1992: Starting with the Second Generation of Shipowners

Chapter 116 The old tugboat is launched

The day the old tugboat was repaired was a small high tide.

Old Hong arrived before dawn.

He rode over from Hongjia Island, with half a bag of sweet potatoes tied to the back seat. It was the last batch stored until the beginning of summer, and the sand on the surface had been wiped off with a damp cloth.

He placed the sweet potato at the entrance of the kitchen and squatted down beside the boat, running his hand over the bottom of the boat.

The bottom of the boat was painted with two coats of anti-rust paint, dark red in color, and after being sanded, it was so smooth that it could reflect light.

All eight rotten ship planks were replaced with new ones. The old ship planks were delivered by Boss Chen, and they fit in perfectly.

The steel plates clamped to the keel were tightly secured with bolts, and Ding Haifeng tightened them one by one with a torque wrench yesterday.

The old scar on the hull that ran from the hull edge to the hull was filled with welding rods.

Ding Haisheng welded it in three stages: the base coat, the filler coat, and the cover coat. After welding, he used a grinding wheel to grind it smooth, and now it feels as smooth as the hull next to it.

The seam is tucked from the bow to the stern.

Lin Xiu'e and Xiao Zhou squatted down one side, removing all the old hemp fibers and re-twisting the hemp fibers to fill the gaps with tung oil putty.

The last seam at the bottom of the boat was finished yesterday evening. The tung oil putty hadn't dried completely yet. Lin Xiu'e put the chisel on the side of the boat, stood up, and patted the sand off her knees.

Ah-Guang squatted by the raft, took out the register, and checked the repair records from beginning to end.

Eight keel nails were used, eight rotten planks were replaced, twelve welding rods were used, three catties of hemp fiber were used, and four basins of tung oil putty were prepared.

Each item was neatly labeled with a number and date.

Old Fang walked out of the workshop with a cigarette in his mouth, squatted down, and tapped the bottom of the boat with the handle of a chisel.

The sound of the wood was crisp and clear, unlike the dull thud it made a few days ago.

He took the cigarette out of his mouth.

"Push it down."

Hong Laosan brought the fishing boat closer, tied a hemp rope to the stern, and swung the end of the rope onto the old tugboat.

Hong Laowu caught the rope end, wrapped it three times around the bow bollard, and tied a knot.

Hong Xiaobing and Ashun each kicked away one of the stone blocks under the boat raft, and the stones rolled on the sand with a dull thud.

The hull of the old tugboat first slid across the sand, then slowly slid into the water.

The moment the hull entered the water, a white wave splashed up, and the spray hit the side of the ship with a loud thud.

The boat rocked twice in the water, then slowly stabilized.

The bottom of the boat does not seep, and the side of the boat does not tilt.

The cracks on the keel were held in place by the steel plate and didn't budge at all.

Hong Laowu stood on the dock and watched.

He was still clutching the shovel in his hand, its handle worn smooth and shiny.

He placed the shovel on the raft, jumped onto the boat, squatted down on the deck, and ran his palm over the gunwale.

The old paint on the ship's hull has worn off, and the wood grain, weathered by the sea breeze for over a decade, feels like layers of ripples on water.

"This boat can still go out to sea," Old Fang said, standing on the dock.

Hong Laowu squatted on the boat, head down, without saying a word.

He pulled his hand back from the gunwale, wiped his face with his sleeve, stood up, and jumped back onto the dock.

"Brother Haiping." He took a plastic bag out of his pocket and handed it to him; the bag contained money.

Five-yuan notes, one-yuan notes, and a few small bills were neatly stacked. "Service station material fees. Hemp fiber is five yuan and forty cents. The anti-rust paint was given by Old Chen, and the bolts were also given by Old Chen. I've saved up enough money for the hemp fiber."

Jiang Haiping took the plastic bag and weighed it in his hand.

He took the ledger out of his pocket and turned to the page with Hong Laowu.

The lines drawn in red pen are dense and numerous, the last one being the thirteen yuan and one mao that were paid off before the start of summer.

He added another line at the bottom of the remarks column: "Hemp fiber material cost five yuan and forty cents, already paid."

After finishing writing, close the notebook and put it back in your pocket.

"The boat is repaired. Let's go out to sea and try it out." He leaned against the loquat tree trunk.

Hong Laosan pushed the throttle up on the fishing boat, and the diesel engine sputtered up, creating a white wave at the stern.

The old tugboat followed behind the fishing boat, with Hong Laowu holding the rudder, and the bow cleaved through the gray-green seawater as it sailed out of the harbor.

Several fishermen stood on the rocks in the harbor, some squatting on the rocks smoking, watching the old tugboat slowly pass by.

Many people had seen that boat before, when it was moored under the crooked banyan tree. There was a crack in the side of the boat, and the wire was rusted black.

The hole is gone now, the bottom of the boat has been repainted, and the keel has been repaired.

When the boat reached the outside of the harbor, Hong Laosan turned the fishing boat around.

The old tugboat followed behind, and when it turned to the side, you could see the dark red anti-rust paint on the bottom reflecting off the water.

After a trial run, the boat returned and docked at the pier.

Hong Laowu handed the helm to Hong Xiaobing, jumped off the boat, and walked to the loquat tree.

"I've been out to sea. The boat was in excellent condition." He stood there, rubbed his hands on his trousers, and looked up at the people in the yard.

Ahai squatted down next to the diesel engine, wiping the torque wrench, while Ding Haifeng took a micrometer and measured old bearings under the window of the old parts warehouse.

Ding Haisheng squatted at the entrance of the new workshop, counting the remaining welding rods, while A Guang lay on the workbench writing in the register.

Lin Xiu'e came out of the kitchen and carried out the enamel mugs one by one, placing them on the stone slab.

"If this ship breaks down again, we'll call the service station again." After saying that, Hong Laowu took the enamel mug from Jiang Haiping and took a sip.

The sugar hadn't dissolved yet, and there was a single sugar crystal at the bottom of the bowl that hadn't been stirred away. He picked it up and gulped it down, then placed the enamel mug on the stone slab and turned to go back to the dock.

After taking a couple of steps, he turned back, bent down, picked up the crooked piece of the seashell from the circle of broken seashells, and pressed it back into place.

The seashell had been bent out of shape by the tugboat a few days ago and was stuck at an angle in the soil. He used his fingers to pry it out and flattened it before leaving.

At lunchtime, a circle of enamel mugs was placed on the stone slab at the entrance of the kitchen.

The ribbonfish was pan-fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and each person was given two pieces. The sweet potatoes were steamed until soft and sticky, and you could pull out strands when you picked them up with chopsticks.

Old Sun arrived at some unknown time. He stood at the gate of the courtyard without coming in, carrying a cloth bag in his hand, and looked into the courtyard for a long time.

The old tugboat on the raft has left, and the dilapidated boat that had been sitting idle for two years was being repaired day by day under his watch.

He took two mint leaves out of his cloth bag and placed them on the stone slab at the entrance of the kitchen. Then he took out a small plastic bag containing dried shrimp.

He placed the dried shrimp on the stove, together with the bag that Old Chen had given him last time.

"Go back and feed the chickens." He turned and walked away, but after a couple of steps, he looked back at the direction of the boat rafts.

The boat rafts were now empty, leaving only a few stone blocks resting on the sand.

After finishing work in the afternoon, Lao Fang squatted at the workshop entrance wiping the third wooden sign.

The rag was rubbed back and forth on the words "Standardization Construction Pilot Unit" several times, until the words reflected the sunlight.

After wiping the three wooden plaques, he straightened up and draped the rag over the water ladle.

Ah-Guang ran out of the old parts warehouse and flipped the register to the page with the old ship planks.

Eight of the ship dismantling planks in the old parts warehouse were eaten up by Hong Laowu's old tugboat. Combined with the ones used in the previous centralized maintenance, only two planks remain in the inventory.

Four of the six ship planks that Boss Chen brought were used to fill the gap, so there are now six planks left in the warehouse.

"There are only six old ship planks left in the warehouse. That's only enough to repair one more ship," Ah Guang said, pointing to the inventory figures with his finger.

"It's okay if it's slow. Old ship planks are collected by dismantling ships, and you only get a few pieces from dismantling a ship. The service station isn't in a hurry to stock up on supplies; let's first establish another rule for ship repair." Old Fang took the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked off the ash.

"In the future, if the service station encounters boats that cannot be repaired due to lack of repair costs or that are damaged and cannot be repaid on credit, we will help if we can."

Used items are donated from the warehouse, and the origin and destination of each item are clearly recorded.

The old parts warehouse was built by the fishermen themselves, and when they ran out, everyone would share some of their supplies.

Like Boss Chen, like Old Chen applying anti-rust paint, like Old Hong helping to tug the boat.

No one owes anyone anything, but everyone knows they owe someone a favor.

Jiang Haiping stood under the loquat tree and turned to the last page of his account book.

Ah Guang had already neatly written a draft of the service station's old parts assistance system on it, including the source, target, conditions, and registration method, with a remarks column after each item.

"Ah Guang, this page is yours. You'll be the first to know if anyone can't afford to repair their boat in the future."

"I understand." Ah-Guang closed the registration book and hugged it to his chest.

The tide is rising on the sea.

Fishing boats in the distance are returning to port, and the sputtering sound of diesel engines can be heard through the sea breeze.

The dew clinging to the broken seashells had long since dried, turning white from the sunlight.

The leaves of the loquat tree gradually turned from pale yellow to bluish-green, and the largest tree was already taller than a person.

When Old Sun left, he placed two mint leaves on the rocks. They were blown over by the sea breeze and then pressed down by the wind.