The train driver in the courtyard

"You damn Zhao Meilan!"

Chen Wang's finger was on the trigger.

Even the seasoned meteorologist Lao Mao, who had seen countless battles, never expected this honest and unassuming man to suddenly erupt like this, and it was too late to stop him.

Several people from the commune were still following behind, so it was impossible for them to stop them.

The two people on the bed were about to be riddled with bullets.

A foot flew out from the air and kicked the gun barrel.

boom!
A large hole was shot through the roof of the shed, and a ray of sunlight shone in, making the shed much brighter.

"Don't stop me, I'm going to fuck those two bastards!" Chen Wang jumped up again immediately after being kicked to the ground.

At this moment, Lao Mao and the other team members reacted and stepped forward to pin him to the ground.

Chen Wang stubbornly continued to ramble on.

Wang Dexing and Zhao Meilan on the bed were also stunned. They hadn't reacted yet and just lay there motionless.

The younger members behind them didn't know where to look.

The atmosphere at the scene was extremely awkward.

"Hurry up and put on your clothes," Li Aiguo shouted into the shed as he shooed the people out.

The two hurriedly put on their clothes and ran out.

Li Aiguo sized up the two men. Wang Dexing was probably in his early twenties, over 1.7 meters tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He wore a worker's hat, a faded military jacket, and blue khaki trousers. He was quite a handsome young man.

Although Zhao Meilan was in her thirties and dressed in coarse cloth, she could not hide her good figure, especially the red belt around her waist, which fluttered in the wind and attracted attention.

This woman also had a pair of alluring peach blossom eyes, which are also known as "little widow eyes." Just one glance from them makes you feel as if you're sinking into a peach blossom pool.

Wang Dexing knelt down with a thud: "Leader, this is just a misunderstanding."

Zhao Meilan stood there with her hands on her hips and said, "What are you afraid of? I've seduced more than just you. I've been with seven or eight young men in the production team. Chen Wang knows that, so what are you pretending for!"

As soon as these words came out.

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became strange.

The young members behind them blushed.

Chen Wang, who was struggling, froze in place, as if the pause button had been pressed.

Li Aiguo realized that Chen Wang probably knew this woman was promiscuous.

Having finally married a beautiful woman, he could only pretend not to know.

The woman wanted to elope with someone, which caused her to get angry and make a scene.

These kinds of things are nothing new.

"Take them back!" Li Aiguo waved his hand.

What kind of lousy things are we dealing with every day?

Wang Dexing and Zhao Meilan were tied up with ropes and escorted back to the command post by the team members riding camels.

It was the end of the workday, and there were many people near the command post. When they saw the two men, everyone started talking about them.

"What's going on?"

"I heard it's because he's having an affair."

"Huh?! This kid's got some nerve."

"Sigh, some people just can't control the two ounces of flesh in their crotch."

Many workers felt sorry for Wang Dexing.

Although he was a temporary worker, he was still involved in a major construction project. After working there for a few years, he would return to his hometown and receive significantly better benefits.

Now it's all over.

Old Cat wasn't concerned about these trivial matters, but rather about the possibility that Wang Dexing might have leaked secrets.

After being taken back, the organizers interrogated Wang Dexing.

Li Aiguo was in charge of taking notes.

Wang Dexing had calmed down by this time and honestly recounted the whole story.

Just as Li Aiguo had predicted, after realizing that his illicit affair had been exposed, Wang Dexing, fearing punishment from the construction team, took Zhao Meilan with him and planned to flee the Gobi Desert that very night.

"How did you get past the checkpoint?"

“I have a pass. In the past, when transporting grain, I often dealt with those sentries,” Wang Dexing replied with his head down under the dim light.

"What about Zhao Meilan?"

“I lied and said she was a new employee in the cafeteria and hadn’t had time to get her credentials yet.”

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo turned to the head of the security department and said, "Old Liu, this is a loophole in your work. I suggest that you implement a one-person-one-certificate system in the future."

"I'll get on it and make the arrangements right away." The head of the security department nodded.

The interrogation is still ongoing, but little of value has been obtained.

Wang Dexing had no idea about the nature of the Gobi Desert mine; he only thought they were building an iron mine.

He fled purely out of fear of being held accountable.

Subsequent interrogation of Zhao Meilan confirmed Wang Dexing's statement.

Zhao Meilan was much calmer than Wang Dexing. She didn't take the matter seriously at all, nor did she shift the blame to Wang Dexing.

"It was I who took the initiative to get close to Xiao Wang. Leaders, if you want to punish someone, punish me instead."

"Take him away first." Old Cat waved his hand helplessly.

After the two men were taken away, Li Aiguo reported the situation to the mine, and the mine's leaders held a meeting that night to discuss the matter.

A mine manager said dejectedly, "Why make such a fuss over something as trivial as worn-out shoes and socks!"

"Don't be careless, this now involves our relationship with the local authorities," another mine leader warned.

"Then how should we handle this? Zhao Meilan was also acting voluntarily; it was a case of mutual affection between the man and woman. In my opinion, Wang Dexing's actions don't constitute a crime."

"Yes, we investigated as well. Zhao Meilan is the kind of restless woman who has illicit relationships with many people in the commune."

A leader interrupted them: "No matter what, this is still illicit sexual relations. I think they should all be arrested and locked up for a few years."

When the leaders of the commune and Chen Wang heard about this decision, they immediately objected and went to the command center.

"I don't care what you do with Wang Dexing. But you can't do anything about Zhao Meilan. If you do, you'll be left without a wife!" Chen Wang shouted, blocking the meeting room door.

The leaders were speechless. If they didn't deal with Zhao Meilan, how could they deal with Wang Dexing?

Chen Wang's attitude was very firm. He had only one request from beginning to end, which was to bring his wife back.

Seeing that things were getting increasingly absurd, the mine leaders finally made a decision.

"The commune will handle Zhao Meilan's matter. I think we should hold a meeting on-site first, have Wang Dexing make a self-criticism, and serve as a warning to others."

The deputy mine manager's proposal was supported by other leaders.

Li Aiguo was somewhat surprised when he heard about the outcome, as such a case should have resulted in him being imprisoned for at least a few years.

Once the inside story was understood, it became clear why the mine's leaders had handled things this way.

Some things require adherence to principles, while others cannot be approached rigidly with dogma; otherwise, not only will the problem remain unresolved, it may even escalate.

This is the same principle as the higher authorities advocating against rote learning.

This was the first review meeting held at Mine 716, and it was a large-scale meeting with all work groups and engineering teams participating.

Li Aiguo also planned to join Liu Tianquan and the others to join in the fun.

The following day, the meeting was held as scheduled. The mine leaders spoke first to emphasize discipline, and then asked Wang Dexing to come to the front of the stage to make a self-criticism.

At first, Wang Dexing was a little nervous, holding the self-criticism letter with trepidation, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

When it came to the details, Wang Dexing perked up, threw the self-criticism aside, and started to elaborate freely.

The first time I met Zhao Meilan was two months ago at night. I had finished my work and returned to my residence very early.

Zhao Meilan had applied face cream before coming to my room to talk to me. She even helped me make the bed. I noticed her large buttocks and couldn't resist pouncing on her. I'm not human.

I deeply regretted it afterward. I broke the team's rules, I destroyed someone else's family, I'm not human.

The second time was in the middle of the night. Zhao Meilan suddenly found me and said that her family's pig was missing and her husband had already gone to look for it. She asked me to go with her.

After we reached the hillside, she grabbed my hand and said she had deliberately let the pig go. She asked if I wanted to have sex with her, and I couldn't resist. I'm not human.

The third time is... I'm not human.

Seeing that Wang Dexing was about to act inhumanely for the fourth time, the construction team leader reprimanded him for not talking about details and for digging deeper into the root of his erroneous thinking.

Yes, yes, yes, leader, your teachings are correct. The fourth time was in a small cave behind the commune. I am not human.

A serious self-criticism meeting was turned into a conference that was almost impossible to pass the Qidian review, and could only end amidst laughter.

The punishment for Wang Dexing was quickly announced. He received a major demerit and was returned to his original unit. At the same time, several leaders in the engineering team were publicly criticized by the mine.

After Zhao Meilan was sent back to the commune, to everyone's surprise, Chen Wang acted as if nothing had happened and even went to the county town to buy her a red ribbon.

Li Aiguo has also completed his final work at Mine 716.

The first batch of equipment, including leaching mixing tanks, fluidized bed leaching towers, heap leaching fields, and injection/extraction devices, was delivered to Mine 716 and installed and commissioned.

"You're returning to Beijing tomorrow, so I don't have much to give you. This is my notebook from when I was studying abroad. Take it." Professor Li handed a worn-out notebook to Li Aiguo in his office.

"Teacher, don't worry, I will definitely take you as my role model."

Li Aiguo knew that what was important in the notebook was not the knowledge itself, but rather Professor Li's feelings during his studies abroad.

Li Aiguo picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea for Professor Li, and handed it to him with both hands.

“The future belongs to you young people. We old folks are too old to keep up.” Professor Li nodded with satisfaction when he saw that Li Aiguo understood his meaning.

While Li Aiguo and Professor Li were having tea, Yang Jizong on Hong Kong Island also received a call from Red Star Development Mining Company.

“We have discovered an important gold deposit in western Mali.”

"According to estimates, the total mineral reserves will reach 208 tons."

“Prince Mali has signed a mining agreement with us.”

"The first batch of mining equipment is also in place."

"The sentry spotted unidentified armed men inquiring about the situation outside the mining area."

"According to information provided by Prince Mali, these armed men are mercenaries belonging to the French company Chris Mining."

“We strongly suspect that Chris Mining may take action against us.”

"The mining area is now on high alert." After reporting, the person in charge asked, "What's our next step?"

After Mali gained independence, the French family's power was greatly reduced, and their regular troops withdrew. However, they had been operating for over a century and were deeply rooted, still controlling a large portion of the mining area.

Now that Red Star Pioneer is going to mine, it's like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth; the other side certainly won't let it go easily.

Don't assume that capitalists are all benevolent. Hundreds of years ago, they were willing to wage wars and sell slaves at will for profit.

Now, people have no qualms about killing others for the sake of gold mines.

Yang Jizong had worried about this problem, but he never expected it to come so quickly.

He was undecided for the moment, because if things really escalated, Red Star Pioneer would inevitably become the target of public criticism. Red Star Pioneer was still too weak, while established capital firms had a significant global influence, which extended beyond just economics.

Western politicians are nothing more than puppets pushed to the forefront; they are merely spokespeople for these big capitalists.

Unless absolutely necessary, Yang Jizong doesn't want to go against these big capitalists.

"You should take strict precautions first, and I will consult with Comrade Aiguo."

"Chris Mining is trying to rob us?" Li Aiguo had just arrived in Beijing and hadn't even left the Qianmen Locomotive Depot when he received a call from Yang Jizong.

"Patriotism, according to the mine protection army, the other side has already organized a large force. Should we launch a defensive counterattack and crush their arrogance so they dare not make a move?" Yang Jizong was a little embarrassed, after all, he was the nominal manager of Hongxing Development, and it should be his decision.

However, this matter is far too significant, and may affect the future of Red Star Pioneer.

“That’s possible, but it might not be very effective. Jackals won’t lose interest just because their prey resists.” Li Aiguo had witnessed the chaos in Africa, where the theft of mines and the killing of miners were commonplace.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's be on alert first and try to find out their situation, such as their location, personnel, and weapon configuration," Li Aiguo said after a moment of contemplation.

Upon hearing this arrangement, Yang Jizong had no choice but to accept it, given the still unclear situation.

"Alright then, I'll inform Red Star Development first. Also, I plan to invest some money to help Red Star Development build good relations with the local area."

"You've worked hard, managing Hextech and keeping an eye on Red Star Pioneers." Li Aiguo wanted to help, but he had more important things to do.

After hanging up the phone, Li Aiguo tapped his fingers on the table.

If given the opportunity, an intelligence network should also be established in Africa.

It's just that my good friend in Africa is having a tough time; he can't afford a Red Star computer, let alone start a Chinese language training class.

"Which four-cylinder motorcycle should we develop? Cough cough, which one should we copy?" Li Aiguo pondered these questions while picking up the blueprints for a four-cylinder engine.

"Forget it, let's check on the engine first before making a decision."

Before leaving Beijing, the manufacturing of the four-cylinder engine was entrusted to Director Zhang and the technical experts in the workshop.

Li Aiguo led the wild car expert into the studio.

A four-cylinder engine was placed on a makeshift testing device, running at high speed, its exhaust fumes filling the entire workshop.

Why don't you open the window?

Upon hearing Li Aiguo's voice, Director Zhang, who was dozing off next to him, stood up and excitedly ran over when he saw Li Aiguo: "Aiguo, you're back."

"Just got back, how's this thing?" Li Aiguo opened the window.

"We only built it according to the blueprints a week ago, and it has been tested for five days. The engine is running normally." Director Zhang's eyes shone as he looked at the engine.

The technicians nearby were also very excited, as this was the first true four-cylinder motorcycle engine in China.

It also boasts an astonishing 207 horsepower, a true industrial marvel.

"Test for two more days, then disassemble and check the degree of wear." Li Aiguo was also satisfied with Lao Zhang and his team's work, but still gave them a word of advice.

He didn't want to see jokes like "What do you think is the worst motorcycle? Of course, it's the Red Star motorcycle" on Douyin in the future.

Hey hey, I'm talking to you, you idiot motorcycle scooter, get your act together!

After leaving the studio, Li Aiguo took a walk around the greenhouse. The corn used for breeding was growing well, and some of it had already formed ears.

"At this rate, we'll be able to conduct large-scale planting trials by autumn." Professor Chen from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences had a fairer complexion than before.

That makes sense, considering he's been staying in the greenhouse lately. The temperature and humidity there are just right, which is good for his skin.

Should we develop another device to moisturize the skin, such as an air humidifier? Movie stars in Europe and America pay special attention to skincare and are willing to spend money on it.

"We should keep the high-quality male and female parents of the corn." Li Aiguo looked at them and then decided to go home.

"Wait a minute." Professor Chen went into the cornfield, picked a dozen or so tender corn cobs, and handed them to Li Aiguo.

"These can't be bred, so take them home and eat them fresh."

Li Aiguo didn't refuse; in the dead of winter, being able to eat delicious tender corn on the cob was a wonderful thing.

Li Aiguo took some for himself and shared some with his colleagues in the studio.

"Patriot, why did you pick the corn cobs so early?" The wild car expert was somewhat surprised.

He knew that the greenhouse was no ordinary greenhouse, but a breeding base of the railway bureau, and that the corn cobs were very precious.

“These are discarded varieties and are not suitable as corn seeds,” Li Aiguo explained.

“The greenhouses are full of corn now. I think we could open another greenhouse and grow off-season vegetables or something,” suggested the wildlife car expert.

"That depends on whether the residual heat from the bathroom can support another greenhouse. If it's feasible, we can grow some tomatoes." Li Aiguo didn't refuse either; he also missed the taste of tomato noodles in the dead of winter.

After work, Li Aiguo delivered some fresh corn cobs to the farmer's shop, and also to Liu Guozhang's shop, and he couldn't miss Chen Fangxuan's tailor shop either.

After finishing these matters, it was nearly evening when I returned to the courtyard house.

Chen Xueru was at home with her two children, eagerly waiting for him to return.

"I heard from Huang Shuxian that you came back this morning. Why are you so late?" Chen Xueru said reproachfully as she hurriedly took the luggage.

"There's some work to do at the locomotive depot." Li Aiguo picked up Xiao Hongsheng and Xiao Mingwei, placing one on each leg like a horse.

"Am I being good?"

"Daddy, I got 100 on my test!" Xiaoming said in a slightly childish voice.

"Great job!" Li Aiguo patted her little head.

"Dad, I ate two steamed buns for lunch." Xiao Hongsheng proudly raised his head.

"."

Li Aiguo patted Xiao Hongsheng's head and said, "You're great too."

Both children giggled.

Looking at the children, and then at Chen Xueru who was tidying up the dirty clothes, Li Aiguo leaned back leisurely in his chair.

****
In the evening, when the residents of the compound learned that Li Aiguo had returned, they all came to greet him.

Li Aiguo noticed that Xu Damao was avoiding him and felt something was off, so he asked Yan Jiecheng about it.

"He slept with Jia Dongxu, and he's been too ashamed to show his face these days. He's been hiding in his room ever since he came back," Yan Jiecheng said with a strange smile.

Which one?

"That's the one."

Which one?

"."

Yan Jiecheng blushed, pouted, and smacked her lips in the air.

Li Aiguo was so frightened that he took several steps back.

What a pity, I didn't get to see such a juicy juicy story!

The night was quiet.

After eating a large corncob, Chen Xueru's mouth ached from exhaustion. After rinsing her mouth, she nestled against Li Aiguo's chest.

"Brother Aiguo, Qin Huairu is pregnant too."

"Really?" Li Aiguo was slightly taken aback. He remembered that Xiao Huaihua was a posthumous child. So, Jia Dongxu was about to die?
"I heard that the Jia family has been having a hard time lately and borrowed a lot of money from Yi Zhonghai, which has caused even an older woman to complain."

"Liu Guangqi's life in Baoding was not easy either. He even came back to borrow money from Liu Haizhong. Liu Haizhong scolded him severely, but in the end, he still lent him the money."

"Yu Li came to the compound a while ago. She looks like a pretty girl, but she has a sharp tongue."

Chen Xueru chatted casually about things in the compound. When Li Aiguo heard that there was no sound, he looked down and saw that the girl had fallen asleep.

He laid Chen Xueru down, covered her with the blanket, yawned, and turned off the lamp.

Compared to these trivial matters, getting the four-cylinder motorcycle out of the box is the real priority.

The team has been keeping a close eye on the four-cylinder motorcycle issue, especially since the Japanese motorcycle team recently issued a challenge.

To prevent them from "reneging" on their promises, the Asahi Shimbun brings up this matter every now and then.

Although there was no domestic reporting at this time, leaders from the foreign affairs department and the railway department have been paying close attention to it.

When Section Chief Xing saw that Li Aiguo had returned, he couldn't wait to go to the studio.

Li Aiguo hasn't decided yet which four-cylinder motorcycle he'll copy or develop himself.

Racing motorcycles actually existed before World War II.

Like the Bolu, it has a two-cylinder V-type engine with a working volume of 1500ml, an engine weight of 26kg, and a vehicle weight of 50kg.

At that time, World War II had just ended, and racing motorcycles were more of a symbol of speed, only suitable for the Isle of Man TT.

Modern racing cars can cover almost all terrains, and if you drive them slowly, they can still make a splash in the streets.

"Ducati 2R or BMW 2R?" Li Aiguo pondered these two motorcycles.

These motorcycles have stood the test of time; they can run on racetracks and also be perfect for taking your partner for a ride. They would definitely be a hit overseas.

"Let's just copy BMW's double R." Li Aiguo finally made the choice, not for any other reason than that Ducati's name was too pretentious.

As for its name, it's called HongxingshuangR, and its English name is HongXingshuangR.

However, before that, Li Aiguo had to report his work to his superiors.

Just then, Section Chief Xing arrived at the studio.

"Patriotism, is there a plan for four-cylinder motorcycles?" Section Chief Xing asked as he entered the door.

Li Aiguo first asked Section Chief Xing to sit down, poured hot water, and added a few pieces of Suoyanzi (a type of traditional Chinese medicine) that he had brought back from the Gobi Desert.

This thing also has two other names: Rusty Iron Rod and Cynomorium songaricum. You can tell what its effects are just by hearing the names.

As he handed over the tea, he said, "I have some ideas and I'm about to ask the section chief for instructions on what to do next."

"Go ahead and tell me, we'll do our best to cooperate." Section Chief Xing took the tea and sipped it.

"Section Chief, the approximate car model has been determined. What I need to ask now is whether we can allocate another batch of manpower to help." Li Aiguo felt that the studio was getting busier and busier, and the wild car experts and Lao Zhang alone were simply not enough.

“I almost forgot if you hadn’t mentioned it. The motorcycle workshop has officially started production, and we’ve trained a few excellent technicians. We’ll transfer them over here first.”

"The motorcycles have been produced?"

"We didn't sell the first batch to any external customers; we prioritized supplying it to various railway sections and police stations. The feedback from our colleagues was very positive, and the failure rate was also very low."

Li Aiguo nodded. This was good news. Once the railway sector's needs were met, they could sell to both domestic and international markets.

Hongxing Technology Company has now expanded significantly, and a stable cash flow is the foundation for its continued expansion.

“Shouldn’t we open a motorcycle driving school? There’s a training ground and instructors right here in the area,” Li Aiguo suggested again.

"That's a good idea. We have to charge for motorcycle lessons, so this will give us some extra income."

Xing Duanchang stopped mid-sentence, glanced at Li Aiguo, and quickly coughed twice before saying, "Money isn't important. We're just trying to solve the problem of people having difficulty learning to ride motorcycles."

Li Aiguo: "."

That old section chief is getting more and more cunning.

Section Chief Xing put down his enamel mug: "The herbs you used to make tea are quite good. Could you share some with me?"

Li Aiguo: "."

(End of this chapter)