Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong returned home with buckets of seafood and bamboo shoots, where Lin Xiuqing discovered he had tied three children to pillars to stop them from joining the trip to shore. After the children escaped their mothers’ scolding and hid at his house, Ye Yaodong put them to work peeling bamboo shoots and explained how they could safely try catching octopuses when the tide went out.

• Lin Xiuqing learned that Ye Yaodong had taken other children to the beach, while their own boys had stayed home because Ye Yaodong tied them and Ye Chenghe to pillars.
• Ye Yaodong brought home buckets of clams and small fish along with a sack of bamboo shoots, then warned the children not to return to the shore until the tide went out.
• Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law came home and beat their children for disobeying, sending the children fleeing to Ye Yaodong’s house.
• Ye Yaodong let the children use his home as a refuge in exchange for peeling bamboo shoots, then went inside to prepare them for lunch.
• Ye Yaodong told Ye Chenghai and the other children to wait for low tide and set their bottles and jars near the beach’s lowest tide line rather than venture beyond the pier.

Ye Yaodong helped the children prepare strings of jars and clay pots to set on the beach as the tide receded, while they gathered seafood. The children left the pots in place for the next day and went home with a bucketful of seafood to share.

• Ye Chenghu gathered jars from the house and spent the afternoon making holes in them, while Ye Yaodong advised the children to find jars at their own homes.
• As the tide receded, Ye Yaodong followed the children along the beach, gathering seafood and keeping them away from the water.
• When the tide reached its lowest point, Ye Yaodong told the children to hammer posts into the sand and tie their jars and clay pots in place facing the sea.
• Ye Yaodong sent the children beachcombing while he collected sea lettuce, and they filled a bucket with seafood.
• Ye Yaodong led the children home and promised to fry the small fish and share the remaining seafood among their families.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye set gill nets, shrimp pots, and a trawl net after the rain cleared, while discussing the coming end of toadfish season. When Ye Yaodong caught a rare golden pufferfish to inspect, Father Ye threw it back into the sea, and they turned to hauling in the trawl net.

• Lin Xiuqing cooked the family's gathered seafood, sea urchin eggs, bamboo shoots, and sea lettuce soup for dinner.
• Ye Yaodong paid A-Zheng to transport dried fish to the city before heading out to sea with Father Ye.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye set their remaining gill nets and shrimp pots, then put the trawl net in the water.
• Ye Yaodong dozed during the trawl and woke when waves splashed him, then scooped up a golden pufferfish with a hand net.
• Father Ye poured the golden pufferfish back into the sea, and Ye Yaodong complained before Father Ye called him to help haul the net.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in a large golden Spanish mackerel and several other catches, then began retrieving their shrimp pots. The chapter ended when Ye Yaodong spotted a small green lobster clinging to one of the pots.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled up a net containing a huge golden Spanish mackerel, which Ye Yaodong identified by its markings and fins.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sorted the catch, then made two more trawls that brought in mostly Spanish mackerel and sea bass.
• Ye Yaodong steered the boat to retrieve their fifty shrimp pots while Father Ye straightened the net.
• Ye Yaodong hauled up several pots filled with shrimp, crabs, and fish, and Father Ye joined him after stowing the net.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a small green lobster clinging to a shrimp pot, and Father Ye choked on his pipe smoke in surprise.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in shrimp pots and trawls, finding six small green lobsters and a valuable catch that they brought ashore to sell. Ye Yaodong kept one lobster for Xiao Jiu, whose first birthday was five days away.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye found six small green lobsters among the shrimp pots and finished hauling their catch.
• Ye Yaodong steered the boat back while Father Ye sorted the catch, including a large Spanish mackerel and plenty of sword shrimp.
• A-Cai helped unload the boat and told Ye Yaodong that his two older brothers had returned earlier with smaller catches.
• Ye Yaodong set aside a lively small green lobster for Xiao Jiu to eat, and A-Cai joked about marrying her to his son.

Ye Yaodong heard how many octopuses the children had caught, then helped them search for Ye Chenghu’s escaped red octopus. They found it inside the house, where it had crawled into Ye Xiaoxi’s cage and was climbing on her, and Ye Chenghu decided to keep it as a pet.

• Ye Yaodong listened as the children excitedly recounted their octopus catches, while Father Ye realized their combined haul exceeded twenty.
• Ye Yaodong learned that the other children’s catches had been sold, but Ye Chenghu had kept his octopuses in a bucket to raise them and get rich.
• The children and adults searched the yard for Ye Chenghu’s missing red octopus and checked the dogs, but found nothing.
• Ye Yaodong, Lin Xiuqing, and Father Ye discovered the octopus inside the house, crawling on Ye Xiaoxi in her standing cage.
• Ye Chenghu brought the bucket inside and insisted on raising the octopus, while Ye Yaodong joked that he would wait for the boy to support him.

Ye Chenghu and the other children tried to keep their captured octopuses and lobster, but Lin Xiuqing cooked the escaped red octopus and later scolded them for taking the lobster out on a string. Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discussed bringing Lin Xiuqing’s parents back for Ye Xiaoxi’s first birthday and giving them time off from the shop.

• The red octopus escaped from its bucket and crawled under the table, but Lin Xiuqing caught it and cooked it despite Ye Chenghu’s protests.
• Ye Chenghu carried the remaining small octopuses to his room, while Lin Xiuqing told the children to shell shrimp and bring in the green lobster.
• The children tied a string to the lobster and took it for a walk, so Lin Xiuqing shouted for them to return and struck Ye Chenghu on the head when they came back.
• Lin Xiuqing covered the lobster with a bowl, and Ye Yaodong joked about Ye Chenghu’s mischief while eating the cooked octopus.
• Father Ye reminded Ye Yaodong to bring Lin Xiuqing’s parents back for Ye Xiaoxi’s first birthday, arrange a rest from the shop, and pay their wages early.

Ye Yaodong and his family hauled in their worn-out gill nets, received the city shop’s accumulated earnings, and prepared to celebrate Ye Xiaoxi’s first birthday. He followed the children to the beach, where they waited for the tide to retreat so they could collect octopuses from their bottles and jars.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye brought their old gill nets ashore and decided to focus on trawl-net and longline fishing after their break.
• Father Lin gave Ye Yaodong the city shop’s collected money and sales notes, and Lin Xiuqing began counting it.
• Ye Yaodong went to the beach after the children, carrying Ye Chengyang when the boy fell on the sand.
• Ye Yaodong stopped Ye Chenghai from wading into the water and told the children to wait for the tide to recede.
• The children reached their bottles and jars as the tide went out and eagerly prepared to catch octopuses.

Ye Yaodong watched the children collect octopuses from their jars, then helped them catch a large one that had escaped. The children planned to trade their catch to him for snacks, while Ye Chenghu decided he wanted money instead.

• Ye Chenghu pulled a large black octopus from a jar, but dropped it into the water, where the children fought over it.
• Ye Yaodong broke up the children’s brawl and caught the octopus with a bucket.
• The children compared their catch, and Ye Yaodong counted twenty-two octopuses altogether.
• Ye Chenghai suggested hiding the catch from their mothers and selling it to Ye Yaodong for instant noodles and soda.
• Ye Chenghu asked to sell his octopuses for money, then decided he could get snacks by mooching off Ye Chengyang.

Ye Yaodong paid the children for their catch and helped them keep it secret from their mothers. The families gathered for Ye Xiaoxi’s simple first-birthday meal, where she and Ye Huimei’s baby daughter kept each other company.

• Ye Yaodong split the money from the children’s catch between Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang, then paid Ye Xiuxiu and Ye Jingjing for their octopuses.
• Ye Yaodong carried the children’s catch home, and he and Lin Xiuqing agreed to keep the octopuses alive and serve the small seafood to the family.
• Lin Xiuqing’s brothers and their wives arrived the next morning with new clothes and tiger-head shoes for Ye Xiaoxi’s birthday.
• Ye Yaodong sent the children off to school before they could ask to take A Yuan to the beach.
• Both families shared a simple birthday meal as Ye Xiaoxi and Ye Huimei’s daughter babbled together.

After the families celebrated their daughter’s first birthday, Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed whether she should take the Village Committee job. Lin Xiuqing remained reluctant to give up the secure position, and she ended the night angry after Ye Yaodong urged her not to work.

• Ye Yaodong sent Father Lin, Lin Mother, and the other guests home with their wages, red envelopes, towels, and dried seafood.
• Ye Yaodong slept through the afternoon, then woke at night and shared an intimate moment with Lin Xiuqing before they went to make him noodles.
• Ye Yaodong proposed that Lin Xiuqing give up her Village Committee job because she was already overwhelmed with household duties.
• Lin Xiuqing suggested Huimei could take the job, and Ye Yaodong agreed, but Lin Xiuqing hesitated to surrender the secure position.
• Ye Yaodong argued that their household wealth made her wages unnecessary, and Lin Xiuqing angrily served him noodles before returning to the bedroom.

Ye Yaodong coaxed Lin Xiuqing out of her anger, and they discussed his parents offering money toward a big boat and plans to raise pigs at the old house. The couple went to sleep after agreeing to revisit the money when the boat was closer to being delivered.

• Ye Yaodong ate the Longevity Noodles, then went to bed and tried to discover why Lin Xiuqing was angry.
• Ye Yaodong sweet-talked Lin Xiuqing until she laughed and stopped giving him the cold shoulder.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong that his parents planned to save money to help them buy a big boat, and Ye Yaodong said they could accept it if his parents insisted.
• Lin Xiuqing said Eldest Sister-in-Law and Second Sister-in-Law planned to raise pigs at the old house, and Ye Yaodong agreed to help alter it.
• Ye Yaodong said they would raise more chickens and ducks instead of pigs, then fell asleep beside Lin Xiuqing.

Ye Yaodong and his family prepared for Qingming, as the children roamed the hills collecting grave cakes and the adults tried to repair an old house for pig raising. The chapter ended with Ye Yaodong urging Father Ye to bring small change for grave offerings and suggesting they improve Grandpa’s grave.

• Ye Yaodong noticed Qingming was approaching and discussed grave-tending plans with the Old Lady.
• Ye Chenghu recited a Qingming poem and learned that school would be closed for the holiday.
• The Ye family children spent the day visiting graves to collect Guangbing, while Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed how many cakes they might bring home.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaodong began knocking down a wall to prepare a pigpen, but Father Ye stopped them when the old house shook and ordered them to use the Old Lady’s room instead.
• Father Ye asked Ye Yaodong to order Guangbing for the next day, but Ye Yaodong suggested handing out money if the cakes ran short and proposed fixing up Grandpa’s grave.

Ye Yaodong discussed rebuilding his grandfather’s tomb with Father Ye, but his uncles’ reluctance meant the family would postpone the work. The family agreed to prepare cash as an alternative to Guangbing for grave-sweeping, while the children returned from the hills covered in mud and loaded with grave cakes.

• Father Ye explained that Ye Yaodong’s uncles had refused to share the cost of rebuilding their grandfather’s tomb, and Ye Yaodong suggested paying for it themselves.
• Father Ye insisted the tomb should be a shared family responsibility, so they agreed to wait another year or two before deciding what to do.
• Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua finished repairing the roof, then the family discussed fishermen who were allegedly making money transporting foreign goods and rejected taking part.
• Ye Yaodong told his relatives they could hand out money if they ran short of Guangbing while sweeping graves the next morning, and they agreed to split the expense.
• Ye Yaodong and his family returned home to find the children muddy from grave-sweeping and carrying strings of Guangbing, and Lin Xiuqing sent them inside to bathe.

Ye Yaodong and his family went to tend Ye Old Master's grave for Qingming, where the children prayed for blessings and collected Guangbing. When the grave cakes ran short, Ye Yaodong began giving the waiting children coins in exchange for auspicious wishes, turning the hillside lively with their blessings.

• Ye Yaodong counted the Guangbing his sons had collected, and the family prepared baskets and paper offerings for the next morning's trip.
• Father Ye led the family procession up the hill, where children from the village joined them in hopes of receiving grave cakes.
• The family cleared weeds around Ye Old Master's grave, offered incense, and listened as Ye Yaodong and the children made their wishes aloud.
• A-Guang set off firecrackers, and Ye Yaopeng and Ye Yaohua handed out Guangbing to the children gathered at the grave.
• When the Guangbing ran out, Ye Yaodong offered five-fen coins to the remaining children in exchange for auspicious words, drawing excited blessings from the crowd.

Ye Yaodong handed out money for grave-visiting cakes to children and relatives, then warned his cousins that following him to Zhejiang Province to catch jellyfish could be dangerous. The cousins postponed deciding whether to buy a boat and join him.

• Ye Yaodong gave coins to the children who came for grave-visiting cakes, including his own family and the children of Eldest Uncle Ye and Second Uncle Ye.
• Ye Yaodong and his relatives walked down the mountain, while the children stayed behind to collect more cakes for themselves.
• Ye Yaosheng asked Ye Yaodong about work, and Ye Yaodong said he probably would not hire anyone until his planned jellyfish trip to Zhejiang Province.
• Ye Yaodong's cousins asked to follow him to Zhejiang Province, but he refused to promise to take responsibility for their safety.
• Ye Yaodong and Ye Yaosheng explained the dangers of fishing in hostile villages, and the cousins agreed to discuss buying a boat later.

Ye Yaodong reassured Lin Xiuqing about the danger of his past voyage, then shared a family meal that ended in Mother Ye’s complaints and everyone else escaping the argument. After resting and playing with Ye Xiaoxi, he woke refreshed and headed out to sea, thinking about his future in fishing.

• Lin Xiuqing asked Ye Yaodong why he had hidden how dangerous his earlier voyage had been, and he promised to plan more carefully if he went again.
• Ye Yaodong agreed to buy dried seafood from his aunts but warned that older women should not overwork gathering it.
• Mother Ye argued that the courtyard wall kept relatives away, then complained when Ye Yaodong and Father Ye left the table to avoid her nagging.
• Ye Yaodong played with Ye Xiaoxi and taught her to say family words before they both fell asleep.
• Ye Yaodong woke refreshed after sleeping and went out to sea, imagining how his fishing business might grow over the next twenty years.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye moved their shrimp pots to a reef near Oarfish Island, where they caught sea cucumbers and lobsters but lost two strings when they became stuck. After repeatedly spotting a strange boat moored by the island, they approached to identify it, and the boat hurriedly fled.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in their shrimp pots, then moved them to a submerged reef near Oarfish Island while noticing a boat moored nearby.
• The pair set their fishing gear and completed two trawling runs, but the strange boat remained by the island, so they headed home without investigating.
• The next morning, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned and caught sea cucumbers and small green lobsters in their pots.
• Two strings of shrimp pots became stuck on the reef, while the last string came up and yielded more sea cucumbers and lobsters.
• Ye Yaodong suggested approaching the strange boat, and it turned around and fled before they got close.

Ye Yaodong spotted a Luzhou Island boat lingering near the deserted island and wondered whether its crew was searching for gold. After Lin Xiuqing questioned how they could know about the nuggets he owned, he reconsidered and decided to watch from a distance while prioritizing safety.

• Ye Yaodong saw a Luzhou Island boat near the island for the second day in a row and kept his distance while fishing.
• Ye Yaodong searched for the two gold nuggets at home, and Lin Xiuqing showed him the locked box where she had hidden them.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing that he suspected the boat's crew was searching for a gold deposit on the island.
• Lin Xiuqing pointed out that the crew had no way to know about the nuggets, making Ye Yaodong doubt his theory.
• Ye Yaodong planned to observe the island again from a safe distance, and Lin Xiuqing warned him not to risk his life.

Ye Yaodong tried to persuade Lin Xiuqing to give up the Village Committee job so she could stay home with the children and guard their valuables, though she remained reluctant. After keeping watch on the boats near the island for two more days, he received an invitation to Mazu’s Birthday celebration and learned he would be honored for his contributions to the new Tianhou Palace.

• Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing to lock away the Nugget Gold and urged her to stay home rather than take the Village Committee job; she agreed to discuss it with Huimei first.
• Ye Yaodong continued fishing around Submerged Reef and watching the boats from Luzhou Island, but fog forced him to turn back on the third day.
• Director A De visited Ye Yaodong to deliver an invitation to the Mazu’s Birthday celebration and explain the beam-raising ceremony and feast.
• Director A De told Ye Yaodong that the village was forming Temporary Militia Teams to patrol during the five-day opera celebration, and Ye Yaodong offered to help.
• Director A De praised Ye Yaodong’s contributions to the Tianhou Palace and told him he had a seat among the important guests because his name was first on the Merit Stele.