The train driver in the courtyard

These days, there are no private cars in China, and professional driving schools are very rare.

To get a driver's license, most people go to work in a factory's fleet and learn from experienced drivers for several years.

The factory then conducts a political background check and registers all candidates for the exam.

Li Aiguo and Zhou Ke obtained their driver's licenses in this way.

When I arrived at the locomotive depot's transport team, the team leader was squatting under the shade of a tree, drinking herbal tea.

A GAZ-51 medium truck was driving erratically in the yard, clearly indicating that the apprentices were practicing.

"Aiguo, you're here." When the team leader saw Li Aiguo coming over, he called over an apprentice to bring a chair.

Li Aiguo offered him a cigarette: "Brother Chen, I heard that you need a driver's license to ride a motorcycle now, so I'll have to trouble you to help me register."

"No problem, no problem," the team leader readily agreed.

Last time, Li Aiguo and Zhou Ke only studied for a few days before passing the exam, which made him, the gold medal coach, famous.

"By the way, do you still have the materials for the theory exam?"

"Oh, it really got lost."

Just like in later generations, the exams in those days were divided into three subjects: theory test, parking test, and road test.

Although he was unsure whether the motorcycle driving test was the same as the car driving test, Li Aiguo still asked the team leader to find him a reference book.

The materials had no cover; they were wrapped in kraft paper and contained nothing but traffic rules and similar information—essentially a driver's test preparation guide.

After returning to the studio with the materials, Li Aiguo handed them to Chen Baiya, asking him and the wild expert to make a copy, report their names to the team leader, and take the motorcycle driving license test together.

The registration fee for the motorcycle test is 1.25 yuan, which they can easily afford since they both earn several tens of yuan a month.

Three days later, the team leader sent Chen Baiya to inform Li Aiguo that they should bring their documents to take the driver's license test.

Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle with two counterweights to the vehicle management department of the Beijing Municipal Transportation Bureau to take the exam.

The testing center was packed with people taking the driving test, and there were a few taking the car test as well. But these three were there to take the motorcycle test.

The comrades in the vehicle maintenance department were stunned when they saw the twin-cylinder motorcycle: "What model is this?"

"Our maintenance depot put it together ourselves, and there are no regulations yet," Li Aiguo said, casually offering a cigarette.

"Made by yourself?" The man took a puff of his cigarette, tucked it behind his ear, and said, "According to the rules, you have to use Happiness 250 for the exam, this won't do."

“Hey, it’s just a means of transportation, how can you put this kind of test on it? That would be cheating.” Li Aiguo was clear-headed.

The comrades in the train operations department breathed a sigh of relief when they saw how understanding he was.

Those who can afford motorcycles are rarely good people.

It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that if a conflict really breaks out, it'll be troublesome!
"It's just the three of you today, so let's take the test early rather than late!" As more and more people were taking the driving test outside, the vehicle management department simply gave them extra help.

Although it was called a special training session, no rules were omitted: the proctors were supervisors sent by the ministry, and the examiners were several seasoned veterans from the traffic management department.

Two years ago, the vehicle supervision office was separated from the public security bureau. The traffic police were transferred to the public security bureau, but they stayed in the traffic management department. They didn't wear police uniforms and were all holding back their resentment.

The exam room rules were very strict; you couldn't even go to the toilet during the exam.

The theory test required familiarity with hundreds of traffic rules and mechanical knowledge, which Li Aiguo completed in just half an hour.

I glanced at the motorcycle driving skill score in the system: 100.

Indeed, people who rely entirely on their own efforts can succeed in any field.

The parking test is different from the car parking test, and it is divided into practical projects such as 30-meter straight-line acceleration and braking and figure-eight slalom.

The 30-meter straight-line acceleration is the most difficult.

Motorcycles are inherently less stable than cars, and the difficulty of traveling along a straight lime line with a maximum deviation of no more than two centimeters is self-evident.

Li Aiguo got a perfect score.

Chen Baiya and the wild car expert both failed this project and had to retake it before they barely passed.

"Master, your skills are amazing!" Chen Baiya said as she got out of the car, her legs still wobbling.

He thought motorcycles were easy, so he practiced every day lately, but he almost failed because of them.

"Otherwise, how can I be your mentor?" Li Aiguo stood up lazily. "Let's go, next road test, everyone be more alert!"

For the road test, we chose to start at the bottom of a long uphill section not far from the vehicle management office. The road surface was cement and relatively wide.

The road test started at the bottom of a long uphill section not far from the vehicle management office. It was a wide cement road.

This is also a hurdle in the driving test.

The foot brake, handbrake, and accelerator must be coordinated perfectly; otherwise, the car will be immediately discarded.

However, starting a motorcycle is easy, but going downhill is difficult.

When you're going too fast, you have to quickly shift from a high gear to a low gear, use the engine to slow the car down, and then stop smoothly. One wrong step and you're done for.

After leaving the train operations department, go through Xingfu Street and Guangqumen to Dongdan to make a U-turn, and finally return to the train operations department.

Throughout the process, the examiner sat on the back of a motorcycle to supervise and score the exam.

The three of them, Li Aiguo and his companions, had a smooth road test, with no flaws in any aspect, and it was clear that the examiners were very satisfied.

"Master, from today onwards, I'm a licensed person!" Chen Baiya exclaimed with delight. "It's almost noon, can I go try out the motorcycle again?"

She blushed slightly as she said this.

Li Aiguo knew that this guy had recently started dating someone, who also worked on the railway.

It's obvious he wants to take the girl for a ride on his bike.

"Be careful!" Li Aiguo readily agreed, for the sake of the "next generation" of the locomotive depot.

After returning to the studio, Chen Baiya was noticeably more energetic. Without even taking a breath, she joined the amateur experts in tinkering with an enhanced version of the military motorcycle.

After assembling the standard version of the motorcycle, Li Aiguo modified it into a military motorcycle suitable for mountain warfare, based on its intended use.

The engine cylinders have been enlarged considerably, and a water-cooled fan has been added for heat dissipation. The displacement can reach 350cc, and the maximum horsepower can reach 48.

In terms of structure, it is equipped with a universal bracket that is compatible with machine guns, grenade launchers or Red Star RPG launchers.

It has everything you need, including engine dustproof sealing and waterproof circuit treatment.

"Busy, Aiguo. I heard you took your driving test, how's it going?" Just as they were busy, Section Chief Xing walked in with several other leaders.

Li Aiguo wiped his hands and offered a cigarette: "Hey, it went pretty smoothly, mainly because the team leader taught us well."

Section Chief Xing nodded: "This driver's license issue is indeed something we need to take seriously. I've heard there have been several motorcycle accidents in Beijing. So, let's arrange for a group of patrol workers to go to the motorcade to learn to drive and get their licenses first."

The deputy section chief nodded, but was a little worried: "But the fleet doesn't have any motorcycles right now, does it?"

The two of them turned to look at Li Aiguo.

“Before large-scale production, we can certainly tinker with a few vehicles first, which can also meet the needs of the line inspection workshop.” Li Aiguo had the same idea.

Only by increasing the sample size of motorcycles tested on the road can problems be identified more quickly.

Furthermore, it takes time to finalize the design of a motorcycle and to set up a production workshop.

Like the Second Automobile Works, it's been several months, and I heard they've only just started producing the first batch of large off-road vehicles.

"Comrade Aiguo really understands our locomotive depot's urgent needs. We must also do a good job in logistics." Section Chief Xing flicked his cigarette ash and said.

The deputy section chief immediately understood: "It just so happens that a train hit and killed a sheep yesterday, so I'll tell the canteen to give the comrades in the workshop an extra meal."

When Li Aiguo arrived at the canteen at noon, he was greeted with a delicious meal.

Production continued in the afternoon. The molds were readily available; the only trouble lay in the forging of the parts and the engine cylinders.

This time, the production target is thirty motorcycles, which is beyond the capacity of Li Aiguo and the technicians in the workshop.

"Master, how about we do what we did last time and ask the steel mill for help?" Chen Baiya finished calculating the required parts, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

If you were to do it all by hand, it would probably take a year to complete.

"That's a good idea, but this matter still needs to be handled by the department head."

"If you have any difficulties, go to your leader"—this is Li Aiguo's motto.

Afterwards, Li Aiguo asked Chen Baiya and the wildlife experts to disassemble the parts blueprints in preparation for large-scale production, and then knocked on the door of Section Chief Xing's office.

After listening to Li Aiguo's concerns, Section Chief Xing asked directly, "Last time we did a large off-road race, which factory helped produce the parts?"

"Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, their lathes, punch presses and forging equipment are among the most advanced in China."

Li Aiguo paused for a moment, then continued, "The parts we plan to deliver to the steel rolling mill this time are all basic components, such as chassis and shock absorbers, which are not technically difficult."

"I'll have Deputy Section Chief Liu contact the leaders of the steel rolling mill first. You have experience working with steel rolling mills. I'm entrusting this task to you again this time, so the quality must be guaranteed," Section Chief Xing nodded and said.

Even if Section Chief Xing didn't specifically instruct him, Li Aiguo would still ensure the quality.

Quality is the lifeblood of motorcycles. In fact, domestic motorcycles once had a glorious period, and were exported to Southeast Asia, earning a lot of foreign exchange.

Later, the market was taken over by others because they only pursued low prices and neglected quality.

Having entered this era, Li Aiguo has already seized the initiative and naturally cannot repeat the mistakes of the past.

This is also the main reason why he wanted to keep the motorcycle project at the locomotive depot.

Thinking of this, Li Aiguo casually asked, "Section Chief, hasn't the approval from the Ministry of Machine Building come through yet?"

"Still no news, this has been dragging on for quite a while..." Section Chief Xing frowned, stubbed out his cigarette, "No, I have to go and urge them again."

After Section Chief Xing left, Li Aiguo returned to his studio and worked for a while.

This collaboration with the steel rolling mill is different from the last one.

We also need parts for thirty motorcycles. To ensure the parts are of acceptable quality, we must optimize the processing methods to the greatest extent possible.

I was busy until the end of the workday, finishing all the drawings. Tomorrow I can contact the steel rolling mill.

Li Aiguo then stretched and prepared to leave the studio.

Chen Baiya came in from outside, smiling, and said, "Master, I'll come over to visit you tonight."

Li Aiguo was stunned: "What are you doing?"

"Master, you've forgotten, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival."

These days, it's essential for apprentices to give gifts to their masters on the May Day, August Day, and Spring Festival.

Li Aiguo suddenly slapped his forehead.

Just a couple of days ago, Chen Xueru was still talking about inviting Chen Fangxuan's family and Aunt Liu's family over for the holidays this year, but I've been so busy tinkering with my motorcycle lately that I'd completely forgotten about it.

"Ahem, Baiya, call her your senior sister and invite her to dinner at my house tonight. No need for a gift. Um... I have something to do, so I'll be going now."

Li Aiguo then realized a major problem.

He now has four mentors, and logically he should visit each of them. Li Aiguo raised his wrist to check the time; it was just five o'clock, still early, there was still time.

Mr. Xu is currently in Nanjing, so it's impossible for him to visit me in person.

Li Aiguo bought several boxes of pastries and two bottles of Moutai at Daoxiangcun. When he arrived at Tongrentang, he also bought a few bottles of medicinal wine and sent them to the Jinling Military Region through the post office.

He then made another phone call, which was answered by Staff Officer Xiao.

"Aiguo, are you sending holiday greetings to Elder Xu?" Staff Officer Xiao laughed. "Elder Xu went to inspect the camp. I'll tell him when he gets back."

“Thank you for your help, Brother Xiao,” Li Aiguo said. “By the way, didn’t you have a backache? I sent you a bottle of Tongrentang’s blood-activating oil. That stuff is really effective.”

"I didn't expect you to still remember your brother. Thank you so much." Staff Officer Xiao felt a warm glow in his heart.

A few bottles of medicinal wine are not worth much, but they are enough to show that Li Aiguo cares about him.

After hanging up the phone, Li Aiguo got on his motorcycle, first went to Wang Daikui's scrap shop to pick up a few rare books that he had prepared in advance, and then headed to the subway construction site.

The railway soldier on duty noticed him and asked in bewilderment, "Advisor Li, why doesn't this motorcycle have a license plate?"

“We built it ourselves at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot,” Li Aiguo said, offering a cigarette. “Is Commander Liu here?”

"here I am!"

Li Aiguo didn't chat much; he rode directly to the command post and knocked on Liu Guozhang's office door.

"I heard you've tinkered with another motorcycle?" Liu Guozhang glanced out the window.

“It’s all thanks to the wisdom of everyone.” Li Aiguo placed the gift on the table.

Liu Guozhang understood immediately: "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. You'll probably have to go somewhere else. Hurry up and go. I'm busy here and can't take care of you."

"Then, teacher, I'm leaving."

Knowing his temperament, Li Aiguo didn't stand on ceremony and sped off on his motorcycle.

Liu Guozhang watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and chuckled: "You've had so many masters, now you know the trouble, don't you? If you'd only ever had one as your master..."

He laughed halfway through his sentence, "At my age, I'm still jealous, really."

Li Aiguo's third stop was a mysterious little courtyard in Beijing.

Unfortunately, the farmer was not home.

"You know him, he's always busy, and now I don't even know where he's gone again."

The master's wife didn't explain where the farmer had gone on his business trip, and Li Aiguo didn't ask either, handing over the two jars of medicinal wine he had prepared.

"The medicinal wine from last time is almost finished." The master's wife was very happy to see the medicinal wine.

The farmer has been drinking the medicinal wine that Li Aiguo gave him, along with the herbal decoctions, and his health is much better than before.

The doctor examined the farmer a few days ago and was surprised to find that his health was much better than expected.

Li Aiguo sat on the sofa chatting with his teacher's wife for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, he stood up and said, "Teacher's wife, I'll go back now."

"Wait a minute." The master's wife turned around and went into the house, carrying out a bag: "These are mooncakes from the company. Your brother and the others aren't home. Your master told us to take them back to Xue Ru and the children."

"Alright!" Li Aiguo picked up the mooncakes and went out the door.

The guard stared blankly at the bag in his hand.

The farmer is always strict and doesn't like these kinds of social interactions, but today he actually gave Li Aiguo a mooncake, a traditional gift for the occasion. It seems he really cherishes this apprentice.

"Brother Chen, you've worked hard." Li Aiguo handed a cigarette to the guard and then left the courtyard.

The guard hesitated for a moment, then took it: "Drive carefully."

"Thanks." Li Aiguo left the courtyard as the guard watched him go. He glanced at the time; it was only six o'clock in the afternoon. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now only Master Cao's house is left."

The reason why Mr. Cao was scheduled last is because he needs to drive, and by the time he gets off work it will be past six o'clock.

Just as Li Aiguo had predicted, he rode his motorcycle to the Cao family's building and saw the old bicycle parked downstairs, which told him that Cao Wenzhi had returned.

"Aiguo, are you here to see your master?" A passing railway worker saw the gift in his hand and greeted him with a smile.

"Master Zhou, how's your second son?"

"I've just become a stoker, and I still have a few years to go."

"I'm in a hurry, you've got a successor. I'm going up now."

"Go on, go on, Lao Cao just got home."

Everyone in the family compound was an acquaintance. Li Aiguo nodded and greeted them all the way up to the third floor.

The door was open, and Cao Wenzhi was sitting in a chair holding an enamel mug, watching a little girl write: "Xiaoju, this character is pronounced 'che,' like the 'che' in 'Grandpa's big train.'"

Hearing footsteps, Cao Wenzhi looked up and saw Li Aiguo. He straightened up and shouted, "Old woman, Aiguo is here!"

Aunt Cao came out from the inner room, saw the gifts, and scolded, "You child, you came all this way, why did you bring anything!"

"It's a holiday today, so it's only right."

Knowing his temperament, Aunt Cao took the food and said with a smile, "I'll go cook. You two can have a couple of drinks tonight."

"Master's wife, I have to go back later. My father-in-law and two brothers-in-law are coming over."

Before Aunt Cao could say anything more, Cao Wenzhi stood up and said, "Old woman, if you have something to do, stop nagging and go make some tea. Take out the good tea that Old Liu gave me."

While Aunt Cao went into the inner room to make tea, Li Aiguo sat down and teased the little girl: "Xiao Ju, do you still recognize me?"

Xiaoju looked up at him for a long time, then suddenly exclaimed, "Uncle Aiguo!"

"Hey, that's great!" Li Aiguo pulled out a handful of White Rabbit milk candies from his pocket and handed them over.

Clutching the candy, Xiaoju saw the adults about to speak and skipped into the inner room.

"When did Xiaoju arrive in the capital?" Li Aiguo offered Cao Wenzhi a cigarette.

Cao Wen came over and lit it: "It's only been two months. You know that Yuehua's work is special and the procedures are complicated."

He paused, then added, "By the way, Yuehua called last time and asked me to thank you. Baishan was promoted one rank because he did a good job on that case."

"That was all thanks to Brother Baishan; it had nothing to do with me."

When Li Aiguo thought of the Dieter case inside the No. 1 Machinery Plant, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

Fiberglass!
He finally remembered where he had heard the name before.

Back when I was working on depleted uranium armor at the Baotou No. 1 Machinery Plant, I saw a strange type of tank armor that was supposedly able to withstand the impact of a giant mushroom shell; it was made of fiberglass.

According to Zhang Tan from the First Machinery Plant, this material does have strong impact resistance, but poor explosion protection and is not resistant to high temperatures, so it has little practical value and was abandoned after a few tests.

"Aiguo, what's wrong?" Cao Wenzhi noticed that Li Aiguo's expression was off.

"Master, I still have some work to do, so I'll be going now."

"Go ahead, go ahead." Cao Wenzhi didn't try to stop him and saw him downstairs.

As soon as the motorcycle drove away, the railway workers who were cooling off gathered around: "Old Cao, what good stuff did Aiguo bring you? Looks like ginseng and pastries, right? Your apprentice is really something!"

"Sigh, patriotism is good, but he's too busy. He's either researching hydraulic presses or building motorcycles. You never see him all day. I just sat down for less than ten minutes and he's off again." Cao Wenzhi put his hands on his hips, sighed, but his eyes revealed a hint of pride.

The employees exchanged glances.

Who doesn't know that Li Aiguo has tinkered with motorcycles again?
If this were to be mass-produced, it would be a great achievement for the Qianmen Locomotive Depot!

Old Cao is ostensibly complaining, but he's actually showing off.

But there was nothing they could do; after all, he had found such a good apprentice.

At this time, Li Aiguo had arrived at the Beijing Meteorological Station and used a secure line to contact Zhang Tan at the Baotou No. 1 Machinery Plant.

"Fiberglass? You need that stuff?" Zhang Tan was surprised, as he thought fiberglass was completely useless.

"Never mind that. Where did the fiberglass in your No. 1 Machinery Plant come from?"

"The capital city..."

"."

Five minutes later, Li Aiguo put down the phone, clenching his fist excitedly.

Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, this cutting-edge material, fiberglass, is actually located in Beijing.

This story begins five years ago.

When the Ministry of Heavy Industry visited Russia, they saw that tanks with steel shells could not withstand the impact of giant mushrooms.

Meanwhile, the Russians are researching the use of fiberglass reinforced plastic (i.e., fiberglass), and it is said that tanks made of this material can continue to operate after a giant mushroom explosion.

Therefore, it was proposed that China should start developing fiberglass.

To this end, the Glass and Ceramics Research Institute of the Ministry of Building Materials established a fiberglass research laboratory.

“Fiberglass Research Lab…” Li Aiguo wrote the name down in his notebook, put it away, and rode his bicycle home.

At this moment, Chen Fangxuan, Chen Xingjia, his sister-in-law, Chen Xingyi, his second sister-in-law, Huang Jing, and his apprentice had all gathered together.

Chen Xueru invited Nan Yi to cook dinner, and Li Aiguo also invited Aunt Liu and He Yushui over. The whole family had a lively dinner together.

It was past ten o'clock when we saw the guests off.

The full moon shone brightly in the night sky. Li Aiguo held an enamel mug and watched Chen Xueru coax the child to sleep. The house was filled with the warmth and everyday life of ordinary people.

"Patriotism, busy with something." Liu Haizhong strolled over with his hands behind his back after seeing that all the Li family's guests had left.

"Second Uncle, please sit down." Li Aiguo brought him a stool.

After sitting down, Liu Haizhong looked around and whispered, "Aiguo, I heard that your locomotive depot is going to cooperate with our steel rolling mill again?"

Li Aiguo had to admire how well-informed people were, even without cell phones and the internet.

"Yes, there is such a plan. We need the steel rolling mill to produce a batch of parts."

"I'm a person who loves producing spare parts and is patriotic. Do you think I can help you?" Liu Haizhong rubbed his hands a little shyly.

“I think it’s quite suitable.” Li Aiguo had also considered this mission.

This time, a large number of parts are needed, and it's impossible for Li Aiguo to oversee everything.

Without someone who knows the workers inside the steel rolling mill very well supervising the process, it's easy for something to go wrong.

It wasn't that Li Aiguo was willing to believe in Liu Haizhong's character, but rather that he had even less faith in Deputy Factory Director Li's character.

"I, Lao Liu, have worked in the steel rolling mill for twenty years. I know exactly who has solid skills and who likes to cut corners!"

Yi Zhonghai pushed open the door to go to the toilet and saw Liu Haizhong and Li Aiguo whispering to each other. His heart skipped a beat.

When these two get together, nothing good ever comes of it!
(End of this chapter)