In the urban-rural fringe area full of a lively atmosphere, the roads are like flexible silk ribbons. One end is connected to the quiet countryside where there are golden wheat waves swaying in the wind, and fruits and vegetables are showing their ripe colors wantonly on the vine racks. The other end blends into the noisy marketplace where crowds of people are bustling about, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining rise and fall one after another, playing a noisy symphony of life. Old Li’s electric tricycle with a canopy is just like a loyal friend who never leaves or abandons, carrying his livelihood and expectations for many years, shuttling through streets and alleys. The canopy has once held juicy pears from his own orchard, exquisitely hand-woven bamboo baskets, and all kinds of seasonal groceries, witnessing every journey he has made for a living. And the special black and red onboard fan conspicuously installed in the front of the canopy is like a powerful “reinforcement” in the sweltering summer. The stories behind it are full of twists and turns as well as warmth.

Old Li is nearly sixty years old. He has a cheerful personality and is warm-hearted towards others. He relies on this tricycle with a canopy to do small businesses to support the living expenses of his whole family. The high temperature in summer always comes with great fierceness. The scorching sun hangs high in the sky, pouring out its light without reservation, baking the earth until it’s boiling hot. The inside of the canopy is like a stuffy steamer, filled with hot air. After each trip, Old Li’s clothes are often soaked with sweat, feeling sticky and uncomfortable. To relieve this intense heat, he carefully chose this special black and red fan. The main body of the fan is black, looking calm and elegant. The edges of the fan blades are outlined with bright red lines. When it is powered on and running, the combination of black and red makes it quite recognizable. Moreover, its wind power is quite strong. The first gear has a gentle breeze gently blowing on the face, and the second gear has a strong wind blowing with a whooshing sound, which can instantly dispel the unbearable summer heat in the vehicle.

On weekdays, Old Li treasures this fan very much. When preparing to set out, checking the fan is the top priority. He will hold a clean rag to carefully wipe the fan blades and the outer shell, not missing any dust or stains. Then he will check whether the power cord is damaged and whether the plug is stable. 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 starts the vehicle with peace of mind and embarks on the day’s business journey.

It was an unbearably hot day during the Great Heat solar term. The sky was almost transparently blue without a single cloud to block it. The sun was releasing its power wantonly. The road surface was softened by the heat and layers of heat waves were rising. Old Li filled his tricycle with freshly picked juicy peaches from the orchard and planned to rush to the market in the neighboring village to grab a good stall. The pink and plump peaches 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 black and red fan at the same time, adjusting it to the second gear. Immediately, a strong cool wind blew into the vehicle, and the sweltering feeling subsided a little. Old Li’s mood also became more comfortable. He hummed a little tune and drove towards the market.

When he reached a bumpy section on the outskirts of the city, the road surface was frequently rolled by heavy trucks and was covered with large and small potholes and gravel. Old Li had to slow down and move forward carefully, avoiding them. Suddenly, the vehicle body jolted violently, and then there was a loud “creaking” sound. The fan seemed to have been severely damaged and stopped running instantly. The cool wind ceased abruptly, and the stuffy heat rushed back like a tide. Old Li’s heart tightened, and he quickly stopped the vehicle to check. He saw that there was a crack in the base of the fan, probably caused by the violent jolt just now. The fan blades were also slightly tilted and seemed on the verge of falling. Old Li was full of helplessness and anxiety. There was still a long way to go before reaching the market. Without the fan, the peaches would easily become soft and go bad under the high temperature, and he himself would have to endure the sweltering heat in this steamer-like canopy.

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 reinforce it by himself as an emergency measure. However, the weather was so hot that the sweat kept getting into his eyes, blurring his vision, and the screwdriver in his hand almost slipped several times due to his sweaty hands. Old Li managed to unscrew with great effort and wanted to straighten the fan blades and repair the crack in the base, but he found that he didn’t have suitable glue or reinforcement patches at hand and couldn’t deal with it properly at all. It became even stuffier inside the canopy, and the surface of the peaches began to show slight wrinkles. Old Li was so anxious that he stamped his feet, pacing around like an ant on a hot pan.

Just when Old Li was full of worry and felt helpless, a passing agricultural four-wheeled vehicle slowly stopped. The window was rolled down, and a simple and honest uncle with dark skin stuck his head out and asked with concern, “Brother, what’s going on? You seem so anxious.” Old Li pointed at the broken fan and told him all about his encounter. The uncle 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 uncle jumped out of the vehicle and took out strong glue, metal patches and spare screws from the carriage.

The uncle was quite skillful. First, he used the glue to carefully stick the crack in the base together, then pasted the metal patch to reinforce it, and finally tightened the spare screws to adjust the fan blades back to their original positions and firmly fix them. It took just over ten minutes, and the fan started buzzing again, blowing out the strong cool wind once more. Old Li’s eyes were red, and he grasped the uncle’s hand excitedly, saying, “Brother, thank you so much. Without you, this trip of mine would have been ruined!” The uncle 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 Li 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 warmth in his heart. After this incident, Old Li took even better care of this special black and red onboard fan. He regularly cleaned the dust on the fan blades, added lubricating oil to the rotating shaft, and deliberately prepared a set of spare repair items and put them in the vehicle. Since then, the fan has never had any problems again and has steadily accompanied Old Li through the unbearably hot summers, witnessing his years of hard work for a living.