Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Wind Wing
*
Gu Mengran was obsessed with trying to persuade Liang Zhao, and if that didn't work he would start to get crazy. Even if Liang Zhao misunderstood him and thought he was talking about divine gold, he had to let Liang Zhao get on board.
But he never expected that Liang Zhao actually agreed after he had just made the start?
"Don't be in a daze, eat first."
The colander collided with the porcelain bowl, and a crisp "ding-dong" sound broke the silence.
The shrimps soaked in soup slid into the bowl. Liang Zhao withdrew his hand very naturally. Gu Mengran was slightly startled. For a moment, he seemed to see the shadow of his previous life in Liang Zhao.
Gu Mengran was puzzled. He picked up the chopsticks and poked the shrimp paste, and asked in a low voice: "You agree now? Aren't you going to ask about the salary?"
"It just so happens that I've been looking to change a ship recently, but haven't found a suitable one. As for the treatment, since you took the initiative to invite me, the treatment should not be too bad." Liang Zhao said without changing his expression, and then picked up a piece of beef from the red soup.
"but……"
Liang Zhao slowly put down the fat beef that was about to be eaten, raised his eyes and looked at Gu Mengran, his expression slightly serious, "The yellow fog has a great impact on the shipping industry. It is not wise to buy a boat and open a floating supermarket now."
Gu Mengran nodded pretentiously, "Yeah, I know that too. The old man has some spare money and always wants to mess around with it. I have no choice but to play along with him and try to lose as little as possible."
The shrimp paste was cold, so Gu Mengran picked it up in half with chopsticks, dipped it in the dipping dish twice, and slowly put it into his mouth.
□□It's springy and has a light tomato flavor, so delicious.
Liang Zhao spoke very little, and it was basically Gu Mengran who did all the chattering at the dinner table.
But he answered every question. In order to get close to Gu Mengran, he asked all kinds of questions, including about his current situation. Liang Zhao patiently answered them one by one and chatted with him in a casual manner.
After the meal, the strangeness of meeting again after a long separation gradually disappeared, and the sense of distance between them disappeared - at least that's what Gu Mengran thought unilaterally.
After finishing dinner, Gu Mengran came out of the mall and went into the alley behind the mall. After a while, the red old man's car staggered and stopped in front of Liang Zhao.
“Ding Di——”
After two clear whistles, the car window slowly rolled down. The driver smiled particularly brightly and waved quickly out of the window, "Get in the car, Liang Zhao. Where do you live? I'll take you home."
Liang Zhao took two steps forward, stood in front of the car window and looked down at him, "No need, I live nearby."
"Ah?" Gu Mengran's eyes dimmed, and he pursed his lips in disappointment. "Okay. As agreed, you must come to see me in ten days. I'll send you the address via WeChat when I get home. You can send your luggage in advance. Remember, don't forget it!"
Liang Zhaozheng nodded, "Got it, I'll contact you by phone. Drive slower in foggy weather, be careful, and send me a message when you get home."
Gu Mengran hummed softly, his eyes inexplicably feeling a little hot.
The brake lights went out, and the old man restarted and drove away.
Liang Zhao stood motionless by the roadside, watching the red old man car merge into the traffic and blend into the yellow fog until it completely disappeared.
“Pah.”
The lighter lit up and then went out, and a cigarette appeared between Liang Zhao's bony fingers.
Sparks flickered, and wisps of smoke climbed up his angular profile. From beginning to end, Liang Zhao's expression never changed at all, and his eyes were still fixed on the busy street.
As the cigarette burned out, his thin lips moved, and a trace of nostalgia filled his calm eyes.
"Gu Mengran, long time no see."
*
Before dawn, Gu Mengran got up in a hurry to wash up. He was so excited that he almost didn't sleep all night, and there were purple circles under his eyes and two big dark circles.
When he opened the door, he ran into his grandfather. Looking at his grandfather's panda eyes, Gu Mengran instantly felt balanced.
Today is an important day, it would be strange if I didn't sleep well.
After washing, changing clothes, and taking relevant documents and certificates, Gu Mengran and his grandfather hurried out with Lao Tou Le. They bought some breakfast and ate while they were on their way, rushing to the shipyard without stopping.
After a one and a half hour drive, the Red Old Man Music passed through thick yellow fog and headed for the southern suburbs of the city, where was a large shipyard with a strong industrial atmosphere.
Grandpa was in charge of the purchase of the ship, and Gu Mengran was completely clueless about the delivery process. However, after entering the shipyard, the towering behemoths made his eyes light up again and again.
The old man drove at full speed and followed the signposts to the shipyard dock. On the way, the old man finally showed kindness and gave a few simple explanations to clear up the confusion of Gu Mengran.
Generally speaking, ship purchases must be booked in advance with the shipyard, because shipbuilding must be carried out in docks and slipways to facilitate the launch of ships. However, the number of slipways in shipyards is limited, and the shipbuilding cycle is long, and you have to wait in line for the slipway.
At least half a year, at most a year.
Therefore, a new profession was born - ship dealer.
Speaking of boat dealers, the old man looked disdainful. "Boat dealers are very hateful. They will occupy the slipway first, leaving people who really need boats waiting in line. Those who are in a hurry to use the boats have no choice but to pay more to the boat dealers."
"We must resolutely resist these ship dealers who maliciously occupy the berths and make huge profits! Haha, the shipping situation has been bad in the past two years, and all of them are bound to suffer heavy losses."
Gao Yang bared his teeth and smiled with gloating, "There are also advantages to buying ships from ship dealers. They usually wait until the shipyard has built them before selling them, which shortens the ship purchase cycle and also includes the formalities. It's like spending money to buy time."
Gu Mengran raised his eyebrows and said thoughtfully, "Oh, so what grandpa said about using connections... is actually to buy a boat from a boat dealer who 'firmly resists'?"
The old man's face flushed instantly, and he stared at Gu Mengran with gritted teeth, "Your grandpa used to work in shipping. Do you know anything about shipping? Where can I find acquaintances on this river ship?"
"I understand."
The smile will not disappear, it will only shift, Gu Mengran said with a smile.
Special times require special treatment. They can’t wait for the shipbuilding cycle of at least half a year.
While chatting and laughing, we arrived at the shipyard dock.
The purchased spot ship did not require a lucky water ceremony. Gu Mengran's ship was already firmly moored at the shipyard dock, waiting for the ship owner to inspect and accept it.
Feng Yi is 69 meters long, 14 meters wide, 4.9 meters deep and has a full load of 3,000 tons.
The hull is particularly bright in color, red below the waterline, dark green above the waterline and the deck, and white superstructure. The material used is a single steel deck, which is strong, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant.
Unlike other bulk carriers moored at the port, which have superstructures such as forecastle or poop at the bow and stern, the Fengyi was modified according to the standards of a supermarket ship, with a new two-story superstructure welded directly on the flat and open deck.
To put it simply, the superstructures of other cargo ships are limited to the bow and stern, occupying only a small part of the deck. However, the Wind Wing is equivalent to carrying two thousand-square-meter floors on the hull, leaving little area for the open-air deck.
From a distance, it looked magnificent and magnificent, not much different from a small cruise ship sailing in the Huangjiang River. When he climbed onto the dock to observe it up close, Gu Mengran could only describe it in two words: shocking.
The hull was basically inspected and the person in charge finally arrived and led Meng Gaoyang and Gu Mengran on board.
The moment he officially stepped onto the deck along the gangway, Gu Mengran inexplicably felt a strong sense of belonging in his heart, because he knew that this ship would be their home in the future.
Gu Mengran participated in the interior design of the ship's tower with his grandfather, so he knew what it looked like inside.
But the experience of looking at the blueprints is completely different from that of walking into the ship building in person. As soon as he entered the door, Gu Mengran was stunned by the bright and spacious "hall" in front of him. His lips were slightly open and he couldn't utter a word. He almost forgot to breathe.
The first floor has the largest area and serves as the main sales floor of the supermarket.
Today has just arrived at the ship pick-up stage and the shelves have not yet been brought in, so what is in front of Gu Mengran is a spacious and tidy ship building that is comparable to a shopping mall lobby.
There are no partitions on the first floor. Standing at the door, you can see the entire building at a glance.
The ceiling lights shone brightly, the gray marble floor tiles were like mirrors, and the white walls were spotless... If the boat had not been swaying slightly with the river, Gu Mengran would have thought he had accidentally entered someone's newly renovated supermarket.
Perfect, quite perfect.
Social order still existed before the disaster, so in order to enter the water smoothly, they could only modify and renovate the ship tower according to regulations. The advantage of not making any partitions is that as long as there are enough materials, it is convenient to modify it after the disaster.
Gu Mengran and his grandfather were quite satisfied with the first floor, not to mention the second floor.
The Fengyi has a forward cockpit design. Walking around the ship, entering the second floor from the open deck at the stern, there is a huge living room, the giant living room of nearly 150 square meters that Gu Mengran had been dreaming of.
The entrance, floor tiles, wall tiles, TV wall... all the decorations that a living room should have are complete, and it also has a large area that belongs to luxury houses. Even the person in charge couldn't help but say after seeing it: "It's so cool! Such a large area is used as a living area."
Gu Mengran smiled and laughed, "I can't afford to buy a house on land, so I can only realize my dream of a mansion on a boat."
Next to the living room is the dining room and a semi-open kitchen, plus a water bar. The decoration is simple, but it has all the basic equipment such as stoves, bars, cabinets, etc., just waiting for the addition of kitchen utensils.
Further in are the bedrooms, two master bedrooms and four guest bedrooms. All the rooms are designed as suites, and each room has a separate toilet and shower room...
In addition, there are two inconspicuous warehouses of 100 square meters at the back.
And finally, the brain of the Wind Wing - the cockpit.
Standing in the cockpit with tempered glass on three sides, you can have a very clear view of the magnificent Huangjiang River and the ships entering and leaving the port.
There are so many instruments and equipment on the bridge that it is overwhelming. Gu Mengran only found time to take the seaman's certificate exam last year and has never been able to practice on the ship. He only knows how to steer and look at simpler equipment such as radar and electronic charts.
It’s different for Meng Gaoyang, who used to be a captain. He looks at the familiar instruments and equipment in front of him, his heart full of nostalgia and emotion.
Coming out of the cockpit, the person in charge offered to take them to the engine room.
If the wheelhouse is the brain, then the engine room is the heart of the ship.
Gu Mengran was not interested in this. His grandfather followed the person in charge and went to the open deck outside the cab alone. He felt the river breeze and thought about what supplies to buy next.
Furniture, household appliances, fuel, various large equipment...
And the time left for them is only half a month.
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