pjbooks Chapter 63 Trouble
Chapter 63 Trouble
Jiang Haiping squatted at the workshop entrance, dismantling a newly delivered old water pump. The impeller was stuck, and he tried to tighten it with a wrench for a long time without success.
Ahai sprayed diesel fuel onto the bolts, and while the oil seeped in, the two of them squatted there looking at the layer of white salt frost on the water pump casing, neither of them saying a word.
The service station hasn't had much work these past few days. The training for the skills competition is proceeding as planned, and the diesel engines in the yard have become quieter since the training course ended.
Lin Xiu'e was squatting in front of an old ship plank, chiseling a groove in it. The pine plank was something A-Guang had found in the old parts warehouse last night.
She worked very slowly, picking for a while, then touching the bottom of the groove with her finger, then picking for a while again, measuring the depth with calipers, and then recording the numbers in the register next to her.
Qiu Changhai didn't come out today. Lao Fang said his back hurt and told him to rest in the shed and not to call him.
Around noon, a series of footsteps suddenly came from the gate of the courtyard. It wasn't the leisurely pace of fishermen on the dock, but the creaking sound of hard-soled leather shoes on the rocky beach, both hurried and heavy.
Jiang Haiping looked up and saw a man in his early forties standing at the gate of the courtyard.
He was short and stout, wearing a faded gray Zhongshan suit. Two pens were clipped to his pocket; one was new, its plastic cap still reflecting the light, while the other had a crooked clip, clearly an old pen that had been used for many years.
Two other men followed behind him. One was younger, in his early twenties, wearing a blue work uniform with oil stains on the cuffs, standing there looking around. The other was in his fifties, tall and thin, wearing an old military cap with the brim pulled low.
Jiang Haiping didn't recognize the leader, but Lao Fang did.
Old Fang stood up from the workshop door, not bothering to put out his cigarette, and not even bothering to brush the ash off his trouser leg. "Ding Fugui? What are you doing here?"
Old Fang's voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard throughout the entire courtyard.
Ding Haisheng was squatting in the new workshop welding and repairing the hull of a government vessel when he heard the name. He stopped welding, pushed his mask up to his forehead, and glanced out from the workshop door.
His gaze first fell on Ding Fugui, then swept over the young man, and finally settled on the tall, thin man.
Ding Fugui stood at the gate of the courtyard and did not go inside.
He was thinner than before, and his floral shirt had been replaced with a gray Zhongshan suit. He had taken off his gold chain, leaving only a faint mark on his neck.
"Master Fang, I'm not here to cause trouble. My boat was dismantled, the mudflats were confiscated, I paid the fine, and I've been back in my hometown for several years, almost three. I'm here on important business this time."
Ding Fugui's voice was lower than before, but he spoke slowly, uttering each word one by one, as if he had memorized it long ago.
"I heard that the service station is now a provincial pilot project, and it is doing well in fishing boat repair, refurbishment, and training courses."
Over the years, I've traveled around and gotten to know a few ship owners in Zhejiang. They're short of refurbishment machines there, and their prices are several times higher than here. I'm here to discuss cooperation.
Old Fang stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe without saying a word.
The young man behind Ding Fugui took a step forward, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it into a handwritten letter of intent for cooperation, stamped with a red seal, and written crookedly.
"This is my son, Ding Haifeng. Haisheng, your brother." Ding Fugui glanced at Ding Haisheng, who was standing at the entrance of the new workshop without moving, his welding torch still clutched in his hand, the welding rod already cold.
Ding Haifeng called out "Brother," but Ding Haisheng did not respond.
He was only two years older than Ding Haifeng, but he stayed at the service station in recent years because of his skills, and he never got involved in Ding Fugui's affairs.
His memory of his younger brother was of them picking oysters together on the mudflats when they were little. Later, his brother went to Guangdong, and Ding Haifeng was still young. They lost contact after that.
Ding Haifeng stood there, the letter of intent for cooperation in his hand rustling in the sea breeze, but no one went to take it.
Ding Fugui, feeling embarrassed, lowered his voice further. "Haisheng's maternal grandfather, my father-in-law, suffered a stroke last month and became paralyzed. The medical expenses have been considerable. Our family is truly struggling to make ends meet."
He pointed to the tall, thin man behind him, "This is Haisheng's uncle, the eldest uncle from the Zhou family. He's in his fifties this year. He worked as a cold-working worker in a shipyard in the south his whole life. He was laid off when the factory was restructured and couldn't find work after he came back."
I was thinking that if the service station could take him in, he could do sewing or dry work, he wouldn't be picky about the jobs.
"I go out to drum up business, and the service station picks up the orders I get. I get a small commission, and the old connections at the shipyard still come in handy."
Old Fang remained silent for a long time.
Lin Xiu'e's chisel stopped in mid-air, and A Guang poked his head out from the old parts warehouse, still clutching the register in his hand.
Hong Xiaobing and Ashun squatted by the stone trough, holding the cable they had just taken down.
Ahai placed the torque wrench on the worktable, stood up, and walked to the workshop door.
Old Fang took a step forward and stood in front of Ding Fugui. "Back when you were repairing ships at Baishakou, the rudder broke, so you just used welding rods to cover it up with a layer of paint and sold it as new. The fishermen almost died at sea."
Ding Haisheng hadn't even come to the service station yet. Now that the service station has just started its renovation business, you come knocking on our door to discuss cooperation, even bringing your son and making him call you "brother."
The color drained from Ding Fugui's face little by little.
He moved his lips several times, but finally only said one sentence: "Master Fang, I admit to those things. The boat raft was dismantled, the fine was paid, and the mudflats were confiscated. I came here this time because I really wanted to get some orders for the service station and earn some money for myself."
"You can leave now. There's no point in discussing cooperation." Old Fang threw his cigarette butt into the stone trough and turned to walk back to the workshop.
Ding Fugui stood there, his hands clenched into fists and then relaxed.
Ding Haifeng suddenly shouted, "My dad said those things are all in the past. My brother has worked at the service station for so many years, which can be considered as paying off my dad's debts. Why won't you release him?" His voice was much louder than Ding Fugui's.
"Who are you letting out? Who's not letting out people?" Jiang Haiping stood up. "You said your dad helps the service station get business, and he gets a small commission. Who's responsible if there are quality problems with the orders?"
"You're not exactly a formal company. When you sign contracts and affix your company seal, you'll be using the service station's sign. If there are quality issues, who will the fishermen come to you for help first?"
Ding Haifeng was about to say something more when Ding Fugui stopped him. "Alright, let's go."
He turned around and glanced at Ding Haisheng, his gaze lingering for a long time.
Ding Haisheng stood in the welding area, his welding torch resting on the worktable, without uttering a single word from beginning to end.
Ding Fugui led Ding Haifeng and the tall, thin man toward the seawall.
The footsteps were as hurried and heavy as when they came, but the sound gradually faded.
Ding Haifeng took a few steps and then looked back towards the service station until Ding Fugui pulled him back before he turned around and followed.
Jiang Haiping squatted down to remove the stuck bolt again, and Ahai squatted down next to him to hand him a wrench.
Ding Haisheng pulled down his mask and started welding the seam again.
The arc light cast intermittent light and shadow over the new workshop, and even after the welding slag was knocked away, the weld remained perfectly neat.
Old Fang picked up the high-pressure oil pump that he had half-disassembled again. The plungers were not yet fully installed. He wiped his handle with cotton yarn, arranged the plungers one by one, and continued to disassemble.
Jiang Haiping put down the wrench and glanced towards the new workshop.
Ding Haisheng squatted in the welding area, his mask pulled up to his forehead, the welding rod still clamped in the welding clamp.
The workshop lights weren't all on, and he sat in the shadows beside the welding machine, with the fluorescent light overhead only illuminating a corner of the welding station.
The dull wrench in his hand was made for him by Lao Fang a few years ago, with the character "生" (life) stamped on the back.
Hong Xiaobing returned from the stone trough, hung the cable on the hook at the entrance of the old parts warehouse, peeked into the workshop, and found Ding Haisheng still sitting inside.
He opened his mouth, but Ah Guang gently tugged at him from behind, and neither of them made a sound.
The service station courtyard quieted down, and wisps of smoke rose again from the chimney on the stove roof. Several fishing boats awaiting repair swayed gently in the stone trough.
The sea breeze rustled the loquat leaves, and the broken seashells gleamed white in the sunlight.
The waves lapped against the stone trough, one after another, slowly and steadily.