1992: Starting with the Second Generation of Shipowners

Chapter 22 Year-End

In December, the sea breeze on Moon Island is like a knife.

The alkali grass on the rocky beach turned from rusty red to withered yellow, and when the wind was strong, the broken leaves were swirled up and stung my face.

The loquat seedlings' leaves were still green, so A-Guang used an old fishing net to surround them to block the wind.

The larger one is already as tall as a person, and the smaller one is waist-high. The two are standing close together, their leaves touching.

The ship repair shop actually saw less work in December. It wasn't that there weren't enough ships to repair, but rather that the winds and waves were too strong, and ships from other areas couldn't be towed over.

Four local fishing boats from Moon Island were moored in the stone trough, all with minor problems, which Lao Fang and Guo Dayong slowly repaired.

On the west side of the boat raft, there was a government vessel from the county undergoing major engine repairs; it was being disassembled and slowly reassembled.

Ahai's old documents register was now in its third volume. The first one was full, and the second was almost full too. It had a plastic cover with two peacocks on it, and the first page had the date written on it. He stacked the three registers together, bound them with a rubber band, and put them in a drawer.

Old Fang squatted on the rocks, smoking and looking at the empty stone trough. "It's like this every year at this time. In winter, the wind is strong, and fishermen don't go out to sea, so the boats are towed here for repairs. After the repairs are done, they wait until spring. This year, with the new fishing boats registered, there are more boats from other places, so we're not used to being idle."

Jiang Haiping squatted down beside him. "Master Fang, is the land to the west cleared out? Will construction begin in the spring?"

"Let's get started. Bring the rails from the factory, and have Lao Huang prepare the sleepers. We'll lay them once the ground thaws in the spring." Lao Fang stubbed out his cigarette. "We also need to think about manpower. A-Guang is almost half a man, Lin Xiu'e can handle small jobs on the mainframe, and Guo Dayong can do oil seals, water pumps, and filters. But we're still short-handed for big jobs. Major overhauls of the mainframe and gearboxes will be done by you alone."

"How's Ding Haisheng's gearbox learning going?"

"Disassembly and assembly are no problem. Troubleshooting is still a bit lacking. Master Song can also repair the mainframe, but he does a lot of grouting work and can't spare the time." Old Fang stood up and rubbed his back. "If there's a lot of work in the spring, we'll need to hire one or two more mechanics. Certified ones are best, but those who are willing to learn are also acceptable."

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Lin's mother cooked Laba porridge herself.

Glutinous rice, red beans, peanuts, red dates, lotus seeds, longan, walnuts, and Job's tears—eight ingredients in total. They got up before dawn to cook it, and by daybreak, the porridge was thick. They then poured it into a large enamel basin and had Lin Xiu'e take it to the ship repair shop.

The basin was covered with a towel and was still steaming when it was brought over.

Several people squatted on the rocks and drank porridge.

Ah Hai drank one bowl and then went to get another, saying that Auntie's porridge was delicious, even more fragrant than the eight-treasure porridge in the cafeteria. Old Fang said that the cafeteria had never served eight-treasure porridge.

Ah Hai said it's only fragrant when there's nothing there.

Lin Xiu'e squatted down beside her, smiling. Today she was wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket with white flowers, newly made by her mother. The sleeves were a little long, so she rolled them up.

After finishing her porridge, Lin Xiu'e put the enamel basin away. She took a few steps and then came back. "Ping-ge, my mom wants you to come over for dinner tonight. My dad says he has something to discuss with you."

Jiang Haiping thought for a while, since his family ate their New Year's Eve dinner quite late, he decided to go to Xiu'e's place first.

When Jiang Haiping arrived at the Lin family home in the evening, Lin's father was sitting in the courtyard. It gets dark early in the twelfth lunar month, and an electric light was strung up in the courtyard, illuminating the four cold dishes on the octagonal table.

Lin's father opened a bottle of Binhai Daqu liquor and poured half a bowl for Jiang Haiping.

"The Ping An ferry has been running for a year now. It catches ribbonfish in the spring, mackerel in the autumn, and eels in the winter. I've paid off my loan and saved some money."

Jiang Haiping finished speaking.

"I want to get a bigger ship. Your grandfather's old tugboat, a 32-ton one, they said it would cost 8,000 last time. Is it still there?"

"Yes. Master Fang readjusted the gearbox and serviced the main unit. It's better than this time last year."

Mr. Lin picked up his bowl and took a sip. "Eight thousand. I've saved six thousand, I'm still two thousand short."

Jiang Haiping said the shortfall of two thousand wasn't urgent; he could pay whenever he had it. Lin's father put down his bowl. "That won't do. Your grandfather's boat—once the price is agreed upon, it's agreed upon. I'll borrow the shortfall from Old Chen and Old Ma, and then I'll come back to you once I've raised it."

Jiang Haiping agreed.

Lin's father picked up his bowl and clinked it against his own. "Next year we'll get a new boat, and I'll have Xiu'e's brother come with me to fish in the open sea. The resources in the near waters are getting scarcer; we'll catch more fish if we go further out."

Jiang Haiping looked towards the kitchen. Lin Xiu'e was serving dishes by the stove, the light illuminating the outline of her profile. She carried a plate over and placed it on the table; it was steamed eel, caught by the Ping'an ship, cut into sections and plated with shredded ginger and scallions.

"Is my dad changing ships again?"

"Change it. Thirty-two tons."

Lin Xiu'e sat down. "Now that you have a new boat, will you be able to travel even further?"

Lin's father said it wasn't far, just to Zhoushan, and they could go and return the same day. Lin Xiu'e didn't ask any more questions and put a piece of eel into Jiang Haiping's bowl.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wang Cunzhi arrived.

He was riding that Jialing 70 motorcycle, with a box of ribbonfish strapped to the back seat. He said it was a New Year's gift from the fishing company, and since his family couldn't finish it all, he was giving half to the boat repair shop.

Ah Hai took them and squatted on the rocks to divide them, each of them getting four.

Wang Cunzhi squatted beside the new boat raft, watching Ding Haisheng weld the hull plates of the government vessels. After watching for a while, he stood up. "Director Sun called me the day before yesterday. Those two government vessels are repaired well; the water temperature is no longer high, and the gearboxes are no longer leaking. The county will have more than a dozen more next year, which will be brought over in batches."

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Haiping. It was a letter of intent to renew the contract with the county fisheries bureau's designated vessel repair unit, stamped with a red seal.

Jiang Haiping took it, looked at it once, and put it in the drawer.

"Director Sun also asked if you could repair small speedboats here. The Fisheries Bureau was equipped with two this year, and the main engines are imported. If they break down, no one knows how to repair them."

Old Fang poked his head out of the cabin. "What brand is it?"

"Foreigner's name. What's it called, Yamaha?"

Old Fang thought for a moment. "I've repaired Yamaha's outboard motors once. The structure is different from a diesel engine, but the principle is the same. I can fix it."

Wang Cunzhi agreed and said he would go back and tell Director Sun.

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the Little New Year.

The ship repair shop was bustling from early morning. Old Chen arrived carrying an iron pot, the same one from last year, its bottom blackened and its rim gleaming.

Old Fang bought five jin of pork, two ribbonfish, a bundle of celery, and three jin of tofu from town, along with a plastic bucket of bulk liquor. Qiu Changhai brought a folding round table from his home.

Ahai carried a bundle of pine branches.

Lin Xiue and her mother were busy all morning, chopping meat, kneading dough, rolling out wrappers, and making more than 400 dumplings. This year's fillings were pork and cabbage, and mackerel and chives. The wrappers were made of wheat flour mixed with a little sweet potato flour.

Ding Haisheng squatted at the entrance of the courtyard wall, using an oxy-acetylene torch to cut a piece of scrap steel. The cut steel sheet was about the size of a palm, square, with smooth edges.

Ah Guang squatted down and watched.

Around this time last year, Ding Haisheng welded a furnace grate, and this year he cut another one, saying that one wasn't enough and they would use the two in rotation.

Master Song squatted at the entrance of the shed, sanding his chisel with sandpaper. After sanding it, he applied oil and wrapped it in cloth.

He won't be going back to Hongjia Island this year. His father is being looked after by the neighbors. He'll go back on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month and come back on the first day of the new year.

Guo Dayong's wife also arrived. She rode her old, beat-up bicycle with two aluminum lunchboxes strapped to the back. Inside were dumplings filled with shepherd's purse and pork, and a box of braised pork.

Guo Dayong took it, squatted on the reef, picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth.

Old Chen set up the iron pot. The pine branches underneath crackled and popped as they burned. Once the water boiled, he added the dumplings; over four hundred dumplings were cooked in four separate pots.

The sun hadn't set when the first batch was scooped out.

The dumplings were served in four enamel basins, piled high. Vinegar was poured into a rough porcelain bowl, and crushed garlic cloves were tossed in.

Old Fang opened the bottle of bulk liquor and poured half a bowl for each person.

Qiu Changhai picked up the glass, smelled it, and said that the wine was just as strong as last year's.

Old Fang said that's the right thing to do; you have to drink it during the Chinese New Year.

Hong, the boatman, also arrived. He came by ferry from Hongjia Island, bringing a basket of ribbonfish and a basket of pomfret. He placed the baskets at the gate of the courtyard and squatted on the rocks. Old Chen handed him a bowl of dumplings.

He took it, lowered his head to eat, and after a few, he looked up.

"Master Fang, my boat caught 40,000 catties of fish this year. At this time last year, the boat sank. At this time the year before last, the main engine was emitting black smoke and the gearbox was slipping, so we couldn't catch more than 2,000 catties a month."

Old Fang held up his wine bowl. "And this year?"

"This year," Hong Chuandong said, lifting his bowl and tapping it against Lao Fang's. "I've survived this year." He then downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp.

As darkness fell, people were setting off firecrackers at the Moon Island pier. Ah Hai took a few firecrackers out of his pocket, grabbed a piece of charcoal from the stove with a fire poker, stuck it into a firecracker, and threw it out.

The firecracker exploded on the rocks, and sparks flew into the seawater and went out with a hiss.

Ah Guang also took out one, poked it like he did, and threw it. It flew far and landed in the stone trough, splashing up a small spray. Old Fang cursed, "Don't let it blow up the boat!" Ah Guang said, "No, I won't blow up the boat, I'll blow up the fish."

When the moon rose, Old Chen hung the lantern at the gate of the courtyard. The wick was set very low, just enough to illuminate two wooden plaques. One was new, and the other was old. A sea breeze blew, the flame flickered, and then stabilized.

Jiang Haiping sat on the rocks at the entrance of the courtyard wall. Lin Xiu'e sat down next to him, holding a bowl of dumplings, which had already gone cold.

She lowered her head and ate one by one, and suddenly spoke when she reached the last one.

"Brother Ping, my dad said he got a new ship and wants my brother to go sailing on the open sea with him. I said I wanted to go too. But my dad said they don't need women on the ship."

Jiang Haiping remained silent.

"I told him that I sewed the seams on the Ping An. I can also fix minor problems with the main engine. If he takes me with him, we won't need to dock to find someone if the ship breaks down."

"What did your dad say?"

He didn't say anything.

She finished the last dumpling and placed the bowl on her lap. "He used to do that too. He wouldn't say anything if he didn't agree."

The waves gently lapped against the rocks. Another firecracker rang out from the pier in the distance.

"Ping-ge, I'll be twenty next year."

Jiang Haiping looked at her.

"Girls my age on the island are all married by twenty. My mom used to urge me to get married, but she hasn't this year. My dad doesn't urge me either."

She lowered her head and traced a circle on the rim of the bowl with her finger. "They're not rushing us because you're here."

A sea breeze blew by, causing the wooden signs to sway gently. The two signs touched together, making a very soft sound.

Lin Xiu'e stood up and patted her skirt. "I'm going back. I'll make steamed buns tomorrow. With shredded radish and dried shrimp. Come early." Then she ran off.

The thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Lunar New Year's Eve.

Jiang Haiping ate New Year's Eve dinner at the Lin family's house. Lin's mother had prepared ten dishes, two more than last year. Lin's father opened a bottle of Binhai Daqu liquor and poured half a bowl for Jiang Haiping. Lin Xiu'e sat opposite him and put a dumpling into his bowl.

The two younger sisters ate with their heads down. The younger one secretly looked up at Jiang Haiping, but quickly looked down again when he noticed. Lin Xiu'e's younger brother sat next to Jiang Haiping; the thirteen-year-old boy was already as tall as his father's shoulder. He picked up his bowl.

"Brother Ping, my sister said she named the ship 'Ping An' (Peaceful Sea). Because sailors don't ask for anything else but peace." He finished his drink. "Next year, Dad and I will be sailing offshore. I won't ask for anything else either, just peace."

Lin Xiu'e lowered her head. Lin's mother picked up a piece of fish and put it in her bowl.

After the meal, Lin's father cleared the table. Lin Xiu'e brought up some bitter tea. Lin's mother sat in a chair with a plaster on her back, the taste of which was spicy. She looked at Jiang Haiping.

"Ping-ge'er. Xiu'e will be twenty next year. Her father said he got a new ship and wants her younger brother to go sailing on the open sea with him. Xiu'e wants to go too. Her father hasn't said yes or no."

Jiang Haiping is equal.

"I spoke to her father. If Xiu'e wants to go, let her go. Her sewing skills are useful at the ship repair shop and on the ship. Her younger brother is thirteen, and he can't fix the engine when it breaks down. She can."

Lin Xiu'e came out of the kitchen and stood at the door. Lin's mother turned around and glanced at her.

"Go ahead. Go to sea with your dad and brother next year. I'll take care of things at home."

Lin Xiu'e stood at the door without moving. After a while, she came over, picked up the teapot, and refilled everyone's tea. When it was Jiang Haiping's turn, her hand trembled slightly, and a drop of tea spilled onto the table. She wiped it off with her finger.

The moon rose high overhead. The distant sound of firecrackers gradually subsided, and fishing lights dotted the sea.

The Ping An was docked at the pier, the three large white characters on its bow gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Jiang Haiping came out of the Lin family's house, and Lin Xiu'e saw him off at the alley entrance.

There were no lights in the alley, only moonlight shining on the stone walls. She stood at the alley entrance, the moonlight illuminating her face.

"Ping-ge. My mom said I can go."

"I heard you."

"My dad still didn't say anything. But he didn't say no either."

Jiang Haiping said that would be fine.

She lowered her head and shuffled her toes on the stone. "If I go out to sea on a ship next year, who will mix the tung oil putty for the ship repair shop?"

"Master Song can adjust it himself."

"Master Song's mixing isn't as good as mine."

Jiang Haiping didn't speak. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

"Brother Ping, I've been at the ship repair shop for almost two years. I started by mixing tung oil putty, learned how to mortar joints, and learned how to troubleshoot minor engine problems. My mom says I'm useful at the repair shop, and I'll be useful on the ship too. But I think I'm useful at the repair shop because of you. Whether I'm useful on the ship, I don't know."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked back. After taking a few steps, she turned back again.

"I'm making steamed buns tomorrow morning. They'll have shredded radish and dried shrimp. Come early."

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Jiang Haiping went to the Lin family early in the morning.

Lin Xiu'e was making steamed buns in the kitchen, filled with shredded radish and dried shrimp. The dough was rolled out thinly and evenly. She put the buns into the steamer and covered it. The fire in the stove reflected on her face.

"Ping-ge, you're here."

Jiang Haiping sat down. Lin Xiu'e brought out the first basket of steamed buns, picked one up, and put it in his bowl. The bun had a thin skin and a generous filling; one bite revealed the sweetness of the radish shreds and the freshness of the dried shrimp.

"Is it tasty?"

"tasty."

She smiled. The flames in the stove flickered, making her face glow.