wavenovel Chapter 9 Taking on Apprentices
Chapter 9 Taking on Apprentices
The two boats at Baishakou took a full twelve days to repair.
When replacing the first hull plate, Lao Fang cut open all the old welds, and sure enough, they were rusted through.
The corrosion spread from the weld seam into a palm-sized area, which was not visible because of the paint on the surface. When you tap it with a hammer, iron slag falls off.
Old Fang cut off the rusted part, re-lay out the pattern, and welded a new plate onto it. The weld was neat and even, like fish scales.
The second main engine had a bigger problem than expected. Ding Fugui disassembled it only halfway before abandoning it. The piston connecting rods were scattered in the engine compartment, and two cylinder head bolts had stripped threads. He used cotton yarn to plug the bolt holes and pretended it was fine.
Qiu Changhai disassembled the entire main unit, re-taped the stripped screw holes, and replaced them with new bolts.
All piston rings were replaced, and the cylinder liners were measured three times with a micrometer; the wear was within the allowable range.
On the day of the installation, Qiu Changhai squatted in the cabin for four hours, and when he came out, he couldn't straighten his back.
"From now on, you'll have to pay extra for these half-demolished messes," he said, rubbing his back.
Old Fang squatted down beside him, smoking. "Add it. We absolutely have to add it."
On the day of the sea trial, the original owners of both ships came. Old Cai's uncle stood by the stone trough, watching his ship's main engine start up easily, the exhaust pipe emitting even, pale blue smoke, and squatted down to wipe his face.
"Last year, I spent 800 yuan to have the roof tiled by Ding Fugui. After just one day at sea, the tile was broken. When I went back to him, he said it was because I operated it incorrectly."
He stood up and pulled a wad of cash from his pocket. Ten-yuan notes and five-yuan notes, tied together with a rubber band.
"The boat repair fee is six hundred. I'll pay the rest in installments."
Jiang Haiping took the money and made a note of it in his notebook. Old Cai's uncle stood there for a while longer.
"From now on, my boat will belong to you."
After the two boats left, the ship repair shop was temporarily empty.
Only one small sampan remained in the stone trough, belonging to Old Sun's family on the island. It had a wooden hull, barnacles growing on the bottom, and several sections of the planks were rotten and needed replacing. Qiu Changhai was repairing it slowly by himself, no rush.
Old Fang returned to the factory, saying he was going to check on the gearbox of that old tugboat. Jiang Haiping knew he couldn't stay idle. The ship repair shop had been busy for half a month, and the sudden quiet made Old Fang feel uneasy.
Jiang Haiping, however, was not idle. Wang Cunzhi had someone pass on a message that the other ten boats from the fishing company would be brought over in batches. Four would be repaired before the new year, and the rest would be repaired next spring. The first two boats would arrive in three days.
Ahai comes every day now. He comes even if you don't call him. He arrives earlier than Jiang Haiping in the morning, sweeps the yard first, and then wipes the wrenches on the tool wall. When Lao Fang isn't around, he squats next to Qiu Changhai watching him repair the boat. Qiu Changhai sutures the seams, and he squats down to watch. Qiu Changhai changes the planks, and he squats down to watch. Qiu Changhai mixes the tung oil putty, and he squats down to watch.
After watching for three days, Qiu Changhai handed him the chisel in his hand.
"Give it a try."
Ah Hai took the chisel, his hand trembling slightly. Qiu Changhai pointed to a rotten piece of plank at the bottom of the sampan.
"First, remove the rotten parts. Don't remove them too deeply; remove only what is rotten. Leave a proper groove so the new board can fit in perfectly."
Ahai squatted down, aimed the chisel at the edge of the rotten wood, and struck it. Missed. He struck again, missed again. On the third strike, the chisel slid to the side, nearly piercing his own foot. Qiu Changhai stood beside him, saying nothing.
Ah Hai gritted his teeth and continued hammering. After hammering all morning, he chipped out a fist-sized piece of rotten wood, its groove pitted and uneven, like it had been chewed by a dog. Qiu Changhai took a look at it.
"It's been ruined. The groove isn't level, so the new board won't fit."
Ah Hai lowered his head.
"Let's start over," Qiu Changhai said, pointing to another piece of rotten wood next to him.
Ah Hai squatted down and continued hammering. By evening, three blisters had formed on his hands. This time, the groove was much smoother.
Qiu Changhai glanced at it. "Come again tomorrow."
Ah Hai responded, wiped the chisel clean, and put it back on the tool wall. As he left, Jiang Haiping noticed that two of the three blisters on Ah Hai's palm had burst, and blood seeped out and clung to the chisel handle. Ah Hai didn't utter a sound.
Lin Xiu'e also came. She didn't come to deliver food; she came to learn how to repair boats.
She learned how to sew hemp fibers from Qiu Changhai. The hemp fibers had to be torn evenly, without any coarse or fine strands. The tung oil putty had to be mixed to the perfect consistency; too thin and it wouldn't be waterproof, too thick and it would crack. The hemp fibers had to be stuffed in with a blunt chisel, tapping them in firmly one by one, without rushing.
She learned very slowly. She spent the whole morning tearing hemp fibers, cutting her fingers several times. She mixed three basins of tung oil putty, but Qiu Changhai said they were all unacceptable.
"This soup is too watery."
"This is too thick."
"The lime and tung oil in this pot were not mixed properly."
Lin Xiu'e didn't say anything, and poured it out to mix again. When she mixed the fourth batch, Qiu Changhai dipped his finger in it, rubbed it, and nodded.
Lin Xiu'e smiled. Her hands were covered in tung oil residue, and there was a streak on her face as well. When she smiled, she revealed a row of neat teeth.
At lunchtime, the three of them squatted on the rocks. Ahai held a bowl, his palm wrapped with two strips of white cloth, which Lin Xiue had brought from home. Lin Xiue also had several strips of tape on her fingers.
Qiu Changhai, holding his bowl of porridge, glanced at the two of them.
"The craft of ship repair is honed through experience. You wear your hands down until they heal, then wear them down again. You wear them until calluses form on your hands, until your fingers are rougher than sandpaper, and then you've mastered the craft."
Ahai looked down at his palms, which were wrapped in strips of cloth.
"Master Qiu, how many years have you been sharpening your hands?"
"Forty years."
Ah Hai didn't ask any more questions.
Three days later, the fishing company's two boats arrived.
This time, it was the Fisheries Administration 003 and Fisheries Administration 004 that came. Wang Cunzhi personally escorted the ship, jumped off the tugboat, and his first question was not about the ship, but about the people.
"The notice regarding Ding Fugui's case has been issued. For occupying the mudflats, he will be fined 2,000 yuan and ordered to dismantle his boat within a specified period. For stealing electricity, he will be required to pay 1,200 yuan in unpaid electricity fees. Fishermen who have suffered losses due to boat repairs can register with the local industrial and commercial bureau for unified compensation."
He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Jiang Haiping.
"Has Old Cai's uncle gone to register?"
"Registered. The first one to register." Wang Cunzhi took out a cigarette and lit it. "Ding Fugui's raft will be dismantled within five days. The equipment will be confiscated. After the tin shed is removed, the mudflats must be restored to their original state. He will pay for it himself."
Old Fang poked his head out of the cabin. "Where is he? Have they caught him yet?"
"They didn't arrest him. He paid the fine, the taxes were paid, and the fishermen's losses were compensated, so they won't pursue criminal charges."
Old Fang pulled his head back and mumbled something, but no one could hear him.
Wang Cunzhi didn't care. "After his boat raft was dismantled, there was no place to repair boats in Baishakou. Fishermen from the nearby islands will have to come here to repair their boats from now on."
He looked at Jiang Haiping. "Do you have enough manpower?"
Jiang Haiping glanced at the people in the courtyard. Old Fang was squatting in the engine room disassembling the main unit. Qiu Changhai was squatting beside the sampan, teaching Ah Hai how to carve grooves. Lin Xiu'e was squatting at the entrance of the courtyard wall, mixing tung oil putty, with a half-filled basin of the mixture covered with a damp cloth beside her.
"That's enough for now."
"For now." Wang Cunzhi stubbed out his cigarette. "Just keep that in mind."
In the evening, a new face arrived on the island.
A young man in his early twenties, wearing a faded military green jacket and carrying a snakeskin bag, stood at the entrance of the ship repair shop, looking inside.
"Is this the ship repair site on Moon Island?"
Jiang Haiping said yes.
A young man walked in. He was not tall, but had broad shoulders and calloused hands.
"My name is Ding Haisheng. Ding Fugui is my uncle."
The courtyard fell silent. Old Fang crawled out of the cabin, wrench still in his hand. Qiu Changhai stopped chiseling. Ah Hai stood up and stood in front of Lin Xiu'e.
Ding Haisheng looked at Jiang Haiping.
“My uncle’s boat was dismantled. He has nowhere to go. I’m not here to cause trouble.” He put the burlap sack on the ground. “I’m different from my uncle. I worked in a shipyard in Zhejiang for two years, learning to be a welder. I have a certificate. It was issued by the shipyard, and it has the steel stamp of the ship inspection bureau on it.”
He pulled a folded piece of cardboard from his pocket and handed it to him. The cardboard was worn and frayed, almost tearing at the creases. Jiang Haiping took it and looked at it. It was a welder's qualification certificate printed by the shipyard itself, with Ding Haisheng's photo affixed to it and a red seal of the ship inspection bureau. In the section for qualified items, "flat welding, vertical welding, overhead welding" was handwritten, followed by a checkmark in pen.
Does your uncle know you're here?
"I don't know. Even if I did know, I wouldn't have been asked to come," Ding Haisheng said. "My father died early, and my uncle raised me. There are some things he does that I don't approve of. But he's my uncle."
He looked at Jiang Haiping. "I came here to make a living with my skills. Take it or leave it."
Jiang Haiping returned the certificate to him.
"Starting tomorrow. Three-day trial. Meals provided, no wages."
Ding Haisheng was stunned for a moment.
"If you think I'm good enough after three days, you can stay. If not, you can leave," Jiang Haiping said.
Ding Haisheng stood there for a while. "Okay."
That evening, Lao Fang squatted on the rocks smoking. Jiang Haiping squatted beside him.
"You dare to use Ding Fugui's nephew?"
"He lets his testimony speak for itself. I'll give him three days to let his actions speak for themselves."
Old Fang took a drag of his cigarette. "If Ding Fugui finds out, he'll definitely cause trouble."
"He wouldn't dare. He's drowning in debt, his ship has been dismantled, and his equipment has been confiscated. If he comes to the ship repair shop to cause trouble, the people on the island won't let him leave standing up."
Old Fang thought about it and agreed. After a while, he added, "That kid Ding Haisheng, look at his hands, he's definitely been doing manual labor."
"Then let him do it."
The next morning, Ding Haisheng was the first to arrive.
He took off his military green jacket, leaving him in only a vest, revealing his muscular arms. Old Fang asked him to weld a patch. It was an old board cut from the hull, with a hole the size of a fist in it, and he was to patch it up.
Ding Haisheng took the welding torch but didn't rush to weld. First, he ground the edges of the hole clean and brushed off the rust with a wire brush. Then, he found a steel plate of the same thickness in the scrap heap, marked the lines, cut it with an oxy-acetylene torch, and filed the edges. The patch was then fitted into the hole perfectly, with a gap of no more than one millimeter.
Old Fang squatted down and watched without saying a word.
Ding Haisheng adjusted the current and began welding. He first tack-welded the four corners to fix them, and then welded from bottom to top. The welding rod moved at a uniform speed, the arc was stable, the weld was uniform, and the fish-scale pattern was stacked one by one, neat and tidy.
After welding, he knocked off the slag and cleaned it with a wire brush.
Old Fang squatted down to look. After looking for a while, he stood up.
"Okay. Stay."
Ding Haisheng put down the welding torch and wiped the sweat from his face. Ahai leaned over to examine the weld, then looked up after looking at it.
"You weld really well."
Ding Haisheng didn't say anything. He took the welding rod off the welding clamp, hung the clamp back on the welding machine, and straightened the tools.
Lin Xiu'e brought over a bowl of water. Ding Haisheng took it and drank a sip.
"Thanks."
Lin Xiu'e said, "You're welcome." She turned around and continued mixing her tung oil putty.
Ahai was still squatting beside the weld, watching. After a while, he looked up and asked, "Brother Ding, can you teach me how to weld?"
Ding Haisheng glanced at him.
"First, let the blisters on your hands heal."
Ahai looked down at his palm, which was wrapped in bandages. "Then you'll teach me how to heal it?"
Ding Haisheng picked up the bowl and took another sip.
"OK."
At lunchtime, five people were squatting in the courtyard: Lao Fang, Qiu Changhai, Ahai, Ding Haisheng, and Lin Xiue. Jiang Haiping held his bowl, looking at the people in the courtyard.
A retired fitter, a retired seamstress, a boy from the island, the villain's nephew, and a fisherman's daughter. Including himself, six people.
When the ship repair shop opened, there were only three people. In just over a month, the number doubled.
Old Fang squatted on the rocks, eating his meal.
"Xiao Jiang, of the ten boats Wang Cunzhi mentioned, four were repaired before the new year. We have enough manpower now. But if we repair all four boats at the same time, we don't have enough space. At most, we can support three boats in the stone trough and one boat on the deck."
"Level the rocky beach on the west side. That way, we can build another one."
"We'll have to hire people. There are some unemployed laborers on the island, but we'll need to pay them."
"Please. Calculated by the day."
Old Fang nodded and continued eating.
Qiu Changhai suddenly spoke up: "Xiao Jiang. Ah Hai and Xiu'e are apprentices. It's the rule that apprentices are provided with meals but not paid wages. But Ding Haisheng has a certificate, so he's considered a master. A master's wages must be paid."
Jiang Haiping said he knew. Ding Haisheng put down his bowl. "It's a three-day trial period, and it was agreed that I wouldn't be paid."
"I'll give it to you in three days," Jiang Haiping said.
Ding Haisheng was silent for a moment. "Okay."
Ah Hai raised his hand. "Brother Ping, when can I be considered a master?"
Old Fang laughed. "You? Hold the chisel steady first."
Ah Hai withdrew his hand. Lin Xiu'e lowered her head and smiled.
A sea breeze blew in, carrying the smells of diesel fuel and tung oil residue. In the stone trough, four boats floated side by side, their hulls swaying gently.
On the rocks at the entrance of the courtyard wall, the prepared tung oil putty was covered with a damp cloth, and next to it was a half basin of torn hemp fibers.
The wrenches on the tool wall are neatly hung according to their model numbers, and Ding Haisheng's welding qualification certificate is pressed under the glass plate on the table, next to his business license.
The red stamp on the business license had faded a bit from the sun. The nine large characters "Moon Island Ship Repair Department" were still clearly visible.