The train driver in the courtyard

The steel mill really went to great lengths to secure this motorcycle engine order.

Deputy Factory Director Li ordered the clearing out of a brand-new workshop, intending to recruit the best workers.

Subsequently, a factory-wide announcement was broadcast that the engine workshop would only recruit experienced mechanics of level five or above, requiring good skills and high moral character, and that applicants could apply voluntarily.

Thanks to the cooperation a while ago, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot has now become a major client, with monthly subsidies almost equal to salaries.

The experienced workers eagerly signed up.

"Master Yi, you'd better try to get the advanced award this time." A familiar old master greeted Yi Zhonghai.

"Ahem, we have a lot of work to do in the workshop, so I think I'll stay here." Yi Zhonghai smiled awkwardly.

He knew very well that the final decision rested with Li Aiguo.

Even if you sign up, you'll still be rejected; there's no need to embarrass yourself.

With most of the experienced workers gone, Yi Zhonghai and the remaining workers had a heavier workload, keeping them busy almost every day.

When it was time for lunch, all the other workers had left, but Yi Zhonghai still had to check the rolling mill. Jia Dongxu quietly kept this in mind.

In addition to staffing, Deputy Factory Director Li also invited master craftsmen from the motorcycle workshop to train the workshop workers.

This is an era where as long as you put in the effort, you will reap the rewards.

The actions of the steel rolling mill were observed by the leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

"The Qianmen Locomotive Depot is short of people to help build engines. I think the steel rolling mill is a good option."

"Yes, the two companies have always cooperated, and it's convenient to cooperate now."

"I think we should just give this batch of orders to the steel rolling mill."

"Sure, but it seems the Qianmen Locomotive Depot needs to undergo a factory inspection, so we have to go through some procedures."

The so-called factory inspection is a new system introduced by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot for large-scale production.

Specifically, all factories that undertake motorcycle production must be inspected by an acceptance team.

The content includes aspects such as equipment, factory buildings, worker skill level, and confidentiality level.

If the inspection fails, rectification must be carried out first. If the rectification still fails, then the factory will lose the qualification to accept new orders.

In those days, factories varied greatly in quality across different regions, and this method actually helped to filter out a number of substandard factories.

The steel rolling mill is an old factory with good equipment and technology. Its only problem is that it is somewhat weak in terms of confidentiality.

Captain Liu of the meteorological station led several meteorologists on a tour of the steel rolling mill and quickly discovered a number of problems.

[Physical isolation was not implemented in production areas such as confidential workshops and warehouses]

Workers in the factory were not given secondary authorization, and there was no distinction between production areas with different security levels.

[Employees lack awareness of confidentiality and fail to regularly review the implementation of confidentiality regulations.]

The technical department's drawings were not managed using marking, categorization, encryption, or sealing methods, thus restricting the scope of personnel who could access them.

Li Aiguo received the review results from Team Leader Liu while chatting with Deputy Factory Director Li.

"Director Li, take a look at this." Li Aiguo glanced at it and handed it to Deputy Director Li.

After reading it, Deputy Factory Director Li's expression turned somewhat grim.

"Comrade Aiguo, please rest assured that we will rectify the situation as soon as possible and ensure that it will not affect the production of motorcycle engines."

Li Aiguo could actually understand why the steel rolling mill's confidentiality system was so lax.

The production at the steel rolling mill is almost entirely unclassified, but maintaining a secrecy system requires a significant amount of manpower and resources, greatly increasing the workload of the security department.

It's common for those who do confidential work to be disliked by leaders and workers; nobody wants to do it.

"Director Li, engines are different from ordinary equipment; secrecy is a red line," Li Aiguo reminded Deputy Director Li.

"Yes, yes, yes," Deputy Factory Director Li agreed to make immediate rectifications.

Li Aiguo then discussed technical matters with several chief engineers at the steel rolling mill before returning to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop.

The plan is to disassemble the engine blueprints so that even if the blueprints are leaked, the other party can only obtain a portion of them.

On the other side, Deputy Factory Director Li had already summoned Section Chief Ma and Deputy Section Chief Hu from the Security Department to his office.

"You almost ruined the opportunity that our steel rolling mill fought so hard for!"

Section Chief Ma nodded hurriedly, indicating he would correct it immediately, but Deputy Section Chief Hu was somewhat dismissive: "Factory Director, it's just an engine, everyone's seen it before, what's there to keep secret? I think the people on the railway side are all stubborn."

"Hu Deli, what kind of work attitude is this!" Deputy Factory Director Li frowned immediately.

If Hu Deli hadn't been one of his people, he would have gotten rid of him by now.

Seeing that Deputy Factory Director Li was indeed angry, Deputy Section Chief Hu quickly changed his tune: "Factory Director, I feel sorry for you."

"???"

"Ever since you became the executive deputy factory director, our factory's output has increased by a small step every three weeks and a big step every three months. The workers in the factory all praise you as the most outstanding factory director in history," Deputy Section Chief Hu said with a fawning smile.

"Ahem. This is all I should do as the factory director." Deputy Factory Director Li's mood had calmed down considerably, and he asked, "What does this have to do with the confidentiality system?"

"Your work is already perfect. The fact that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot came to criticize our factory is a slap in the face for you. I'm the first to disagree with that," Deputy Section Chief Hu said indignantly.

Hearing this, Deputy Factory Director Li was secretly pleased, but waved his hand and said:
"Securing the order from Qianmen Locomotive Depot is our most important task right now, and all our work should revolve around this."

Confidentiality must be taken very seriously, and the reminder from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is correct.

"Yes, yes, Factory Director. Your ability to accept suggestions is a role model for me."

Deputy Section Chief Hu's flattery was so blatant that Section Chief Ma, standing next to him, felt a slight ache in his teeth.

Deputy Factory Director Li was very fond of this kind of thing and said with a smile, "Old Hu, I'm entrusting this matter of maintaining secrecy to you. You must get this done as quickly as possible."

"Yes!" Deputy Section Chief Hu was overjoyed.

With the pretext of maintaining secrecy, his power within the security department would increase even further.

After leaving the office, Section Chief Ma took a few steps, stopped, and looked at Deputy Section Chief Hu: "Secrecy is no joke; you need to take it seriously."

"Section Chief Ma, don't worry, I'm a sensible person, I only do sensible things." Deputy Section Chief Hu didn't take Section Chief Ma's words to heart, humming a little tune as he left with his hands behind his back.

Section Chief Ma has been the head of the security department for many years, but he has never been promoted because he is too rigid in his thinking. He is no match for him.

Deputy Section Chief Hu didn't dare to be too careless. After returning to the Security Section, he adjusted the factory's confidentiality system according to the requirements of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

All engine workshop workers underwent a thorough investigation, their files were reviewed, and they received basic confidentiality training.

Deputy Section Chief Hu then added more sentries to the entrance of the engine workshop, and the rectification was finally completed.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot conducted another review, identified a few minor issues, and corrected them all. However, Li Aiguo was still somewhat uneasy, so he appointed Captain Liu as a confidentiality officer to be stationed at the steel rolling mill.

Subsequently, the blueprints and engine parts were transported to the steel rolling mill.

The new engine workshop was up and running, sparking a surge in production.

“Master, I heard you’re good friends with Li Aiguo from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.” Inside the propaganda department, Lu Shichang found his master, Xu Damao.

Xu Damao nodded: "Yes, we've been neighbors for many years, and we're the closest of friends."

"Could I work in the engine shop too?"

Hearing this, Xu Damao frowned: "You're not going to learn how to project movies anymore?"

"No, that's not it. I just want to get more subsidies so I can show my respect to my master." Lu Shichang grinned shamelessly. "It'll only take a few months to produce this engine. After it's finished, I'll come back and learn how to project movies from you. How about that?"

"Okay, I'll try to talk to them for you."

Xu Damao felt that Lu Shichang's request was a bit strange, but considering that the boy was very filial, he decided to help him out.

Three days later, dozens of factories across the country that were ultimately selected also started full-scale operations.

Motorcycle parts were manufactured one by one and transported to the capital by train.

Li Aiguo's work also entered a busy phase, with the quality inspectors, consisting of automotive experts and a group of experienced mechanics, getting busy.

Each component has a standard, specifying the diameter of the screw holes. If the holes are too large, the screws won't be securely fastened; if they are too small, the screws won't go in.

The thickness of the frame is also important; even a millimeter more can make it impossible for assembly workers to work. Even if they hammer it in, the protective plate is likely to crack during bumps.

Accessories like these are deemed substandard.

Factories with excessively high failure rates will have their quotas reduced, and in more serious cases, they may even have to shut down production.

When a hardware factory learned that its order had been canceled, the stern-faced factory manager, in a fit of rage, drove his big Jeep to Beijing to complain, jumping up and down and questioning Li Aiguo about how he had bullied them.

"You have the nerve to say that? I only asked you to make a simple pole, and look at what you've made! It's barely usable as a crank handle. Giving you the materials was a waste!" Li Aiguo didn't hold back either.

The stern-faced factory manager roared, "I don't care! Everyone else can get orders, why can't we? That's not fair!"

“This isn’t a free-for-all. If you don’t do a good job, someone else who can do it better will take your orders.” Li Aiguo didn’t tolerate him and immediately told Zhou Ke to kick him out of the office.

"You wait, I'm going to complain to the boss."

The stern-faced factory manager felt extremely wronged, as they had done this kind of thing many times before.

If the product quality is substandard, everyone can just make do with it, it's not like it's unusable.

Is there any need to make a big deal out of this? Is there any class brotherhood left?

The stern-faced factory director was particularly indignant, so he went to the leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building to complain.

His superiors were also amazed by his boldness and decisiveness.

This is a major production operation; it's been registered on the charts, and all other production tasks have to give way.

You think you have a million heads? How dare you come looking for trouble?

The leader immediately made him write a self-criticism, suspended him from his position as factory director, and ordered him to await further action.

As the story spread, it became increasingly bizarre.

Some people say that the dark-faced factory director was sent back to work on the boiler.

Some people said that the ministry had confiscated the factory director's Jeep and sent him back by tractor.

Even more outrageous, some say the stern-faced factory manager was sent to the far northwest.

Regardless of the reason, the well-informed guy would always click his tongue twice and say, "You can't afford to offend that train driver at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot."

Li Aiguo was both amused and exasperated when he heard this rumor.

It's like sitting at home and having a hat fall from the sky.

But this is good, at least those factory leaders who are used to a comfortable life can cheer up.

Subsequently, to prevent similar incidents from happening again, the department issued a document with a red heading.

If the pass rate is lower than the average level of similar parts manufacturers, all factory leaders will receive a major demerit.

If the pass rate doesn't improve next time, all of them will be suspended from their posts. If they cause trouble, they will be sent to the countryside for labor reform.

The previously lax production atmosphere was instantly reversed, and the pass rate of parts was greatly improved.

A week later, the daily delivery of qualified parts was enough to assemble more than two thousand motorcycles.

At this rate, achieving the goal of 100,000 vehicles is not a distant prospect.

However, the leaders in the department were also worried. They came to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and asked, "Aiguo, what should we do with so many substandard parts? We can't just sell them as scrap, that would be such a waste!"

"Substandard parts are divided into two types. One type is completely unusable and can only be recycled. The other type is usable enough to assemble a batch of motorcycles. These motorcycles are priced 30% lower, do not bear the Red Star Motorcycle logo, and are sold to South America."

Li Aiguo had another piece of information he hadn't told his superiors.

Low-priced motorcycles are what South American dealers demand.

They planned to use this thing to transport laundry detergent, and they might get caught at any time, so the requirements for motorcycles weren't that high.

Of course, Red Star Motorcycles has very high quality control standards. Even substandard motorcycles can run tens of thousands of kilometers without problems.

"Oh, I see. That's great."

The department leaders originally planned to assemble the substandard parts into motorcycles for domestic sales.

This is also the practice of many export-oriented factories. Good products are sold, while inferior products are absorbed internally.

However, considering that Hextech has always opposed this practice, they didn't bring it up again.

The most important component of a motorcycle is still the engine.

This production run is quite large, and Li Aiguo has planned three engine options: 50cc, 80cc, and 125cc.

Even a large horsepower is useless on a scooter.

The engine was jointly produced by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and the Steel Rolling Mill.

The locomotive depot isn't worried; the main concern is that the steel rolling mill will strictly control quality.

Fortunately, Deputy Factory Director Li performed admirably, personally overseeing the workshop production, and the pass rate reached a remarkable 75%.

With the engine manufactured, the assembly of the motorcycles began.

At the end of May, a very significant event occurred in the north.

Knowing that Li Aiguo was carrying a heavy responsibility, the farmer still summoned him to discuss the impact of the incident.

"Some people are getting more and more outrageous. They actually went to other people's homes, tricked them into leaving, and even moved their livestock away."

The farmer, unusually, lost his composure and slammed his fist on the table, making a loud thud.

"Patriotism is what we've been asked to do. We've been instructed to assess the scale of this incident and develop appropriate response strategies."

The so-called scale refers to whether this incident will continue to escalate, and whether the other party will take the opportunity to cause more trouble.

After figuring out the whole story, Li Aiguo pondered for a moment and said, "Personally, I don't think those people have that much guts, otherwise they wouldn't have resorted to deception and fraud."

"The meteorologists sent north share this view." The farmer, his emotions calming slightly, took a sip of water and asked, "So, what's the solution?"

"Just follow the procedures."

"What about those people who were scammed?"

“Teacher, some people are not family and will leave sooner or later. There is no need for us to force it.”

If Li Aiguo's words were to spread, it would be considered a serious misconduct.

But the farmer did not stop him; instead, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"I will report your opinion to the higher authorities."

Li Aiguo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

We should kick ungrateful bastards out of the way instead of indulging them and letting them continue to cause trouble.

Years later, those people didn't get what the other party had promised. When they saw their relatives living a good life, they were filled with regret and cried out for their return, but we didn't agree.

As Li Aiguo had predicted, the matter did not escalate further, but its impact was far more profound than many people imagined.

These are all things for later.

The news made it into the newspapers, and the residents of the compound were all outraged.

When Li Aiguo returned to the compound, he found Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Uncle San, the three stewards, holding newspapers and vehemently criticizing the actions of some people.

Men, women, and children in the compound all raised their fists, and even Jia Dongxu dared not cause any trouble at this moment.

After the gathering ended, the residents left in twos and threes.

Xu Damao pulled Li Aiguo aside and handed him a Zhonghua cigarette.

"Patriotism, is the engine workshop short-staffed? My apprentice is very smart and ambitious, could you give him a spot?"

Li Aiguo paused for a moment before remembering which of Xu Damao's apprentices he was referring to.

"This matter falls under the jurisdiction of your factory. If he wants to sign up, he can go to the relevant leaders."

"That's true." Xu Damao smiled awkwardly.

Back home, Xu Damao told Liu Lan about Lu Shichang's situation.

Liu Lan pointed at his nose and scolded, "Xu Damao, are you stupid? Aiguo is from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. How could you let him interfere in the steel rolling mill's affairs?"

"I was thinking of taking care of this because I love my country." Xu Damao regretted it now. Why did he agree to Lu Shichang's request?

"Besides, Aiguo didn't agree, and I even gave him a bottle of wine."

"You, you..." Liu Lan shook her head, turned around and went into the kitchen to get busy.

The next day, Xu Damao told Lu Shichang that the matter had not been resolved.

Lu Shichang's expression remained unchanged; he continued to smile and treated Xu Damao with even greater respect than before.

Xu Damao felt that something was off about this kid, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

****
On Monday, the motorcycle parts were finally delivered to the motorcycle workshop of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, where all employees worked in three shifts.

Leaders from various ministries and commissions, along with other high-ranking officials, visited the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Seeing rows of brand-new, beautifully designed motorcycles displayed in the huge warehouse, Leader Teng nodded in admiration: "I didn't expect mass production to proceed so smoothly. You must be producing over a thousand motorcycles a day now, right?"

“Nearly three thousand,” Li Aiguo replied.

"Good, very good. I didn't expect you to be a management expert. I think you could do a good job as the director of a large state-owned factory."

"I still prefer being a train driver, and tinkering with some gadgets in my workshop on the side."

"You."

Leader Teng initially wanted to persuade him, but upon closer reflection, he realized that Li Aiguo's current position was quite good.

Without having to worry so much, I can focus more on research.

Leader Teng turned to look at the motorcycles: "It's a pity that most of us can't afford these kinds of vehicles right now."

"I believe that in a few years, when life gets better and costs come down, a month's salary will be enough to buy a car."

"Really?" Leader Teng shook his head as soon as he said it, clearly not believing Li Aiguo's words.

Li Aiguo did not offer any further explanation.

"How's production going? Has the workshop doubled in size again? These workers all seem to be somewhat educated, right?" Leader Teng walked into the workshop and inspected it, and was very satisfied with the workers' morale.

"Now most workers go to the industrial university in the evenings to take extra classes and learn technical skills. The students at the industrial university also participate in practical work every day to improve their technical skills through labor."

"This model is great. It doesn't affect work and can improve skills. I think it can be promoted further. We'll discuss it at the conference later."

The assistant noted this down.

"I heard that Xiaobenzi sells millions of motorcycles every year and is currently preparing materials to make a big splash. This may be a good opportunity for us."

"That's what I think too. I've already contacted Gangcheng in advance to arrange for dealers to have a unified sales schedule after the motorcycles are delivered."

"Well done. This is a war, and to win, we must catch the enemy off guard." Leader Teng was very satisfied with Li Aiguo's strategy.

Some leaders also worried: "Will those distributors listen to us?"

"For soldiers, guns are weapons; for capitalists, best-selling products are weapons."

If they want to make money, they have to listen to us. Anyone who dares to break the rules is preventing others from making money. We don't even need to lift a finger; someone will throw them into the sea.

Li Aiguo's so-called "throwing into the sea" is literal in meaning.

The leaders, however, took it as a joke and laughed heartily.

After Teng's inspection, large-scale production entered a high tide.

Hextech also notified its dealers in various regions that all the motorcycles shipped out recently had been sealed up.

The dealers were confused about the situation, but they still followed the rules.

Meanwhile, during this period, the company expanded several branch factories around the world.

Seeing the continuous stream of orders, Bentian Company was overjoyed.

In Beijing, around noon, Li Aiguo had a truck from the truck convoy carry two 50cc motorcycles, one dark blue and the other pink.

Li Aiguo, along with Chen Xueru, drove their truck to Li Yunlong's house.

As soon as the truck came to a stop, Li Yunlong's eldest son, Li Jian, ran out.

This kid is ten years old this year, and you can vaguely see the shadow of Li Yunlong in his eyebrows and eyes.

"Mother, Brother Aiguo is here!"

When Li Jian saw Li Aiguo get off the truck, he ran over quickly.

Li Aiguo picked him up and asked with a smile, "Xiao Jian, have you been listening to your mother lately?"

"I've been very obedient," Li Jian said proudly, raising his little head.

At this moment, Tian Yu and Feng Nan came out of the yard with several children.

Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang were both on the frontier, leaving only their wives and children in Beijing.

The two families discussed it and decided to live in the same courtyard so they could take care of each other.

"Aiguo, what brings you here? Hey, Xueru, you're so pregnant, why are you messing around with Aiguo?" Feng Nan saw Chen Xueru get out of the car and quickly came over to take her arm.

"Sister-in-law, I brought two new motorcycles, the kind that are suitable for women to ride." Li Aiguo opened the truck bed and asked the guards to help unload the motorcycles.

"This car must be expensive, right?" Tian Yu's eyes lit up instantly, and Feng Nan's eyes were glued to it.

“It’s not expensive. It was made by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Brother Aiguo bought it at a discounted price.” Chen Xueru pushed the motorcycle over.

Tian Yu chose a pink one, and Feng Nan chose a dark blue one. Chen Xueru helped the two of them put on their helmets and test-drive the bikes.

Both of them liked it very much, and they would no longer have to bother the janitor when taking the little ones to school.

"Aiguo, how much does this car cost? I'll pay you." Tian Yu turned to go into the yard.

Li Aiguo stopped her, saying, "These are gifts for my two aunts, why would I need money?"

Li Aiguo didn't want the money, and no one else had anything to say about it.

Firstly, the three families are relatives and friends, and secondly, both Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang are on the battlefield.

If anyone gets jealous, give him a gun and send him to the battlefield.

Tian Yu knew Li Aiguo's temperament well, and seeing that Feng Nan was still insisting, she stopped him.

"Hurry up and come into the yard, I'll cook for you."

Dinner was plentiful: a plate of stir-fried pork, a plate of stir-fried greens, a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a seaweed and egg drop soup.

Apart from Li Aiguo, the other guests were either women or children, and none of them drank alcohol.

After eating and drinking their fill, Li Aiguo and Chen Xueru drove away in their truck.

Tian Yu returned to the house, put a stack of money into an envelope, and handed it to Feng Nan: "Feng Nan, I plan to donate this money to the school in the commune tomorrow."

“Count me in too.” Feng Nan also put some money in her bag.

Li Jian and several children stood by watching, their eyes sparkling.

Li Aiguo returned the truck and got back to the courtyard house around 1 p.m.

After washing up, I lay in bed planning to take a nap before going to work.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside.

"Aiguo, are you at home?"

Li Aiguo jumped out of bed and opened the door. Standing outside was Captain Liu, who was in charge of the steel rolling mill's security.

"Old Liu, what happened?"

"A serious leak of confidential information has occurred at the steel rolling mill."

(End of this chapter)