The train driver in the courtyard

Early the next morning.

Li Aiguo got up early; it was already getting dark outside, and it might rain.

Li Aiguo didn't even bother with breakfast; he grabbed two steamed buns and ran all the way to the studio.

Zong Xianfeng and his team of technicians had already started working.

The excavator parts weigh three to four hundred pounds each, and even the strongest worker in the workshop can barely lift them.

If it were a sack of wheat weighing three or four hundred pounds, people could probably carry it, but this thing is not easy to carry.

Worried that someone might be injured, Li Aiguo called out to the young man and asked Zong Xianfeng to start the crane to assist in the hoisting.

The weather was hot and humid, and everyone was wearing vests but still sweating profusely.

When Section Chief Xing learned about the assembly, he rushed over and, seeing the situation, sent someone to the ice cream factory to get two boxes of popsicles.

Soon the excavator's chassis, tracks, and engine were all in the right positions, and the next step was to install the boom, arm, and other accessories.

When Li Aiguo saw the popsicles arrive, he called a halt to the hoisting operation and urged everyone to eat popsicles.

"Aiguo, your excavator looks a bit big." Section Chief Xing also came over and looked the excavator up and down.

"This can only be considered a medium-sized excavator," Li Aiguo explained.

Hearing that there were excavators tens of meters tall, Section Chief Xing exclaimed in amazement: "If we had that thing, when we went to the mountains to build railways, we could dig a tunnel in just a few shovelfuls."

"It's not that simple. Those kinds of excavators are difficult to transport. What's really useful is this kind of medium-sized excavator." The wild car expert took a bite of his popsicle and came over.

That's true. Those excavators that weigh hundreds of tons can only work in mines their entire lives and are difficult to move to other places.

"It seems that patriotism is a well-thought-out decision."

Section Chief Xing nodded and stood up: "The ministry has notified us that there might be heavy rain today. I'm going to the rescue team to tell them to prepare in advance."

After Section Chief Xing left, the workers had rested and the assembly work continued.

The chassis and tracks were assembled smoothly.

When it came time to install the boom, due to the angle, the overhead crane couldn't lift it directly; someone had to use ropes to pull it diagonally across.

"Hey guys, give me a hand." Li Aiguo ran into the maintenance workshop, took out a pack of cigarettes, distributed them around, and brought back a dozen or so young men.

"one two three"

"one two three"

A dozen young men used steel cables and pulleys to support the boom.

Li Aiguo directed the crane on the other side, and with the combined efforts of both sides, the boom was finally hoisted into the right position.

After the boom is installed, it can be placed directly on the ground, where oil and air lines can be added, and then the engine can be installed.

The more people there are, the better the steamed buns taste.

More people means more work.

After removing the steel cable, Li Aiguo smoked another round of cigarettes and took a breather while Zong Xianfeng installed the oil pipe.

"Patriot, what is this machine of yours?" a young man asked.

"Excavator, you'll understand once it's installed." Li Aiguo remembered something else and called a technician to record the installation procedures and methods, which would be useful for large-scale production later.

"I thought it was a robot!"

"Yes, I thought so too."

Hearing the workers chatting idly nearby, Li Aiguo suddenly remembered that robots already existed in China at this time of year.

Maybe we should make an animated robot series, like Transformers.

In no time, the excavator was basically assembled.

Because the excavator was developed in a relatively standardized manner, and Zong Xianfeng was an electrification expert, the excavator was equipped with two headlights in the front, allowing it to operate at night.

The driver's cab lights have also been installed, so it's basically a complete unit.

After installation, Li Aiguo jumped into the driver's cab and connected the ignition battery.

The automotive expert added water to the radiator, and Li Aiguo first turned on the cooling fan to prevent the engine from overheating later.

Once the excavators are officially put into production and equipped with turbo fans, this will no longer be necessary.

"Everything is normal." The wild car expert squatted down on the hood of the car to check the oil and electrical systems, and then Li Aiguo shouted.

Li Aiguo started the excavator directly, and the diesel engine roared to life, with black smoke billowing from the exhaust pipe.

It's not that there's a problem with the engine; it's that the diesel fuel contains too many impurities.

After the excavator was started, some hydraulic oil was added, and grease was applied to the connection between the boom and the forearm. Only then were the preparations for the first start completed.

"That's it!"

Li Aiguo slowly pushed the control lever, and with his movement, the excavator slowly raised its boom.

The workers watching nearby stared in astonishment as they saw the enormous arm raised like a human arm.

This thing weighs about a thousand pounds, and they were able to lift it. Then, the boom, forearm, and bucket moved together in several motions.

"Holy crap, this thing is amazing."

"Yes, it's just like holding a shovel with your hand."

"No wonder he's a national model worker, the things he makes are really good!"

After performing some simple actions, Li Aiguo started driving the excavator.

The playground is never short of weeds. Li Aiguo drove the excavator to the edge of the playground and first used the bucket to dig a couple of times on the ground.

With what seemed like an easy movement, the tangled weeds were easily pushed aside.

"Wow, that's amazing."

"It would take us most of the day to weed all this grass."

Then, something even more surprising happened.

The excavator bucket moved down gently, and although the movement was very light, it easily dug open the ground.

In just a few minutes, a large crater appeared in the ground.

"This is so powerful!"

“I helped out when we were digging the hole over there the day before yesterday. It took more than a dozen people a whole day to get it done, and it only took a few minutes.”

"Tsk, tsk."

"Now you understand what a national model worker is!"

"What did you say? Patriotism is a talent. Other model workers haven't produced so many good things."

"That's right, patriotic comrades are the pride of us train drivers."

"We train drivers are top-notch at everything we do."

"Yes, yes!"

The workers watching felt a sense of pride when they thought of Li Aiguo's identity as a train driver.

Li Aiguo dug a hole, then filled it back in, and patted it with a shovel bucket, making it look exactly the same as before.

Then, they dug a few more small holes, keeping themselves very busy.

Zong Xianfeng knew that Li Aiguo was experimenting with the excavator, but he always felt that Li was just playing around.

"Go and call Comrade Lan Xiang from the driving school over."

After playing for a while, Li Aiguo shouted outside.

Lan Xiang was teaching his students how to drive motorcycles when he received the news and rushed to the training ground.

"What's that sound?" Lan Xiang wondered before he even got close. The engine sounded different from a truck's; it was particularly powerful.

Lan Xiang ran a few steps and saw a huge machine from a distance.

He quickened his pace. Good heavens, this huge machine was digging, and there were workers cheering it on.

"Excavator?" Lan Xiang remembered that Li Aiguo had once thought about manufacturing excavators, and he remembered it now.

"Principal Lan, you're here." The workers who had been watching the commotion saw Lan Xiang and quickly offered him a cigarette. Most of them were learning to drive motorcycles, and they couldn't neglect their instructor.

"This is an excavator, it's really powerful, it dug a big pit in no time," a worker introduced.

"This thing would definitely be a great tool for road repair."

When Li Aiguo saw Lan Xiang coming over, he got out of the car and pointed to the excavator: "Old Lan, why don't you give it a try?"

"Me?" Lan Xiang asked blankly.

“In the future, excavators will be mass-produced, and your driving school will need to train excavator drivers. As the vice principal, you will definitely need to learn how to operate them first.”

Lan Xiang thought that Li Aiguo had just mentioned opening an excavator school casually, but he didn't expect that Li Aiguo would actually take it to heart.

He came from an engineering battalion and had even learned to operate trench excavators. He was very interested in this kind of excavator, so he rubbed his hands together, opened the door, and climbed up.

Driving a civilian excavator is much simpler than driving a trench excavator. Li Aiguo gave a brief explanation of the operating techniques, and Lan Xiang was able to operate it independently.

He is proficient in various technical movements, such as moving forward, backward, rotating, and extending his upper arm.

Moreover, in this short period of time, Lan Xiang summarized a set of operating techniques.

"This guy is a natural-born driving instructor," Li Aiguo muttered to himself, as he was about to have Lan Xiang drive the excavator outside to test its fuel consumption.

Waaaaah, waaaah!

Waaaaah, waaaah!

The air raid siren hanging on the utility pole suddenly blared.

The workers on the work site were stunned for a moment, then shouted: "A massive rainstorm is coming!"

(End of this chapter)