Recaps

Ye Yaodong turned away relatives seeking loans and unexpectedly received a visit from Rat, who brought pears and praised his fishing success. Rat’s reason for coming remained unclear as Ye Yaodong joked about saving his fortune and retiring at forty.

• Ye Yaodong learned that relatives had been asking his sisters-in-law to lend them money, while A Qing and the Old Lady had avoided such requests.
• Rat arrived at Ye Yaodong’s gate with a basket of Chinese pears, and the Big Black Dog barked until Ye Yaodong called it off.
• Rat gave Ye Yaodong pears for his children and praised his skill at bringing a school of fish back toward his boat.
• Ye Yaodong offered Rat a basket of yellowtail scad and explained that he planned to save his money and retire at forty.

Ye Yaodong and A-Guang realized Rat was trying to reconnect partly because he wanted work as a boat captain. They listened to his financial troubles and warned him about his wife's family's constant demands, but A-Guang decided not to partner with him and planned to let his father refuse.

• Ye Yaodong suspected Rat had visited to renew their friendship, then entertained the children by peeling pears and joking with Ye Chenghu.
• At the pier, Rat asked how A-Guang split earnings with his hired boat captain, and A-Guang explained that they shared the proceeds fifty-fifty.
• Rat asked A-Guang to let him captain the other boat over winter, but A-Guang hesitated and said he would ask his father.
• Rat told Ye Yaodong and A-Guang that his wife's family obligations and gift expenses kept him from saving money, and they urged him to discuss the spending with his parents and wife.
• A-Guang privately agreed with Ye Yaodong that Rat's renewed closeness felt awkward and decided to use his father's decision as an excuse to reject the boat arrangement.

Ye Yaodong took the Old Lady into town for reading glasses, bought nylon thread to have fishing nets made, and arranged for a family portrait later in the year. Back home, he planned to ask his sisters-in-law to make the nets so he could set them once the weather improved.

• Ye Yaodong took the Old Lady into town, bought her reading glasses, and invited her to take photographs at a studio.
• Ye Yaodong arranged for the photo studio owner to take a family portrait at their home at the end of the year.
• Ye Yaodong collected two sacks of white nylon thread and shared a hot oyster-filled fried dough cake with the Old Lady while they waited for a ride home.
• Ye Yaodong returned home without treats for the children, who scattered when he threatened to whip them.
• Lin Xiuqing suggested that Ye Yaodong ask his sisters-in-law to make the fishing nets, and he agreed.

Ye Yaodong planned to shift toward longline fishing and gill nets while helping his family with net-making. After his daughter Ye Xiaoxi fell from the bed, he built a wooden guard around it, only for Lin Xiuqing to propose a removable fishing-net barrier instead.

• Ye Yaodong told Ye Eldest Sister-in-Law and Ye Second Sister-in-Law when their shop payments were due and brought them twine for making nets.
• Ye Yaodong helped the Old Lady unravel a sweater while Lin Xiuqing cooked.
• Ye Xiaoxi fell from the bed, and Lin Xiuqing and Ye Yaodong checked her for injuries and soothed her.
• Ye Yaodong built a wooden barrier around the bed and joked with Ye Chengyang and Ye Chenghu while they watched.
• Lin Xiuqing said a removable net barrier would work better, leaving Ye Yaodong upset that his hours of carpentry might have been wasted.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing bickered over the baby’s new bed railing, then misunderstood each other’s intentions as they got ready for bed. The chapter ended with Lin Xiuqing insisting that Ye Yaodong turn off the light before they continued.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing argued about the bed opening and the baby’s safety, and Ye Yaodong pushed Lin Xiuqing onto the bed while teasing her.
• Ye Yaodong brought Ye Xiaoxi back from the Old Lady’s room after refusing to let her sleep there, and Lin Xiuqing blamed his loud talk for the Old Lady’s offer.
• Ye Yaodong showed Lin Xiuqing how Ye Xiaoxi enjoyed kicking against the railing, then asked her to gather shellfish with him the next day, but Lin Xiuqing hesitated over leaving the children.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing discussed the children’s winter clothes, and Lin Xiuqing put down her knitting and lay beside the bed opening.
• Lin Xiuqing mistakenly thought Ye Yaodong wanted to have sex and undressed, so Ye Yaodong began undressing too and teased her when she realized the misunderstanding.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong to turn off the light, while Ye Yaodong pointed out that she had earlier lain down without asking him to do so.

Ye Yaodong took Lin Xiuqing out to a nearby island to gather shellfish and explore its shoreline after the tide began to recede. As he wandered around collecting stranded sea life, he spotted a large tidal pool enclosed by reef rocks.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing left their children at home and took his boat out to an island where he had searched for treasure and found sea turtle eggs the previous year.
• Ye Yaodong helped Lin Xiuqing across the reef rocks, then left her to gather shellfish while he explored the beach.
• Ye Yaodong searched the exposed shore, marked a patch of razor clam holes, and found sand lugworms and stranded mudskippers.
• Ye Yaodong spotted a large pool enclosed by low reef rocks as the tide receded.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing searched tide pools for seafood, and Ye Yaodong caught several fish and crabs while waiting for the water to drain. The chapter ended when he startled a whole school of dogfish from beneath a loose rock.

• Ye Yaodong caught a large red octopus and a conger eel that had washed out of a pool, then gathered crabs, shrimp, and stonefish nearby.
• Lin Xiuqing called Ye Yaodong over to a smaller pool where she had seen fish and caught two crabs; he gave her a hand net and returned to the larger pool.
• Ye Yaodong scooped a black seabream, a white-spotted conger, and two small spring fish from the larger pool while searching for a tiger grouper.
• Ye Yaodong stepped onto a loose rock, which shifted and sent a whole school of dogfish scattering from beneath it.

Ye Yaodong searched a tidal pool and caught thirteen dogfish, a tiger grouper, and other seafood, while Lin Xiuqing made a good catch in her own pool. After resting and deciding he had caught nearly everything worth keeping, Ye Yaodong left to dig for razor clams.

• Ye Yaodong waded into the pool and caught five dogfish, then accidentally netted a tiger grouper along with another dogfish.
• Ye Yaodong carried his catch back to Lin Xiuqing, who showed him her spotted grouper, yellowfin seabream, black octopus, and stone crabs.
• Ye Yaodong returned with an empty bucket and caught five more dogfish, bringing his total to thirteen, while releasing a small white-spotted conger.
• Ye Yaodong rested, emptied the seawater from his boots, and decided to leave the pool and dig for razor clams.

Ye Yaodong found and gathered wild kelp while foraging on the island, then returned to Lin Xiuqing, who had collected shellfish. They decided to keep gathering bamboo razor clams together, ending their walk with playful teasing.

• Ye Yaodong spotted wild kelp clinging to reef rocks and pulled off the largest sheets, filling part of his burlap sack.
• Ye Yaodong returned to Lin Xiuqing, kissed her, and showed her the kelp; she suggested drying some to send to her parents and his mother.
• Lin Xiuqing told Ye Yaodong she had gathered a sackful of shellfish, and they agreed to dig up the bamboo razor clams together.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing took off their rain boots and walked barefoot toward the clams, joking and teasing each other along the way.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing gathered bamboo razor clams together on the island, joking and flirting as they worked. After clearing the patch, they headed to collect more from the rocks before going home.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing overshot the bamboo razor clam patch because Ye Yaodong got distracted, then turned back toward it.
• Ye Yaodong used salt to draw bamboo razor clams out of their holes, and Lin Xiuqing eagerly learned to do the same.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing traded dirty jokes and teased each other while collecting the clams, including a plump razor clam king among them.
• After clearing the patch, Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing stretched, held hands, and set off to gather more shellfish from the rock face before the tide came in.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing returned from Isolated Island with sacks of shellfish, and Ye Yaodong sold his catch before heading home. He found Rat accompanying A-Guang and wondered whether Rat had been visiting in hopes of captaining A-Guang’s other boat.

• Ye Yaodong carried the shellfish and buckets aboard while Lin Xiuqing worried about his sore shoulder.
• People at the shore praised Ye Yaodong’s catch, mistaking some of the fish he had gathered for fishing-pot catches.
• Ye Yaodong sold his catch and agreed to travel with A-Cai when their city shop payments came due.
• Ye Yaodong ran into A-Guang and Rat, who said Rat had come along to help collect the catch.
• Ye Yaodong offered A-Guang and Rat shellfish, then discussed with Lin Xiuqing whether Rat hoped to captain A-Guang’s other boat.

Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing returned home, comforted their baby daughter, and realized they had forgotten to bring Ye Chengyang back from the Old House. A-Guang discussed lending money to relatives and partnering with Rat, while Ye Yaodong revealed he wanted another boat, possibly a larger one, before an unexpected visitor reacted to the news.

• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing came home and found their daughter crying for them, so Lin Xiuqing nursed her to sleep.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing realized they had forgotten Ye Chengyang, then Ye Yaodong fetched him from the Old House, where he had been happily playing.
• A-Guang visited and explained that Rat would operate his family's boat with them until February, before they took it back in March.
• A-Guang and Ye Yaodong discussed relatives asking to borrow money, and the Old Lady said they should lend money for funerals.
• Ye Yaodong told A-Guang and Lin Xiuqing that he wanted to buy another boat, possibly a bigger one, and an unseen visitor reacted at the gate.

Ye Yaodong expanded his fishing operation by buying a rolling wheel and preparing fifty gill nets, while putting off plans to buy a larger boat. He and Father Ye set the nets and longlines, then headed home expecting to haul them the next day.

• Ye Yaodong denied that buying a larger boat was settled, and Lin Xiuqing explained that their earnings would go toward paying for the city shop.
• Rat arranged to borrow A-Guang's boat after its barnacles were scraped off and its hull was painted, while the Old Lady advised him to choose an auspicious day to set out.
• Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing agreed to buy a rolling wheel, and his sisters-in-law finished making the gill nets over five days.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye set fifty gill nets and placed their longlines far away so the gear would not interfere.
• Father Ye worried about the machine's cost, but Ye Yaodong explained that recent gill-net catches were promising and that the equipment could be used in later years.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled in fifty Gill Nets, catching a large quantity of fish and an Otter Pup. Ye Yaodong released the pup when he met A-Guang's boat, while Rat's wife and father regretted the lost catch.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye began hauling in fifty Gill Nets and found many Toadfish among the catch.
• Father Ye pulled a large devil ray from the net and cut off its tail to free it.
• Ye Yaodong found a small Otter Pup tangled in the Gill Net and freed it.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye decided to release the Otter Pup rather than keep or eat it.
• Rat, his wife, and his father approached in A-Guang's boat, and Ye Yaodong tossed the Otter Pup back into the sea.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye watched Rat's family try to catch a group of otters, but Rat's wife was dragged into the sea and Rat had to rescue her. After the otters escaped, Rat's cast net turned out to have snagged Ye Yaodong's gill net, which they returned before Ye Yaodong continued hauling in his catch.

• Rat's wife urged the others to catch the small otter Ye Yaodong had just released, and Father Ye prepared a net as more otters surfaced nearby.
• Rat's wife caught an adult otter, but the otters pulled her overboard, attacked the couple, and Rat and his father helped her back onto the boat.
• The otters swam away, and Ye Yaodong and Father Ye resumed hauling in their gill net while Rat's family recovered and argued.
• Ye Yaodong discovered that Rat's cast net had snagged his gill net, and Rat returned it after recognizing it belonged to Ye Yaodong.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye discussed Rat's wife's behavior and their catch, then continued hauling their nets and planned to move them later.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye worked through the day hauling and resetting their fifty gill nets, catching three adult otters while releasing a pup. They returned with a huge catch but left the longlines for the next day, and agreed to hire A-Sheng to help with the remaining work.

• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sped up their net work by hauling in several nets before stopping to remove the fish and straighten the mesh.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye tried to approach a group of otters, but the animals dived underwater and escaped.
• In the afternoon, a net caught three adult otters and a pup; Ye Yaodong and Father Ye tied up the adults and Ye Yaodong released the pup.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye agreed to hire A-Sheng to help remove fish from the nets and left the longlines in the water until the next day.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye hauled and reset all the nets by nightfall, returning with over twelve hundred jin of toadfish, several hundred jin of other fish, and three otters.

Ye Yaodong returned to the Pier late with Father Ye and learned that dried toadfish could sell for far more than fresh ones. He considered using his market shop to sell dried seafood, but Father Ye and Mother Ye questioned whether he should keep the fish instead of selling them.

• Mother Ye hurried home to tell the family that Ye Yaodong and Father Ye had returned safely, while Ye Yaodong went home briefly for water and the fish they planned to keep.
• Ye Yaodong returned to the Pier by bicycle and helped Father Ye, Mother Ye, and A-Cai unload the catch.
• A-Cai told Ye Yaodong that boats from East Bridge Village were staying at sea for two or three days to catch more fish, and quoted the low fresh price for toadfish.
• Ye Yaodong asked how much dried toadfish would sell for and considered hiring people to dry his catch and selling it through his market shop.
• A-Cai said dried toadfish could fetch over forty fen per jin, and Father Ye and Mother Ye objected when they realized Ye Yaodong was thinking of keeping some instead of selling it.

Ye Yaodong decided to keep and dry the cheap toadfish himself so he could earn more by selling them as dried fish. After discovering three forgotten otters in his boat, he brought them to A-Cai, who offered sixty yuan for them.

• Ye Yaodong calculated that selling the toadfish fresh would bring only forty-odd yuan and decided to dry them himself.
• Father Ye and Mother Ye agreed to help, and Ye Yaodong planned to hire his sisters-in-law to gut and dry the fish.
• After the catch was weighed, Ye Yaodong noticed the total was unexpectedly low and remembered the three otters in his boat.
• Ye Yaodong brought the otters to A-Cai, who offered twenty yuan each for them.

Ye Yaodong arranged to hire his cousin Ye Yaosheng to help handle the heavy fishing workload. After a strong longline catch, he and Father Ye still decided to stop setting the longline because tending it took too much time alongside their fifty gill nets.

• Ye Yaodong sold the day's catch for a little over 176 yuan, and Father Ye agreed they needed to hire extra help.
• Mother Ye went to ask Ye Yaosheng to join them, and he agreed to come work the next day.
• Lin Xiuqing prepared packed rice and radish-and-bone soup for the crew, while Ye Yaodong offered Ye Yaosheng three yuan per day.
• Ye Yaodong and the others retrieved the longline before hauling the gill nets and caught a large Pampus argenteus and over a hundred smaller ones.
• Although Father Ye regretted giving up after the good catch, Ye Yaodong decided to stop setting the longline because it added too much work.

Ye Yaodong and his crew struggled to haul and reset fifty gill nets, but their large catch and longline haul promised another profitable day. As they waited for the fish to be weighed, a woman suddenly shouted nearby, drawing everyone’s attention.

• Ye Yaodong, Father Ye, and Ye Yaosheng hauled in and reset the nets, then agreed to bring them ashore the next day for cleaning and to set longlines while they dried.
• Ye Yaosheng asked about the covered machine aboard the boat, and Ye Yaodong said he had borrowed it and told him to leave it alone.
• The crew met Uncle Lin on the way back and learned that he had caught two otters; they later helped each other unload their catches.
• Ye Yaodong estimated that the extra toadfish and longline catch would bring in roughly two hundred yuan before deductions.
• As the men waited for the catch to be weighed, a woman shouted nearby, and they turned to find out what was happening.

Ye Yaodong and his family caught Wang Laowu and Wang Jianqiang stealing sand intended for Mazu’s temple and made them return it. The village let the pair go after Ye Yaosheng pleaded for them, and Ye Yaodong returned to discussing the family’s work processing a large catch of toadfish.

• Mother Ye discovered Wang Laowu and Wang Jianqiang loading sand onto a handcart and was shoved when she confronted them.
• Ye Yaodong arrived, stopped Wang Jianqiang from fleeing, and beat him while Mother Ye explained what she had witnessed.
• Wang Laowu claimed they had only borrowed the sand, but Ye Yaodong insisted the theft be brought before the village; he also argued with Ye Yaosheng about his planned marriage to Wang Laowu’s daughter.
• Ye Yaosheng asked the others to let the matter go, and they agreed after the father and son unloaded the sand; everyone then covered the pile again.
• Mother Ye told Ye Yaodong that the family had been gutting more than twelve hundred jin of toadfish, and he suggested getting extra help the next day.

Ye Yaodong decided to dry his large catch of cheap toadfish and test selling the dried fish, prompting Uncle Lin to keep some of his own catch too. After returning home with 1,420 jin of toadfish, Ye Yaodong found the family’s drying space full and arranged to hire more help and hang the fish up the next day.

• Ye Yaodong told Mother Ye and Uncle Lin he planned to dry the toadfish and try selling a few hundred jin at the wholesale market entrance.
• Uncle Lin decided to keep his already-weighed toadfish and dry them, while A-Cai worried that other fishermen would follow suit and reduce his purchases.
• Ye Yaosheng helped move Ye Yaodong’s catch, and Ye Yaodong’s haul brought in 162 yuan and three jiao, including 1,420 jin of toadfish.
• Ye Yaodong returned home to find trays of toadfish spread outside his sisters-in-law’s homes and suggested hanging the fish on lines to make more drying space.
• Ye Yaodong saw Lin Xiuqing carrying the sleeping Ye Xiaoxi and told her to put the baby down, then said they would clean the fish the next day and hire another worker.

Ye Yaodong and his family cleaned fishing nets and prepared a large batch of toadfish to dry while village rumors inflated his earnings. When strong winds forced him to stop fishing, he joked that his sons would support him in old age, but Ye Chengyang insisted he wanted to raise dogs instead.

• Ye Yaodong went to the Old House with the dogs and washed fifty fishing nets with Father Ye before helping clean the slippery toadfish.
• Villagers asked Ye Yaodong about selling his dried fish and gossiped that he had made a fortune, while his older brothers prepared to try setting gill nets.
• Strong north winds kept Ye Yaodong's family from fishing, and Mother Ye regretted that they had not left the nets out for another day.
• Ye Yaodong joked that his sons would fight over supporting him when he was old, but Ye Chengyang said he wanted to raise dogs.
• Ye Chengyang believed Ye Yaodong's threat to make dog-meat hot pot, then ran to hug the dogs and cried while the adults laughed.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye took a small batch of their dried fish to the early market to test sales, where individual customers bought it steadily. They sold two sacks before daybreak and befriended a neighboring dried-shrimp vendor.

• Ye Yaodong, Lin Xiuqing, and Father Ye weighed the dried fish and found they had 1,056 jin and six liang.
• Ye Yaodong decided to take two or three hundred jin to the market that night, and Father Ye agreed to go with him.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye arrived at the market before dawn and set out the dried fish for sale.
• Ye Yaodong bought boiled peanuts while they waited and planned to take them home for the children.
• Customers bought the dried fish a few jin at a time, and the pair sold two large sacks before daybreak.
• Ye Yaodong gave ten salted fish to Brother Wu in thanks for repeatedly lending him a scale.

Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold most of their dried fish at the city market, then packed up and headed for the bus station with two sacks left. On the way, Ye Yaodong considered buying dried fish from villagers to resell, but lacked the time and storage space to do so until they got their shop.

• Ye Yaodong thanked Brother Wu for lending him a scale by giving him dried fish, and Brother Wu waited until Ye Yaodong finished selling before leaving.
• Ye Yaodong and Father Ye sold another twenty jin, then decided to pack up before they risked missing the bus home.
• Father Ye carried the two remaining sacks as they discussed selling their own dried fish when the weather prevented fishing.
• Ye Yaodong suggested buying dried fish from villagers to resell, but noted they lacked time to run a stall often and had nowhere to store the stock before getting their shop.