The train driver in the courtyard

The police station in Nantongluoxiang Subdistrict also knew that this matter was complicated.

We can only wait for the leaders from Baoding to arrive before we can discuss this further.

The Huang family members and some residents of the courtyard house stayed at the police station for the time being.

"I'll go see my second aunt first," Li Aiguo said as he headed to the hospital.

“Wait a minute, I heard that the cadres from Huangjiazhuang Commune have arrived. Huangjiazhuang is right next to the railway, so they might even know your railway.” Liu Zhenshan said.

Li Aiguo was somewhat surprised to hear this: "They have connections with the railway?"

“Yes, we’ve done a preliminary interview with a few young men. They often do odd jobs for the Baoding Locomotive Depot. The specific location is east of the Qiushan switch station, do you know that?” Liu Zhenshan invited Li Aiguo to sit down and poured him a glass of water.

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo immediately remembered it.

Last year, land was cleared and grain was planted on both sides of the Qiushan switch station, and the town next door did send people to work at the switch station.

"I know, it's about four or five kilometers away." Li Aiguo wondered to himself, "Why don't I recognize any of those Huang family members?"
However, upon further reflection, he realized that his initial visit to the switch station was merely a planning exercise; he had only taken a cursory look around and hadn't had much interaction with the members at all.

As we were talking, there was a commotion outside, and then four or five people walked over, shouting loudly before they even got there.

"Is this acceptable? How could you beat our commune members like this?"

"People in the capital are too domineering."

"Yes, Lao Huang is an honest man, so he definitely can't make the first move."

Before the group even entered, they began to exert pressure.

As soon as he entered, Li Aiguo felt that the person in charge looked familiar: "Secretary Huang?"

"It's Driver Li! What are you doing here?" Secretary Huang was also very surprised to see Li Aiguo and quickly reached out to shake his hand.

The commune leaders behind him were somewhat surprised. Li Aiguo said with a wry smile, "Secretary Huang, I am the domineering guy you just mentioned. The Huang family has smashed up my yard."

Secretary Huang felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this.

Last time we worked at the switch station, Li Aiguo helped give everyone an extra two cents in wages.

When Liu Zhenshan saw that Li Aiguo knew these people, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After inviting them to sit down, he gave a brief introduction to the situation.

"The Huang family assaulted people and vandalized property. What do we do now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a commune cadre stood up and said, "Liu Guangqi is a womanizer. Chunlan is such a good girl, gentle and virtuous, and good at managing a household. He actually ran away secretly. Isn't that disrespectful?"

Li Aiguo felt that this person's words sounded familiar.

Isn't this the same story told by the families of some criminals from Xiaomei's family after they were knocked down by FBL in some short videos?

A drug addict who has been in and out of detention seven times and has a long criminal record is actually called a good kid.

Li Aiguo was also impressed by those people's ability to lie through their teeth.

Party Secretary Huang waved to the cadre: "Third brother, patriotism is not something outsiders do, please sit down first."

He rolled up his sleeves and looked at Li Aiguo: "Driver Li, the Huang family is arrogant and domineering in the commune and likes to cause trouble. I didn't expect them to actually come all the way to the capital and even smash up your place. As for the rest, there must be a reason."

Secretary Huang was now in a dilemma. If he didn't handle the situation well, the people in the commune would definitely think he was a coward.

However, it is a fact that the Huang family has now destroyed Liu Haizhong's house and courtyard.

If Li Aiguo weren't here, he could easily side with his relatives and make a big fuss over nothing.

Not anymore.

Li Aiguo looked at Secretary Huang, understanding his concerns, and after thinking for a moment asked, "Secretary Huang, do you know where this place is? It's Beijing! And a few miles ahead, do you know where that is? Are they here causing this destruction because someone is directing them?"

Upon hearing this, Party Secretary Huang was startled: "Driver Li, it can't be that bad, it can't be that bad."

“Brother Huang, you think this is a small matter, but if this kind of thing really blows up, what will people think? Huangjiazhuang Commune attacking the capital? If this were before liberation, it would be a capital offense.”

Li Aiguo wasn't trying to scare Secretary Huang; what's most abundant now are those who stir up trouble.

Upon hearing this, Party Secretary Huang couldn't help but take a sip of water and then said, "But it's also true that the Huang family members were beaten."

“Brother Huang, you’re mistaken. It was the Huang family who started the trouble. Liu Haizhong and the others were only forced to retaliate. How can you remain indifferent when others come to your house and cause trouble?” Li Aiguo emphasized.

Liu Zhenshan nodded in agreement: "Secretary Huang, our goal right now is to calm this down as soon as possible. Otherwise, we would have already arrested everyone and locked them up in the fence. Even though there was a reason for it, the Huang family shouldn't be causing trouble."

Actually, this matter is quite complicated, and the local police station really can't handle it in a big way.

After all, it's a fact that Liu Guangqi abandoned Huang Chunlan and ran away. This is a big fuss and will also affect Liu Haizhong.

If the commune is not satisfied, they can send a few reckless thugs to throw black bricks at night. There's no way around it; these days, it's not uncommon for people to be killed over a single sentence.

After finishing his cigarette, Secretary Huang looked up at Li Aiguo and asked, "Driver Li, can we talk alone?"

Li Aiguo led Secretary Huang to the next office and offered him a cigarette.

Party Secretary Huang lit a cigarette and asked, "Driver Li, what do you think about this?"

Li Aiguo also lit a cigarette: "The ringleader will definitely be sent in. The impact is too bad. They came from another city to cause trouble. The steel mill won't agree to it."

No matter what, if you fight in a courtyard house, you'll get punished.

"The Huang family's actions are indeed outrageous, but..." Secretary Huang didn't finish his sentence.

Li Aiguo suddenly changed the subject: "It's time to plant corn over there at the switch station in the fall. All the land needs to be turned over. We need a lot of labor this year. I think the labor force in your commune is working very hard."

"Also, the locomotive depot has enough grain this year, and we need to get some vegetables too. The vegetables from your commune are of good quality, especially the Chinese cabbage."

Secretary Huang was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood Li Aiguo's intention.

"This is a good thing. Thank you so much, Driver Li. I believe the commune members will understand the commune's decision."

Secretary Huang has some skill in maintaining his position as secretary.

As long as he can send people to work on the railway and sell the cabbages, he'll lock anyone who dares to complain behind their back in a dark room.

After returning to his office, Secretary Huang changed his tune and promised to take the Huang family back and punish them severely.

Although the leaders of those communes were unaware of what had happened, they understood that the two sides must have reached an agreement, so they didn't say anything more.

Only one commune leader raised his hand: "What about Liu Guangqi? Huang Chunlan is still crying at my house. Are we just going to let this go like this?"

Li Aiguo looked at Liu Zhenshan, who straightened up and said, "Comrade, nowadays we advocate freedom of marriage. Liu Guangqi wants to divorce Huang Chunlan, and even his parents can't stop him. What's wrong with you? Do you want to find Liu Guangqi and kidnap him back?"

Liu Zhenshan was also angry with Liu Guangqi, but the necessary decisions had to be made.

The commune leader wanted to say something, but Secretary Huang stopped him.

"Third brother, stop arguing, just do as the police officer says."

Subsequently, Secretary Huang and his group discussed a detailed solution with Liu Zhenshan and the leaders of the police station.

Li Aiguo and Xu Damao arrived at the hospital.

Good heavens, even though Uncle Er only had superficial injuries, he was bruised and swollen. Aunt Er had broken her arm and was wearing a sling around her neck with gauze.

There were also several young people from Huangjiazhuang Commune nearby. Their condition was quite serious; three of them had broken arms or legs, and another had his head wrapped in bandages.

It's no exaggeration to say that Liu Haizhong's fighting prowess is comparable to Sha Zhu's.

“If you don’t hand over Liu Guangqi, I’ll tear your Liu family apart!” one of the young men shouted. Officers from the local police station arrived and took him away, along with the injured members of the Huang family.

"Second Uncle, how did you end up losing out this time?" Li Aiguo asked with a smile as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Liu Haizhong smiled bitterly: "Aiguo, you don't know, the Huang family are all bastards. They actually launched a sneak attack. I was caught off guard and that's why I suffered a loss."

Xu Damao nodded: "Those guys aren't members at all, they're just street thugs."

That's true. Li Aiguo always felt that those commune members who took action were no different from the thugs on the street.

At this moment, the second aunt asked, "Aiguo, do you have any news about Guangqi?"

Li Aiguo shook his head, and Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth and said, "I don't have such a scoundrel of a son!"

Liu Haizhong was indeed angry with Liu Guangqi this time. He caused trouble and then ran away, leaving his mother to be beaten up like this.

Aunt Erda tried to comfort him, saying, "Old man, don't be angry. Guangqi must have been threatened by the Huang family, which is why he ran away."

While they were chatting, a middle-aged nurse came in to change the second aunt's dressing. She was carrying a tray, but her gaze fell on Liu Haizhong.

"Eh, are you Comrade Eel?"

These words left the people in the ward completely bewildered.

"An eel?" Xu Damao pointed at Liu Haizhong and asked, "Does this old man look like an eel?"

The nurse shook her head: "No, it's the person who was caught in the swallow's nest with the eel inside. I even helped pull him out. How did you get afterward? Why didn't you come for a follow-up checkup?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's face turned bright red: "This all happened several years ago."

Li Aiguo also remembered Liu Haizhong's affair with the eel, and mentally gave the nurse a thumbs up: She's really dedicated.

Xu Damao also remembered it and wanted to laugh, but Li Aiguo pulled him away.

Now that Liu Haizhong is a leader, he's someone who cares about his reputation.

On the other hand, after the local police station and Huangjiazhuang Commune reached an agreement, Secretary Huang found a car and took all the Huang family members back.

Huang Chunlan originally wanted to find Liu Guangqi, but now not only has he not been found, but several of her brothers have also been arrested. So she wanted to make a scene and even wanted Baoding to intervene.

Huangjiazhuang Commune issued a statement explaining the situation.

The leaders in Baoding felt that Huang Chunlan was making trouble out of nothing, so they sent someone to talk to her.

When Li Aiguo returned to the courtyard house from the hospital, the courtyard had been basically cleaned up.

Zhang Gangzhu said angrily, "It's only because I wasn't here that none of these people would have been able to leave."

"Who would have thought Liu Guangqi would run away? The Huang family came to demand his return."

"Yes, Huang Chunlan is quite capable to drive her husband away."

"What skill do you have? You can only suck blood."

“I’ve heard before that Liu Guangqi has to hand over his entire monthly salary, and Huang Chunlan does nothing; Liu Guangqi even cooks her meals.”

"Tsk tsk, this kind of woman is really a menace."

"Now it's all good, we've driven Liu Guangqi away."

"She'll definitely ruin other men in the future."

"Young people in our compound need to be careful when they get married."

"It seems like an old man is at home, why didn't he show up?"

"It seems like you're not feeling well."

"I think he's just hiding. Hehe, in our compound, Aiguo is the most reliable. He went to the police station as soon as he heard the news."

"Patriotism, you're back."

As soon as Li Aiguo entered the courtyard, the residents rushed over. Zhang Gangzhu asked, "Aiguo, how are those people?"

"He's already been taken back to the commune. He'll probably get a few years in prison. Everyone, pack up and get some rest," Li Aiguo said.

"That's good." "It still has to be Aiguo who steps forward."

At this moment, Xu Damao bought cigarettes and returned. Seeing so many people gathered around, he squeezed in and said, "Brother Aiguo is really something. With just a few words, he got the leaders of Huangjiazhuang Commune to take the people back."

You wouldn't believe it, those guys are really fierce; they all have old hunting rifles at home.

"Really? What happened?" The residents were also worried that the people from Huangjiazhuang would come to cause trouble again.

Xu Damao had no idea what had happened, but that didn't stop him from bragging.

Yi Zhonghai stood by the window, and upon hearing the sounds outside, his brows furrowed deeply.

"The people of Huangjiazhuang have a blood feud with the Siheyuan, how could it be resolved so easily?"

Why didn't the leaders of Huangjiazhuang Commune cause trouble?

"What methods did Li Aiguo use?"

Yi Zhonghai was completely baffled.

However, he realized one thing: he seemed to have become a coward.

"Ahem, everyone's still up? I've heard about what happened today. We can't let our courtyard be bullied like this. Let's have a meeting and discuss what to do."

Yi Zhonghai pushed open the door and walked out.

The residents glanced at him indifferently and then dispersed, ignoring him completely.

An old man who only knows how to hide is not trustworthy at all.

The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving only Yi Zhonghai standing there dumbfounded, his fists clenched.

This is the first time in all these years that he has been so humiliated.

"Li Aiguo, this isn't over!"

****
The next day, Li Aiguo took a break and designed the railway oil tanker.

As these are tank trucks specifically designed for transporting crude oil, a closed, gravity-flow unloading process is implemented, utilizing the unloading interface to connect to the unloading arm to achieve bottom oil discharge.

The most important part is the heating device. Li Aiguo adopted internal heating. The tank is divided into two layers. Heating pipes are installed inside, and heating channel steel is specially set at the bottom of the tank to reduce the heating blind spot.

This thing is very simple; it only took half a day to complete.

Just as I was busy, a commotion came from outside.

Liu Haizhong and his second aunt were discharged from the hospital and returned to their courtyard house.

The two were supposed to stay a few more days, but a doctor at the hospital was very interested in the eel's medical records and kept asking Liu Haizhong what he felt back then, and even wanted to break it open for examination.

If this were written into a paper, it might be published in a medical journal.

Liu Haizhong couldn't take it anymore, so he went through the discharge procedures.

"Aiguo, thank you so much for yesterday." Liu Haizhong, carrying a canvas bag, knocked on the Li family's door with his second aunt.

When no one was looking, he took a bottle of old Moutai from his canvas bag and handed it over.

This stuff is extremely rare, and since Li Aiguo was planning to brew medicinal wine anyway, he accepted it.

Li Aiguo returned to the kitchen, took out two packets of brown sugar, and handed them over.

"Second Uncle, don't make a sound."

"This, this is so embarrassing." Liu Haizhong looked a little unhappy.

"This isn't for you, it's for your second aunt. After a hundred days of heartbreak and broken bones, your second aunt needs to take good care of herself so she won't suffer any lasting effects."

The second uncle nodded, put away the brown sugar, and then said, "The police have already notified me that the Huang family will compensate for the damaged items. I heard the details from Captain Liu. Aiguo, if it weren't for you, our family would be in real trouble."

Liu Haizhong didn't sleep for most of last night, analyzing how to handle the matter.

Either way, it will leave loose ends, and might even escalate into a bigger mess.

After listening to Liu Zhenshan's explanation today, Liu Haizhong was extremely impressed.

This approach not only preserved the reputation of the courtyard house but also took care of the Huangjiazhuang Commune.

This is what it means to be well-considered.

Liu Haizhong felt that he had learned a lot.

"Uncle, you should trust that the officers at the police station can handle this."

"Sigh, who would have thought that brat Liu Guangqi would run away?" Liu Haizhong said.

Liu Guangqi came back a few times recently, shouting that he wanted to divorce Huang Chunlan, but Liu Haizhong was still angry about what happened last time and ignored him.

In fact, Liu Haizhong only found out that Liu Guangqi had run away when the Huang family blocked the door.

When he met his in-laws, he originally planned to entertain them and then send them off, but who knew that the young men from Huangjiazhuang would suddenly start a fight.

Liu Haizhong was already incredibly skilled in combat, and after suffering a loss, he launched a counterattack, taking down several opponents.

"Where is Liu Guangqi?" Li Aiguo asked.

"Sigh, I wonder where that brat has gone. You know, things are a bit more chaotic now than they were a couple of years ago. Some people are running around everywhere. Guangqi might have gone to another place with them. If he comes back, I'll definitely break his legs."

Liu Haizhong was very disappointed in Liu Guangqi. When he said this, his lips trembled with anger.

This was a family matter for the Liu family, and Li Aiguo did not offer any opinion.

After chatting for a few minutes, Liu Haizhong left.

Li Aiguo returned to his study and picked up the drawings again.

The next day, Li Aiguo could have had another day off, but he received a call from his colleagues in the ministry informing him that a railway standards drafting group had been established and they needed to hear his opinion.

Li Aiguo put the documents he had prepared in advance into a file bag, got on his motorcycle, and went to the ministry.

The standard drafting group was chaired by Professor Liu Guozhang.

The subway in Beijing is now one-third complete, and Liu Guozhang has been praised by his superiors for his outstanding performance.

He has been in charge of technical research for many years and has a high reputation, making him the most suitable person to be in charge of drafting standards.

"We, master and disciple, will be fighting side by side again." Liu Guozhang was particularly happy to see Li Aiguo.

"It is my honor to be able to help the teacher."

As Li Aiguo spoke, he placed the prepared materials on the table.

These materials are derived from some experiences of later generations.

First, the scope of iron standard parts was defined, specifically including fasteners, connectors, transmission parts, seals, hydraulic components, pneumatic components, bearings, springs and other mechanical parts.

It can be said that it basically covers all the commonly used parts in the machinery industry.

Liu Guozhang, who had been in charge of locomotive production and research for many years, immediately recognized the benefits of this standard.

"It's really a good product, Aiguo. You've given your teacher another surprise this time." He handed Li Aiguo a cigarette.

Li Aiguo took the document and pointed out: "Teacher, these standards involve a lot of content, which needs to be explored in production, and the standards also need to be revised according to industrial upgrading. We can't make standards just for the sake of making standards."

"Standards are for production purposes, and this reminder is very timely."

Liu Guozhang was also aware of some of the chaotic situations below.

Subsequently, the iron standard development team began to contact front-line workshops and relevant research institutes to develop iron standards.

Because the compilation process was very complicated, Li Aiguo did not participate in it.

In the afternoon, after finishing his work, Li Aiguo returned to the courtyard house early.

Liu Haizhong was squatting on the ground, holding an egg up to the sun, seemingly aiming at something.

There were a dozen or so eggs in the sieve at his feet.

"Second Uncle, what's wrong?" Li Aiguo stopped in his tracks.

"Don't mention it, come and take a look." Liu Haizhong handed the eggs to Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo was completely baffled, but he followed suit and peered at the sun, only to see nothing.

"The yolk of this egg has been shaken apart," Liu Haizhong said angrily. "These eggs will spoil in a few days. These guys are so mean."

Li Aiguo was both amused and exasperated, wondering if Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu's homework had been torn up.

"It's nothing serious, I'll make fried eggs tonight." Aunt Er came out and stopped Liu Haizhong, then said, "I went to the police station today. Huang Chunlan is such a pitiful yet hateful person."

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo asked curiously, "Why?"

"Huang Chunlan is pregnant."

"Huh?" This left Li Aiguo speechless.

“It’s not from Guangqi.” As she spoke, the second aunt turned around, went into the house, and took out a letter, handing it over: “This is a letter from Guangqi. Judging from the date, it was written before he left Baoding.”

Li Aiguo wanted to take it, but after thinking for a moment, he waved his hand and said, "Second Aunt, you can talk to her."

“The child isn’t Guangqi’s. Guangqi hasn’t slept with Huang Chunlan for six months.” This matter concerns Liu Guangqi’s reputation, so the second aunt didn’t try to hide it.

"After Guangqi discovered that Huang Chunlan was pregnant, he became suspicious and took a few days off to follow her. He found out that she had a relationship with a thug on the street, and that thug was the father of the child."

When Qingpi learned that Huang Chunlan was pregnant, he kicked her away.

Guangqi couldn't accept this situation, so he simply left.

Li Aiguo was also puzzled. Liu Guangqi had at least attended a vocational school; he couldn't possibly do something so unreliable.

Now I understand, Liu Guangqi didn't want to become a father unintentionally.

There was no way to publicize this, so he simply left.

As Liu Haizhong sorted through the eggs, he said, "The ringleaders of the Huang family who came to cause trouble have been sentenced."

“These guys are too arrogant, they deserve it!” Li Aiguo nodded.

Seeing that all the egg yolks had been shaken apart, Liu Haizhong was a little annoyed. He sighed and said, "I'll make fried eggs tonight. Aiguo, you don't need to cook. I'll invite Gangzhu and Da Mao over too. I'm sorry to have troubled them with this matter."

"Okay." Li Aiguo didn't refuse.

In the evening, Liu Haizhong's family made fried eggs, boiled eggs, and steamed eggs, almost an all-egg feast.

A group of people sat around a table eating eggs and drinking alcohol, creating a lively atmosphere.

Liu Haizhong toasted each of the residents, and although he didn't say it explicitly, everyone understood what he meant.

"Second Uncle, don't worry, I'll spread the word tomorrow, and we'll definitely be able to find Liu Guangqi."

Everyone was willing to help, but Liu Guangqi had disappeared somewhere; he might not be in the capital, and there was no news of him.

Wednesday arrived before they knew it, and the comrades from the Sartu Equipment Department arrived in the capital.

Li Aiguo got up early, rode his motorcycle towards the Qianmen Locomotive Depot in the golden sunlight.

(End of this chapter)