Chapter 69: 69, Ford Model A, Fang Shouxin And Son Return To Hometown
Fang Wen sat in the car, examining the interior of the car.
Clutch, brake, and throttle pedals—the operation configuration was similar to future cars.
There was also a long gearshift lever.
“The key is here.” The senior student from Qinghe Airport handed over the key.
Taking the key, he started the car and drove two laps on the airport grounds. Fang Wen entered mechanical perception state to understand the overall condition of the car.
The blower gearbox was operating normally.
The chassis had a continuous vibration sensation.
This was because the exhaust pipe was somewhat clogged, with the vibration affecting the chassis and also producing noise.
But this was not a problem. Fang Wen thought cleaning the exhaust pipe would solve it.
Afterward, he was surprised to discover that fuel was not delivered to the engine via fuel injection, but via a carburetor.
This greatly surprised Fang Wen. The Boeing P-26b fighter jet he purchased was already one of the most advanced airplanes of this era, yet it still used fuel injection, and it had its order canceled by the US Army because of improvements to the fuel injection equipment.
Yet this car actually used the carburetor device from future gasoline cars.
Fang Wen, who knew the future, realized that the carburetor on this car might be extremely valuable.
The development history of engine fuel delivery equipment in his memory should be fuel injection device—mechanical carburetor—electronic fuel injection device.
This made Fang Wen even more interested in the origins of this car.
He stopped the car and opened the engine cover to inspect.
There were inscriptions on the outside of the engine.
【Ford ModelA 1928】
The senior student walked over and asked, “Is it okay?”
“I tested this car, and it’s fine. By the way, where did it come from?”
“This one? I heard a noble young master specially shipped it over from the United States by sea, produced by Ford Company. Later, his family offended someone they shouldn’t have. Overnight, the house was burned, the industry was sealed, and the whole family, young and old, left Beiping City. This car was taken and sold. At first, it drove fine, but later something went wrong—very noisy, chassis kept vibrating, no matter how it was repaired, it couldn’t be fixed. Finally, I bought it back for 300 silver dollars.”
Fang Wen smiled slightly: “Senior student, I probably know where the problem is. You got a bargain.”
“Really? You can repair cars too?”
“I learned some mechanical repair in Shanghai. Do you have an iron skewer with a hook? Or a bamboo strip. About three feet long will do.”
“What do you want that for?”
“Your car’s exhaust pipe is clogged. If I don’t fix it, I won’t be able to drive far either.”
Immediately, the senior student found tools. Fang Wen squatted down, inserted the iron skewer with a bent tip into the exhaust pipe, and at about one meter, hit a foreign object, hooked it, and pulled it out.
It was a black cloth strip, not too big, with gaps, not completely blocking the exhaust pipe, but creating the illusion of a problem.
Probably, the car repair person did it on purpose. Anyway, in these times, few people could repair this kind of car, so tampering wouldn’t be noticed.
The senior student was immediately delighted and wanted to invite Fang Wen to a meal before leaving, but Fang Wen politely declined.
The car left Qinghe Airport and headed toward Hebei.
Uncle Fang sat in the co-pilot seat, Shunzi in the back, guarding two oil barrels.
After driving for a while, Fang Wen spoke up: “Uncle Fang, where to?”
Uncle Fang looked outside and sighed: “Thirty years ago, when we left, the emperor was still there. Now even the prince’s mansion has become a university. Back then, I was a hot-headed young man. Master said go where, and we went. We only passed by Beiping once, didn’t dare approach the outer city, and slipped away.”
“Dad, the young master asked where to go, not to hear your hometown nostalgia.” Shunzi interjected from the back.
“Little brat, without me, could you be talking here?” Uncle Fang turned back and glared at Shunzi, continuing: “When Master was fighting the foreigners, he was shot, poison in the wound, ulcerated. We fellow disciples made a stretcher and left the Boxer Rebellion to go back home for treatment. They say the poor study literature and the rich study martial arts. We martial arts paupers had no money, but we all learned some medical skills, thinking we’d apply gunpowder medicine back home and cure Master. Who knew along the way, with the hot weather, the wound worsened, and Master died halfway. We had nothing on us, not even money to bury Master. At that time, the county magistrate in the passing county yamen had long fled, only two minor officials left guarding. We fellow disciples came up with the idea to rob the county yamen warehouse.”
So that’s how it was. Uncle Fang completely revealed his secret from the past thirty years.
They ultimately didn’t rob any money, but injured two minor officials, hastily buried Master in the wilderness, and then returned to their hometown.
Later events, Uncle Fang had mentioned: one of the two minor officials rose to prominence, held a grudge, and said he would deal with them. Uncle Fang was alone, so he simply fled south to avoid trouble.
Later, the fellow disciples communicated with each other, and he learned of the changes in his hometown, never returning.
And Uncle Fang said these things not without reason.
He wanted to request two things from Fang Wen.
First, find Master’s grave, and he would provide a sum of money for a grand burial for Master, to repay the master-disciple kindness.
Second, there were 8 fellow disciples total, all from a county town under Cangzhou. After finding them, regardless of whether they wanted to go to Shanghai, he wanted to leave some money for his fellow disciples to have something to fall back on, so life wouldn’t be harder after the Japanese entered the pass.
The money issue, Uncle Fang had already advanced from Fang Wen. Now saying this was to seek the patriarch’s opinion.
Fang Wen of course had no objection. For someone to fulfill filial duty to their master and care for fellow disciples was a good thing, and it made Uncle Fang seem even more loyal and righteous. Fang Wen wanted to meet the other fellow disciples to see what they were like.
From Qinghe Airport to Cangzhou, a little over 200 kilometers.
The Model A driven by Fang Wen had a 4-cylinder water-cooled engine, 3.3-liter displacement, 41 horsepower, and a top speed of 105 km/h.
Although it had been used for 4 years, performance could still maintain an average speed of 80-90 kilometers.
It was all dirt roads along the way, very bumpy. Even with Fang Wen using mechanical perception for driving, he still couldn’t make the passengers in the car comfortable.
Shunzi in the back was suffering. To keep the two oil barrels from spilling, he kept both hands pressed on them the whole way.
Uncle Fang couldn’t bear his son suffering, so halfway, during a water and fuel refuel stop, he let Shunzi sit in the front, and he took over the back.
Once Shunzi was in the front, he suddenly had a lot to say.
“Dad, where is this?”
“Hebei Plain, not yet to Cangzhou. Shunzi, remember, we are Cangzhou people. This time going back, we must recognize ancestors and return to the clan.”
“Got it. I see a church. Wasn’t it smashed by you guys?”
“Cough cough, why bring up that time. So many foreigners in Shanghai, go smash a church for me to see.”
“I’m not that stupid. This place is so flat, just lacks water. I still like Jiangnan.”
“.”
Uncle Fang sometimes interacted with his son, sometimes barely acknowledged him.
Fang Wen found it amusing. The father and son were quite interesting together. Long-distance driving needed some noise nearby to avoid drowsiness.
Until the car arrived outside a township.
Uncle Fang suddenly spoke: “Young Master, stop here. I remember Master should be buried around here.”
After getting out, he searched around but found nothing.
He returned with a sad face.
Fang Wen comforted: “Thirty years have passed. Maybe your fellow disciples moved your Master’s grave back to the hometown.”
“Yeah.” Uncle Fang suddenly understood. With 8 fellow disciples, it couldn’t be that only he thought of fulfilling filial duty to Master.
He felt a bit ashamed, then got back in the car.
The car started again and arrived at Uncle Fang’s hometown county town.
