On the lively map where urban and rural areas intersect and are filled with a bustling atmosphere, the roads are like lively silk ribbons. One end is connected to the hopeful fields in the countryside, where waves of wheat undulate and fruits and vegetables are abundant. The other end leads to the bustling streets and alleys of the market, filled with crowds of people and the sounds of transactions. Old Wang’s electric and fuel dual-purpose tricycle is just like a considerate and reliable old companion, accompanying him through the changes of the four seasons, coming and going in wind and rain, and shuttling nimbly through streets and alleys. Sometimes, the carriage is filled with fresh green cucumbers just picked from his own vegetable garden, with flowers on their tops and thorns on their skins, full of the simplicity of the earth and the joy of harvest. Sometimes, it is loaded with delicate wooden furniture customized from the workshop, with fine textures that embody the painstaking efforts of the craftsmen. Every trip is a vivid footnote of his enthusiastic pursuit of life. And the 80 front brake with 10 holes, which is installed at the key position of the front wheel, is like a silent yet resolute “safety guard”, firmly protecting the safety of people and the vehicle at every braking moment. The stories behind it are full of twists and turns as well as warm feelings.

Old Wang is nearly sixty years old. He is honest and down-to-earth in his work and cherishes the tricycle that has accompanied him for many years. His daily maintenance is as meticulous as taking care of rare treasures, meticulous and meticulous. At daybreak, when the morning sun just broke through the clouds, Old Wang got up energetically. He took a soft-bristled brush, a clean rag and carried a small can of lubricating grease, and then strode towards his beloved vehicle parked at the entrance of the courtyard, starting his daily unshakable “vehicle maintenance record”. First, he bent down to carefully check the fuel tank (in the electric mode, he would pay attention to the power display) to ensure sufficient energy, and carefully inspected the fuel pipes (or electrical circuits) to see if there were any signs of damage or leakage, ensuring the smooth delivery of power. Then he gently turned the front wheels and listened attentively, just like an experienced tuner appreciating a musical piece, capturing the slight abnormalities in the sound of the bearing operation to ensure the stable output of driving power. When his eyes focused on the components of the 80 front brake with 10 holes, Old Wang looked solemn and was fully concentrated, as if he were examining a dangerous and important pass that guarded lives. He knew very well that it was related to the safety of braking and couldn’t afford to be careless at all.

He crouched down, dipped the brush full of grease, and gently wiped the black powder and debris accumulated on the brake assembly due to frequent friction. His movements were slow, as if he were handling fragile antiques, for fear that any slight damage would occur. After cleaning, he ran his fingers along the edges of the 10 holes to carefully feel the smoothness of the air holes, so as to judge the heat dissipation and braking performance of the brakes. In Old Wang’s heart, although this front brake seemed ordinary, it was actually the “magic needle that calms the sea” for the safety of the whole vehicle. Once it 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 late spring. The sky was as clear as a mirror, the sunlight was warm and pleasant, and a gentle breeze blew by, carrying a faint fragrance of flowers and the earth. Old Wang filled a tricycle with delicate wooden chairs and planned to rush to the market in the neighboring village to find good buyers. He put on a cloth hat, wore an old jacket, took a sip of hot tea, hummed a little tune and started the vehicle, setting off on the journey excitedly.

At first, the tricycle was running smoothly on the flat asphalt road in the urban area. Old Wang listened to the “buzzing” sound of the engine (in the electric mode, it was the soft humming sound of the motor) and imagined the lively scene of the wooden chairs being snapped up in the market. He was in an especially comfortable mood. Unexpectedly, when he reached a section of the suburban path that had become bumpy, muddy and full of gravel due to the spring rain the night before and the repeated rolling of heavy trucks, the crisis was quietly lurking.

Suddenly, a hare rushed out in front. Reacting instinctively, Old Wang slammed on the brakes. In an instant, a sharp “squeak” sound cut through the clear spring sky. The body of the vehicle shook and trembled violently, but the vehicle didn’t stop steadily as expected. Instead, it slid forward for a certain distance. The wooden chairs in the carriage collided with each other. Several chairs toppled over on the ground, with their legs broken and the paint damaged, making a mess. Still in shock, Old Wang 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 80 front brake with 10 holes. It was found that many gravel stones were mixed in the brake pads, and some of them had been embedded in them, resulting in a loose fit between the brake pads and the brake drum. In addition, most of the 10 holes were blocked by mud, which seriously affected the heat dissipation and braking effect, and the braking efficiency was greatly reduced. In this warm spring sunlight but bad road condition situation, the damaged front brake was like a “time bomb”. If it was necessary to brake urgently again, the vehicle would probably be difficult to stop and was very likely to slide into the ditches beside the road or hit the electric poles. The terrible consequences were unimaginable.

At that time, all around were empty fields, with tender green wheat seedlings swaying gently in the wind. On the road, except for the occasional grain trucks that roared past and raised large amounts of dust, there were hardly any people in sight. Old Wang’s tricycle carrying the “injured” front brake was like a lonely boat drifting in the rough 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. The back of his clothes was instantly soaked through by sweat and clung tightly to his back. He quickly moved the vehicle to a relatively stable mound beside the road and tried to remedy the situation in a flustered manner.

Old Wang 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, clear the air holes and repair the worn parts. However, the warm spring sunlight seemed to add some heat at this time. Sweat blurred his eyes, his fingers trembled, 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 front brake remained stubborn. Helplessness and anxiety were intertwined in his heart. The feelings of frustration and heat were churning and boiling in his heart, and he was almost desperate.

Just when he was full of worry and felt helpless, a passing agricultural tricycle motorcycle slowly stopped. The window was rolled down, and a kind-faced, weather-beaten and simple and honest uncle stuck his head out and asked with concern, “Brother, what’s going on? It’s not easy to travel on the road these days. Is there something wrong with your vehicle?” Old Wang hurriedly pointed at the front brake and told him what had happened. Without saying a word, the uncle took a jack, professional repair tools and a spare 80 front brake with 10 holes from his vehicle. It turned out that the uncle ran a large farm by himself. He often drove back and forth to transport agricultural materials and sell agricultural products. Knowing that the road conditions were dangerous, he was used to keeping emergency items in the vehicle to prepare for unexpected needs.

The uncle got out of the vehicle and walked to Old Wang’s vehicle. First, he handed Old Wang a towel to help him dry the sweat and calm his nervousness. Then he skillfully operated the jack to lift the vehicle body, removed the damaged front brake. He cleverly used long-nosed pliers to remove the embedded stones, and then took a fine brush and clean water to carefully clean the mud in the 10 holes to make them unobstructed again. Then he took out the spare front brake, installed it steadily in place, calibrated the distance between it 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 Wang’s hanging heart at ease.

Old Wang’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 wooden chairs. The uncle couldn’t refuse and took them. Then he smiled and told Old Wang, “Brother, you should be more careful when driving on these bad roads in the future. This front brake is related to the safety of the whole vehicle. You can’t be careless at all!” Old Wang nodded vigorously, keeping it firmly in mind.

After this incident, Old Wang’s care for the 80 front brake with 10 holes 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 front brake has never had any problems again and has steadily accompanied Old Wang as he continued to be busy shuttling between urban and rural areas, witnessing his years of working hard for a living.