boyutpedia Chapter 27 Daily Life
Chapter 27 Daily Life
In October, the sea breeze on Moon Island begins to cool. The elm trees on the rocky beach turn from green to red, looking like a layer of rust from a distance.
The two loquat saplings at the entrance of the service station are quite different in size; the larger one is about one and a half times as tall as a person, while the smaller one reaches shoulder height.
Ah-Guang still used broken seashells to surround the base of the rock, and after each low tide, he would check to see if the ring had been washed away by the waves.
Ahai graduated from technical school.
It was still that same plastic-covered notebook, with a county technical school graduation certificate printed on the cover, and a marine engine repair intermediate technician certificate tucked inside.
On his first day back at the service station, he placed the certificate under the glass tabletop, alongside the business license and the provincial approval document.
Old Fang, squatting in the engine room disassembling the main engine, didn't even look up. He said, "Intermediate level technician, I can repair the main engine independently now." Ahai said, "Not yet. The exam is just an exam; on a real ship, I still need to learn from you." Old Fang said, "Knowing you can't is knowing you can."
Ah Hai placed the tool bag on the table in the old parts warehouse. Ah Guang had already prepared the register and was waiting for him to turn to a new page.
The workload on official vessels is becoming increasingly heavy.
Director Sun scheduled maintenance for all of the county's dozen or so official boats, with a fixed maintenance time for each boat, and no exceptions for latecomers. The service station made a special schedule for this, drawn on graph paper, and posted it on the wall of the old parts warehouse.
Which items are in January, which are in February, the maintenance items, the responsible person, and the completion date. Old Fang said this schedule is even more formal than the factory's.
In October, it was the turn of three fishery administration vessels to undergo maintenance. Ahai was in charge of one of them, while Lao Fang watched from the side.
From disassembling the main engine cylinder head, cleaning the piston, and replacing the piston rings, to reassembling, adjusting the valve clearance, and testing the engine.
After working for a day and a half, Lao Fang only reached out with a feeler gauge when installing the valve clearance, said it was off by half a millimeter, and readjusted it.
Ah Hai readjusted it, measured it again, and it passed.
During the test run, Ahai stood at the engine bay door, his fingers clenched so tightly they turned white. The main engine roared to life, the exhaust pipe emitting even, pale blue smoke, and the coolant temperature steadily rose to operating temperature. Lao Fang pushed the revs up from idle, and the engine sound went from low to high, without a single extraneous noise throughout the entire operating range.
He nodded and said, "Okay, you'll lead the maintenance team for the fishery administration vessels from now on."
Ah Hai wiped the feeler gauge clean and put it back on the tool wall. He turned around and shouted at the old parts warehouse, "Ah Guang, can you hear me? Master Fang said I'm leading the team."
Ah Guang shouted back from inside the warehouse, "I heard you, brother."
Ah-Guang has already made a name for himself in managing old parts.
The service station gave him a small storage room, a four-tiered iron shelf filled with gears, bearings, rudder stock, rudder blades, and miscellaneous parts. The register was on its fourth page, each page numbered. When Engineer Zhou from the provincial fishing vessel inspection bureau came to inspect last time, he flipped through the register and said he'd come back to retrieve the old parts later.
Director Sun had also made a transfer once; the fishery administration vessel was temporarily short of a gearbox bearing, and the new one would take several days to arrive from the provincial capital. A-Guang found a set on the used parts shelf, cleaned it with kerosene, oiled it, installed it, and used it for about half a year. The feedback came back saying there were no problems at all.
From then on, fishermen knew that the service station had a small warehouse where they could sometimes find used parts that were in urgent need, which were more than half the price of buying new ones.
In mid-October, Ah Hai's father arrived.
They weren't there to repair the boat; they were there to see Ah Hai.
He squatted down at the entrance of the service station and smoked a cigarette, waiting for Ah Hai to come out of the cabin.
He pulled a cloth bag from his pocket, opened it to reveal a wad of loose change, and said he'd saved enough to repair the boat, including the eighty yuan for fixing the fuel injectors last time. Ah Hai was taken aback and said, "That was for your own house, why should I charge you?"
Ah Hai's father said that the service station had to charge for repairing the boat. Ah Hai took the money and said that this money was not collected by the service station, but was the tuition fee that you had saved for me, and he was paying it.
He placed the money on the table where Ah Guang was registering. Ah Guang glanced at it, opened the register, and made a note in the income column.
In late October, Lin Xiue received a letter from the provincial fishing vessel inspection bureau, informing her that she would be attending a two-month advanced sewing worker training program in the provincial capital next spring, with free room and board, and only two spots available across the province.
She read the letter twice. The first time, she leaned against the windowsill, pressing her fingers on the letter as she read it word by word. After reading it, she folded the letter and put it in her work pocket, then began mixing tung oil putty.
After preparing one batch, cover it with a damp cloth and then prepare the second batch.
She told him about the letter during lunch.
Qiu Changhai held his bowl without speaking, but Lin Xiu'e knew he was listening. Ah Hai spoke first, saying it was advanced technician training; he'd become a master chef soon.
Old Fang said he would go, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Jiang Haiping sat next to her and asked when she was leaving. Lin Xiu'e said next spring.
After finishing work in the evening, Jiang Haiping sat on the rocks and did his accounts.
Lin Xiu'e came over with two bowls of fish ball soup and handed him one.
The waves gently lapped against the rocks, and the loquats swayed in the sea breeze, their leaves brushing against each other. She looked down at the soup in her bowl.
"Brother Ping. Two months in the provincial capital."
Jiang Haiping said "Mm".
"I've attended technical school training, which lasted two weeks. This advanced technician training is even longer, and you graduate as an advanced technician. Old Fang is an advanced technician, and so is Master Qiu."
She paused, tracing a circle on the rim of the bowl with her finger. "My mom wants me to go. My dad wants me to go too. Master Qiu didn't say anything, but I know he wants me to go."
She looked up at the sea.
Fishing lights twinkled on the sea, and the Ping An (Peaceful) boat was docked at the pier, its three large white characters on the bow gleaming faintly in the moonlight. "We've been in the provincial capital for two months, and the service station is short one person to mix tung oil putty. Master Song said he can do it."
Jiang Haiping put down his bowl.
The moon rose from the sea, illuminating the rocky beach in a silvery light. In the new workshop, iron hooks hung from overhead cranes, welding machines were connected to cables, and bearing sleeves, which Ah Guang had just learned to operate, were clamped on the lathe.
"Go ahead. You'll be the master chef when you come back."
Lin Xiu'e placed the bowl on the rocks and stood up. After taking a few steps, she turned back. "I'm leaving, and the service station will be one person short. By this time next year, A-Guang will have several more types of parts for his vehicle, A-Hai will be able to lead the maintenance team, and maybe Guo Dayong will come back to take a look. Master Fang said that you used to manage the boat repair shop by yourself, and later there were nine people. I was gone for two months, and when I came back there were ten people."
She ran off as soon as she finished speaking, only slowing down when she was almost at the alley entrance, glancing back as she turned the corner. Jiang Haiping was still sitting on the rocks.
In November, the county announced that it would hold a skills training course for fishermen.
It wasn't run by the county itself; the province allocated the funds and required every fishing township to run it.
Moon Island was divided into three classes: Marine Engineering Basics, Introductory Welding, and Fishing Net Repair.
Each of the three classes will enroll twenty students, free of charge. The classrooms will be used in the conference room on the second floor of the service station.
On the first day of the training course, the conference room was packed with fifty or sixty people, some of whom were fishermen, and some were their wives and children.
Old Fang stood on the podium, and on the blackboard was a cross-sectional diagram of a diesel engine, with the intake stroke, compression stroke, power stroke, and exhaust stroke clearly marked in chalk.
He explained how diesel engines work, how to maintain them, and how to diagnose common malfunctions. Some people in the audience were dozing off, while others were taking notes. Ah Hai, sitting in the last row, was also taking notes. Old Fang glanced at him, and Ah Hai quickly put his notebook away.
Old Fang said, "Don't hide it anymore. You're already an intermediate-level worker, why are you still remembering these things?" Ah Hai said, "I have to remember them. Master Fang's teachings are more practical than those of vocational school teachers."
The welding class was taught by Ding Haisheng and A Guang together. Ding Haisheng taught flat welding and vertical welding, while A Guang taught the basics. On the first day of class, A Guang stood on the podium, unsure of what to do with his hands.
Ding Haisheng said, "Just explain how you usually weld." A-Guang drew a straight line on the blackboard with chalk and said, "Practice straight lines first, and then practice swaying once you can do it steadily."
This was exactly the same as the first sentence Ding Haisheng taught him back then. Some people in the audience laughed, and A-Guang's face turned red, but he still continued speaking.
The fishing net repair class was taught by Lin Xiu'e.
She didn't know how to teach, so she moved a stool and sat there, weaving one shuttle after another with a tattered fishing net.
Several fisherwomen's girls were gathered around her, some from Moon Island and some from the town on the other side. Lin Xiu'e didn't care whether they were listening or not, she just kept weaving, slowing down her movements at crucial parts so that they could see clearly.
In the afternoon, a girl asked Lin Xiu'e if she knew how to sew. Lin Xiu'e said yes. The girl then asked if she could teach her. Lin Xiu'e said yes.
The training course lasted for half a month. On the last day, several baskets of ribbonfish and mackerel were piled up on the rocky beach in front of the service station; they were gifts from the trainees. Old Fang said the training course was free, so he couldn't accept the fish.
The fishermen said, "You teach us for free, what's a few fish to us?" Old Fang said, "Okay, keep the fish, we'll add them to our meals at the service station later."
That evening, Jiang Haiping was doing the accounts.
The service station's gross profit has doubled this year compared to last year, with maintenance costs for county government vessels accounting for 30%.
Ahai has become an intermediate-level welder, Aguang has become an apprentice welder, and Lin Xiue will go to the provincial capital next spring for advanced-level welder training.
The service station grew from nine people to ten, then more than ten. With more people came more work, but everyone became capable of handling things independently.
Old Fang pushed open the door and came in, carrying a mug of tea. Jiang Haiping closed the ledger and said, "Master Fang, I'd like to hire two more people for the service station next year."
Old Fang said he should have confessed long ago, and sat down next to him, placing his teacup on the table.
In late November, Wang Cunzhi arrived.
He was riding a motorcycle with a bag of flour strapped to the back seat.
They said it was a benefit provided by the fishing company, and since his family couldn't finish it all, they gave half to the service station.
Old Fang took the bag of flour, weighed it in his hand, and said that this bag of flour was enough for the service station to make dumplings for several meals.
Wang Cunzhi squatted on the reef, lit a cigarette, and took out a document from his pocket, handing it to Jiang Haiping.
It was issued by the Provincial Department of Fisheries, announcing a pilot program for the standardized construction of fishing vessel repair service stations throughout the province.
The first batch of pilot programs had three slots available across the province, and the county submitted Moon Island's application.
Jiang Haiping read the document from beginning to end. The pilot units have special construction funds of 50,000 yuan.
Fifty thousand yuan is enough to level all the open space west of the service station and build a new workshop.
He said it was reported.
Wang Cunzhi said the competition this time was much fiercer than the initial listing, with only three spots available in the entire province. Old Fang said things would work themselves out; he'd just apply and see what happened.
In December, people from the provincial government came.
It was the same Engineer Zhang from the Provincial Fisheries Department, the one who wore glasses. This time, there weren't two people, but five. Engineer Zhang was leading the team, followed by two technicians, an accountant, and an archivist.
Five people spent the entire day at the service station. The technician inspected the equipment, measured its precision, checked the welding machine current, and verified the concentricity of the lathe. The accountant reviewed the ledgers, checked the invoices, and verified the maintenance settlement slips for the official vessel.
The archivist looks at A-Guang's registration book, maintenance schedule, and training records.
Engineer Zhang reviewed a full year's worth of maintenance records and randomly inspected the actual working conditions of three government vessels.
What is the stable water temperature on the fishery administration vessel? Is the gearbox on the transport ship leaking oil? Is the Yamaha outboard motor on the speedboat still vibrating?
After the inspection was completed, Engineer Zhang called Lao Fang, Qiu Changhai, Ding Haisheng, and Lin Xiue to the workshop and said he wanted to see the main unit disassembly and assembly process on site.
Old Fang buttoned up his work clothes cuffs and said to Jiang Haiping, "Come on, you're in my group."