dkrc Chapter 20 Autumn Busy Season
Chapter 20 Autumn Busy Season
After the boat from Hongjia Island left, the ship repair site was empty for two days.
Only three small boats awaiting repair remained in the stone trough; the western row of boats was empty, as was the eastern row.
Old Fang squatted on the rocks, smoking and looking at the empty rafts of boats, saying he was so bored his bones ached.
Qiu Changhai squatted down beside him, rubbing the wound, and said that if his bones hurt, he should do more work. Old Fang said there was no work to do. Qiu Changhai said, "If there's no work, find some."
Old Fang stood up, took all the wrenches off the tool wall, washed them with diesel fuel, and then hung them back up according to their model numbers.
After washing up, he squatted back on the rocks and said he was still bored.
After less than three days of being idle, work came my way.
First, barnacles sprouted on Old Sun's sampan.
Old Sun pushed the boat over and said that this time it wasn't just patching, but another piece of the bottom plank had rotted. Qiu Changhai squatted down to take a look. The rot wasn't too bad; they could just remove the patch and put in a new plank.
Master Song and Lin Xiu'e worked together for a whole day and fixed it.
Old Sun squatted by the boat and looked at it for a long time, saying that the planks had been replaced as if they were brand new.
Master Song didn't say anything, but wiped the chisel clean and put it back in his tool bag. Old Sun asked again how much it cost. Master Song said it was free.
Old Sun was taken aback. Master Song said, "You helped the ship repair shop collect scrap wood all morning after the last typhoon, so this is payment."
Old Sun squatted there for a long time before he remembered that there seemed to be such a thing. He stood up, patted his pants, and said, "Call me again if there's any work next time." He then pushed the boat away.
Next up was Old Ma's boat.
The gearbox started making a creaking noise when shifting gears. Old Fang took it apart and found the shift fork was deformed. It wasn't the same shift fork as last time; it was a different one.
Old Ma squatted down beside him and said, "Why does this gearbox keep breaking down?"
Old Fang said, "You've been sailing this boat for over ten years, and the gearbox hasn't had a major overhaul. It's normal for this to break down today and that to break down tomorrow." He took the shift fork off, heated it with an oxyacetylene torch until it was red-hot, hammered it straight, quenched it, and put it back on. Now the gear shifting is smooth.
Old Ma asked how much it cost.
Old Fang said that adjusting the shift fork is free, but your boat needs a major overhaul. We'll bring it over before the new year and disassemble it for a full inspection.
Old Ma said yes, he'd bring it over before the New Year.
Then came Cai Datou.
They're not here to repair the boat, they're here to deliver fish.
He stood at the gate of the courtyard carrying two mackerel, saying, "Can't I come if I'm not repairing the boat?" Ah Hai took the fish and said, "You can come, even if you're not repairing the boat."
Cai Datou squatted on the reef, looking at the boat in the stone trough. After watching for a while, he stood up and left.
After walking a few steps, he turned back and said that the engine of my boat was making a strange noise, and he would bring it over to take a look another day. Old Fang agreed.
The ship repair shop is busy again.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th of August.
Lin's mother prepared a large table of dishes herself. Her back was mostly healed, but she couldn't stand for long periods; she had to sit down and rest after cooking just two dishes.
Lin Xiu'e assisted her, while the two sisters washed and chopped vegetables. Their father sat in the yard mending fishing nets, glancing up at the kitchen every now and then.
The Ping An was moored at the dock, and the three large white characters on the bow of the ship shone brightly in the sun.
Jiang Haiping arrived carrying a box of mooncakes. The mooncakes were bought from a food store in town; they were filled with five kinds of nuts, wrapped in oil paper, and covered with a red paper.
Lin's mother took it and looked at it, saying, "Why buy this? It's expensive." Jiang Haiping replied, "It was given to me by my workplace."
Lin's mother laughed when she said that the ship repair shop even had a work unit.
As the moon rose in the evening, Lin's father moved the table into the yard. The meal consisted of seven dishes and a soup: steamed ribbonfish, braised pomfret, boiled shrimp, cold seaweed salad, garlic-flavored greens, stewed chicken, and fish ball soup.
Lin's father opened a bottle of Binhai Daqu liquor, poured half a bowl for Jiang Haiping, and poured half a bowl for himself. The two clinked their bowls together.
Lin's father took a sip of wine and put it down. "Ping-ge'er. That boat on Hongjia Island has been under repair for a month. After Old Hong went back, he went fishing three times, each time with a full load. The day before yesterday, he came over specifically to deliver a basket of ribbonfish and a basket of pomfret. He left it at the entrance of the boat repair shop without even having a sip of water before leaving."
Jiang Haiping said he saw it; some of the ribbonfish and pomfret had been pickled and some had been dried, enough to last for half a month.
Lin's father picked up a piece of ribbonfish. "He said he could pay back half of the money he owes you before the new year. The other half will be paid off next spring. I said there's no rush, but he said he is. He can't sleep at night because he's in debt."
Jiang Haiping remained silent.
Mr. Lin took another sip. "I used to be like that too. I owed the credit union 80,000 yuan, and I couldn't sleep at night. I would wake up before dawn and think about how to pay back that 80,000 yuan."
The day the Ping An was repaired, you said you'd pay me back slowly. At the time, I thought, "I'm indebted to you for this." Later, I realized. A favor isn't a debt. A favor is a favor.
He looked at the moon. "Old Hong has come to his senses too. When he left today, he told me that Master Fang didn't just repair a boat, he pulled him out of the sea."
Lin Xiu'e brought out a plate of sliced mooncakes. The mooncakes were cut into eight pieces and arranged on the plate, filled with five kinds of nuts, walnuts, melon seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, and candied fruit peel.
She took a petal and handed it to Jiang Haiping.
"My mom said the mooncakes her workplace gave out tasted better than the ones we bought."
Jiang Haiping took it and took a bite. It was sweet and hard, but it definitely tasted the same.
After August, the ship repair shop had accumulated another sum of money in its accounts.
Fifteen boats were repaired throughout August, generating a gross profit of 3,500. The major repair costs for Hong's boat were recorded in the accounts, to be repaid when he caught fish.
Old Chen, Old Ma, and Cai Datou helped salvage and repair the boat without asking for wages. Jiang Haiping recorded their work points, which were deducted from the boat repair fee at the end of the year.
In early September, Wang Cunzhi arrived. He rode his Jialing 70 motorcycle, with a box of apples strapped to the back seat.
They said the apples were from the apple trees in the fishery company's yard, and they picked a box to share with everyone. Ahai took them and squatted on the rocks to distribute them, giving each person four apples.
Wang Cunzhi squatted beside the new ship raft, watching Ding Haisheng weld the ship hull plates.
He stood up after watching for a while.
"The provincial authorities are coming to inspect next month. The fishing company has registered a site at Moon Island's boat repair station. When the provincial leaders come to visit, you should make preparations."
Jiang Haiping asked what to prepare.
Wang Cunzhi thought for a moment. "Sweep the yard clean. Arrange the tools neatly. Categorize and put away the items on the old parts shelf. Prepare the registration book. Hang up the business license."
Also, make sure Lao Fang and Master Qiu are both there that day. If the provincial leaders ask technical questions and you can't answer them, they can.
Old Fang squatted on the rocks, smoking. "What are the provincial leaders doing in our little town?"
"It's a designated repair point for the fisheries system. Several places across the province applied, and Moon Island was one of them. If you're selected, government-owned boats will have priority for repairs here." Wang Cunzhi tossed an apple core into a crevice in the reef. "There's no loss if you're not selected. But if you are, your boat repair point will be officially recognized by the province."
Old Fang stubbed out his cigarette. "When are you coming?"
"Middle of next month. We'll let you know the exact date once it's set."
Wang Cunzhi rode away on his bicycle. The apple box was half empty, and Ahai carried the remaining half box into the stone house.
In mid-September, the provincial officials didn't come; instead, it rained.
It wasn't a typhoon, just autumn rain. It drizzled for three days, the sea was a hazy gray, and the rain washed the pebbles off the rocky beach. The ship repair shop couldn't operate, so a few people squatted in the stone hut playing chess. Old Fang and Ah Hai played, while Qiu Changhai squatted beside them watching. Ding Haisheng practiced overhead welding on scrap metal, while Ah Guang squatted beside him watching.
Master Song squatted at the entrance of the shed, sanding his chisel with sandpaper. After sanding it, he oiled it and wrapped it in cloth. Guo Dayong flipped through the marine engineering training materials that Ahai had brought back from the county, reading them page by page.
Lin Xiu'e squatted at the entrance of the courtyard wall, mixing tung oil putty, one basin after another. Six basins were arranged on the windowsill, covered with a damp cloth.
Jiang Haiping sat at the door, calculating the accounts. The boat repair shop had been open for almost a year, growing from three people to nine. They had repaired over a hundred boats and accumulated more than ten thousand yuan in the accounts.
Old Fang, Qiu Changhai, Ding Haisheng, Master Song, and Guo Dayong were paid on time, and Ahai, Aguang, and Lin Xiue provided meals and pocket money.
The major repair costs for Hong Chuandong's ship were recorded in the accounts, Lin's father's loan was paid off, and the work points recorded by Lao Chen, Lao Ma, and Cai Datou were settled at the end of the year.
On the evening the rain stopped, a rainbow appeared over the sea. It stretched perfectly from Moon Island pier all the way to the town on the other side. Ah Guang was the first to see it and shouted out.
Several people came out of the house and stood on the rocky beach to watch. The rainbow stretched across the sea for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before slowly fading away.
Old Fang said that a rainbow over the sea is a good omen.
On September 20th, people from the province arrived.
Two jeeps were parked in front of the ship repair shop. Wang Cunzhi got out of the first jeep, followed by three people. One was a middle-aged man wearing glasses and a gray Zhongshan suit, holding a notebook in his hand.
An elderly man with gray hair, wearing blue overalls with worn-out cuffs. And a young man carrying a camera.
Wang Cunzhi introduced them as follows: "This is Engineer Zhang from the Provincial Fisheries Department, this is Engineer Zhou from the Provincial Fishing Vessel Inspection Bureau, and this is Xiao Liu, who took the photo."
Zhang Gong walked around the yard. He looked at the boat racks, the stone troughs, the tool wall, and the old parts shelf. The items on the old parts shelf were categorized and arranged, each with a number written on it using white tape.
Ah Hai's register was placed beside him, with every entry and exit recorded. Zhang picked it up, flipped through a few pages, and put it down.
Engineer Zhou squatted down to examine the welds on the ship hull plating that Ding Haisheng had made. After looking at them for a while, he stood up. "Who did this weld?"
Ding Haisheng poked his head out of the cabin. "Me."
"How many years did you work there?"
"I worked at the Zhejiang Shipyard for two years. Then I worked here for a year."
Zhou nodded. He then squatted down to examine the seams that Master Song had made.
The hemp fibers were packed tightly, and the tung oil putty was applied smoothly. He touched the seam with his finger.
"Who sewed this seam?"
Master Song squatted beside the sampan, a chisel in his hand. "Me."
"Who taught you?"
Qiu Changhai walked out of the stone house. "Come with me. He's my apprentice."
Engineer Zhou stood up and looked at Qiu Changhai. "You're Master Qiu? You were a seamstress at the Binhai Shipyard back in the 1960s?"
Qiu Changhai said yes.
Zhou wiped the tung oil residue from his hands onto his trousers. "My mentor works in the same workshop as you. His name is Chen Baojin."
Qiu Changhai was taken aback. "Baojin's apprentice? He already has apprentices?"
"Yes, I brought it. That's me." Engineer Zhou smiled. "My master often says that Qiu Changhai is the best seamstress in the factory. He's second."
Qiu Changhai didn't speak. He looked down at the chisel in his hand; the handle was worn smooth, indicating it had been used for forty years.
Engineer Zhang and Engineer Zhou spent the morning at the ship repair shop. They watched Lao Fang disassemble the main engine, Guo Dayong install gaskets, A Guang weld the corner seams, and Lin Xiu'e mix tung oil putty. Xiao Liu took more than a dozen photos. Before leaving, Engineer Zhang closed his notebook.
"We'll report your ship repair shop when we get back. We'll let you know next month whether it gets approved or not." He glanced at the fishing boats moored in the stone trough, then at the newly welded hull plates on the boat raft to the west. "Whether it gets approved or not, I've seen the craftsmanship here."
The two jeeps drove away. Wang Cunzhi stayed behind, squatting on the rocks and lighting a cigarette.
"I think it can be approved."
Old Fang squatted down beside him. "What are the benefits of getting it approved?"
"Once approved, it will be a designated repair shop officially recognized by the province. Fisheries system vessels will be given priority for repairs here. There will be annual subsidies, and the repair shop can apply for equipment upgrades." Wang Cunzhi took a puff of his cigarette. "The most important thing is the official designation. Once you're officially designated, you won't be a makeshift operation anymore."
Old Fang stubbed out his cigarette. "Whether we have a sign or not, our ship repair skills are all the same."
"The craftsmanship is the same. But once you have the brand, boat owners from Hongjia Island dare to bring their boats here. They even dare to bring boats from other counties and provinces." Wang Cunzhi stood up and patted his pants. "Craftsmanship is the foundation, the brand is the face. If the foundation is solid, you also need to have a good face."
He got on his bike and rode away.
In early October, the approval was granted.
Wang Cunzhi arrived on a motorcycle with a wooden sign strapped to the back. The sign was larger than the original one for the ship repair shop, with white background and red lettering that read "Designated Ship Repair Point of Provincial Fisheries System," and below that, in smaller print, "Moon Island Ship Repair Department." He handed the sign to Jiang Haiping.
"Hang it up."
Jiang Haiping took down the old wooden sign and hung up the new one. He hammered in the nails, and the sign vibrated slightly. After the last hammer blow, he stepped back.
Designated ship repair point within the provincial fisheries system.
Old Fang squatted on the rocks, smoking and staring at the sign. Qiu Changhai stood beside him, chisel in hand. Ah Hai and Ah Guang squatted at the entrance of the courtyard wall, looking up.
Ding Haisheng crawled out of the cabin, still holding the welding torch.
Master Song squatted at the entrance of the shed, his canvas tool bag beside him. Lin Xiu'e stood at the gate, holding a basin of mixed tung oil putty, a corner of the damp cloth lifted. A sea breeze blew by, causing the wooden sign to sway slightly before settling back into place.
Wang Cunzhi took out a cigarette and offered it to everyone. "From today onwards, you're a regular army." Old Fang took it and tucked it behind his ear. "Regularity or not, the most important thing is how well you repair the boats. Hanging up the sign is for outsiders; repairing boats is for ourselves."
Wang Cunzhi laughed. "That's right. The sign is for outsiders to see, but the ship repairs are for ourselves." He got on his bike and rode away, the red Jialing 70 sputtering and emitting a puff of blue smoke, slowly shrinking along the seawall and disappearing from sight after rounding a bend.
Jiang Haiping stood at the gate of the courtyard, looking at the new wooden sign: "Designated Ship Repair Point of the Provincial Fisheries System." It hung side by side with the old one, which Qiu Changhai had sawed from scrap ship planks. The edges were smoothed, and the red paint on the lettering had faded a bit after a year of being exposed to the sea breeze.
Moon Island Ship Repair Department.
Two signs, one for a ship repair shop.
As evening fell and work was finished, Lin Xiu'e brought over a pot of fish ball soup. Several people squatted on the rocks to drink the soup. A-Guang, holding his bowl, squatted under the new wooden sign and looked up at it.
"Brother Ping, are we a regular army now?"
"Master Fang said that the sign is for outsiders to see, but the boat repair is for himself."
Ah Guang said "Oh" and lowered his head to drink his soup. The moon rose from the sea, illuminating the two wooden signs clearly.
One new piece, one old piece.
A sea breeze blew by, causing the old wooden sign to sway gently, while the new wooden sign jingled steadily.
The loquat seedlings have grown to half a person's height. The circle that Ah Guang used to wrap the seashells around is still there, and a small one has sprouted next to it, with two tender leaves peeking out from the cracks in the rocks.