sbdcsierra Chapter 24 New Ship
Chapter 24 New Ship
At the end of March, Lin's father bought his grandfather's old tugboat.
The money was scraped together. They saved up six thousand, borrowed one thousand from Old Chen, five hundred from Old Ma, and when Ship Owner Hong heard about it, he had someone bring five hundred over. Lin's father refused, but Ship Owner Hong said that they hadn't asked for money when they salvaged and repaired the ship, so this five hundred wasn't a loan but a repayment. Lin's father accepted it.
Having raised eight thousand yuan, Jiang Haiping invited his grandfather to the ship repair shop to sign the transfer agreement.
The old man was still the same, his back ramrod straight, half his hair white. He read through the agreement and signed it. After signing, he squatted down and looked at the tugboat. Thirty-two tons, eighteen meters long, the main engine was a Weichai 6160, the gearbox had just been overhauled last year, and the rudder system had a new rudder stock.
The hull was freshly painted, and the welds were neat and orderly.
"I've been sailing this boat for over ten years. I haven't used it much since I retired from the factory, it's just sitting there anyway." The old man stood up and patted the gunwale. "Sail it well."
Lin's father said that even though the boat is now in my hands, it will still be called the Ping An (Peaceful) boat.
New Ping An Hao.
On the day the tugboat was transferred, Lin Xiu'e traced the three characters "Ping An Hao" (平安号) on the bow of the new ship. The paint was newly bought, white, and she wrote each character carefully with a brush. It was exactly the same as when she wrote it on the old "Ping An Hao"—the characters were large and written with great force.
After finishing the last horizontal line, he stepped back to look at it and nodded in satisfaction.
Red ribbons were tied to the steering wheel. They were the same two as last year, but the color had faded from bright red to dark red.
Lin's father took them off the old Ping'an and tied them to the rudder of the new ship. The two strips of cloth hung side by side, getting tangled together and then separating as the sea breeze blew them up.
The spring floods began in early April.
On the day the Xin Ping An set sail for the first time, a large crowd gathered at the dock. Fishermen from Moon Island all came, including Old Chen, Old Ma, Uncle Ahai, Cai Datou, Old Suntou, and even the boat owner Hong, who came all the way from Hongjia Island by ferry.
Hong, the shipowner, squatted on the dock looking at the new Ping An and said that this ship was a size bigger than his, and the main engine was from Weichai, a good machine.
Lin's mother stood on the dock; her back was much better than last year, and she stood for quite a while without needing to lean against the wall. Lin Xiu'e also boarded the ship today, carrying a tool bag containing wrenches and spare filters.
She stood at the stern and waved towards the dock. Jiang Haiping, standing on the rocks at the ship repair site, also waved.
With a blast of the whistle, the Ping'an slowly steered out of the stone trough. Its bow cleaved through the sea, leaving a wake twice as wide as the old ship's. The red flag on the mast was newly sewn by Lin Xiu'e, its red gleaming.
The ship sailed further and further away, slowly becoming a tiny dot on the sea.
Hong, the ship owner, squatted on the dock watching the ship sail away. "This ship can go to the open sea. It can go to Zhoushan and return on the same day."
Old Chen stood beside him. "Old Lin waited half his life, and finally, a good ship has arrived."
After the boat repair shop moved to the service station, the workload increased significantly. On the third day after the new workshop opened, three official boats from the county were towed over. One had a leaking gearbox, another had its main engine burning oil, and the third had a rattling rudder. Old Fang assigned the three boats to different people.
The gearbox was given to Ding Haisheng, the main engine to Master Song and Guo Dayong, and the space left for Jiang Haiping to help with disassembly and assembly was temporarily left for Jiang Haiping. The rudder system was given to Qiu Changhai.
Qiu Changhai's back is getting worse now.
The service station has vehicles, so there's no need for manual labor to move heavy items, but there's still a lot of bending over work.
The colonel disassembled the rudder assembly and placed it on the worktable. He measured it bit by bit with a micrometer, spending the entire morning on it. At lunchtime, he stood up and had to support his back several times. Old Fang said that Ding Haisheng should do more of the rudder assembly work in the future, and that he should mentor apprentices.
Qiu Changhai said that A-Guang was already a semi-master welder, and it was too early to teach him about rudder systems. Old Fang said, "If you don't pass on your skills, are you really planning to take them to your grave?" Qiu Changhai didn't say anything.
In the afternoon, I continued working on the steering department, still by myself.
Ah Guang had become quite adept at handling used parts. The service station had even given him a small storage room, where the old parts shelves had been replaced with metal shelves, divided into four layers: one for gears, one for bearings, one for rudder stock and blades, and one for miscellaneous parts.
The register was filled out in the middle of the third volume.
He hung a small tag on each old item, writing down its number, specifications, and the date it was put into storage. Old Fang flipped through it once, and after reading it, he returned the notebook to A-Guang, saying that A-Hai had taught him well.
Ah Guang said he figured it out himself; Ah Hai only taught him how to write when he left.
The government's inspections are much stricter than before. On the day the fishery administration vessel was repaired, Director Sun brought a technician with him. The technician, surnamed Cheng, was in his early thirties, wore glasses, and carried an inspection form, checking each item one by one. He measured the main engine speed, water temperature, oil pressure, gearbox gear shifting, and the rudder system's left and right full rudder positions—he measured everything.
After the measurement was completed, the acceptance form was filled out, with a checkmark next to each item. Director Sun signed it and took out a check from his pocket.
It was a check, not cash. Jiang Haiping took it and looked at it. It was for the county's official boat maintenance fees, settled every three months.
The figure is significantly higher than that for repairing fishermen's boats because it is a government standard, with materials and labor costs calculated according to national pricing.
In mid-April, Ahai came back from technical school once. He was on holiday for the busy farming season and went back to Moon Island to help out. His father's fishing boat engine was emitting black smoke again. Ahai squatted in the engine room, took apart the fuel injectors, and saw that it was the same old problem—caused by cheap fuel clogging them.
His father squatted down beside him and said that this time it wasn't intentional. Last time they went out to sea, they temporarily docked at a random pier on the other side of the shore, and all they had was that kind of oil.
Ah Hai said that they shouldn't refuel at the illegal dock anymore, not because of the money, but because of safety. His father said he understood.
Ahai cleaned and reinstalled the fuel injectors, tested the engine, and the exhaust smoke was lighter. He squatted at the cabin door and looked at his father, saying, "I studied at a technical school for a year, and what the teacher said was pretty much the same as what you said."
There are three main types of diesel engine malfunctions: black smoke indicates a fuel system problem, blue smoke indicates burning oil, and white smoke indicates a leaking cylinder liner. His dad said, "Your tuition wasn't wasted."
When Jiang Haiping passed by the dock, he saw Ah Hai squatting on the boat, so he walked over and squatted down.
Ah Hai said, "Brother Ping, the vocational school teacher said I have a good foundation, much better than my classmates." I told them my master was Master Fang, and they knew who I was.
Jiang Haiping said that Master Fang's reputation had spread throughout the county.
Ahai said that it wasn't just in the county; Engineer Zhou from the province had mentioned the Moon Island ship repair site when he gave a lecture at the technical school last time.
They said Master Fang's gearboxes looked brand new when disassembled, and Master Qiu's grouting hadn't leaked for thirty years. Jiang Haiping said, "Didn't you tell them you came from Moon Island?"
Ah Hai told them, but they didn't believe him.
In May, Wang Cunzhi brought some new information. The province was going to hold a fishing boat repair skills competition this fall, and each county was to send one team of three people.
The county wants the Moon Island service station to represent Binhai County in the competition.
Old Fang said, "What are we comparing?"
Wang Cunzhi pulled out a notice from his pocket, which listed the competition events: main unit disassembly and assembly, fault diagnosis, welding, and caulking.
There are four events, with three people per team, and teams can participate in multiple events.
Lao Fang read the notice and passed it on to Qiu Changhai. Qiu Changhai then read it and passed it on to Ding Haisheng.
After Ding Haisheng finished reading, he said, "I'll go do the welding." Master Song, squatting beside him, said, "I'll go do the grouting too."
Lao Fang said he would handle the disassembly, assembly, and troubleshooting of the main unit.
That was settled. Wang Cunzhi said it didn't matter whether they won a prize or not; going would just bring honor to the county.
Old Fang said, "What's the point of going to a competition if you don't win a prize? The retired shipyard workers from the province are watching. We can't let Moon Island down."
In mid-May, the new Ping'an returned. It was its first voyage during the spring flood season, and the voyage lasted twelve days.
They caught 8,000 catties of ribbonfish, 4,000 catties of pomfret, and a variety of other small cuttlefish and yellow croakers. Standing on the dock, the wrinkles on Lin's father's face smoothed out.
Lin Xiue jumped off the boat, her face tanned darker, and there were two small cuts on the back of her hands.
She said it was scratched when she was disassembling the seawater filter; the filter was too tight, and it slipped when she tried to tighten it with a wrench. It's a minor injury.
Her mother stood on the dock waiting, saw the cut on her hand but didn't say anything, took the fish she brought back and carried it home.
Lin Xiu'e walked to the service station. In the new workshop, a crane was hoisting the gearbox of a government vessel, and Ding Haisheng was squatting on the workbench disassembling bearings.
Ah Guang squatted down next to him, registering old documents.
Qiu Changhai was adjusting the helm by the wall, bent over, measuring bit by bit with a micrometer. Lao Fang was disassembling the main engine in the engine room of another government vessel.
Master Song was sewing the seams on the sampan beside the stone trough, while Lin Xiu'e placed the tung oil putty she had prepared on the windowsill, and covered the three basins with damp cloths.
She walked to the windowsill, lifted the damp cloth, and looked inside. The three basins of tung oil putty were mixed just right. Master Song looked up at her.
"I'm back."
"I'm back."
"The skill of mixing ash hasn't been lost."
Lin Xiu'e didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. She squatted down and took out her tool bag from under the windowsill, wiping each wrench clean. Filter wrench, belt wrench, oil seal tool. After twelve days at sea, the tools had some sea salt on them, so she wiped them with diesel fuel, then with a dry cloth, and put them back in the tool bag.
Master Song finished suturing one seam and stood up. "How's the Ping An Hao mainframe?"
"The water temperature is a bit high. It gets hotter when the engine speed is above 1800 RPM."
"Have you checked?"
"I checked. The seawater filter was half clogged. I took it apart and cleaned it, but the water temperature is still too high. I suspect the thermostat is stuck."
Master Song thought for a moment. "The thermostat is stuck in the closed position, the coolant isn't circulating, and the water temperature will definitely be high. I'll replace the thermostat next time I come back."
Lin Xiu'e agreed and wrote it down in her notebook.
At the end of May, Jiang Haiping went to a meeting in the county. It was a meeting of the Fisheries Bureau, and all the heads of fishing boat repair shops in the county were present.
The meeting room was filled with smoke, and a dozen or so people sat around a long table, most of them individual boat repairmen from various towns. Director Sun sat at the head of the table and spoke about this year's fisheries safety situation, specifically praising the Moon Island Service Station.
They said they repaired over a hundred boats last year without a single safety incident, and this year they contracted to operate the county's official boats, all of which passed inspection on the first try.
After the meeting, Director Sun kept Jiang Haiping behind. He said that the province would be evaluating advanced units and individuals at the end of the year, and the county had submitted Moon Island's application.
There's a bonus for being selected, and more importantly, the province will give us priority in providing policies and equipment in the future. Jiang Haiping said the service station is just starting out and he's worried about not getting selected.
Director Sun said whether or not you qualify is up to the higher-ups, but whether or not you're reported is up to the county. The county approves of you.
As Jiang Haiping walked out of the Fisheries Bureau, he saw Guo Dayong standing across the street. Guo was wearing the blue uniform of the agricultural machinery station and carrying a bag. Seeing Jiang Haiping approach, Guo handed him the bag, saying it was loquats his wife had asked him to bring.
The loquat tree in the yard has yielded a lot of fruit this year; we can't eat them all, so we'll bring a bag to the boat repair shop.
Jiang Haiping took it. Guo Dayong stood for a while and said the work at the agricultural machinery station was alright, but sometimes he missed the boat repair shop. He missed Master Fang. Jiang Haiping said Master Fang missed you too; he was saying last time that the oil seal you installed still hadn't leaked.
Guo Dayong smiled and said he would go and take a look next month. Jiang Haiping agreed, picked up the loquats, and rode his bike back home.
In June, the dates for the provincial skills competition were set. In early September, the competition would be held in the provincial capital.
Old Fang held a meeting. He said there were still three months left, and everyone should practice for an hour after work each day. They would practice disassembling and assembling the main unit to improve their speed, troubleshooting to improve their eyesight, welding to improve their overhead welding skills, and seam caulking to improve their angled entry and groove cutting skills.
Qiu Changhai didn't sign up, but he stayed behind every day after work to watch Ding Haisheng and the others practice.
Ding Haisheng practiced overhead welding, welding rod after rod, while A-Guang squatted beside him, handing him the rods. Master Song practiced seam grouting, while Lin Xiu'e squatted beside him watching.
Old Fang moved an old 6135 into the workshop, disassembled and reassembled it, and used a stopwatch to keep track of time.
After a few days of practice, Qiu Changhai suddenly spoke up. He said that for the sewing project, it would be better to let Lin Xiu'e do it instead of Xiao Song. Xiao Song was good at sewing, but the provincial competition was about rules and whether the technique was up to standard.
I taught Lin Xiue her technique myself, and she followed the rules step by step.
Master Song squatted down beside him and listened. He said, "Master is right. I can sew quickly, but I'm a bit rough in some places. The provincial competition is all about standards, so Xiu'e is more suitable to compete against me."
Lin Xiu'e froze, still clutching the ash-mixing shovel in her hand. "Can I do this?"
Qiu Changhai didn't look at her. "I said you're capable."