Chapter 21 Prepare Early

After chatting about Xu Sanye's gossip, they started working.

The engine room was too hot, so they took the disassembled parts to the shed for maintenance.

Boss Wu's shipyard not only builds ships but also repairs them, equipped with several rectangular, flat, iron-made "baskets."

Han Yu borrowed two, poured some diesel into them, cleaned the oil pipes and various parts, and used sandpaper and even files to meticulously grind off the rust or other stains that couldn't be washed off...

Repairing machinery was not difficult; as long as one understood the principles and the functions of each component, disassembled them for individual maintenance, directly replaced those that were damaged or severely worn, and then reassembled them.

As long as he mastered the eight challenges of three leaks, cylinder pressure, timing, three filters, diesel atomization, through holes and tiny holes, and running-in, he could get these two old 6135 engines up and running.

Listening to the radio, with an electric fan blowing, sitting under the shed maintaining each part, it was neither hot nor very tiring, but just a little dirty.

While he was busily enjoying his work, Xiao Jiang, who had been welding all morning, came over rubbing his eyes.

"Salted Fish, when are you planning to hoist the cylinder?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow is Sunday, won't you rest on Sunday?"

Hoisting the main engine was a real overhaul, and Han Yu couldn't do it alone; he looked up, smiled, and said, "My brother-in-law has a day off the day after tomorrow, I'll get him to come help."

Xiao Jiang went and opened the tap on the thermos, poured a bowl of tea, took a big sip, and sat down to ask, "Your brother-in-law knows how to fix machines too?"

"He is the head mechanic at Binjiang Port Pier; he's more skilled in this than I am," Han Yu picked up a piece of waste cotton yarn, wiped his hands, and also picked up his tea bowl for a drink.

"How many hours does it take to get here from Binjiang?"

"I phoned him at noon, he said he would take the Port Authority's transport boat over. It's fast by water, at most one hour."

"There are boats from the Binjiang Port Authority coming to Bailong Port?"

"Of course, many of the pier workers live in Binjiang."

Not knowing much about river matters and not very interested in the pier, Xiao Jiang curiously asked about the recent arrests by the Yanjiang Police Station, and Han Yu could only mention what was permissible.

While they were talking, a man in his forties came over on a bicycle looking for Boss Wu.

Han Yu thought he was another person coming to ask Boss Wu for a favor, but he judged too hastily.

The visitor was an individual ship operator, a customer who had ships built at Boss Wu's yard; the ship Xiao Jiang was welding all morning belonged to him.

Spending so much money, the visitor wanted to check on the progress and the quality.

While Boss Wu was accompanying the visitor to tour the riverbank, Xiao Jiang suddenly remarked, "This Boss Zhang jumps at shadows; he clearly owns a new thirty-five-ton cement ship, yet upon hearing rumors that the state might soon ban cement ships from river operations, he borrowed money to build an iron ship."

Words spoken without thought, the listener ponders with intent.

A familiar "misconception" suddenly surged in Han Yu's mind, followed by a series of associations:

The sudden ban on cement ships from engaging in river transport by the Ministry of Transport left his father stunned, his mother tear-streaked, and his brother and sister-in-law frantic...

The family's two ships were bought not many years ago; one, including the machinery, cost forty-one thousand, the other, bought on a loan, cost forty-five thousand.

They were not only tools of livelihood but also home, even life itself!

But policy changes came too swiftly; when they said no running, there was no running.

With the previous loan not yet paid off, they had no choice but to sell the two expensively purchased cement outboard boats at extremely low prices. Then, they had to beg a shipping company leader to help them take out a bank loan to buy a fifty-ton iron ship.

Buried in debt, four people crammed into a single ship, braving wind and rain, it would take a hard seven to eight years to pay off the loan...

"Salted Fish, Salted Fish, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing."

Han Yu recovered, and asked in a low voice, "How's the shipyard's business this year? How many orders have you taken on recently?"

Xiao Jiangput down his teacup and smiled, "Business is alright this year. Including the one we're currently building, we've taken on six orders. If Manager Wu can get more steel, we could take on a few more."

"The bosses who come to build ships, did they all previously use cement ships?"

"Mostly, now many shipowners are switching."

Thinking he might not understand, Xiao Jiang further explained, "In the past, once a ship was built, getting someone from the Transportation Bureau to check it was enough to issue a certificate, but not anymore. Now it must go to some ship inspection site, and I heard it's already impossible to get certificates for newly built cement ships."

Old cement ships can continue running, but new ones can't get certificates; this means banning cement ships from transport is only a matter of time.

Reselling the cement ships now could still bring in some money. Once the state prohibits cement ships from engaging in water transportation, they would become worthless.

Realizing that his parents, brother, and sister-in-law should prepare early, Han Yu fell silent for a moment, then asked nonchalantly, "Where's your cousin?"

"He went to collect grain at the sluice gate; he should be here soon."

Xiao Jiang stood up to check the small sluice gate to the north, worried that Boss Wu might think he was slacking off. He picked up his welding mask and ran back to the riverbank to continue working.

Huang Jiangsheng wasn't collecting new rice and eggs by going house-to-house but rather set up a collection point at the sluice gate like collecting scrap.

The local elderly all knew him; those who wanted to exchange eggs laid by their chickens for some money would pack them in baskets and bring them to the sluice gate to sell to him.

As for the new rice, locals transported it by boat, and farther places mainly relied on small grain traders to collect.

Most of the small grain dealers are locals.

This trade doesn't require any capital; all they need to do is to negotiate a price with the people who have surplus grain, weigh the rice accurately, transport it by boat to the sluice, sell it to Huang Jiangsheng and then deliver the grain payment to the people who sold the grain to make some hard-earned money.

Under the slope on the west side of the sluice, there is a row of old houses. Huang Jiangsheng rented them from the village for very little money, bought an electric rice milling machine, milled the rice into bags, and sold it by catching favorable winds down to East Sea; he sold the leftover chaff to the villagers for feeding pigs.

He never short-weights, his attitude is good, the prices he offers are fair, and he pays in cash!

The locals nearby prefer to sell their surplus grain to him after fulfilling their public grain quota; specifically, they'd rather not negotiate with the grain station or see the unpleasant faces of the station staff.

Because of this, Four Factory Grain Station reported him more than once, but according to People's Daily, this didn't count as speculation and profiteering, and it seemed like nothing came of it in the end.

Running ships is so laborious and dangerous and doesn't make much money; Han Yu was considering that his parents and brother and sister-in-law didn't necessarily have to operate ships; they could totally trade like Huang Jiangsheng. Carrying a stack of newspapers, Huang Jiangsheng came back humming a tune.

Boss Wu watched as the ship boss who came to confirm construction progress left, and smilingly asked Huang Jiangsheng: "Brother Huang, reading and looking at the news again?"

"Got them from the village office; they don't even read them, I take them to pass the time."

"What's the news today?"

"Big news."

"What big news?"

Huang Jiangsheng handed over the newspaper, not without Schadenfreude: "Your province is implementing burial reform. Linghai has been designated a cremation county, henceforth everyone has to be cremated when they die. The news says cremation rates must reach a hundred percent!"

The thought of Linghai County turning into a cremation county sounded weird, and Han Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

It's believed that the dead should rest in peace in the earth, just thinking about cremation scares people.

Boss Wu is quite traditional in his thinking, hurriedly took the newspaper, and with a furrowed brow said, "Cremation has been implemented before, but it was for city folks, farmers didn't have to be cremated when they died."

"From now on, it will be the same. Dead means they get pulled to be cremated."

"My old man just made his coffin."

"It's indeed hard to do ideological work for the elderly. Once it's officially implemented, I don't know how many old people will lose sleep."

"It's fine for the officials to be cremated, why should the populace be burned..."

Boss Wu didn't quite understand the provincial burial reform policy and felt it was a big deal, so he took the newspaper back to his office to study it carefully.

East Sea had already implemented cremation; Huang Jiangsheng thought this was nothing new.

Seeing Boss Wu so frightened, he suddenly remembered a song and began to sing it with exaggerated intonations.

"Young friends, meeting today, step into the crematorium, all turn to ash. One pile for you, one pile for me, no one recognizes anyone, flies and mosquitoes buzzing around the ashes…"

The rhythm was upbeat and imbued with the spirit of reform and opening-up; the song "Young Friends Gather," was unexpectedly turned into this, and Han Yu almost burst into laughter.

Not only could Huang Jiangsheng sing, but he could also dance; seeing the little police officer laugh like that, he extended his arms and performed like a concert singer, singing more vigorously.

"Young friends, who owns the public cemetery, it belongs to me, to you, to us, the new generation of the eighties…"

The lyrics were all jumbled up, the singing was still passable, and his stage presence wasn't bad either; Han Yu's tears were coming out from laughter.

"Brother Huang, is this bel canto or folk singing?"

"Don't know, just singing for fun."

Huang Jiangsheng opened his arms wide, gave a very exaggerated bow, and then sat down and asked with a laugh, "You guys arrested a lot of scalpers this morning, and even made those who helped scalpers buy tickets turn themselves in?"

"That's right." Han Yu shifted a bit to the side, not wanting to get grease on him.

"The village office is quite lively now; there are two officials' wives and children who went to help scalpers buy tickets, and they are really in a panic."

"What good is panicking, if they've done it they should quickly go and turn themselves in."

"They dare not."

"Turning themselves in could earn them leniency, why wouldn't they dare?"

"Your Director is too formidable; they didn't know initially, only found out after asking around, and are afraid they won't come back if they go."

Xu Sanye really does have a reputation...

Han Yu secretly sighed, then asked with a laugh, "You sympathize with them?"

Huang Jiangsheng took out a cigarette, said scornfully, "I'm also a victim, how could I possibly sympathize with them."

"How did you become a victim?"

"I could head to East Sea early and queue up; if I don't get today's ticket, I can buy one for tomorrow to go back. But every time I return from East Sea, what I buy are black market tickets."

"Pity we can only crack down on the scalpers in Bailong Port, can't reach those in East Sea."

"It's already good to wipe out the scalpers in Bailong Port; when I went out to buy vegetables at noon, I heard it's easier to get tickets now."

Huang Jiangsheng straightforwardly believed that the clue to crack down the ticket scalpers was provided by him, since he had mentioned this to the little police officer before.

Since they were friends, he had to help all the way.

He looked back then leaned close to Han Yu and whispered, "Salted Fish, the ticket scalpers have been arrested, when are you planning to get those selling Foreign Exchange Certificates?"