The train driver in the courtyard

The next morning, Li Aiguo and Chen Xueru had breakfast at Aunt Liu's house.

The food was leftovers from yesterday's banquet, also known as "leftover vegetables." After being reheated and stir-fried, it tasted quite good.

He Yushui looked at Liu Diquan and Zhang Chunye with a strange smile.

Zhang Chunye blushed and couldn't even lift her head, while Liu Diquan was also somewhat embarrassed.

"Little Leaf is awake."

Hearing the child's voice coming from inside the house, Zhang Chunye quickly stood up, supported herself on the table, went into He Yushui's room, and took Xiao Yezi out.

Little Ye rubbed her sleepy eyes and called out to Liu Diquan, "Second Uncle!"

While fetching water for her to wash her face, Zhang Chunye corrected her, saying, "From now on, you should call me Dad."

Little Yezi stared wide-eyed, looking somewhat bewildered: "Mom, I have a dad."

Zhang Chunye's expression stiffened slightly; she wanted to explain, but didn't know how to begin.

Liu Diquan stood up, took Xiao Yezi, and said, "Chunye, I am Xiao Yezi's second father, and that will never change."

"Little Yezi, our train is at 11 a.m., I'll take you to the park later, okay?"

"Little Yezi has never been to a park in her life." The little girl hugged Liu Diquan's neck and giggled.

After breakfast, Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, partly to ask Zhou Tiehu to help Liu Diquan and his family of three buy train tickets to the south.

Secondly, we are preparing to go to Daqing.

After finishing all that, Li Aiguo planned to go to the greenhouse to pick some fresh vegetables, but he saw Professor Chen and the other professors packing up their bedding, seemingly leaving.

"Teacher Chen, what's wrong?"

"It's about patriotism. Now that the corn seeds have been distributed to various places, we also need to go down and keep an eye on them."

Li Aiguo's expression changed slightly: "You're going to the local area?"

It should be noted that the railway's farmland is now spread throughout the country, covering a very wide area.

If these old professors were to visit each and every one of them, their legs would probably break.

“Even if we can’t visit all of them, we should at least take a look around some of the large state-owned farms. We agricultural workers can’t just sit in our offices and focus on experimental fields.” Professor Chen said, then picked up his luggage and prepared to leave.

Li Aiguo knew the temperament of Professor Chen, an older generation agricultural expert, so he didn't try to persuade him further. He simply contacted the locomotive depot and asked them to send someone to help coordinate.

Professor Chen has been helping to improve varieties and develop planting plans in the greenhouse recently, which has been a great help.

After doing all this, it was already past 10 a.m. Li Aiguo drove his SUV and put Liu Diquan and his family of three on the train.

Aunt Liu originally wanted to keep Xiao Yezi, but Zhang Chunye couldn't bear to part with her and could only wait until Liu Diquan was transferred back before making a decision.

The train to Daqing departs at 3 PM.

As always, Chen Xueru held Xiao Dongfang in her arms and held Xiao Hongsheng and Xiao Mingwei by the hand. Her eyes were slightly red as she waved goodbye to Li Aiguo.

Even though she had gotten used to it, Chen Xueru still felt a pang of sadness every time the time for parting came.

She felt she couldn't live without this rough man for the rest of her life.

"Go back, this business trip will only last for about ten days." Li Aiguo rolled down the window and waved to Chen Xueru and the three children.

The jeep gradually drove away and eventually disappeared from Chen Xueru's hazy vision.

"Is Aiguo away on another business trip?" Chen Xueru's thoughts were interrupted by a voice. She turned her head and saw that it was Yi Zhonghai.

"I'm away on a business trip."

Chen Xueru found it strange that Yi Zhonghai, who usually didn't get along with Li Aiguo, would be so concerned about Li Aiguo's whereabouts.

Yi Zhonghai didn't explain, he just smiled and left.

Li Aiguo is away on a business trip, and Master Liu, the operator of the four-roll plate bending machine, has also taken leave. The plan can begin.

Yi Zhonghai straightened his collar and strode toward the steel rolling mill.

****
Li Aiguo brought with him a wild car expert and two other technicians from his studio.

Because the two-headed donkey-like beetle has now been classified as classified equipment, it requires escort.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot dispatched Zhou Ke, along with several comrades from the railway police station, to accompany them.

There is no direct train from Beijing to Daqing. You need to go to Jinzhou first, then take a train from Jinzhou to Sartu Railway Station, and finally transfer by car.

To facilitate transportation, the two-headed donkey-like insect was disassembled into parts and packed into wooden crates. Because of its large size, the train carried an extra carriage.

There were no seats inside the wagon; wooden crates took up most of the space.

Zhou Ke found some tattered burlap sacks and spread them on the ground. Several people sat on the ground and played cards, which was quite comfortable.

The only annoying thing is that when you need to relieve yourself, you have to be careful about the angle; if you're facing the wind, you'll get covered in fumes.

Zhou Ke suffered a great loss once.

After arriving at Jinzhou Railway Station, Li Aiguo asked the station staff to complete the transfer procedures, and the station staff helped him attach his carriage to the back of the train bound for Sartu.

"The train is scheduled to depart in half an hour. You can go to the canteen for a meal first, as food is not provided on the train," a station staff member kindly reminded you.

Since this trip was also part of a mission for the railway department, Li Aiguo brought a letter of introduction, so he didn't need money or meal tickets for either train travel or meals.

Adhering to the principle of avoiding waste, Li Aiguo and his friends ate their meal in the cafeteria.

The food was simple, just steamed buns and cabbage, but it was hot, and it warmed me up from head to toe.

After smoking a cigarette, seeing that it was getting late, I strolled back to the platform to board the train.

As soon as I got to the train, I saw several young men gathered around the carriage.

"Comrade, this train car is so empty, could you let us in?"

"Yes, the carriages in front are all full, there's not even room to stand."

The flight attendant seemed a bit embarrassed and tried her best to explain: "This is a wagon for transporting equipment, it's not under our crew's jurisdiction. Why don't you take the next train tomorrow?"

Hearing this, the young men became anxious, and some even started shouting at the top of their lungs.

The young man with a side-parted hairstyle and a Plum Blossom watch was the loudest.

"We came here to support Daqing, and there are clearly empty seats, but you won't let us sit. Is this how you treat your guests?"

"Wang Kun, what are you doing? The flight attendant is just following the rules."

One of the women with a ponytail, presumably the leader, stopped the man with the side part.

She smiled and looked at the flight attendant, saying, "We are a team that came from the border region to support the oilfield campaign. Our teammates have already started working. If we are any later, we won't be able to complete our mission. Comrade, please help us out since we have come all this way."

The woman's words weren't without merit, and the flight attendant was in a bit of a dilemma.

At this moment, seeing Li Aiguo and his group approaching, the flight attendant quickly explained the situation.

Recently, a massive oilfield campaign has been launched in Daqing Oilfield, with oil workers from all over the country coming to support it. However, there is only one train a day to Sartu.

There are too many people; there aren't even enough seats on the train.

Li Aiguo looked inside the wagon; the parts were all packed in wooden crates covered with tarpaulins, so there was no need to worry about leaks.

Zhou Ke also said, "Let them go up. Don't dampen the enthusiasm of our comrades."

Li Aiguo walked over and called the woman with the ponytail aside, saying, "Comrade, we come from all over the country and have come together for the same goal. It is only right that we help each other. However, after you get on the train, you can only stay in the front half of the carriage."

Upon hearing that she could get on the bus, the woman with the ponytail nodded excitedly: "Don't worry, all the comrades in our 3012 Drilling Team are disciplined and good comrades."

The woman with the ponytail told the young men about Li Aiguo's request, and everyone was very happy.

After boarding the train, they all sat properly in the front half of the carriage.

As the train started moving, a few young men began to sing, adding a bit of fun to the otherwise monotonous journey.

Li Aiguo brought a lot of books with him this time, and during a break, he leaned against the carriage and started reading.

Suddenly, a huge pomegranate appeared in front of me.

Following the small hand, Li Aiguo saw Comrade with the ponytail, who was looking at him with his big, blinking eyes.

"Boss, thank you so much this time. This is a local specialty of our area, pomegranate, and it tastes very good."

After receiving the pomegranate, Li Aiguo did not break it open but instead threw it directly into his canvas bag.

"What a strange person," the man with the ponytail said, sitting cross-legged in front of Li Aiguo. "Comrade, you don't seem to be oil workers, do you?"

“You have a good eye. We’re from the railway department,” Li Aiguo said as he continued reading.

The girl, however, started talking non-stop, chattering away beside me.

This girl's name is Malanhua, and she comes from Karamay. Despite her young age, short stature, and slender build, she is very capable.

“Back in the Karamay oil field, I’m the youngest section chief.” Ma Lanhua felt that the train driver in front of her was looking down on her.

Li Aiguo closed the book, squinted and smiled, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, your parents must be oil workers, or you must have relatives working in the oil field."

Malan Flower asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

“As far as I know, there are certain requirements for height and weight when recruiting workers in the oil field, and you are clearly not qualified.” Li Aiguo looked at the shoes on Ma Lanhua’s feet.

Those were "Blue Light" brand shoes. A pair of these shoes cost two yuan, which was quite expensive, but they sold well.

Because of its thick sole and wedge heel, it can be considered a rare height-increasing shoe these days.

Only those familiar with the "unspoken rules" of recruitment in the petroleum industry can prepare in advance.

Ma Lanhua subconsciously shrank back a little, but then stood up straight again and said frankly, "I am a little short, but I am no less strong than the men. It's the job requirements that are wrong. They even have a weight requirement, which makes me have to carry some pebbles in my pockets."

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo couldn't help but look at Malan Flower with newfound respect.

This woman is no ordinary person; she's capable of coming up with such a bizarre idea.

Zhou Ke also gave a thumbs up: "Comrade Malanhua, I am willing to call you the female Zhuge Liang."

"What a glib-tongued fellow." Ma Lanhua rolled her eyes at Zhou Ke and continued chattering away at Li Aiguo.

Zhou Ke was a little annoyed. How come he was more glib than Li Aiguo?

Is being handsome the only thing that matters?

"Lanhua, what's the point of talking to these people? They're just a bunch of roughnecks messing around with trains." Wang Kun, with his side-parted hair, had been staring at Ma Lanhua the whole time, and now he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Wang Kun, we're comrades, please call me Comrade Ma Lanhua." Ma Lanhua was chatting enthusiastically when she was interrupted, and she was a little angry. Li Aiguo had noticed the side-parted haircut long ago; it was this guy who caused trouble at the train station.

"Who is this?"

"I am Wang Kun, deputy driller." Wang Kun tossed his hair, looking somewhat proud.

"Alright, Wang Kun, I'm talking to my colleagues from the railway department about work. This is none of your business." Ma Lanhua couldn't stand Wang Kun's sleazy manner and shooed him aside.

After Wang Kun left in a huff, Ma Lanhua explained somewhat awkwardly, "Comrade Aiguo, that's just how Wang Kun is. He's not a bad person at heart, and he's even a vocational school graduate."

"A vocational school graduate working as an assistant driller on a drilling team?" Li Aiguo frowned.

You should know that working in an oil drilling team is hard work, and they need hardworking and resilient people first, not highly educated people.

"I don't know the specifics, I only know that Wang Kun is from the border region and volunteered to join the drilling team."

Li Aiguo didn't pay much attention; it was an internal matter for the drilling team, and he shouldn't pry too much.

Wang Kun squatted not far away, chatting with the drilling team members, but his eyes were always fixed on this side, and he would occasionally purse his lips.

The reason he volunteered to participate in the oilfield campaign was to get closer to Malanhua, and ideally, to get a marriage certificate.

Although Malanhua is short, she comes from a good family; her father was a soldier who transferred to the oil industry.

Although my mother was an intellectual, she taught the masses to read and write for many years, earning the title of "masses teacher." She also participated in a women's representative team.

Li Aiguo had originally planned to read a book, but seeing this situation, he simply closed the book and started chatting with Ma Lanhua.

When Li Aiguo was driving, he traveled all over the country and saw a lot of things. He told stories of strange and wonderful things that happened on the railway.

This amused Malanhua, who cried out in surprise, and even attracted the attention of the team members.

"Comrade Patriot, you really encountered a tiger?"

Seeing this, Wang Kun was so angry that his mouth almost twisted into a crooked shape.

"He's just a train driver, what's so great about him! If my grandfather came back from there, I would at least be promoted to section chief."

During the rest of the journey, Li Aiguo chatted enthusiastically with Ma Lanhua and the young team members.

"Lanhua, I have an upset stomach," a female worker suddenly raised her hand.

"I'm not feeling well, is it convenient for you?" Ma Lanhua had barely uttered the words when she realized her oversight: the only way to use the toilet here was to stand at the door of the train car.

It's a bit easier for men, but it's more difficult for women due to the position.

"Here are a few beer bottles for you ladies to use."

As a veteran train worker, Li Aiguo originally planned to save the beer bottles for use in the middle of the night to avoid getting a cold bottom, but when he saw that they were needed here, he took them out.

"This, this isn't appropriate, is it? I'm a woman." The female worker's face turned pale when she saw the beer bottle.

Wang Kun, who had been watching them closely, immediately stepped forward and said, "Comrade, I think you're just being a hooligan!"

"How did I act like a hooligan? Fine, if you don't need it, I won't give you the beer bottle."

Li Aiguo meant well, but when the other party didn't appreciate it and instead started to label him, he got a little angry.

Both are aimed at supporting the development of the oil industry, so which one is superior to the other?

Wang Kun's expression changed drastically. Before he could say anything more, Ma Lanhua pushed him, saying, "Wang Kun, you have no right to speak here. Stay away."

Wang Kun felt wronged, but seeing that Ma Lanhua was angry, he could only walk over dejectedly.

The woman tried to say something coy, but Ma Lanhua scolded her: "Xiao Qin, there is no distinction between men and women in our drilling team. We only have one identity, which is oil worker."

If you think that because you're a woman you should receive preferential treatment, then get off the bus and immediately take another bus back. I will personally call the leader to explain.

It must be said that Ma Lanhua, despite her young age, possesses strong leadership skills; with just a few words, she rendered the female worker speechless.

"Comrade Aiguo, our team members had a problem with their attitude just now. I apologize to you for this beer bottle," Ma Lanhua said with a smile.

"Here."

Li Aiguo wasn't the stingy type; he would help when he needed to, so he handed over the beer bottle.

The woman took the bottle and walked to the corner, then turned back to look at him, clearly still a little shy.

Li Aiguo made all the male workers and Zhou Ke turn their backs, which solved a huge problem.

Because the passenger train was traveling on an oil transport line, it had to give way to oil tanker trains. The train kept stopping and starting, and it took nearly two days to finally arrive at Sartu Railway Station.

"Comrade Patriot, we have to go report now, goodbye."

Malanhua thanked them and led the group of young team members off the train.

“Captain, there’s absolutely no need for us to be so enthusiastic towards those roughnecks on the railway.” After getting off the train, Wang Kun, who had been listless the whole way, perked up again.

“We are oil workers. Oil is the most precious strategic resource. Their railways are also very important, but they are a little lacking compared to us.”

"And that guy took your pomegranate but didn't eat it; he's obviously a country bumpkin who's never seen a pomegranate before."

Along the way, Wang Kun began to chatter incessantly.

Although Malanhua knew Wang Kun's temperament, she couldn't help herself and stopped to speak.

"Wang Kun, we are all workers, just with different roles. No one is more important than the other."

Perhaps Comrade Li Aiguo didn't eat pomegranates for other reasons, perhaps because they carried heavy responsibilities.

Ma Lanhua recalled that although Li Aiguo chatted enthusiastically with them along the way, he never mentioned the reason for their trip to Daqing.

As for Zhou Ke and those young men, their waists were bulging, clearly indicating that they were carrying weapons.

"Bearing heavy responsibilities? Them?" Wang Kun chuckled.

He watched as Ma Lanhua left quickly, then suppressed his smile and followed behind, saying, "Lanhua, I'm afraid you'll be deceived by others. People outside are much more cunning than those of us in the oil industry."

"How many times have I told you, please call me Comrade Malanhua."

Watching Wang Kun buzz around the Malan flower like a fly, Zhou Ke shook his head with a smile: "So that's why this kid is targeting us, he has his own agenda."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Zhou Ke, go and inform the train station to arrange for unloading." Li Aiguo withdrew his gaze, his expression turning serious.

"Yes!"

After getting off the train, Zhou Ke reported the arrival of the parts to the Technical Department of the State Farm through the train station.

The technical department had already prepared vehicles for transportation.

However, the station was full of railway workers who had come to help, so they couldn't move the boxes containing the parts down there and had to wait.

Li Aiguo wasn't in a hurry. He sat by the carriage door, leisurely smoking a cigarette.

About an hour later, Section Chief Xu from the State Farm arrived with several employees.

"Comrade Patriot, welcome to Daqing."

Li Aiguo threw away his cigarette butt, jumped onto the train, tore open the tarpaulin, and explained how the boxes should be arranged.

Boxes containing motors should be placed on top to prevent collisions, and boxes with four-bar linkages should also be placed separately.

"Don't worry, the people I brought were drawn from the logistics department and they often transport valuable equipment."

The workers carried the boxes and loaded them onto the truck next to them.

Section Chief Xu was chatting with Li Aiguo when he suddenly exclaimed, quickly walked over, and picked up a beer bottle.

"Patriotism, it's such a waste to leave this beer unfinished."

Li Aiguo: "."

By the time the loading was finished, it was already evening. After taking a couple of bites of the dry biscuits delivered by the station, the truck was ready to depart.

There were five trucks involved in the transport, each with armed personnel carrying submachine guns, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

At this time, the oil workers who had been assigned jobs were also preparing to take the bus to the State Farm, and the road was crowded with people.

The truck honked its horn a few times, and people on both sides of the road all looked over.

A young employee suddenly shouted, "Look, isn't that the train driver sitting in the truck?"

Malanhua held the report and looked closely, and sure enough, she saw that burly figure.

"Private car service and guards, these people are definitely not ordinary."

Wang Kun pursed his lips, turned his head away, and pretended not to see it.

Li Aiguo had always thought that Section Chief Xu was with his guards to guard against Dieter, but after leaving Sartu, he realized that they were dealing with wild wolves.

The oil-producing area of ​​Daqing Oilfield is located on pastures, with two sheep farms, Wuxing and Yinlang, located 20 to 30 miles to the south.

On the north side are the Hongji Horse Farm, the Hongweixing Pig Farm, and five cattle farms: Chunlei, Dongfeng, Gongnong Tuanjie, Xinghuo, and Longfeng.

The area is sparsely populated and has many wild wolves. Even sitting in the driver's seat, Li Aiguo could see pairs of green eyes gleaming on the pasture.

Unfortunately, these wolves seemed to know that the convoy was not to be trifled with, and they ran away with their tails between their legs as soon as they heard the commotion.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered patrol teams from the farm. Only after Section Chief Xu showed his credentials did the farm's militia allow them to pass.

As they passed through the farm, they saw scattered lights in the distance, and Li Aiguo knew they had arrived in Daqing.

At that time, Daqing was just a small town in the northern part of the Songnen Plain, originally named Datong.

The town was built for oil drilling, and it was full of rammed earth buildings. Li Aiguo had seen these in Northwest China; they were actually workers' dormitories.

The truck drove into the compound where the technical department was located; it was already past 10 p.m.

As soon as the truck stopped, a middle-aged man in uniform strode forward and helped open the door.

Section Chief Xu was somewhat surprised to see the middle-aged man: "Old Zhou, what brings you here?"

Seeing that Li Aiguo was a little confused, Section Chief Xu quickly explained the other party's identity to Li Aiguo. This middle-aged man was Zhou Zhou, the section chief of the security section of the State Farm General Farm. Acquaintances usually called him Lao Zhou.

After nodding to Section Chief Xu, Zhou Zhou went straight to Li Aiguo, smiling and extending his hand: "You must be Comrade Li Aiguo, the train driver from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot?"

Li Aiguo was somewhat bewildered.

Zhou Zhou laughed heartily: "I called Zhang Erhei the day before yesterday, and he asked me to thank you for the motorcycle you sent."

(End of this chapter)