novelslam Chapter 10 Chinese New Year
Chapter 10 Chinese New Year
The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the Little New Year.
The ship repair shop was bustling from early morning. Old Chen arrived carrying an iron pot, put it in the yard, and said he would cook the New Year's Eve dinner at the repair shop this year to save everyone the trouble of carrying things back and forth. The iron pot was part of his wife's dowry; it had been used for over ten years, the bottom blackened by the fire, and the rim polished to a shine.
Old Fang bought five catties of pork, two ribbonfish, a bundle of celery, and three catties of tofu from town. When he came back, there was a plastic bucket of bulk liquor tied to the back of his bicycle, which made a gurgling sound when it was shaken.
Qiu Changhai didn't buy anything. He brought a folding round table from home; the tabletop was made of plywood with sheet metal lining the edges. He propped it up and wobbled a bit, but it was sturdy. Ah Hai also brought a bundle of firewood from home—pine branches dried in the summer sun. It crackled and popped when burned, releasing the smell of pine resin.
Lin Xiue and her mother were busy all morning, chopping meat, kneading dough, rolling out wrappers, and making more than 300 dumplings. The filling was pork and cabbage, and the wrappers were made of wheat flour mixed with a little sweet potato flour, rolled out to a thin and even thickness.
Ding Haisheng squatted at the entrance of the courtyard wall, using an oxy-acetylene torch to cut a piece of scrap steel. The cut piece was about the size of a palm, square, with smooth edges. Old Fang asked him what he was going to do with it. He said he was going to make a stove grate, because it was unstable to place an iron pot directly on a stone.
Old Fang squatted down to take a look and asked if the dimensions had been measured. Ding Haisheng said they had; the iron pot was 1.8 feet in diameter, the furnace chamber was 2.2 feet, and the vent was on the windward side. Old Fang nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Jiang Haiping was doing the accounts in the stone house. The boat repair shop had been open for more than four months, from August 16th to December 23rd, and had repaired a total of 31 boats. All ten boats belonging to the fishing company were completed, and 21 boats belonged to individual fishermen.
Total income was 14,600 yuan, material expenses were 6,200 yuan, Lao Fang and Qiu Changhai were each paid 800 yuan, Ding Haisheng worked for two months after his probation period and was paid 400 yuan. Ahai and Lin Xiue were provided with meals but not paid, but Jiang Haiping still gave each of them 50 yuan for the New Year.
After deducting site rental, electricity, and tool wear and tear, he had four thousand three hundred left in the account. He closed the ledger and locked it in the drawer. Four thousand three hundred was enough to level the rocky beach on the west side next spring and build another raft.
In the courtyard, Old Chen had already set up the iron pot. The grate that Ding Haisheng had welded fit perfectly into the stone-built stove, and the pine branches underneath crackled as they burned. Old Chen poured a ladle of water into the pot, and once it boiled, he added the dumplings.
More than three hundred dumplings were cooked in three separate pots. The sun was still shining when the first pot was scooped out. The dumplings were served in four enamel basins, piled high. Vinegar was poured into a rough porcelain bowl, and crushed garlic cloves were tossed in.
Old Fang opened the bulk liquor and poured half a bowl for each person. Qiu Changhai picked it up, smelled it, and said the liquor was strong, at least 55 degrees. Old Fang said that strong was just right, that's what you drink during the New Year.
Lin's father also arrived. His leg was much better now, and he didn't need a bamboo cane anymore. He still walked with a slight limp, but it wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely. He sat down next to Old Chen with a bowl of dumplings in his hand, and the two clinked their bowls together.
Old Chen said he caught 3,000 jin of ribbonfish during the autumn harvest and had paid off half of his loan. Lin's father said the Ping An boat caught 4,000 jin and the credit union debt would be paid off by the end of the year. Old Ma sat quietly eating dumplings, and when he ate his eighth one, he suddenly spoke up, saying that he wanted to get a bigger boat in the spring and asked Jiang Haiping if he knew of any suitable old boats.
"Yes," Jiang Haiping said. "My grandfather's old tugboat, the main engine and gearbox have been repaired, it weighs thirty-two tons, a whole size bigger than your current ships. We're going to sell it in the spring."
Old Ma asked how much it cost. "Eight thousand." Old Ma lowered his head and continued eating his dumplings. After a while, he said he would go back and discuss it with his wife.
Ahai was squatting by the stove eating dumplings, having already eaten more than twenty and was still eating. Old Fang said he had the appetite of an adult. Ahai, with his mouth full of dumplings, mumbled that he was still growing.
Lin Xiu'e placed a dumpling in his bowl, saying that he should eat more as he grows. Ding Haisheng sat on the far side with his bowl, not saying much, and after eating one bowl, he went to get another.
Old Chen's wife brought over a plate of sauce, made with dried shrimp and soybean paste, meant to be dipped in dumplings for a savory and delicious flavor. Ding Haisheng dipped his chopsticks in the sauce, looked up, and said, "Delicious."
As darkness fell, people set off firecrackers at the Moon Island pier. Not strings of firecrackers, but scattered small firecrackers, thrown one by one, going off once, then again half a day later.
Ahai pulled a few firecrackers from his pocket; he'd picked them up on the road, but they were out of fuse. He took a piece of charcoal from the stove with a fire poker, poked it into a firecracker, and threw it. The firecracker exploded on the rocks, sparks splashing into the seawater before it hissed out.
Ah Hai poked another one, this time throwing it far, landing in the stone trough and splashing up a small spray. Old Fang scolded him, telling him not to blow it up on the boat. Ah Hai said he wouldn't blow up the boat, he'd blow up the fish.
As the moon rose, Old Chen hung the kerosene lamp at the gate of the courtyard. The wick was turned down low, just enough to illuminate the seven characters "Moon Island Ship Repair Department" on the wooden sign. A sea breeze blew, the flame flickered, then stabilized.
Jiang Haiping sat on the rocks at the entrance of the courtyard wall. Lin Xiu'e sat down next to him, holding a bowl of dumplings, which had already gone cold. She lowered her head and ate them one by one. When she reached the last one, she suddenly spoke.
"Brother Ping, my dad didn't use his bamboo cane when he went out today."
"I saw it."
"He said his leg is healed and he can go to sea next year. He also said the Ping An is faster than your grandfather's old tugboat."
Jiang Haiping smiled. Lin Xiue finished the last dumpling and placed the bowl on her lap.
"My mom asked me to ask you where we're having our New Year's Eve dinner."
"Eat at home."
"Is this your house or mine?"
Jiang Haiping paused for a moment. Lin Xiu'e lowered her head and drew circles on the rim of the bowl with her finger.
"My family. My dad, my mom, my brother, my sister, we'll all invite you here. We'll tell you you're family."
The waves gently lapped against the rocks. Another firecracker went off from the pier in the distance, followed by a shout, the words of which were unclear. Jiang Haiping gazed at the sea.
"Then let's go to your house."
Lin Xiu'e's lips curled slightly. She picked up the bowl, stood up, and patted her skirt. "I'll go tell my mom." After taking a few steps, she turned back. "We're making steamed buns tomorrow. With shredded radish and dried shrimp. Come early." With that, she ran off, her braid swinging behind her.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Wang Cunzhi arrived.
He rode a new bicycle with a bag of apples hanging from the handlebars. He entered the yard, put the apples on the table, and said they were New Year's gifts from the fishing company, and his family couldn't finish them all.
Old Fang said, "How many people are in your family? You can't possibly finish this whole bag." Wang Cunzhi replied, "My wife's workplace also gives them out; we can't finish two bags stacked together." Old Fang said, "Then your wife's workplace must be doing well." Wang Cunzhi smiled, took out a pack of cigarettes, and offered them to everyone.
"Ding Fugui's boat rafts have been completely dismantled. The mudflats have been restored to their original state, and in the spring the county will put up a sign there, saying it is a marine ecological protection area."
Old Fang exhaled a puff of smoke. "A protected area? Does that mean we can't repair boats anymore?"
"No. The mudflats of Baishakou have been included, and boat rafting will no longer be allowed." Wang Cunzhi looked at Jiang Haiping. "Fishing boats from the nearby islands will have to come here from now on."
Jiang Haiping said that once the rocky beach to the west is leveled in the spring, it will be able to accommodate another boat. Wang Cunzhi nodded and said that the fishing company has several boats that need major repairs next year, and they will be brought over then.
He pulled a newspaper from his pocket and unfolded it. It was the county newspaper, and on page two, in the lower right corner, there was a news item titled "Moon Island Ship Repair Shop Receives High Praise for Serving Fishermen." The article, less than two hundred words long, described how the repair shop had repaired more than thirty boats in just over four months, offering fair prices and earning the fishermen's approval.
"This is an article by the county correspondent. It was written after the last major inspection."
Jiang Haiping folded the newspaper and placed it under the glass tabletop, next to the business license.
Wang Cunzhi sat for a while longer. Before leaving, he pulled Lao Fang aside and said a few words. Lao Fang returned with a smile on his face.
Jiang Haiping asked what he had said. Old Fang said that Wang Cunzhi had asked him if he was free in the spring, as the fishing company wanted him to take a look at the gearboxes of two old boats. Not for repairs, but to give an estimate and see how many more years they could be used. After saying this, Old Fang squatted down and continued smoking, a smirk still playing on his lips.
The thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Lunar New Year's Eve.
Jiang Haiping ate New Year's Eve dinner at the Lin family's house. Lin's mother personally prepared eight dishes: steamed ribbonfish, braised pomfret, boiled shrimp, cold seaweed salad, garlic-flavored greens, stewed chicken, dumplings, and fish ball soup.
The table was moved from inside the house and set up in the yard. Lin's father opened a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and poured half a bowl for Jiang Haiping. Lin Xiu'e sat opposite him and put a dumpling into his bowl.
The two younger sisters ate with their heads down. The younger one secretly looked up at Jiang Haiping, but he noticed and she quickly looked down again.
After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, Lin's father sat in the courtyard with a bowl of wine. The moon rose, bathing the courtyard in silvery light. In the distance, people on the dock were setting off firecrackers—this time in strings—which crackled and popped for a long time.
"Ping-ge'er." Lin's father held his bowl, not looking at him. "The name 'Ping'an' was given by Xiu'e."
"I know."
"She told me. It's because your name is Haiping, because you repaired that boat, and because the boatman doesn't ask for anything, just for peace."
Lin's father took a sip of wine.
"She's never asked me for anything since she was little. The year her mother got sick and the family had no money, she said she would quit school and go home to help. She didn't cry when she said that. When the boat sank, her mother said she wanted to marry her off to get a dowry, and she ran dozens of miles to find you. She didn't cry when she came back."
Lin's father looked at the wine in the bowl.
"She cried in front of you."
Jiang Haiping remained silent.
Lin's father finished the wine in his bowl and stood up.
"The Ping An will set sail next spring. If you have time, come to the dock to see it off."
He went inside. Lin Xiu'e came out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of dumplings.
"It's cold. Let me warm it up for you."
"Need not."
Jiang Haiping picked up a cold dumpling and put it in his mouth. It was filled with pork and cabbage; it tasted good even when it was cold. Lin Xiu'e stood beside him watching him finish one, then picked up another.
The moon rose high overhead. The distant sounds of firecrackers gradually subsided, and fishing lights dotted the sea. The Ping An (Peaceful) ship docked at the pier, the three large white characters on its bow gleaming faintly in the moonlight.
On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the ship repair shop opened its doors.
Old Fang was the first to arrive. He swept the firecracker debris from the courtyard gate, wiped the wooden sign, and rearranged the wrenches on the tool wall according to their sizes.
Ahai arrived second, holding his winter vacation homework. He said he had played all the time during the New Year holiday and hadn't done his homework yet, so he came to the ship repair shop to find some peace and quiet.
Qiu Changhai arrived third, bringing a jar of homemade pickled vegetables, saying he would make them for everyone to have with porridge in the morning. Ding Haisheng arrived fourth, his military green jacket washed and with the buttons re-sewed on, all neatly arranged.
Lin Xiu'e arrived last, carrying a basket of steaming hot radish and shrimp dumplings.
Six people were squatting in the courtyard, each holding a bowl of porridge and eating steamed buns with pickled vegetables. The sea breeze carried the smells of diesel fuel and tung oil ash.
The four fishing boats that were waiting to be repaired and were leaning against the rocks were towed away before the Spring Festival. Now the place is empty, with only the waves gently lapping against the rocks.
Old Chen's boat was the first to arrive, and after the New Year, the main engine started shaking again. Old Fang squatted by the raft and tapped the hull with a hand hammer, clanging and banging.
"It's the same old problem. The piston ring for cylinder two broke again."
Old Chen squatted down beside him. "Didn't we change it last time?"
"Last time we replaced the three-cylinder engine. This time it's the two-cylinder." Old Fang put down his hammer. "Your engine has four cylinders, and they're all failing one by one. We might as well disassemble it all and do a major overhaul in the spring, otherwise I won't feel safe taking it out to sea."
Old Chen gritted his teeth. "How much for a major overhaul?"
"Four hundred."
Old Chen squatted for a while. "Repair it."
In the afternoon, Jiang Haiping rode his bicycle to town. The hardware store was open on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, so he bought two hand hammers, a box of drill bits, and a pack of welding rods.
The welding rods were made in Shanghai and were 10% more expensive than the ones they used before. Lao Fang said that these welding rods had a stable flux coating and produced better weld formation. He bought two more packs.
As I left the hardware store, I saw a red paper poster pasted on the door of the post office across the street. Upon closer inspection, it was a job advertisement. A new seafood processing plant had opened in the county and was hiring female workers; room and board included, monthly salary 120 yuan. A corner of the red paper was torn by the wind, and a digit was missing from the phone number at the bottom.
He stood there for a while, then rode his bike back to the ship repair shop.
Lin Xiu'e was squatting at the entrance of the courtyard wall, mixing tung oil putty. After a year, her skill in mixing tung oil putty had improved; she could now mix the perfect ratio of lime and tung oil by feel without measuring.
Jiang Haiping put the things he bought from the hardware store into the stone house, and squatted down next to her when he came out.
"The seafood processing plant in town is hiring female workers. The monthly salary is 120 yuan, and room and board are included."
Lin Xiu'e paused for a moment.
"You went to see it?"
I saw it while passing by.
She covered the tung oil residue with a damp cloth.
"One hundred and twenty. That's more than what you earn at a ship repair shop."
Jiang Haiping remained silent.
Lin Xiu'e stood up and dusted off her hands.
"I'm not going."
Why?
"My dad's leg is healed. The Ping An ship will set sail in the spring, and the loan from the credit union will be paid off by the end of the year. My two younger sisters still need to go to school, and my mom can't manage everything by herself." She squatted down and lifted the damp cloth. "Besides, I haven't finished learning sewing yet. Master Qiu said that I'll be a master sewer by this time next year."
She dipped her finger in tung oil putty and drew a line on the reef. It depicted the Ping An, with its bow turned up and a small flag hanging on its mast.
"I'm doing fine at the ship repair shop."
The sea breeze dried the tung oil residue on the rocks. The boat-shaped mark remained on the stone, turned white by the sun.