ryethenovel Chapter 65 Brothers
Chapter 65 Brothers
After Ding Haifeng left that day, Moon Island experienced several days of cold rain.
The rain was fine and dense, pattering softly on the asbestos tile roof.
The seawater in the stone trough rose and fell repeatedly. The sampans on the boat raft were soaked by the rain, and the old planks at the bottom of the boats absorbed the moisture, turning from dark brown to jet black.
Several shallow puddles had formed in the courtyard of the service station. Ah Guang swept them twice with a broom, but as soon as the rain stopped, they were filled again with broken seashells blown in by the sea breeze.
Ding Haisheng was still the first to arrive at the welding area every day.
Before dawn, he squatted in front of the welding machine adjusting the current. When welding overhead, molten iron dripped down, splashing onto his gloves and burning small holes in them.
He never flinched; he would finish welding one seam before taking off his gloves and wiping the burn scars on the back of his hand with cotton gauze.
The new ones are stacked on top of the old ones, and you can no longer tell which burn marks on the back of your hands came from which year.
He hasn't stopped working these past few days. First, he finished welding the hull plates for the two transport ships of the seafood company.
He also replaced the rudder of Old Sun's sampan with a new one, and even repaired the rust on the hull of Old Chen's fishing boat by the dock while squatting on the mudflat.
He did more work than anyone else, but spoke so little that even Lao Fang didn't bother him.
Only that old wrench with the word "life" stamped on the back was held in his hand every day after work, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.
The rain had just stopped that morning, and the sun hadn't yet peeked out from behind the clouds when Ding Haifeng arrived again.
This time he didn't ride a bicycle; he walked, and his trouser legs were covered in mud.
Her hair was a mess from the sea breeze, and there were several red marks on her face, as if she had been scratched or had her skin scraped somewhere.
He stood at the gate of the courtyard and looked inside for a while, but didn't come in or call out to anyone. He just stood there, his hands gripping the straps of his canvas tool bag.
Ah Guang was squatting under the loquat tree loosening the soil when he saw Ding Haifeng standing at the gate of the yard, and he stopped shoveling.
Hong Xiaobing and Ashun were cleaning the old water pump by the stone trough. Hong Xiaobing turned off the high-pressure water gun and nudged Ashun with his elbow.
Old Fang squatted at the workshop entrance smoking, squinted at the courtyard gate, stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe, and didn't stand up.
Ding Haisheng was squatting in the welding area, adjusting the welding machine, with his mask already on.
Ding Haifeng stood at the gate of the courtyard for a long time, rain dripping from the eaves of the asbestos tile roof and hitting his shoulder.
He moved half a step to the side, but still didn't come in.
Ah Guang stuck the shovel he was holding next to the tree roots, stood up, and walked to the gate of the yard. "Who are you looking for?"
Ding Haifeng glanced towards the welding area. "Looking for my brother."
A-Guang looked back at Ding Haisheng, who was adjusting the welding machine in the workshop, but didn't make way for him. He just said, "Wait here."
He walked into the new workshop, squatted down next to Ding Haisheng, and whispered, "Master Ding, your brother is here again. He's standing at the door with injuries on his face."
Ding Haisheng removed the welding rod from the welding clamp and hung the clamp back on the welding machine.
He pushed the mask up to his forehead, stood up, and walked to the courtyard gate.
When Ding Haifeng saw his brother come out, he took the canvas tool bag off his shoulder, hugged it to his arms, and called out, "Brother!"
Ding Haisheng looked at the red marks on his face and the mud spots on his trousers, and remained silent for a while. "Come in."
He led Ding Haifeng to a window seat in the new workshop.
There are two long benches there, which Ah Guang usually uses to rest during breaks from practicing welding.
After sitting down, Ding Haifeng placed his tool bag on his lap, lowered his head, and remained silent.
Ding Haisheng took an enamel mug from the windowsill, poured a glass of water, and placed it in front of him.
Ding Haifeng took the water, drank a sip, and held the jar in his hands without putting it down.
The workshop was quiet, with only the low hum of the welding machine preheating.
Ding Haifeng lowered his head and held the jar for a while before speaking. "Brother, Dad was beaten up."
Ding Haisheng didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.
Ding Haifeng said that the landlord of the storefront his father rented in the county town suddenly said he wanted to raise the rent the day before yesterday. His father disagreed and argued with the landlord.
The next day, a few people came and blocked the door, saying that they would not rent the house anymore.
Ding Fugui blocked the doorway to prevent them from moving their things, but was pushed and hit his head on the door frame, resulting in a large bruise on his forehead.
He went to the police station to report the case, but they said it was a rental dispute and told him to resolve it himself.
Ding Haifeng spoke softly, twirling the enamel mug in his hand several times.
He said his father was afraid that if the service station found out about this, they would be even less likely to cooperate with him, so he told me not to come forward and to find a job myself and pay the rent first.
After listening, Ding Haisheng took the enamel mug from Ding Haifeng's hand and placed it on the windowsill, telling him to wait there.
He walked out of the new workshop and came to the workshop entrance.
Old Fang was squatting there dismantling an old water pump, having been watching the new workshop from afar.
He kept using the wrench, but he tightened it much slower than usual.
Jiang Haiping walked out of the office, holding the sales record of refurbished parts in his hand. He had just seen Ding Haifeng enter the yard through the window.
"Master Fang, Brother Ping. My brother told me something." Ding Haisheng repeated what Ding Haifeng had just said.
Ding Fugui was evicted from his rented house in the county town by his landlord. He suffered minor injuries, his storefront was sealed off, and he is currently homeless.
Old Fang placed the wrench on the water pump casing, stood up, and took a sip of water. "What does your brother want you to help him with?"
Ding Haisheng said his brother wanted to find a temporary job at the service station.
I'll work for a while and earn enough to cover the rent. I'm not looking after the service station for Ding Fugui; I just want to earn a living.
Old Fang was silent for a while, then said that Ding Haifeng's father was still in the county town. Even if he came to the service station to work, Ding Fugui's side would not be quiet. He would work at the service station during the day, but when he went back at night, he would still be facing his father.
Jiang Haiping thought for a moment and said that he would first let him work with Hong Xiaobing and Ashun in the old parts warehouse to sort out refurbished parts. He would be provided with meals and accommodation for a few days, and his wages would be settled as a short-term temporary worker. He would give him a few days to figure out his future path.
He is not Ding Fugui; he is himself.
Old Fang thought about these words for a moment, then nodded and said okay, let him stay and give it a try, we'll talk about the rest later.
Ding Haisheng walked back to the new workshop.
Ding Haifeng was still sitting on the bench, staring blankly at the enamel mug on the windowsill.
Ding Haisheng said that Master Fang asked him to stay and give it a try, to work with Hong Xiaobing in the old parts warehouse sorting out refurbished parts, and that meals would be provided, and that he should focus on recovering from his injury in the next few days.
Ding Haifeng looked up at his brother, put the tool bag back on his shoulder, and said, "Brother, I've been sleeping in the waiting room at the dock these past few days, and every morning I hear the sound of diesel engines from the service station."
The sound of your engine is different from the old diesel engine my dad used to have. Your engine sounds muffled and steady. Many years ago, all I heard in Baishakou was a creaking sound.
He paused for a moment, then said, "I'm willing to stay."
Ding Haisheng glanced at him and said, "If you stay, do a good job. Drink some water first."
Ding Haifeng drank the water from the vat on the windowsill in one gulp, then put the empty vat back on the windowsill, the bottom of the vat hitting the metal sheet with a dull thud.
Ding Haisheng squatted back in front of the welding machine, pulled the mask down again, and clamped the welding rod into the welding clamp.
A-Guang squatted down next to him, pushed the welding rod bucket towards him, and then looked back at Ding Haifeng sitting on the bench by the window.
The arc light reappeared, casting flickering light on Ding Haifeng's face through the window.
Old Fang was still squatting at the workshop entrance, dismantling that old water pump.
After Ding Haisheng finished explaining the situation, he looked at Jiang Haiping and said that the boy was more honest than his father, but he was easily swayed and could be led astray by others. He suggested that Jiang Haiping should experience it for himself first.
Jiang Haiping closed the refurbished parts record and placed it on the worktable before leaving the workshop.
The rain has stopped, and the last few dark clouds over the sea are moving eastward.
Sunlight peeked through the gaps in the clouds, making the wet, rocky beach gleam.
The seawater in the stone trough had risen to half-tide again. Old Sun's sampan on the boat raft had just had its rudder replaced, and the newly welded seams gleamed with a dark silver light in the sunlight.
Ah Shun sat at the entrance of the used parts warehouse cleaning the impeller, while Hong Xiaobing neatly wrote down a date on a new page of the register.
Turn to the temporary worker attendance section of the register; that section is currently empty.
Lin Xiu'e came out of the kitchen carrying a basin of freshly mixed tung oil putty. The basin was still warm. She glanced at the faces busy at the workshop entrance, asked nothing, and quietly walked over, placing the basin in a convenient spot by the stone trough.
Qiu Changhai sat on the stone stool, twirling the two old walnuts in his hand. He glanced at the window facing Ding Haifeng, then slowly looked away and picked up the chisel to continue carving the groove.
The chisel struck the hemp fibers, again and again.