1992: Starting with the Second Generation of Shipowners

Chapter 25 Provincial Capital

In early September, the weather in the provincial capital cooled down faster than in the coastal area.

Lao Fang, Ding Haisheng, Lin Xiu'e, and A Guang—the four of them took a long-distance bus. Lao Fang brought A Guang along, saying he wanted to broaden his horizons. Jiang Haiping stayed at the service station to look after the house. The long-distance bus belonged to the county transportation company; it was green with metal seats that creaked loudly.

It took four hours to drive from the coast to the provincial capital, mostly flat land. We only saw a few mountains as we approached the capital. Lin Xiu'e peered out the car window and asked, "Are those mountains? They don't look like the pictures." Old Fang replied, "What's so interesting about mountains? The shipyard in the provincial capital is what's truly beautiful."

Lin Xiue didn't turn around; it was the first time she had seen a real mountain, and she couldn't bear to look away.

The competition was held in the courtyard of the Provincial Fishing Vessel Inspection Bureau. The courtyard was larger than the Moon Island Service Station, and several decommissioned fishing boats were parked there, all specially brought in for the competitors to practice on.

Twelve county-level teams from across the province came, each team consisting of three people, all wearing their respective work uniforms.

The uniforms for the Binhai team were all washed by Lin Xiu'e; they were blue cloth jackets with the words "Binhai" embroidered in red thread on the left chest. While she was embroidering, she asked Qiu Changhai what font to use, and Qiu Changhai said to use regular script, so it would be easy to recognize.

Old Fang stood at the entrance of the registration area, hanging his competition certificate around his neck. The certificate was covered by a plastic sleeve, with a piece of cardboard inside that read: Fang Desheng, Binhai County Team, Competition Item: Main Unit Disassembly and Troubleshooting.

He glanced down at it, then stuffed the competition badge into his workwear pocket. He muttered to himself, "I've never worn a badge like this in my entire life."

Ding Haisheng's project was welding, and Lin Xiue's was grouting. The three of them competed in their respective areas, and their scores were added together to calculate the team score. Then, their individual scores were evaluated.

After registering, Lao Fang led the three men around the yard to look at the tools of the other teams. The Zhoushan team brought imported welding rods, with English printed on the packaging. Ding Haisheng glanced at them and said they were universal welding rods, with thin coatings, unsuitable for welding important structures. The Yantai team brought manual caulking tools; the chisels were newly sharpened and gleaming.

Old Fang squatted down and glanced at it, then stood up and said that the newly sharpened chisel's edge was too sharp and would easily damage the good board. A chisel with a dull sheen is much easier to use. After the tour, Old Fang didn't say anything on the way back to the guesthouse. He only spoke when he was almost inside, saying that the welders from the Zhoushan team came from the shipyard, and the mortise and tenon joint maker from the Yantai team looked to be about fifty years old.

tough battle.

Ding Haisheng said, "If it's going to be a tough battle, then it's going to be a tough battle." Lin Xiu'e didn't say anything, but hugged the tool bag to her chest.

The preliminary rounds were conducted in groups. The main unit disassembly and assembly was the first round.

The engine Lao Fang drew was a single-cylinder diesel engine, model 195, which was different from the main engine on the fishing boat.

The referee said it was deliberately arranged to test general repair skills, not just the ability to repair one type of machine. Old Fang squatted down and watched for three minutes, but didn't do anything.

Check how the fuel lines are routed, how the cooling water lines are routed, and whether there is a pattern to the tightening sequence of the bolts.

After reading it, I stood up, fastened the cuffs of my work clothes, and started to unbutton them.

His disassembly order was different from everyone else's. Everyone else disassembled the outer parts first, then the core. Lao Fang disassembled the core first, then the outer parts.

Loosen the cylinder head bolts diagonally, remove them one by one, and place them on a tray in the order they were removed.

The piston connecting rod assembly was pulled out of the cylinder liner and placed aside with cotton yarn as a pad. Only then did they turn back to disassemble the external fuel injection pump, generator, and water pump. The entire process took less than half the allotted time.

The referee watched from the sidelines without saying a word.

Old Fang neatly arranged all the disassembled parts on the worktable: a row of bolts, a row of washers, a row of gears, all arranged in perfect order. Then he raised his hand and announced, "Fang Desheng of Binhai Team, disassembly complete." The referee noted a number on the watch.

Afternoon troubleshooting. The referee set three faults on the machine, and the referee had to find and fix them within a time limit.

Old Fang started the engine, and judging from the sound, the exhaust pipe sputtered and sputtered, with an unstable rhythm.

He looked down at the fuel lines and felt the pulsation of the high-pressure fuel line with his hand. The pulsation was uneven, indicating that the injector in one cylinder was clogged. He then tested the cylinder head temperature with the back of his hand; one of the four cylinders had a lower temperature, indicating poor combustion.

The third problem was in the cooling system. He squeezed the water inlet pipe with his hand and found that the pipe wall had collapsed, indicating that the thermostat had rusted and was not circulating.

He found the three faults in half the allotted time. He removed the clogged fuel injector, cleared it with a thin steel wire, and put it back.

The thermostat was replaced, water was added, and the engine was tested again. The exhaust sound was stable, and the cylinder head temperature was uniform. He raised his hand again; all three problems were resolved. The referee recorded another number on the meter.

After leaving the competition venue, Lao Fang squatted on the steps and lit a cigarette.

Ah Guang ran over with an enamel mug and handed him a glass of water.

Old Fang took a sip and said the problem wasn't difficult: clogged fuel injectors, uneven cylinder head temperature, and a rusted thermostat. The repair shop encountered far more troublesome issues daily. A-Guang asked if he'd passed the preliminary round. Old Fang said he had.

Ding Haisheng's welding competition was scheduled for the second day. The competition included vertical welding and overhead welding.

The referee handed out a 12mm thick marine steel plate with a V-shaped bevel, requiring welding on both sides. Ding Haisheng put on a mask and inspected the cuffs of his gloves.

Ah Guang squatted on the sidelines, clenching his fists.

Ding Haisheng started with vertical welding. The welding rod moved from bottom to top, the arc was stable, the molten pool was uniform, the flux coating peeled up on its own, and with a gentle tap, the entire weld was clean and neat.

When welding overhead, he changed his posture, welding with his head tilted back. As the welding rod melted, molten iron dripped down and burned a hole in his glove.

He didn't dodge; he only took off his gloves after welding the seam. Ah Guang noticed a callus on his palm, the result of using a welding torch every day for the past two years.

After Ding Haisheng finished welding the last electrode, he knocked off the flux, cleaned it with a wire brush, raised his hand, and said in Chinese, "Ding Haisheng of Binhai Team, welding complete." The referee squatted down to examine the weld, looked at it for a while, measured it with a weld gauge, and recorded a number on the chart.

Lin Xiu'e's grouting competition was scheduled for the third day. The competition used a wooden sampan with a crack in the bottom plank, running from the bow to the middle of the boat. The judges required participants to first trim the crack and then grout it.

Lin Xiu'e squatted down, placed the chisel blade at the junction of the deep and shallow sections, and gently tapped down with the chisel at an angle, causing the rotten wood to crack.

She stopped knocking, looked at it, touched the edge of the groove with her hand, and frowned.

The old master craftsman sitting behind the judges' table was spinning two walnuts in his hands when he suddenly stopped; the walnuts stopped spinning. Lin Xiu'e rubbed the chisel on the scrap board a couple of times to remove the wood shavings stuck to the blade before chiseling again.

This time, the force was just right, and the rotten wood was chipped off in one piece, leaving a smooth and clean groove, without damaging any good boards.

The new board was inserted so tightly that it couldn't be pushed out by hand. The hemp fibers were torn evenly and stuffed into the gaps one by one, then tapped firmly with a blunt chisel.

She mixed the tung oil putty herself, scooping it out of a jar, the proportions just right, applying it to the hemp fibers, and smoothing it out. One seam was finished.

Master Qiu said that you can't rush when chiseling the grooves. You have to remove all the rotten wood, leaving no roots, so that the good boards won't be damaged at all.

She wiped the chisel clean, stood up, and whispered, "Lin Xiu'e, Binhai Team Moon Island Service Station, finished sewing."

The old man who was turning walnuts on the judges' stand put down the walnuts, slowly walked over, squatted down and ran his fingers over the crack, asking all sorts of questions. Then he stood up and looked at Lin Xiu'e, and slowly began to speak.

Who is Lao Qiu to you?

Lin Xiu'e was taken aback for a moment, then said, "You are my master."

The old master nodded and said, "No wonder, I recognize this technique. My surname is Chen, and I work in the same workshop as your master. Go back and tell him that the apprentice he taught is even more steady than he was when he was young."

Lin Xiu'e bowed.

After three days of competition, the Binhai team won second place in the team competition, Lao Fang won first place in the individual competition, Ding Haisheng won second place in welding, and Lin Xiue won second place in grouting.

When the results were announced, Lao Fang stood in front of the bulletin board and looked at the list on the red paper three times from beginning to end.

The first time, look at yourself; the second time, look at Ding Haisheng and Lin Xiue; the third time, look at the group.

After watching, he took out a cigarette, lit it, and handed one to Ding Haisheng, saying that it's not shameful for the team to come in second.

Ding Haisheng tucked the cigarette behind his ear and said, "Come back next year and take first place."

Old Fang offered Lin Xiu'e a cigarette, but Lin Xiu'e waved her hand and said no.

On the long-distance bus back to Binhai, Lao Fang pressed the award certificate on his knees.

The certificate was covered in bright red plastic, with a piece of cardboard inside bearing the red stamp of the Provincial Fishing Vessel Inspection Bureau.

Ah Guang borrowed the certificate and looked at it from beginning to end, saying, "Master Fang, your name is printed really big."

Old Fang said that a big name is useless; great skills are what matter.

Lin Xiu'e sat by the window, holding her certificate in her arms.

Ah-Guang asked her what was written on the certificate, and she said it said "Second place in sewing".

Ah Guang said to Xiu'e, "When you were an apprentice, you were already second place. You'll definitely be first next year."

Lin Xiu'e didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

As the car passed over that mountain, she leaned out the window to look again.

The mountains were still the same few mountains, but this time she looked at them for a shorter time. After a while, she turned around and asked, "Master Fang, what's the shipyard in the provincial capital like?"

Old Fang said he'd take you to see the competition next time. Lin Xiu'e agreed, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. The certificate rested on her knees, her hand on top of it.

It was afternoon when we got back to the service station.

Jiang Haiping squatted at the gate of the courtyard and waited. When he saw them walking over from the seawall, he stood up and patted his pants.

From afar, I could see Lao Fang's competition certificate hanging on his chest. The certificate was still on, and the red plastic skin reflected the sunlight.

Old Fang walked closer, took out the certificate, and handed it to him. Jiang Haiping opened it and looked at it.

Old Fang said that the team comes second, the individual comes first, the welder comes second, and the seam caulking comes second.

Jiang Haiping closed the certificate and returned it to Lao Fang, saying that he was second this year and first next year.

Old Fang laughed and pointed to A Guang, who was squatting next to him, saying that this kid said the same thing in the provincial capital.

Lin Xiu'e stood at the gate of the courtyard without coming in, holding the certificate in her arms. She looked at the two wooden signs of the boat repair shop, one old and one new. Master Qiu was squatting by the stone trough repairing a small sampan. Since she left, the suturing of the boat repair shop had all fallen on him alone, and his back was bent even more.

She walked over and squatted down next to Qiu Changhai. She placed the certificate on his lap. "Master Qiu, second in the seamstressing profession." She paused, then said, "Master Chen asked me to mentor you, saying he knows you."

Qiu Changhai picked up the certificate and looked at it.

Opening it, you'll find Lin Xiue, ranked second in sewing, printed on the cardboard inside.

He closed the certificate, placed it on his lap, and spoke after a long pause, his voice softer than usual.

Old Chen. He's still alive.

Lin Xiu'e said she was alive, sitting on the referee's bench spinning walnuts, the walnuts making a clattering sound.

Qiu Changhai returned the certificate to her, stood up, rubbed his lower back, and his voice returned to its usual muffled tone.

"We'll take first place next year."