Wei Donglai

Biodata

Background / History

Previous Life

Wei Donglai lived into the twenty-first century before returning to 1982. He had worked for years in a furniture factory and later achieved career success, spending considerable money on fishing equipment despite rarely having time to fish. He also spent time in prison, where Hong Dafu unsuccessfully tried to establish dominance over him 10 18 34 41.

Return to 1982

Donglai awakens after an all-night gambling gathering and recognizes the year on a calendar. He immediately returns home, overwhelmed at seeing his parents again. Unlike his former behavior, he does not dodge when his father whips him, and his mother intervenes to protect him 1.

His return coincides with a confrontation over his having slapped his girlfriend, He Lijuan. Their relationship of almost a year ends, an outcome Donglai welcomes despite feeling distressed by his parents' humiliation. He accuses Lijuan of pursuing a better prospect at his expense 1 2.

Determined to change his family's opinion of him, Donglai begins drying fish, cooking, and repairing nets. He rejects his mother's preferred meatpacking-plant job and insists on earning a living at sea. His parents subsequently move him into the family's old house to teach him independence 3 5.

Building a Fishing Livelihood

Donglai starts with nighttime shore foraging, selling five mud crabs and two yellowfin seabream for 9.4 yuan. He supplements this work with ground traps and bamboo-pole fishing, catching valuable groupers and eventually landing a redfin snapper weighing roughly four and a half to five jin 8 9 14 19.

To save for a boat, he learns mud-eel catching from Li Guowang. After several profitable outings, he becomes practiced at locating and baiting burrows. When He Jiahao steals from his prepared holes, Donglai hides nearby, catches him in the act, and seizes his basket of eels 30 34 35 36.

Helping Xu Qingqing's Family

Donglai rescues Xu Qingqing's younger brother, Xu Yiming, from a pond and revives him with CPR. While Qingqing attends to Yiming, Donglai looks after her younger sister, Momo. Qingqing's discovery that he saved her brother begins to overturn her earlier distrust, which stemmed partly from his past harassment of her 20 21 22 24.

He refuses Qingqing's offer of approximately one hundred yuan and continues sharing food with the siblings after seeing how little they have. Recognizing that his generosity leaves her feeling indebted, he promises to rely on her for drying unsold fish and repairing damaged nets 24 28 45.

Acquiring a Boat and Going to Sea

Donglai initially plans to obtain a six-meter wooden boat costing around 150–160 yuan. With his father's help, he approaches carpenter Zhou Huaimin. When Zhou Caihong's family tries to prevent the boat's removal, Donglai subdues the opposing man and drives the family away with a broom. He then brings the boat home with Li Guowang's towing assistance 26 39 45 46 47.

After a family celebration and a blessing to Mazu, Donglai makes his first sea voyage of his new life. He sets four traps and five hundred meters of longline, then continues cast-net fishing. Encountering a silver-pomfret shoal, he catches more than 260 jin and rushes back to Li Laosan's stall to sell the fish while fresh 48 49 50.

Appearance

• Tall, strapping build: His imposing frame makes He Jiahao hesitate to confront him 35.
• Handsome adult appearance: Xu Lianyun remarks that he has grown into a handsome young man, contrasting him with the skinny, dark-skinned boy she remembers 39.

Personality

Donglai's second chance makes him deeply appreciative of his parents. Their familiar scolding comforts him, and he tolerates punishments that he once would have avoided. Rather than waiting until they are elderly to improve their lives, he buys good food whenever he can afford it 1 5 11.

He is a habitual joker and show-off, teasing his brothers, boasting about his catches, and trading exaggerated complaints with his mother and sisters-in-law. His humor can also be retaliatory: after two village women mock him and upset his mother, he pointedly outperforms them at oyster gathering while returning their barbs 6 7 13 15.

His generosity does not depend on repayment. He refuses Qingqing's money and maintains that he would rescue Yiming again even knowing he might have faced criticism if the child died. He is also willing to use force against thieves and bullies, while acknowledging that explanations cannot erase his own past misconduct toward Qingqing 21 24 36 39 42.

Abilities & Skills

Fishing and Shore Foraging

Donglai uses several complementary methods to earn money and supply his household 8 12 18 49.

• Identifies and gathers crabs, shellfish, prawns, and fish in tidal pools; extends an iron hook with a wooden stick to reach deep crab holes 8 9.
• Sets ground traps and longlines, preparing small fish as bait 12 49.
• Lands a large redfin snapper with a bamboo rod, carefully exhausting it without breaking the tackle 19.
• Relearns cast-net technique after initially failing to open the net properly; later exploits a passing pomfret shoal with repeated casts 49 50.
• Handles dangerous catches cautiously, using tongs rather than bare hands for a stonefish 17.

Mud-Eel Catching

He learns the method from Li Guowang and improves through repeated practice 30 35.

• Uses tobacco in burrows and catches emerging eels with a specialized fork 30.
• Learns to search roughly a meter above nearby tidal channels for burrow entrances 35.
• Initially loses an eel through inexperience, but later wrestles a particularly large specimen out of the mud by hand 30 31.

Strength and Fighting

His family notices unusual physical improvements, though Donglai cannot explain them 6 13.

• Carries a fish basket weighing nearly one hundred jin with surprising ease and pries oysters open much faster than his relatives 6 13.
• Defeats Hong Dafu's three followers in less than two minutes 42.
• Uses arm locks, kicks, and an improvised broom weapon during the dispute over his boat 46.

Cooking

His improved cooking initially surprises relatives who remember an earlier meal that left the men with severe diarrhea 4 5.

• Makes chewy fish balls from minced fish and pork, scallion-and-ginger water, and sweet potato starch 11.
• Teaches his sisters-in-law to make fish balls 16.
• Earns praise from Li Changfeng, who judges his cooking slightly better than restaurant worker He Dongliang's 23.

Swimming and First Aid

Donglai retrieves Yiming from underwater and performs CPR until the child resumes breathing. The clinic doctor credits his prompt resuscitation with bringing Yiming out of danger 20.

• Checks the child's heartbeat and turns him onto his side after reviving him 20.
• Explains drowning risks and first-aid measures to Chen Fengying afterward 21.

Wood Identification

His furniture-factory experience allows him to recognize a dirty old traveling case as probably Hainan huanghuali. He also understands enough about timber and joinery to appreciate Zhou Huaimin's craftsmanship 34 40.

Alcohol Tolerance

His capacity increases without an identified explanation: he drinks almost a jin without feeling drunk despite previously managing only half a jin. He later outlasts both Li Changfeng and He Dongliang in a drinking contest 8 24.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Wooden fishing boat — An ochre-red boat propelled by a sculling oar; acquired with help from his father, Zhou Huaimin, and Li Guowang 39 47 48 49.
• Cast nets — Receives one made by Xu Qingqing and retains a second purchased net as a spare against damage at sea 49.
• Fishing gear — Orders landing nets, fish baskets, crab traps, ground traps, and approximately five hundred meters of longline 48.
• Bamboo fishing rod — An inexpensive option whose limited strength requires care when fighting larger fish 17 19.
• Shore-foraging kit — Flashlight, rubber shoes, gloves, bucket, tongs, iron hook, rope, and woven plastic sack 8.
• Huanghuali box — An old traveling case given to him by a scrap collector after Donglai helps him 34.
• Purple jadeite Buddha pendant — Found wrapped in silk inside a hollow statue. Donglai obtains the damaged statue after paying five yuan during the Hong Dafu dispute; Wei Hai accidentally breaks it further, exposing the pendant 42 43.

Relationships

Family

• Wei Guoqing — Father. Initially disciplines Donglai and seeks steady work for him, but later helps him obtain and launch his boat 1 3 39 49.
• Li Yue'e — Mother. Protective, frugal, and outspoken; repeatedly urges him to marry, eventually accepts his fishing plans, and prepares the Mazu blessing for his first voyage 1 3 48 49.
• Wei Fanghua — Eldest brother. Explains that their parents' decision to move Donglai out is for his own good 6.
• Wei Fangchun — Second brother. Frequently trades teasing remarks with Donglai 6 15 37.
• Xue Li — Eldest sister-in-law. Helps him with cooking ingredients and is astonished by his grouper catch 11 14.
• Chen Fengying — Second sister-in-law. Joins in the family banter and admires his rescue of Yiming 7 21.
• Wei Hai — Nephew. Regularly asks him for treats and declares Donglai his first favorite, ahead of his grandfather 20 37.

Friends and Neighbors

• Xu Qingqing — Neighbor whom Donglai formerly harassed. Their relationship improves through his rescue of Yiming, help for her siblings, and acceptance of her practical assistance 10 24 25 45.
• Xu Yiming — Qingqing's younger brother, whom Donglai saves from drowning 20 25.
• Xu Momo — Qingqing's younger sister. Becomes attached to Donglai while he looks after and feeds her 22 23 25.
• Li Changfeng — Childhood friend, fishing companion, and drinking partner. Donglai encourages him to gain experience outside the village by going to Guangzhou 10 24 48.
• He Dongliang — Friend and restaurant worker. Invites Donglai to join a food-stall business, which Donglai declines in favor of fishing 23 24.
• Li Guowang — Changfeng's second uncle; teaches Donglai mud-eel catching, provides tractor rides, and helps tow his boat 10 30 34 47.

Other Connections

• He Lijuan — Former girlfriend. Their relationship ends shortly after Donglai's rebirth 1 2.
• Li Laosan — Regular dockside seafood buyer who purchases Donglai's catches and helps unload his pomfret haul 9 16 50.
• Zhou Huaimin — Carpenter approached for Donglai's boat; Donglai admires his skill and intervenes when his relatives obstruct the transaction 39 40 46.
• He Jiahao — Village gambler and catch thief. Donglai rejects his gambling invitation and catches him stealing mud eels 35 36.
• Hong Dafu — Former-life prison acquaintance. In 1982, Donglai defeats his followers while protecting his father 41 42.

Notable Quotes

“Since I happened to be there, of course I couldn't just stand by.” 20

“Then let's bid farewell to our shitty yesterdays and toast our bright tomorrows.” 23