The train driver in the courtyard

In the following days, Li Aiguo was busy continuing to assemble two-stroke motorcycles.

Negotiations with John Bull have also made significant progress.

Ed's representative indicated that the offered price was acceptable.

"998 million. The other party actually agreed." Li Aiguo felt something was strange when he learned of this from the ministry.

In the evening, I rode my bicycle to the Shijingshan Meteorological Station and checked the records from the Friendship Hotel.

These records don't really qualify as surveillance records. The guests at the Friendship Hotel are all important figures, and rashly monitoring them could easily cause trouble.

However, if some of the waiters are actually weather station staff and have a habit of recording their daily work routines after get off work, that's a different story.

"The day before yesterday afternoon, after spending half an hour in the coffee shop inside the Friendship Hotel, Ed suddenly returned to his room and contacted John Bull."
It seems Ed changed his mind and made up his mind within the last half hour.

Old Cat flipped through the documents and said, "That was precisely the time when our capital city achieved artificial rainmaking."

"Could it be because of artificial rainmaking?" Li Aiguo still felt that something was not right.

Even if artificial rainmaking sounds impressive, it shouldn't warrant such serious consideration from John Bull.

Unfortunately, to avoid trouble, guests who were not suspected were not closely monitored, and the records were incomplete.

Li Aiguo simply stopped thinking about things he couldn't understand.

As long as you are strong enough to firmly grasp the initiative, you don't need to worry about others causing trouble.

The next day, Li Aiguo arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot as usual, intending to continue assembling two-stroke motorcycles, when he indeed received a notification from the ministry.

John Bull Railway has formally requested to sign an agreement to purchase a railway early warning system.

Considering it was a respectable occasion, Li Aiguo had Chen Baiya clean the large SUV he had assembled using spare parts and drove it to the ministry.

“Mr. Patriot.” After signing the preliminary agreement, Ed stood up and extended his right hand to Li Aiguo.

“Please call me Comrade,” Li Aiguo corrected with a smile, while firmly shaking the other’s hand.

“Patriotic Comrade, £998 million.” Ed’s voice held a hint of hesitation. “I can already picture the Home Secretary being questioned in Parliament.”

Li Aiguo smiled: "Rest assured, this is absolutely a bargain! You won't find another early warning system like this in the world."

"." Ed had been carefully observing Li Aiguo.

I originally thought Li Aiguo would be very excited to have landed such a big order, but also a little nervous.
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, I was momentarily puzzled.

Could it be true, as that upstart from the Middle East said, that the £998 million was well spent?

“Come, come,” Li Aiguo warmly put his arm around Ed’s shoulder, “the early warning system is just the beginning. Now we should talk about installation, maintenance, and technical support.”

Ed felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that the other person was about to "raise their knife" again.

Surprisingly, the terms Li Aiguo offered this time were exceptionally favorable.
Installation and maintenance fees are calculated according to Eastern European standards, and a year of free technical support is included. Subsequent service fees are also quite reasonable.

Even more excitingly, Hextech will also assist in training operators.

Rounding it off, it's practically free.

"Thank you so much, Comrade Li Aiguo, you are indeed my good friend."

Li Aiguo gave a thumbs up: "Mr. Ed, your negotiation skills are truly admirable!"

"Mr. Patriot, I am very grateful for your contribution to the friendship between our two families!" Ed had been expecting the other party to make an exorbitant demand, but now that he had gotten such a good deal, he was quite excited.

"Then let's sign the agreement now."

"sign!"

In fact, the price of the early warning system already guarantees substantial profits. While the profit margin for after-sales services is lower, it can create overseas job opportunities for domestic technical personnel.

"This negotiation went too smoothly," someone muttered.

"The most skillful salesmanship is making the customer feel like they've gotten a good deal," one leader remarked meaningfully, "or, making the customer feel like they've gotten a good deal to their family."

Another leader added, "The total price remained the same, yet John Bull's representative was credited with a great achievement and will be commended upon his return. Our patriotic comrade's 'stick and sweet treat' strategy is truly masterful."

The staff members nearby were dumbfounded.

They only saw Li Aiguo and Ed chatting and laughing, never expecting that they would create so many twists and turns.

Things turned out exactly as these leaders had predicted.

Ed took the two agreements back to John Bull Iron.

John Newton was particularly pleased and praised him for his hard work and outstanding contributions for his own benefit.

Thanks to this achievement, Ed was able to enter John Bull's cabinet after the railway network and railway early warning system were installed.

Of course, these are all things for later.

The subsequent handover and training of personnel going abroad were handled by the foreign affairs department and the railway department.

Li Aiguo took Ed home for a meal of pork dumplings, then returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to work on two-stroke motorcycles.

A week later, in the workshop, wildlife expert Chen Baiya and Master Zhang looked at the assembled motorcycle with great anticipation.

After working for so long, the group finally finished assembling it.

The motorcycle was similar to the mountain bikes of later generations.

The rugged steel tubular frame gleamed with a metallic sheen, and the specially designed tires had deeply etched treads. A five-pointed star was painted red on the side of the fuel tank.

Two auxiliary fuel tanks were also added to the back, which can increase the driving range.

"We did it! Master!" Chen Baiya and the self-taught motorcycle expert were both extremely excited. This was a motorcycle they had assembled by hand.

Beep beep beep! Li Aiguo twisted the accelerator, and the engine started running at high speed.

I shifted into first gear, released the clutch, and accelerated. As a man with a D license, I started the motorcycle smoothly.

If we're talking about vehicles from later generations that aren't much different from the driving techniques of this era, then motorcycles are definitely the one to come to mind.

The Jeep's steering wheel lacks power assist, making it incredibly tiring to turn.

The trucks are even more outrageous, with two clutches; even professional truck drivers from later generations wouldn't be able to handle them.

Motorcycles are not so complicated; you just need to twist the handlebars and press the accelerator to go.

Chen Baiya rushed over and was the first to sit on the back of the motorcycle, followed by the Wild Car Expert and Director Zhang.

A motorcycle carrying four people is considered a basic operation, and this can be regarded as a load-bearing capacity test.

The sound of motorcycle engines is not uncommon at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot; there's even a sidecar motorcycle near the police station.

When Li Aiguo drove his dark green motorcycle out of the studio, everyone was stunned.

Sidecars are common, but this is the first time I've seen a two-wheeled motorcycle.

"Holy crap, Patriot Brother, did you do this?" Zhou Kezheng led a few thieves in from outside. When he saw the motorcycle, he ignored the thieves and immediately blocked the motorcycle.

"Zhou Ke, what are you doing? Have you forgotten our mission?" Minister Niu called out to him from a distance.

When Minister Niu arrived and saw the motorcycle, he immediately dropped his cigarette butt.

"Patriotism, we invented this thing ourselves?"

"Minister Niu, this is a collective achievement, the result of our studio's joint efforts," Li Aiguo said with a smile as he parked the car, turned off the engine, and left.

"Well done, bro, you're getting more and more impressive." Minister Niu patted Li Aiguo on the shoulder hard: "If this thing goes on the market, our armed forces department and police station will definitely buy a batch. We'll never have to chase thieves on bicycles again."

By this time, a large number of railway workers had gathered around, and more and more were appearing. They were all initially shocked, and then overjoyed.

They can't afford a large off-road vehicle, but this motorcycle is made by their own family. They can save up for a few years and, if they grit their teeth, get one.

If you rode this out, wouldn't it be much cooler than a bicycle?

At that time, several colleagues whose families were all employees came up to inquire about the price.

"This is just a test model. The cost will only be determined when it goes into mass production," Li Aiguo replied with a smile.

"Patriotism, let's have this motorcycle produced by the section. It just so happens that my second son doesn't have a formal job yet."

"Yes, we can get a discount if we buy internally."

"If I had a motorcycle, I don't believe Cuihua from the textile factory wouldn't like me!"

The employees gathered around the motorcycle and started chattering amongst themselves.

A short while later, Section Chief Xing arrived after hearing the news. He had been thinking about equipping the patrol workers with motorcycles lately, so how could he not be concerned?

"Is this it?"

"It's not certain yet; we still need to conduct a road test." Motorcycles are related to the driver's safety, so Li Aiguo has to be cautious.

Machinery isn't an antique; you can tell at a glance whether it's sturdy and durable.

Section Chief Xing looked it over and praised it repeatedly, "Good, good, good! Good stuff!"

"Section Chief, why don't you give it a try?" Li Aiguo removed the three counterweights from the back and looked at Section Chief Xing.

"Then I'll give it a try," Section Chief Xing said without any hesitation.

"Section Chief, look, this thing is easy to start. Just pedal hard on this starter lever, and it'll start. This is the clutch. Release the clutch slowly, wait until the motorcycle starts moving, then release it, otherwise it might stall."

Section Chief Xing had driven a sidecar motorcycle before, and after only a short time, he was able to get the hang of it.

He started his motorcycle, the engine roared, and the onlookers quickly made way for him.

Section Chief Xing drove his motorcycle around the yard first, then went out the gate and onto the main road outside.

The speed immediately soared to fifty before Section Chief Xing released the accelerator.

"The speed is sufficient."

Section Chief Xing rode his motorcycle back to the section and saw a few steps in front of the office building. He couldn't resist the urge and turned his motorcycle around to head towards the steps.

Minister Niu stared in surprise: "Old Xing, what are you doing? Be careful not to fall off the motorcycle." "If the line workers are patrolling the line, they'll be walking on bumpy roads. A few steps shouldn't be a problem, right? I trust Aiguo's motorcycle manufacturing capabilities." Section Chief Xing suddenly accelerated, and the motorcycle actually clattered up the steps without any issues with the front shock absorbers.

"This is good stuff!" Section Chief Xing, who hadn't felt much of a bump, praised it repeatedly.

Mountain biking is addictive. Section Chief Xing went up and down four or five more times in a row, thoroughly enjoying himself before returning home with a smile.

Chen Fangyou, the head of the safety department, tilted his head and looked at it for a long time before suddenly saying, "Aiguo, this motorcycle is indeed useful, but it is much faster than a bicycle. If someone who is not familiar with motorcycles runs at fifty or sixty speeds on bumpy roads, it is probably not safe."

Upon hearing Chen Fangyou speak, the employees who were watching exchanged glances, and their expressions changed.

If there's one person in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot who is disliked by both the leaders and the employees, it has to be Chen Fangyou.

Chen Fangyou is a stubborn and inflexible person who always puts safety regulations first. Every time he inspects a work site, he will stop the work if he encounters even the slightest safety hazard.

On one occasion, he even stopped a steam turbine that was about to depart because the line inspector had not yet completed his inspection.

It's important to understand that line patrols are just a safety regulation; most lines will not experience accidents even without patrols.

Chen Fangyou's obstruction had a significant impact, causing the train to be delayed by nearly three hours, which resulted in criticism of both the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and Section Chief Xing.

Section Chief Xing was so angry that he cursed in his office and even smashed an enamel cup.

Just when everyone thought Chen Fangyou would be punished, Section Chief Xing seemed to have forgotten about it.

“It was my oversight; I should have included a safety helmet.” Li Aiguo called out to the unused weights, “Chen Baiya, go and bring the safety helmet over.”

"You can't say that," Section Chief Xing said with a smile as he got off his motorcycle. "Old Chen, driving is definitely dangerous. Comrade Aiguo has already done enough."

If you're always hesitant and fearful when faced with challenges, then you'll never get anything done.

"Let me give it a try," Section Chief Chen Fangyou said hastily as he spoke of the danger, seeing Section Chief Xing come down.

"Section Chief Chen, you're a seasoned expert in safety. Could you please offer some advice?" Li Aiguo explained the operating procedures to Section Chief Chen.

Chen Fangyou rode for a while, and then even gave three employees a ride.

Upon returning, he nodded in praise, saying, "Comrade Patriot, well done! The motorcycle was even more stable than I expected."

"Motorcycles are much heavier than bicycles, and the center of gravity is lower. As long as the speed does not exceed 50 km/h, there is basically no danger," Li Aiguo explained.

Just then, Chen Baiya returned with several safety helmets.

These days, chemical plastics are in short supply, and high-performance energy-absorbing materials are even more scarce.

Li Aiguo asked Zhou Yi's mother to weave several bamboo hats, stuffing them with foam to ensure safety.

Chen Fangyou put the helmet on his head, patted it with his palm, and said in a puzzled tone, "Why do I feel like this thing protects my forehead even better than the railway soldiers' helmets?!"
But if the vehicle overturns, your bamboo hat would probably break easily, wouldn't it? Wearing a helmet over it would definitely be more effective.”

Chen Fangyou really did remind Li Aiguo.

Back then, the helmets worn by railway soldiers and construction workers were steel helmets retired from the battlefield, and their quality and puncture resistance were top-notch.

However, in the event of a heavy blow, it lacks the ability to absorb force, often resulting in a situation where the helmet is fine, but the forehead is injured.

The bamboo hat with added foam padding has an energy-absorbing and force-dissipating effect, but its puncture and impact protection is not good.

A bamboo hat combined with a steel helmet would be too heavy.

If we could develop fiberglass helmets for future generations, it would solve two problems: firstly, it would improve motorcycle safety, and secondly, it would allow railway soldiers and construction teams to be equipped with new gear.

Li Aiguo briefly explained the helmet's impact force dispersion mechanism and how foam materials extend the impact time through collapse and deformation.

Chen Fangyou listened with amazement: "There's so much to learn here! Comrade Patriot, I suggest we get this safety helmet out as soon as possible. If you need any help, just let me know."

The onlookers were amazed; they never expected that even the stern-faced Bao Gong could smile.

Section Chief Xing was even happier to see that the safety department had no objections.

"Aiguo, this motorcycle is yours for now. Use it to commute to and from get off work. If you find any problems, resolve them as soon as possible," Section Chief Xing said directly in front of all the employees.

The meaning is quite clear: from now on, this motorcycle will be Li Aiguo's personal vehicle, to prevent anyone from gossiping behind his back.

The safety section chief and several leaders nodded: "Agreed. Comrade Li Aiguo was also doing this for our locomotive depot to test motorcycles. All the employees and leaders in our depot should learn from Comrade Li Aiguo."

The onlookers immediately applauded, and their gazes toward Li Aiguo changed instantly.

If this motorcycle is to be mass-produced, it will be closely related to them.

After returning to his office, Section Chief Xing asked Li Aiguo to draft an application to establish a motorcycle production workshop as soon as possible, in preparation for submitting it to the Ministry of Machine Building.

We should try to keep the motorcycle production project running.

"Section Chief, don't worry, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is my home, and all the employees here are my brothers and sisters." Li Aiguo readily agreed.

As Li Aiguo emerged from the section chief's office, the staff were still gathered around watching. Chen Baiya excitedly said, "Master, let me try to help you?"

"Go ahead, be careful." Li Aiguo was thinking about how to fix the safety helmet when he handed the motorcycle to Chen Baiya.

The structure of safety helmets is readily available; the only problem is the materials.

Despite having "steel" in its name, fiberglass has nothing to do with steel helmets. It is a glass fiber reinforced plastic with strength equivalent to steel, and it also contains glass components, giving it a glass-like luster.

Thinking back on the properties of fiberglass, Li Aiguo felt like he had seen this thing somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.

If you can't figure something out, just put it aside for now.

In the evening, Chen Baiya rode her motorcycle back and noticed a small problem: the brakes made a strange noise.

After adjusting the brakes, it was already past closing time.

Li Aiguo returned to the courtyard house on a motorcycle.

On the one hand, motorcycles are relatively fast, and on the other hand, problems can be discovered while riding them.

On the way, Li Aiguo felt that several traffic police officers were staring at him with strange expressions, as if they wanted to stop him but didn't know how.

It was nearly evening when we got back to the courtyard house.

When He Yushui saw Li Aiguo return on a motorcycle, she clamored to learn how to ride one, but Li Aiguo refused.

For a young girl like He Yushui, motorcycles are too heavy and too big. She should never follow the example of those motorcycle-loving girls of later generations.

Chen Xueru also agreed with Li Aiguo's opinion: "Safety first. Yushui, aren't you going to take an exam soon? If you get full marks on all your tests this time, I'll have your brother drive you around the Second Ring Road."

"Then it's settled." He Yushui nodded excitedly.

After He Yushui left, Xu Damao, Zhang Gangzhu, and the young people in the compound also arrived.

They circled the gleaming motorcycle, marveling at its gleaming surface.

"Brother Aiguo, your locomotive depot can even build motorcycles now!" Xu Damao was so hungry he almost drooled.

If he had this thing, it would definitely be much more convenient for him to show movies in the countryside, but that's just wishful thinking.

As a projectionist, Xu Damao was not yet entitled to own a motorcycle.

Zhang Gangzhu looked the motorcycle up and down and asked a question: "Brother Aiguo, shouldn't this thing need a license plate and driver's license to be driven on the road?"

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo recalled the surprised looks from the traffic police on the road and realized that he had been negligent.

In the past two years, traffic in China has become more and more standardized. For example, you need a driver's license to drive a motorcycle. To get a driver's license, you need to pass an exam.

Li Aiguo plans to go to the section tomorrow to inquire about the situation.

Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu walked in from outside, one after the other.

Both of them looked somewhat annoyed upon seeing the motorcycle.

Yi Zhonghai frowned: "Where did Li Aiguo get a motorcycle?"

"It's just a motorcycle, what's so special about it? I heard they've already started mass production in Shanghai, it's not anything rare." Jia Dongxu curled his lip.

Xu Damao had sharp ears and overheard it. He immediately said sarcastically, "This is a motorcycle that Brother Aiguo made himself. Jia Dongxu, your family doesn't even have a bicycle, does it?"

Xu Damao has a special trait: he's best at stabbing people in the weak spot. This is why he used to get beaten up by Sha Zhu so often.

Jia Dongxu blushed deeply and went home in a huff.

"It's just a motorcycle, I can't afford it. But if I work hard, I can always afford a bicycle!"

Qin Huairu was cooking when she asked curiously, "What motorcycle, bicycle, Dongxu?"

"It's all because of Li Aiguo. He built a motorcycle and actually rode it back. It's infuriating."

Seeing Jia Dongxu's appearance, Qin Huairu felt a moment of disorientation.

Li Aiguo actually manufactured a motorcycle, while the Jia family doesn't even own a bicycle.

If only we could have held on a little longer back then.
Qin Huairu knew she regretted it.

The night was quiet.

Early the next morning, Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle towards the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, facing the rising sun.

The motorcycle's dark green paint gleamed in the sunlight, its deep roar and massive wheels were all eye-catching.

Wherever he went, passersby stopped to look.

At this moment, Li Aiguo was undoubtedly the most handsome guy on the whole street.

"Looks like we need to get the safety helmets out as soon as possible, and they have to be the full-coverage type." Li Aiguo noticed that several older women were also starting to drool, so he twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle's speed soared.

Upon arriving at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, I went straight to the Logistics Department and found Director Chen, who was in charge of managing the vehicles within the depot.

"Brother Chen, does this motorcycle need a license plate and driver's license?" Li Aiguo offered a cigarette.

Director Chen took it and said with a smile, "That's the regulation from above. Here's what we'll do: give me a photo, and I'll process it for you. As for the license plate, I'll contact the local authorities now and have them get a batch of test license plates first."

"Brother Chen, I'll leave the license plate to you. I'll try to get my driver's license myself. After all, when you drive, you have to consider your own safety as well as the safety of others."

“That’s true, getting a driver’s license is actually quite simple.” Director Chen wrote a note and handed it over: “Our locomotive depot’s transport team is responsible for training drivers, so let the team leader give you a ride.”

(End of this chapter)