Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong received an honored seat at the Mazu Birthday banquet and shared the news with Lin Xiuqing and the Old Lady. After discussing the family’s plans for the banquet and opera, he went to pick beans for dinner and found the household dog had brought his basket back.

• Ye Yaodong asked Director A De to sign up A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, A-Zheng, and Fatty for the temporary militia.
• Director A De told Ye Yaodong that his family would sit with his parents and brothers at the banquet, with extra seats for his two boys because he had paid for them.
• Ye Yaodong showed Lin Xiuqing his invitation and told her he had been given a seat at an honored table for officials and guests.
• Lin Xiuqing and the Old Lady celebrated Ye Yaodong’s honor, and he promised to save the Old Lady a good seat for the five-day opera performances.
• Ye Yaodong found Big Blackie bringing his basket home, then picked yardlong beans in the family’s vegetable garden for dinner.

Ye Yaodong wandered through the village, heard the villagers gossip about his business and Mazu’s Birthday celebrations, then visited A-Zheng and found him angry about being signed up for the militia. Ye Yaodong refused to get A-Zheng removed and argued that every household should provide a man for patrol duty, leaving A-Zheng furious.

• The Old Lady took over snapping yardlong beans and sent Ye Yaodong out for a stroll before lunch.
• Villagers questioned Ye Yaodong about his smaller trawl catches and praised his business, shops, and role in rebuilding the Mazu Temple.
• Ye Yaodong decided to visit A-Zheng after hearing that the recent damp weather was making it difficult to dry fish.
• A-Zheng complained that Ye Yaodong had signed him up for the militia and struck him with a flyswatter when Ye Yaodong dodged his request to withdraw.
• Ye Yaodong explained that patrols could protect the village and his home during the opera celebrations, and said every household should send a man to join the militia.

Ye Yaodong helped the village committee plan a household militia roster for the five days of opera performances, then bought snacks for children who had been caught secretly collecting octopuses. The children enjoyed their treats while Ye Chenghu received two coins from the Old Lady so he could secretly buy snacks of his own.

• Ye Yaodong suggested requiring every household to contribute a man to patrol during the opera performances, and the village committee agreed to organize a roster.
• Ye Yaodong caught Ye Chenghu playing a childhood superstition game and promised the children instant noodles and soda after they asked about their octopus earnings.
• The children’s mothers discovered their secret octopus collecting and punished them, so Ye Yaodong bought them snacks as promised.
• Ye Chenghai blamed Ye Chenghe for getting them caught after Ye Chenghe had suspiciously refused lunch to save room for snacks.
• The Old Lady gave Ye Chenghu two five-fen coins and told him to keep them secret so he could buy snacks at school.

After more than ten days of rain, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned to sea and noticed a Luzhou Island fishing boat repeatedly visiting Oarfish Island. When they found it still moored there the next day, Ye Yaodong steered closer to inspect it, then quickly turned away.

• The rain stopped, and Ye Yaodong checked the Old House before joining Father Ye for a night of trawling.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a fishing boat heading straight for Oarfish Island, where two people climbed toward the hill with flashlights.
• Father Ye urged Ye Yaodong to keep away from the boat and focus on fishing, while Ye Yaodong wondered what its crew was seeking.
• The next day, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye found the fishing boat still moored beside the island.
• Ye Yaodong approached for a closer look at the boat, then hurriedly turned around and left.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye worried that the Luzhou Island men would interfere with their squid fishing, so Ye Yaodong decided to steal their boat. They escaped with it and began disposing of anything that could identify it, planning to return after dark.

• Ye Yaodong suggested sneaking onto the island, but Father Ye refused because it was dangerous.
• Ye Yaodong proposed stealing the unguarded boat, and Father Ye reluctantly agreed to approach it.
• Ye Yaodong climbed aboard, checked that it was empty, raised its anchor, started the engine, and sailed away with Father Ye following.
• After reaching open water, Ye Yaodong and Father Ye relieved their nerves and decided to wait until dark before returning.
• Ye Yaodong threw away the boat's marked buckets and bamboo baskets to remove evidence.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye stripped the captured boat of anything recognizable, then returned to the village after dark. Ye Yaodong came ashore by wading from the beach and sent his mother to help Father Ye at the pier while he prepared to bathe and buy paint.

• Ye Yaodong threw overboard all marked and familiar tools from the captured boat, keeping only its usable fishing nets.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye waited until dusk, sorted the catch, and headed back toward the village in separate boats.
• Ye Yaodong steered toward the beach, anchored offshore, and waded through the receding tide to shore.
• Ye Yaodong hurried home soaked and told Mother Ye to go help Father Ye unload the catch at the pier.
• Lin Xiuqing prepared hot water for Ye Yaodong while he said he needed to bathe and buy paint.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye secretly prepared to repaint a fishing boat they had acquired, hoping to disguise its markings and avoid its former owners recognizing it. The boat was stranded on the beach, where they began scraping its hull and planned to work through the night.

• Ye Yaodong rushed to town to buy black paint after learning the village shops had none.
• Father Ye waited anxiously for Ye Yaodong to return, and Ye Yaodong explained that the boat’s black markings needed to be covered.
• Ye Yaodong ate the dinner Lin Xiuqing had kept warm, then hurried to the beach to join Father Ye.
• Father Ye and Ye Yaodong realized they needed tools and baskets, so Ye Yaodong returned home to fetch them with a handcart.
• Father Ye and Ye Yaodong scraped barnacles and shells from opposite sides of the boat and discussed repainting it to conceal its identity.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye scraped barnacles and shellfish from their newly acquired boat, then painted it in several colors and added the name Ye San. Concerned that its sudden appearance would draw suspicion during the Mazu festivities, they decided to hide it at a town pier until the celebrations ended.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye scraped the exposed hull, loaded the barnacles and juvenile shellfish into baskets, and began painting before the tide returned.
• Ye Yaodong worried that a black hull looked like a pirate ship, so he and Father Ye added red and white stripes.
• Father Ye worried the villagers and people from Luzhou Island would question the boat's sudden appearance during the Mazu festivities.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye decided to moor the boat at a town pier until after the celebrations and let Ye Yaodong's mother spread the story that he had bought it.
• Ye Yaodong painted the characters "Ye San" onto the hull as the boat's new markings.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye finished repainting the fishing boat overnight, then returned home at dawn. Exhausted, Ye Yaodong still went to reserve seats for his family at the village opera performances before sleeping.

• Ye Yaodong finished painting the boat’s cabin while Father Ye fetched the bicycle and supplies.
• Lin Xiuqing woke and questioned Father Ye about taking the bicycle to the beach, but he left without explaining their work.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned at daybreak with the bicycle and baskets of shellfish, and the Old Lady urged Ye Yaodong to rest.
• Ye Yaodong unloaded the shellfish and took a chair and stool to reserve seats for his family at the opera.

Ye Yaodong returned home after a sleepless night, reserved seats at Tianhou Palace for the opera, and finally went to bed. As the village prepared for the opera troupe’s five-day visit, the children raced to see its arrival and looked for a way to skip school.

• The Old Lady told Lin Xiuqing that Ye Yaodong had returned and gone to Tianhou Palace to reserve seats.
• Ye Yaodong tied his chairs together with the Village Chief’s and secretary’s seats, then returned home and fell asleep beside Lin Xiuqing.
• Father Ye came home exhausted and went straight to sleep while Mother Ye scolded him.
• Villagers carried seats to Tianhou Palace, and children ran after the arriving opera troupe’s truck instead of heading straight to school.
• Villagers helped unload the troupe’s belongings and set up the newly completed Tianhou Palace for the five days of performances.

Ye Yaodong went to Tianhou Palace to fetch his children from the opera festivities, while Ye Chenghu tried and failed to get out of school for the afternoon. At lunch, Mother Ye questioned Ye Yaodong and Father Ye about their secretive night outing and the shellfish they brought home, leaving them to plan a private explanation.

• Ye Yaodong learned that the opera troupe had drawn a huge crowd to Tianhou Palace and rode there to look for the children and dogs.
• Ye Yaodong found the children on their way back and carried Ye Chenghu and Ye Chengyang home on his bicycle.
• Ye Chenghu asked to skip school to watch the opera, but Lin Xiuqing saw through his stomachache excuse and made him give it up.
• Ye Yaodong tried to defend Ye Chenghu, so Lin Xiuqing told him to help the boy use the toilet while the family laughed.
• Mother Ye confronted Ye Yaodong and Father Ye about their unexplained night away and the diesel-smelling shellfish, but Father Ye postponed answering until they got home.

Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing that he and his father had secretly brought back a fishing boat from Luzhou Island, then explained how they planned to conceal its origin and justify the purchase to his mother. Lin Xiuqing warned him about the risks, but Ye Yaodong argued that securing the boat would help them prepare to catch squid and keep others from exploiting the island.

• Ye Chenghu quietly finished his meal while the adults talked, then left with Ye Chenghai, who was supposed to take him to school.
• Ye Yaodong watched the crowds gathering at Tianhou Palace and planned to take the Old Lady to the opera early.
• Lin Xiuqing questioned Ye Yaodong about where he and his father had gone overnight, and he revealed that he had brought back a boat from Luzhou Island.
• Ye Yaodong explained that he and his father had repainted the boat, removed its markings, and left it at the town harbor.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing to keep the boat secret from his mother and proposed claiming that he had bought it cheaply from someone he knew.
• Lin Xiuqing cautioned Ye Yaodong against taking such risks, but he argued that the boat would help them catch squid and prevent others from benefiting from the island.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed how the stolen boat might prompt the people of Luzhou Island to search the nearby waters, and Ye Yaodong decided to anonymously report the island as a smugglers’ hideout. He postponed writing the letter to take his family to Mazu Temple, but Ye Chengyang rushed into the room as they left.

• Lin Xiuqing warned Ye Yaodong that the boat’s owners might gather relatives and search the waters, so they considered fishing elsewhere.
• Ye Yaodong decided to anonymously report the island as a smugglers’ hideout so the authorities would investigate Luzhou Island.
• Lin Xiuqing agreed the report could draw the authorities’ attention and reveal what the islanders were seeking.
• Lin Xiuqing set out a pen and notebook, but Ye Yaodong struggled to begin the letter and put off writing until after their trip to Mazu Temple.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing opened the door to leave, and Ye Chengyang tumbled into the room, eager to join them.

Ye Yaodong took his family to watch the opera, then returned home with Ye Xiaoxi to write an anonymous report about a smugglers’ hideout near Hairun Small Wharf. He finished the letter and set out to reunite his daughter with Lin Xiuqing before heading to town to deliver it.

• Ye Chengyang hurried Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing as they prepared to go watch the opera with the Old Lady and Ye Xiaoxi.
• Ye Yaodong explained the village militia’s patrol schedule and noted that his own shifts were on the final two days.
• Ye Yaodong took his family to Tianhou Palace, bought snacks, and carried Ye Xiaoxi back home while the others watched the opera.
• Ye Yaodong used newspapers to copy out an anonymous letter reporting an island used as a smugglers’ hideout about five nautical miles northeast of Hairun Small Wharf.
• Ye Yaodong folded the finished letter, lifted Ye Xiaoxi from her standing cage, and prepared to take her back to Lin Xiuqing.

Ye Yaodong delivered an anonymous tip-off letter to the Border Defense Station, then checked that his brightly painted boat was still safe at Hairun Small Wharf. He returned to Mazu Temple for the end of the opera, where his family celebrated Ye Chengyang finding money and the Old Lady reminisced about Ye Yaodong’s childhood.

• Ye Yaodong left Lin Xiuqing with their daughter at Tianhou Palace and rode to town to mail an anonymous tip-off letter at the Border Defense Station.
• Ye Yaodong checked his boat at Hairun Small Wharf and felt reassured that its distinctive paintwork remained intact.
• On his way back, Ye Yaodong overheard two men complaining that they could not find a missing boat and suspected they were searching for the boat from Luzhou Island.
• Ye Yaodong returned to Mazu Temple and watched the end of the Gaojia Opera performance before gathering Lin Xiuqing, the children, and the Old Lady.
• Ye Chengyang found a ten-cent note and ran off excitedly to tell Ye Chenghu, while Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing joked about their sons.
• The Old Lady recalled how Ye Yaodong had gotten into fights as a child and hidden in her room to avoid punishment.

Ye Yaodong watched the village crowd flock to Tianhou Palace for an opera performance and worried that the empty village would attract thieves. After asking the Militia to patrol the beach and sending his dogs after a man who threatened to steal them, he returned to the crowded temple to take Ye Xiaoxi home.

• Ye Yaodong stopped Ye Chengyang from chasing the other children to Tianhou Palace, but let him run off after he stood up straight.
• Ye Yaodong saw the nighttime opera draw a huge crowd and left to ask the Militia to patrol the village and beach more often.
• Ye Yaodong confronted suspicious outsiders, then warned the Militia patrol team about the risk of theft and asked them to keep watch near the beach.
• Ye Yaodong sent his dogs after a man who threatened to snare and eat them, and the dogs chased him until he fled in torn clothes.
• Ye Yaodong returned to the packed temple and asked Lin Xiuqing to pass Ye Xiaoxi through the crowd so he could take her home.

After a string of burglaries, Ye Yaodong accompanied the Village Committee to the Border Defense Station and learned that officials had acted on his anonymous letter about Luzhou Island. He told Lin Xiuqing that a team had gone to search the island, leaving her amazed by the details he had heard.

• Thieves burgled several village homes during the opera, and further burglaries the next night frightened the villagers into staying home.
• The Militia caught two suspected thieves on the third night, and Ye Yaodong volunteered to accompany the Village Committee when they took them to the Border Defense Station.
• At the station, Ye Yaodong learned that officials had found his anonymous letter and sent an investigator to Luzhou Island disguised aboard a requisitioned fishing boat.
• Several boats from Luzhou Island intercepted the investigator, and both sides drew firearms before the investigator and crew were captured.
• Ye Yaodong learned that a large team had gone to search Luzhou Island and hurried home to share the news with Lin Xiuqing.

Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing how the Border Defense Station rescued two scouts and arrested people on Luzhou Island, though he still did not know what the island concealed. He arranged dogs to guard the family home while he patrolled, and the chapter ended with Mother Ye startled by one of the dogs at the back door.

• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing that two scouts had been captured by people on Luzhou Island, rescued by the Border Defense Station, and followed by arrests and searches.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed using dogs and geese to guard their home, while Ye Chenghu showed them a green chick he had bought with coins he found.
• Ye Yaodong assigned dogs around the house, left his eldest brother to watch it, and took Big Blackie on his afternoon patrol.
• Big Blackie barked at strangers and drove off troublemakers during Ye Yaodong's patrol.
• Mother Ye came to check Ye Yaodong's house and was startled by a dog at the back door and another peering through the bedroom window.

Ye Yaodong’s dogs startled his parents but impressed the village patrol, and they later caught two teenage burglars. After five days, the opera performances ended with candy tossed to the crowd, while the Ye children stayed behind to search for leftovers.

• Mother Ye and Father Ye were startled by the dogs Ye Yaodong had tied inside and around his house, then saw the villagers praise his security idea.
• Ye Yaodong agreed to lend his dogs to Ye Yaopeng for the night patrol, and the dogs later caught two teenage burglars from the village.
• The five-day opera performances ended, and the troupe packed up to leave before the next day’s Mazu Temple ceremony.
• The performers scattered handfuls of candy over the audience, and the villagers rushed to catch it.
• The Ye family’s children waited after the crowd began leaving so they could search the ground for more candy and money.

Ye Yaodong watched the ridgepole-raising ceremony at Tianhou Palace, caught a bounty of treats, and invited Director Chen and other officials to visit his home. As they set off, he found his dogs occupying a motorcycle sidecar and tried to make them get down.

• Ye Yaodong arrived at Tianhou Palace as villagers gathered for the ridgepole-raising ceremony.
• The ritual master led the offerings, and the craftsmen raised the beam amid chants, firecrackers, and the villagers’ responses.
• Ye Yaodong caught candy, peanuts, and steamed buns, teasing A-Zheng as he ate.
• Ye Yaodong greeted Director Chen and the visiting officials, then invited them to his home for tea.
• Ye Yaodong shared his treats with the children and began walking home with the officials.
• Ye Yaodong found his dogs crowded into a motorcycle sidecar, but they barked and refused to get down.