Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 394 Dong Ge Long Dong Qiang

September 28, Water Transport Company Repair Shop.

Today is the day the large ship is launched and delivered. A dozen people from Lujiawan stood on the water's edge, watching the towing steel cable slowly lower the large steel frame. A moment later, the steel frame was completely submerged in the water along the guide rail. The large wooden boat on top rocked a few times and then came to rest on the water.

The boat drifted a short distance with the current, just getting away from the steel frame, when a long whistle was heard, followed by a roar, and water gushed out from behind the boat, propelling it slowly forward.

The large wooden boat first sailed towards the middle of the river. After reaching the middle, it emitted two short whistles and then turned left with the river current, heading downstream.

The large wooden boat sailed downstream for about two or three miles, its shadow growing smaller and smaller. Then, two short whistles sounded, and the boat slowly turned sideways, then made a left turn, heading back against the current.

Chen Fan blinked and asked curiously, "One long horn means leaving the berth, two short horns mean turning left, how many horns mean turning right?"

Secretary Tian stood beside him and laughed heartily, "You figured it out yourself just now?"

Chen Fan smiled and pointed to the ship. "Judging by the signals and actions, we should be right, right?"

Secretary Tian nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "That's right, that's right. One long whistle means to set sail, two short whistles mean to turn left, and one short whistle means to turn right. Setting sail is just like driving a car. The waterway is also on the right. When two ships meet, they usually have to go from the port side of the other ship."

When turning left, the ship will sound its horn to remind the other ship to move from the outside of the bend, that is, the starboard side, and vice versa.

There are also three short whistles to indicate retreating, and four whistles to indicate refusing the other party's request. Generally, four whistles are the most common. Then there are combinations of long and short whistles. There are nearly twenty types of whistle signals.

So, sailing a boat involves more than just steering; it also involves sounding the horn, understanding the boat's dimensions and turning radius, and memorizing the hydrological information and river course for each waterway…

After saying a lot, he looked at the large ship that was gradually approaching and said seriously, "It's only because your cargo ships run the fixed routes from here to the prefectural committee and county docks that I dare not issue driver's licenses to these few people without training them for half a year."

He was referring to the few pilots sent from Lujiawan for training, who were being prepared for the large ships.

Upon hearing his words, Secretary Yang immediately replied, "Secretary Tian, ​​don't worry. We will definitely cherish our own ships and will not act recklessly. If they don't master the skills, I won't let them leave the dock!"

No matter how eloquently he spoke, he couldn't hide the cold sweat on his forehead.

Good heavens, those club members who were driving the assembled little boats didn't know anything about long or short horns. They basically drove like they were on a fishing boat, relying entirely on their eyesight and sense of speed to navigate the water. Luckily, nothing bad happened. Otherwise, if someone had hit them, they would have claimed it was their fault, and they would have had nowhere to turn for help.

The large ship equipped with a propeller is indeed different. In just a few words, the large wooden ship had already sailed over. By this time, the steel frame had already been pulled back to the dock, and the large ship was steadily moored in front of the dock. The iron anchor at the bow was lowered, and two sailors threw down ropes and tied them to wooden stakes to secure the hull. Then, two gangplanks were pushed down and placed on the shore.

Everyone went up the gangplank to the ship and onto the deck. Secretary Tian walked around and smiled at Secretary Yang, "Take a look at your ship, are you satisfied?"

Cui Baozhang had already reported the parameters: the ship is 23 meters long, 4 meters wide, and has a draft of 1.6 meters. As for the carrying capacity, it goes without saying that the agricultural products from Lujiawan can be pushed down but not to the deepest waterline, and piled up but not beyond the line of sight of the cockpit.

Load whatever you want within the warehouse partition area!

If we take live poultry cages as the standard, its cargo capacity is more than 10 times that of a small, assembled boat.

Besides the cargo hold, the cabins at the stern are also a major highlight.

Modern wooden cargo ships almost always have single-story cabins. The engine room is inside the deck, and above the deck is a wooden hut. The bridge is in front, and the kitchen and rest rooms are in the back. That's pretty much it.

At Chen Fan's request, the wooden boat was built with two decks. The first deck was slightly lower, with the engine room at the back and the kitchen at the front. The second deck was higher, with the bridge at the front and two rest rooms at the back.

This one boat can accommodate 3 to 5 people living on board at the same time. If you want to squeeze in, 6 or 7 people can also live on it. It is almost as big as the cement boat of the shipping company.

Chen Fan circled around the boat for a while and couldn't help but nod to himself. These two thousand yuan were definitely a huge profit!

Since even he was so satisfied, Secretary Yang and his team naturally had no objections and immediately completed the handover procedures. Then, the helmsman arranged by the shipping company helped them sail back.

The boat traveled upstream against the current, and a few minutes later, it arrived at the Lujiawan area.

Upon learning that they were going to collect the boats today, the members of Lujiawan commune had already been waiting on the dike. When they saw a boat coming, they all eagerly awaited its arrival.

Secretary Yang, standing in the driver's seat, quickly called out, "Driver, driver, please move aside so that all the members of our team can see."

The helmsman naturally wouldn't refuse such a small request. He took the cigarette, casually tucked it behind his ear, and laughed heartily, "You Lujiawan people are really showing off this time. Besides our shipping company, which other production team has such a big ship?"

Secretary Yang was so happy he could hardly open his eyes. "Hahaha, you're too kind. We were just lucky. We have a lot to do with your unit's help."

The old boatman was delighted by the compliment and steered the boat closer to the riverbank, almost hugging the embankment.

Chen Fan looked at the embankment, which was only three or four meters away and the distance remained unchanged, and couldn't help but gasp. This old master is really an old master!

As they got closer, the people on the riverbank could see Captain Zhang and his men standing on the deck.

Team Leader Zhang, who is also Zhang Wenliang's father, suddenly turned around, raised his hands, and shouted, "Let's get started!"

A drum troupe immediately began to beat drums and gongs, the exciting sounds of which echoed along the riverbank, interspersed with the clanging of cymbals.

Two more people picked up a bamboo pole, each with a 500-shot electric firecracker hanging from it. After lighting it, there was a series of crackling sounds.

Then, in less than half a minute, it was gone, and the boat hadn't even gotten close yet.

Zhang Guangwen couldn't help but beat his chest in frustration, "I shouldn't have bought the electric cannon. It's over in two shots. I should have just bought the little red whip."

A boy of about 14 or 5 years old immediately ran over, pulled out two strings of 200-shot red firecrackers from the bag, and said happily, "Uncle, look!"

Zhang Guangwen was overjoyed. "Good, good, good, light it quickly."

Then, a hint of suspicion crossed her face. "You didn't keep this for yourself, did you?"

The child turned and ran away.

The boat had already sailed up in front of them. The brigade leaders grinned from ear to ear, while the others jumped up and down in cheers, greeting the people on the shore.

The small red whips that followed had already been lit, and they made a series of snapping sounds as they hit the boat.

After the 200 small red firecrackers were fired, the large wooden boat sailed past the village of Team 5 and headed towards Team 4.

The people in the first four teams had already faintly heard the commotion coming from the fifth team. Everyone stood on tiptoe and looked ahead, and could already see the shadow of the wooden boat.

Captain Wang Dongping, disregarding the fact that the boat hadn't arrived yet, immediately raised his right hand and shouted, "Comrades, let's beat the drums!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud thud resounded.

Old Master Wang Decang, leaning on his cane, shaded his eyes with his hand and looked ahead. After a while, he grinned and laughed heartily, "They're here, they're really here."

Regardless of who was next to him, he grabbed the man's arm and said, "Back then, many members of our Wang family worked in that shipyard, building large ships. We don't know how many large ships we built, but we never thought that I, we, could become ship owners of large ships."

He chuckled and wiped his face. "Although the boat belongs to the production team, the production team belongs to everyone. We people of Lujiawan are all boat owners, hahaha..."

The large wooden boat sailed north, and various teams along the shore organized drum and gong troupes to welcome it. Firecrackers of all sizes rang out incessantly, making it even more joyful than the Lunar New Year.

Once the boat reached the first convoy, the helmsman dared not stay close to the riverbank. He first drove directly to the middle of the river where it made a sharp bend, and then turned around and headed southeast.

The river surrounding Lujiawan is quite interesting; the direction of its flow is not fixed.

The Yangtze River's water level was higher than that of the Liuhua River, causing the Yangtze River to overflow. The water flowed into the Liuhua River at the confluence with the Lujiawan No. 7 team, where the water flowed in opposite directions. One direction flowed north, made a large bend, and then turned southwest, while the other direction flowed south and southeast.

So even after turning around, the large ship was still going against the current. It wasn't until it passed the confluence of the seven river sections that it began to go downstream.

Before long, they arrived at the temporary dock of Team 6.

Only then did the large ship dock.

Today, Lujiawan is collecting its boats, so we definitely need to celebrate. Just now, Secretary Yang invited Secretary Tian and Cui Baozhang from the water transport company to come over. Right on this big boat, Liu Jujiang and a group of women slaughtered chickens and geese and prepared several large meals.

The dock was filled with laughter and chatter until the sun began to set, at which point Secretary Yang arranged for a horse-drawn carriage to take Secretary Tian and his group back.

……

On the deck, Secretary Yang repeatedly measured the deck with his feet. After a long while, he stood at the bow, looked at the small, assembled boats in front of him, and exclaimed, "Our Lujiawan has finally achieved something like this!"

Ye Shubao lit a cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and grinned, "From rags to riches, things will definitely get better and better."

Captain Zhang walked over and said, "It's definitely getting better, but..."

With a hint of hesitation on his face, he looked around and said softly, "Old Ye, this boat is so big, can it hold all our chickens and ducks every day?"

Ye Shubao was speechless for a moment, and gave him an annoyed look. "Hey Lao Zhang, on such a joyous day, can't you think of something nice?"

Xiao Liewen also chimed in with a chuckle, "See, I won't mention it. Even if you want to ask, I'll wait until we get back to the brigade headquarters to ask Sanhu."

Zhang Wenliang walked over and said timidly, "Then you should ask me now."

Xiao Liewen looked at him and asked, "Now, can you give me good news?"

Zhang Wenliang gave a forced, dry laugh. "No."

Ye Shubao was also in the same boat as him. Uh, okay, it seems like all four of them were in the same boat as him.

Xiao Liewen was Zhang Wenliang's mentor and direct superior. Ye Shubao and he jointly managed the side business team's operations. Captain Zhang was his uncle, and Secretary Yang...
Ye Shubao glanced at Yang Xingxiu not far away, thinking to himself, "Let's see when he starts calling Secretary Yang 'Dad'!"
As his thoughts drifted, Ye Shubao coughed lightly and chuckled softly, “This can’t be blamed on Sanhu. He did a great job with the two tasks I gave him before, namely buying live poultry. He led a team and was able to buy three or four hundred chickens and ducks every day.”

The problem is opening up markets outside the local area. Shuanghe County is relatively better off; Xiao Chen has already made connections with their health bureau, and Sanhuzi went there and opened two delicatessens near their hospital. Business is decent; they can sell about 800 to 1,000 yuan a day.”

At this point, Ye Shubao himself felt that he had gotten too cocky.

When did I stop caring about a daily turnover of eight hundred or a thousand?
Shaking his head to dismiss the arrogant idea, he continued, "But the other counties don't give us any face at all. As soon as we mention opening a cooked food shop, they make excuses and try to avoid it. One minute it's against the rules, the next they say they have their own arrangements. In short, they just don't agree."

"They didn't agree, and there was nothing Sanhu could do. He couldn't just keep pestering them."

Xiao Liewen looked at him in surprise, "Wow, not bad, you actually used two idioms!"

Ye Shubao looked speechless. "Is this the key point?"

Xiao Liewen waved his hand, "Alright, alright, no one's blaming him."

As he spoke, he took out his pipe, filled it with tobacco, borrowed a light from Ye Shubao, and said while smoking, "Before, with Xiao Chen on the job, it was like winning a battle with a silver spoon in our mouth. We were unstoppable. I thought it was easy to start a side business. From buying seedlings on credit to opening a cooked food shop, everything went so smoothly."

Ye Shubao took a puff of his cigarette and chuckled, "You're not bad either, you used two idioms in a row. Looks like you've been secretly studying them at home."

Xiao Liewen glared at him irritably and continued, "Only when Sanhuzi got involved did we realize how difficult it is to start a side business. The only unit we managed to get started was thanks to Xiao Chen's connections. Putting that aside, if we had to run it ourselves..."

He immediately shook his head, saying, "It's difficult."

Captain Zhang took a puff of his cigarette, looked at the river not far away, and sighed, "What isn't difficult? Before, when I went out to find odd jobs, I saw people selling chicks. If it rained heavily, a whole basket of chickens would die. I couldn't even cry."

Three or four years ago, in Qingshan Commune, a few people from out of town who had come to make a living had their cart overturned into a ditch. All their belongings were flooded, and they were so desperate they wanted to hang themselves. If it weren't for the local production team helping them out, rescuing them as much as they could, and giving them dozens of kilograms of rice and several quilts, they probably wouldn't have survived that winter. Who isn't going through a tough time?

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Zhang Wenliang and said seriously, "But no matter how difficult it is, it is not as difficult as when our team conquered the world. Sanhuzi, you are still young and have not really suffered. It may not be a bad thing for you to hit a wall this time."

Difficulties are not to be feared; what is truly worrisome is hesitation and timidity. As long as you muster all your strength and forge ahead, you will surely find a way out.

Ye Shubao and Xiao Liewen were both surprised. "Oh my, you can use two idioms in a row now!"

Zhang Changjiang rolled his eyes and said, "Get lost."

Zhang Wenliang saw them joking, and his lips twitched, but he didn't laugh.

After a two-second pause, he nodded emphatically and said, "Uncle, don't worry, this is nothing. I'll keep trying. If they won't open a shop for me, I'll just carry a basket of cooked food and go to the docks in those counties to work as a peddler!"

Zhang Changjiang nodded in satisfaction, "That's right, that's the spirit we need."

After they finished talking, Ye Shubao turned around and looked around, "Hey, where's Xiao Chen?"

Upon hearing this, the others looked around, but they couldn't find Chen Fan anywhere.

At this moment, Yang Xingxiu walked over and said softly, "After seeing Secretary Tian and the others off, Xiao Chen told me that he had drunk too much and was going home first."

Zhang Wenliang glanced at Yang Xingxiu, who seemed slightly different from usual, and wondered to himself, "Has this girl taken the wrong medicine? She didn't come to laugh at me when I had such a good opportunity."

Just then, Yang Xingxiu said to him, "You're always running around, so don't think about this for the next couple of days. Take a good rest and focus on preparing the celebration program. Once you're done with that, you can start again. I believe you can definitely achieve great things!"

Zhang Wenliang trembled and looked at Yang Xingxiu in a panic. Could this girl have really taken the wrong medicine?

Yang Xingxiu knew what he was thinking just by looking at his eyes. Without saying a word, she kicked him and then turned and left.

Zhang Wenliang breathed a sigh of relief. That's right, that's the taste. Looks like he didn't take the wrong medicine.

Secretary Yang, standing to the side, felt he couldn't bear to watch any longer and could only sigh and shake his head. "Let's go, let's go. The show is in two days. The commune will send representatives to attend. Let's go back and discuss it again to see if there's anything we've overlooked. We don't want to let the other teams outdo us and make a fool of ourselves."

Zhang Wenliang immediately replied, "That's impossible! Our team is in exceptionally high spirits this year, we're absolutely confident we can take first place!"

Xiao Liewen bit the pipe, blew hard, and sprayed out the ash from the pipe, which scattered in the wind.

He tapped on the railing again, then walked towards the plank with his hands behind his back. "Do more practical work and less boasting. Bring your men here tomorrow for a test, and we'll see how good they are."

Secretary Yang and the others also disembarked.

As they crossed the riverbank and walked down the slope, they could hear the sound of an accordion coming from the educated youth compound.

Secretary Yang said with a smile, "Sanhuzi, did you see that? Putting everything else aside, just Xiao Chen's attitude alone is something you should learn from."

Zhang Wenliang craned his neck to look into the courtyard, but unfortunately, the high courtyard wall blocked his view.

He nodded mindlessly and walked forward, soon descending the slope and arriving at the gate of the educated youth compound.

The courtyard gate was open, and inside, Chen Fan sat in a chair, intently playing the accordion.

In front of him, four girls stood in a row, singing with serious expressions: "A thousand drops of sweat for a seedling, ten thousand loads of yellow soil for an acre of land, ah ah ah ah eh..., through drought and flood, we work hard, the flowers of Dazhai bloom in our hearts, the flowers of Dazhai bloom in our hearts."

(End of this chapter)