The train driver in the courtyard

The drilling rig has a simple structure; the only problem is the material for the drill bit.

Li Aiguo waited for more than half a month before finally receiving the three-bladed tungsten carbide drill bit delivered from the steel rolling mill.

Considering that drilling tests have not yet been conducted, it is not currently mounted on a truck; only a simple platform has been built.

The drilling equipment is driven by a single-cylinder diesel engine, which transmits power to the drill pipe rotation system via a belt pulley.

It is equipped with hydraulic equipment, similar to an excavator. It can be erected when drilling wells and retracted when not in use.

The drill pipe was manufactured with the help of the steel rolling mill. It is a solid steel drill pipe with threaded connections, five meters in length, and can be assembled in sections.

There are also ground anchors, which are used to fix the derrick and ensure that the drill pipe is vertical.

When Section Chief Xing came in, Li Aiguo had already finished the assembly work with several workers.

"What is this?" Even though Section Chief Xing already knew that this thing was a well drilling machine, he still couldn't quite believe his eyes.

"This is a well-drilling machine. Last time I passed through Hunan Province, I saw that they started drilling wells and building water conservancy facilities on our railway, so I tinkered with this little gadget," Li Aiguo said.

"Have you done any experiments?" Section Chief Xing looked around the drilling machine, becoming more and more excited as he looked at it.

"Not yet. The original plan was to conduct experiments first before installing it on the truck."

"So this thing can actually move?!" Section Chief Xing couldn't help but rub his hands together.

Well drilling has also started at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. The well drilling team members are working extremely hard, and two of them collapsed from exhaustion in less than half a month.

If the drilling rig is indeed useful, it will solve a major problem.

"Perfect timing, the motorcycle factory needs to drill a few wells, how about we give that a try?"

“Okay.” Li Aiguo nodded. He was just worrying about where to dig a well for his experiments, and this was like a pillow delivered to his sleepy head.

"The Ministry of Machine Building and the Ministry of Railways are jointly hosting a celebration banquet tonight, and the leaders want you to bring your wife." Section Chief Xing didn't forget his main purpose.

"Don't delay things."

"No, according to my calculations, drilling the well will only take two or three hours."

Li Aiguo was unfamiliar with the geological conditions near the motorcycle factory and it was also his first time using a well drilling machine, so he chose a conservative time.

Li Aiguo called for a rescue team truck.

Now that the studio is getting busier and busier, the nearest rescue team has also taken on the logistical work, and those young men especially like to help out.

The truck carrying the drilling rig arrived at the motorcycle factory.

The basic construction work is almost complete, and Captain Liu of the construction team is leading the workers to level the road surface.

Upon seeing this strange thing, they all gathered around it.

After the truck stopped, Li Aiguo first went to the well-drilling site to observe for a while. The soil here was relatively hard, but it was particularly flat, so the difficulty was not high.

Li Aiguo had the workers move the drilling rig down.

First, the derrick was assembled at the drilling site, the ground anchors were installed, and a plumb bob was used to measure the verticality to ensure that the derrick was perpendicular to the ground before the drilling rig was installed.

The drilling rig itself is a complete set of equipment, and it is very easy to install. With the help of Captain Liu and his comrades, it was installed in just over ten minutes.

At that moment, Section Chief Xing also called over Captain Zhang, who was in charge of drilling wells at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Li Aiguo had met Captain Zhang a few times.

This man used to be the deputy captain of a construction team, and he was the one who helped tidy up my house.

He used to follow his father and others to dig wells to make a living. When the well-drilling team was established, he was recommended to be the well-drilling team leader.

There are many people like Captain Zhang in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Those who join the depot with their own skills are able to find room to utilize their abilities.

"Patriotism, is this machine for drilling wells?" Captain Zhang comes from a family of well diggers, and this was the first time he had ever heard of a machine drilling a well.

"Yes, later you and the well-drilling team will help transport the soil, prepare the concrete and well pipes, and pour the concrete directly after drilling the well."

"I'll get right on it," Captain Zhang replied, and quickly went to arrange the work.

By this time, the drilling rod had been erected, and the wild car expert picked up the crank and started the diesel engine.

With the machine roaring, Li Aiguo operated the control lever, and driven by the hydraulic system, the drilling rod descended rapidly.

The once solid ground was cut open like tofu.

The workers were amazed by what they saw until Captain Zhang shouted something, at which point they reacted and began clearing away the swirling mud.

The cleaning process couldn't keep up with the drilling, so Li Aiguo had to stop and wait from time to time.

"Water's coming out! Water's coming out! Lots of water!" In just a few minutes, as the drill rod went deeper, the soil turned into mud, and Captain Zhang shouted excitedly.

Li Aiguo did not stop, but instead operated the machine to drill another four or five meters until the well reached the groundwater layer before stopping.

Captain Zhang, now an experienced well driller, quickly found a water pump and pumped the mud out of the well.

What was extracted at first was mud, and the process was only complete when the mud had all turned into clear water.

Only by using machines can well drilling be so easy.

If it were dug manually, the well walls would not be smooth enough and would easily collapse, making everyone very nervous when pumping the well.

After the water cleared, the team members carried over several well pipes.

The well casing is a cement cylinder with wire mesh installed at the top and bottom, and bamboo strips filled in the middle. It can be used to filter groundwater and prevent mud and sand from mixing in.

The well pipe is installed at the bottom of the well.

Several team members tied ropes, piled blue bricks on the well wall, and coated it with concrete, all the way up to the well opening.

They also built a square cement platform at the wellhead, where a water pump or pulley could be installed in the future.

"Next time we can build more well pipes and fill them from bottom to top, so we don't have to lay bricks anymore." Li Aiguo stood at the wellhead, watching the subsequent work.

"Won't the dimensions be wrong if we use only well pipes?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Captain Zhang realized that he had made a mistake based on experience.

Manually dug wells are difficult to measure precisely, often resulting in an error of tens of centimeters between the wellhead and the bottom. Workers need to manually level these errors when laying bricks.

Wells drilled by machines are of such high standard that they are no longer needed, which saves a lot of manpower and reduces danger.

"This is good, this is good." Captain Zhang still feels like he's dreaming.

What used to take several days can now be completed in just over twenty minutes.

Section Chief Xing watched the whole thing and nodded repeatedly: "Aiguo, can this kind of well-digging machine be mass-produced?"

"Of course, the main problem is that the three-bladed tungsten carbide drill bit needs help from the steel rolling mill, but we can produce the other parts ourselves," Li Aiguo replied.

"I suggest we report the drilling rig to the ministry."

"Section Chief, I'll have to trouble you with this matter."

"No trouble, no trouble."

Section Chief Xing understood Li Aiguo's thoughts perfectly well, and excitedly rode his motorcycle to the Ministry of Railways.

Several leaders from the Ministry of Railways had originally planned to attend the banquet, but upon hearing that Li Aiguo had invented a well-drilling machine, they decided to come and take a look.

At that time, several cars arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Now, all the large off-road vehicles have been exported, and the department has not yet replaced them.

"Wow, impressive, patriotic indeed." The leaders from the Ministry of Railways circled the well.

This well is big, round, and very deep; it's clearly a good well.

"Patriotism, how deep can this drilling rig drill wells?"

"Currently, the drill pipe is about 35 meters long, and the number of drill pipes can be increased, with a maximum depth of 40 meters. If it goes too deep, the drill pipe is prone to swaying, and the derrick will need to be replaced," Li Aiguo briefly introduced the drilling rig.

There are no standards for the depth of residents' wells; as long as they reach groundwater, it's acceptable.

Railway engineering temporary water supply facilities and other deep wells are required to be at least 30 meters deep.

Section Chief Xing chimed in from the side: "The drilling rig can also be mounted on a truck to form a mobile drilling rig, which can be used for mobile operations."

"Alright, the department happens to have a few decommissioned trucks. We'll deliver them to you tomorrow so you can build the well-drilling truck first." The department leader nodded.

"If it is indeed feasible, we will build more well-drilling machines and distribute them to locomotive depots across the country to replace manual labor."

"In addition, the agricultural department should also be invited to take a look."

"The railway troops also need them. The deserts in the Great Northwest are extremely short of water, so we should build some extended models."

With a flurry of suggestions from several leaders of the ministry, the originally small project of building a well-drilling machine was instantly elevated to a new level.

The ministry provided a large amount of material support, and the Qianmen Locomotive Depot also transferred some experienced workers to help Li Aiguo continue to make improvements.

The department leaders then visited the motorcycle factory, urging the workers to pay attention to safety, and also praised Section Chief Xing for his work.

After finishing his speech, a leader raised his wrist to check the time: "It's almost six o'clock now, Aiguo, you should go back and change into some clean clothes for the party."

"Remember, bring your wife with you."

Li Aiguo almost forgot the time and immediately drove his SUV back to the courtyard house in a hurry.

Chen Xueru had just returned home from the neighborhood office when she saw Li Aiguo come back. She took the canvas bag from him and asked, "What are we having for dinner?"

"No need to cook, the department is hosting a banquet, I'll take you with me."

Upon hearing the news, Chen Xueru was initially overjoyed, but then became somewhat worried: "Am I capable?"

She had never seen such a grand scene before.

"The leaders of the ministries are all very friendly, so don't worry."

"Then I'll go change into some new clothes."

As a tailor, Chen Xueru had also saved up two new clothes.

She changed into a blue short-sleeved shirt, black pants, and small leather shoes.

It looks neither ostentatious nor particularly dignified.

Chen Xueru wanted to apply some face cream, but Li Aiguo stopped her, saying, "This is not appropriate for the occasion."

"That's true." Chen Xueru realized and put away the face cream box, only combing her hair.

Li Aiguo also changed into a clean Zhongshan suit, stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself. Haha, how handsome the young man in the mirror is!

While he was busy, Liu Lan came to borrow some flour to make dumplings for Xu Damao.

Seeing the two of them heading out so late, Liu Lan asked curiously, "Where are you two going so late?"

"To participate in the department's small activities." "Liu Lan, Aunt Liu isn't home, could you please look after Xiao Hongsheng and Xiao Mingwei?"

"We're all neighbors, so don't worry about leaving it to me."

Xu Damao often went to the countryside, Liu Lan worked in the factory, and Xu Hua often played at the Li family's house. Liu Lan readily agreed.

She took the noodles and her two children home, where Xu Damao was lying in bed.

His incision had already healed, but he was extremely tired from working in the countryside these past two days, and he felt unwell when he came back.

"Why are Hongsheng and Mingwei here? Where are the Aiguo brothers and their spouses?" Xu Damao asked, puzzled to see the three children playing together.

"They really want to participate in some small activities."

"A small event?" Xu Damao was taken aback for a moment, then he understood: "Today at the factory, I heard Deputy Director Li mention that the Ministry of Machine Building and the railway department are going to hold a joint celebration. Could it be that our patriotic brother has made another contribution?"

"No way, I've never heard of that." Liu Lan shook her head.

“That’s true.” Xu Damao was also puzzled. Recently, there hadn’t been any major commotion at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

However, this doesn't stop Xu Damao from showing off in public.

After dinner, families sat in the courtyard to enjoy the cool evening air.

Seeing the Li family's children being taken care of by Liu Lan, the third uncle became curious.

"Patriotism is not about being at home."

"The couple went to a celebration party jointly organized by the two ministries," Xu Damao said loudly.

"Both of them went? Tsk tsk, Chen Xueru looks like a lucky girl." The third aunt interjected.

It should be noted that even if a work unit holds a banquet, family members are not invited. However, Chen Xueru, as a street office worker, was able to attend a banquet held by the department.

Jia Dongxu was washing his face by the pool when he heard this. He secretly curled his lip and said, "He even brought his wife along to the banquet. Li Aiguo is really pathetic."

Qin Huairu was somewhat envious.

If she had persevered for a few more years, she would be the one attending the celebration party now.

Qin Huairu felt she regretted it.

The celebration was a high-level event, attended by Teng, a leader from the Ministry of Railways, and Zhao, a leader from the First Ministry of Machine Building, as well as the main leaders from both ministries.

At first, Li Aiguo didn't quite understand.

This was just a small celebration party; did it really require the main leaders of both departments to show up?
It wasn't until they saw Leader Zhao personally address Leader Teng as "Old Principal" and, along with several other leaders, greet the leaders of the Ministry of Railways, that they understood what was going on.

Today's celebration is for two reasons: first, to celebrate our achievements, and second, to clear up the misunderstanding that arose between the Ministry of Railways and the First Ministry of Machine Building recently because of the motorcycle factory.

Leader Teng, being the highest-ranking and most senior, delivered the opening remarks first.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the overseas success of the Tyrannosaurus Rex off-road vehicle. Here, I would like to commend Comrade Li Aiguo. I hope that everyone will learn from Comrade Li Aiguo, be courageous and enterprising, carry forward the spirit of 'daring to break through', and make greater contributions in their work."

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Many eyes turned to them, and Chen Xueru, standing next to Li Aiguo, felt a little proud.

What woman doesn't want her man to be very capable?
Subsequently, leaders from the First Ministry of Machine Building also delivered speeches, calling on colleagues within the ministry to learn from the railway industry, and for the two ministries to actively cooperate and jointly develop the Second Automobile Works.

After the speech, the food and drinks were served.

Everyone ate and drank, creating a very lively atmosphere.

"Here, have a big chicken leg."

Just as Li Aiguo was about to serve Chen Xueru some food, Leader Teng walked over with a wine glass in his hand.

"Aiguo, I heard you've come up with another well-drilling machine?"

"It's still in the experimental stage and it's estimated that it will take a few days to build."

Li Aiguo quickly picked up his wine glass, poured a glass for Leader Teng, and poured one for himself. He smiled and said, "Leader, please allow me, on behalf of all the comrades in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop, to offer you a small toast."

Thank you for your support of our research and development work. You even sent a lot of refined white flour, as well as pork, soybean oil, and bean sprouts.

I heard that those were saved from the special supplies the ministry provided to entertain Soviet experts.

We'll remember this kindness. I'll drink this glass first, please feel free to drink as you like!

The leaders from the Ministry of Machine Building who were nearby exchanged glances upon hearing this.

Offering a toast in the name of the group leaves a good impression on the leader without being too conspicuous. Is this guy really a train driver?
"Comrade Aiguo, what our Ministry of Railways lacks is capable talent like you. Even if you gave me ten chief engineers, I wouldn't trade you for one." When Leader Teng said this, he glanced at the leader of the Ministry of Machine Building, intentionally or unintentionally.

He wasn't worried that the leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building would dare to poach people.

The point is to use Leader Zhao to spread this message and prevent those old friends from asking for favors.

The two clinked glasses, and then Leader Teng looked at Chen Xueru with his glass in hand: "I had heard that Comrade Aiguo had a virtuous wife, and seeing her today, I can see that she is indeed extraordinary. Comrade Chen, you have worked hard all these years to support Comrade Aiguo's work."

These days, women are pretty much the same as men; most of them can drink a little. Today, the department specially arranged for a few bottles of wine to be transferred from the foreign trade department.

Chen Xueru picked up the wine glass, and just as she brought it to her lips, she suddenly covered her mouth, her face showing some pain.

She took a few deep breaths to suppress the nausea and picked up her glass again.

Just as Li Aiguo was about to speak, Leader Teng stopped Chen Xueru: "Miss Chen, are you pregnant?"

Chen Xueru's face flushed slightly: "I've been feeling nauseous lately, and I was planning to go to the hospital for a check-up this weekend."

“If you’re pregnant, then you shouldn’t drink alcohol.” After saying that, Leader Teng turned to Li Aiguo: “Comrade Aiguo, you’re not being a good husband. Don’t just throw yourself into your work; nurturing the next generation of revolutionaries is also crucial!”

"I'm sorry, I admit my mistake and will write a self-criticism." Li Aiguo was scolded, but he was actually very happy.

"Take half a day off tomorrow morning and take Comrade Xiao Chen to the hospital for a check-up."

This is Chen Xueru's third pregnancy, so she has plenty of experience and this pregnancy is almost certainly true.

Leader Teng then turned to Section Chief Xing and said, “Section Chief Xing, your locomotive depot should care about the employees’ families. The working environment on the railway is tough. Only with a stable rear can our workers charge forward.”

We leaders cannot overlook the contributions of our employees' families.

"Yes, yes, yes." Section Chief Xing nodded repeatedly.

With these words from Leader Teng, he was able to secure some benefits for the employees and their families at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

In the end, Chen Xueru still offered tea instead of wine to Leader Teng.

Leader Teng raised his glass: "The Da Yue Yue is selling like hotcakes, and Comrade Aiguo's wife is pregnant. Our revolutionary cause has a new successor. This is a double celebration. Everyone, raise your glasses!"

The celebratory atmosphere reached its climax at this moment, and everyone present raised their glasses.

"cheers!"

The next morning, Li Aiguo woke up early, stretched lazily, got dressed, and prepared to cook.

"Let me do it." Chen Xueru also woke up. She first clung to Li Aiguo's arm for a moment, then rubbed her face against his chest and stopped him.

You're newly pregnant.

"It's not that precious. You should rest more. We still need to go to the hospital for a check-up later." Chen Xueru changed her clothes, got out of bed, and went to the kitchen to get busy.

Li Aiguo didn't rest either, and changed Xiao Hongsheng and Xiao Mingwei's clothes.

Breakfast was simple: a few white steamed buns, a plate of stir-fried wild vegetables, five fried eggs, and cornmeal porridge as the main dish.

After eating and drinking their fill, Li Aiguo first rode his motorcycle to take Xiao Hongsheng and Xiao Mingwei to school, dropping one off at the nursery and the other at Hongxing Primary School.

After returning, he took Chen Xueru to the Railway Workers' Hospital.

The obstetrician-gynecologist was already a familiar face to Chen Xueru. After asking a few questions, she confirmed that Chen Xueru was pregnant.

Later, after another checkup, it was discovered that she was already three months pregnant.

"Xueru, everything is normal. You know the precautions." After looking at the test results, the doctor wrote out a prescription.

Two years ago, things improved at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. The depot specially allocated a batch of supplies and funds to provide nutritional medicines for the families of pregnant employees through the hospital.

Li Aiguo took the prescription to the pharmacy and picked up the medicine.

Two pounds of soybeans, two glucose berries, and most importantly, a box of calcium supplement tablets, mainly used to supplement calcium for pregnant women and children. They taste sweet and sour.

Nutritional supplements can be collected once a week, and only the pregnant woman herself can collect them to prevent fraudulent collection.

Carrying his things back to the courtyard, the third uncle immediately recognized him and greeted him with a smile: "Aiguo, Xueru is pregnant again."

"I just went to the hospital for a checkup, it's been three months." Li Aiguo nodded.

"Congratulations, congratulations!" The Third Uncle's gaze towards Li Aiguo changed immediately, and his attitude became much warmer than before.

When the residents of the compound learned that Chen Xueru was pregnant, they all came to congratulate her.

After returning home, the third aunt looked at the third uncle and asked, "Old man, this time things seem different. Why are everyone more enthusiastic than last time?"

"Is this Aiguo's third child?"

"Does it have anything to do with the children?" The old woman stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, then slapped her forehead: "How could I have forgotten about that?"

In this day and age, it's believed that there's strength in numbers, and if you have many children in your family, you should raise your voice a few decibels.

The Li family is about to have their third child, which will significantly boost their status within the compound.

Actually, you can tell by looking at the number of children in the courtyard houses.

Besides Yi Zhonghai and Xu Damao, who were unable to have children, Liu Haizhong's family had three children: Liu Guangqi, Liu Guangtian, and Liu Guangfu.

The Jia family has three children: Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Xiaohuaihua.

The Third Uncle's family has four, and the Nan Yi family has four.
Three children were considered the starting line in those days.

Li Aiguo didn't care about any of that; he was only thinking about saving enough money to build his own football team as soon as possible.

After seeing Aunt Liu off, he gave Chen Xueru some nutritional supplements and then returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop in the afternoon to continue working.

Just as he picked up the blueprints, Professor Chen knocked on the door and said, "The customized SUV is basically finished and undergoing final testing. Shouldn't we notify the owner to come and pick it up?"

Saddam? He's probably still trying to persuade Becker.
"No need, you guys continue working. After the testing is complete, come over here to help. Let's try to build the truck-mounted drilling machine as soon as possible."

Professor Chen and his group of car manufacturing experts are all highly skilled. Now that Li Aiguo has encountered an opportunity, he will definitely try to make a killing.

"Okay!" Professor Chen agreed without hesitation.

Back then, there were no vehicle-mounted well drilling machines, and as someone who works in the automotive industry, I didn't want to miss this opportunity.

(End of this chapter)