The train driver in the courtyard

At the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop, Li Aiguo has already finished the four-legged wagon bed and is now manufacturing the air brake system.

This is not easy, especially under the current industrial conditions. It is not easy to manufacture a qualified brake.

Li Aiguo has always believed that the standard for judging whether a car is excellent is not how fast it can go, but whether it can stop in the shortest amount of time.

It doesn't require instantaneous stopping; at least it should be able to brake like a regular truck when fully loaded.

Parts such as air tanks, brake master cylinders, quick-release valves, and relay valves all need to be manufactured.

For several days in a row, Li Aiguo stayed in the workshop and finally finished making the brake. It looked very rugged and was quite large.

But it doesn't matter, this thing is mainly used on trucks and other vehicles, so nobody cares about the appearance.

After fixing the brakes, Li Aiguo installed a hydraulic system on the four-legged creature.

Considering that the four-wheel drive vehicle can carry a heavy load of 100 tons, and ordinary rear dump trucks do not have that much power, the side-tipping hydraulic system used in train carriages was specially selected.

There are two hydraulic columns underneath, which can lift a 120-ton weight from the side.

"Where should we test it?" Li Aiguo looked at the fully formed Four-Unlikes Hundred-Ton King and felt that this thing should be tested in practice.

"Go report it!" Li Aiguo slapped his forehead, realizing he had forgotten the proper procedures.

"A hundred-ton king?" Director Chen of Xindu Brick and Tile Factory was in Section Chief Xing's office when he heard Li Aiguo's report. He immediately followed Section Chief Xing to the workshop.

He tilted his head and circled the strange "truck".

This thing looks very rudimentary, with many parts just welded together from sheet metal, but the huge tires and the crossbeams as thick as a forearm tell you that this thing is not simple.

"This was made by Aiguo these past few days," Section Chief Xing explained with a smile.

"Huh?!" Factory Director Chen was a bit dumbfounded. This was supposed to be a car, how could it have been built so casually?

"How many tons can this truck carry?" Director Chen asked, circling the truck once more.

“It should be able to reach one hundred tons,” Li Aiguo said cautiously. “We haven’t done any load-bearing tests yet.”

"I thought 100 tons was a name." Factory Director Chen's expression changed slightly.

The current heavy-duty trucks can only carry a load of thirty or forty tons.

This thing in front of me can actually support a hundred tons?!
Li Aiguo didn't advertise; he didn't write an attractive headline: "Bearing One Hundred Tons," and then added a smaller line below: "One Hundred Tons is the Goal."

"Besides its strong load-bearing capacity, this vehicle has exceptionally high torque, making it suitable for complex road conditions," Li Aiguo added.

"Section Chief Xing, I was just worried about this, but now Aiguo has built the car." Director Chen came to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot this time because he wanted the depot to send a batch of trucks to transport bricks.

There is currently a lot of construction going on near Beijing.

Not to mention the subway, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot has doubled in size in the past two years, with dozens of buildings constructed. The bricks and tiles needed for these buildings were all transported from the Xindu Brick Kiln Factory.

In the past, brick kilns used conventional trucks for transportation, but the horsepower was too small. They could pull, but only a little bit.

"Perfect timing, we can give it a try!" Section Chief Xing was also happy to be able to help.

"Let's go then."

Before Li Aiguo could react, the two had already made their decision.

Well, let's see what they're made of.

Li Aiguo had the wild car expert fill up the four-legged vehicle with diesel fuel. Because this thing was going to be used for long-distance transport, it was equipped with two fuel tanks and didn't have a windshield. They could install one later.

With the fire lit, sparks flew from the bizarre chimney as it roared out of the studio's courtyard.

Yan Jiecheng was about to call a meeting with the staff of the Education Office when he was also stunned: "My goodness, what kind of car is this? Why does it look so strange?"

"too ugly!"

"So what if I'm ugly? It doesn't stop me from working!"

The employees of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot all stopped in their tracks, stunned by the strange-looking appearance of the creature.

No wonder, since the Qilin (a mythical creature) was originally designed for practical use, which is itself a kind of industrial aesthetic.

It uses a four-cylinder engine, which has relatively complete combustion and doesn't produce much black smoke; otherwise, it would look like the Black Mountain Demon had arrived.

Xindu Brick and Tile Factory was the largest brick and tile factory in Beijing at that time. Even the bricks and tiles used to build the Great Hall of the People were transported from here.

Upon arriving at the brick factory, the open space next to the brick kiln was piled high with brick ingots.

There were donkey carts and trucks nearby, and Li Aiguo even saw a donkey being ridden backwards.

If a house in Beijing needs repairs, residents can go to the local street office to obtain the necessary permits and then buy some loose bricks here.

The young men at the brick kiln were all very strong; they could lift five bricks with brick tongs as easily as throwing foam.

Following the guidance of the brick factory workers, Li Aiguo moved the four-legged animal next to the brick ingots, as close as possible to make it easier for the workers to load it onto the truck.

A person in charge came over, waved to Li Aiguo to turn off the engine, and asked, "Which unit are you from, and how much are you loading?"

Li Aiguo jumped out of the car and handed out a cigarette along with the order slip.

"From the Qianmen Locomotive Depot."

The person in charge took the cigarette, picked up the form, looked at it, rubbed his eyes, and after confirming he wasn't mistaken, exclaimed in surprise, "Forty thousand yuan?"

This remark caught the attention of several truck drivers nearby.

Actually, the truck drivers had been interested in this strange creature for a while, and now they had gathered around it.

"A clay brick weighs five jin (2.5 kg), so 40,000 bricks would weigh a hundred tons, right?"

"About right. My truck can carry 20 tons, but it can only carry 8,000 yuan each time."

"This thing doesn't even look as sturdy as my truck."

At this moment, Factory Director Chen arrived and told the person in charge to quickly organize the people to load the truck so as not to delay the process.

"Comrade, let's make this clear from the start: if the car gets damaged, it's not my responsibility," the person in charge kindly reminded him, as he had a good impression of Li Aiguo.

"Go ahead and pretend."

"Okay, okay," the person in charge said, seeing that he wouldn't listen to reason. He didn't argue and shouted to the loaders, "Everyone, come over here and help load this truck."

The loading work at the brick kiln was quite busy, with dozens of trucks lined up in order of arrival. Logically, if someone cut in line, these truck drivers would definitely have to use wrenches.

But now no one is objecting; instead, they're all watching the spectacle with their arms crossed and amusement.

A dozen or so loaders rolled up their sleeves, grabbed brick clamps, and got to work.

There were about two thousand bricks in one layer. After it was installed, the drivers who were watching checked the tires and found that the air pressure was fine.

Then there's the second layer, where both the front and rear axles are fine.

After the fifth layer was finished, the drivers could no longer remain calm. The few who had been standing with their arms crossed took a few steps back, crouched down, and stared at the bottom of the strange creature.

If this thing gets a flat tire, it could literally kill a person.

Then comes the sixth floor.

One brick at a time, they put it in.

Waiting for the last piece to be installed.

Nothing happened.

Although the front and rear axles were somewhat deformed, they were still within a safe range, and the wheels were also fine.

O!
Everyone stared, mouths agape, completely stunned.

Even Director Chen was stunned. Although he knew this thing could be faked, he didn't expect it to be this fake.

"This one vehicle is equivalent to four or five others," Factory Director Chen finally managed to say after a long pause.

"Pretty much. Judging from the tires, it should be able to carry a few more tons," said a driver nearby.

“Our truck looks like a little brother next to this thing.”

"Yeah, do you think our trucks will be phased out?"

"Don't rush. Being able to load it is one thing, but being able to haul it away is what really matters."

In the short time that followed, Li Aiguo had completed the formalities without having to pay anything; he just needed to sign his name on the form.

Once inside the vehicle, the four-legged chameleon was started.

As I gently pressed the accelerator, the four-wheel drive slightly lifted its front end, but still started smoothly.

Watching the strange creature gradually disappear into the distance, and feeling the ground tremble, the truck drivers exchanged glances, all seeing horror in each other's eyes.

"This is a good thing." Factory Director Chen narrowed his eyes, turned around and went into his office, shaking the phone.

"Boss, I've discovered a great way to transport bricks."

Li Aiguo was unaware of these things; he had already driven his Siren back to the construction site of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Section Chief Xing and several other section leaders saw Li Aiguo stop his car and quickly walked over.

"This thing can really hold a hundred tons!"

A section leader asked, "Can it be used to load coal?"

“This truck is a dump truck; it’s more convenient to load coal than bricks,” Li Aiguo said, pointing to the comrades who were unloading the truck.

Actually, bricks can be unloaded automatically, but they are easily broken when they fall to the ground, resulting in waste, so manual loading and unloading was chosen instead.

"What a talent!" the section leader exclaimed, looking at Li Aiguo.

Like Section Chief Xing, they observed how the "four-not-like" creature was made, and that's how they managed to complete it in just a few days.

It's been done so well and is so useful.

As they were talking, Yan Jiecheng ran over from a distance: "Section Chief, the leaders from the Construction Department called and want to come and visit our 'four unlikes'."

Although the "four-not-like" creature was created by Li Aiguo, it was also from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Section Chief Xing and several other section leaders exchanged smiles.

"It's only been built a short time, but it has already attracted the attention of other departments. It seems that Comrade Aiguo has come up with something extraordinary again."

Afterwards, Section Chief Xing led the leaders of the Construction Department to visit the Qilin (a mythical creature), accompanied by Li Aiguo.

The leaders from the construction department inquired about load-bearing capacity, cost, and other issues. After reviewing the documents, they were also surprised to find that the cost of this hybrid vehicle was only one-third that of a truck, yet its loading capacity was five times that of a truck.

"Would there be any difficulties in large-scale production?"

"The production difficulty of this vehicle is similar to that of a tractor. The only difficulties are the braking system and the hydraulic system, which we can produce."

"Good good."

After returning, the leaders of the construction department reported to their superiors and requested the purchase of a large number of hybrid vehicles for transporting building materials.

After the higher-ups understood the whole story, they laughed and said, "Comrade Patriot is someone who makes whatever the people need."

"Boss, there is an urgent need for this kind of hybrid in China. Shouldn't mass production be put on the agenda immediately?"

"Since it benefits the people, let's build it."

After the superior finished speaking, he paused for a moment and then instructed: "When launching such new equipment and machinery, we should solicit opinions from frontline comrades."

The assistant was slightly taken aback.

Frontline comrades? Isn't that referring to Li Aiguo?
The leadership now values ​​Li Aiguo to this extent.
The assistant realized his lapse in composure and quickly took notes.

After seeing off the leaders from the construction department, Li Aiguo returned to his studio and busied himself fixing a few minor issues he had just discovered.

A thermos holder has been installed in the cab so that the driver can carry hot water if he is driving long distances.

Having settled these matters, Li Aiguo began to ponder how to mass-produce the "four unlikes" (a type of hybrid that resembles a mythical creature). Should he set up a separate workshop like last time?
Alright, let's assemble a few samples first, send one to Weizhuang Commune, and solve the immediate problem.

Let's leave mass production to the higher-ups. Seeing that it was time to leave work, Li Aiguo originally planned to invite a few of the wild car experts for a small celebration dinner.

Before I even left the house, I received a call from Old Cat.

Because it wasn't a dedicated phone line, Lao Mao's words were very vague: "The guest we saw off died. He died on the train."

Although he had anticipated this outcome, Li Aiguo had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

"Come on, let's drink." At the celebration party that evening, Li Aiguo, unusually, drank several more cups than usual.

The automotive expert assumed he was just happy and didn't think much of it, taking the opportunity to offer him a few more drinks.

This is the first project that the Wild Car Experts, as key members, have completed.

The prize money was secondary; the most important thing was that he had fulfilled his long-held dream.

The thought that the strange creature I helped assemble might one day travel all over the country makes it all worthwhile.

"Hey, Aiguo, why did you spill your drink on the ground? Did you drink too much? I'll take you home." The wild car expert was a little surprised to see Li Aiguo spill a glass of wine on the ground.

"It's nothing. Everyone's been busy all day, so go back and rest early." Li Aiguo picked up his wine glass again, drank it all in one gulp, put on his coat, and walked out of the cafeteria.

Seeing that Li Aiguo could walk without any problems, the wild car experts and the studio technicians did not stop him.

Although there was no such thing as drunk driving in those days, Li Aiguo still pushed his motorcycle into the courtyard of his studio and rode a bicycle.

Is riding a bicycle considered drunk driving?
This is a problem.

By this time, it was completely dark. Li Aiguo walked along the dim light to the entrance of the courtyard house and heard someone whispering.

"Is this Jia Dongxu's house?"

"Brother Tie Tou, I've found out. It's inside the Central Courtyard, but I'm a little scared."

"What's there to be afraid of? It's only right to pay back debts. Now that Jia Dongxu is dead, his wife should pay back the money."

Li Aiguo was originally too lazy to bother with this mess, and Yi Zhonghai as well.

But what's with sneaking into the yard in the middle of the night?
"Brothers, everyone's resting now. We can talk about anything during the day. You guys go back first," Li Aiguo said, pushing his bicycle.

"Hey, you've run into someone who doesn't know their place. You even dare to stop our Iron Head Brother? I think you're tired of living." A thug immediately drew his dagger and twirled it in the air.

The dozen or so thugs nearby also gathered around.

Li Aiguo was speechless. He said, "Friends, I'm advising you to follow the proper procedures when collecting debts, instead of resorting to violence."

"Who the hell is your friend?!" When Iron Head saw the thugs surrounding him, he also pushed the bald guy forward.

"Speak properly." Li Aiguo didn't want to cause trouble, but he wasn't afraid of trouble either. As he spoke, he had already fixed the bicycle.

"Hey kid, let grandpa see if your hair's all grown in yet!" Iron Head Brother reached out and grabbed Li Aiguo by the collar.

Snap! Li Aiguo grabbed Tie Tou Ge's wrist with his backhand and pulled hard, causing Tie Tou Ge to bend over in pain.

Li Aiguo's right foot shot out, kicking Iron Head Bro in the body: "Iron Shirt, huh?"

This kick, fueled by anger, was incredibly powerful, sending Ironhead flying until he crashed into the wall before finally stopping.

"You son of a bitch!" After falling to the ground, Iron Head Bro struggled to get up.

Li Aiguo strode forward and kicked out again.

"Iron Shirt, is that right?"

Ironhead had just gotten up when he was kicked down again. Before he could even react, he was kicked twice more.

He was starting to feel the strain, so he put his arms up and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother, I'm Iron Head Kung Fu, give me some face."

"Uh, I made a mistake." Li Aiguo casually picked up a brick and smashed it down, satisfying his hobby.

"Who are you? How dare you hit Brother Iron Head? Brothers, let's get him together!" The group of thugs shouted loudly when they saw how powerful Li Aiguo was.

In that short while, the residents of the courtyard were also awakened. Liu Haizhong, Uncle San, Zhang Gangzhu, Xu Damao, Nan Yi, and Yi Zhonghai rushed out with flashlights.

"Aiguo, what's going on?" Liu Haizhong asked, seeing Li Aiguo surrounded by the crowd.

"These guys were planning to sneak into the yard to steal something in the middle of the night, and I ran into them." Li Aiguo first put a hat on them, and before the gang of thugs could react, he picked up a brick and rushed at them.

The most important thing in a group fight is not to back down, but to go all out.

It has to be said, this brick is indeed a close-combat weapon.

It can be used as a melee weapon or thrown from a distance.

Ouch!

Ouch!

The two thugs who rushed to the front were hit by bricks, and they squatted on the ground, screaming in pain as they held their heads.

The remaining thugs learned their lesson and all grabbed their daggers, pressing forward together.

"Patriotic brothers, I'm here." Xu Damao grabbed a bamboo pole and ran over, giving the thugs a thorough beating.

The thugs initially didn't take him seriously, after all, they had knives.

But when Liu Haizhong rushed over with a copper-buckled belt, the Third Uncle with a door knocker, Zhang Gangzhu with a pig-slaughtering knife, and Nan Yi with a kitchen knife, they realized things were in trouble.

Although these weapons are not standard weapons, they are quite lethal.

Everyone got into a fight.

Yi Zhonghai realized something was wrong. Everyone in the compound had joined in; if he didn't, what kind of big shot would he be?

Yi Zhonghai looked around, then turned and ran back to grab a broom, hiding outside the crowd.

This counts as participation, and I'll be rewarded after it's over.

And you won't get beaten up.

As clever as I am, Yi Zhonghai.

"Bang!" A thug was kicked away by Li Aiguo and crashed into Yi Zhonghai.

Caught off guard, Yi Zhonghai fell to the ground, where he and the thug lay face to face.

Yi Zhonghai: "."

The hoodlum: "."

"Clap clap clap!"

The thug got up and slapped Yi Zhonghai repeatedly.

If I can't beat that train driver, I can at least deal with you, you old man.

Yi Zhonghai: "."

In the end, it was an older woman who cleaned up the mess.

She actually brought out the toilet and poured it over the group of thugs.

"This courtyard house is terrifying!" Several thugs fainted on the spot.

Li Aiguo advised the older woman that this kind of weapon, which kills a thousand enemies but also injures eight hundred of its own, should be used as little as possible, or not at all, in the future.

"What happened?" When Captain Liu from the police station arrived with his men, the group of thugs were already lying on the ground.

Ironhead had calmed down by now, and for the first time, seeing Gong An felt like seeing a relative: "Boss, he hit someone."

"It's Aiguo." Captain Liu was somewhat surprised after recognizing Li Aiguo.

“Comrade, I suspect these people are planning to sneak into our compound to steal something. Let’s arrest them first.” Li Aiguo pretended to be unfamiliar with Captain Liu.

Upon hearing this, Captain Liu immediately ordered his subordinates to take the person back.

The group of thugs panicked.

"What thief? We're here to collect a debt."

"Yes, we live in a hutong on the outskirts of Beijing. The people in this courtyard owe us money for things they bought. Comrade, my uncle knows someone at your police station."

"Slap! Slap!" Upon hearing this, the police officer who was tying up the person slapped him twice hard across the face.

Regardless of the truth, the mere mention of that name today is unsettling for everyone.

"Aiguo, are you alright?" Just then, the head of the police station arrived.

"It's nothing, just a brick hit me. So many thieves acting together, it's probably a gang operation," Li Aiguo replied.

"We're here to collect our money. Jia Dongxu owes us over five hundred yuan in total," the thugs shouted as they realized they were about to fall into a trap.

The expressions on the faces of the onlookers changed slightly.

Jia Dongxu had previously caused a lot of trouble due to gambling debts, almost emptying Yi Zhonghai's savings.

I never thought a leopard can't change its spots. Now that he's gone, he's left his wife and kids with so much trouble.

Qin Huairu also put on a coat and came outside. Upon hearing the news, she swayed and almost fainted.

She originally thought that with Jia Dongxu dead and Jia Zhangshi back home, she could finally live a good life. But Jia Dongxu had dug such a huge pit for her.

"Let's not talk about how Jia Dongxu owed the money. Now that Jia Dongxu is dead, the debt is settled. You're just causing trouble." Liu Haizhong, the second uncle, stepped forward.

“Jia Dongxu is gone, but he still has a wife. I heard the steel mill paid a large sum of compensation, which can be used to pay off debts.” Iron Head Bro stood up, rubbing his head.

It must be said that the nickname was accurate.

He was hit on the forehead with a brick, but this time he only bled a little.

The director was also in a dilemma.

Regardless, Jia Dongxu is in debt after all. However, Qin Huairu is now a widow with two children and is pregnant. If that compensation money is taken away, how will she live?

The residents in the compound were also worried about Qin Huairu and started cursing Jia Dongxu as a scoundrel, but what good did cursing do?!
“I’m a reasonable person. Jia Dongxu wrote us IOUs. As long as you give us the money, I promise I won’t cause any more trouble.” Brother Tietou took out a large handful of IOUs from his pocket.

"These guys are all gamblers, and I bet the money they lent out was all high-interest loans. They were loan sharks before liberation," Li Aiguo said coldly.

Li Aiguo once swore that he would never tolerate gambling and drugs, and seeing this group of people playing cards made him furious.

The police chief was having some trouble figuring out how to arrest people when he heard this, and immediately ordered the police officers to take action.

Regardless of whether these guys came to collect a debt, beating up a national model worker is no small matter.

"Take them away, take them away, take them all away."

The hands of those thugs were all tied behind their backs with hemp rope, strung together like grasshoppers on a rope.

Li Aiguo, Liu Haizhong, Yan Jiecheng, an older woman, and Yi Zhonghai were also taken to the police station to give statements.

Just then, Zhou Ke arrived in his large SUV and asked as soon as he entered, "Aiguo, how are you? Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, I just got into a fight with a bunch of thugs."

"Is it Dieter?" Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke instantly became alert; this was the awareness that security personnel should have.

Yan Jiecheng quickly said, "Captain Zhou, those people are interrogating us next door."

"We must find out the truth. Right now, the higher-ups are planning to put Patriot Brother in charge of planning the production of the 'Four-Unlikes' (a type of hybrid), and these guys are jumping out to cause trouble. I think they have ulterior motives."

Zhou Ke came to the courtyard because the locomotive depot had just received a notification from the Ministry of Machine Building.

Time is of the essence, so Zhou Ke rushed over in a panic, only to find that the person in charge of the key project had been besieged. How could Zhou Ke not be furious?

Yi Zhonghai touched his face, feeling that it hurt even more. Li Aiguo was now in charge of a key project.

(End of this chapter)