The train driver in the courtyard

On Wednesday, five GAZ trucks delivered by the ministry arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

These five trucks have dilapidated cabs and trailers, and are well past their service life (if they even exist).

Li Aiguo led the unlicensed car experts to inspect the vehicle. The chassis was fine, and the engine, though severely worn, could still be used for decades with some maintenance.

“This vehicle doesn’t have enough load capacity. We need to reinforce the main beams and install a subframe.” Li Aiguo assigned this task to Professor Chen and his team.

He then led a group of untrained automotive experts to dismantle the truck bed and install a hydraulic pump unit and derrick articulation points on it.

According to Li Aiguo's design, the vehicle-mounted well drilling machine adopts a fully automated design.

The operator manipulates the levers to complete the entire process from extending the derrick to completing the drilling operation.

This requires the installation of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder as the feed circuit.

Dear readers, you are all mechanical experts, does this device look familiar?

That's right, this thing is one of the important parts for excavators and bulldozers.

Li Aiguo spent so much effort to build up his technical reserves for these two types of engineering machinery.

The pump unit and the engine are connected by a flange, and the coaxiality is calibrated to within 0.1mm, which Li Aiguo can handle himself.

High-pressure pipelines are quite troublesome, and the pressure resistance of pipelines these days is far from sufficient. Li Aiguo used steel wire braided rubber hoses as a substitute. After testing, the burst pressure was ≥80MPa, which was more than enough.

Li Aiguo and his studio can handle all of these, but the drill bit still needs the help of the steel rolling mill.

This time, we need five drill bits, as well as five complete sets of drilling rigs, connecting drill rods, hydraulic outriggers, drill frames, and other steel structures.

"Section Chief, shall we hand over the processing task to the steel rolling mill again this time?" Li Aiguo stood up and greeted Section Chief Xing as he entered the workshop.

"Okay." Section Chief Xing nodded.

The steel rolling mill completed these tasks exceptionally well and without delay, and the relationship between the two companies is getting better and better.

Li Aiguo called and contacted Deputy Factory Director Li.

Deputy Factory Director Li was very pleased to hear that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot had a new task, and he brought several chief engineers to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop.

"Don't worry, we guarantee we'll produce these things for you with high quality and quantity." After some pleasantries, Deputy Factory Director Li had the chief engineers study the blueprints.

The blueprints were ingeniously designed and looked very complex, but when broken down carefully, they could be manufactured using the processing technology of a steel rolling mill.

The chief engineers looked at Li Aiguo with surprise, suspecting that he was doing it on purpose.

Li Aiguo did this intentionally.

The technology of truck-mounted drilling rigs has surpassed that of this era. Only by using the best materials and processing techniques to the maximum extent can quality be guaranteed.

Li Aiguo worked in the workshop until evening. He then picked up his monthly nutritional supplements from the locomotive depot and rode his motorcycle back to the courtyard house.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard loud cursing coming from my second uncle's house.

"Are you trying to drive me crazy?! I finally got a permanent position, and now you want to resign and go back to Baoding?"

“Dad, it’s not about resigning. Chunlan has already made arrangements in Baoding. I can become a workshop leader as soon as I get there.”

"I disagree! Aiguo went through so much trouble to get transferred to the Beijing Engineering Bureau. How can I face him after this?

"I don't want to either, but if I don't agree, Chunlan will divorce me!"

The commotion at Uncle Er's house attracted a lot of people, and Xu Damao also joined in the fun by the crescent-shaped gate with Xu Hua in his arms.

The commotion at Uncle Er's house attracted quite a few people from the courtyard.

Xu Damao, holding Xu Hua, peeked out from the crescent-shaped gate to watch the commotion. When he saw Li Aiguo return, he quickly greeted him and gestured towards the Liu family's side, saying, "I've figured it out now. Liu Guangqi and Sha Zhu are cut from the same cloth."

Nan Yi hadn't interacted with Sha Zhu much, so he was quite curious: "What do you mean by that?"

"They're both indecisive and easily swayed, except one listens to his wife and the other listens to someone else's wife," Xu Damao said sarcastically, pursing his lips.

Come to think of it, Liu Guangqi graduated from a vocational school, and he's about the same age as Sha Zhu.

When he graduated, Beijing was short of staff. If he had any ambition, he could have stayed in Beijing. Instead, he followed his wife to Baoding.

After struggling for several years in Baoding with no improvement in his situation, he finally managed to be transferred back to Beijing, but fearing his wife's displeasure, he planned to return to Baoding.

His personality is quite similar to that of Sha Zhu.

"What a waste of talent." Li Aiguo had originally thought highly of Liu Guangqi. He was educated and had worked on key projects. If he could work well in the engineering bureau, he would definitely have a bright future.

But this matter didn't really concern him. With Chen Xueru on his mind, he greeted Xu Damao and a few neighbors before heading to the backyard.

When she got home, her two sisters-in-law were talking to her, and brought over two boxes of chrysanthemum crystals and two packets of brown sugar.

The three of them were whispering about something when they saw Li Aiguo come in, and they immediately shut up.

"What are you talking about?" Li Aiguo asked casually.

Second Sister-in-law's face flushed red, and she waved her hands, "N-nothing..."

"Sister-in-law, I have to go back to cook for Xingyi. He's been having stomach problems lately and can't eat the factory's communal meals. Do you want to come with me?" Second Sister-in-law quickly changed the subject.

"I was planning to chat with my younger sister a little longer... but okay, let's go back together," the older sister-in-law replied.

After the two left, Li Aiguo took a towel from Chen Xueru to wipe his face and brought up what had just happened: "Second sister-in-law, something seems off."

Chen Xueru glanced around, closed the door, and whispered, "Second sister-in-law asked...asked what positions we should use tonight, and how many times a night..."

"Huh?!" Li Aiguo was startled. He remembered that his second sister-in-law was different from his eldest sister-in-law; she was quite shy and used to sit far away when chatting at the Chen family's house. Why would she ask this?

"Keep your voice down!" Chen Xueru panicked and almost covered his mouth with her hand. "With Second Sister-in-law's personality, if this gets out, how will she ever face anyone?"

“This is a courtyard house, who knows Second Sister-in-law?” Li Aiguo washed his face, took the enamel mug from Chen Xueru, and drank a couple of sips of tea.

While massaging his shoulders, Chen Xueru said, "It's because she and her second brother don't have children, and they're anxious about it."

This is called grasping at straws when you're desperate, and besides, it's normal for women to talk about these things, so Li Aiguo didn't take it to heart.

But remembering the time the two of them went to a fortune teller a while ago, I asked one more question.

“Don’t worry, I told my second sister-in-law that it was all a lie, and she won’t go anymore,” Chen Xueru said.

After resting for a while, Li Aiguo took out the blueprints and got busy.

The truck-mounted drilling rig will be ready in a few days. We need to get the well-killing device out quickly so we can install it directly.

After dinner, the fan was whirring in the room. Li Aiguo had finished drawing half of the blueprint when there was a knock on the door.

"Is Brother Aiguo home?" Chen Xueru opened the door while holding her child, and Liu Guangqi was standing outside.

"It's Guangqi. Your brother Aiguo is in the study. I'll call him."

Li Aiguo had heard it earlier, and before Chen Xueru could call out, he pushed open the door and came out: "Guangqi, what's wrong?"

"Hmm..." Liu Guangqi looked worried. Chen Xueru knew they had something to talk about, so she poured some tea and took the two children to the central courtyard.

In the evenings, the children in the compound all gather together to play, and the adults can also relax for a while.

Inside the room, Li Aiguo handed Liu Guangqi a cigarette: "Guangqi, what's wrong?"

"Brother Aiguo, you...you must have heard about my desire to transfer back to Baoding, right..." Liu Guangqi lit a cigarette, took two deep drags, and looked up at him with red eyes, "Don't you also think I shouldn't go back?"

"That's unacceptable!" Li Aiguo said bluntly, "Do you think transferring people across provinces is child's play? You can't just transfer them like that?"

"I"

Li Aiguo interrupted him: "A grown man should prioritize his career. Are you really willing to leave the engineering bureau?"

"No... I'm not willing," Liu Guangqi said in a muffled voice. "To be honest, these past few days at the engineering bureau have been the most enjoyable days of my life. Working alongside my fellow workers every day, watching the tunnel slowly advance, it felt incredibly liberating..."

His voice trailed off as he lowered his head: "But if I don't go back, Chunlan will leave me."

Hearing this, Li Aiguo stopped trying to persuade him and said in a deep voice, "I respect your decision, but you have to understand that you are an adult and have to be responsible for your own decisions."

"Thanks..." Liu Guangqi nodded silently, pushed open the door and left, his back view looking particularly dejected.

Chen Xueru played with her child until after 10 p.m. before going home. Xiao Hongsheng caught a few crawfish, soaked them in water, and said he would fry them for breakfast tomorrow.

After putting the two children to sleep, Chen Xueru lay on the bed and snuggled against Li Aiguo's arm: "I heard that Guangqi is going back to Baoding? Everyone in the courtyard says it's a pity."

“Yes, he was just here.” Li Aiguo turned off the lamp. “You can’t reason with that damned ghost. Go to sleep.”

People like this probably won't change their ways unless they suffer a setback.

As Li Aiguo had predicted, Liu Guangqi quickly submitted a request for transfer to the Beijing Engineering Bureau.

The leaders of the engineering bureau were surprised, as they had originally planned to recruit Liu Guangqi into the organization.

So he specifically spoke with Liu Guangqi, hoping that he could stay.

But Liu Guangqi was determined to leave, and the leaders had no choice but to sign the transfer order.

Upon learning that Liu Guangqi had secretly arranged the transfer order, Liu Haizhong was furious. He pointed at Liu Guangqi's nose and cursed, "You little beast, are you trying to ruin your own future?"

As he spoke, Liu Haizhong grabbed the brass-buckled leather belt and was about to lash it at Liu Haizhong.

Huang Chunlan was surprised that Liu Haizhong would actually make a move, and quickly stepped forward to stop him: "What are you going to do? Guangqi is an adult, he can make his own decisions! You're putting on that feudal patriarchal act!"

"Get out of my way!" Liu Haizhong rarely swore at Huang Chunlan.

It should be noted that ever since Huang Chunlan married into the Liu family, both Liu Haizhong and the second aunt have treated Huang Chunlan with great courtesy.

"You...you dare to insult me?" Huang Chunlan turned her head and glared at Liu Guangqi, crying out, "Guangqi, your father insulted me, and you didn't care? Are you even a man?!"

Unexpectedly, Liu Guangqi didn't say anything, but pushed Huang Chunlan aside, stepped forward, took off his coat, and knelt down in front of Liu Haizhong with a "thud": "Father, hit me."

"You actually did this for a woman!" Liu Haizhong's hands trembled with anger as he grabbed his belt.

Aunt Erda initially thought Liu Haizhong was just bluffing Liu Guangqi, but seeing that he was serious, she rushed over to stop him: "Haizhong, what are you doing? He's our eldest son."

"Get out of the way!" Liu Haizhong shoved the second aunt aside and grabbed a belt, whipping it hard at Liu Guangqi.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!" After a few lashes of the belt, several bloody welts immediately appeared on Liu Guangqi's back, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

"Get out! Get out of here!" Liu Haizhong felt increasingly frustrated as he fought, as if a huge stone was pressing on his heart, and all his strength had been drained away.

The belt clattered to the ground.

"Father, I'm leaving now. Please take care of yourself and drink less alcohol."

Liu Guangqi seemed oblivious to the pain, and mechanically put on his coat.

"Guangqi, let's go. We're never coming back!" Huang Chunlan glared at Liu Haizhong and pulled Liu Guangqi away.

As Liu Haizhong watched their figures disappear through the doorway, his body went limp, and he slumped into a chair.

Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle back and happened to run into Liu Guangqi and Huang Chunlan leaving the courtyard.

"Brother Aiguo, I'm going back to Baoding." Liu Guangqi said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Okay, have a safe trip." Li Aiguo nodded casually and went home.

Liu Guangqi's matter caused a stir in the compound for several days.

Most residents felt Huang Chunlan had gone too far, but Xu Damao and Uncle San said Liu Guangqi was spineless. Liu Haizhong looked much older overnight, his temples turning white.

The happiest person was Jia Dongxu. Liu Guangqi and Xu Damao had a good relationship, and now that he had left, Xu Damao had lost one of his helpers.

Yi Zhonghai feigned concern and tried to have a heart-to-heart talk with Liu Haizhong, advising him that "children and grandchildren have their own blessings, so don't worry too much."

Liu Haizhong rolled his eyes: "You don't have kids, you don't understand this feeling."

Yi Zhonghai: "."

He felt like he'd been offered a warm welcome but met with indifference.

Time is the best healer of all noise. As November arrived, the factory was holding its year-end production evaluation, and all the workers in the compound were busy.

Liu Haizhong's mood improved considerably after he took charge of parts production at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. He spent his days either in the workshop or running to Li Aiguo's house to discuss process details.

"That's about it. Once the hydraulic pump body is forged, this batch of parts will be complete."

Inside the Li family's house, Li Aiguo handed the revised blueprints to Liu Haizhong.

"I never thought it could be processed like this... Aiguo, you know more than an old blacksmith like me!" Liu Haizhong looked at the blueprints. The problem that had troubled him for several days had been solved by Li Aiguo in no time. He couldn't help but admire him.

"Let's learn from each other and make progress together." Seeing that it was getting late, Li Aiguo got up to see his guest off.

Chen Xueru also came out of the house and casually asked, "Second Uncle, how is Guangqi now?"

"Don't mention that brat! He hasn't sent a single letter since he got back to Baoding!" Liu Haizhong cursed, but his eyes betrayed his concern.

This is probably the heart of all parents.

The next day, the parts arrived from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, and Li Aiguo, along with the untrained automotive experts and Professor Chen, completed the installation.

The truck has been fitted with pipes, hydraulic valves, and control valves, making the whole vehicle look like a hodgepodge.

"Aiguo, you've created a strange thing!" Section Chief Xing rushed over upon hearing the news and circled the strange creature twice.

"The thing is a bit strange, but it works really well." Li Aiguo started the engine, pressed the control valve a few times, and the four-legged creature was able to perform the actions as designed.

"Shall we find a place to test it out?"

"That's for sure; practice is the only way to test a theory."

"But now the motorcycle factory has already drilled three wells."

"How about we go to the farmland in the section?"

"I think we should choose a commune to conduct the experiment," Section Chief Xing suggested.

This is actually a very simple matter.

The drilling rig has now caught the eye of leaders from the Agricultural Bureau and the Railway Corps. If the experiment is conducted on our own chassis, it might be seen as fraud.

As a veteran section chief, Section Chief Xing habitually considers all possibilities.

“Let’s go to Weizhuang Commune. They were just about to dig a well there recently,” Li Aiguo suggested.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll contact Weizhuang Commune right away.”

Section Chief Xing sent Yan Jiecheng to Weizhuang Commune. Although Old Village Chief Wei didn't understand what a well-drilling machine was, he happily agreed when he saw that the locomotive depot was willing to help drill a well.

There were five vehicle-mounted drilling rigs, plus three trucks transporting well pipes and other accessories, making a total of eight large trucks arriving at the commune in a grand procession.

Accompanying them were several technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture, who traveled in jeeps.

Li Aiguo, considering the need to conduct experiments, selected two experimental sites.

One is a flat area in the village, where the geology is loose.

One is near the foot of a small hill, where there are rocks everywhere and rock strata underneath.

The commune members were overjoyed to hear that they could use machines to drill wells, and considering their relationship with the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, they were certain that the depot would not charge them.

Village Chief Wei had someone prepare herbal tea with added cow hooves in advance.

After taking a few sips, Li Aiguo drove his machine-mounted well-digger to the village entrance, followed by the commune members, all filled with curiosity as they looked at the strange creature.

Li Aiguo carefully positioned the truck, lowered the bollards, and even placed several stones underneath to prevent the vehicle from tilting.

After confirming the truck was stable, Li Aiguo looked at the untrained car expert and said, "Start!"

The expert piloted the derrick, and the hydraulically driven derrick slowly descended, landing precisely at the drilling point marked with white lime.

The derrick was steadily lowered, and the expert pulled the control lever again. With a loud "hum," the drill rod and drill bit slowly descended, kicking up a cloud of dust the moment they touched the ground.

"Is this the beginning?"

Village Chief Wei leaned closer, staring wide-eyed as the drill slowly spun downwards.

It was completely different from the way he remembered people digging wells by hand with pickaxes, and he couldn't help but mutter, "This thing is just a pipe, is it even useful?"

The other villagers whispered among themselves, "That's right. When we used to dig wells, several people would take turns, and we couldn't even dig two meters a day. Will this iron thing work?"

Li Aiguo didn't say anything, he just kept an eye on the progress of the drill pipe.

The soil here is loose, and the drill bit easily cut down half a meter. The soil it brought out fell to the ground through the gaps in the drill rod and gradually piled up into a small mound.

"Oh my!" The commune members exclaimed in surprise when they saw the water gushing from the ground.

It's only been about ten minutes since the four-legged creature arrived at the site, and it's already out of the water.

Agricultural technicians, who already knew that truck-mounted well drilling rigs were highly efficient, were still astonished by the incredible speed.

If this thing is widely adopted in the future, and wells are dug in communes all over the country, then agriculture could increase production by at least 30 percent, right?
Village Chief Wei stared intently at the well, feeling that it seemed too narrow, only a few tens of centimeters in diameter, and that he would have to send someone to dig it open again along the existing well.

Just as Village Chief Wei was about to call the villagers to start work, Li Aiguo waved his hand and directed the workers to push the water pipes down into the well.

"Patriotism, is that all? It's so thin, how are we supposed to fetch water?"

"Uncle, just you wait and see."

After the water pipe was installed, the workers piled up red bricks at the pipe opening, covered them with cement, and then moved the well-pressurizer accessories over.

A well-killing device is very simple; it consists of a main body, a rubber piston, and a metal rod.

The villagers had never seen this thing before, so they all stepped forward to see what it was all about.

After the well killer was installed, Li Aiguo stepped forward, picked up the metal rod, and began to press down hard.

The piston made a hissing sound as it exhausted air, and in just a few strokes, clear groundwater was pumped up and flowed out of the nozzle of the well pump.

The water came out after just a few presses, something the villagers had never seen before, and their eyes widened in amazement.

"This is just like tap water."

"Yes, such a small thing can actually pump out so much water."

"We'll never need wheels again."

The agricultural technician was seeing this for the first time. He stepped forward, examined it carefully, and asked, "Comrade Aiguo, is this using atmospheric pressure to pump the water up?"

The well-killer requires force at first, but it slows down once water comes out. Li Aiguo said while pumping water, "This thing is called a piston pump. When the piston is lifted, the valve opens, creating a low-pressure zone in the lower pipe. The groundwater is then pumped to the upper cavity under atmospheric pressure."

When the piston is pressed down, the valve closes, and water overflows from the edge of the piston, completing the continuous water lifting process.

The agricultural technician nodded repeatedly: "The piston pump has a simple structure but plays a significant role, especially since it does not require electricity. I think it can be promoted nationwide."

Li Aiguo's work wasn't finished yet, so he waved to the crowd: "Who wants to come and try?"

“I’ll do it!” A woman stepped forward. She was petite and looked like the kind of person who could only earn five work points a day.

The woman pressed down on the metal rod twice, then exclaimed with wide eyes, "This is too easy! I can fetch water by myself now!"

The commune members were very excited.

Although fetching water isn't exactly heavy work, it's something you have to do every day, and who wouldn't prefer something easier?

Li Aiguo then taught the members the precautions.

"There is plenty of groundwater now, and water can be pumped out directly. If there is a drought or in winter, you can pour some water in first, then press it a few times to get water out."

"Also, this well-killing device is made of cast iron, and the inside may be rusty. The water is yellowish-brown at first, which is normal."

Village Chief Wei nodded emphatically: "Brother Aiguo, don't worry, we've all remembered."

After the wells in the village were finished, there was still another well down the mountain that Li Aiguo needed to personally oversee.

This well is specifically used to irrigate nearby crops. A water pump may be installed later, requiring a standard-sized well to be drilled.

To test the quality of the drill bit, Li Aiguo specifically chose a place full of rocks and placed the drilling rig directly there.

The drill bit spun rapidly, and dust billowed up everywhere. The originally solid rock was pierced through by the drill bit in the blink of an eye.

The work became easier after that. In a short while, five drill rods were installed, and a stream of clear water emerged from below.

The agricultural technician picked up a pen and took notes. It was amazing that water could be found on the mountain. It seemed that the well-drilling machine was far more useful than he had imagined.

Village Chief Wei was already thinking about how to utilize the well. He planned to turn the surrounding dry land into irrigated land, dig several irrigation ditches, and plant rice.

The completion of the well at the foot of the mountain signifies the success of the vehicle-mounted drilling rig.

However, Li Aiguo did not rush to leave. Instead, he called over Village Chief Wei and asked where in the village a well was still needed.

“Village chief, we have five vehicles, and we need to test each one.”

Village Chief Wei understood Li Aiguo's meaning perfectly well, and nodded excitedly, "Thank you so much, please come with me."

Subsequently, Li Aiguo took five vehicle-mounted well-drilling machines and spent most of the day drilling seven or eight wells in the commune, all of which were standard water wells.

At noon, Village Chief Wei had the commune's kitchen prepare a meal early in the morning.

A while ago, the village cooperated with the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to carry out another sweep of the nearby hills. The few pheasants that were left to be raised were also killed this time.

There were also fish caught from the river.

A plate of pheasant stew with mushrooms, a plate of boiled fish, and black cornbread as the staple food—Li Aiguo and the commune members ate with great relish.

In the afternoon, with only five wells left to complete the task, Li Aiguo wasn't in a hurry and let the comrades at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot rest a little longer.

Village Chief Wei ordered someone to bring over some cooled boiled water, then lit a cigarette and prepared to arrange for people to cover up the well openings to prevent children from falling in while playing.

Before they even left the commune, the Party Secretary of the neighboring Bama Commune, along with several commune members, came to their door.

"Old Wei, I heard that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot got some machines to help you drill wells. We're old brothers, you have to help us out."

As he spoke, the Party Secretary waved his hand, and the driver drove the cart over, which was loaded with a wild boar.

“These were caught by the young men of our commune yesterday, and we’re giving them to you.”

"Brother, I really can't make this decision myself. I need to ask Comrade Aiguo for his opinion." Old Village Chief Wei didn't even glance at the wild boar.

(End of this chapter)