In the long scroll of the intertwined urban and rural life filled with hustle and bustle, the roads are like lively paintbrushes, outlining the simple and peaceful countryside with rice ears swaying gently and vegetable plots lush and green, as well as the bustling and prosperous markets with vendors’ shouts and crowds of people. Old Sun’s fuel tricycle is just like an old friend who has accompanied him for many years, carrying his livelihood and dreams, traveling steadily through streets and alleys. Sometimes, the carriage is filled with sweet potatoes freshly dug out from his own fields. They have bright red skins and carry the simple fragrance of the earth, full of the richness of the harvest. Sometimes, it is loaded with exquisitely hand-woven bamboo baskets. The textures on the baskets are fine, embodying the painstaking efforts and ingenuity of the craftsmen. Every trip contains his earnest expectations for a better life. And the brake pads of the 301 bearing on the silver front wheel interchange drum, which are hidden in the key part of the front wheel, are like silent yet resolute “safety guards”. At the moment of braking, they go all out to protect the safety of both people and the vehicle. The stories behind it are full of twists and turns as well as warm friendships.

Old Sun is nearly sixty years old. He is down-to-earth and reliable in his work. He cherishes the tricycle that has followed him for a long time. His daily maintenance is like taking care of his most precious treasure, meticulous and comprehensive. At daybreak, when the dawn just broke through the clouds, Old Sun dressed neatly, took a soft-bristled brush, a clean rag and carried a small can of engine oil, and then walked vigorously towards his beloved vehicle parked at the entrance of the courtyard, starting his daily unshakable “vehicle care record”. First, he bent down to carefully check whether there were cracks in the fuel pipes and the fuel level in the fuel tank to ensure the smooth delivery of fuel. Then he gently pushed the front wheels and listened attentively, just like an experienced tuner appreciating a musical piece, capturing the slight “noises” during the operation of the bearings to ensure a stable output of driving power. When his eyes focused on the brake pads of the 301 bearing on the silver front wheel interchange drum, Old Sun looked solemn and stared intently, as if he were examining a dangerous and important pass that guarded lives.

He crouched down, dipped the brush full of engine oil, and gently wiped the silver-gray powder and debris accumulated on the brake pads due to frequent friction. His movements were slow, as if he were handling fragile antiques, for fear of causing any damage. After cleaning, he ran his fingers along the edge of the interchange drum to feel the smoothness of the 301 bearing. At the same time, he gently stepped on the brake pedal. Relying on the sharp hearing he had cultivated over the years, he carefully distinguished the “creaking” sound to accurately judge the fit between the brake pads and the brake drum and the quality of the braking effect. In Old Sun’s heart, these small brake pads were actually the “magic needle that calms the sea” for the safety of the whole vehicle. Once they malfunctioned, the tricycle would lose control like a runaway wild horse. It would be a minor matter if the precious goods on the vehicle rolled all over the ground. The real disaster would be endangering the safety of himself and passers-by. The consequences were unimaginable.

It was the twelfth lunar month in the depth of winter. The sky was as gloomy as lead, the cold wind was like a knife cutting on the face, the ground was covered with thin ice and was slippery, and the air seemed to freeze. Old Sun filled a tricycle with bamboo baskets and planned to go to the market in the neighboring village to try his luck and find good buyers. He put on a cotton hat, wrapped himself tightly in a cotton-padded coat, took a big gulp of hot wine to warm himself up, started the vehicle tremblingly, and plunged into this freezing journey.

At first, the tricycle was moving slowly on the flat brick road in the urban area. Old Sun listened to the “putt-putt” sound of the engine and imagined the lively scene of the bamboo baskets being snapped up in the market. He felt a little relieved. However, when he reached a section of the suburban path that had become bumpy, full of snow and broken ice due to the heavy snow the night before and the rolling of heavy vehicles, the crisis was quietly lurking.

Suddenly, a stray cat rushed out in front. Reacting instinctively, Old Sun slammed on the brakes. In an instant, a sharp “squeak” sound cut through the cold air. The body of the vehicle shook and trembled violently, but the vehicle didn’t stop steadily as expected. Instead, it slid forward for several meters. The bamboo baskets in the carriage collided with each other. Several baskets toppled over, with their bodies damaged and the bamboo strips split, making a mess. Still in shock, Old Sun quickly stopped the vehicle to check. His heart seemed to fall into an ice cellar. It turned out that there was something wrong with the brake pads of the 301 bearing on the silver front wheel interchange drum. It was found that the brake pads were worn unevenly. Some areas were as thin as cicada wings, and there were many pieces of broken ice and small stones mixed in them, resulting in a loose fit with the brake drum and a greatly reduced braking effect. In this freezing and dangerous road condition situation, the damaged brake pads were like a “time bomb”. If it was necessary to brake urgently again, the vehicle might be difficult to stop and was very likely to slide into the deep ditches beside the road or hit the trees on the roadside. The terrible consequences were unimaginable.

At that time, all around were vast expanses of white snow, and the wilderness was desolate. Only a few withered trees were trembling in the cold wind. On the road, except for the occasional snowplows that roared past and raised large amounts of snow fog, there were hardly any people in sight. Old Sun’s tricycle carrying the “injured” brake pads was like a lonely boat trapped in the icy sea full of raging waves and hidden reefs, in a very dangerous situation. He was extremely anxious. Fine beads of sweat immediately oozed out on his forehead. In this low temperature, the sweat beads quickly turned into ice beads. The back of his clothes was also soaked with cold sweat. He quickly moved the vehicle to a relatively sheltered and safe place by the roadside and tried to remedy the situation in a flustered manner.

Old Sun tremblingly took out a simple repair tool kit from under the seat of the vehicle, took out tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers, and tried to clean the embedded objects and repair the worn parts. However, his fingers were frozen stiff, and he couldn’t hold the tools steadily. When using the screwdriver to turn the screws, it slipped and lost its force, and the wrench could hardly tighten the nuts. After repeated attempts, the problem of the brake pads remained stubborn. Helplessness and anxiety were intertwined in his heart. The feelings of coldness and frustration were surging in his heart, and he was almost desperate.

Just when he was full of worry and felt helpless, a passing small agricultural truck slowly stopped. The window was rolled down, and a kind-faced uncle with a simple and honest smile stuck his head out and asked with concern, “Brother, what’s going on? It’s freezing cold. Is there something wrong with your vehicle?” Old Sun hurriedly pointed at the brake pads and told him what had happened. Without saying a word, the uncle took professional repair tools and a spare set of brake pads of the 301 bearing on the silver front wheel interchange drum from his vehicle. It turned out that the uncle ran a vegetable greenhouse by himself. He often drove back and forth to transport agricultural materials and sell vegetables. Knowing that the road conditions were tough, he was used to keeping emergency items in the vehicle to prepare for unexpected needs.

The uncle jumped out of the vehicle and walked to Old Sun’s vehicle. First, he handed Old Sun a pair of thick gloves to help him warm his frozen hands and relieve his nervousness. Then he skillfully operated the tools to remove the damaged brake pads. He cleverly used long-nosed pliers to remove the mixed pieces of broken ice and stones, and then carefully polished the uneven parts on the surface of the brake drum caused by friction with sandpaper to make it smooth and shiny. Then he took out the spare brake pads, installed them steadily in place, calibrated the distance between them and the brake drum, tightened the screws, and gently stepped on the brake pedal to test. With the clear and crisp “creaking” sounds, the brakes regained their previous sensitivity and steadily “returned to their positions and fulfilled their duties”, giving the tricycle reliable braking guarantee again, which finally put Old Sun’s hanging heart at ease.

Old Sun’s eyes were red, and his voice choked with emotion. He grasped the uncle’s hands tightly and thanked him repeatedly. He insisted on giving the uncle several exquisite bamboo baskets. The uncle couldn’t refuse and took them. Then he smiled and told Old Sun, “Brother, you should be more careful when driving on these bad roads in the future. These brake pads are related to the safety of the whole vehicle. You can’t be careless at all!” Old Sun nodded vigorously, keeping it firmly in mind.

After this incident, Old Sun’s care for the brake pads of the 301 bearing on the silver front wheel interchange drum reached an extreme level. Before setting out each time, he would conduct a detailed and comprehensive inspection, not only examining the appearance and cleaning the surroundings, but also simulating emergency braking situations to check the braking effect. After returning the vehicle, he would wipe and maintain it with a dry cloth, regularly check the tightness of the screws and reinforce the connection of the components. Since then, the brake pads have never had any problems again and have steadily accompanied Old Sun as he continued to be busy shuttling between urban and rural areas, witnessing his years of working hard for a living.