to be a boss, leaving Ye Yaodong and Boss Zhou amused and impressed.

• The village children tried to get inside the big Jiefang, but the adults sent them away and told them to go to school.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua told villagers that the truck was being loaded with 3,000 jin of dried fish, while neighbors and friends joined in to help.
• Lin Xiuqing gave Boss Zhou a basket of dried blue mussels, and Ye Yaodong explained how they could be cooked.
• Boss Zhou checked the loaded goods and paid Ye Yaodong for the dried fish after the workers finished weighing it.
• Ye Yaodong asked whether Boss Zhou wanted to fill the remaining truck space, but Boss Zhou said he had goods to collect elsewhere.
• As Boss Zhou’s truck prepared to leave, Ye Chengyang said he wanted to be a boss, and Ye Yaodong and Boss Zhou praised him.

After Ye Yaodong sold a large load of dried fish, A-Zheng proposed buying fresh fish in the city, drying it, and supplying it to him. Ye Yaodong agreed to take the first batch, and A-Zheng planned to try the business without giving up trawling.

• The villagers watched the Jiefang truck leave and asked Ye Yaodong how much he had earned from selling the dried fish.
• Ye Yaodong's friends discussed whether the dried fish or his market shop had made the sale successful, while Father Ye argued that shops were less dependable than boats.
• A-Zheng proposed buying fish at the city market, drying it, and selling it to Ye Yaodong so he could keep his stock supplied.
• Ye Yaodong agreed to buy the dried fish and suggested affordable varieties such as yellowtail scad, Bombay duck, and eel.
• A-Zheng decided to buy a few thousand jin of fish for a trial batch and said he would still go trawling when he could.

Ye Yaodong arranged to buy and weigh Uncle Zheng’s dried Bombay duck, then learned about the costs and equipment of large trawlers while waiting for the final tally. The chapter left him wondering whether Uncle Zheng’s friend’s new twenty-six-meter boat was the one he had ordered.

• Ye Yaodong invited A-Zheng to join him on a midnight trip to the city and agreed to weigh the villagers’ dried fish after buying Uncle Zheng’s several thousand jin of Bombay duck.
• Father Lin told Ye Yaodong that the village chief had found a nearby house to rent, and Ye Yaodong said he would inspect it after reaching the city.
• Uncle Zheng’s friend brought his dried Bombay duck to Ye Yaodong’s courtyard, where Ye Yaodong and Father Ye spent the afternoon weighing and storing it.
• Ye Yaodong asked Uncle Zheng’s friend about his twenty-six-meter trawler, and the man explained its purchase price, earnings, and the costs of fishing away from home.
• Uncle Zheng’s friend said his companion was building a twenty-six-meter boat with a marine radio, prompting Ye Yaodong to wonder whether it was the boat he had ordered.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing sold Uncle Zheng a large batch of fish, paid Uncle Pei a referral fee, and discussed their growing fishing business. While Ye Yaodong went to A-Guang’s Home, neighboring women asked Lin Xiuqing whether they could sell shellfish to him too, and she left the decision for him.

• Ye Yaodong realized Uncle Zheng’s boat was the twenty-six-meter vessel he had seen under construction at the county shipyard, and they discussed the upcoming Mazu’s Birthday festivities.
• Lin Xiuqing calculated that Uncle Zheng’s fish weighed 4,463 jin and cost 624 yuan and 82 fen, with 44 yuan and 63 fen set aside as Uncle Pei’s referral fee.
• Lin Xiuqing counted out the money, and Uncle Zheng confirmed the amount before asking whether he could bring another large batch of fish next time.
• Ye Yaodong rode to A-Guang’s Home while Father Ye went to help with work, and Lin Xiuqing stayed nearby to help sort shellfish and watch Ye Xiaoxi.
• The neighboring women asked Lin Xiuqing if they could gather and dry shellfish to sell to Ye Yaodong, but she said he would decide when he returned.

Ye Yaodong agreed to buy dried shellfish from the neighborhood women, then tried to teach his daughter Ye Xiaoxi to call him Dad after she called Lin Xiuqing Mama. A-Guang returned the introduction fee and warned that the truck buying dried fish might attract competition, but Ye Yaodong believed no one else could match his buying capacity and storage.

• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law discouraged the neighborhood women from joining their shellfish business, while Lin Xiuqing explained that her father brought back the money from selling oysters.
• Ye Yaodong returned from delivering the introduction fee to Ye Huimei, agreed to buy shellfish from the women, and went home with Lin Xiuqing.
• Ye Xiaoxi called Lin Xiuqing Mama for the first time, and Ye Yaodong eagerly tried to teach her to call him Dad or Papa.
• A-Guang brought back the introduction fee, saying Father Pei had refused it, and Ye Yaodong accepted it after A-Guang insisted.
• A-Guang warned that the Big Jiefang Truck might draw villagers into selling dried fish, but Ye Yaodong argued that few people could afford to buy and store thousands of jin.