Chapter 3: Drafting the Spindle by Lamplight

The Grain Station crowd had thinned out, and the sun was dipping low in the west.

Li Weiguo hauled his tool chest back to the village. Two old tile-roofed shacks at the village entrance served as his Repair Shop.

The door hung half-open. Zhang Dabiao was leaning his bicycle against the entrance, blocking the way.

"Guo! You finally made it back!"

"What's the matter, Brother Biao?"

"Word about you fixing the scale at the Grain Station has blown up around the village. My 'Forever' bike is squeaking like a rusty hinge when I ride it. Mind if you take a look?"

"Lean it against the wall."

Li Weiguo took the bike and crouched down to spin the wheels.

"The ball bearings are crushed, and half the little steel balls are gone. You've been riding rough; the hub is scratched."

"Can you fix it? My daughter’s getting married tomorrow. I need this bike to pick her up."

"I can. New bearings, twenty cents, labor and parts included."

"Deal! I’ll sit here and have a smoke while I wait."

Li Weiguo opened his wooden box, pulled out the new bearings and balls, and slathered them in machine oil. He ripped out the old parts, installed the new ones, and tightened the nuts.

"Take it for a spin."

Zhang Dabiao hopped on and pedaled a few times. "Smooth sailing! Those twenty cents were a steal!"

Aunt Wang shambled in, cradling a sewing machine head in her arms.

"Guo, my 'Butterfly' is stuck. The needle jams, and I can't get the pedal to move. I'm losing my mind."

"Put it on the table, Auntie."

He pried open the cover. The needle bar was stuck fast. He used a screwdriver to unscrew it and found the thread tangled in a dead knot.

"The bobbin shaft is crooked, and the shuttle is rusted shut. Your machine's been sitting in the damp."

"Can you fix it? I’m making a cotton jacket for my grandson."

"A bit of sandpaper on the rust and some oil. Fifteen cents."

"Alright, I trust you."

He scrubbed the shuttle with sandpaper, making a rasping sound. He coated it in sewing machine oil. He kicked the pedal, and the thread ran smooth.

"Take it home, Auntie."

Aunt Wang fished out some change. "Here, fifteen cents."

Old Master Liu walked in carrying a radio.

"Guo, this thing's gone silent. I even put in fresh batteries."

"Put it here."

Li Weiguo unscrewed the back panel and touched it with a tester. "The speaker wire is detached from the solder."

He heated the soldering iron and dabbed it twice. *Zzap.* A lively duet song burst out of the speaker.

"Good as new."

"How much do I owe you?"

"Keep your money, Uncle Liu. I was just passing through. You always tell stories about the battles at Tanshanzi. We're even."

Old Master Liu grinned. "I didn't waste my time in the army."

Little Zhao popped up with a flashlight. "Guo, the bulb in my house is out."

"Burned out. I'll swap it. Five cents."

"Here you go."

Li Weiguo replaced the bulb. It glowed.

Widow Sun came by with the handle of her water pump. "Guo, my well pump won't pull water."

"The rubber seal is shot. I'll replace it. One mao."

"I owe you a favor."

"Sure, come by tomorrow."

Old Zhou the Fourth tossed a lock on the counter. "Won't open."

"It's rusted. I'll drop some diesel in it." Li Weiguo dripped two drops, gave it a jiggle, and the lock sprang open.

Old Man Wu leaned on a hoe. "Guo, my hoe has a chip in the blade."

"I'll forge it out with a hammer. Three fen."

"Alright."

A woman named Zheng held up some scissors. "They're dull."

"I'll sharpen them on the whetstone. Two fen."

Old Master Zhen hauled in a plow mirror. "My plow mirror snapped."

"Cast iron. I'll stack up some welding rod, weld it, and grind it smooth. One mao."

"Works for me."

A blacksmith's apprentice ran in, out of breath. "Guo, my bellows won't pump."

"The board's stuck. I'll take a look."

The elementary school principal brought in a clock. "It stopped ticking."

"The mainspring snapped. It's hard to find a replacement, but I'll try welding it."

Li Weiguo shoved a shoebox under his bed. Then more shouting came from outside the door.

"Guo, my wagon wheel is loose." It was Old Master Zhang.

"I'll fix it in the yard tomorrow morning."

"Guo, my water wheel's making noise." It was Old Tong.

"The bronze bushing is worn. I'll swap it out. Twenty cents."

"Guo, the horse's horseshoe is loose." It was the goat herder.

"Lead the horse over, and I'll nail it."

That one night, he took on eleven jobs. The shoebox was stuffed to the brim with small bills.

That evening, he tipped out the contents of the shoebox. The coins clattered.

He counted them up: four yuan and seventy cents.

"One day's work pays more than half a month of Work Points for the production team." He lit a cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke.

The next morning, before the roosters even crowed.

Wang Desheng pushed the door open, a rolled-up red cloth in his arms.

"Guo, here's a Banner of Praise. The station chief at the Grain Station sent it over."

He unrolled it and nailed it to the wall: *Miraculous Repair Skills, A Merit to the Grain Station.*

Li Weiguo chuckled. "Nail it up high."

Wang Desheng finished hanging it and stepped back to admire it. "Looks impressive right there."

"Sit."

Wang Desheng dropped onto a wooden bench. "The station chief gave you a hand. He says without you, we'd've lost two thousand jin of grain. Old Sun at the town Machinery Repair Station is stuck. His horizontal Diesel Engine keeps stalling, and his crew can't figure it out."

"A Diesel Engine? In the army, I drove the Dongfanghong and repaired tank engines."

"That's for farm work. It's not like a tank, right?"

"The principles are the same. Fuel and air mix, compression ignition. If it's clogged, it dies. If it leaks, it weakens."

Wang Desheng slapped his knee. "I knew you could handle it! But to run your shop, just having wrenches and screwdrivers isn't going to cut it."

"What do you mean?"

"You need a welder, a vise, and calipers. I watched you fix that scale. You're missing tools. You can't take on big jobs."

Li Weiguo nodded. "I've made about sixty yuan this month. Time to buy some gear."

"Sixty?" Wang Desheng's eyes lit up. "A hard-working man gets a bit over two hundred Work Points a year."

"With my retirement bonus and repair income, I can afford it."

"Once you upgrade, can you repair tractors?"

"Sure. Parts aren't strictly controlled. I can figure out the rest."

"The team leader was asking about you yesterday."

"What did he ask?"

"He asked if you'd fix the seeder."

"Send me the blueprints, and it's a job."

"He's coming by today."

Wang Desheng didn't leave. He pulled out a liquor flask.

"Want a sip?"

Li Weiguo held out a bowl. He took a quick *slurp.*

"How long did you study lathes in the army?"

"Three months of the basics, then I figured the rest out on my own."

"I've got a copy of *Mechanical Drawing* here. Want to look at it?"

"Sure. I need the book."

Wang Desheng handed over the book. "I pulled it from the village library. Don't lose it."

"I wouldn't. I'm drafting a layout for a Crude Machine Tool. I need to mark the dimensions."

"I'll lend you my calipers tomorrow. They're copper, very precise."

"Perfect. With a caliper, I won't waste any parts on the lathe."

The sun was three hours high when the team leader walked in.

"Guo."

"Team Leader."

"Heard you made a name for yourself fixing scales. Our seeder's bearings scattered. Can you handle it?"

"Bring it in and I'll fix it. If we're short on parts, I'll write a list and we'll buy them in town."

"Great! Beyond the Work Points, the team will compensate you in cash."

"Deal."

"Does your shop count as village sideline production now?"

"It does. As long as it's convenient for everyone."

"Good! I'm approving two side rooms for you to store the iron work." The team leader said.

Wang Desheng chimed in. "You'll need a grinder. It makes sharpening tools so much faster."

Li Weiguo replied, "Exactly. I should add a bench drill too. Saves my hands from twisting everything."

The team leader said, "The team will front the money. You pay it back when you earn it."

"Well, I don't mind that," Li Weiguo said with a grin.

Wang Desheng said, "Should we call the shop the Agricultural Machinery Repair Department?"

"Let's just call it the Repair Shop for now. It feels more grounded."

"I'll go to the village committee to get the sideline production license."

"Appreciate it, Brother."

"Easy. The People's Commune heard you saved grain at the Grain Station."

On the eighth day of the month, Li Weiguo headed to town.

Old Zhou at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was smoking.

"Old Zhou, two bearings, ten sheets of #8 sandpaper, a pack of welding rods, one vise, and two grinding discs."

"Going all out, Master Li?" Old Zhou joked.

"Expanding the shop to take on bigger jobs."

Old Zhou handed over the goods and wrote the receipt. "Bearings: three yuan. Sandpaper: two. Welding rods: four. Vise: eighteen. Grinding discs: six. Total: thirty-seven yuan, thirty cents."

Li Weiguo counted out the bills and handed them over.

Walking out, he bumped into Old Sun.

"Old Sun."

"Oh! Guo! I've been looking for you. The Diesel Engine stalled again!"

"Lead the way."

In the machine room, the Diesel Engine sat there, dead as a mule.

Old Sun cranked the starter rope. *Thump-thump—dead. Thump-thump—dead.*

Li Weiguo popped the cylinder head and unscrewed the end cap of the fuel pump.

"The nozzle is clogged with hard carbon."

"We'll need to calibrate the pump. Only the city has the instruments for that."

"Don't need that." Li Weiguo dug out a sewing needle, picked out the valve core, and wiped it clean with a fine cloth. "Put it back."

Old Sun cranked the rope. *Thump-thump-thump-thump*—the engine turned over, puffing out blue smoke.

"Incredible!" Old Sun patted his shoulder. "The county is short on this kind of skill. What's the price?"

"Put it on the tab. Send me the future work."

"Agreed! Three tractors, two Diesel Engines. I'll send you all the maintenance."

Li Weiguo glanced at the conveyor belt. "The wheel is crooked."

"The bearings are gone, and we have no spare parts."

"I'll bring two. We install them tomorrow."

"The welder's not working either."

"The silicon rectifier is burnt out. I'll tear one out of an old radio to swap in."

"You're a polymath!"

Old Sun passed him a cigarette. "The City Technical School is opening an agricultural machinery class next month. You in?"

"I am. I want to learn precision boring."

"Perfect. The certification will come in handy."

Old Sun added, "The instructor is my uncle."

"Then introduce me."

"Consider it done."

"What about tuition?"

"The state pays. The Machinery Station sends us for training."

"Nice deal."

Old Sun led him to the spare parts warehouse.

"Here's a pile of scrap. Pick what you need."

Li Weiguo plucked up a gear. "This module is right. It can work as a divider."

Old Sun didn't get it. "What?"

"Module. Gear size. This one can be used to cut threads."

"You know a lot, huh."

"I've taken apart tank transmission boxes before."

Li Weiguo hugged the gear and walked out. "Saved thirty yuan."

Li Weiguo did the math: maintenance for one unit is five yuan; three units is fifteen. Repairing the pump is ten yuan. The technical school is free. The gear saves thirty yuan. This month, he'd break eighty-five yuan. His income was climbing.

On the road back to the village, Er Gouzi intercepted him on his donkey cart.

"Brother Guo! Save us!"

"What's up?"

"The team's Hand-push Tractor is knocking. It's down! We're waiting on it for the autumn plowing!"

"Take me to the shed."

In the machine shed, the 'Iron Ox' was pitch black.

Li Weiguo took a long screwdriver, pressed the tip against the cylinder block, and held the handle to his ear. *Tap-tap-tap,空空空—* "Piston wear. The clearance is too big."

"What do we do?"

"Bore the cylinder and install oversized pistons."

"We can't do that work in town."

"I know how. But I don't have a lathe. I can't do the precision boring."

Er Gouzi stomped his foot. "If we miss the harvest, the team leader will flay me!"

The team leader walked in. "Guo, the whole team is counting on this Iron Ox."

"Don't worry, Team Leader. I have a plan."

"What is it?"

"Build a Crude Machine Tool. Use the old gear as the headstock box, the pulley as the head. Saves effort."

The team leader's eyes widened. "Build a machine tool?"

"Exactly. The Spindle needs Seamless Steel Pipe. Town doesn't have it. I need an allocation quota from the City Supply Bureau."

Wang Desheng said, "Steel pipe is centrally distributed. Do you know anyone in the city?"

Li Weiguo held his blueprints, looking out the window as the light faded.

"I know my old company commander. He's a dispatcher at the City Machinery Factory."

He rolled up the blueprints. "I'm going. This tech needs an upgrade. If I can't get pipe, I can hollow out solid round steel for the lathe, but it'll wreck the tools."

Er Gouzi knocked again. "Brother Guo, the team leader says you have half a month."

"Half a month is half a month."

"If you pull it off, I'll treat you to a pork feast."

"Go."

Night fell. The oil lamp flickered like a bean.

Li Weiguo sketched the Spindle. He calculated the diameter: "A 45mm pipe, 5mm wall thickness. Just enough."

He wrote down the speed ratio: "Motor at 1400 RPM, Spindle needs 300. Reduction ratio of 4.7."

A dog barked outside.

At dawn, he rolled up his drawings and stepped out.

"The city. Find my old commander. Get the Seamless Steel Pipe and Bearing Steel. The tech upgrade depends on this trip."