In the lively area where urban and rural areas transition, the roads are like crisscrossing veins. One end leads to the peaceful and simple countryside, where there are endless farmlands. The wheat waves dance gently in the breeze, and the fruits and vegetables emit an inviting fragrance under the warm sun. The other end is connected to the bustling marketplaces, where crowds of people are surging, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining are intertwined into the melody of life. Old Wang’s electric tricycle with a canopy is just like a loyal old friend, accompanying him through wind and rain for many years. The canopy has carried the vegetables and fruits harvested from his own fields, the exquisitely hand-made bamboo baskets, and the practical furniture made by carpenters, witnessing every step of his struggle for life. And the special blue onboard fan installed in one corner of the canopy is like a cool comfort in the scorching summer days, with thrilling or heartwarming stories hidden behind it.

Old Wang is in his early fifties. He is honest and hardworking, relying on this tricycle with a canopy to do some small businesses to support his family. In summer, the sun is blazing like fire, baking the earth until it’s boiling hot. The inside of the canopy is airtight and as stuffy as a steamer. After each trip, Old Wang is often drenched in sweat, with his clothes soaked through. To feel a bit better in such hot weather, he deliberately chose this special blue fan. The whole body of the fan is deep blue, just like the profound blue sky. When the fan blades are rotating, the edges sparkle with a silver luster. It not only looks good but also has quite strong wind power, which can quickly dispel the unbearable summer heat in the vehicle.

Old Wang treasures this fan very much. Before setting out every day, he will carefully wipe the fan blades and the outer shell with a clean rag, check whether the power cord is damaged and whether the plug is loose. He will also turn it on and let it run for a while to make sure that the fan operates normally and the wind power remains unchanged before he sets off with peace of mind.

It was an unbearably hot dog days. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the sun was releasing its heat without reservation. The road surface was softened by the heat. Old Wang filled his tricycle with freshly picked tomatoes and planned to rush to the market in the neighboring village to sell them. The bright red fruits piled up like a small mountain in the canopy, and the fragrance of the fruits filled the air. He got into the stuffy canopy, started the vehicle, and turned on the blue fan at the same time. Instantly, a cool wind blew towards him, and the sweltering feeling subsided a little. Old Wang’s mood also became more comfortable. He hummed a little tune and drove towards the market.

When he reached a section of the suburban road that was under repair, the road surface was pitted and full of gravel. Old Wang had to slow down and move forward carefully. Suddenly, the vehicle body jolted violently, and then there was a “clang” sound. The fan seemed to be pulled by a strong force and stopped running instantly. The cool wind that had been blowing ceased abruptly, and the stuffy heat rushed in quickly. Old Wang’s heart tightened, and he quickly stopped the vehicle to check. He saw that the power cord of the fan had been hit by a flying piece of gravel at some point. The outer layer was damaged, and the internal copper wires were exposed. Obviously, there was a short circuit. Old Wang was full of helplessness and anxiety. Without the fan, there was still a long way to go. The tomatoes might go bad under the high temperature, and he himself would probably get prickly heat from the stuffy heat.

He was extremely anxious. Fine beads of sweat oozed out on his forehead. He quickly took out a simple repair tool kit from under the seat, planning to repair it by himself. However, the weather was so hot that the sweat kept getting into his eyes, blurring his vision, and the screwdriver in his hand didn’t listen to him and almost slipped several times. Old Wang managed to unscrew with great effort and wanted to deal with the damaged power cord, but he found that he didn’t have any insulating tape at hand and couldn’t repair it properly at all. It became even stuffier inside the canopy, and the surface of the tomatoes began to show slight wrinkles. Old Wang was so anxious that he stamped his feet, pacing around like an ant on a hot pan.

Just when Old Wang was full of worry and felt helpless, a passing agricultural tricycle motorcycle slowly stopped. The window was rolled down, and a simple and honest big brother with dark skin stuck his head out and asked with concern, “Brother, what’s going on? You seem so anxious.” Old Wang pointed at the broken fan and told him all about his encounter. The big brother gave a hearty laugh and said, “Don’t worry. I always keep some odds and ends in my vehicle. Maybe they can be of help.” With that, the big brother jumped out of the vehicle and took out insulating tape, a spare power cord and electrical tools from the carriage.

The big brother was quite skillful. First, he cut off the damaged part of the power cord, carefully stripped the outer layer of the new power cord with wire strippers, connected and tightened the copper wires, then wrapped insulating tape around it circle by circle to reinforce and seal it. After that, he reinstalled the fan back to its original position and tightened the screws. It took just over twenty minutes, and the fan started buzzing again, blowing out the cool wind once more. Old Wang’s eyes were red, and he grasped the big brother’s hand excitedly, saying, “Brother, thank you so much. Without you, this trip of mine would have been ruined!” The big brother waved his hand and said, “It’s a piece of cake. When we are away from home, who doesn’t have difficulties? It’s only right to give each other a hand.”

Old Wang restarted the fan, and the cool wind filled the canopy again. He let out a long sigh of relief and continued on his way with gratitude in his heart. After this incident, Old Wang took even better care of this special blue onboard fan. He regularly checked the wires and cleaned the dust, and also prepared a set of spare small repair items and put them in the vehicle. Since then, the fan has never had any problems again and has steadily accompanied Old Wang through the unbearably hot summers, witnessing his years of hard work for a living.