The train driver in the courtyard

“We received an anonymous letter reporting that Comrade Li Aiguo frequently accepted banquets from Liu Haizhong, indulging in lavish meals, including dozens of dumplings, and most importantly, two bottles of Moutai liquor from before the liberation.”

Accompanying Deputy Factory Director Li was Director Liu of the Supervisory Committee, who took out his notebook and looked at Li Aiguo.

With things having developed to this point, they certainly couldn't take Li Aiguo back for questioning anymore; they were only thinking about finding out the truth and silencing certain people.

Before Li Aiguo could speak, Minister Niu exploded: "Nonsense! Aiguo is a train driver at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. What makes him care about two bottles of Moutai?"

Section Chief Xing waved his hand at Minister Niu: "Old Niu, don't rush, let Comrade Aiguo explain the situation."

"The wine is indeed there, but I paid for it, and Liu Haizhong gave me a receipt." Li Aiguo patted his pockets and realized he hadn't brought the receipt with him, so he asked Zhou Ke to run to the studio to bring it back.

The receipt clearly records the quantity, price, and date of the Moutai liquor, as well as Liu Haizhong's signature.

Upon seeing the receipt, Section Chief Xing was filled with admiration; this kid was as meticulous in his work as ever.

After looking at the receipt, Director Liu wrote it down and said with a smile, "Comrade Aiguo, I'm sorry to bother you. We'll do it according to regulations."

“If everyone believed everything they heard, how could our locomotive depot possibly keep up?” Li Aiguo seemed angry, but he was actually giving Deputy Factory Director Li a chance to express his opinion.

As expected, Deputy Factory Director Li understood immediately and puffed out his chest, saying, "Don't worry, we will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and find out who wrote the anonymous letter."

As Deputy Factory Director Li was about to leave with his men, Director Liu asked with some curiosity, "Comrade Aiguo, may I ask, who did you give those two bottles of Moutai to?"

“No,” Li Aiguo said bluntly.

Director Liu gave an awkward smile and followed Deputy Factory Director Li out of the office.

After the group left, Section Chief Xing asked with some curiosity, "Aiguo, I remember you don't have a habit of drinking?"

"That wine was prepared for my master." Li Aiguo casually opened the canvas bag, took out the package receipt, and handed it over.

Upon seeing the address of the Jinling Military Region, Section Chief Xing and Elder Niu's expressions changed slightly.

"These guys are outrageous!" Old Niu was even angrier. Li Aiguo was just trying to celebrate the old leader's birthday, and they've caused all this trouble.

Section Chief Xing sighed and said, "The steel rolling mill is also a key factory in the country. We invested a lot in it back then, and it has been developing quite well in recent years. How did it end up like this?"

"Aiguo, don't worry, all the comrades in the locomotive depot support you." Section Chief Xing felt that Li Aiguo had been wronged.

"I'm not afraid. Section Chief, this matter can't be left like this." Li Aiguo, who had already stood up to leave, suddenly stopped.

"The steel mill is taking advantage of our kindness; we must give them an explanation!"

Section Chief Xing found it strange; Li Aiguo was behaving strangely today, unlike his usual aggressive manner.

Li Aiguo's words enlightened him: "Isn't the steel rolling mill under the jurisdiction of the First Ministry of Machine Building? I think... this doesn't seem like the steel rolling mill's intention, but rather that someone in the ministry is jealous of the motorcycle project and wants to sabotage it."

Section Chief Xing knew, of course, that Li Aiguo was talking nonsense; those leaders wouldn't stoop to such tactics.

However, sometimes the truth is not important.

As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and besides, Li Aiguo was indeed wronged.

"That must be it. I'll go find the department leaders right now." Section Chief Xing immediately perked up. "Aiguo, you go ahead and get busy. If anything else goes wrong, just go find Old Niu."

"Thank you, Section Chief."

Section Chief Xing was about to head to the First Ministry of Machine Building when he saw Zhou Ke still standing in the office. He asked, "Zhou Ke, is something the matter?"

"It's nothing," Zhou Ke said as he left the office and walked under the blazing sun, feeling somewhat dazed.

No one knew better than him that this was the second anonymous letter; the last one hadn't even been investigated yet, and now this one was causing trouble.

Anonymous letters are inherently difficult to investigate, so it's naturally hard for departments like the Road Safety Office to investigate them.

However, if it were someone who doesn't care about evidence to conduct the investigation, there wouldn't be so much trouble.

If the Ministry of Machine Building presses down now, I'm afraid Deputy Director Li will have to take action.

"Was this intentional or unintentional on Brother Aiguo's part? If it was unintentional, it's too coincidental. If it was intentional... he casually mobilized the forces of the entire department and bureau to launch a counterattack. This tactic of using someone else's strength against them is brilliant!"

Zhou Ke felt increasingly frustrated as he thought about it.

I thought that by becoming Old Cat's apprentice, I could keep up with Brother Milk's pace, but who would have thought that the gap between us would only widen.

"Sigh, what am I thinking about! Patriotism is my brother, we're family." Zhou Ke slapped his forehead and turned to walk towards the office.

The day before yesterday, the education office gave Huang Shuxian a large handful of pencils, more than her own child could use.

Some were given to Xiao Hongsheng and Xiao Minghui, and some were given to Miaomiao.

Zhou Ke knew that Li Aiguo also valued this goddaughter very much.

At this time, Li Aiguo had already returned to his studio, where Wild Car Experts and Director Zhang, along with a group of key personnel, were waiting.

"Aiguo, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, someone just got conjunctivitis. Everyone, get back to work."

Li Aiguo was touched by everyone's concern.

Many people would run away from this kind of thing as fast as they can, for fear of getting involved.

True friends are rare, no matter the era.

Section Chief Xing arrived at the Ministry of Machinery Industry and stormed into the leader's office, causing a huge disturbance.

"This is outrageous! You're retaliating against me for the sake of motorcycle production rights?"

The leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building were very surprised: "Old Xing, what's going on?"

Section Chief Xing recounted the situation, slamming his fist on the table with a loud thud: "Don't you know who Aiguo is? He's the one who built tunnel boring machines, off-road vehicles, and steam engines—weren't they all his creations? A genius like him, would he be greedy for a couple of bottles of wine?"

"Someone must be behind this!"

"I suspect that other locomotive manufacturers are behind this sabotage."

"If you don't investigate this thoroughly and give patriots justice, I'll go to the leaders of the Ministry of Railways!"

When Section Chief Xing wanted to involve the Ministry of Railways, the leaders panicked and quickly tried to appease him.

"Old Xing, the situation is unclear, but I promise I will find out the truth."

"The ministry will personally vindicate the patriotic comrade in due time."

Having received the assurance, Section Chief Xing left satisfied.

The leaders, of course, did not believe that someone had deliberately sabotaged the operation.

The ministry has heard a lot about the situation inside the steel rolling mill.

In particular, Director Yang's attempt to exonerate Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai, two individuals suspected of being involved in illegal activities, drew considerable dissatisfaction from other leaders.

It was just that Director Yang had a good relationship with several leaders, one of whom was a former leader.

Furthermore, since everything needs to be balanced, they turned a blind eye to Director Yang's actions.

Now that Director Yang has caused such a big problem, almost ruining the First Ministry of Machine Building's plan to acquire the motorcycle production rights, he has crossed the red line.

After investigating the situation, the leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building summoned Director Yang to their office and gave him a severe dressing-down.

"Old Yang, you're a veteran, don't you have any sense of organizational discipline? You're inspecting the locomotive depot without authorization, and you're even inspecting Li Aiguo, a nationally outstanding driver?"

"You didn't know we were discussing a motorcycle collaboration?"

"The way you're doing this puts the ministry in a very passive position!"

Factory Director Yang was also helpless.

He had no intention of harming Li Aiguo; he only planned to eliminate Liu Haizhong and then take advantage of the situation to control Deputy Factory Director Li.

As a result, they were dealt with as soon as they started.

"Boss, this is an investigation into misconduct, I'm doing this entirely for the sake of my job!"

Factory Director Yang could only insist: "Leader! Our investigation into Liu Haizhong is to eliminate corrupt officials! What does it have to do with motorcycles? Comrade Li Aiguo has been exonerated; this is clearly Li Huaide making a mountain out of a molehill!"

Seeing that he still wouldn't admit his mistake, the leader's face darkened completely: "Irrelevant? Section Chief Xing from the locomotive depot stormed over here and slammed his fist on the table! Li Aiguo is a talent on the Ministry's radar! Now, because of your factory's anonymous letter, people are making it seem like the First Ministry of Machine Building is trying to steal the credit!"

He slammed his hand on the table. "Comrade Yang Mao, do you want to wait for the Ministry of Railways to hold you accountable?!"

Factory Director Yang also realized the seriousness of the problem, and his face turned pale: "Leader, I really didn't mean to implicate Comrade Li Aiguo. I just wanted to find out the truth. I apologize to you."

The leader looked at Factory Director Yang, wanting to reprimand him a few more times, but then he remembered the retired senior leader behind him and swallowed his words.

But Section Chief Xing's threatening words, "Go find the leaders of the Ministry of Railways," still echoed in his ears.

If things really escalate to a conflict between the two ministries, not only will they lose control of motorcycle production rights, but they will also suffer losses themselves.

He tapped his fingertips on the table, finally making up his mind: "Old Yang, you are to blame for the mess at the steel mill. Here's what we'll do: Comrade Li Huaide will take charge of the work for now, and you can reflect on your actions."

Upon hearing this, Director Yang felt as if lightning was striking his ears, his head was buzzing, and he almost fainted.

He never imagined that he would end up in such a passive position because of such a small matter.

What's so special about Li Aiguo? Is he really untouchable?

"What? Are you going to oppose the organization?" Seeing that Director Yang was hesitant to express his opinion, the leader of the First Ministry of Machine Building put on a stern face.

Factory Director Yang was a veteran comrade and knew that he absolutely could not resist at this time. He nodded and said, "Sir, I... have some health problems and would like to ask for leave to be hospitalized."

Being hospitalized is an extremely clever strategy; illnesses can always be cured eventually, and you can make a comeback then.

The leader was unwilling to go to extremes and nodded in agreement.

When news of Director Yang's hospitalization reached the steel rolling mill, it caused a sensation.

Those leaders who were on good terms with Director Yang almost cried.

Deputy Factory Director Li, however, perked up and did not immediately take action against those leaders. Instead, he appointed Director Liu of the Supervisory Committee as the head of the investigation team.

"Immediately find out who wrote the false accusation letter!"

"one day!"

“One day? Leader, I don’t have that kind of ability.” Director Liu checked the anonymous letter.

The words on the letter were cut from a newspaper.

The letter paper was ordinary, the newspaper was ordinary, and there was simply no way to investigate.

"Don't want to do it? I'll replace you!" Deputy Factory Director Li stared down at him, his eyes wide. "I only care about results."

"Yes!" Director Liu was an experienced man and immediately understood what Deputy Factory Director Li meant.

"What do we do after we identify them? Arrest them directly?"

This case is no longer a simple case of false accusation; it has become a major case involving a dispute between the factory director and deputy director, as well as involving the ministry and the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Director Liu realized he was in the eye of the storm and had to be more cautious, so he looked at Deputy Factory Director Li.

Deputy Factory Director Li lit a cigarette, pondered for a moment, and said, “Old Yang has just been sidelined. We need to maintain unity now, and we can’t provoke the old leaders and their people to retaliate. But we must give an explanation to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot… Don’t make a big deal out of it publicly, but be firm with our methods behind the scenes. Do you understand what I mean?”

"clear."

Director Liu returned to his office and, without taking a break, immediately called Liu Haizhong over.

"Comrade Liu Haizhong, I'm sorry to have wronged you."

"So everything's alright?" Liu Haizhong was overjoyed; the smell in the detention cell was unpleasant.

“We just went to the steel rolling mill and conducted an investigation, which proved that Li Aiguo did indeed pay money. Your actions do not constitute bribery,” Director Liu said.

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong was filled with admiration.

At first, Li Aiguo insisted on taking his money, which I initially thought was just a facade of integrity. Now it seems he's just meticulous in his work. No wonder so many people have tried to cause trouble over the years, but none of them have been able to do anything to him.

Director Liu offered Liu Haizhong a cigarette: "Who do you think wants to harm you?"

"Yi Zhonghai? Leader, I really don't know," Liu Haizhong hesitated.

"That's him."

"Yi Zhonghai, starting today, you're no longer in the workshop. Go clean the toilets." Director Liu came into the workshop and announced the decision directly.

The workers in the workshop were stunned.

Yi Zhonghai is at least a level seven worker, a master craftsman, how could he be assigned to clean toilets?
After figuring out the whole story, I suddenly realized that Yi Zhonghai really should be cleaning toilets.

"Liu Haizhong does like to drink a little, but he didn't go into the women's restroom, did he? And there's absolutely no truth to the story of him going into the warehouse with the female workers!"
"How dare you frame one of your own people!"

"Pink eye! Yi Zhonghai has red eyes!"

"And it even dragged down the Qianmen Locomotive Depot! Do they know we just got to eat meat twice because of this?"

Yi Zhonghai panicked and quickly stepped forward with a forced smile: "Boss, I really didn't write the anonymous letter. You see, the anonymous letter was submitted yesterday morning. I was working in the workshop all morning."

"Are you going or not? If you're not going, I'll call the security department to arrest you." Director Liu didn't listen to his explanation at all.

When Yi Zhonghai saw this, he was both amused and exasperated.

He did indeed do it, but having been punished so many times, he was fully prepared and found someone to take the blame.

They were thinking that if they were exposed, the higher-ups would launch an investigation and then come up with follow-up measures.

As a result, they didn't investigate at all and just arrested people.

Yi Zhonghai glanced over and saw Jia Dongxu standing to the side watching the commotion. Since it was inconvenient for him to speak out, he could only shout at the top of his lungs, "Injustice! Director, it's really an injustice!"

"Boss, my master is indeed innocent. He must have been framed." Jia Dongxu, unaware of the situation, pretended to panic and hurriedly pleaded for Yi Zhonghai's innocence.

The two veteran actors began to showcase their acting skills together, much to the amazement of the workers in the workshop. They never expected that the bond between the master and apprentice was so deep.

Xu Damao ran over to join the fun. Seeing that Director Liu was going to arrest Yi Zhonghai, he felt strange and whispered, "Brother Liu, Yi Zhonghai is a veteran. Even if he is jealous of Liu Haizhong, he would not do something so full of loopholes."

Xu Damao was a big shot in the publicity department and was on the same side as Director Liu. When Director Liu heard what he said, he stopped in his tracks.

"what do you mean?"

"It's Jia Dongxu! I've been thinking something's off about Jia Dongxu lately. Now that you mentioned the newspaper editing thing, I remember."

"what?"

Xu Damao pointed at Jia Dongxu and said, "When potatoes were distributed a while ago, there were several newspapers in his cellar with holes cut out of the potatoes!"

Ever since Xu Damao found Jia Dongxu strange, he has been keeping a close eye on Jia Dongxu.

Especially the night before last, Xu Damao felt something was wrong when he saw Jia Dongxu giving Liu Haizhong a sinister smile.

Now I finally understand, it was Jia Dongxu who wrote the anonymous letter!
Xu Damao's words stunned Jia Dongxu, who had been defending Yi Zhonghai.

Is this a case of getting caught up in the gossip and suffering the consequences?
“The newspaper… has holes, but that…” Jia Dongxu opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

That newspaper was left behind from an anonymous letter he wrote to the Beijing Railway Bureau; it had nothing to do with this incident.

But how could Jia Dongxu say it out loud!
When Director Liu saw Jia Dongxu's stammering manner, he assumed that Jia was guilty and that what Xu Damao said was true.

"Xu Damao, since you know the situation, bring that newspaper back right now. We can just check the words."

"I'll go."

Xu Damao didn't miss any opportunity to deal with Jia Dongxu, and immediately left the workshop with several of his staff.

Seeing this, Jia Dongxu actually breathed a sigh of relief.

The two anonymous letters were sent to different newspapers, so a thorough investigation will clear them of suspicion.

Unbeknownst to him, a sinister smile had already crept onto Yi Zhonghai's lips right beside him.

When Xu Damao rode his bicycle back to the courtyard house, Li Aiguo also happened to return.

Seeing Xu Damao hurriedly enter the compound, Li Aiguo realized that Deputy Factory Director Li had already begun to take action.

"Da Mao, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Brother Aiguo, this matter is somewhat related to you." Although Xu Damao was anxious, he still stopped and explained the situation.

"Jia Dongxu is going to be in trouble this time. Patriotic brother, I won't say any more, I'm going to find evidence."

After Xu Damao left, Li Aiguo walked home while pondering.

Was Jia Dongxu really that stupid to write two anonymous letters?

If this letter wasn't written by Jia Dongxu, then who was it written by?
Could it be Yi Zhonghai? But why would Yi Zhonghai scheme against Jia Dongxu?

Li Aiguo felt that the matter was becoming increasingly complicated.

However, he didn't seem inclined to get involved.

Who doesn't enjoy watching dogs fight?
At that moment, Qin Huairu was rummaging through the cellar for potatoes when she saw Xu Damao rush in. Startled, she dropped the potatoes she was holding to the ground.

"Xu Damao! What are you doing? Stealing potatoes?"

"I won't take your potatoes, but hand over the newspaper."

Newspaper thief Xu Damao has been recruited.

Qin Huairu stared blankly as Xu Damao snatched her newspaper and left, before finally realizing what had happened.

"Xu Damao, you despicable bastard! Why are you stealing my newspaper!"

"Go ask your Jia Dongxu." The newspaper thief returned home laden with his loot.

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat; Jia Dongxu must have caused trouble at the factory.

She took off running towards the old lady's house, but Yi Zhonghai hadn't returned yet, and the old lady knew nothing about it.

"Huai Ru, don't worry. You'll understand when Lao Yi comes back."

Qin Huairu sat blankly in the chair, her mood sinking to rock bottom.

We'd finally had a period of peace, but Jia Dongxu's caused trouble again!
the other side.

Xu Damao quickly brought the newspaper back to the steel rolling mill.

When Jia Dongxu saw the newspaper had arrived, he immediately perked up.

"Director Liu, please check this quickly. These holes have absolutely nothing to do with the anonymous letter. Please clear my name immediately."

"You better behave yourself!" Director Liu glared at Jia Dongxu, spread the newspaper on the table, and then picked up the anonymous letter to compare it.

"Respected factory leaders, I am a motivated worker in the steel rolling mill. Seeing the spread of unethical practices within the factory, I have decided to stand up and speak out."

"Yes, all of these dozen or so characters match the holes in the newspaper." After checking, the staff nodded and said.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu became anxious: "Impossible, absolutely impossible, it must be a misunderstanding! Anonymous letters always start like this. Keep checking, the rest will be different."

"Looks like you've written quite a few anonymous letters."

Director Liu felt he hadn't arrested the wrong person this time, and looked at the officers: "Continue to verify, make sure he's convinced."

The officers continued their work.

"Thirty characters match up."

"Fifty characters match."

"Director, it matches perfectly! Not a single word more or less! It was written by him!" the clerk reported.

Director Liu suddenly felt like a master detective, and pointed at Jia Dongxu's nose, saying, "Jia Dongxu, the evidence is right here, what else do you have to say?"

At this moment, Jia Dongxu was completely dumbfounded.

"How could there be identical anonymous letters? Impossible!"

He grabbed the newspaper and quickly noticed the discrepancy: "This newspaper is from June 3rd, while the one at home is from March. They're not the same newspaper."

"You say it's different, so it's different! Who can testify?" Xu Damao said sarcastically, "Jia Dongxu, if you do something dirty and get caught, you have to admit it."

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Jia Dongxu forgot about arguing with Xu Damao and quickly looked at Yi Zhonghai, saying, "Master, I borrowed your newspaper in March, do you remember?"

"Dongxu, you often borrow newspapers. How would I know which one it is?"

Yi Zhonghai looked at Jia Dongxu, remained silent for a moment, then turned to Director Liu: "Director, as Jia Dongxu's mentor, I am guilty. I failed to educate my apprentice properly, allowing him to do such a thing that undermines unity. I sincerely apologize to you!"

"Dongxu is not a bad person; he just acted impulsively and made a mistake. I hope you can punish him leniently! I am willing to apologize to Liu Haizhong on behalf of Jia Dongxu."

The onlookers all gave a thumbs up.

What makes a good master? This is it!

Jia Dongxu was also moved by Yi Zhonghai's words; this mentor was just like a father to him.

but.

He quickly realized the problem.

Yi Zhonghai's words effectively sealed his fate.

Jia Dongxu's head was buzzing. Yes, he had indeed done something bad, but it really wasn't him who did it.

"Master, it really wasn't me!"

Yi Zhonghai patted Jia Dongxu on the shoulder: "Dongxu, you need to recognize your mistakes in your work and grasp the root of your wrong thinking. Don't worry, your master will help you."

Jia Dongxu: "."

He felt he couldn't explain it clearly.

Looking at Jia Dongxu's appearance, Xu Damao felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Director Liu originally wanted to resolve the matter quickly, but now that there was solid evidence, he announced bluntly: "Jia Dongxu wrote a false accusation letter, framed his coworkers, and even implicated other units. The circumstances are serious! Starting today, he will be transferred to the cleaning team to clean the toilets!"

(The author knows this is a bit cliché, but Jia Dongxu still needs a toilet, so readers can criticize him as they see fit.)
Subsequently, Director Liu reported the investigation results to Deputy Factory Director Li.

Deputy Factory Director Li praised Director Liu for his strong work ability, and then personally reported to the department and made a self-criticism.

"This incident at the factory is due to my poor management. I apologize to the leadership and promise to prevent similar problems from happening again!"

The leader of the First Ministry of Machine Building was pleased to see that Deputy Director Li did not mention Director Yang's responsibility at all, nor did he make a big fuss about the matter, keeping it under control within the steel rolling mill.

Regardless of whose responsibility it is, the steel rolling mill is now a whole, and Deputy Director Li has to take responsibility for this matter.

The worst thing for a leader is to be petty and narrow-minded, and from this point of view, Deputy Factory Director Li did a very good job.

The leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building looked at Deputy Director Li with more eagerness: "Comrade Huaide, now that Lao Yang is sick and unable to work, you will have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the steel rolling mill in the future."

"Don't worry, leader! I will definitely take on the responsibility and live up to your expectations!" This was exactly what Deputy Factory Director Li had been waiting for, and he felt a surge of excitement.

Thanks to his nephew's actions, which brought the matter to the ministry level, he gained a huge advantage for free.

If he can achieve some more success, he might be able to take his place.

"We need to be thorough in our work. Let's get things settled at the steel rolling mill first, then we'll make a trip to the Qianmen locomotive depot."

After leaving the ministry, Deputy Factory Director Li felt that his spring had arrived.

(End of this chapter)