Reborn in 1977

On the riverbank, Master Wang and several apprentices were hammering away, the sounds of their work echoing.

Previously, Chen Fan had thought it would be a simple matter of connecting a few small boats with boat nails and planks, but when Master Wang and his team started, he realized he had oversimplified things.

How could a master craftsman be the same as an amateur?

Or was Chen Fan himself an expert?

It was just that he didn't take this temporary raft seriously, planning to restore the small boats after the big boat was launched, so it only needed to be usable for a few days.

But Master Wang's thoughts were different.

In his eyes, this boat was for delivering goods to the district committee, and if it were just patched together with a few planks and boat nails, how unsightly would it be?

What about the reputation of Lujiawan?

Moreover, this boat was going to be on the river, and even the Yangtze River, with all its size, had waves; if it was only held together with boat nails, it would probably fall apart in a few days.

So, even if it was just a temporary assembled raft, he would find ways to make it look good and be sturdy.

His method was to first nail the connection points of the six small rowing boats together with boat nails and thick iron wire, making them form a whole, and then lay a layer of thin planks on top.

The hull of the small rowing boat was already very thin, and the curvature of the hull was not large, so laying planks was not too difficult.

(Back then, small rowing boats had planks laid on the bow).

These planks didn't need to be made of very good wood; even the most common miscellaneous wood could be used, and in order to build the big boat, Master Wang even brought back the cutting machine from the construction team.

After receiving the task from the brigade headquarters, it only took half a day to prepare the planks and the thick iron wire brought back from the construction team, and now they could directly lay them on top.

With many hands, work went quickly, and soon the hull was reinforced, and the planks were laid one by one.

If you didn't look at the bottom, looking from above, it seemed like a real big boat, nearly two meters wide and 10 meters long.

Just a little flimsy.

Then, with everyone working together, they carefully pushed the big boat horizontally into the river along the grass on the outer bank.

This was not the end; before the boat stabilized, Master Wang went on board to inspect it, walking from head to tail as if on flat ground on the slightly undulating river surface, even jumping into the water to see the situation below, confirming that all the planks and connections were not loose, before leading people to install the mast and canvas.

Seeing this scene, Chen Fan knew that his suggestion was in vain.

Didn't they already have everything prepared? Otherwise, where would these things have come from?

Since the main power of this boat was a diesel outboard motor, the sail was not large, only playing an auxiliary role, and its installation position was at the bow, which would not have a significant impact on cargo loading and unloading.

Installing this sail was mainly for fuel efficiency; if the return trip was smooth, they might not even need to start the diesel engine and could return just by raising the sail.

While they were busy on the boat, Chen Fan squatted on the riverbank, observing and learning.

He wasn't slacking off; it was just that his task was already completed. The diesel engine and the assembled outboard motor lying next to him were his work, and the rest had to wait until the boat was assembled.

After another half hour, Master Wang stood on the boat and shouted to Chen Fan, "Teacher Chen, the boat is ready. Come and see if it's okay."

Chen Fan stood up, "Coming."

Then he shouted to the people next to him, "Get a master to help lift it."

Four people immediately came at his call, and without him having to lift a finger, they carried the diesel outboard motor onto the boat.

As soon as Chen Fan boarded the bow, Master Wang walked over and smiled, "Teacher Chen, take a look, how is it?"

He turned and pointed to the boat, introducing it, "The hull below is nailed tightly with boat nails. On the long side, there are more than a dozen boat nails between every two boats, and there are also 8 on the wide side. Even the bottom of the boat is reinforced with thick iron wire, so that it won't shake too much.

Then the planks are laid on top and nailed firmly. As long as the thick iron wire below doesn't come loose and the planks above don't collapse, the small boat won't fall apart. Then there's this small mast, which one person can operate, and it's relatively simple. Anyone can learn it in a day or two.

In the early years, many fishermen in our team used this kind of small sailboat to fish in the river. The fishing boats were equipped with this kind of small mast, which was simple and easy to use."

Chen Fan looked at the canvas they had raised and tried to operate it.

This thing was indeed simple, like the small sailboat Robinson Crusoe made himself, just a wooden pole with a canvas hanging on it, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, with a bamboo pole in the middle to prop the cloth open, and two ropes hanging from the pole at the top to control the direction.

You could also directly pull the pole in the middle to operate it.

Anyway, the emphasis was on being rudimentary!

But no matter how rudimentary it was, it was still a sail, and after it was raised, it could still reduce the burden on the diesel engine.

At this time, a gust of wind blew across the river, and the sail immediately billowed up, slowly taking the boat away from the riverbank.

Chen Fan was not in a hurry, trying to slowly find the direction, taking the boat on a crooked and awkward circle in the river, before returning to the shore and parking it.

Master Wang looked at him with a face full of surprise, "Have you learned to sail before?"

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, "No, it's quite simple."

Master Wang was speechless. No matter how simple it was, this thing was still a bit difficult, especially when going against the current and wind. If the sail was not controlled well, there was a risk of capsizing at any moment.

He had been guarding Chen Fan just now, just in case Chen Fan had never sailed before and made the boat spin around, but he didn't expect that Chen Fan would learn it himself while spinning around.

Chen Fan looked at Master Wang, laughed, "This thing is quite useful."

Then he walked to the stern, "I'll install the outboard motor first and then test the boat."

Master Wang followed him over and smiled, "It's already prepared. An extra plank has been padded at the stern, and a steel frame has been fixed. The steel frame extends outward to place the diesel engine."

(Outboard motor boat)

Soon he reached the stern, Chen Fan first looked at the tail frame, and had an idea in his mind.

Then he assembled the diesel engine and the outboard motor.

Since the front cabin was a flat ground, and three or four layers of cages might be stacked on it in the future, it would be necessary for people to stand and grasp the direction lever, so the direction lever was lengthened, so that even if a high-legged chair more than one meter high was used, it would not affect the operation.

After installing the outboard motor, the main body of the boat was complete.

As for adding guardrails, preparing anchors, rain tarps, mast lights, and other things, they could be added slowly.

Chen Fan added a pot of oil to the diesel engine and started the machine. With the loud roar, the river water below immediately churned, and a faint thrust came, pushing the boat forward.

The direction system used by this simplest outboard motor, and even the thrusters of the dozens of tons of large ships used by the water transport company, were all "reverse".

That is to say, if the boat is to go to the left, the control lever or rudder must be turned to the right, and vice versa.

Chen Fan, holding the control lever, stood proudly at the stern, adjusting the gears of the outboard motor. The propeller, which had been idling, immediately transmitted a thrust, and the large boat steadily moved forward.

More than a dozen carpenters stood on the deck, some with their hands on their hips, others with their arms outstretched, enjoying the rare cool river breeze.

Master Wang stood beside Chen Fan, his face beaming with smiles. After a while, he turned to look at Chen Fan and said with a smile, "How is this boat?"

Chen Fan smiled and gave a thumbs up, "Very stable."

Although, due to the limitations of the diesel engine's horsepower, the boat's speed might not even reach 40 li, making it incomparable to the speedboats made from single small boats, this speed was sufficient for trips to the district committee and the county town, taking just over two hours for a round trip.

Master Wang sighed softly and said, "Unfortunately, the foundation is still not good. It's just a few small boats pieced together. Even with reinforcement, if left unattended, the boat nails and wires will start to loosen in at most two or three months. In less than half a year, this boat will fall apart.

Therefore, for safety's sake, it needs to be maintained at least once a week, mainly checking for loose boat nails and wires, as well as the loosening of the surface planks. This might make it last a little longer."

This is just like the bamboo rafts in scenic spots. They also need to be maintained at least once a week, checking whether the connectors of the bamboo are loose. Constant maintenance keeps them new and safe.

Chen Fan nodded with a smile, "Safety first, that's essential."

He steered the boat in the middle of the river, looked at the riverbanks on both sides, and said with a smile, "But after another month, the Water Transport Company's old boat renovation will be completed, and this boat can be retired."

Master Wang felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. He stepped on the wooden planks under his feet and said with a wry smile, "Actually, this boat is still quite good. It's just that we didn't think about this aspect before, and there was no need for it."

He looked at the rolling river water and sighed softly, "Actually, if we had such a big boat to fish in the river, the harvest would be much greater."

Without a diesel engine, sails could also be installed, but the Lujiawan Village could satisfy their basic needs by growing rice, and there was no urgent need to fish. Moreover, the Bailang Lake Brigade below was specialized in fish farming, and every household here had enough fish to eat. Why bother putting in so much effort to get a big boat for fishing?

Chen Fan frowned slightly, looking at the slowly moving riverbank, wondering if this boat would really be idle after a month.

After a moment, he looked at the rising smoke from the village ahead, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He turned to look at Master Wang and said seriously, "Master Wang, when the big boat arrives, let's renovate this boat, add a shed roof to the cabin, and fix dozens of seats on the deck. How about using it as a passenger boat?"

Master Wang hesitated for a moment and said, "Technically, there's definitely no problem. The shed roof can be made of palm leaves used for raincoats, and the shed can be made of bamboo, which is lighter. Bamboo chairs or bamboo stools can be used for the seats. All these are no problem, but the problem is…"

He looked at Chen Fan in confusion, "Who would sit on it?"

The Nanhu Commune only had two ferry crossings, east and west, which were the private domain of the Ferry Management Office. Could they compete with them for business?

At that time, even if the commune secretary came, it wouldn't work. If the ferry crossing business was gone, it would mean that the Ferry Management Office had no reason to exist, and they would definitely be furious.

The next second, he heard a very unexpected answer.

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "For the students of our village school to sit on. Think about it, the village school is in Team 10. The students from the teams closer to it are fine, they are relatively close. But those who live far away, like those from Team 5 and Team 6, have to walk for more than an hour to get there. If we use this boat to pick them up, we can take them all to school by going around.

Although it won't save much time, it will allow the students to walk less, and they can also study on the boat, which is killing two birds with one stone."

Master Wang couldn't help but chuckle when he heard this, "If you use a boat to send them, you have to go a big circle. It's better to hitch up a few carriages and have them all wait by the village road, so you can pull them all the way."

Chen Fan thought about it and realized that it was true. Although carriages couldn't carry too many people, those who lived closer could go directly by themselves. If that didn't work, they could hitch up two more carriages, which would be better than wasting diesel.

He shrugged and said with a smile, "If that doesn't work, we'll apply to the commune and open a water passenger route from Nanhu to Yunhu and Guifeng County. Those who want to go there can buy tickets at Team 5, and we'll take them there."

"That won't work either."

Master Wang laughed and said, "If we do this, the passenger transport company will go crazy. It's so comfortable to sit on a boat, and the time won't be much longer. Everyone will come to sit on our boat, who will go sit on their cars?"

Chen Fan was helpless upon hearing this, so he simply waved his hand, "Then we'll talk about it later. At worst, we'll raise more chickens and ducks in the future, and take over the chickens and ducks from the other four brigades. Three boats won't be enough to transport them, and we'll have to build more boats."

Master Wang was immediately delighted, "That's more reliable. I heard that there's a three-masted sailing ship in front of the Water Transport Company building in the district committee. That's their company's first ship. When this boat can't be used anymore, let's put this boat at the entrance of the brigade headquarters so that future generations will know how we used to deliver goods to the district committee!"

Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, "Oh, you even know about this. I've been to the district committee twice, and I haven't even heard of it. We have to give this boat a name first, or else when future generations ask, 'What number is this?', if we say it has no name, wouldn't that make us seem uncultured?"

Master Wang now only regarded it as a joke and said with a smile, "Naming is definitely up to a cultured person like you. When you come up with a good name, I'll get a good piece of wood to carve it and nail it to the side of the boat, how about that?!"

Me, come up with a name?

Chen Fan thought about the endless Yangtze River and couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. He said modestly, "How can a junior like me come up with a name? We should go back and ask Secretary Yang and the others to decide."

Master Wang nodded deeply in agreement upon hearing this, "Teacher Chen is still modest!"

Chen Fan laughed, looked around, "Huh, where is this?"

Master Wang reached out to shield his eyes and looked into the distance, vaguely seeing the river turning in front of him. His expression changed slightly, "Oh, it seems that Team 1 is ahead. This place should be Team 2."

In such a short time, have we passed Team 3?

Chen Fan's eyes turned slightly, "Now that we're here, let's just go around Lujiawan Village and turn to Team 6 before going back."

Master Wang was speechless. You have nothing to do, but we still have work to do.