Chapter 39: The Tandem Bicycle

Clatter...
The heavy iron chain hit the pitch-black metal door with a crisp sound.
The gate slowly creaked open, and sunlight spilled inside, dispelling the darkness within.
*Clack.*
The warehouse manager flicked on the incandescent light bulb.
Li Aiguo looked around in the dim, yellowish light and his jaw dropped in amazement. The massive warehouse was packed to the brim with all sorts of items.
"Let me see, the bicycle parts should be..."
The manager, a middle-aged woman, opened a frayed ledger and adjusted her tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses. "That batch of bicycles we confiscated last time is in the corner over there..."
She turned back to beckon Li Aiguo, but when she saw the young man standing beside him, her mouth twitched twice.
Even in the middle of summer, did this fellow really have to go shirtless?
What was he thinking? Did he think those bulging muscles were impressive?
Hmph... Though, truth be told, the lad was quite sturdy.
The manager felt a slight flush rise to her cheeks.

Li Aiguo looked at Liu Haizhu beside him, speechless.
Liu Haizhu was a professional bicycle mechanic. Once Li Aiguo had obtained the authorization slip from the locomotive depot to assemble a bicycle from spare parts, Liu Haizhu was the first person who came to mind.
Early that morning, after Li Aiguo found him and explained his intention, Liu Haizhu had dropped his wrench, wheeled out his own bike, and insisted on coming along to the depot to pick out the parts.
A friend’s eager help should have been a cause for joy.
The problem was that Liu Haizhu wasn't wearing a shirt.
He wore a conical straw hat, black canvas trousers, yellow rubber-soled shoes... and nothing on his upper body.
Walking the streets shirtless was indecent. For the sake of the city's appearance, Li Aiguo had pleaded with him to put on a short-sleeved shirt, but Liu Haizhu had refused to yield, as if that jacket were an iron shackle that would bind his soul the moment he put it on.
Li Aiguo had no choice but to endure it.
And so, a shirtless young man went hurtling down the street on a bicycle, with another younger man sitting on the back rack.
Recalling the strange looks from passersby, Li Aiguo wished he could crawl into a hole in the ground.
Damn it. If he ever rode on the back of Liu Haizhu’s bike again, he’d be a dog.
Facing the manager's bewildered stare, Liu Haizhu held his head high with pride.
Li Aiguo smiled awkwardly. "Comrade, he... he's sensitive to the heat. Very sensitive."

"What a weirdo!" the manager muttered under her breath. She walked over to a pile of parts. "There, those are the confiscated parts. You can only assemble them here; you aren't allowed to take them out."
"Assemble them here?"
"Of course. Think about it: if you took one part out, and someone else took another, wouldn't our locomotive depot be emptied out?" The manager said with righteous indignation, "No matter how small a public matter is, it is a big deal; no matter how big a private matter is, it remains a small one."
Hearing this, Li Aiguo could only give her a thumbs up.
But there was a problem. They hadn't brought any tools. How were they supposed to assemble anything?
Just as Li Aiguo was thinking of heading back to fetch his tools, Liu Haizhu pulled a wrench out of his trousers.
Seeing Li Aiguo’s startled expression, he widened his eyes. "What? I'm a mechanic. It's perfectly normal to carry a wrench on me, isn't it?"
"It is indeed normal." Li Aiguo looked him up and down. "I'm just having trouble figuring out exactly where you pulled such a large wrench from."
Liu Haizhu: "......"
Liu Haizhu, who was never one to feel shame, actually blushed.
Li Aiguo looked at the wrench and couldn't help but take two steps back. He was definitely not going to touch that tool later.

Since the parts were all confiscated, they were a motley assortment: a frame from a Forever brand bike, a Flying Pigeon seat, a Phoenix front wheel, a White Mountain rear wheel, and Gold Deer brakes. There were also piles of unbranded parts without packaging.
Liu Haizhu’s eyes lit up as if he had entered a treasure trove. He quickly selected a heap of components.
"Good stuff, this is all top-tier stuff!"
"Aiguo, just you wait. I'm going to build you the sturdiest bicycle in all of Beijing."
Liu Haizhu grabbed his wrench, his movements a blur of efficiency. From time to time, he would hammer a part to modify it just right.
Two hours later, Liu Haizhu pushed the finished bicycle out.
"How about it? Is it sturdy enough?"
Whether it was sturdy or not, Li Aiguo couldn't say, but it was certainly bizarre.
The bike’s front and rear wheels were each composed of two sets of rims. The entire contraption had four wheels. It had double crossbars, and the front fork, front axle, bottom bracket, chain, freewheel, and rear axle were all doubled up, held tightly together by iron clamps. There were two bells—one on the left handlebar and one on the right—and two sets of pedals: one in the front and one in the back.
"What do you think? I designed this specially. Now, two people can pedal at the same time."
Seeing Li Aiguo’s stunned expression, Liu Haizhu explained proudly, "The speed will be off the charts. If you're being chased by street thugs, they’ll never catch you. Plus, with four wheels, even if you’re not great at riding, you won't tip over."
Li Aiguo’s jaw was firmly on the floor.
If they added a roof to this thing, wouldn't it just be one of those tandem bikes from the parks of the future?
"Come on, don't just stand there. Try it out."
Li Aiguo took the bike and gave it a push.
You have to hand it to him: while Liu Haizhu might be a bit eccentric, his craftsmanship was legit. The four-wheeled bike moved without a single creak, and the wheels turned with incredible smoothness, as if it had been assembled by a professional factory.
"Liu Haizhu, it's a real waste that you aren't designing for a bicycle factory," Li Aiguo said, giving him a thumbs up.
"Eh, well, I'm just a mechanic. Practice makes perfect, and labor brings wisdom."
"You're too modest. With skills like these, you could easily make a living modifying bikes for people."
"I'd love to, but I lack the materials. If it weren't for you today, I wouldn't have had the chance to scratch this itch."
As the two were busy exchanging compliments, the manager walked over with her ledger. "Are you finished assembl... holy cow... what kind of monster have you built?"
Her gaze locked onto the bicycle, and her voice cut off as if she had been choked.
"Wait... this isn't right. How can you use the materials for two bicycles?" She pointed at the four-wheeled contraption, looking shocked. "This is against the rules!"
Li Aiguo kept a straight face. "Ma'am, let me ask you: is this a bicycle?"
The manager stared at the bike for a long time, then nodded hesitantly. "It has wheels, a chain, a freewheel... I suppose it counts as a bicycle... maybe..."
"Exactly. Since the warehouse rule says we can only assemble one bicycle and can't take parts out, we haven't violated any rules."
The manager felt like something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Li Aiguo thought for a moment and added, "Don't worry, I will record the materials used, submit it to the depot, and pay for the extra parts. I won't make things difficult for you."
Taking advantage of the public purse was something Li Aiguo couldn't bring himself to do.
"If you put it that way, then I suppose it is a single bicycle."
The manager let out a sigh of relief. As a manager, the most important thing was that the books balanced. As long as her superiors didn't investigate, why should she look for trouble? Besides, this tandem bike was actually kind of interesting.

Back at the repair shop, Liu Haizhu installed a dynamo to power the headlights, greased the chain, adjusted the brakes, and took a clean rag to polish the tandem bike until it gleamed.
Only when the bike was shining like new did he reluctantly hand it over to Li Aiguo.
"Aiguo, I hope you treat her well."
"Don't worry." Li Aiguo reached into his pocket. "How much do I owe you for the assembly?"
Liu Haizhu’s face darkened. "Aiguo, I feel like you're insulting my ideals and our friendship."
Seeing Liu Haizhu’s firm stance, Li Aiguo didn't say anything more and put the money back in his pocket. He decided he would just buy Liu Haizhu a couple of bottles of good liquor when the opportunity arose.