HPDBC Chapter 83 Before the game
Chapter 83 Before the game
Jiang Haiping squatted on the rocks, spread the account book on his knees, and scratched down the lines with his fingernails.
For Hong Laosan's loan, the repayment date was changed from "before the Frost's Descent" to "half of the repayment before the Winter Solstice." He wrote it down with a ballpoint pen that morning, and the sea breeze made the handwriting a little crooked.
He paused on this line, then looked down.
Old Chen bought a computer repair shop on credit at the beginning of the year, paid back 60 yuan, and still owes 20 yuan.
The boat that Hong Chuandong salvaged had a major repair bill of 320 yuan, which he paid off after fishing for two years. That debt has now been crossed out with a red pen.
There are also three or four other ship names, with repayment dates all before the end of the year.
Jiang Haiping looked at the names one by one without saying a word.
He jumped off the rocks, his shoes making a clattering sound as he stepped on the gravel, and walked back into the yard to put the account book on the worktable.
The seawater stains on the cover of the ledger hadn't dried yet, leaving several dark dots.
Ah Guang reached out and touched it, his fingertips feeling slightly salty and damp. He pulled his hand back. "Hong Laosan's page has been corrected." He opened the register and pointed it out to him.
"Okay." Jiang Haiping pulled out half a sheet of old newspaper from under the worktable and wrote a few lines on it with a ballpoint pen.
Ah Guang tilted his head to look, and it read: "Hong Laosan, halfway before the winter solstice," "Lao Chen, before the new year," and "Hong Chuandong, already cleared."
After listing them, he added a line at the bottom: "Check the general ledger before the New Year, December 23rd."
"The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month?" Ah Guang asked.
"On the day before the Lunar New Year," Jiang Haiping folded the old newspaper and tucked it into the account book, "whether the debts are paid off or not, the accounts must be reconciled."
Over in the workshop, the diesel engine has been reinstalled.
Ah Hai tightened the injector cap and shouted, "Master Fang, it's installed!"
Old Fang walked over with a cigarette in his mouth, bent down to look at the oil line connectors, and ran his fingers over each connector.
When I touched the third one, my hand stopped.
"This connector is leaking oil. We need to disassemble and reassemble it, and replace the copper gasket with a new one, as the old one was deformed."
Ah Hai squatted down to disassemble the connector, turned the wrench twice and then stopped. "Master Fang, we're out of old copper washers, we'll have to go to town to buy some."
"Looking for Haiping." Old Fang stood up and glanced into the courtyard.
Jiang Haiping had already heard it. He put down the ledger, walked to the workshop door, and asked, "How many?"
"Two are enough," Ahai said. "Let's prepare two more."
"Four." Jiang Haiping took out a small notebook from his pocket and wrote it down: four copper washers, three cents each at the hardware store in town.
He put the notebook back in his pocket, looked at the sky, and saw that the sunlight had just passed over the top of the loquat tree.
"Is there anything else you need to bring?"
"Me." Ding Haifeng stood up from the old parts warehouse, holding a vernier caliper in his hand. The caliper with the word "Feng" on it was placed on top. "I've finished measuring the water pump impeller data. I want to go to town to see if there are any blueprints for old water pumps."
"The blueprints might not be available in town." Old Fang put his cigarette back in his mouth.
"It's fine to take a look." Ding Haifeng folded the draft paper and put it into his shirt pocket.
Jiang Haiping nodded and walked to the gate of the courtyard to push his bicycle.
The only Flying Pigeon at the service station was still in good condition; the tire treads weren't worn down yet, and the chain was oiled.
He climbed onto the bicycle seat and glanced back at the kitchen.
Lin Xiu'e squatted by the stone trough, holding a chisel in her hand, with the fifth pine plank in front of her. She looked up when she heard the chain rattle.
"Buy copper washers in town."
"Bring back two pounds of salt. The salt jar in the kitchen is almost empty."
Jiang Haiping nodded and stepped out of the courtyard gate on the foot pedal.
Ding Haifeng followed behind on Lao Fang's old 28-inch bicycle. The rear fender was missing a screw, which he was fixing with a wire, and the chain was making a creaking sound.
It's about five miles from Moon Island to the town. The wind is strong on the seawall, so you have to ride against the wind if you go north.
Jiang Haiping lowered his body, and the collar of his blue work clothes was blown up by the wind, hitting his neck with a slapping sound.
Ding Haifeng followed behind, riding at a moderate pace. The mudguards of the old bicycle swayed in the wind, and the twisted end of the wire rubbed against the wheel rim, making a soft metallic friction sound.
When I arrived in town, the department store and hardware store had just opened.
The shop was next to the supply and marketing cooperative, with two storefronts and several rolls of wire and bamboo ladders placed at the entrance.
Jiang Haiping parked his car, pushed open the door, and went inside. Behind the counter, a salesperson was dusting the shelves with a feather duster.
"Four copper washers, three centimeters each." He handed over the slip of paper with the specifications written on it.
The sales clerk turned around, rummaged through the shelves for a while, took out a small cardboard box, counted out four copper washers, wrapped them in old newspaper, and said, "One dollar and two cents."
Jiang Haiping took out two small bills and two coins from his pants pocket and placed them on the counter.
The salesperson shoved the coins into the drawer, pressed the small bills under the metal box, and pushed the newspaper package over.
Jiang Haiping took it and weighed it in his hand. The copper washer made a soft metallic sound as it tapped against the newspaper, sounding light and flimsy.
Ding Haifeng stood in front of the shelf, his gaze fixed on a set of plug gauges. He glanced at the price tag, then put his hands back in his pockets.
"Comrade, do you have the blueprints for an old water pump?"
The salesperson shook his head. "You'll have to ask the agricultural machinery company for the blueprints. We only sell parts here."
Ding Haifeng grunted in agreement and didn't ask any more questions. He walked to the door, then glanced back at the gauge set.
Jiang Haiping stuffed the copper gasket into his work clothes pocket and went out the door.
There were several people queuing outside the grocery store next to the supply and marketing cooperative. He went in and saw a large wooden barrel behind the counter filled with coarse salt. The salt grains were grayish-white, and some had clumped together.
The salesperson tapped the items twice with a wooden mallet before they dispersed.
"Two pounds of salt."
The salesperson rolled up a newspaper into a cone shape, scooped in two spoonfuls of salt, weighed it on the scale, and said, "Two yuan and forty cents."
A few grains of salt leaked out from the seam of the newspaper and landed on the counter. The salesperson swept them into her palm with her finger and poured them back into the wooden bucket.
Jiang Haiping took the salt container and put it in the bicycle basket. Ding Haifeng was already waiting at the door. The two rode towards Moon Island one after the other.
Have a safe trip back.
The sea breeze pushes you forward from behind; you don't need to pedal hard, the wheels roll forward on their own.
Ding Haifeng rode up to Jiang Haiping and remained silent for a long while.
"Brother Haiping."
"Um."
"I want to do the entire water pump refurbishment myself from start to finish."
Jiang Haiping steadied the car and glanced at him sideways.
"We started by dismantling the old pump, cleaning, inspecting, matching gaps, replacing seals, and installing and testing it. We did every step ourselves."
Jiang Haiping didn't reply, staring at the sun-bleached mud road in front of the seawall. He rode for quite a while.
"OK."
"The service station has an old water pump; you've measured the impeller dimensions. The casing is badly rusted, and all the seals need to be replaced. Prepare a solution first, then show it to Master Fang."
Ding Haifeng pedaled the old bicycle pedals faster a couple of times, and the creaking of the chain became more rapid.
The reeds on both sides of the seawall rustled in the wind, and several of them lay fallen across the mudflats, their stalks withered and yellow.
By the time I rode back to the service station, the sunlight was almost overhead.
A Jialing 70 motorcycle was parked at the entrance of the courtyard, with a gray canvas bag hanging on the handlebars.
Wang Cunzhi sat under a loquat tree, holding an enamel mug, talking to Lao Fang. The tree's shadow flickered across his round face.
"Hai Ping." Wang Cunzhi stood up and waved. "Perfect timing, I have something to tell you."
Jiang Haiping propped up the bicycle, placed the salt container at the entrance of the kitchen, and handed the copper washer to Ahai who ran over.
Ah Hai took the call and ran to the workshop.
"What is it?" He walked to the loquat tree, squatted down, picked up a broken seashell, and rubbed it between his fingers.
"The date for the competition has been set." Wang Cunzhi pulled a mimeographed document from his canvas bag; the paper still smelled of ink. "The ninth day of next month, the location is in the county agricultural machinery company compound. The county has approved four of your participation slots."
"Which four?" Old Fang took the cigarette out of his mouth.
Wang Cunzhi looked down at the documents: "Ahai's diesel engine disassembly and assembly, Ding Haisheng's welding, Lin Xiu'e's caulking, and Zhou Haisheng's old parts management."
Jiang Haiping took the document and flipped through it. Some parts of the mimeograph were unclear, but all four names matched. He handed the document back to Wang Cunzhi, asking, "When will the competition rules and scoring criteria be released?"
"At the end of the month." Wang Cunzhi took out a few ribbonfish from his canvas bag. They were silvery and still had ice crystals on them. "Director Sun asked me to bring these along. He said the service station was working hard preparing for the war, so he wanted to add a dish to their menu."
"What else did Director Sun say?" Lao Fang asked.
"The rules must be followed correctly. Moon Island is a pilot site, and the results of the competition not only represent the service station but also the ship repair level of the entire county. If we get a ranking, it will be easier to get equipment subsidies next year." Wang Cunzhi patted the ice crystals off his hands.
Old Fang stood up, walked to the workshop door, and glanced inside.
Ahai squatted down next to the diesel engine, tightening the oil line connector. He replaced the copper gasket, tightening the wrench carefully, pausing after each two turns, and wiping the connector with cotton yarn to check for oil leaks.
Ding Haisheng squatted in the new workshop, holding a welding torch in his hand and wearing a mask. The arc light flashed, and the sizzling sound of welding thick plates came from the door frame.
Lin Xiu'e was still by the stone trough.
Turn the fifth pine board over and run your fingertips over the back to check for any putty seepage.
Qiu Changhai sat on a stone stool at the entrance of the asbestos-roofed shed, twirling two walnuts in his hand, his eyes squinting as he watched Lin Xiue's movements.
He watched for a while, then stood up, slowly walked over, bent down, and tapped the pine board twice.
"The hemp thread in the seventh seam is a bit loose. The groove was cut a little too deep, so the hemp thread wasn't filled completely. Add another strand."
Lin Xiu'e squatted down, picked up a strand of hemp thread from the ball of hemp, rubbed it in her palm a couple of times, and then stuffed it into the groove.
Qiu Changhai watched for a while, nodded, and then sat back down on the stone stool.
Jiang Haiping stood under the loquat tree, looked around at the people in the courtyard, and handed the documents back to Wang Cunzhi. "Four projects, by the ninth of next month. The evaluation criteria will be released at the end of the month, less than twenty days away."
"That's enough," Lao Fang's voice came from the workshop.
"Ah Guang," Jiang Haiping called out as he turned around.
Ah-Guang was squatting by the worktable flipping through the registration book when he looked up.
"The evaluation criteria have been released. Help Zhou Haisheng study them. You're more familiar with old file management than he is."
"Okay." Ah Guang closed the register. "I'll prepare a list of old items for him to practice on first."
Jiang Haiping squatted under the loquat tree and disassembled the salt container.
A few grains of salt leaked out from between the newspaper pages and landed on the bluestone slab, their grayish-white color reflecting the midday sun.
He picked up the salt grains one by one, then got up and went into the kitchen.
The salt container was almost empty, with only a thin layer left on the bottom of the earthenware pot. He stood the newspaper tube upright, and the salt grains fell down finely, pattering softly against the bottom of the pot.
Lin Xiu'e brought the steamed sweet potato chips to the courtyard and gave each person a slice.
Ah Hai reached out and grabbed it, then ran back to the diesel engine, chewing as he tightened the oil line connector.
Ding Haisheng took off his gloves, took the food, nodded, and squatted down at the entrance of the new workshop to eat slowly.
Ding Haifeng stood by the worktable, broke the dried sweet potato in half, and handed one half to A-Guang.
Ah-Guang was writing on the last page of the register, a sweet potato chip in his mouth, and mumbled, "The ninth day of next month."
No one spoke in the yard except for the sputtering of the diesel engine, the clattering of chisels against the mortise, and the rustling of the loquat leaves in the sea breeze.
The date for the grand competition was set, and everyone worked a little faster than before.