Chapter Summaries

Ye Yaodong and his friends found a stranded sea wolf fish, then took their boat out to cast a net before the tide receded. They caught a large haul of silver pomfret followed by more than two hundred jin of sea wolf fish, and eagerly prepared to keep fishing.

• A-Guang followed Ye Yaodong's random directions and found a stranded sea wolf fish over a meter long.
• The four friends pushed their boat into the water and headed out to cast a net before the tide went out.
• A-Zheng cast a net that brought up dozens of jin of silver pomfret, which the group hauled aboard.
• Ye Yaodong told A-Zheng to move the boat, and the next cast caught more than two hundred jin of sea wolf fish.
• The four friends dumped the sea wolf fish aboard and urged A-Zheng to cast again.

Ye Yaodong and his companions caught over a thousand jin of Sea Wolf Fish and sold the catch to A-Cai for nearly 688 yuan. After unloading, they planned to return to the shore and forage at the Isolated Island, while Ye Yaodong asked A-Cai to keep their catch quiet.

• Ye Yaodong rowed toward the Sea Wolf Fish near the Isolated Island, and A-Zheng caught a boatload in five casts.
• A-Zheng revealed that he might marry soon, surprising A-Guang, Ye Yaodong, and Xiao Xiao with their reactions.
• Ye Yaodong decided they should sell the fish before the heat spoiled them, then return to the Isolated Island to forage.
• Ye Yaodong and his companions unloaded their catch, and A-Cai weighed 1,010 jin and six liang of Sea Wolf Fish along with their pomfret.
• A-Cai calculated the total as 687 yuan and fifty fen, and Ye Yaodong agreed to collect the money the next day.
• Ye Yaodong asked A-Cai not to tell anyone who had caught the fish, then prepared to head out again.

Ye Yaodong and his friends returned to Isolated Island, ate roasted sea turtle eggs, and searched the shallows for seafood. After finding a sea snake, a huge mud crab, and rare sea chicken feet, Ye Yaodong persuaded the others to help fill his extra sacks before the tide came in.

• Ye Yaodong and his friends celebrated their 478-yuan sale and agreed that A-Guang, A-Zheng, and Xiao Xiao would pool money to get a boat.
• The four roasted and ate sea turtle eggs, and Ye Yaodong explained that the whites stayed liquid even when cooked.
• Ye Yaodong gathered bamboo razor clams, while A-Guang caught and killed a venomous sea snake with fire tongs.
• Ye Yaodong found a huge mud crab and several orchid crabs, then spotted and collected sea chicken feet among the reef rocks.
• Ye Yaodong showed his friends the sea chicken feet and used the receipt from their sale to convince them to help fill his five sacks.

Ye Yaodong and his companions returned from a successful shore-gathering trip with a boat full of seafood and a giant mud crab. His family welcomed him home, and A-Guang stayed for dinner.

• Ye Yaodong, A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and A-Zheng loaded their sacks, buckets, fish, crabs, and a mud crab king onto the boat after gathering seafood along the shore.
• A-Zheng realized he had left his fire tongs on a rock, found them on the beach, and rejoined the group before Ye Yaodong set off for home.
• The group moored at the wharf, borrowed a handcart from A-Cai, and delivered their catches to their homes without revealing what was inside the sacks to curious onlookers.
• Ye Yaodong arrived at his family home after sunset, where Lin Xiuqing and the family had been waiting anxiously for him.
• Mother Ye admired the huge mud crab and helped bring the catch inside, while Ye Yaodong clarified that two sacks belonged to A-Guang.
• Ye Yaodong persuaded A-Guang to stay for dinner with the Ye family.

Ye Yaodong brought home a large seafood catch and tried to identify the valuable goose barnacles, but neither his father nor A-Cai recognized them. He planned to ask the Hongsheng Hotel the next day, while Lin Xiuqing calculated that each of the four fishermen had earned 119 yuan and 51 fen from the day's sales.

• Ye Huimei asked Ye Yaodong to take her to the Isolated Island, but he and Mother Ye refused, while A-Guang secretly admired her.
• Ye Yaodong showed Father Ye the goose barnacles and explained that he thought they were more valuable than ordinary barnacles; he also revealed that he and A-Guang had eaten ten of the seventy-eight sea turtle eggs.
• A-Cai mistook the goose barnacles for ordinary barnacles, so Ye Yaodong withheld them and decided to ask about them at Hongsheng Hotel the next day.
• Ye Yaodong gave Lin Xiuqing receipts for the shellfish and the day's barracuda and silver pomfret sales, explaining that the fish catch would be split four ways.
• Lin Xiuqing calculated that each fisherman would receive 119 yuan and 51 fen, and she and Ye Yaodong were pleased with the earnings.

Ye Yaodong enjoyed a warm family evening before heading into town the next morning, hoping to find buyers for sea chicken feet. A-Guang brought watermelons and lingered at Ye Yaodong’s house, while Ye Yaodong left without learning why.

• Ye Yaodong teased Lin Xiuqing about how much money he had earned, then scolded Ye Chenghu for jumping onto his back and roughhoused with the boys.
• Lin Xiuqing asked Ye Yaodong to buy dark cotton fabric in town and bargain for the best price.
• Ye Yaodong woke early, left money matters to Lin Xiuqing, and asked Ye Huimei to watch the children before going to town with a bucket.
• A-Guang arrived with watermelons and said he would bring another basket to the homestead and help there.
• Ye Yaodong waited for A-Guang, found him chatting with Ye Huimei, and invited him to town, but A-Guang declined and Ye Yaodong left alone.

Ye Yaodong sold his bucket of Sea Chicken Feet to Hong Wenle for a hundred yuan after the hotel’s staff initially failed to recognize them. He spent some of his windfall on treats for the family and headed home with a pastry set aside for his wife.

• Ye Yaodong walked to town in the heat, carrying his bucket of Sea Chicken Feet to Hongsheng Hotel.
• A hotel employee mistook the catch for Goose Barnacles and dismissed him, but Hong Wenle stopped him as he was leaving.
• Hong Wenle and two foreign guests examined the Sea Chicken Feet, and Hong Wenle bought the entire five jin and two liang for a hundred yuan.
• Ye Yaodong bought fried dough cakes and Guangbing for the family, then purchased a pastry to secretly share with his wife.
• Ye Yaodong continued down the street, looking for a shop that sold cloth.

Ye Yaodong returned from town with fabric and Fried Dough Cakes after selling Sea Chicken Feet for a good price. He gave the money to Lin Xiuqing and surprised her with fashionable yellow floral fabric, which she accepted despite warning him not to spend more.

• Ye Yaodong bought dark cotton cloth for himself and yellow floral Dacron for Lin Xiuqing, then rode the Minibus back to the village.
• Ye Yaodong shared Fried Dough Cakes with the children and his family, claiming his Sea Chicken Feet had sold for a good price.
• Ye Yaodong brought tea and more Fried Dough Cakes to his family at work, while Mother Ye urged him to let Lin Xiuqing manage his money.
• Ye Yaodong gave Lin Xiuqing the money from the sale and presented her with the yellow floral fabric.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong not to buy more, but decided she could make the fabric into an outfit for visiting her parents at Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed the Sea Chicken Feet and spent the night together, while A-Guang kept helping the family and grew closer to them. A-Guang suggested testing Ye Yaodong's Pot Trap Nets in the Pond, and Ye Yaodong decided to give it a try.

• Lin Xiuqing put away the fabric and agreed to wait for a spring tide before gathering more Sea Chicken Feet.
• Ye Yaodong persuaded Lin Xiuqing to put their children to bed, then tested the Sea Turtle Eggs’ effects.
• Ye Yaopeng told Ye Yaodong that he had eaten the last two Sea Turtle Eggs, and Ye Yaodong decided to get more from A-Guang.
• A-Guang helped Ye Yaodong’s family for several days, accepted pay from Mother Ye, and asked her to keep an eye out for a match for him.
• A-Guang suggested Ye Yaodong try setting his Pot Trap Nets in the Pond, and Ye Yaodong decided to test them.

Ye Yaodong and his friends set fish traps in the river at East Bridge Village, then decided to catch cicada nymphs while they waited. They headed up a nearby hill with Ye Yaodong's sack, planning to return to the traps later that night.

• Ye Yaodong and A-Guang gathered their friends and walked to East Bridge Village to test two fish traps in the river.
• Ye Yaodong secured the traps with rocks and agreed with the group to return early the next morning to check them.
• A-Zheng suggested checking the traps after two hours, but A-Guang and the others rejected waiting by the river and settled on catching cicada nymphs instead.
• The group climbed a nearby hill to look for cicada nymphs, and Ye Yaodong produced a sack to carry their catch.

Ye Yaodong and his friends caught cicada nymphs, checked their river traps, and divided the catch before he returned home. He teased Lin Xiuqing after she asked why he had come back so late.

• Ye Yaodong and his six friends split into teams and gathered cicada nymphs while complaining about mosquitoes.
• The group headed to the river, where Ye Yaodong and A-Guang pulled up their traps and found crayfish, loaches, and small fish.
• Ye Yaodong lowered the traps back into the river to collect the catch the next morning, and the group divided the cicada nymphs at A-Guang's house.
• Ye Yaodong returned home, rinsed off, and told Lin Xiuqing that he and his friends had caught cicada nymphs as well as setting traps.
• Ye Yaodong kissed Lin Xiuqing and joked that she had missed him before she rolled her eyes and went to bed.

Ye Yaodong and A-Guang checked the river traps and hauled in an unexpectedly large catch of fish, shrimp, crayfish, and softshell turtles. They brought it to A-Guang’s home to set aside food for a feast before dividing the rest among their friends.

• Mother Ye found Ye Yaodong’s sack of cicada nymphs and cleaned them to fry for the grandchildren.
• Ye Yaodong met A-Guang on the way to the river, and they pushed A-Guang’s borrowed handcart to retrieve their traps.
• Ye Yaodong and A-Guang hauled up a trap packed with crayfish, fish, shrimp, and a softshell turtle.
• They recovered a second heavy trap, which also held a softshell turtle and a large freshwater catch.
• A-Guang persuaded Ye Yaodong to take the catch to his home, where they planned to save food for dinner and divide the rest among everyone.

Ye Yaodong and A-Guang sorted the night’s river catch while helping at the house site, and A-Guang kept finding excuses to spend time with Ye Huimei. His friends guessed that he had set his sights on Ye Yaodong’s sister, and their knowing behavior left Ye Yaodong puzzled as they waited for him to join dinner.

• Ye Yaodong and A-Guang brought the fish, shrimp, and crayfish home, where the children and Great-Grandma helped sort the catch.
• A-Guang returned to Ye Yaodong’s house site to work, and Ye Yaodong questioned why he had been so eager to help.
• A-Guang helped Ye Huimei with the mortar cart and followed her to shovel yellow earth while they chatted.
• The friends gathered at A-Guang’s home to cook and divide the catch, then teased him that he was courting Ye Huimei.
• A-Guang warned his friends not to spread gossip, but they silently agreed that something was going on with him.
• Ye Yaodong arrived to find everyone exchanging knowing looks and wondered what was wrong.

A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and A-Zheng’s decision to buy a boat together sparked a quarrel with A-Wei and Rat, who felt they had been excluded. Ye Yaodong helped calm the argument, and the remaining friends put the conflict aside while planning the boat’s arrival.

• A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and A-Zheng told their friends that their jointly purchased boat was ready, and A-Wei and Rat accused them of leaving them out.
• Xiao Xiao and A-Zheng explained that they had invited the others on the earlier fishing trip, but A-Wei and Rat had missed the chance to join them.
• A-Wei and Rat argued that they should have been told about the boat, while Ye Yaodong pointed out that five people would be too many for a small boat.
• A-Wei left in anger, and Rat followed him after Ye Yaodong’s attempt to explain the decision upset him further.
• Ye Yaodong urged the others to let A-Wei cool down, then agreed to meet A-Guang, Xiao Xiao, and A-Zheng at the dock with Fatty for the boat’s arrival.
• The five friends resumed chatting and joking, leaving the argument unresolved for the time being.

Ye Yaodong tried to reconcile with A-Wei and Rat, but they refused to meet, then welcomed A-Guang and A-Zheng as they brought their new boat ashore. When he returned home, his father-in-law and eldest brother-in-law had arrived, and they were reassured by Ye Yaodong’s changed work habits and helped with the house construction before leaving with a cartload of seafood.

• Ye Yaodong asked Fatty to invite A-Wei and Rat over, but Rat was away and A-Wei refused to come.
• Ye Yaodong and Fatty waited at the buying station, where A-Cai asked about Ye Yaodong’s plans for making pot trap nets and buying his catch.
• Ye Yaodong and Fatty set off firecrackers to welcome A-Guang, A-Zheng, and their new boat ashore, and the three planned to go fishing together.
• Ye Yaodong returned home and found Father Lin and Lin Xianghui helping with the house construction after bringing a cartload of watermelons.
• Father Lin and Lin Xianghui learned that Ye Yaodong had bought a boat and was working regularly, then joined the construction work and accepted seafood packed by Mother Ye before leaving.

Ye Yaodong set sixteen pot trap nets at sea and searched nearby islands for a place to forage, but found none suitable. On his way back, he picked up a fresh dead Sea Pig and caught three Dai Fish that leapt onto his boat.

• Ye Yaodong went out to sea with sixteen pot trap nets and joined A-Guang, A-Zheng, and Xiao Xiao, who were casting their own nets.
• Ye Yaodong baited and set his pot trap nets in two rows, then checked on the others’ catch of mud crabs, sea bass, and Meitong Fish.
• Ye Yaodong searched three nearby islands for a safe place to forage, but their steep rocks and waves made them unsuitable.
• Three Dai Fish leapt onto Ye Yaodong’s boat, and he caught the largest one by hand.
• Ye Yaodong found a fresh dead Sea Pig floating in the water, scooped it aboard, and showed it to A-Guang, A-Zheng, and Xiao Xiao.

Ye Yaodong sold a sea pig he had picked up for free and discussed the progress and cost of his family’s houses. That night, he went trawling with Father Ye, hauled in two nets of silver pomfret, and set the boat farther out for the next net.

• Ye Yaodong gave up on visiting the Isolated Island, sold his seventy-two-jin sea pig to A-Cai for twenty-three yuan and eighty fen, and kept the dai fish to salt at home.
• Mother Ye told Ye Yaodong that the three houses should be finished around the Mid-Autumn Festival and would cost a little over a thousand yuan.
• Ye Yaodong told Lin Xiuqing about the sea pig sale, and the two went to work together in high spirits.
• Ye Yaodong went trawling with Father Ye and hauled up a net of silver pomfret, then joked about betting on the next catch.
• Ye Yaodong’s second net also held silver pomfret along with orchid crabs and stone crabs, so he left Father Ye to sort it and steered the boat farther out.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in a huge meagre worth a fortune, then finished their fishing and headed back as the weather worsened. Father Ye took the helm, still worried that Ye Yaodong had led them too far from his usual grounds.

• Ye Yaodong hauled in the net and found a meagre weighing over fifty jin, delighting Father Ye with its valuable fish maw.
• Ye Yaodong removed a Shuigu Fish from the meagre’s mouth, stored the fish on ice, and steered toward another fishing ground.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye brought in a mixed catch, and Ye Yaodong kept some cuttlefish and leatherjacket fish for the family.
• Their final haul was small, so Ye Yaodong and Father Ye headed back as the sky darkened and the waves grew rough.
• Father Ye refused to let Ye Yaodong steer, took out the compass, and checked their direction home.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye helped Ma Lifang return to shore after Lin Yongshou was dragged underwater by a net rope during a storm. At the dock, the family’s enormous large croaker drew a crowd, and A-Cai agreed to broker its sale for a two-percent fee.

• A storm overtook Ye Yaodong and Father Ye as they headed home, and they heard Ma Lifang calling for help from her boat.
• Ma Lifang told them Lin Yongshou had fallen into the sea after his foot got caught in a rope, and Ye Yaodong steered her boat back to shore.
• Father Ye told the dockside crowd what had happened to Lin Yongshou, while local women accompanied Ma Lifang home.
• Mother Ye discovered the family had caught an enormous large croaker, and the family kept it covered while unloading their other catch.
• A-Cai weighed the croaker at fifty-five jin and five liang, then agreed to broker its sale for a two-percent fee after Ye Yaodong rejected his proposed five-percent commission.

Ye Yaodong sold the giant fish to Hong Wenle for five hundred yuan, then fell ill after being caught in the rain. At dinner, the family discussed the drowned villager’s funeral and the relatives who might take his boat.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye returned to the dock, where Hong Wenle offered five hundred yuan for their giant fish.
• Wang Maoquan reluctantly paid Ye Yaodong, and Hong Wenle arranged for the fish to be delivered to his hotel.
• Ye Yaodong’s family celebrated the sale, but he and Father Ye later developed fevers after working in the rain.
• Mother Ye told the family that the drowned fisherman’s body had not been recovered and that a cenotaph and funeral would be held.
• Mother Ye said the dead fisherman’s widow and young sons might lose their boat to covetous relatives, and Ye Yaodong thought he could not afford to buy it.