1992: Starting with the Second Generation of Shipowners

Chapter 28 Winter Solstice

A few days after the people from the province left, the winter solstice arrived.

The fishermen on Moon Island celebrate the Winter Solstice by eating glutinous rice balls instead of dumplings. They grind the glutinous rice flour themselves, using a stone mill set up in the courtyard. Ah Hai pushes the millstone while Ah Guang adds rice into the mill.

The glutinous rice was brought over by Lin's mother, who said it was new rice from this year, and the powder made from it was very fine and white.

Lin Xiu'e squatted down beside her, kneaded the ground rice flour into a dough, pinched off small pieces, and rolled them into white, round balls.

Master Song brought back a jar of candied osmanthus from Hongjia Island. His father had preserved the osmanthus in white sugar after it bloomed last autumn, and stored it in a jar for more than half a year.

Master Song opened the jar, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafted out.

Lin Xiu'e took it, smelled it, and said, "Master Song, your father's cooking is really good."

Master Song said that after becoming paralyzed, he couldn't do anything else, but he could still pickle osmanthus flowers with his hands. Lin Xiu'e didn't ask any more questions and mixed the osmanthus sugar into the sesame filling.

Old Fang set up a pot at the entrance of the workshop. It was the same iron pot he used to cook dumplings on the eve of last year's Lunar New Year. The bottom of the pot was blackened and the rim was polished to a shine.

Once the water boils, the glutinous rice balls are added, their plump white flesh bobbing up and down in the boiling water. After they float to the surface, cold water is added twice, then they are scooped out and placed in an enamel bowl.

Old Fang squatted on the rocks and ate a bowl of food. He took a bite, and the sesame filling oozed out, making him gasp for breath from the heat.

I haven't had osmanthus-filled glutinous rice balls in years.

Qiu Changhai also took a bowl, squatted down next to Lao Fang, and ate two bowls before speaking.

The factory canteen used to make it, but they stopped because they thought it was too much work. Old Fang said it wasn't because they thought it was too much work, but because osmanthus flowers were hard to find. Qiu Changhai didn't reply, finished the last glutinous rice ball in his bowl, and stood up to scoop out a second bowl.

After the winter solstice, before the pilot program review results were released, the service station received an unexpected task.

A transport ship belonging to the county's aquatic products company was hit in the waters off Zhoushan.

It wasn't a major collision; it was when two ships were passing each other for cargo that they collided. A section of the ship's hull was dented, and a crack appeared in the weld.

The people on board were unharmed, but the boat dared not move any further and was towed back to Binhai, where it stopped at Moon Island Wharf.

Wang Cunzhi called the service station and said that the boat was not a planned official vessel, but rather a production vessel owned by the seafood company. He asked if it could be repaired.

Jiang Haiping boarded the ship and looked around.

The dented plate on the hull was above the waterline on the starboard side, with the crack right next to the weld. The old weld had been torn open by a gap about the length of a palm, but the ribs weren't damaged. The engine room and steering system were normal. He got off the ship, squatted on the dock, did some calculations, and gave a quote.

The hull plates were leveled, cracks were welded and repaired, and a new kerosene leak test was conducted. The repairs were completed in three days, costing a total of four hundred.

In the evening, Mr. Zhou from the seafood company arrived on his motorcycle. He squatted on the dock, looking at the dented transport ship with a worried expression.

This ship has one more cargo trip to make before the end of the year, and there isn't enough time to take it to a major repair shop.

Jiang Haiping said that all the official vessels repaired by the service station passed the inspection on the first try. This dented transport ship is different from the several ships that underwent major repairs at the aquatic products company the year before last. It has only localized damage and does not need to be discharged.

Old Fang added that it was lucky to hit a weld, as welds are easy to repair once they crack. If it had hit the hull between the ribs, the entire plate might have had to be replaced.

After hearing this, Master Zhou stood up and said that he would not ask the factory to schedule a repair, but would instead carry out the repairs directly in the stone trough.

Old Fang nodded and turned to start assigning tasks.

Ding Haisheng was in charge of welding the cracks, with A Guang assisting him.

Ahai checked the blueprints to confirm if the crack was near any internal piping. Master Song and Lin Xiu'e were responsible for derusting and cleaning the inside of the hull, while Lao Fang oversaw the kerosene leak test himself.

The boat took three days to repair.

On the first day, Ding Haisheng used an angle grinder to grind away the old welds on both sides of the crack until the original steel plate underneath was exposed, and checked whether the crack had extended to the base steel plate.

Ah Guang squatted down and used a wire brush to clean the groove that had been ground open. He then ran his fingers over it to make sure there were no burrs.

Ding Haisheng glanced at the spot he had touched and asked what he had found. A-Guang said the base material wasn't cracked, only the weld was. Ding Haisheng said okay, and started spot welding to fix it.

The next day, the welding officially began. Ding Haisheng welded the first layer, while A-Guang watched. Halfway through, Ding Haisheng stopped, glanced at A-Guang, and asked, "Have you learned it yet?" A-Guang said, "Let me try." Ding Haisheng handed him the welding torch and watched him finish welding the remaining half.

On the third day, the crack was welded and ground smooth. Old Fang brushed kerosene on the inside of the weld, waited fifteen minutes, and then applied white chalk to the corresponding area on the outside. The chalk dust was dry, with no trace of kerosene seeping through. No leaks.

On the day Master Zhou came to inspect the equipment, Ding Haisheng wiped the welding torch clean and put it back on the tool wall.

Master Zhou climbed the gangway, squatted down next to the repaired weld and looked at it for a long time. He stood up and said that the weld was even neater than when it came from the factory.

Lao Fang said there was no problem with shipping; this was the standard for welding emergency patch plates in large factories.

Master Zhou immediately placed the four hundred yuan for boat repair on the table, and then took out two packs of cigarettes from his pocket and placed them next to him, saying they were for Master Fang and Master Ding.

In mid-December, the first official vessel that Ahai independently led the maintenance of passed the county's inspection.

Director Sun brought a technician surnamed Cheng, and the procedure was the same as always.

I measured the main engine speed, water temperature, oil pressure, gearbox gear shifting, and steering system left and right full rudder control.

The technician surnamed Cheng checked off each item on the acceptance form, and then closed the form after finishing.

Director Sun signed the document, saying that he was at ease with the young people from Moon Island leading the maintenance of the fishery administration vessels from now on.

When they finished work in the evening, Lao Fang had two folding tables set up in the yard.

The dishes were brought by each family. Lin Xiu'e brought a pot of seafood porridge, Lin's mother made braised mackerel, Guo Dayong's wife was not present but asked someone to bring a box of shepherd's purse dumplings, and Ahai's father quietly brought a bag of oranges and placed it on the corner of the table.

Old Fang opened the bottle of bulk liquor, poured half a bowl for each person, and said, "Ahai has gone from being an apprentice to leading a team independently today. Each of you should say a sentence."

Ah Guang said, "Brother, you're better than me." Ding Haisheng said, "Next time, you should learn a little welding too." Master Song said, "Take it easy."

Qiu Changhai told him not to be arrogant. Lin Xiu'e said that the first master mechanic at the service station who could independently lead a team should train more newcomers in the future.

Jiang Haiping said that two years ago at the ship repair shop, you used chalk to write "three gears, five bearings" on the rocks, and now that register is locked in a drawer. Old Fang concluded by saying that intermediate-level technician status isn't the end; he'll take the advanced-level technician exam next year.

One evening in late December, Old Sun pushed his small sampan over. Barnacles had grown on the bottom of the boat again, densely packed like armor.

Qiu Changhai squatted down and took a look.

There are three rotten boards under the barnacles, and you can poke your finger into the thinnest parts.

Old Sun squatted down beside him and said that this sampan had been with him for twenty years.

Qiu Changhai remained silent.

He squatted down with the chisel in hand, pausing several times as he worked on the groove. He bent over, then had to straighten up every now and then, pounding his fist on the old injury on his lower back.

The setting sun cast a long shadow on the rocky beach as he bent over.

Jiang Haiping squatted down next to him. "Master Qiu, let Master Song do it."

Qiu Changhai didn't stop. "I've been repairing this boat for twenty years. The barnacles grow every year, and the planks need to be replaced every few years. If I don't replace them today, I'll replace them another day."

When the new board was installed, it fit perfectly. When the seams were grouted, the hemp fibers were packed tightly, and the tung oil putty was applied smoothly. It was exactly the same as it was twenty years ago.

When Old Sun came to fetch the boat, he squatted by the side and looked at it for a long time. He said, "Master Qiu, your sewing skills are still as good as before." Then he pushed the boat away, the small sampan glowing red in the setting sun, slowly disappearing around the bend in the seawall.

The lights in the shop came on one by one, first the large workshop, then the old parts warehouse, and then the kerosene lamp at the entrance of the asbestos tile shed.

Qiu Changhai stood in the darkened courtyard, wiping the chisel again and again. The dull gleam of the blade remained, and the chisel handle was worn smooth.

He stood there for a long time, then slowly put the chisel back on the leftmost spot on the wall.

Ten days after the winter solstice, the provincial government's approval came through.

Wang Cunzhi arrived on a motorcycle with a file bag strapped to the back seat.

He parked his car in front of the service station and took out an official document from his file bag.

The notice, issued by the Provincial Department of Fisheries, is titled "Notice on Announcing the First Batch of Pilot Units for the Standardization of Fishing Vessel Repair Service Stations in the Province".

Below are the names of three pilot units, the second of which is "Binhai County Moon Island Ship Service Station".

Jiang Haiping read the document from beginning to end. The pilot units have 50,000 yuan in special construction funds.

Old Fang squatted down beside him and asked for approval?

Jiang Haiping said it was approved. Old Fang stood up, pressed his cigarette butt into a crevice in the rocks, and shouted into the workshop, "The pilot project is approved!"

Everyone in the workshop came out. Qiu Changhai walked to the door, still clutching the chisel in his hand. Ahai and Aguang ran out of the old parts warehouse. Ding Haisheng turned off the welding torch and pushed the mask up to his forehead.

Master Song peeked out from under the asbestos-roofed shed. Lin Xiu'e stood by the window, holding a basin of freshly mixed tung oil putty. She lifted a corner of the damp cloth, letting the moisture from the putty mingle with the sea breeze.

Lao Fang took the document, glanced at it, and passed it to Qiu Changhai. After Qiu Changhai finished reading it, he passed it to Ding Haisheng.

It was passed down from one person to another, and finally reached Lin Xiu'e.

She finished reading the document and returned it to Jiang Haiping. A-Guang looked up at the new wooden sign, wondering if they should add another sign later.

Old Fang said to spend the 50,000 yuan first. The workshop needs to be expanded, the lathes need to be replaced, and the welding machine is too old. Ahai said to hire a few more people.

Jiang Haiping put the documents into a drawer, placing them together with the business license, the provincial approval document, and the ship repair logs from previous years.

Outside the window, the Ping An was returning to port, its whistle carrying far and wide from the seawall.

In the evening, Jiang Haiping sat on the rocks doing the accounts. The pilot project had cost 50,000 yuan, and the service station had saved over 20,000 yuan, totaling over 70,000 yuan.

That's enough to level all the open space to the west, build a new workshop, buy a new lathe, and replace two new welding machines.

There will be some left, which we'll save for repairing the staff dormitories next spring.

Lin Xiu'e came over with two bowls of fish ball soup and sat down next to him.

She placed one of the bowls on the rock, the bottom of the bowl making a soft, crisp sound as it hit the rock. "The pilot project has been approved."

"Approved."

"The service station will be expanded again next year. More and more ships will come in the future."

Jiang Haiping said "Mm".

She lowered her head, tracing a circle with her finger along the rim of the bowl. "I'm going to the provincial capital for two months next spring. By the time I come back, the new workshop will probably be finished."

The moon rose above the sea, illuminating the rocky beach in a silvery glow. In the new workshop, iron hooks hung beneath the overhead cranes, and welding machines were connected to cables.

That loquat sapling is already half a person's height, and the smaller one next to it is already up to my shoulder.

The two rings that Ah Guang used to make with the broken seashells were still there, shining brightly in the moonlight.

Lin Xiu'e placed the bowl on the rock, stood up, took a few steps, and then turned back.

"Next winter solstice, the service station will need to set up a special place for grinding glutinous rice flour. Ah Guang's hands are sore from grinding, and he's been talking about it for days."

Jiang Haiping agreed.

She turned and started jogging towards the dock, slowing down as she approached the seawall, turning past the rocks, and disappearing into the moonlight.

In the distance, the old asbestos-roofed shed of the ship repair site was lit up. Master Song squatted at the entrance of the shed, sharpening his chisel. After sharpening it, he applied oil and wrapped it in cloth.

The old 6135 machine was still sitting on the edge of the courtyard wall, its residual heat slowly cooling down in the winter night.