The train driver in the courtyard

There was no GPS maritime positioning system at that time.

Ocean-going ships communicate with the land via telegraph to report their location.

Ocean-going ships can change course at will to reach ports other than their destination; the only concern is for the captain and crew on board.

Of course, if the captain and crew are all family members, then there's no problem.

After the ocean liner slowly docked, Zheng Yushan strode down and reached out his hand to Li Aiguo from a distance.

"Patriotic comrade, I have successfully completed my mission." Zheng Yushan was somewhat excited. In all his years of maritime transport, this was the first time he had ever transported such a massive amount of cargo.

"You've worked hard, Lao Zheng!"

While they were chatting, leaders from the Ministry of Machine Building and several leaders from the railway department arrived.

The leaders were overjoyed to learn that the ship was loaded with enough materials to produce millions of motorcycles.

The leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building stood below, looking at the tall ship, and nodded, saying, "It seems that establishing a shipping company was indeed a wise move. Otherwise, even if we obtained good things, we wouldn't be able to bring them back."

“There will be more and more cargo like this in the future, and Hongxing Shipping will become more and more important.” The leaders of the Ministry of Railways were also very happy, after all, Hongxing Shipping was created by people from their railway system.

Since the ship was still en route to Africa, the port organized workers to begin unloading operations after the ship docked.

Zheng Yushan and his crew had been at sea for more than ten days and needed to disembark for two days to rest. That evening, the port authorities organized a celebratory banquet for them.

When Captain Zheng Yushan received the big red flower for the first time, he was so excited that he couldn't stop smiling.

After counting the materials, Li Aiguo returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, where there were still some matters to attend to.

Sure enough, as soon as he returned to the locomotive depot, Section Chief Xing came to the workshop.

"Patriotism, what do you plan to do with these materials?" Section Chief Xing asked. "We can't just make a batch of small-sized motorcycles, can we?"

"Little Notebook's motorcycle?"

Li Aiguo pulled out two ten-yuan bills from his pocket, one crisp and clean, the other worn and torn.

"Section Chief, do you think these two bills are worth the same?"

"Of course, you can buy dozens of kilograms of rice."

As soon as he said it, Section Chief Xing suddenly realized: "A motorcycle is a motorcycle. Whoever makes it owns it."

The automotive expert standing nearby said, "Section Chief, in fact, the significance of this batch of motorcycles goes far beyond this. In the past, others always robbed us. Although we can't say we robbed them this time, we at least got back a little bit of interest."

"Yes, yes, young people are quick-witted. How could I forget about this?" Section Chief Xing was so concerned that he was worried something might happen here and that things would get chaotic.

"Patriot, I'm leaving the motorcycle business to you. But how should we distribute these motorcycles?"

Li Aiguo understood Section Chief Xing's intention.

Since this batch of motorcycles is of different significance and uses low-priced materials, it cannot be sold directly like mountain bikes.

"I plan to produce these motorcycles separately and not sell them; I will distribute them all as welfare benefits."

“Okay, that’s what I think too. The whole country is a big picture now. We’ve got the meat, so we can’t let other departments only get the soup.”

Li Aiguo reminded him, "This matter still needs to be decided by the leaders above."

"I'll go find the leader right now," Section Chief Xing sighed inwardly.

Even with such great achievements, he remains so cautious; no wonder this kid has repeatedly made contributions.

Section Chief Xing then reported the matter to the ministry.

After discussions among the leaders of the ministry, it was decided to divide the batch of motorcycles into three parts.

A portion remained with the railway department and was distributed as welfare items to outstanding railway workers.

Some were sent to other departments to be used as transportation for postmen, meteorologists, and communications personnel.

The last batch was sent to the military.

Although this motorcycle cannot meet military standards, it is still quite suitable for transporting supplies and as a reward for veterans.

After the ministry passed the resolution, Li Aiguo, along with wild car experts, redesigned a cross-beam motorcycle.

This allows for the maximum use of these materials while also improving some of the shortcomings of the Little Wolf motorcycle.

Two weeks later, batches of new motorcycles were shipped out of the assembly plant and sent to all parts of the country.

The motorcycle was named the Red Star 801, but because it was provided by the railway department and its body was in railway gray, it was affectionately called the "Railway" motorcycle by the public.

Although only one batch of railway motorcycles was produced, the output reached more than three million units, and a large number of them were still in use in later generations.

Especially in those days when motorcycles were a scarce commodity, this batch of motorcycles inadvertently pioneered the domestic motorcycle culture.

Later, during the review, railway motorcycles were hailed by historians as witnesses to the times.

Of course, these are all for later.

After the railway motorcycles went into mass production, several professors from the exploration department approached the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop.

After learning the purpose of their visit, Section Chief Xing shook his head helplessly: "Aiguo is getting busier and busier. He just finished getting the motorcycle sorted out, and now he has to tinker with the mineral exploration train."

"Yes, I heard that Comrade Tiechui's wife is about to give birth, and he has some things to take care of at home," a section leader said.

"Don't bother Aiguo with those miscellaneous matters in the section lately. Apply for double the welfare items for Comrade Aiguo this month," Section Chief Xing decided. "If anyone has any objections, let them come to me."

"clear."

When Li Aiguo was notified to collect welfare items, he saw that there were twice as many as usual, and he knew that it was Section Chief Xing's idea, so he accepted them without saying anything.

Chen Xueru's belly is getting bigger and bigger, so she should eat more nutritious food.

In the morning, Li Aiguo met with several professors from the exploration department to discuss the design of the mineral exploration train.

Because radiation detection instruments are easily affected by the carriage when receiving radiation signals, they need to be installed in an open-air location.

Meanwhile, the explorers also need to be on duty, which requires a redesign of the carriage.

"Look, is this okay?" Li Aiguo designed a small hut on a flatbed wagon, with a platform in front where radiation detection instruments could be placed.

“Quite ingenious.” Several professors nodded, then raised a new question: “Currently, our radiation instruments are too weak. If we could increase the power, the radiation range would be much wider.”

"An antenna can be added; a rod antenna can expand the reception range." Li Aiguo originally wanted to build a large antenna array, but considering that the current technology is not mature, he had to put it aside for the time being and wait for an opportunity to improve it.

In fact, this type of antenna is very similar to a radar antenna. We can take this opportunity to store some technology so that it can be used when building fighter jet radar in the future.

"That's definitely a good idea."

Several professors looked at the redesigned plan and felt there were no problems, so they signed their names on it.

After the professors left, Li Aiguo entered the workshop. "We have work to do, Zong Xianfeng. You need to build this antenna first." Li Aiguo handed a blueprint to Zong Xianfeng, who was now considered the technical expert in the workshop.

"Okay, Patriot, is this a receiving antenna?"

"Okay, remember to keep it a secret."

"Yes."

The studio now has all the necessary materials and equipment. Even if there is an urgent need, we can get them from outside by simply submitting an application.

The manufacturing of the mining train's car body was handed over to Changxindian Locomotive Factory.

To Li Aiguo's surprise, Chen Xingyi had now appeared among the technicians.

Because there were many people, Li Aiguo didn't ask any questions in detail. He simply handed the blueprints to Chief Engineer Chen and asked Changxindian Locomotive Factory to make the special carriages according to the blueprints.

The carriages are also equipped with bunk beds so that the exploration team members can rest.

After the meeting, Chen Xingyi found Li Aiguo and said with a smile, "Brother-in-law, I heard that an important mission is coming. I didn't expect it to be from your Qianmen Locomotive Depot."

Li Aiguo handed Chen Xingyi a cigarette and asked, "Weren't you a mechanic? How did you become a technician?"

"The factory is developing very quickly, and there aren't enough technical personnel. The leaders saw that I was performing well, so they let me attend a training course and then transferred me to the technical department. I haven't been officially assigned a grade yet," Chen Xingyi said, sounding a little embarrassed.

Chen Xingyi was originally a level four mechanic, and his salary and benefits were no worse than those of an unranked technician, but their future prospects were incomparable.

In those days, there were many technicians who came from grassroots worker backgrounds, and some of them even became senior engineers.

They may not be highly educated, but they have produced a lot of good things based on their experience working at the grassroots level.

"That's great! Let's get together at the tailor shop tonight," Li Aiguo suggested, remembering that he hadn't visited Chen Fangxuan's place in a while.

"Okay, I'll go back at noon and tell Dad."

While they were chatting, Chen Xingyi was called to a meeting by his colleagues from the technical department, and he left in a hurry.

Li Aiguo drove his large SUV back to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, where he spent the day working.

After getting off work in the afternoon, I went home, picked up two bottles of Lao Fenjiu liquor, and took Chen Xueru to the tailor shop.

The Chen family prepared a sumptuous meal to celebrate Chen Xingyi becoming a technician.

"I haven't been officially hired yet, and I might have to go back to being a mechanic." Chen Xingyi said somewhat awkwardly.

"Don't worry, as long as you work hard, there won't be any problems," Chen Xueru encouraged.

The eldest sister-in-law was a little envious, and then she complained to Chen Xingjia.

Chen Xingjia is currently working in the timber factory laboratory. Although it is a respectable job, he has not made any progress, let alone been promoted.

“Look at my second brother, he’s only been in the locomotive factory for a short time and he’s already made progress. I wish you had gone to the locomotive factory back then.”

"I'm just a woodworker, how would I know anything about those machines?"

"Can't you learn if you don't understand?"

In the end, it was Chen Fangxuan who asked Chen Xingjia to pour a round of drinks, which finally shut his sister-in-law up.

The family dinner ended amidst much chatter; though not particularly wonderful, it was full of the warmth and comfort of everyday life.

Li Aiguo led Chen Xueru and the two children back to the courtyard house in a leisurely manner.

As soon as I entered, I saw Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu carrying large and small bags and walking out, followed by Banggeng and Xiaodang.

Qin Huairu also saw Li Aiguo, but immediately looked away and walked past him.

Both of them left the courtyard house. What happened?
Li Aiguo had just entered the house when Xu Damao appeared and said in a low voice, "You know that Jia Zhangshi is planning to get married, right?"

"What's going on?" Li Aiguo opened the door, told the two children to do their homework quickly, and then asked.

Xu Damao said, "I don't know the specifics, but I do know that Jia Zhangshi is going to marry a member of the commune. Jia Dongxu is a little unwilling, so he plans to go back and persuade Jia Zhangshi."

Xu Damao didn't know much about the situation either; most of what Liu Lan heard was gossip from the older women and young wives in the compound.

After returning to the commune, Jia Zhangshi originally thought that, just like last time, she would be able to return to the city soon.

Unexpectedly, Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu seem to have forgotten about her, and there has been no news of her for several years.

Jia Zhangshi was lazy and gluttonous her whole life, and no one in the commune would indulge her, so she lived a very difficult life.

Just then, a bachelor in his fifties in the commune took a liking to Jia Zhangshi. This man had a good relationship with the commune leaders and could find Jia Zhangshi an easier job.

The bachelor asked a matchmaker to propose marriage, and after hesitating for two days, Jia Zhangshi agreed.

So, since they're getting married soon, Madam Jia asked someone to invite Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu back to attend the wedding.

When Jia Dongxu heard the news, he was furious. He felt that Jia Zhangshi had found him a stepfather and rushed back to stop her.

"It's really like an old tree blossoming again. I never thought that Jia Zhangshi, who is so old, could become a new bride." Xu Damao clicked his tongue twice and then added, "If this goes through, I guess we residents will have to chip in as well."

Jia Zhangshi is Lao Jia's wife. Over the years, Lao Jia has attended all the weddings and funerals held in the compound, and the residents should reciprocate with gifts.

"Brother Da Mao, I've been a bit busy lately. Let me know once you've decided on the amount of the gift."

When it comes to this kind of thing, Li Aiguo has always followed the crowd; whatever others do, he does too.

"It's hard to say right now. Judging from Jia Dongxu's appearance, it's estimated that Jia Zhangshi will have a hard time getting married."

After Xu Damao responded, he saw Liu Lan return with the child and went back into the house.

Li Aiguo also came into the house to help Chen Xueru make dinner. Chen Xueru was still in shock from the news of Jia Zhangshi's marriage.

Li Aiguo is similar; in the original novel, Jia Zhangshi didn't pull this stunt, so it seems the plot has changed quite a bit.

However, these things had nothing to do with Li Aiguo. In the following days, he continued to go to get off work and leave work on time, busy with the construction of the mineral exploration train.

The original design of the carriages was modified to include a kitchen, allowing the exploration team to have hot meals on board.

This would significantly increase the cost of mineral exploration trains.

As long as a good working environment can be provided for the exploration team members and occupational diseases can be minimized, these expenses are worthwhile.

We are not capitalists, and we cannot implement a system that tries to cut costs as much as possible and does not treat workers as human beings.

"Aiguo, your vehicle modification plan has been approved. It will be ready to be built in a few days." As soon as he arrived at work on Monday, Section Chief Xing came to the workshop and called Li Aiguo out.

"The higher-ups are planning to award you the title of National Model Worker. What are your thoughts on that?"

(End of this chapter)