The train driver in the courtyard

After lingering in the suburbs for a while, Li Aiguo returned to the courtyard house, and it was nearly evening.

From a distance, you could see Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba standing at the door, arguing and gesticulating with Zhang Gangzhu.

There was a rope draped around Jia Zhangshi's neck, and Li Aiguo couldn't figure out what she was going to do.

Do you want to cosplay as a little donkey?

The two tried to rush inside, but Zhang Gangzhu pushed them back, leaving them looking quite disheveled.

Upon seeing Li Aiguo return on his motorcycle, Jia Zhangshi first glared fiercely at the motorcycle, then pointed at Zhang Gangzhu and said...

"Aiguo, you're back! That guy is outrageous! He wouldn't let me into the compound. Tell me, what kind of nonsense is this?!"

Li Aiguo was completely confused and looked at Zhang Gangzhu: "What's going on?"

“Brother Aiguo, Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba have been going to the residents’ homes these past two days. People have tried to shoo them away, but they won’t leave.”

Zhang Gangzhu had clearly witnessed Jia Zhangshi's shamelessness. He was so angry that his face turned red, but he remained restrained.

The neighborhood patrol team has seen their fair share of scoundrels over the years, and he's learned to suppress his anger.

Zhang Gangzhu explained the situation using gestures and analogies.

The thing is actually very simple.

Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba were worried that the residents would side with Jia Dongxu at the meeting and they wouldn't get a penny, so they thought of doing their work in advance.

This is a perfectly normal thing to do; it's about building relationships and chatting at other people's homes. It shouldn't be something that annoys people.

However, Jia Zhangshi preferred to take the path of making a scene, causing trouble, and threatening suicide.

After being rejected by the third aunt, he actually wanted to do what He Yushui did back then and hang himself at the third uncle's door.

When the third aunt saw that Jia Zhangshi had hanged herself, she panicked and rushed over to try to pull Jia Zhangshi down.

As a result, she accidentally knocked over the stool. Jia Zhangshi, who was pretending to hang herself, lost her footing and ended up hanging precariously on the lintel, her legs bouncing violently.

Jia Zhangshi thought she was about to die. Jia Ba, who was hiding outside, sensed something was wrong and rushed in, saving Jia Zhangshi.

After suffering a great loss, Jia Zhangshi, once she recovered from her shock, began to berate the Third Aunt.

The third aunt was no match for Jia Zhangshi and was scolded so badly that she couldn't even lift her head. It was the second aunt who couldn't stand it anymore and found Zhang Gangzhu, who was off duty.

Zhang Gangzhu, the deputy captain of the street patrol team, couldn't just stand by and watch people cause trouble in the compound, so he drove Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba out of the compound.

Li Aiguo was amazed. He had just returned and already got to enjoy some juicy gossip. Life was good.

"Who told Old Yan's family not to speak up for me? I'm going to hang myself at their doorstep, so what!" Jia Zhangshi's nostrils flared, her shameless demeanor utterly despicable.

Li Aiguo said calmly, "Send them to the police station."

"Huh?!" Jia Zhangshi's expression froze, staring at Li Aiguo in disbelief: "You, you want to arrest me? On what grounds?!"

When Jia Ba saw that Jia Zhangshi was about to roll up her sleeves and start fighting, he quickly grabbed Jia Zhangshi's arm.

This kid's fighting skills are off the charts, and he's carrying a gun. We absolutely mustn't make a move.

We can't beat them.

Jia Ba's ability to dominate the surrounding villages wasn't solely due to his fists, but more so to his wits.

"Jia Ba, aren't you on my side too?!" Jia Zhangshi was about to angrily rebuke Jia Ba.

Jia Ba leaned close to her ear and whispered something. Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up little by little, and a sinister smile appeared on her lips.

She raised her hands and shouted, "Li Aiguo, arrest him! Arrest him now! If you don't, you're my grandson!"

Jia Zhangshi knew all too well that Li Aiguo was now in charge, and if he dared to arrest people arbitrarily, he would be in for a beating.

But the next second, Jia Zhangshi was dumbfounded.

Li Aiguo nodded to Zhang Gangzhu: "Arrest him, arrest Jia Ba too."

"Yes!" Zhang Gangzhu had been holding back for most of the day, waiting for these words. He pulled out a rope from his waist and rushed forward.

Jia Zhangshi didn't expect Zhang Gangzhu to dare to make a move. Just as she was about to fight back, Zhang Gangzhu kicked her to the ground, and she fell face-first into the mud.

Zhang Gangzhu stepped on her back, grabbed her arms and tied them up with a rope, which also went around her neck, binding them tightly.

At first, Jia Zhangshi tried to resist, but she soon became unable to move and could only shout at the top of her lungs, "Everyone come and see! Li Aiguo is bullying people!"

After Jia Zhangshi was tied up, Zhang Gangzhu looked at Jia Ba. When Jia Ba saw Jia Zhangshi's miserable state, he didn't dare to do anything and immediately raised his hands to cooperate.

By this time, many residents had heard the commotion and gathered around.

Among them was the Third Aunt, who was feeling very wronged today. Her family was about to welcome a new daughter-in-law this year, but Jia Zhangshi wanted to hang herself at her doorstep. What was going on?
Worried that Li Aiguo might make a mistake, the three aunties rushed over and said, "Aiguo, we're all neighbors, I think we should just let this go."

Jia Zhangshi, lying on the ground, spat and said, "What's there to calculate? If Li Aiguo doesn't apologize to me today, he'll have to pay me another fifty."

Thinking of Li Aiguo's temperament, she changed her mind and said, "Hurry up and pay five yuan, or this matter will not be over."

Yi Zhonghai also received the news and came out of the courtyard.

In the past, he would have already jumped out by now.

He had just been dealt with by Jia Zhangshi a few days ago, and his injuries hadn't healed yet, so he didn't want to show his face now.

Xu Damao, Liu Haizhong, and the other residents in the compound all knew Jia Zhangshi's temperament, so no one paid any attention to her.

Only Jia Zhangshi remained, wailing and howling like a banshee.

"Go and invite Captain Liu from the police station over." Li Aiguo tossed a cigarette to Yan Jiecheng.

"I'm going right away." Yan Jiecheng grabbed a cigarette and ran off.

At this moment, Jia Zhangshi was still shouting from behind: "Hurry up, when the police officers from the police station arrive, I'm going to sue Li Aiguo."

Liu Zhenshan has been busy with the case of the tomb raiding gang recently. This case has been designated as a typical case by the district, and the written documents need to be prepared.

Upon learning of the incident at the courtyard house, Liu Zhenshan was startled, closed the documents, and rushed over with Yan Jiecheng.

"Patriotism, what's going on?" Liu Zhenshan asked loudly from a distance.

Before Li Aiguo could answer, Jia Zhangshi shouted, "Yushui's father, that bastard Li Aiguo arrested me for no reason. He's bullying this old woman! You're the leader of the police station, you can't just stand by and do nothing!"

"Did I ask you? Shut up!" Liu Zhenshan's face turned cold, and he gave Jia Zhangshi a lecture.

Liu Zhenshan had worked at the police station for many years, and his fierce expression was somewhat intimidating.

Jia Zhangshi was startled and pouted, "Everyone has seen it, Liu Zhenshan and Li Aiguo have colluded."

"Old woman, stop talking." Jia Ba was startled by this and quickly stopped Jia Zhangshi.

Falsely accusing a police officer is a serious crime, and he felt that Jia Zhangshi was a bit brainless.

Liu Zhenshan didn't argue with Jia Zhangshi and walked up to Li Aiguo: "Aiguo, what's going on? If it's just a normal disturbance, there's no need to send him to the police station. Why don't we just give him a few words of criticism and let him go?"

These words, seemingly meant to help Jia Zhangshi, actually stemmed from concerns that Li Aiguo might make a mistake.

"Uncle Liu, I suspect that the two of them deliberately sabotaged the steel rolling mill's production." Li Aiguo, with a cigarette between his fingers, nodded at Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba.

Bang!
Jia and Zhang felt as if a hat had fallen from the sky.

"You're talking nonsense, Li Aiguo! Who, who sabotaged production!" Jia Zhangshi, no longer caring about her innocence, struggled to get up from the ground and tried to rush over.

But she forgot that she was still tied up with ropes, and with a thud, she tripped and fell again.

The fall was quite hard; blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and the onlookers felt sorry for Jia Zhangshi.

"Ahem, Aiguo, what's going on here?" Liu Zhenshan glanced at Jia Zhangshi, but had no intention of helping.

"According to the residents' feedback, these two people have been causing trouble for the residents' homes for the past two days."

Uncle Liu, as you know, the steel rolling mill is currently manufacturing engines for motorcycles.

They deliberately disrupted the residents' normal lives in order to sabotage engine production; motorcycles are exported to earn foreign exchange.

These days, earning foreign exchange is considered a top priority.

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the onlookers lit up instantly.

"Yes, Jia Zhangshi stayed at my house until midnight last night, which made me doze off at work today and almost ruined the parts."

"And me, my head has been buzzing these past two days, and I can't seem to muster the energy to work."

The residents already disliked Jia Zhangshi, so they were bound to side with Li Aiguo at this point.

Jia Zhangshi initially thought Li Aiguo was just making accusations, but after hearing the residents' complaints, she realized the problem was serious.

Disrupting production is a serious crime, especially since this production activity involves earning foreign exchange.

She no longer cared about dying in the crash. She spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood and struggled to sit up: "Captain Liu, please don't listen to them. I was just chatting with them. Is chatting illegal?"

Li Aiguo strode over, his eyes fixed on Jia Zhangshi. Jia Zhangshi, lying on the ground, instinctively shrank back, feeling as if Li Aiguo was three stories tall.

"Chatting? Is there such a thing as chatting in the middle of the night? Is there such a thing as hanging yourself at someone's doorstep?"

"Also, you are no longer a resident of the compound, so your presence here is illegal."

Faced with a series of accusations, Jia Zhangshi stammered and couldn't speak. She could only look at Yi Zhonghai and say, "Old Yi, please say something for me."

When Yi Zhonghai was called out, he realized something was wrong; he definitely wouldn't want to help Jia Zhangshi.

However, they were unwilling to side with Li Aiguo.

What?

Run away!
Yi Zhonghai has now become a master at feigning illness.

"Ouch, my heart hurts. I need to go back and take my medicine right away." Yi Zhonghai clutched his chest, turned around, and ran away.

People looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Madam Jia Zhang was so angry that her face turned red: "That damned Yi Zhonghai!"

Li Aiguo looked at Liu Zhenshan and continued, "Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba are both from the commune. It's not good for them to just wander around here all day."

Liu Zhenshan understood Li Aiguo's meaning and waved his hand: "Take him away!"

He had long disliked Jia Zhangshi, and now that Li Aiguo had handed him the evidence, he was determined to make good use of it.

"Li Aiguo, I'm not done with you yet!" Jia Zhangshi was about to jump up and down and curse, but Li Aiguo's hand was on her waist, and a hint of fear flashed in Jia Zhangshi's eyes, and she immediately shut her mouth.

Damn Li Aiguo, I can't even curse him anymore.

Jia Zhangshi felt extremely aggrieved.

After the two were taken away.

Yan Jiecheng and several residents went to the police station as witnesses to give statements, recording in detail what Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba had done over the past two days.

Li Aiguo was enjoying a delicious bowl of vegetable noodles at home when Yan Jiecheng returned.

"Brother Aiguo, the police station has decided to detain Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba for five days."

"Five days? That just happens to coincide with a meeting in the compound." Li Aiguo was taken aback for a moment, then realized that this was a decision made jointly by the street office and the police station.

The neighborhood committee was worried that Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba would cause trouble in the neighborhood, so they detained them for five days.

Five days later, a meeting was held, and regardless of the outcome, Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba would be expelled.

Inside the Jia family's house, Jia Dongxu was overjoyed that Jia Zhangshi and Jia Ba had been arrested.

While drinking corn porridge, he said, "I never thought Li Aiguo could do something good."

At this moment, Yan Jiecheng, standing by the pool with a loudspeaker and holding an enamel bowl, broadcast the news that Jia Zhangshi had been imprisoned for five days.

Jia Dongxu's face instantly darkened.

"I think Li Aiguo did it on purpose. He just wants Jia Zhangshi to take a share of our family property, that's why he did this."

Qin Huairu: "."

In the evening, Li Aiguo had just finished dinner and was about to play tag with Xiao Chen when he heard Liu Haizhong's shouts from outside.

"Attention everyone! I just heard from the weather forecast on the radio that there might be heavy rain in the next couple of days."

The sound shattered the tranquility of the courtyard. Li Aiguo was stunned; was a torrential downpour about to begin?

Actually, thinking about it makes me feel better. In the original timeline, 61 was a year of constant disasters.

Having witnessed the precedent of a cold snap in spring, residents no longer dare to disregard weather forecasts.

Several residents surrounded Liu Haizhong at that time.

"Second Uncle, is there really a heavy rainstorm?"

"How could this be fake? It's said to be a massive rainstorm, happening in the next couple of days."

Some residents felt that with the continuous disasters today, God was making life unbearable for them.

Some residents countered, "Didn't we get through the last cold snap in spring? Why would we be afraid of a heavy rainstorm?"

Xu Damao also became anxious: "No matter what, let's think about how to deal with this, shall we?"

Finally, everyone agreed that they should take this matter seriously.

Liu Haizhong discussed it with his third uncle and they planned to hold a meeting to arrange these tasks.

"Should we call Old Yi over too? He's the eldest uncle." The third uncle felt it was inappropriate that Liu Haizhong had left out the eldest uncle.

Liu Haizhong was unwilling, but Yi Zhonghai was an old man after all, so he could only nod and say, "If you're willing, then go and call him."

The third uncle arrived at Yi Zhonghai's house in the dark, knocked on the door, and called out a few times.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately went to open the door, but an older woman stopped him, saying, "Have you forgotten? You're sick and lying in bed right now."

"Oh, how could I forget about that?"

Yi Zhonghai snapped out of his daze and called out to the outside, "Old Yan, I'm not feeling well. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

The old man had no choice but to return to the Intermediate People's Court.

Liu Haizhong had already gathered the residents together, and upon learning that Yi Zhonghai was unwell, he immediately became happy.

"Ahem, Grandpa isn't feeling well today, so I'll be chairing the meeting," Liu Haizhong announced loudly, puffing out his large belly.

"When the weather station says there will be heavy rain in the near future, we know that heavy rain means very heavy rain."

"Very heavy rain" means rain with a large amount of rainfall, as the name suggests.

Therefore, in order to cope with this heavy rainstorm, we must do some preparatory work. After all, preparatory work is an action done for the sake of preparation.
Remember to bring an umbrella. An umbrella is for keeping out the rain, but it might be useless in a downpour. However, an umbrella is still an umbrella, and it's better than having no umbrella at all.

Li Aiguo: "."

The onlookers: "."

Hearing Liu Haizhong rambling on, Xu Damao started to jeer: "Second Uncle, you're right here, right here."

"If you know how to handle a torrential downpour, then you do it." Liu Haizhong was already feeling guilty, and faced with this attack, he immediately retorted, "If you're so capable, then you do it!"

"I don't know, but Brother Aiguo does. Last time there was a cold snap in spring, it was Brother Aiguo who arranged the work in our compound."

Xu Damao's words reminded Liu Haizhong.

"Ahem, now let's hear a few words from Comrade Li Aiguo, the patrol team leader. Let's give him a round of applause, folks."

Since the safety of the compound was at stake, Li Aiguo didn't stand on ceremony and strode into the crowd.

“Our compound is full of old houses, especially Uncle Zhang’s and Aunt Liu’s houses, which need to be repaired.”

"The drainage ditch needs to be widened."

"It's best to prepare some sandbags, as they can help keep out water."

Li Aiguo shared some of his experiences from his previous life in flood relief and disaster recovery.

"Patriotism is still the best policy."

"Yes, he truly deserves to be called a master train driver."

Seeing that the residents had taken the lead, Liu Haizhong quickly gave a concluding speech: "Let's do it the way Comrade Aiguo did. Everyone, get moving in these next two days."

Afterwards, everyone discussed the specific action plan, and Xu Damao and several young men were responsible for digging the irrigation ditch.

Liu Haizhong saw Jia Dongxu in the crowd and pointed at him, saying, "Jia Dongxu, you're digging an irrigation ditch too."

Jia Dongxu immediately wanted to slack off and pretend to be sick, but Qin Huairu grabbed his arm: "Dongxu, let's not offend the neighbors these next few days. Besides, if the compound is flooded, our house will also be flooded. Have you forgotten about the dried sweet potatoes from last time?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu reluctantly nodded.

All other tasks are easy to arrange, but the key issue is how to repair the house.

Five households in the compound have already signed up for house repairs, but the neighborhood construction team's workmanship is too poor.

"Aiguo, why don't you ask your locomotive depot's construction team to come over? We're not short of their wages."

“That’s easy,” Li Aiguo readily agreed.

After the meeting.

When Li Aiguo returned home, Chen Xueru poured him an enamel mug and handed it to him, saying, "I guess our neighborhood office will be busy too. I want to go and help."

"Go ahead, but be careful."

Chen Xueru's health has improved a lot lately, and her baby is in a stable position. Li Aiguo knows that if she stays indoors, she will definitely feel suffocated.

The night is getting darker.

****
the next day.

Considering that he needed to go to the ministry to prepare corn seeds and also to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to find a construction team, Li Aiguo got up very early.

After finishing his meal, Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle to the Ministry's Agricultural Reclamation Section.

As more and more farmland was being developed along the railway, the ministry established the Agricultural Reclamation Department in order to make reasonable use of the farmland.

Its nature is similar to that of the agricultural reclamation corps in the border areas.

Upon learning that the corn seeds would be ready soon, Section Chief Zhang of the Agricultural Reclamation Department was very pleased.

"This year, due to the late spring cold snap, crop yields are not expected to be high. With this batch of seeds, we should be able to increase yields significantly."

The yield of farmland along the railway is now quite considerable, making it an important source of food for the railway sector.

Li Aiguo had worked with Section Chief Zhang before and they had a fairly good relationship. He smiled and said, "I'll have to ask you for help with this, brother."

"You're too kind," said Section Chief Zhang. "We've already made arrangements. We plan to use one-third of the land to plant Patriotic No. 1 corn. At the same time, we'll be sending farm workers to Beijing to learn planting techniques. We'll need Professor Wu's assistance then."

"That's easy, I'll arrange it."

After chatting for a few minutes, Li Aiguo returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot also received a warning from the weather forecast center, and the staff took action. Some goods that were piled up in the open were moved into the warehouse, and track patrol workers were dispatched to strengthen the inspection of the railway tracks.

Li Aiguo went to the logistics department and talked to the section chief about helping to repair the houses.

"Old Liu and the others are at the final assembly plant right now. I'll have him come to the workshop to find you after lunch."

"Thanks."

Li Aiguo chatted with the section chief for a few minutes, and when he realized it was time to start work, he strolled into the studio.

Project 116 is now on the right track. Professor Qi, as the director, is in charge of engine manufacturing, while Li Aiguo only needs to provide technical support.

Li Aiguo's focus remains on the excavator project, and Zong Xianfeng reported a couple of days ago that it has already entered the assembly stage.

The excavator was being assembled in the open space next to the workshop. When Li Aiguo arrived, Zong Xianfeng came over carrying a wrench covered in engine oil.

"How about it?"

"The boom has been built and the tracks have been towed over. We estimate that assembly will officially begin tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Li Aiguo looked up at the sky. The sky was cloudless and there was no sign of rain.

Have you heard about the heavy rain forecast?

"Okay, let's hurry up and try to finish the assembly before the downpour arrives," Zong Xianfeng nodded.

The excavator isn't worried about getting wet in the rain, but before assembly is complete, rainwater might get into the hydraulic pump and engine.

Li Aiguo also lent a hand, and they were busy until noon.

"Patriot, I'm back! Shall we tidy up the house?" a voice called from afar.

Seeing Captain Liu and his team return in a truck, Li Aiguo went over and explained the houses in the compound that needed repair.

"Just repairs and reinforcements, that's easy, let's go."

Captain Liu was a workaholic, and he immediately took Li Aiguo back to the courtyard house.

Repairing houses is a piece of cake for them.

Dozens of strong young men repaired the leak in less than half a day, and reinforced the crooked wall with cement and brick pillars.

The residents in the compound all praised the work as being done very well.

An older woman watched from the side, then turned and ran back into the house.

Yi Zhonghai took a day off today to pretend he was sick, and he is currently sitting in a chair reading the newspaper.

Hearing footsteps outside, he jumped in fright and scurried into bed.

When he saw the middle-aged woman push the door open and come in, Yi Zhonghai said irritably, "You're not young anymore, why are you so easily startled!"

"Hey old man, all the residents in the compound are repairing their houses. Our roof is also broken. If it rains heavily, it might collapse. Why don't you go find Li Aiguo and ask him to take care of it?"

An older woman pointed to the roof with some concern.

"Go ahead, go ahead!"

Thinking about this, Yi Zhonghai was filled with deep regret.

Just because he pretended to be sick, Liu Haizhong took away his hosting rights at the conference, and now he has to ask Li Aiguo for help, but he won't do it.

"Alright, I'll go." The older woman knew she couldn't persuade Yi Zhonghai, so she could only push open the door and go to the central courtyard.

Just then, Li Aiguo was about to see Captain Liu off when an older woman hurried over and said, "Aiguo, could you please do me a favor?"

"Auntie, please feel free to ask me anything?"

Upon learning that Yi Zhonghai's family also wanted to tidy up their house, Li Aiguo agreed without hesitation.

It wouldn't be a pity if that old bastard Yi Zhonghai were smashed to death.

The older woman was actually a decent person.

Watching the team members busy on the roof, the old woman sighed.

"It has to be Li Aiguo; his character is impeccable."

"Auntie, am I not good enough?" Jia Dongxu was working in the irrigation ditch next to him when he heard this and was unhappy. He raised his sleeve and wiped a black streak on his face, then looked up and said.

"Snapped!"

The words just left his mouth.

Jia Dongxu got a tap on the forehead.

"Jia Dongxu, get to work!" Comrade Xu Damao, the leader of the irrigation canal team, gave the order.

Jia Dongxu: "."

*****
The courtyard houses, Nantongluo Lane, the district, and the entire city of Beijing all received notices of the torrential rain, and various departments and units were busy.

Li Aiguo also received a call from the weather forecast center in the evening and rode his motorcycle there.

Pushing open the conference room door, one finds Professor Huang and a group of meteorologists, as well as leaders from the emergency response department.

"Comrade Aiguo, sit here." Leader Chen from the emergency response department pointed to the seat next to him.

(End of this chapter)