dognovel Chapter 21 The Outer Sea
Chapter 21 The Outer Sea
In the first month after the shop was officially opened, the number of jobs at the ship repair shop doubled.
It wasn't a boat from Moon Island, but from the town on the other side, from Hongjia Island, and there was even one that was towed over from Zhoushan.
The ship owner's surname is Fang, and he is from Zhoushan. The ship has been at sea for twenty years. The main engine is weak and emitting black smoke, and the gearbox is slipping when shifting gears.
I asked several ship repair shops in Zhoushan, and they all said I needed to replace the main engine, with a quote of 20,000 yuan.
He didn't give up. He heard from a fishmonger that there was a boat repair shop on Moon Island that did a good job and was cheap, so he towed the boat over there.
Old Fang went aboard the ship, listened to the proceedings, and then squatted in the engine room, smoking half a cigarette.
The problem isn't the engine itself; it's that the propeller got tangled in the fishing net and bent the tail shaft. With the tail shaft bent, the engine's power isn't being transmitted to the propeller, so it just roars but doesn't move.
The gearbox slipping when shifting gears is not the gears' fault, but the clutch plates that are worn out.
He quoted a price: the tail shaft would be disassembled and aligned; if alignment failed, it would be replaced with a new one, and the clutch plates would be replaced as well.
Two thousand in total.
The shipowner squatted on the dock for a long time, calculating. Two thousand versus twenty thousand, he stubbed out his cigarette and said, "Repair."
When the tail shaft was removed and measured on the platform, it was found to be bent by 20 millimeters. Old Fang used a dial indicator to calibrate the tail shaft bit by bit, and after a whole morning, he brought it back to within 5 millimeters.
Fang, the shipowner, squatted down and watched as he used a hand hammer to measure the copper rod, tapping it once with each tap, doing so over a hundred times.
"Master Fang, your skills are absolutely amazing."
Old Fang didn't look up. "What's so amazing about it? Axle alignment is a basic skill. Anyone who's worked in shipyard mechanics knows it."
They reinstalled the tail shaft and replaced the clutch disc. A test run showed the engine running smoothly and shifting gears easily. Mr. Fang pushed the throttle up, and the boat started moving. After docking, he jumped off the boat, pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket, counted out two thousand, and handed it over.
"From now on, I'll have all the ships from Zhoushan come here for repairs."
In mid-October, Wang Cunzhi brought someone with him.
He was in his fifties, wearing a faded blue Zhongshan suit, with a fountain pen clipped to his pocket.
Wang Cunzhi introduced him as Director Sun from the county's Fisheries Bureau. Director Sun walked around the boat repair site, looking at the boat rafts, the stone troughs, the tool wall, the old parts rack, and Ahai's register. He flipped through a few pages and put it down.
"How many boats has your ship repair shop handled since it opened for business?"
Jiang Haiping said there have been twelve such cases so far this month.
What percentage of these are from other counties?
"Four. One in Zhoushan, two in Hongjia Island, and one in the town on the other side."
Director Sun nodded. "You're the only repair shop in the whole county that's officially registered with the province. The Fisheries Bureau plans to also entrust you with the repair of the county's official boats. Let's try two first. If you do a good job, we'll bring over a dozen more later."
He looked at Jiang Haiping. "Government vessels are different from fishermen's boats. Fishermen's boats can be repaired however they want, as long as they can go out to sea. Government vessels, however, need to be inspected, signed off on, and archived after repair. The brand of materials used and the amount of labor must all be clearly recorded."
Jiang Haiping said to Ah Hai.
Ahai ran out of the stone house, holding the plastic registration book in his hand. Jiang Haiping handed the book to Director Sun. Director Sun flipped through it from beginning to end. The date of issuance, the recipient, the purpose, and the signature were all filled in clearly.
He closed the notebook. "Okay. Keep it like this. When the official ship arrives, keep it like this too."
After Director Sun left, Wang Cunzhi squatted on the reef and lit a cigarette. "Director Sun values records the most. If your records are clear, he'll feel at ease. If the records are unclear, no matter how good your skills are, he won't use you."
Old Fang squatted down beside him and said that Ah Hai kept the ledger; that kid has a good memory, he can remember where everything is. Ah Hai was squatting at the edge of the courtyard wall, sanding an old bolt with sandpaper, and pretended not to hear.
At the end of October, the county's official boat arrived.
Two vessels, one a fisheries patrol boat and the other a transport ship belonging to the seafood company. The fisheries patrol boat's main engine overheats and boils over when it runs at high speeds. The transport ship's gearbox is leaking oil, and the bilge can hold almost half a basin of it every day.
Old Fang first inspected the fishery administration vessel. The main engine water temperature was high, so he checked the cooling system. The seawater filter was clogged, filled with seaweed and shells. He removed it, cleaned it with a high-pressure water gun, and put it back.
The water pump belt was loose, so I tightened it by two turns. The thermostat was rusted and wouldn't open, so I replaced it with a new one. After the repairs, I test drove the engine, and the engine went from idle to 2000 RPM, with the coolant temperature remaining stable.
Next, let's look at the transport ship's gearbox. The oil leak was coming from the input shaft oil seal. Upon disassembly, we found that the oil seal was old and cracked, so we replaced it with a new one.
Guo Dayong squatted down and watched as Lao Fang disassembled the machine halfway through. He then asked Guo Dayong to take over. Guo Dayong removed the old oil seal, lightly sanded the journal with fine sandpaper, applied grease to the new oil seal, and pressed it in with a special tool.
The pressure was just right, perfectly balanced. Old Fang squatted down beside him, watching, and nodded after he finished.
"Okay. You can replace the oil seal from now on."
Guo Dayong wiped the tools clean and put them back in the toolbox.
After the two boats were repaired, Director Sun personally came to inspect them. He tested the water temperature on the fishery administration vessel and inspected the hold of the transport ship. After the inspection, he squatted on the dock and signed the acceptance form.
"There are three more next month."
In November, Moon Island entered autumn.
The sea breeze turned from cool to cold, and the elm trees on the rocky beach changed from green to red, looking like a layer of rust from afar. The loquat seedlings had grown to a person's height, and the smaller one next to them was knee-high. A-Guang had arranged two circles of broken seashells, separating the large ones from the small ones.
Under the eaves of the ship repair shop, the dried mackerel was put away and replaced with several strings of freshly dried eel. Ah Hai said that dried eel, when steamed, is even more delicious than mackerel.
Old Fang said, "Last year you said mackerel was fragrant, this year you said eel was fragrant, next year will you say ribbonfish is fragrant?" Ahai said, "That's different, they're all fragrant."
Lin Xiue can now not only suture, but also diagnose minor problems with the main unit. Lao Fang had her learn from Guo Dayong how to change oil seals, tighten belts, and change filters. These were all small jobs, but she learned them carefully, arranging the disassembled parts in order and reassembling them from back to front.
Old Fang checked it twice, and neither time he made a mistake.
"Okay. You can take on these small jobs from now on."
Lin Xiu'e wiped the wrench clean and put it back on the tool wall. She squatted down to continue mixing the tung oil putty. Four basins were lined up on the windowsill, covered with damp cloths.
Ah Guang had been practicing overhead welding for two months, and today was his first time on a real ship. Ding Haisheng had him weld a patch plate on the hull, with his head tilted back. When the welding rod melted, molten iron dripped down, burning a hole in his glove. Ah Guang didn't flinch; he only took off his glove to check after finishing the weld. He had a blister on the back of his hand. Ding Haisheng looked at it and said, "Overhead welding is like that; you'll get used to it after a while. Next time, wear two layers of gloves."
Ah Guang agreed, turned the gloves inside out, put them back on, and continued welding.
Ahai's old document register was completely full. He got a new one, still with a plastic cover, but with two peacocks printed on the cover.
Write the date on the first page, then turn to the second page to start registering. Old Fang told him to lock the full book in the drawer, saying he'd need it someday.
In mid-November, Hong Chuandong arrived.
He wasn't there to repair the boat; he was there to pay back the money. He took a cloth bag out of his pocket, opened it, and found a wad of cash inside—ten-yuan and five-yuan notes—tied together with a rubber band.
"Three thousand. We still owe two thousand for the ship repairs, which we'll pay off before the new year."
Jiang Haiping took the money and made a note of it in his notebook. Hong, the ship owner, returned the money but didn't leave; he squatted on the reef watching the ship repair site.
Look at the boats in the stone trough, look at the newly erected government boats on the west side of the boat row, look at the small loquat tree next to the loquat seedling. After looking for a while, I stood up.
"Ping-ge'er, my family's boat caught 4,000 catties of ribbonfish this month. Last month it was 3,500. The month before that it was 3,000."
Jiang Haiping said that's good.
"Isn't it great?" Shipowner Hong looked at the sea. "That old, crappy boat could only manage two thousand kilograms a month at most. The main engine was weak, so it couldn't go far, and the gearbox slipped when shifting gears, so we couldn't go fast. Now, thanks to Master Fang's repairs, this boat can go anywhere. It can even go to the open sea."
He looked at Jiang Haiping. "My father told me to tell you. The Hong family owes you, and they'll pay it back slowly."
After Hong Chuandong left, Lao Fang squatted on the reef and counted the three thousand yuan. After counting it, he handed it to Jiang Haiping.
"Old Hong is a man who said he'd pay off his debts before the new year, and he did. He's much better than those who owe money and don't pay it back."
Jiang Haiping put the money into the drawer. With this three thousand, the money in the ship repair shop's account exceeded twenty thousand.
In late November, Mr. Song received a letter.
It was sent from a shipyard in the south. It was written by his apprentice, Xiao Zhou. The letter said that the shipyard had received an order for a batch of wooden fishing boats and needed a seamstress. The boss asked Master Song if he wanted to go back, offering him a 30% higher salary than before.
Master Song read the letter once, folded it, and put it in his pocket. After finishing work that evening, he squatted at the entrance of the shed, took the letter out of his pocket, and read it again.
Old Fang squatted down and offered me a cigarette. "A letter from the South?"
"Yes. It was written by Xiao Zhou. The shipyard is hiring seamstresses, and the salary is 30% higher than before."
"You want to go?"
Master Song lit a cigarette and took a puff. "My father is paralyzed. If I leave, who will care for him?"
Old Fang took a drag of his cigarette. "Did you show this letter to your master?"
"no."
"Let him see it. Whether you go or not is your business, but this is such a big matter that the master needs to know."
Master Song stood up and went into the stone house. Qiu Changhai was sitting on the edge of the bed, sanding a chisel with sandpaper. After sanding it, he oiled it and wrapped it in cloth. Master Song took out the letter and handed it to him. Qiu Changhai took it, read it from beginning to end, folded it, and returned it to him.
"The salary is 30% higher. You earn more here than you do here."
Master Song didn't say anything.
"But your father is paralyzed. What will happen to him if you leave?"
"That's why I'm not going."
Qiu Changhai put the chisel into his tool bag. "If you're not going, then stay put. The fact that the Southern Shipyard is offering 30% more means your skills are worth that price. With skills, you won't go hungry anywhere." Master Song stood for a while, then turned and left. Qiu Changhai sat on the edge of the bed and tied the straps of his tool bag.
On the last day of November, the ship repair shop had accumulated 23,000 yuan in its accounts.
Jiang Haiping sat in the stone house and flipped through the account book from beginning to end. From August 16th of last year to now, one year and three and a half months. More than a hundred boats were repaired. The number of people increased from three to nine.
From a dilapidated stone house in a salt depot to a designated repair shop officially registered by the province.
Old Fang pushed open the door and came in carrying two bowls of fish ball soup, which Lin Xiu'e had brought over that evening. He placed one bowl in front of Jiang Haiping and sat down with the other bowl in his hand.
"What about settling the accounts?"
"All settled. There's 23,000 in the account."
Old Fang took a sip of soup. "Twenty-three thousand. Enough to level that piece of land to the west and build another boat raft. Enough to renovate the stone house. Enough to buy a new welding machine." He looked at Jiang Haiping. "Money is saved, but it's also earned. This time next year, twenty-three thousand will become fifty thousand."
Jiang Haiping picked up the bowl and took a sip. The fish balls were bouncy, and the soup was delicious. On the windowsill, four bowls of tung oil ash mixed by Lin Xiu'e were arranged, covered with damp cloths. The loquat seedlings shone slightly in the moonlight, and the smaller one next to them also glowed.
The two rings of broken seashells that Ahai had used to make were still there. A sea breeze blew by, and the two wooden signs swayed gently, one new and one old.