sbdcsierra Chapter 11 Spring Flood
Chapter 11 Spring Flood
Once the Lantern Festival is over, the ship repair shops are fully booked.
First, Old Chen's boat underwent a major overhaul. All four cylinders of the main engine were disassembled, and the cylinder liners were measured one by one with a micrometer. Three cylinders were found to be worn by more than 15 microns, so they were boring. All the piston rings were replaced, and the connecting rod bearings and crankshaft bearings were fitted with larger sizes.
Old Fang squatted in the engine room for four days. When he came out, he couldn't even straighten his back. He said that the crankshaft of this engine had worn out twice, and if it broke again, the crankshaft would have to be replaced. Old Chen squatted next to him and said that he would hold on for as long as he could, until the autumn flood season was over.
Then there was Old Ma's boat. The gearbox was grinding when shifting gears. When they took it apart, they found that the clutch plates were worn smooth, the shift forks were deformed, and two teeth on the third gear were worn out.
Old Fang said the gears needed to be replaced, and the clutch plates also needed to be replaced. Old Ma squatted by the raft, smoked two cigarettes, and said, "Replace them."
Then there's Ahai's boat. Last time they used inferior fuel, and even after replacing the fuel injectors, it got clogged again after a few months.
Old Fang removed the fuel tank, poured out half a tank of fuel, and found a layer of black sludge at the bottom. He took the tank to the rocky beach, washed it three times with diesel fuel, and then dried it with compressed air. Ah Hai's father squatted beside him watching silently.
Old Fang put the gas tank back in and said that from now on, he would fill up at the gas station in town, which would cost two cents more per liter, but the gas would be cleaner. Ah Hai's father said he understood.
With three boats under repair at the same time, the repair shop didn't have enough manpower.
Ding Haisheng was doing the work of two men. In the morning, he welded the exhaust pipe of Lao Chen's boat; in the afternoon, he helped Qiu Changhai dismantle the gearbox of Lao Ma's boat; and at night, he squatted in the stone house grinding gas cutters.
Ahai followed behind him, handing him tools. After a few days, Ding Haisheng began to teach him to recognize welding rod types. 422 is a common welding rod, and 506 is an alkaline welding rod. 506 is used for welding important structures, and the coating must not get damp.
Ahai wrote on the rocks with chalk, but the waves washed it away, so he wrote it again the next day.
Lin Xiu'e's sewing skills improved rapidly. Qiu Changhai had her practice on Old Sun's sampan. Three planks on the bottom of the sampan were rotten, and she spent two days chiseling the grooves until the new planks fit in perfectly.
The hemp fibers were torn evenly, the tung oil putty was mixed just right, and the strength in the hands used to stuff the hemp fibers was also developed. One tap at a time, it was compacted, no rush.
Qiu Changhai squatted down and watched all morning, then said two words: "Graduation."
Lin Xiu'e was stunned for a moment. She squatted down and touched the seam she had twisted. The hemp fibers were packed tightly and the tung oil putty was smoothed out. It was next to Qiu Changhai's seam and could not be distinguished without careful observation.
She stood up and bowed to Qiu Changhai. Qiu Changhai waved his hand, squatted down, and continued sewing the next seam.
On the 20th day of the first lunar month, Wang Cunzhi arrived.
He didn't come alone. Behind him were two middle-aged men in dark blue overalls, one tall and the other short and stout. Wang Cunzhi introduced them as Zhou and Zheng, from the county's aquatic products company.
"The seafood company has four transport ships that run the Zhoushan-Binhai route year-round. The main engines are all old models with many problems. It's too expensive to repair them at the factory, and private boat repair shops don't dare to do it." Wang Cunzhi took out a cigarette and offered it to everyone. "I told them there's a ship repair shop on Moon Island with fair prices and good craftsmanship."
Master Zhou walked around the yard, looking at the boat rafts, the tool wall, and the three boats being repaired in the stone trough. He squatted down to look at the exhaust pipe weld that Ding Haisheng was welding, and after 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?"
"Zhejiang Shipyard, two years."
Master Zhou nodded. Master Zheng squatted down next to Lao Fang to watch the gearbox being disassembled. Lao Fang used a copper rod to tap the bearing, rotating it round and round to distribute the force evenly.
Master Zheng looked at it for a while and asked how much clearance to leave in the bearing. Old Fang said twelve millimeters. Master Zheng stood up and exchanged a glance with Master Zhou.
"Four boats. Two have engines burning oil, one has a gearbox making strange noises, and one has a heavy rudder system," said Master Zhou. "Take a look and give me a price."
Jiang Haiping agreed. That afternoon, he went to the seafood company's dock with Lao Fang. Four boats were moored side by side on the dock, all over ten years old, with rusty hulls and a sour smell of diesel and seawater mixed together in the engine room.
Old Fang read through the list one by one, taking notes in his notebook.
The first engine burns oil; the piston rings are worn, and the cylinder liners need to be checked. The second engine also burns oil, but there's severe blow-by in the crankcase; it's estimated that both the piston rings and cylinder liners will need to be replaced, and the crankshaft may also need to be worn.
The third issue was the unusual noise from the gearbox; it was only discovered upon disassembly. The fourth issue was the heavy rudder system and rusted rudder stock; it needed to be removed for adjustment or replaced.
After Lao Fang finished writing, he squatted on the dock and calculated for a long time.
"All four ships need repair; the cost of materials processing is eight thousand."
Master Zhou frowned. Master Zheng said the factory quoted 16,000.
"Eight thousand." Old Fang stubbed out his cigarette. "The worst-case scenario. If we take it apart and the gears are fine and the crankshaft doesn't need grinding, it might be cheaper."
Master Zhou glanced at Master Zheng. Master Zheng nodded.
"build."
When the first month of the lunar calendar was over, the ship repair shop's account received an extra deposit. It was two thousand yuan from the seafood company, with Wang Cunzhi acting as guarantor.
Jiang Haiping deposited the deposit into the credit union and then withdrew another thousand. He gave five hundred to Lao Fang and five hundred to Qiu Changhai as an advance payment for their wages in the spring.
Old Fang took the money, counted it, pulled out two hundred and handed it back, saying that he wouldn't need that much in the spring, so he would take three hundred first. Qiu Changhai took the money without counting it, put it in his pocket, and said that he would pay for the hemp thread and tung oil he was going to buy in town that afternoon.
Ahai and Ding Haisheng did not prepay, but at lunchtime, Lin Xiue brought over a pot of braised ribbonfish, saying that her mother had specially prepared it as an extra meal for the ship repair shop.
The ribbonfish were caught on the Ping'an ship and frozen in the factory's cold storage before the New Year. They were still very fresh after thawing. Ahai ate four, and Ding Haisheng ate three. Lao Fang said, "Ahai, if you eat any more, you'll turn into a ribbonfish." Ahai said, "Ribbonfish are good; they swim fast."
Lin Xiu'e sat beside her, smiling. Her sewing skills were now good enough to take on jobs independently, and Qiu Changhai had entrusted her with sewing all the work on Old Sun's sampan.
The sampan wasn't large, just over four meters long, with five planks at the bottom and four planks on the sides, making a total of nine seams. She spent three days sewing it all together.
When Old Sun came to collect the boat, he squatted by the side and examined it for a long time, saying that the stitching was even finer than Old Qiu's. Qiu Changhai squatted beside him, smoking, without saying a word, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon looked up.
The fishermen of Moon Island have a custom of not going out to sea on this day. Every household sets up an offering table in their courtyard, facing the sea, to worship the Dragon King. The offerings include a pig's head, a whole chicken, live fish, and steamed buns shaped like dragons, dotted with red dots.
People were setting off firecrackers at the dock, making it even more lively than New Year's Eve.
Lin's father placed a bowl of wine, a plate of dumplings, and a raw ribbonfish on the bow of the Ping An boat. He poured the wine and dumplings into the sea. He released the ribbonfish back into the sea and watched it swim away.
He stood at the bow of the boat and muttered a few words, his voice so soft that only he could hear them. Lin Xiu'e stood on the dock, holding a plate of freshly made dumplings. Today she was wearing a red cotton-padded jacket with white flowers, made by her mother before the New Year, and this was the first time she had worn it.
Jiang Haiping stood beside her.
"What was your dad reciting?"
"Bless us with peace and a bountiful harvest." Lin Xiu'e looked at her father at the bow of the boat. "I recite this every year. I used to recite it on the 003, and this year I'm reciting it on the Ping An."
After Lin's father finished reading, he got off the boat. He saw Jiang Haiping and waved. Jiang Haiping went over.
Lin's father took out a red cloth strip from his pocket and tied it to the rudder of the Ping An.
"Ping-ge'er. You're the one who repaired this boat. Here, tie a red ribbon around it."
Jiang Haiping took the red ribbon and tied it to the other side of the helm. The two red ribbons hung side by side, fluttering in the sea breeze, intertwining and then separating.
Lin's father patted the steering wheel.
"We're going out to sea tomorrow."
On the third day of the second lunar month, the Ping An set sail.
Before dawn, a large crowd had already gathered at the dock. The Chen family, the Ma family, Ah Hai's family, and Cai Datou's family were all there. They weren't there to send off the Ping'an ship, but to send off their own boats. The spring fishing season had arrived.
Fishing boats from Moon Island sailed out of the dock one after another, the roar of diesel engines rising and falling, and the pale blue smoke from the exhaust pipes stretched into straight lines on the sea.
The Ping An was the last to depart. Lin's father stood at the helm, while Lin's mother and two younger sisters stood on the dock. Lin Xiu'e also stood on the dock.
She was clutching a piece of red cloth in her hand, a scrap left over from yesterday's tying of the steering wheel. She cut it into a small piece and put it in her pocket.
Lin's father sounded the ship's horn. The Ping An slowly sailed out of the stone trough, its bow cutting through the seawater and leaving a white wake.
Lin Xiu'e stood on the dock, tiptoeing to look. The Ping An went further and further away, and the small flag on the mast became smaller and smaller, until it became a tiny dot on the sea.
She put her feet down and found Jiang Haiping standing next to her.
"Aren't you going to the ship repair shop?"
"I'll go after I drop off the ship."
Lin Xiu'e looked at the sea. The Ping An was no longer visible; only a few fishing boats remained on the surface.
"Brother Ping, my dad said that if we do well in the spring flood season this year, we'll pay off the loan from the credit union in one go."
"That's good."
"Once the debt is paid off, I'll save money to support my younger brother and sister's schooling. My brother says he wants to take the entrance exam for the county's middle school, and my sister says she wants to study medicine."
Jiang Haiping looked at her.
"And you?"
Lin Xiue lowered her head and rubbed her foot on the reef.
"I'm doing fine at the ship repair shop."
After she finished speaking, she turned and walked back. After taking a few steps, she turned back again.
I'll bring you lunch. Seaweed buns.
The ship repair site was unusually quiet today.
Only the four boats of the seafood company remained in the stone trough, floating side by side. Lao Fang squatted in the engine room of the first boat, dismantling the main engine; Qiu Changhai dismantled the gearbox on the second boat; Ding Haisheng cut through the rusted hull plates on the third boat; and Ahai squatted on the fourth boat, dismantling the rudder system.
The four men were busy with their own things, and the only sounds were the clatter of tools and the crashing of waves against the hull of the ship.
Jiang Haiping squatted at the entrance of the courtyard wall, looking at the four boats in the stone trough. The aquatic products company's boats were finished, but the fishing company's ten boats were still waiting. The rocky beach to the west had been leveled, enough to accommodate another boat raft. They still didn't have enough manpower.
At noon, Lin Xiu'e brought lunch, including a basket of seaweed buns. The group squatted on the rocks to eat.
Jiang Haiping finished eating a steamed bun and suddenly spoke.
"Master Fang, I'd like to hire two more people."
Old Fang took a bite of the steamed bun.
"We need to recruit. There are plenty of idle laborers on the island. But we need to recruit those who are capable and willing to learn. We can recruit a few more like Ahai."
"What about someone like Ding Haisheng?"
"Those with certificates are even better. But they're hard to find." Old Fang thought for a moment, "Ding Haisheng is an exception. His uncle cheated half the fishermen on the island, and he came here to make a living with his skills. One person like that is enough."
Jiang Haiping nodded.
Ah Hai raised his hand. "Brother Ping, my cousin also wants to learn ship repair. He's sixteen this year, dropped out of junior high, and is just staying at home."
"How is he?"
"Honest. Just stupid."
Old Fang laughed. "Being stupid isn't scary. What's scary is being both stupid and lazy."
"He's not lazy. He does all the work at home, like fetching water and chopping wood."
"Then let him come and try tomorrow."
Ah Hai was so happy he almost dropped his steamed bun.
As evening fell, fishing boats returned to port one after another.
When the Ping An returned, the sun was almost setting below the horizon. The ship was heavily drafted and fully loaded. Lin's father steadied the ship, jumped off, and although his leg was still slightly lame, all the wrinkles on his face had smoothed out.
"Ping-ge'er! We caught 600 jin of ribbonfish and 300 jin of pomfret today!"
Behind him, Old Chen's boat also docked. Standing at the bow, Old Chen shouted, "I pounded 500 jin! The main engine is flawless! Old Fang, your skill is amazing!"
Old Fang was squatting at the entrance of the ship repair shop, smoking. Hearing this from afar, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.
Lin Xiu'e ran over from the dock, carrying two shiny silver ribbonfish in her hands.
"Brother Ping! My dad said these two biggest ones are for you! Take them back and let Director Jiang try them!"
Jiang Haiping took the ribbonfish. The ribbonfish flicked its tail in his hand.
The ribbonfish's belly swelled up instantly, its eyes bulged out, it twisted wildly a few times and then stopped moving, dying from the swelling.
Old Fang stood up and patted his butt.
"Alright. Let's wrap up early for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
The moon rose above the sea. The four boats in the stone trough were clearly illuminated by the moonlight, and the welds on their hulls looked like fish scales.
On the distant dock, fishing boats returning to port were still unloading their catch, carrying basket after basket ashore. Ribbonfish lay in the baskets, their silvery-white bodies and scales shimmering under the lights.
A sea breeze blew in, carrying the smells of diesel fuel and fish. The wooden sign at the entrance of the ship repair shop swayed slightly in the wind. The seven characters "Moon Island Ship Repair Department" were still clearly visible.