The train driver in the courtyard

After the dinner party.

Because everyone in Workshop 116 hadn't had a break recently, they were given half a day off.

At the same time, the Ministry of Machine Building also delivered two tons of Cuban sugar.

Considering that the credit for this work mainly went to Workshop 116, the department distributed 100 jin of Cuban sugar to each researcher first.

The rest will be stored in the warehouse, ready to be distributed to employees as welfare.

Many researchers had never seen 100 pounds of sugar in their lives, and they were all so happy they couldn't stop smiling.

Li Aiguo also got 100 jin (50 kg) of this stuff; he ate it all himself, and he'll probably get diabetes now.

So, the sugar was divided into small packets, and some were given to the comrades of the 131st crew, Zhou Kejia, and Cao Wenzhi's family.

Zhao Yazhi also sent some, as Xiao Miaomiao is at the age where she loves sweets.

There are too many to give away.

Even if Li Aiguo wanted to give more, no one would dare to accept it; this thing is too precious.

For the first time, Li Aiguo felt the troubles of being a tycoon.

After going around in circles, there were still more than 40 kilograms of Cuban sugar left. I plan to send some to Chen Fangxuan after get off work, and keep the rest at home for my two children as snacks.

Li Aiguo was carrying a bag of candy toward his office when Professor Qi called him back.

"Patriotism, can I do you a favor?"

"You're too kind. Please feel free to ask what's wrong."

Li Aiguo had a very good impression of the old professor; he had no airs of authority, always led by example, and was a skilled researcher.

"I want to send this candy back to the factory, and also to Xiao Chen and Xiao Zhou."

"Why don't you do it yourself?" Li Aiguo said, then immediately realized his oversight.

Factory 116 is now considered a top-secret unit. Professor Qi and the researchers can only communicate with the outside world through a separate mailbox, and can only send letters, which are subject to inspection.

“That’s easy. Just have the comrades give me the addresses where you want to mail the items, and I’ll mail them out for you.” Li Aiguo agreed, then added, “Only candy can be mailed, nothing like paper scraps.”

"I know, I know." Professor Qi informed the researchers, who all got busy dividing the sugar into several portions. The largest package was mailed to the aircraft factory, and the rest were given to family and friends.

Li Aiguo called Zhou Ke over, asked him to check it, and then mailed it out.

After finishing all this, it was almost time to leave work. Li Aiguo went to Professor Qi's office again to discuss the next steps in the parts manufacturing.

As soon as I entered, I saw Professor Qi sitting at the table writing something.

"Aiguo is here! Thank you so much for today." Professor Qi smiled and explained when he saw Li Aiguo staring at his notebook, "I've been busy lately and haven't had time, but I had some free time today, so I wrote a few paragraphs."

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo took it out of curiosity, but was stunned at first glance.

The book's title, "How to Shoot a Plane," is printed on the kraft paper cover.

Cough cough cough cough.
Is this a legitimate masturbation session?

"What's so serious or unserious about shooting down planes? It doesn't matter what method you use, as long as you shoot the plane down." Professor Qi found it strange.

Li Aiguo realized he had misunderstood, turned the page, and understood.

"Imperialism and social imperialism are both proponents of 'weapon supremacy,' blindly believing in so-called 'air superiority.' Therefore, fighting against enemy aircraft and paratroopers is an important task in dealing with enemy surprise attacks and waging a war of resistance against aggression."

In short, this book is a militia training manual commissioned by the Yangcheng Military Region and written with Professor Qi's help. The main content is the key to shooting down fighter jets with light weapons.

There were many enemy planes in the southeast, and the air defense weapons were insufficient, so they planned to mobilize the militia.

This sounds incredible; many people think that shooting down a plane with a rifle or machine gun is a fantasy.

Taking sides and accusing others of exaggeration without considering the reality is simply being a scoundrel.

In those days, aircraft were slow and generally used dive-bombing attacks on the ground, which gave small arms an opportunity.

On the northern battlefield, a soldier shot down a P-51 propeller fighter with 14 bullets fired from a light machine gun.

"I think when shooting, you can calculate the lead time based on the size of the aircraft and the distance." Li Aiguo is also an expert at shooting down aircraft, so he naturally had to share his valuable experience.

"Lead time? That's a good idea. Airplanes are fast, so we need to fire in advance." Professor Qi pondered for a moment, then asked, "How do we calculate the lead time?"

"The aircraft's speed multiplied by the time it takes for the bullet to reach the aircraft, divided by the fuselage length, gives you the lead time."

"That's indeed a good idea." Professor Qi quickly took out a piece of paper and wrote it down.

This method is simple and easy to understand, and it's more readily accepted by the militia than the formulas he came up with. It's a great thing, a really great thing.

"Anything else?" Professor Qi asked, perking up.

Li Aiguo didn't hold back and continued, "When shooting at a diving enemy plane, you should aim at the nose of the plane and hit the pilot."

If the enemy aircraft has departed, aim for its tail and fire. In both cases, since the enemy aircraft's course and trajectory roughly coincide with the ray of fire, it is not necessary to select a lead time.

"These two positions are indeed the weakest points on the aircraft. What if the aircraft dives to the side?"

"This should be done with a lead time, and the aiming point should be a quarter larger than the lead time, because the enemy aircraft's dive speed is usually a quarter greater than its horizontal speed."

That's exactly right.

"When firing at air targets, one should make the most of ground features and adopt appropriate firing postures. If there are no ground features available, one can adopt postures such as lying down, kneeling, or standing to fire."

"It would be best to include a few pictures to make it easy to understand."

Hearing this, Professor Qi looked up at Li Aiguo: "Aiguo, why don't you help draw the picture?"

"Alright."

Since it concerned a serious matter of masturbation, Li Aiguo did not refuse and immediately picked up a pen.

For a comic strip artist, drawing this kind of illustration is particularly simple.

Soon a little figure holding a rifle appeared, and an airplane was drawn in the air.

The figures depict four or five different ways to shoot down airplanes, each with a detailed explanation of the specific movements, vividly illustrating how to shoot down an airplane.

"Very good, very good." Professor Qi nodded repeatedly as he looked at the picture. He picked up a pen and wrote the title above it: "Li Aiguo Teaches You How to Shoot Down an Airplane."

Li Aiguo: "."

He felt he was in danger of being killed, and after a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and asked, "Professor, could you please omit the name?"

"How can that be? That would make me steal your credit. No way, no way."

Seeing that Professor Qi felt insulted, Li Aiguo had no choice but to give up.

So what if the plane dies? As long as we can shoot it down.

Professor Qi sent the completed draft to the Yangcheng Military Region again through Li Aiguo.

It is expected that the book "How to Shoot a Plane" will soon be available in Xinhua bookstores across the country.

You can also see how Li Aiguo teaches everyone how to shoot down airplanes using blueprints.

As evening approached, the fiery clouds on the horizon were a beautiful sight.

Li Aiguo returned to the courtyard with Cuban candy and gave some to Aunt Liu and He Yushui as well.

Most young girls are afraid of gaining weight and can't eat too much sugar, but He Yushui's figure is skinny and she doesn't have this concern at all.

Just as Li Aiguo was about to go home, Aunt Liu called him back.

"Patriotism, I have something to tell you."

"You say."

"You haven't heard yet, have you? Jia Zhangshi is making a fuss about demanding the Jia family's property." Aunt Liu wasn't one to meddle, but since this concerned the stability and unity of the compound, she felt she should tell Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo was also stunned by the news.

"What's going on?"

"You haven't been in the courtyard these past two days. Jia Zhangshi has been with her man." Aunt Liu couldn't remember the name and was momentarily speechless.

He Yushui licked the Cuban candy with small sips and said, "Jia Ba."

"Yes, it's Jia Ba. The two of them came from Jiajiazhuang." Aunt Liu heard the news from the old women and young wives in the compound, and she told the story in a long, rambling way.

Li Aiguo understood as well.

Jia Zhangshi's life after marriage was not easy.

Life in the commune was already difficult, and Jia Ba was a good-for-nothing loafer; otherwise, he wouldn't be unmarried at his age.

Madam Jia thought of a problem: she was also a member of the Jia family, and now that she had left the Jia family, she should also have a share of the Jia family's property.

If we can get our hands on the family property, we can live a life of luxury for a while.

After discussing it, Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba led the donkey cart to the courtyard.

The two first found Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu. When Jia Dongxu heard that Jia Zhangshi wanted to divide the family property, he immediately got angry and kicked the two out.

Jia Ba wanted to make another move, but he was suppressed by Jia Dongxu, Yan Jiecheng, and Xu Damao.

Although Xu Damao and Yan Jiecheng disliked Jia Dongxu, they had been beaten up in Jiajiazhuang before, so they naturally wanted to take this opportunity to get revenge.

Besides, they were all from the same compound, and they couldn't just stand by and watch Jia Dongxu be bullied by outsiders.

Jia Ba was indeed a skilled fighter, but he was no match for these young men. He was beaten up and kicked out of the Jia family.

Jia Ba and Jia Zhangshi are still not giving up. These past few days they have been looking for the residents of the compound, hoping they can help them get a share of the family property.

"These two are sure to cause trouble again. If you run into them, don't pay any attention to them." Aunt Liu was worried that Li Aiguo would get involved in the Jia family's affairs.

Li Aiguo is at the prime of his life, with a beautiful wife and two well-behaved children. He lives a life of luxury and has no reason to bother with a pile of dog shit.

“Don’t worry, Auntie.” Li Aiguo suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, I went to a meeting at the Ministry of Mining a while ago and met the leader of an exploration team in the south. I heard that Liu Diquan has also found a girlfriend there.”

"Really? That's wonderful!" Aunt Liu slapped her thigh excitedly, but she quickly started nagging again, "Why doesn't this boy tell the family he's dating?"

"Maybe they haven't officially started dating yet." Li Aiguo and Liu Diquan's behavior was a bit strange, but they didn't think much of it.

Chen Xueru had already prepared dinner and asked Xiao Hongsheng to come and call them for dinner, so Li Aiguo went back.

Chen Xueru stood on tiptoe and placed the Cuban candy on the top of the cabinet to prevent the two little ones from stealing it.

Seeing Chen Xueru's actions, Xiao Hongsheng didn't dare to ask any questions. Instead, he sneakily pulled Xiao Minghui aside and whispered something to her for a while.

"Mom, Xiaomingwei wants something sweet." Xiaomingwei put her finger in her mouth, her big eyes blinking.

"If you get a perfect score on the test, Mom will give you candy." Chen Xueru was already used to this kind of tender approach.

"what!!"

"what?!"

Xiao Mingwei was excited, while Xiao Hongsheng was disappointed.

The reason is simple: Xiaoming gets a perfect score every day in his daycare class as long as he doesn't cause trouble.

Seeing his brother's distress, Xiao Ming whispered, "I'll share some with you when Mom gives us candy." "A real man shouldn't take things from girls," Xiao Hongsheng retorted firmly.

"Since you took the candy, could you share some with me?"

"."

Li Aiguo and Chen Xueru both laughed.

After dinner, Chen Xueru also brought up the matter of Jia Zhangshi wanting to divide the Jia family property.

"Brother Aiguo, do you think we should break up?"

"It's hard to say." Li Aiguo took a sip of noodles, his eyes narrowing slightly.

According to Article 1157 of the Civil Code, if one spouse dies and the other remarries, the surviving spouse has the right to dispose of the inherited property, and no organization or individual may interfere with this.

In other words, if Jia Zhangshi remarries after being widowed, you have the right to inherit your ex-husband's estate.

However, the Civil Code was promulgated later, and Li Aiguo is not a legal professional, so he is not sure if there were any relevant provisions at that time.

Not to mention Li Aiguo, even Chen Xueru, a street office worker, couldn't figure it out.

After all, it's not common these days for a widow to remarry and then apply to inherit her family's property.

These matters had nothing to do with Li Aiguo. After finishing his meal, he went into his study to continue his work on developing the Thunderbolt engine.

The current progress is roughly in line with Li Aiguo's expectations. We are about to enter the parts manufacturing stage, which is also the most difficult part.

The turbine blades are milled by a machining center, and a surface finish of 0.01mm is required. This manufacturing challenge has been solved.

The combustion chamber required the use of high-temperature resistant stainless steel for bending and welding. The Qianmen Locomotive Depot transferred two level-eight welders from the Changxindian Locomotive Factory to begin exploring production methods.

These problems could all be solved, but soon another obstacle appeared.

For the machining of film cooling holes in turbine blades, micron-sized pores need to be drilled on the surface of the turbine blades.

Rotor dynamic balancing control is required, with the main shaft speed reaching tens of thousands of revolutions per minute, and the coaxiality error between the turbine and the compressor impeller must be controlled within 5μm.

The casing needs to be heat-resistant and lightweight, requiring ceramic matrix composite materials.

Although Li Aiguo had taken into account the current technological conditions, he deliberately reduced the processing level required for the parts.
However, among the more than 20,000 parts, there are still thousands that cannot be manufactured by workshops or even aircraft factories at present.

Li Aiguo originally planned to create a simplified version, but after careful consideration, he felt it was inappropriate.

The Thunderbolt engine, as the first turboshaft engine, is destined to become the main engine for helicopters.

Armed helicopters and fire and rescue helicopters require engines with sufficient power.

Further development will be needed to create turbojet engines for fighter jets, based on turboshaft engines.

All of this requires overcoming the difficulties in parts processing.

But how can we ensure both precision and strength while also developing it quickly?

Li Aiguo's gaze fell on an internal reference document.

"On the Necessity of Launching a Light Tank Project"

This article comes from a classified military equipment research institute.

The article provides a detailed analysis of the current situation, pointing out that in the southeast coastal region, a defensive landing strategy should be formed, using the two peninsulas as barriers and the lower reaches of the Yangtze and Pearl Rivers as support, to prevent a potential large-scale landing by the enemy.

To fulfill this strategic plan, a new generation of light tanks should be developed.

This tank model needs to integrate technologies such as a 105mm rifled gun, hydropneumatic suspension, and composite armor.

Li Aiguo picked up the internal reference report, which had no problems with the layout analysis of the southeastern coastal area, but made the fatal mistake of vague strategic positioning.

The tactical value of light tanks in plateau and water-rich areas has been overestimated.

Even more fatally, this type of light tank took the wrong technological path.

It requires both firepower and protection, as well as defensive capabilities, and the technology required is no less challenging than the engine that Li Aiguo is currently developing.

In the end, nothing was done well.

In the original timeline, this model of light tank took a full ten years to develop. After the prototype was built, it was only used for a design demonstration before being completely abandoned.

The failure of this light tank not only wasted a lot of resources, but also left the Southern Armored Forces without armored equipment to compete with enemy medium tanks for nearly a decade.

The lesson was undeniably painful.

"If only we could transfer the manpower and resources from developing light tanks here," Li Aiguo muttered to himself, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

****
While Li Aiguo was busy developing a turboshaft engine, Jia Dongxu also took action to protect his family's assets.

He invited Yi Zhonghai to his home and tearfully recounted the evil deeds of Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba.

“Master, I already reluctantly agreed to let Jia Zhangshi marry, but she is still not satisfied. Now she wants to take away what my father left me. Is there no justice in this world?”

Looking at Jia Dongxu, Yi Zhonghai felt that he was becoming more and more like Jia Zhangshi.

However, this time Yi Zhonghai really didn't want to get involved in this matter.

Jia Zhangshi was a difficult person to deal with; she was the kind of person who could make someone regret stepping in shit.

There's also Jia Ba, who likes to use his fists, and Yi Zhonghai doesn't want to cause trouble.

Yi Zhonghai has now figured it out: Sha Zhu will be out in a few years, so there's no need to hang on to Jia Dongxu.

"Dongxu, don't worry, your master will definitely be on your side." Yi Zhonghai put on the act of a good master.

"Then you'll stay in the compound tomorrow!" Jia Dongxu's eyes lit up, and he gripped Yi Zhonghai's hand even tighter. "When Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba come, you'll help me drive them away!"

"Cough cough cough cough. No, Master still has to go to work. Our workshop is so busy right now, we can't do without me."

Yi Zhonghai noticed that Jia Dongxu's eyes darkened instantly, and quickly added, his tone resolute: "Don't worry! As long as Master runs into Jia Ba in the compound, he'll teach him a lesson and show him the rules!"

"What about the residents in the compound?" This was Jia Dongxu's biggest worry.

I heard that Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba have started complaining to the residents. If everyone sides with them and takes the matter to the neighborhood committee, then things will get complicated.

"Leave it to Master!" Yi Zhonghai patted his chest, but in his heart he was planning to get away as soon as possible. "Master will go door to door to persuade them, and I guarantee no one will speak up for them."

"Well, I have to get up early for work tomorrow, so I'll be going now."

As she spoke, she pulled along an older woman who hadn't said a word, quickening her pace by half a beat as if afraid that Jia Dongxu would continue to press the matter.

As the older woman made the bed, she asked, "Old Yi, you need to get up early tomorrow."

"What?"

"Weren't you supposed to be there to talk to the residents?"

"Ha, you actually believed that. If Jia Zhangshi found out, she'd be scratching me all over." Yi Zhonghai yawned, lay down on the bed, and soon began to snore.

The older woman sighed softly when she saw him like this.

After Yi Zhonghai left, Qin Huairu began to clean up the things that Jia Ba and Jia Zhangshi had smashed.

The only thermos in the house was broken, and the enamel basin also had a chipped piece; both need to be replaced.

She opened the drawer, and inside were only a few crumpled bills and soap coupons, not even enough to buy a new thermos.

Qin Huairu sighed and sat down in front of the dressing table.

The mirror on the dressing table had a diagonal crack. She tidied her hair in front of her forehead in front of the mirror and realized that there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes, her face was sallow as if it were covered with a layer of dust, and her lips were bloodless.

She's still struggling to afford a thermos, while Chen Xueru is already riding a scooter.

If she hadn't changed her mind, the scooter would have been hers.

I heard that Li Aiguo also brought back dozens of kilograms of Cuban sugar this time.

She had never seen so much Cuban sugar in her life.

Qin Huairu was sure she regretted it.

****
The next day, Li Aiguo went to the pool to wash his face and rinse his mouth as usual. The old women and young wives in the courtyard had already started talking about Jia Zhangshi's demand for the family property.

Opinions among the people were also divided.

The third aunt was kind-hearted and felt that Jia Zhangshi was having a hard time, so she said, "Jia Zhangshi suffered a lot when she followed Old Jia, so she should be given something in return."

"Oh my, Auntie, you're so generous! You're giving this to your family!" Jia Dongxu exclaimed as he jumped out from the side.

The three women blushed deeply and couldn't say anything, since no one wants to offend someone for no reason.

"Old woman, this is someone else's business, don't meddle." The third uncle came over listlessly, scolded the third aunt a few times, and the third aunt left awkwardly.

At this point, the residents who had been discussing the matter exchanged glances and stopped talking about it.

Li Aiguo didn't get involved at all, thinking about the parts while brushing his teeth.

The third uncle also came over, carrying an enamel mug.

"Patriotism, let me ask you something."

"You can ask me questions, but don't splatter your toothpaste foam around."

The old man spat out his toothpaste, leaned closer again, and said in a low voice, "Aiguo, if we've been fooled by an antique, can we return it?"

Well, what's going on these past two days? It's all about legal issues. Do I have to take the bar exam?
"If it's an antique transaction, it's probably not allowed." Li Aiguo had been to Liulichang before, so he knew these rules.

After listening for a while, the old man's eyes immediately dimmed.

He went to find Mr. Tuijiao, the owner of the junk shop, but instead of leaving, Mr. Tuijiao kicked him out.

Are we just destined to suffer this loss?
“However, if the other party is deliberately cheating, then that’s a different story,” Li Aiguo continued.

"Thank you, thank you so much." The old man immediately perked up. The guy at the scrap shop had lied to him, saying that this "Mr. Corner" wasn't an antique, but scrap copper, which was why he bought it.

Now I should be able to get a refund!

After the third uncle left, Li Aiguo realized that he seemed to have forgotten to ask him where he got Mr. Jiao from.

"Never mind, I need to get to work now."

After finishing his meal, Li Aiguo didn't waste any time. He rode his motorcycle to the weather station and retrieved information on some ongoing projects at domestic military factories.

"Comrade Patriot, these materials can only be viewed here; you cannot take them away," the archivist instructed.

"Don't worry," Li Aiguo said, opening a file folder.

Li Aiguo left the weather station and rushed to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop. It was already 10:00 a.m.

Today, Ansteel delivered a batch of titanium alloys, and Li Aiguo, representing Workshop 116, signed for it.

"Aiguo, leaders from the ministry and the Aviation Industry Bureau are here to hold a seminar," Professor Qi informed Li Aiguo as he rushed into the warehouse.

Given the difficulties encountered in producing the parts, the higher-ups attached great importance to the matter and decided to hold a seminar with the participation of all researchers to resolve the difficulties.

(End of this chapter)