The train driver in the courtyard

Chapter 1014 Motorcycle Training Race, Steel Mill Investigators Arrive, Liu Haizhong Sued

It was hot in the evening.

After having dinner and taking a cold shower, Li Aiguo sat down at his desk and started working.

The motorcycle parts are now being produced quickly, and the first batch of motorcycles will soon be assembled.

This is a large-scale assembly, so we need to write the assembly manual in advance and develop a series of standardized assembly standards.

While they were busy, Liu Haizhong knocked on the Li family's door carrying two bottles of Moutai liquor.

"Aiguo, didn't you want to find some old Moutai the other day? I have a friend who drinks it who happens to have two bottles at home."

The two bottles of Moutai in Liu Haizhong's hands were different from the Feitian Moutai of this era; they were also in earthenware bottles, but the labels read "Chengyi Distillery."

Chengyi Distillery, also known as Huamao, is the predecessor of Moutai liquor.

"I didn't expect to actually find it, Second Uncle, please sit down." Li Aiguo asked Liu Haizhong to sit down, picked up Hua Mao and examined it from head to toe. He could smell the enticing aroma of the liquor and knew it was genuine.

"Second Uncle, here's twenty yuan." Li Aiguo put away the wine, took out twenty yuan from his pocket, and handed it over.

"I can't accept this. You've helped me so much. It's only right. Look at this," Liu Haizhong repeatedly declined.

Li Aiguo put on a stern face: "Second Uncle, favors are favors, but you paid for this wine."

Liu Haizhong had already prepared to deliver the wine, but seeing Li Aiguo's resolute attitude, he had no choice but to accept the money.

Li Aiguo also asked Liu Haizhong to write a receipt.

Before leaving, Liu Haizhong asked, "Aiguo, you're not exactly a connoisseur of wine, so why are you willing to spend money on such expensive wine?"

Because of its scarcity, Hua Mao is impossible to buy on the market and is very expensive; even Liu Haizhong is reluctant to drink it.

"A friend of mine likes alcohol." Li Aiguo didn't explain further, took the receipt, and casually put it in his pocket.

Early the next morning, Li Aiguo rode his bicycle to the post office and sent two bottles of Huamao liquor to the Jinling Military Region via parcel.

Mr. Xu's birthday is in a couple of days, and Li Aiguo may not be able to make it, so this birthday gift needs to be prepared in advance.

When Li Aiguo arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot on his bicycle, the first batch of spare parts had already been transported from the steel rolling mill.

Upon entering the workshop, he and the wild car expert began assembling the motorcycle.

These motorcycles were specially modified for the patrol officers, with two auxiliary fuel tanks and a large water bottle added.

In this way, when patrolmen are working in the field and encounter places with no villages or shops in sight, they no longer need to drink dirty water from ditches.

Meanwhile, considering that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot would soon be building its own motorcycle workshop and would need qualified assemblers, a group of railway workers were also called in for training.

"Look carefully, everyone. This is the powertrain. When assembling it, you must pay attention to the clearance. It cannot be too large or too small. Let me demonstrate for you first." Li Aiguo picked up the parts and demonstrated for the workers.

"Assembly requires following the technical manual standards; you can't do it arbitrarily or carelessly."

"Alright, everyone, let's get started."

After Li Aiguo finished his demonstration, the employees, led by the experienced craftsmen in the workshop, divided into groups of five and began assembling the equipment.

The automotive expert brought over a chair, and Li Aiguo sat down, drinking some high-quality liquor while keeping an eye on the scene.

When Section Chief Xing learned that the assembly had begun, he walked around with his hands behind his back and then left. Throughout the process, his face was very dark, and everyone knew why.

The story begins with the Qianmen Locomotive Depot applying to the First Ministry of Machine Building to establish a motorcycle factory.

Some leaders within the Ministry of Machine Building felt that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot was neglecting its core business by producing motorcycles.

I heard that several domestic car and motorcycle factories are pulling strings behind the scenes, and the license to produce motorcycles hasn't been issued yet.

Li Aiguo could understand the First Ministry of Machine Building's thinking.

Last year, the Shanghai No. 250 Bicycle Factory copied the Jetta 250 and produced the Happiness 250, which sold very well in China.

Now that they have their own domestically developed motorcycles, the First Ministry of Machine Building naturally wants to keep them under control.

The First Ministry of Machine Building was responsible for coordinating vehicle production nationwide, and it happened to be in charge of these matters.

These days, there are specific methods and approaches to securing projects.

If Section Chief Xing reports this to the Ministry of Railways, and the Ministry of Railways doesn't intervene, it means they're not protecting their own people.

If I were to step forward, I might be perceived as disunity and factionalism.

This is also the real reason why Section Chief Xing did not call for reinforcements.

This was a matter for higher authorities, and Li Aiguo neither intended to nor wanted to get involved; he was simply focused on producing motorcycles as quickly as possible.

The atmosphere inside the workshop was very quiet, with only the sounds of parts and wrenches clashing together.

pat!

The carburetor fell to the ground, and the young employee who had caused the accident turned ashen-faced with fright. The surrounding employees were too scared to move.

"Be more careful next time." Li Aiguo picked it up, checked it, and, seeing that there was no problem, handed it back without saying anything more.

The assembly work proceeded quickly; in just one morning, two vehicles were assembled, exactly as Li Aiguo had designed.

Li Aiguo also used his connections at the building materials department to get a batch of rearview mirrors, which he installed on the handlebars, making them look particularly cool.

Section Chief Xing, having received the news, rushed over, circled the motorcycle twice, and excitedly exclaimed, "Good stuff! Good stuff!"

"Shouldn't this motorcycle have a name?" Section Chief Xing turned to look at Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo had really forgotten about this.

Not only patrol motorcycles, but also motorcycles that will be mass-produced in the future will need to have powerful and imposing names.

Names like Jaguar, Cheetah, and Tyrannosaurus Rex immediately suggest that the motorcycle is incredibly powerful.

After careful consideration, Li Aiguo pointed to the motorcycle and said, "Red Star! Red Star motorcycle."

Section Chief Xing: "."

Section Chief Xing thought Li Aiguo was too vulgar, liking to name every product "Red Star".

However, upon closer reflection, it became clear that this name would not attract controversy and was particularly catchy, making it truly the best name available.

"Let's call it Red Star Motorcycle. Once the Ministry of Machine Building approves our application, we'll officially apply for the name." Section Chief Xing nodded.

Li Aiguo inspected the motorcycle again and suggested, "Section Chief, in order to test the performance of the Hongxing motorcycle, we should organize a test."

"Test?" Section Chief Xing didn't understand.

"Currently, besides our own Hongxing motorcycles, there are also Xingfu 250 motorcycles and imported motorcycles in China. How can we let others know that our motorcycles have the best performance and are the most durable?"

Li Aiguo stood up, handed a cigarette to Section Chief Xing, lit one for himself, and swung his hand down sharply: "Organize a motorcycle team for a long-distance training exercise!"

As soon as Li Aiguo finished speaking, a section leader slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "We can also let the local factories know about our Qianmen Locomotive Depot's ability to manufacture motorcycles! Let's try to win back the production rights for motorcycles!"

Upon hearing this, Section Chief Xing gave Li Aiguo a deep look.

It's likely that Li Aiguo, who is usually low-key, proposed this training exercise in order to compete with local factories for motorcycle production rights.

This is the best way to avoid the Ministry of Railways getting involved and affecting unity, while also putting pressure on the people in the First Ministry of Machine Building.

Section Chief Xing was instantly intrigued. He took a puff of his cigarette and asked, "Patriotism, what are your specific thoughts?"

Li Aiguo said, "This training exercise will cover a distance of at least 1,000 kilometers. Since it's off-road motorcycles, we can't take the usual routes. We can follow the railway tracks and make a big loop. Anyway, our railway area is big enough."

"You should bring enough spare parts so that the rider can repair the motorcycle himself if something goes wrong," the untrained car expert suggested, showing interest.

“It is indeed a good idea, but such a large-scale operation still needs the approval of the General Administration.” Section Chief Xing pondered for a moment and nodded.

The two section leaders nodded in agreement.

"If this field training is done well, it can also help to temper the will of the employees and demonstrate the spirit of our Qianmen Locomotive Depot in the face of difficulties."

"Let's raise our flag and head to Guangzhou, so the comrades from the Guangzhou Railway Bureau can see the strength of our Qianmen Locomotive Depot."

Section Chief Xing was even more excited at the thought of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot making a name for itself in front of the other locomotive depots along the line.

Now that Qianmen Locomotive Depot has become the largest locomotive depot in the country, some veterans have been dissatisfied and it's time for them to show their strength.

"But the field training seems a bit too monotonous, doesn't it?" a wild car expert suggested.

This is what it means to be a straight man in a comedy duo.

Li Aiguo glanced admiringly at the wild car expert and then said, "Now all the factories are producing for the competition, and the commune is also selecting the top performers. We can turn the training exercise into a training race."

"Motorcycle race? How exactly does it work?" Section Chief Xing and the other section leaders all looked at Li Aiguo.

At that time, there were no car racing events in China.

Li Aiguo thought for a moment and said, "It's similar to the Beijing Ring Race, except that because the distance is too far, we need to use a segmented timing method. The rider with the shortest time will win the championship, followed by the runner-up and third place, who will receive special rewards."

Everyone knows about the Beijing Ring Road Race. Section Chief Xing nodded: "It is indeed a good method. The competition can improve the riders' enthusiasm."

The other section leaders also nodded in agreement, saying that with rewards, an award ceremony could be held, which would elevate the overall level of the training exercise.

Section Chief Xing nodded and said, "I'll go to the General Administration to submit the application later. However, there aren't many people in our locomotive depot who can ride motorcycles. Should we borrow some from other factories or teams?"

Li Aiguo stopped him: "No need. Since the motorcycle belongs to the workers, it should be ridden by us railway workers."

In our workshop, more than a dozen technicians have already obtained motorcycle driving licenses.

The inspection workshop has also trained dozens of employees, and combined with those who could ride motorcycles before, the number is sufficient.

"Alright, let's choose from our Qianmen Locomotive Depot. I'm leaving this to you." Section Chief Xing instructed before hurrying off to the General Administration to submit the application.

Li Aiguo then announced the selection of personnel in the workshop and the locomotive depot, and the entire locomotive depot instantly erupted in excitement.

Riding a motorcycle across the vast land of China is an exhilarating experience.

Moreover, the top three will receive a reward.

The first prize consisted of two bolts of corduroy fabric, thirty catties of fine white flour, and three old hens.

The second place winner received 20 jin of refined white flour and two old hens, while the third place winner received 10 jin of refined white flour.

Material rewards are secondary; the key is the honor.

Who wouldn't want to be called a motorcycle racing champion!

Before the end of the workday, dozens of employees rushed to the studio to sign up.

"To register, you must first have a driver's license!"

To ensure this training exercise is conducted in a standardized manner and that no one can find fault with it, we need to consider all aspects thoroughly.

Li Aiguo set the enrollment threshold, and a surge of driving practice swept through the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The newly assembled motorcycles were all delivered to the convoy.

The roar of engines continued throughout the parking lot, making the team leader wince in frustration; how much fuel was being wasted!

On the other side, Section Chief Xing reported the long-distance training exercise to the leaders of the General Administration.

"In order to promote the spirit of hard work and temper revolutionary will, our Qianmen Locomotive Depot decided to establish a motorcycle team to conduct long-distance training along the railway for thousands of kilometers."

After only glancing at the purpose of the training exercise, the leaders of the General Administration signed their names on the application form.

All units are actively devising ways to conduct such a large-scale field training exercise, which aligns with the overall theme.

"Old Xing, this kind of field training exercise is the first of its kind in China." The General Administration leaders also realized the importance of this field training exercise. "I think we should publicize it vigorously and let the public, other departments, and factories know about it."

Even the best wine needs advertising; now that all units are reporting their good news to higher authorities and the public, the railway department also has to make a statement.

"I'll contact the Railway Newspaper right away," Section Chief Xing said, praising his leader's meticulousness.

The Railway Daily is the railway department's dedicated publicity department, and in the past it mainly reported on things like railway workers working hard and train attendants being enthusiastic about serving customers.

Upon hearing that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot was going to hold a motorcycle rally, they immediately became interested and decided to send a reporter to accompany them.

The motorcycle training race at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot was thus finalized, and Section Chief Xing returned to the depot to begin logistical preparations. Li Aiguo also got busy.

While busy planning routes, they were also busy assembling motorcycles, making their days both fulfilling and joyful.

At noon, having just finished assembling the twentieth motorcycle, Li Aiguo washed his hands, picked up his iron-waisted lunchbox, and went to the canteen for lunch.

Yesterday, a freight train at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot struck and killed a large black bear. Today, the canteen is serving bear stew with potatoes for lunch.

He packed a lunchbox, and the bear meat still tasted as bad as before, but it was good enough to have meat to eat, and Li Aiguo wasn't picky about food.

As I was eating, a figure walked over carrying a lunchbox.

"Comrade Patriot, can I...can I sign up for the field training?"

Li Aiguo looked up and saw that it was Master Zhou from the line workshop. He quickly asked the other man to sit down.

"You must be in your forties this year?" Li Aiguo asked, looking at the other man's somewhat gray hair.

“Although I’m a bit older, I’m perfectly healthy. Besides, I’m very good at riding a bicycle. My coworkers all say I’m a natural rider.” Master Zhou looked at Li Aiguo with some trepidation.

"I have already obtained my motorcycle license, and I passed both the theory test and the road test on my first try."

Hearing this, Li Aiguo was somewhat surprised.

Generally speaking, riders are young people; the older they get, the worse their reaction time becomes.

Master Zhou also knew that although there was no age limit in the section, for safety reasons, he would try to select younger employees.

He rubbed his hands together, raised his head, and said:
"Comrade Patriot, to be honest, I need those cloth coupons. My daughter is in junior high school now, and she's a good girl. We have many children, and she's never worn new clothes before. I want to buy her a new outfit."

Li Aiguo was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Master Zhou, you should practice driving at the convoy more often in your spare time these days."

Upon hearing this, Master Zhou stood up excitedly: "Thank you, Comrade Aiguo. I have to go home now, so I'll be going now."

In those days when meat was scarce, most of the workers would take the meat and vegetables they bought home to their wives and children.

This actually violated the regulations of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, but the depot turned a blind eye to it.

When Mr. Zhou returned home with his lunchbox, Zhou Yi and his children were already back and eating around the table. The meal consisted of sweet potato porridge and a side of salted soybeans.

"Dad, why are you back? Let me serve the rice." Zhou Yi immediately stood up when he saw Chef Zhou.

"Don't bother, I've already eaten." Chef Zhou knew that the leftover rice in the iron pot was from Monday.

He placed the lunchbox on the table: "Look what Dad brought you."

Upon opening their lunchboxes and seeing the potatoes and meat inside, both Tuesday and Wednesday's breathing quickened.

"Father, is this meat?"

"Bear meat, it'll make you grow bigger. It's a perk from the locomotive depot, you guys should eat it while you can."

The children picked up their chopsticks and began to eat heartily, while Master Zhou picked up his pipe and squatted down beside them.

Nothing makes this old railway worker happier than seeing his children able to eat meat.

"What are you doing? Dad hasn't eaten yet." Zhou Yi slapped her younger siblings on the head.

My younger siblings were about to eat, and I wanted to get angry, but I didn't dare because of the bloodline suppression, so I could only stand obediently to the side.

On Monday, Zhou picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into Master Zhou's mouth.

"Dad, you eat too."

"It's Monday, Dad signed up for a motorcycle rally," Master Zhou said while eating.

“Didn’t I advise you before? You’re getting old,” Zhou Yi frowned.

"Don't worry, this time it should be Driver Li leading the team. Didn't you say that Driver Li is very capable and there won't be any problems?" Master Zhou said with a smile.

Knowing that his father had made up his mind, Zhou Yi didn't say anything, but handed him another sweet potato.

After Zhou and his brothers finished eating, some went to school and others went to work.

On Monday, I picked up a sweet potato, dipped it in the remaining vegetable juice, and popped it into my mouth.

"Meat is so delicious! Once I graduate and start working in the studio, I'm sure I'll be able to eat meat all the time."

****
"This is the twentieth motorcycle." Li Aiguo watched as the wild car expert pushed the motorcycle into the warehouse and began preparing for the race.

Considering that all participants were railway workers, in order to avoid situations where trains had to give way, Li Aiguo and the leaders of the section did not participate in the competition, but instead served as referees.

Liu Qingsong from the rescue team dispatched two trucks carrying supplies such as spare parts, water, and instant noodles.

The armed forces department also sent Zhou Ke with several comrades to accompany them, carrying firearms and ammunition, firstly to ensure safety, and secondly to hunt along the way.

Just as Li Aiguo was busy with the rally race, two uninvited guests arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The security officer led the two men to the door of Section Chief Xing's office.

"Section Chief, these two are leaders from the Steel Rolling Mill's Supervisory Committee. They want to speak with Comrade Li Aiguo to get some information."

"The Supervisory Commission?" Section Chief Xing frowned.

The supervisory commission and the discipline inspection commission are similar in nature, only with different names. They are generally only responsible for disciplinary issues within their own units.

Why are you investigating here? And why did you even approach Li Aiguo?

Leaking secrets? Are you kidding me? If that were the case, it wouldn't be the steel mill's disciplinary department that would step in.

"Bring them in. Also, go and inform Old Niu to come over." Section Chief Xing felt this was a bit strange, so he decided to find someone knowledgeable to come over as well.

Old Niu was leading Zhou Ke and other comrades from the railway police station in drills when he heard that the steel mill's supervisory committee was looking for Li Aiguo. He was puzzled and rushed over with his rifle and men.

At this moment, Xing Duan had already ushered the two into the office.

"Old Niu, you're in charge of the discipline line. Find out what's going on." Section Chief Xing winked at Old Niu.

Old Niu stepped forward, his face stern, and asked, "Where's the application for assistance in the investigation?"

"Ahem, sir, you've misunderstood. We're just here to ask a couple of questions, nothing more." One of the leaders looked a little nervous and quickly stood up.

Another person explained, "One of our factory's workers was reported, which involves Comrade Li Aiguo. We just came to inquire about the situation."

These two looked guilty.

The railway and local systems are two separate systems.

To investigate the case, the proper procedure is for the steel rolling mill's office to contact the relevant departments of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, along with a written application for assistance.

It's highly suspicious that the two of them are conducting an investigation based on empty talk.

"Stop talking nonsense, where are your documents?" Old Niu put his hand on his waist and stared wide-eyed.

"We forgot to bring it. Well then, let's go back first." Seeing that things were not going well, the two turned around and were about to leave.

The railway police officers were standing right next to them; they weren't about to let them escape, so they rushed forward and stopped the two men.

"What are you doing, bandits!" The two men were frightened and immediately tried to fight back.

How could Zhou Ke tolerate their insolence? He immediately attacked, slamming two electric cannons down and then kicking the man to the ground.

He casually stepped on her neck, and pulled out a bunch of things from her shirt pockets, pants pockets, and shoe soles.

Cigarettes, matches, two pistols, and two work permits.

"Behave yourselves!" Seeing that the two still wanted to resist, Zhou Ke kicked them both twice, making them afraid to utter a sound, before picking up the documents and handing them to Old Niu.

"Deputy Director Liu and Staff Member Chen of the Steel Rolling Mill's Supervisory Committee, why isn't it the director who's showing up?! We'll confiscate your credentials for now, and return them to you once we've figured out what's going on." Old Niu unceremoniously stuffed the credentials into his pocket.

“Pull them up.”

Deputy Director Liu and Staff Member Chen were pulled up from the ground, wincing in pain. These guys were thugs; they were too ruthless.

At this point, there was no time to complain, so he quickly said, "If it's inconvenient, we can issue a coordination notice now, and then we can talk again."

"It's too late. We have to get this sorted out today."

Despite his loud and boisterous demeanor, Old Niu also oversees internal discipline inspections at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, making him no ordinary person.

These two men came here furtively to investigate Li Aiguo; how could we just let them go?

While ordering the two men to be detained, Old Niu looked at Section Chief Xing and said, "Section Chief, I suspect that these two men did not obtain the consent of the steel rolling mill and came to investigate on their own."

"I'll contact the steel rolling mill." Section Chief Xing realized the seriousness of the problem and immediately picked up the phone to contact Deputy Factory Director Li.

Upon receiving the news, Deputy Factory Director Li was both shocked and furious.

"Section Chief, these two are indeed acting in secret, and the situation is a bit complicated. I'll be right there."

Deputy Factory Director Li was clearly in a great hurry. Within just over ten minutes, he arrived in a Jeep with a middle-aged man.

"Section Chief, I'm so sorry, there's a problem with our internal management."

As soon as Deputy Factory Director Li entered the room, he shook hands with Section Chief Xing and said apologetically, "Someone wrote an anonymous letter accusing our comrade Liu Haizhong of using improper means to become the deputy leader of the work group, which involves Comrade Li Aiguo."

"Involved?" Section Chief Xing reached out to shake hands, frowning, clearly dissatisfied with the wording.

"Comrade Liu Haizhong gave Li Aiguo some small gifts, which was just normal social interaction. But the whistleblower letter made it sound very serious, saying that he got the position of deputy group leader by giving a big gift." Deputy Factory Director Li quickly explained the situation.

He then pulled Section Chief Xing aside and whispered, "Originally, the investigation into this matter was only limited to our factory, but some people in the factory have recently had different opinions. This is clearly someone using this as an excuse to stir up trouble."

Section Chief Xing immediately understood.

There's a problem inside the steel rolling mill; one group wants to calm things down, while another group wants to escalate the situation.

Both sides took their own actions.

Deputy Factory Director Li controlled the Supervisory Committee, so the other party couldn't directly issue a coordination notice and took a shortcut.

The deputy director and staff of the supervisory committee were probably acting on orders from certain individuals, intending to deceive everyone, but they were exposed by Old Niu.

This involved matters within the steel rolling mill, and Section Chief Xing was unwilling to get involved. He decided to do Deputy Director Li a favor by having Old Niu bring the two of them in.

"Since they are indeed from your steel rolling mill, you can handle them."

The two had clearly been beaten up again; their faces were bruised and swollen, their hair was a mess, and one of them had a broken eyeglasses, which were hanging askew on his ear, making him look particularly ridiculous.

Neither of them dared to complain.

They went to other units to conduct investigations without warning, so they deserved to be beaten.

If we take it too seriously, they are accused of disrupting organizational procedures, and it would be reasonable for the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to detain them for ten days or half a month.

"Factory Director, this is a misunderstanding." The two men felt guilty when they saw Deputy Factory Director Li.

Deputy Factory Director Li was furious. He poked the two men's noses with his finger and demanded, "Who gave you permission to investigate at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot?"

"We came voluntarily." The two exchanged a glance and insisted that they had acted on their own initiative.

Deputy Factory Director Li pressed them for a few more questions, but seeing that the two were tight-lipped, he understood the reason and had no choice but to give up.

"Section Chief Xing, we really did disturb you this time. What do you think about this?"

Section Chief Xing originally planned to just fire these people.

Old Niu leaned closer to him and whispered a few words. Section Chief Xing pondered for a moment and nodded: "Since you're already here, then the investigation should be conducted. Our Qianmen Locomotive Depot isn't a place that protects its own. I believe Comrade Aiguo is fine."

What's most annoying about flies is that they're a nuisance.

Li Aiguo is now a role model at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and is applying for the title of National Model Worker. If someone with ulterior motives tries to smear him, it will be a troublesome matter.

One should protect one's comrades.

Li Aiguo was stunned when he received Zhou Ke's notification.

"Report me?"

(End of this chapter)