1992: Starting with the Second Generation of Shipowners

Chapter 13 Everyday Life

The third day of the fourth lunar month, two days after Qingming Festival.

There's a saying among the fishermen of Moon Island: "After Qingming Festival, the fish disperse." The ribbonfish season is over, the pomfret season is over, and next comes the mackerel season. Mackerel isn't as valuable as ribbonfish, but it's plentiful.

After a few days of rest, the fishermen got busy again.

The boat repair shop was unusually quiet for two days. All the minor problems that had been rushed to be fixed during the spring flood season had been dealt with, and only one small sampan, belonging to Old Sun's family on the island, remained in the stone trough for repair. Barnacles had grown on the bottom of the boat again, and Qiu Changhai and A Guang slowly shoveled them away.

Not urgent.

Jiang Haiping has finished drawing up a plan of the flat area of ​​the western reef beach. It's called a plan, but it's really just a graph paper with dimensions marked in pencil.

The rocky beach is twelve meters long from east to west and eight meters wide from north to south. It is exposed at low tide and half of it is submerged at high tide. To build a boat raft on it, you have to first raise it with gravel and then lay steel rails.

The steel rails were sourced from the factory's scrap heap, and the gravel was hauled from the town's quarry. He calculated that the material processing cost a little over a thousand. The ship repair shop currently had over nine thousand in its accounts, which was enough.

Old Fang squatted down beside him, examining the blueprints. "Where's the drainage ditch?"

Jiang Haiping pointed to the north and south sides. "Dig one channel on each side, leading out through the crevices in the reef. Seawater will come in at high tide and flow away through the drainage channels at low tide, so there will be no water accumulation."

Old Fang nodded. "How thick is the gravel bedding layer?"

"Twenty centimeters."

"Not enough. At least thirty. The rocky beach is soft. When the boat is placed on it, a 20-ton boat will sink into the rocks. If it sinks in, the rails will be uneven, and it will be easy to derail when pulling the boat."

Jiang Haiping erased the number and changed it to thirty. Old Fang looked at it for a while longer. "The rail joints need to be welded shut. Ding Haisheng can weld that without a problem. The sleepers should be made of locust wood; Qiu Changhai knows someone on the island who sells timber, so let him go and pick some out."

Jiang Haiping wrote them down one by one.

The two of them squatted on the rocks and went through the blueprints from beginning to end.

Old Fang stood up and rubbed his lower back. "When will construction begin?"

"The day after tomorrow. I'm going to town to haul away gravel tomorrow."

In the evening, Lin Xiu'e came to call her for dinner.

She didn't bring food today; she came to call someone. Jiang Haiping put the blueprints into the stone house, locked the door, and followed her towards the Lin family's house.

The ship repair shop is less than a ten-minute walk from the Lin family's house. Just walk along the seawall and through two alleys.

The Lin family's courtyard was much cleaner than before the New Year. The corner where the wall had collapsed had been repaired, rebuilt with reef stones, and the gaps filled with cement. Lin's mother was cooking in the kitchen, the spatula clanging against the iron pot. Her two younger sisters were squatting by the well washing vegetables.

Mr. Lin sat in the main room. Four cold dishes were already laid out on the octagonal table: shredded kelp, cucumber salad with dried shrimp, pickled mud snails, and peanuts. A bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) was placed in the center of the table; the label was red and read "Binhai Daqu." Mr. Lin stood up when he saw Jiang Haiping enter.

"Ping-ge'er, sit down."

Jiang Haiping sat down. Lin's father unscrewed the bottle, poured him half a bowl, and poured half a bowl for himself. Lin's father picked up his bowl, clinked it against Jiang Haiping's, and took a large gulp. Jiang Haiping also took a sip. The liquor burned from his throat all the way to his stomach.

Lin Xiu'e brought out a plate of steamed ribbonfish. The ribbonfish had been caught that morning, cut into sections, and arranged on a plate, topped with shredded ginger and scallions, and drizzled with soy sauce. She placed the plate in the center of the table and sat down next to Jiang Haiping.

Lin's mother then brought out braised pomfret, fish ball soup, and stir-fried greens with garlic. Once all the dishes were served, Lin's father picked up his bowl and clinked it against his.

"Ping-ge'er. The loan for the Ping An ship has been paid off today."

Jiang Haiping put down his chopsticks. "All of them?"

"All of it. Eighty thousand yuan, principal and interest. I settled it at the credit union this morning." Mr. Lin finished his drink in one gulp. "Now that it's all paid off, I feel at ease."

He poured himself another half bowl. "Around this time last year, the ship sank, my leg became lame, the credit union people blocked the door, Old Chen and Old Ma also blocked the door. Xiu'e's mother said to marry Xiu'e off in exchange for a dowry, and I said okay. As long as we can get this family through this, anything is fine."

Lin Xiu'e lowered her head.

"Xiu'e refused. She said she would come to you." Lin's father looked at Jiang Haiping. "She left before dawn and walked all morning. When she came back, she rode in your car. You said you would lend us a boat."

Mr. Lin picked up the bowl and took a sip. "I thought to myself, 'I owe this person a huge favor. How am I going to repay it?'"

He looked at the wine in the bowl. "Then I figured it out. I don't need to pay it back."

Jiang Haiping listened as he finished speaking.

"The day the Ping An was repaired, you told me that I had saved your life back then. You traded your life for a ship; you made a profit. I didn't say anything then. Now I'm telling you, you're the one who repaired that ship. Without you, the Ping An would just be a pile of seawater-soaked scrap metal."

Mr. Lin put down the bowl. "So we're even."

Jiang Haiping picked up his bowl and tapped it against Lin's father's. The two of them finished their drinks in one gulp.

After the meal, Lin's mother cleared the table. Lin Xiu'e then brought up some bitter tea.

Lin's father sat in the courtyard, holding a teacup. The moon had risen, bathing the courtyard in a silvery light. In the distance, fishing lights twinkled on the sea. The Ping An was anchored at the dock, its three large white characters on the bow clearly visible in the moonlight.

"Ping-ge'er. Xiu-e is at the ship repair shop, learning to sew."

"She's doing very well. Master Qiu said she's graduated."

"I've heard about it." Mr. Lin took a sip of tea. "She's been skillful with her hands since she was little. But she wasn't good at studying; she dropped out after elementary school. It wasn't that she was stupid; it was just that her family was poor. Her mother was sick at the time, and I went out to sea to fish, so she had to stay home and take care of her younger sister."

Jiang Haiping remained silent.

"She's nineteen this year. Girls her age on the island got married a couple of years ago. She didn't. It's not that no one came to arrange a marriage, it's that she refused."

Lin's father looked at the moon. "She has her own ideas. She looks gentle, but she's actually very stubborn."

Jiang Haiping lowered his head and drank his tea.

"Ping-ge'er, you're a capable person. The ship repair shop has grown from three to eight people in just six months, and everyone on the island has seen it. You'll definitely be able to do much more than just ship repair in the future."

He put down his teacup. "Xiu'e is an island girl. She hasn't seen much of the world, and she's hardly ever been to the county town."

Jiang Haiping looked up. "Uncle Lin, what are you trying to say?"

Lin's father looked at Jiang Haiping. "What I want to say is, if she's willing to be with you, I won't stop her. But if she can't keep up with you, don't force her."

The courtyard fell silent. The waves gently lapped against the rocks, and on the distant dock, someone sang a fisherman's song, the melody drawn out so long that the words were indistinct.

Lin Xiu'e came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of sliced ​​apples. "Dad, what are you talking about?"

"Let's talk about fish." Lin's father took a slice of apple.

Lin Xiu'e glanced at him, then at Jiang Haiping. Jiang Haiping also took a slice of apple and took a bite.

After leaving the Lin family home, Lin Xiu'e escorted Jiang Haiping to the alley entrance.

There were no lights in the alley, only moonlight shining on the stone walls. Lin Xiu'e walked in front, and Jiang Haiping followed behind. When they reached the alley entrance, she stopped.

"Ping-ge, what did my dad say to you?"

"You're so stubborn."

Lin Xiu'e was taken aback. "Just this?"

"You say you look soft, but actually no one can stop you."

Lin Xiu'e lowered her head, her toes scraping against the stone. "Was he praising me or scolding me?"

"I'm praising you."

She looked up at Jiang Haiping. "Brother Ping, Master Qiu said I've completed my apprenticeship in sewing. I can now take on jobs on my own."

"I know."

"What I want to tell you is that I'm at the ship repair shop not just to help my dad."

Jiang Haiping is equal.

"I learned sewing because I wanted to learn. I stayed at the ship repair shop because I wanted to stay."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked back. Reaching the courtyard gate, she glanced back. Jiang Haiping was still standing at the alley entrance. She pushed open the gate and went inside.

Jiang Haiping stood there for a while. The sea breeze blew by, carrying a salty, fishy smell. In the distance, the wooden sign for the ship repair site was illuminated by the moonlight, the seven characters appearing quietly.

The next day, Jiang Haiping went to town to haul away gravel.

The quarry is located at the east end of town. The owner's surname is Qian, he is in his early forties, and has a scar on his face from being hit by falling rocks while quarrying.

How much do you want?

"Three parties."

Boss Qian shoveled a handful of gravel. "This size, two to four centimeters. For paving the roadbed." Jiang Haiping squatted down to examine it; the gravel was uniform in size and made of bluestone. "This is it. Take it to the ship repair shop on Moon Island."

"Shipping fee is extra. Three cubic meters of gravel, delivered to Moon Island, will cost a total of one hundred and twenty."

Jiang Haiping counted out 120 yuan from his pocket and handed it over. Boss Qian took the money and called two workers to load the truck. The tractor bed was overflowing, covered with a tarpaulin, and tied tightly with ropes. The driver, a young man with a cigarette in his mouth, asked how to get to the boat repair shop on Moon Island. Boss Qian said to turn right after crossing the seawall, and you'd arrive when you saw the rocky beach.

Jiang Haiping rode his bicycle behind the tractor. The tractor sputtered and chugled, billowing black smoke and kicking up a trail of dust along the coastal highway. After crossing the seawall and turning onto a rocky beach, the driver stopped the vehicle, jumped off, and untied the rope. The gravel was unloaded onto the rocky beach, piling up into a small hill.

Old Fang and Ah Hai were already waiting. Ah Guang carried a shovel, and Ding Haisheng pushed a wheelbarrow. The group of men carried loads of gravel to the rocky beach to the west. When the tide went out, the rocky beach was exposed, and Old Fang used lime to draw lines on the ground, clearly indicating where to lay gravel, where to lay steel rails, and where to dig drainage ditches.

After working all morning, they had laid half of the gravel layer. At lunchtime, Lin Xiu'e brought over a pot of seafood noodles. The group squatted on the rocks to eat. Old Fang held his bowl, looking at the newly laid gravel layer on the western reef.

"Once the rails are laid and this boat is erected, the repair station will be able to repair six boats at the same time."

He took a bite of noodles. "But we still don't have enough manpower. Repairing six ships at the same time requires at least two welders. Ding Haisheng can't handle it all by himself."

Jiang Haiping said yes.

"Welders are hard to find. Certified welders are even harder to find." Old Fang put down his bowl. "Let A-Guang learn from Ding Haisheng first. Start by practicing on scrap boards. After six months, he'll be able to weld simple seams and can help with some of the workload."

Jiang Haiping looked at A Guang. A Guang was squatting down next to him, scraping the bottom of a bowl. When he looked up and saw Jiang Haiping watching him, he put down the bowl, feeling embarrassed.

"Ah Guang, you'll learn welding from Ding Haisheng. Learn from the beginning, step by step."

Ah Guang nodded vigorously. Ding Haisheng squatted down beside him and finished the last bite of noodles in his bowl. "Starting tomorrow, practice walking in a straight line on the scrap board. Once you can walk in a straight line steadily, then you can learn other things."

Ah Guang said okay.

By the time work was finished in the evening, the gravel subbase had been completely laid.

Jiang Haiping stood on the rocky beach to the west. The gravel cushion layer was thirty centimeters above the sea level, and drainage ditches on the north and south sides had also been dug, leading out from the cracks in the rocks. At low tide, water could be seen flowing out of the ditches.

On the sea, fishing boats returning to port are docking. The Ping An is the first to return, and Lin's father stands at the helm, waving towards the ship repair station in the distance.

Lin Xiu'e ran over from the dock, carrying two mackerel. "Brother Ping! My dad said they caught a lot of mackerel today, these two are for your dinner tonight!"

Ah Hai took it and squatted on the rocks to kill the fish. Ah Guang squatted beside him watching.

The moon rose above the sea. The newly laid pebbles on the western reef beach shone white in the moonlight. Tomorrow the steel rails will be delivered from the factory, and the shipyard will be complete.