Chapter Summaries

Wei Donglai woke in 1982 with a chance to return to his fishing village and see his parents again. At home, he faced his parents and He Lijuan’s family over the fight that had brought him there, while He Guangrong hinted that the matter could have involved the public security officers.

• Wei Donglai realized he had returned to 1982 and hurried home after Aunt Yang told him his father had been searching for him.
• Wei Donglai reunited with Wei Guoqing and Li Yue'e, then let Wei Guoqing whip him while Li Yue'e shielded him.
• He Guangrong accused Wei Donglai of slapping He Lijuan, and Wei Donglai asked to explain why he had hit her.
• He Lijuan claimed Wei Donglai attacked her and her team leader after seeing them together at a meal.
• Li Yue'e acknowledged Wei Donglai was wrong but asked He Guangrong to be understanding, and he said they had come themselves instead of sending the public security officers.

Wei Donglai’s family agreed to end his relationship with He Lijuan after He Guangrong used Donglai’s fight to pressure them. Donglai exposed He Lijuan’s affair with Zhang Hui, and the families’ argument ended with Li Yue'e ordering He Guangrong and his daughter out.

• He Guangrong claimed Wei Donglai had badly injured a factory group leader and proposed that Donglai and He Lijuan break up to protect her job.
• Li Yue'e reluctantly agreed to end the relationship, while Wei Guoqing stayed silent and Donglai’s parents felt ashamed of his lack of prospects.
• Donglai accepted the breakup but accused He Lijuan of using him and revealed that she had been with Zhang Hui at the Nanhua Hotel and Zhenxing Inn.
• He Lijuan’s shocked question exposed her guilt, and Donglai explained that he had learned about the affair from Zhang Hui in his previous life.
• Li Yue'e angrily condemned He Guangrong and He Lijuan, then ordered them out of the house.

Wei Donglai tried to convince his family he had changed and wanted to go fishing, but Li Yue'e insisted he find steady work and start a family. He began helping around the house and mending nets, while his mother remained unconvinced and left him submitting to her demands.

• Li Yue'e and Wei Guoqing punished Wei Donglai for staying out all night, then Wei Guoqing left to ask about work at the meatpacking plant.
• Wei Donglai told Li Yue'e that he had dreamed of Mazu and wanted to fish at sea, but she rejected the idea and assigned him chores.
• Wei Donglai dried fish, cooked noodles, and began mending a fishing net as he resolved to show his family he had changed.
• Li Yue'e assumed Wei Donglai was heartbroken over He Lijuan and urged him to find a wife and settle down.
• Wei Donglai said he wanted to become a ten-thousand-yuan household, but Li Yue'e pulled his ear until he agreed to seek a wife.

Wei Donglai’s family urged him to seek work and find a wife while he tried to prove he could cook. The chapter ended with his family waiting anxiously as Xue Li cautiously tasted his first meal.

• Li Yue'e told Xue Li and Chen Fengying to look for suitable women for Wei Donglai, and Chen Fengying questioned whether Li Yue'e herself would marry someone like him.
• Wei Guoqing returned without securing a job for Wei Donglai, and Li Yue'e told him to try again in about a week.
• Wei Donglai helped mend the fishing nets while his father watched him closely.
• Wei Donglai volunteered to cook lunch, and Li Yue'e let him proceed despite the family’s memories of his disastrous cooking.
• Wei Donglai served several dishes, but his family hesitated to eat until Xue Li sampled a tiny morsel.

After Wei Donglai’s family praised his cooking, Wei Guoqing and Li Yue'e decided he should move into the family’s old house to learn independence. Wei Donglai helped his father prepare the house, then went with him to the dock to meet his returning brothers.

• Wei Donglai cooked lunch, and his family cautiously tried his dishes before admitting they tasted good.
• Wei Guoqing told Wei Donglai to move into the old house, and Li Yue'e said he needed to learn to live independently.
• Wei Donglai agreed to move, and he and Wei Guoqing spent the afternoon cleaning the old house and bringing over supplies.
• Wei Guoqing explained that he and Li Yue'e wanted Wei Donglai to become self-reliant, and Wei Donglai accepted their reasons.
• Wei Guoqing and Wei Donglai went to the dock, where they spotted his two older brothers returning with what seemed to be a good catch.

Wei Donglai joined his father and brothers after their successful fishing trip, chose fish for dinner, and helped sell the catch for more than 86 yuan. The family returned home with liquor and candy, and Li Yue'e relented when she heard how much they had earned.

• Wei Donglai met Wei Guoqing, Wei Fangchun, and Wei Fanghua at the boat and picked fish for dinner, while his surprising strength impressed his family.
• Wei Guoqing and his sons sold their catch to Li Guangsheng for 86 yuan and 7 mao.
• Wei Donglai persuaded Wei Guoqing to buy loose liquor and candy, then told his brothers that he had been sent to live in the old house.
• Wei Fangchun agreed to secretly give Wei Donglai some money after he threatened to tell his sister-in-law about his private stash.
• Li Yue'e spotted the liquor when the family arrived home, but her anger faded after Wei Guoqing explained that the catch had sold for more than 86 yuan.

Wei Donglai cooked a seafood feast for his family, winning over his brothers after they cautiously tasted it. The meal ended with Wei Hai accidentally farting while trying to praise his uncle's cooking.

• Wei Guoqing gave candy to the children, while Li Yue'e scolded Wei Donglai for bringing home seafood instead of selling it.
• Wei Donglai persuaded his family to keep the seafood and promised to cook, then joked with his sisters-in-law as he prepared the meal.
• Wei Donglai told Wei Ning and Wei Hai to wash their hands before eating, and Wei Yuanyuan misunderstood the adults' teasing about dogs and dragons.
• Wei Fangchun and Wei Fanghua hesitated to eat food cooked by Wei Donglai because of the earlier javelin incident, but relaxed after tasting the eel.
• Li Yue'e teased Wei Donglai about being the Jade Emperor letting out a fart, and Wei Hai accidentally farted while explaining he had meant to praise his uncle's cooking.

After Wei Donglai returned to the old house, he went night foraging along the shore and collected a plentiful haul of seafood, including several mud crabs and a large sea bass. He found something hidden in a deep hole beneath a reef rock and fashioned a longer hooked tool to try to reach it.

• Wei Donglai accepted a flashlight and ten yuan from Wei Guoqing, while Li Yue'e and Wei Guoqing discussed whether their son was changing for the better.
• Wei Donglai headed to the shore at low tide with a bucket and foraging tools, gathering crabs, clams, prawns, snails, mussels, and rock snails.
• Wei Donglai caught several mud crabs, including two large ones, and two yellowfin seabream.
• Wei Donglai spotted a large sea bass thrashing in a pool, caught it, and put it in his sack.
• Wei Donglai discovered movement inside a deep hole beneath a reef rock, then tied his iron hook to a wooden stick to reach farther into it.

Wei Donglai caught five mud crabs and sold them with two yellowfin seabream to Li Laosan for nine yuan four jiao. After preparing a sea bass for the next morning and sleeping poorly because of mosquitoes, he set out for town, where his young neighbor ignored him.

• Wei Donglai hooked two large mud crabs from a hole and secured them before taking his catch home.
• Wei Donglai sold five mud crabs and two yellowfin seabream to Li Laosan after negotiating a higher price for the largest crabs.
• Wei Donglai prepared the sea bass meat for the next morning, left the other crabs in a basin, and went to sleep after bathing.
• Wei Donglai woke with several mosquito bites and decided to buy a mosquito net and vegetables in town.
• Wei Donglai greeted the young woman next door, but she put on her hat and hurried toward the shore without responding.

Wei Donglai remembered why Xu Qingqing had despised him and accepted a ride to town with his childhood friend Li Changfeng. On the way, he explained his breakup with He Lijuan and urged Li Changfeng to stop procrastinating; Li Changfeng was left pondering his advice as the tractor continued on.

• Wei Donglai recalled that Xu Qingqing had lost her parents and that he had once harassed her, understanding her disgust toward him.
• Li Changfeng and his uncle Li Guowang gave Wei Donglai a ride to town, where Li Changfeng asked about his breakup with He Lijuan.
• Wei Donglai revealed that He Lijuan had been unfaithful, but said he would not rush to confront her and would focus on improving his own life.
• Wei Donglai encouraged Li Changfeng to overcome laziness and procrastination, comparing taking action to pursuing a pretty girl.
• Wei Donglai bought Li Guowang cigarettes before parting, and Li Guowang advised Li Changfeng to reflect on Wei Donglai's words.

Wei Donglai bought meat and supplies, then made fish balls from the sea bass he had saved. He shared the food with his family and left two mud crabs for dinner.

• Wei Donglai bought a mosquito net, candy, seasonings, and four jin of meat after purchasing coupons.
• Li Yue'e scolded and hit Wei Donglai for spending money until he explained that he had sold mud crabs and brought her three jin of meat.
• Wei Donglai got scallions and ginger from Xue Li, gave her candy for the children, and returned to his house to prepare fish balls.
• Wei Donglai minced fish and pork, mixed in scallion and ginger water and sweet potato starch, and cooked a basin of chewy fish balls.
• Wei Donglai brought fish balls and two mud crabs to his mother's courtyard, where Xue Li and Chen Fengying tasted the fish balls and praised them.

Wei Donglai set fishing traps along the seaside before joining his mother and sisters-in-law to prise oysters. After his mother defended him from two gossiping villagers, the family spread out to gather oysters, leaving Wei Donglai to collect his traps later.

• Wei Donglai borrowed three fishing traps, baited them with small fish and smashed snails, and set them among the seaside rocks to check that afternoon.
• He rested at home until his mother, Li Yue'e, and his sisters-in-law arrived to take him oyster-prising.
• Sister-in-law Yang and Sister-in-law Hu mocked Wei Donglai, and Li Yue'e scolded them until they fell silent.
• Other village women rebuked Yang and Hu for gossiping, then moved away from them.
• Wei Donglai praised his mother, but Li Yue'e blamed his poor reputation for attracting the women's remarks, and he stopped arguing.

Wei Donglai discovered he could pry oysters with unusual speed and used his wit and work to stand up for Li Yue'e against the two older women who had mocked him. After driving the women away, he returned to work, and Li Yue'e called an end to the day's oyster gathering as the sun set.

• Chen Fengying, Xue Li, and Li Yue'e noticed Wei Donglai prying oysters effortlessly and much faster than before.
• Wei Donglai told Li Yue'e he would stand up for her, then followed Sister-in-law Yang and Sister-in-law Hu while teasing them and taking the best oysters.
• Sister-in-law Yang and Sister-in-law Hu gave up and hurried away, while the gathered women laughed at Wei Donglai's antics.
• Wei Donglai joked with Li Yue'e, who denied being pleased but smiled as she watched him work.
• After a full afternoon of prying oysters, Li Yue'e called it a day and went to get Wei Donglai.

Wei Donglai hauled up four ground traps and found an exceptionally rich catch, including five groupers, dogfish, and other seafood. He left for home with the catch hidden, but Xue Li discovered the groupers and was astonished by their value.

• Wei Donglai hauled up the first trap and found two green groupers, an octopus, swimming crabs, and rabbitfish.
• Wei Donglai pulled up the second and third traps, finding another green grouper and then several more groupers and black sea bream.
• Li Yue'e visited Wei Donglai and told him to finish collecting his traps while she returned home.
• Wei Donglai hauled up the fourth trap, found two dogfish and other seafood, and carried the trap and his full bucket toward the roadside.
• Xue Li spotted Wei Donglai's catch and counted five groupers in his bucket.

Wei Donglai brought home a large catch of groupers from his ground traps and showed it off to his family before going with Li Yue'e to meet the returning fishing boat. His father and brothers were stunned by the catch, while Wei Donglai bragged about his recent luck.

• Wei Donglai showed Li Yue'e and Chen Fengying the groupers and dogfish he had caught in his ground traps, then agreed to sell the catch at the dock with his mother.
• Wei Donglai persuaded Li Yue'e to keep a dogfish for dinner and promised her the proceeds from drying and selling the oyster meat.
• Wei Donglai and Li Yue'e met Wei Guoqing's returning boat and found that its catch was plentiful but mostly low-value fish.
• Wei Donglai teased Wei Guoqing and his brothers about their catch, then revealed that he had caught five live groupers in his ground traps.
• Wei Fangchun and Wei Fanghua were shocked by Wei Donglai's catch, while Wei Fangchun and Wei Guoqing exchanged glances and felt like hitting him.

After a family fishing trip, Wei Guoqing sold the catch at Li Laosan’s stall, while Wei Donglai spent some of his earnings on treats for the family. The chapter ended with the family sharing a feast and Wei Donglai revealing that he had taught his sisters-in-law to make fish balls.

• Wei Guoqing and Wei Donglai brought their catch to Li Laosan, who paid 35.9 yuan for the groupers and dog shark and 43.8 yuan for the rest of the fish.
• Wei Guoqing gave Wei Donglai 37.5 yuan, and Wei Donglai bought cigarettes and ice pops for his family on the way home.
• Wei Guoqing warned Wei Donglai against going alone to the shore at night, and Wei Donglai handed the ice pops to Wei Hai to distribute.
• The family ate fish balls, dog shark, oyster omelet, and scad for dinner, and Wei Donglai told Wei Fangchun that his sisters-in-law knew how to make fish balls.

Wei Donglai caught a venomous stonefish while hunting along the shore and sold it with two mud crabs to Li Laosan. After agreeing to host Li Changfeng and A Liang that evening, he set fish traps and prepared to try rock fishing with an old bamboo rod.

• Wei Donglai cooked meat, then went out at night to hunt mud crabs and found a stonefish hidden beneath seaweed.
• Wei Donglai sold two mud crabs and the stonefish to Li Laosan for 11.8 yuan.
• Li Changfeng visited Wei Donglai, invited him to gather with A Liang that evening, and ate oyster omelet and congee with him.
• Wei Donglai set fish traps near the shore, then searched his parents' home and found his father's bamboo fishing rod for rock fishing.

Wei Donglai went fishing among the rocks and caught a string of rockfish, along with several other kinds of fish. As noon approached, he moved to a promising cove for one last cast.

• Wei Donglai told Li Yue'e that he had earned another eleven yuan and change from catching a tiger fish, then headed to the shore to fish.
• Wei Donglai cast into a rocky crevice and caught a series of rockfish, including one weighing about three liang.
• Wei Donglai caught a pufferfish and released it back into the sea.
• Wei Donglai moved between fishing spots, catching gobies, two black seabream, and two conger eels, but no grouper.
• Wei Donglai chose a small cove for one last cast as noon approached.

Wei Donglai caught a large redfin snapper with his bamboo rod and prepared a seafood dinner for Li Changfeng and He Dongliang. After bringing fish to his mother and buying liquor, he returned to get ready for the evening gathering.

• Wei Donglai landed a redfin snapper weighing nearly five jin after a long struggle and decided to make it into dried fish.
• Wei Donglai planned a dinner of fish and shellfish for Li Changfeng and He Dongliang, then napped through the afternoon.
• Wei Donglai cleaned and salted the red fish and prepared the other ingredients for dinner.
• Wei Donglai brought a bucket of fish to his mother, Li Yue'e, and asked her to pick vegetables for his guests.
• Wei Donglai went to the village shop and bought two bottles of Jiujiang Double Distilled for the gathering.

Wei Donglai rescued a child who had fallen into a pond and revived him with CPR. He learned the child was Xu Qingqing’s younger brother, leaving him connected to the emergency next door.

• Wei Donglai bought ice pops for Wei Hai and his family on his way home.
• Sister-in-law Xu called for help after a child fell into a pond, and Wei Donglai dove in to find him.
• Wei Donglai brought the child to shore and performed CPR while the crowd doubted he could be saved.
• The child began breathing again, and the clinic doctor said Wei Donglai’s prompt resuscitation had brought him out of danger.
• Wei Donglai learned the child was Xu Qingqing’s younger brother.