The train driver in the courtyard

People are in high spirits when good things happen. Last night, three people were arrested, and this morning I learned from Chief Engineer Wan that the wellhead has passed inspection.

Once the installation of the beetle is completed, we can go back.

Li Aiguo didn't find it hard, but life at the well site was too monotonous. There was nothing to do besides work, and there wasn't even a woman to spice things up.

As with all production tasks, the drilling team leader also gave a pre-battle pep talk.

"This assembly task is a key task, so everyone needs to be on your toes."

"Anyone who dares to slack off and get diarrhea, I'll kick them into a well."

"If the job is done well, the male workers will be given two jin of baijiu, guaranteed to be Fenjiu from Shanxi, and the female workers will be given soap."

"Let's all work together towards the same goal and strive to complete the task ahead of schedule."

Accompanied by a loud shout, the workers rushed towards their respective workstations with great momentum.

The well site was filled with the roar of machinery, and red flags fluttered in the wind.

Li Aiguo experienced the atmosphere of the oilfield campaign for the first time.

This feels so good.

Around 10 a.m., all the parts were delivered to the wellhead.

Li Aiguo built a large shed next to the site, mainly to ensure the experiment could proceed, since it was summer and it often rained there.

"The railway department is indeed the big brother. Look at these parts, they are made without a single burr. Their technical level is comparable to that of the Russians."

"It's all thanks to everyone's help; many hands make light work." Li Aiguo has been exhausted these past two days, eating and sleeping in the shed. It's usually quite filthy when grown men get together, especially since Zhou Ke likes to grind his teeth at night.

Compared to the machines we used to make, the number of parts for this oil pumping unit isn't that many, but they are all quite large, making installation quite difficult.

No one understands the importance of oil pumping units better than leaders in the oil industry, especially now that foreign oil pumping units are either increasing in price or refusing to be sold to us.

The oil well quickly attracted the attention of many leaders.

Chief Engineer Wan disliked that those people were delaying the work, so he simply drew a line with white lime a few dozen meters away from the oil well. Visitors could come, but they couldn't cross the line.

Since it was their first time installing a vehicle on-site, Li Aiguo and the wild car experts were both cautious, prioritizing quality and safety over speed.

The installation of the braking system and fall arrestor alone took two full days.

It's fair to say that the safety of oil pumping units in those days was not guaranteed. It wasn't that Chief Engineer Wan and Section Chief Xu didn't want to change things, but they had no choice because the equipment was imported, and it would be very difficult to modify it themselves.

The two-headed donkey-like nodding beetle didn't have this problem. Li Aiguo and Chief Engineer Wan were working on the project while simultaneously figuring out how to modify the assembly at any time.

After the initial installation is completed, the next steps are the motor and the most crucial four-bar linkage.

To celebrate the completion of the first phase, the State Farm sent over a large, fat pig. The workers at the well site took a half-day break and were busy making a fire to slaughter the pig.

Li Aiguo inquired and learned that the big fat pig was a white-carcass pig that had been resold.

The meat processing plant now has export quotas, mainly supplying live pigs to the Red camp.

In those days, our industry was backward, and we mainly exported agricultural and sideline products, such as apples, eggs, and pig bristles.

Everyone knows that you can't make money through agriculture, and Xiaomei's family is no exception.

The reason why Xiaomei's farm is able to survive is mainly due to subsidies, in addition to the fact that their area is very suitable for large-scale agricultural production.

Of course, Xiao Mei's family's use of subsidies might not be entirely without the intention of using food as a weapon.

Every time there's a trade dispute, the price of grain in the other country skyrockets; this stuff is far more useful than weapons.

Far away.

In the past two years, our exports of industrial products have increased significantly, while the export share of agricultural products has decreased.

Large numbers of dressed pigs were stopped and distributed to key projects and programs.

Braised pork stewed in a large pot tastes better than homemade. A pot of braised pork at the well site weighs at least one or two hundred pounds. It is set up next to the shed and simmered over a low fire from noon until the afternoon.

The aroma was incomparable to homemade stewed meat.

It's not convenient to cook meat at home, but as soon as you start cooking meat, you can smell the aroma all around.

It's the same in a courtyard house. If you cook meat once in a while, people will say your family is well-off. But if you cook meat every day, people will be jealous of you and report you.

The braised pork belly in the big pot was cut into large chunks, one square piece for each person.

They didn't use chopsticks either. Malanhua and the women cut down a lot of tree branches, peeled off the bark, and used them to make long chopsticks.

Li Aiguo picked up a piece of braised pork, took a bite, and his mouth was full of oil; the taste was indescribably delicious.

It was at this time that Lao Mao arrived at the well site, bringing with him Lao Zhou, the head of the security department.

"The leaders of the well site have arrived, please have a seat." The well site captain didn't recognize Lao Mao, but he knew Section Chief Lao Zhou quite well. This section chief was not easy to deal with, so he immediately handed over two sticks.

The old cat didn't refuse; it picked up the stick and started eating the meat.

Although the well site foreman didn't know what the group wanted to talk about, he gave a wink to the workers next to him. The workers then made an excuse, stuffed the meat into their hands, and ran off to a distance.

Zhou Ke had almost finished eating. He wiped his mouth, stood up, called Lao Zhou over to put some meat in his bowl, and stood by to keep watch.

The old cat had already devoured a large piece of meat and kept exclaiming, "I haven't eaten such delicious meat in a long time!"

"Once the oil pump is assembled, we'll stew another pot. Come over then." Li Aiguo, having finished eating, poked at the glowing red charcoal with a stick.

Old Cat smiled wryly: "I can't wait any longer, I have to go back to the capital soon."

"Did Seleev confess?" Li Aiguo asked, letting out a burp.

"According to him, he was instructed by Anton from the negotiation team to steal the blueprints for the oil pump. This time when he goes back, he wants to follow the clues and find Anton out as well."

At this point, Old Cat asked in confusion, "How did you know that Anton was interested in oil pumps and suggested that the bureau make arrangements in advance?"

"Do you remember when Anton used a public phone to call Seryov?"

"Yes, I remember. This was found out by the second team, but we don't know the contents of the phone call."

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo handed a cigarette to the old cat, took one for himself, lit it with the red-hot wooden stick, and then spoke.

"Anton came for the oil tanker train, which happened to be transporting oil to Daqing. And Anton also contacted Shelyov."

Even more coincidentally, if it were just about the tanker truck, Anton wouldn't have needed to delay any longer.

The fact that he did that can only mean that he had other plans.

Considering the timing of Anton's change of mind, which coincided with the time we contacted Daqing to prepare for the two-headed donkey experiment, it can only mean that Anton had his eye on the oil pumping unit.

It's impossible for the oil pumping unit to have a problem when it's at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The result was obvious: the other side planned to take action at the State Farm headquarters.

All we need to do is plan ahead.

After saying that, Li Aiguo saw that the old cat looked thoughtful and continued, "When all the coincidences come together, then they are no longer coincidences."

The old cat immediately understood.

As an action team leader, he focused more on what had already happened and on individual events, without anticipating what was to come or connecting these events together.

"I've learned a lot." Old Cat nodded solemnly. "I think your skill level is good enough to teach those team members."

"You're too kind. It's all thanks to the teacher's excellent teaching," Li Aiguo said with a smile.

Old Cat: "."

He felt the kid was being a little too cautious.

Because the old cat was in a hurry to escort Selyov back to the capital, he ate two pieces of meat and then planned to leave.

"Team Leader Cat, I have something I'd like to ask Comrade Patriot, is that alright?" Old Zhou, who had been squatting nearby eating meat and watching the situation, couldn't hold back any longer when he saw that they were about to leave.

He probably won't be able to sleep at night if he doesn't resolve those doubts in his mind.

The old cat nodded.

Old Zhou strode over and asked, "Comrade Aiguo, it's about those classified blueprints. Aren't you worried that they might actually be stolen?"

Li Aiguo didn't expect that Lao Zhou still cared about this matter, and chuckled: "Section Chief Zhou, have you ever considered the possibility that the blueprints are real, but someone has tampered with them?"

Old Zhou was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.

The blueprints were designed by Li Aiguo, so it would be incredibly easy to tamper with them; even experts would have a hard time spotting them.

If the blueprints weren't stolen, it means we've caught the person who stole them.

If it were stolen, and the other party obtained the blueprints, they could spend a huge amount of manpower and resources to copy it, but in the end, they would only be able to create a pile of garbage.

The other party will definitely blame the person who stole the blueprints.

In other words.

The moment Wang Kun began working on the blueprints, his fate was sealed.

This is a perfect trap!

Old Zhou's admiration was beyond words.

This truly deserves to be described as meticulous, insightful, and well-planned.

Lao Zhou finally understood why Team Leader Cat valued Li Aiguo so much.

"Comrade Patriot, Wang Kun is unlucky to have run into you," Lao Zhou said sincerely.

When Wang Kun was mentioned, Li Aiguo casually inquired about how the main farm was dealing with him.

"Because Wang Kun is suspected of involvement in Diet activities, he will be transferred to the station after the investigation is completed. He has behaved relatively well since his arrest, and it is estimated that he will stay in there for about twenty years."

Upon learning of this outcome, Li Aiguo showed no sympathy for Wang Kun's situation.

If you dare to cause trouble, you have to bear the corresponding consequences.

Old Cat was in a hurry to leave and didn't linger. Before leaving, he rolled down the car window and waved to Li Aiguo: "See you in Beijing."

"See you in Beijing!" Li Aiguo raised his hand and saluted the disappearing jeep.

Old Cat's tasks upon returning to Beijing are arduous and even dangerous.

Anton's identity was even more sensitive than Selyov's, meaning that substantial evidence was required to make an arrest.

If possible, Li Aiguo really wanted to rush back now and fight alongside Lao Mao.

However, the kowtowing worms were far more important than the Cheka.

Li Aiguo took a deep breath, straightened his collar, and went back into his shack.

Time passed by day by day amidst our busy lives.

As the "kowtowing bug" gradually took shape, at first the leaders would come to visit once every one or two days, but later they would come to visit every day.

When the final installation phase came, even several leaders from the State Farm General Farm drove over.

They already knew about Leader Zhang and Selyov, and the kowtowing machine in front of them became even more important than before.

"Patriotism, that's about it." The wild car expert has been going all out these past few days, his face and body covered in engine oil, wearing a tattered safety helmet, looking no different from an ordinary oil worker from a distance.

Zhou Ke cleared all the irrelevant people outside the safety line.

Not only the leaders, but also the fifth team and the oil workers were asked to leave. After taking safety precautions, Li Aiguo squatted down, opened the main switch box, and looked up at Chief Engineer Wan: "Old Wan, you can come now."

Chief Engineer Wan was somewhat excited and, without any hesitation, pressed the button on the double-headed donkey oil pump.

Accompanied by a low rumble, the internal motor gradually increased from an idling hum to a uniform low vibration.

The once still crank, like a giant arm awakened, slowly broke free from its stillness and began to turn in a steady arc.

Everyone on site held their breath, worried that it might affect the operation of the oil pumping unit.

After the front donkey's head is lowered to its lowest point, the rear donkey's head slowly rises, achieving a balance between the two sides.

When the rear of the donkey reaches its highest point, the suspension device pulled by the steel cable carries the oil pump plunger to complete the upward stroke.

Chief Engineer Wan held up a flashlight and approached the wellhead pipeline, while his other hand gripped the valve wrench. He then gave Li Aiguo a "safety confirmation" gesture.

"Open the valve and start metering!" With Li Aiguo's command, the technician next to him opened the oil outlet valve, and the sound of oil flowing "gurgling" came from the pipeline.

To test the effectiveness of the double-headed donkey oil pump, a storage tank was specially dug next to it, and the black oil flowed into the tank through the pipes.

A technician was keeping track of the time.

"30.38 liters per minute, which translates to 1822 liters per hour, and 1 tons per day!"

Upon hearing this number, the leaders and skilled workers watching couldn't help but frown.

"Could it be a mistake?"

“Yes, thirty-five tons a day? How is that possible?”

Hearing those comments, Chief Engineer Wan could understand their feelings.

The daily production of an oil well is related to the reservoir conditions.

In the Middle East, oil fields have high permeability and pressure, so you can extract oil simply by drilling a hole in the ground and inserting a straw.

Each of their oil pumping units can produce more than fifty tons of oil per day.

China's domestic oil storage conditions are generally poor.

The average daily output of the Karamay oil field is 20 tons, which is already considered a high-yield oil field.

Because of the high viscosity of the oil in Daqing and its deep burial, the average daily output was only about twelve tons (data from 1961).

They've actually drilled an oil well that produces 35 tons of oil per day.

Most importantly, the well is in poor condition, located in a barren area of ​​the oil belt.

The reason for such high production can only be attributed to the double-headed donkey oil pump.

Chief Engineer Wan looked at the technician: "Xiao Chen, check the data immediately."

At this moment, a leader from the state farm came out and took off his Swiss watch from his wrist: "This thing of mine is quite accurate, I use this to keep time."

Seeing this scene, Chief Engineer Wan felt a pang of sadness.

Although Leader Zhang has been taken away, there are still some people in the main plant who look down on the equipment made by the railway.

However, he did not refuse and nodded to the technician.

The technician opened the oil outlet valve again, this time using a Titoni watch and a Swiss watch to calculate the time for greater accuracy.

The results of the experiment came out quickly.

"33 liters per minute, with a daily output of 38 tons."

The doubts in the audience immediately disappeared, and a round of enthusiastic applause broke out.

The leader looked a little embarrassed. When he took the watch, he smiled and said, "This oil pump is indeed quite good."

"That's enough for today, let's continue tomorrow. Everyone's tired." Chief Engineer Wan ignored the leader and felt sorry for Li Aiguo, who was covered in dirt.

To ensure the oil pumping unit operates smoothly, this young worker has been busy non-stop these past few days, except for mealtimes.

Currently, the pumping unit is not connected to the main pipeline for production testing. Trial operation will continue once the connection is completed.

"Then take a rest, Comrade Aiguo, you must take good care of yourself."

"Well done, Comrade Aiguo." Several leaders of the State Farm also knew that everyone was very tired, especially after what happened with Wang Kun, everyone was on edge.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Aiguo arranged for someone to stand guard over the oil pumping unit, and then planned to take a shower.

There were no dedicated bathrooms here. In order to drill a well, the State Farm sent a water truck. Everyone was wearing only their underwear and squatting behind the truck, using the water hose to spray water.

The women were in a different team.

It was already evening when I finished showering. Young people are great; they can fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

The next day, Li Aiguo got up and found that the main pipeline had been connected.

The leaders ate with the workers. They ate meat-filled buns, which were filled with meat scraps with only a little vermicelli, and the dough was all white flour.

Li Aiguo ate four steamed buns, each the size of a fist, and felt very comfortable.

Zhou Ke and the wild car expert had relatively small appetites; some ate three meals a day, while others ate two.

Li Aiguo noticed that the well-drilling team members had large appetites. Even Ma Lanhua, a woman who looked thin and weak, ate four steamed buns.

According to Ma Lanhua, the well-drilling team often went hungry in the wild, and when they found something good to eat, they had to eat their fill.

Li Aiguo thought it made sense.

When the leaders saw that the oil pumps were running again, they added a counter to the pipeline today and used a machine to count the output, which eventually kept the daily production at forty tons.

The oil extracted from the well is transported through pipelines to a storage station dozens of miles away.

"This oil pump is quite quiet, which can minimize the disturbance to the horses on the ranch."

"Yeah, it's much better than the Russian stuff. I don't know what's wrong with Patriot's brain."

"Comrade Aiguo said that this kind of oil pump can save 30% of electricity and can also achieve oil pumping from ultra-deep wells."

"Really?" The leaders all looked at Section Chief Xu, who had just spoken.

Section Chief Xu gestured for a moment, then said, "Comrade Aiguo said that with a double-headed donkey pump, the front and rear donkey heads work alternately, and each set of components only bears 50%-70% of the total load. If a high-horsepower pump is installed, the weight of the sucker rod string can reach 20 tons."

"It seems that Comrade Aiguo does have some knowledge of petroleum technology."

"Comrade Aiguo may not have a formal academic background, but he must have a wealth of theoretical knowledge. After all, his design of the double-headed donkey's sucker rod has already reached the world's advanced level, right?"

"I asked several chief engineers at the main plant, and they didn't understand it at all."

“A genius is a genius!”

Zhou Ke, who was listening nearby, couldn't stop smiling, after all, this was his brother who had been raised by his father.

Li Aiguo, positioned near the oil pumping unit, was oblivious to the praise he received from his superiors outside, and was intently focused on the equipment with his laptop.

Two hours later, Li Aiguo stopped the oil pumping unit and then had the technicians climb up to check the wear and tear on each component.

As an equipment that operates 24 hours a day, the stability of the oil pumping unit is very important.

At the same time, areas that need lubrication should also be given a maintenance treatment.

When the leaders of the State Farm saw this, they were somewhat puzzled: "Comrade Aiguo is being too cautious."

"I've heard Comrade Aiguo say that many accidents on trains are caused by seemingly insignificant negligence," Section Chief Xu replied, seizing the opportunity.

"Yes, the most important thing is safety."

Everyone nodded. Although we are currently in the midst of a major oil production campaign, which requires maximizing output, any unexpected events could definitely lead to delays in the project.

The lunch was also very plentiful, a Northeastern stew, with potatoes, eggplant, green beans, pork and other ingredients put in a large iron pot and stewed over high heat.

You can eat as many corn tortillas as you want, and you can eat as much meat as you want.

"Aiguo, the top leaders of the State Farm are probably coming." Just after lunch, Li Aiguo went to inspect the two-headed donkey, and Chief Engineer Wan followed behind him, whispering this to him.

Li Aiguo looked at Chief Engineer Wan with some surprise. Chief Engineer Wan chuckled, clearly indicating that he had direct contact with the top leader.

Li Aiguo didn't care. The double-headed donkey pumping unit was the most suitable pumping unit for domestic oil wells, and it would be promoted one day.

However, with the recent arrest of Leader Zhang, some problems have arisen within the State Farms General Farm, and those who are unwilling to accept this will certainly try every means to obstruct it.

Li Aiguo cannot be indulged.

How much industrial layout will these people influence because of their preconceived notions?

Not to mention that the government is now advocating independence and self-reliance.

We can't rely on anyone else; we can only rely on ourselves.

After saying that, Chief Engineer Wan left, and from a distance, it looked as if the two of them had just said hello.

In the afternoon, the double-headed donkey oil pumping unit operated smoothly, and this time it was not shut down. Li Aiguo led the technicians to conduct an in-operation inspection.

"Aiguo, is everything running smoothly?" After running for a whole day, several leaders from the State Farm General Farm had been standing by. When they saw Li Aiguo come down, one of the leaders asked.

"It runs without any problems. All that's left is to continue the experiment." Li Aiguo nodded.

If this kind of machinery doesn't have any problems in the early stages, then once it starts operating, there will basically be no problems.

Upon hearing this, several leaders immediately applauded, and the people at the well site understood what it meant.

"I heard the double-headed donkey oil pump has started operating?" The higher-ups suddenly convened a meeting after breakfast.

All the leaders of the State Farm General Farm came, except for those who couldn't make it.

"I just came back from the well site. It's been running all day, and the daily output can be maintained at forty tons," Chief Engineer Wan said, having anticipated this, and immediately stood up to give a brief introduction.

"Forty tons, that's almost the same as the Iron Man Well, twice that of other oil wells. I'd like to go and take a look." The superior stood up and arranged the itinerary.

The leaders present could easily understand that this was something that had been decided long ago.

“We’ve been watching that all day, it’s really interesting,” several leaders stood up and echoed.

"Everyone should go; consider it a way to learn from the railway's elder brother."

"I heard from Section Chief Xu that Comrade Aiguo and his technicians did not go home for two weeks in order to develop the double-headed donkey drilling machine."

"The spirit of our patriotic comrades is well worth studying."

A chorus of agreement echoed throughout the meeting room.

"The blueprint theft case that happened a while ago was recovered by Comrade Aiguo and his team. That guy is a genius."

Some people were trying to link the matter to the theft of the blueprints and to Leader Zhang.

The other leaders exchanged glances, realizing they couldn't stop it this time, and could only nod awkwardly: "The double-headed donkey drilling rig is indeed a good thing."

Li Aiguo received the official notification from the drilling team leader while he was below the worm.

"Patriotism, the top leaders of the main farm are coming, we need to make preparations."

The workers at the well site were also excited, and several young workers even hung up red banners.

Li Aiguo was also curious about the top leader, who was said to be the most skilled manager in the country.

(End of this chapter)