The train driver in the courtyard

This was the first time the freight workshop director had ever heard of someone wanting to visit the canteen.

Would you call this neglecting one's proper duties?
However, since he was a guest, he really couldn't refuse.

"Let's go."

The group arrived at the canteen, where the chubby cook was directing the young workers to wash vegetables. With so many people at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, they would be busy until evening.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The fat chef saw the two of them going inside and quickly stood up to stop them.

"Old Qiu, these two are comrades from the Ningju Yong section. They've come over to take a look." The freight workshop director stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at Director Liu.

"Comrade, did you steam that rice just now? It's the best rice I've ever eaten. Do you have any tips?" Director Liu ignored him and took out a cigarette to hand to the fat cook.

"A trick? Isn't steaming rice just rinsing the rice, adding water, and steaming it?" The fat chef took the cigarette, looking surprised.

Director Liu: "."

"Oh right, the rice today was steamed in a rice cooker." The chubby cook remembered something.

"That can't be right. I also have a rice cooker at home, and the taste is completely different."

Seeing that Director Liu didn't believe him, the fat cook led him inside and pointed to the rice cooker, saying, "Look, it's right here, there's still rice inside."

This means that if you don't believe it, try it yourself.

Director Liu didn't stand on ceremony; he stepped forward, scooped out a little, and tasted it.

His expression suddenly changed, and he looked completely absorbed in the moment.

"Yes, that's the taste."

Since it's not a problem with the rice, and there's no special technique involved, then it can only be...

Director Liu put down his chopsticks and stared intently at the rice cooker.

Where did this rice cooker come from?

"It was sent by a patriotic comrade from the studio. What's wrong?" The fat chef scratched his head.

Then, the door of Section Chief Xing was knocked open by two leaders from the Yongduan Section of the Ningju Bureau.

"Section Chief, our Ningdu Yong Section has decided to purchase a batch of rice cookers, the kind that Comrade Aiguo made."

"Purchasing?" Section Chief Xing was still a little confused. Weren't these comrades here to visit and learn?
"The rice cooked in this rice cooker is so delicious," Director Liu said without hiding anything.

Cough cough cough. Section Chief Xing almost choked on his tea.

Once he was sure that Director Liu wasn't joking, his eyes lit up.

"It seems that Patriotism has come up with something good again."

Section Chief Xing stood up and asked his assistant, "Where is Comrade Li Aiguo? Tell him to come over."

"Sir, Comrade Aiguo is receiving Yang Jizong from Gangcheng," the assistant replied.

"Yang Jizong is here, let's go take a look." Section Chief Xing put on his coat and strode towards the studio.

Inside the studio, Yang Jizong was staring at the rice cooker, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"This thing can heat in multiple stages, has a timer, and can even pressurize?"

Department stores in the port city also have rice cookers, but this is the first time I've seen one so advanced.

"how did you do that?"

"It's about programming the steps of cooking rice into a relevant program, writing it into a circuit board, and then the rice cooker can run automatically," Li Aiguo explained simply.

Yang Jizong felt he couldn't understand it at all.

However, he was very clear that this rice cooker would definitely sell very well.

"What is the production capacity like? When can it be shipped to the port city?"

“The manufacturing of this thing is actually not complicated, but we still need to build a special production line and increase production capacity, which will take at least a month.” Li Aiguo pondered for a moment, then added, “We also need the support of the department.”

"Support, the section chief supports it." Section Chief Xing walked in beaming after hearing the conversation inside and shook hands with Yang Jizong.

"Now that we have orders from Gangcheng, and our colleagues in Nanning also need to purchase a batch, Aiguo, just go for it!"

As he said this, Section Chief Xing felt a pang of emotion. Li Aiguo had only been tinkering with a small gadget, but unexpectedly, he received a large number of orders as soon as it was finished.

Li Aiguo was already very experienced in building workshops and production lines.

After all, the difficulty in manufacturing rice cookers lies in the circuit board and the inner pot. As long as there are enough workers, mass production is a matter of minutes.

All that's needed now is to build the new workshop.

When Teng, the leader of the Ministry of Railways, looked at the report submitted by Section Chief Xing, he was truly stunned.

It's understandable that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot manufactures motorcycles and off-road vehicles, but what's the point of manufacturing rice cookers?
Are you indulging in pleasure?
"Sir, please try this rice first." Section Chief Xing had come prepared, bringing an insulated lunchbox, the kind with a thermos liner inside and a plastic shell on the outside.

Leader Teng took a bite with some skepticism, and the doubt on his face immediately disappeared.

This rice tastes really good, even better than the rice steamed by chefs in restaurants.

"Comrade Aiguo is an expert in whatever he does; he can be called a master cook."

After eating a small bowl of rice, Leader Teng put down his chopsticks and said, "Have you made a sample yet? Send it to the ministry first. The higher-ups are coming to inspect in a couple of days, and it will come in handy."

Section Chief Xing: "."

The news that the rice cooker workshop had been approved for construction quickly spread and reached the ears of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

A factory in Beijing that was making iron pots also found the department.

"Boss, our factory has a sufficient talent pool. How about we take over the project?"

The leader exhaled a puff of smoke: "You have the nerve to call yourselves rice cookers manufacturers? Comrade Aiguo, a train driver, made rice cookers better than you. Look at this multi-stage heating technology, how come you didn't think of that?"

"It's not that we can't think of it, it's that we can't make it. If you gave us those circuit boards, we could make them too," the person giving the report asked, drooling.

"What, you want to reap the benefits? Fine, I'll contact the Ministry of Railways for you, you go find them!" The leader of the First Ministry of Machine Building knew what this person meant and got angry on the spot.

"Don't worry about the things at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Go back and focus on your work. Doing your job well is more important than anything else," the leader from the First Ministry of Machine Building said again.

"Alright then." The person who made the report got a scolding and knew there was no hope, so he had no choice but to leave.

The leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building also knew that it was impossible to get the rice cooker over, after all, the railway was known for protecting its own.

So, is it possible to build them together?
Thinking of this, the leader of the Ministry of Machine Building picked up the phone and connected with Leader Teng.

"Teacher, I have a little idea."

Li Aiguo did not expect that the rice cooker would be targeted by the Ministry of Machine Building, but he did agree to the Ministry's proposal to jointly build it.

The domestic rice cooker market is huge right now. The Qianmen Locomotive Depot alone would be busy for ages, not to mention Li Aiguo's goal is to push rice cookers overseas and make a killing.

“Sir, I am your soldier, I will obey you,” Li Aiguo replied, standing up.

Leader Teng nodded in satisfaction. This was a good comrade who put the overall situation first.

"The ministry has contacted the planning department and allocated you a plot of land in the suburbs of Beijing, about 500 mu in size. A special leader will be in charge of the relevant work."

Section Chief Xing also perked up. Qianmen Locomotive Depot is already the largest locomotive depot in China. If the rice cooker factory is added, it could probably become the world's largest.

"Please rest assured, leaders, we will definitely cooperate with our colleagues from the Ministry of Machine Building to complete the production as soon as possible."

After a moment of contemplation, Leader Teng said, "Comrade Aiguo, you deserve great credit for being able to create such a good rice cooker in such a short time."

Li Aiguo seized the opportunity to say, "Actually, I only did some design work this time. The comrades in the Computer Research Institute and the studio are the real heroes."

Li Aiguo is no longer concerned about this honor.

But these comrades need it.

Even a single compliment can provide a huge advantage when it comes to future promotions.

If a leader doesn't work for the benefit of his subordinates, who will help him in the future?
Leader Teng understood Li Aiguo's meaning and nodded, saying, "Since he has made a contribution, he should be praised and rewarded accordingly."

With Teng's instructions, things became much easier.

After returning to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, Section Chief Xing and Li Aiguo discussed how to reward those who had made meritorious contributions.

Professor Xia Zhongsu of the Computer Research Institute and five other researchers who participated in the development of the circuit board were awarded a commendation, each receiving a large certificate and a reward of thirty kilograms of rice.

Each of the untrained car experts and Zong Xianfeng at the studio received a grand prize certificate and a reward of thirty kilograms of rice.

"Section Chief, besides these people, Liu Haizhong and Comrade Nan Yi from the steel rolling mill also made a lot of efforts in developing the rice cooker," Li Aiguo added.

Since the two men did not belong to the railway department, Section Chief Xing contacted the steel rolling mill and sent a letter of commendation.

At the same time, the two were also rewarded with 20 kilograms of rice in the name of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

"Aiguo, I heard you started a scientific rice research project. Those comrades who participated in the project have also made contributions, so they should be rewarded."

Section Chief Xing had by then learned about the entire research and development process. After reviewing it for a while, he took the initiative to bring it up.

"Give each person ten jin of rice!"

This may well have been intended to help Li Aiguo establish a good reputation, as reputation among the masses was quite important in those days.

"Thank you, Section Chief." Li Aiguo knew this was the Section Chief's concern, so he stood up and nodded.

In the evening, people came and went at the entrance of the courtyard house. Residents who had just finished get off work chatted as they walked into the courtyard.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine came from afar, sounding like a car.

The residents weren't surprised, since Li Aiguo usually owned a car.

This time, however, a truck arrived, loaded with several bags of rice.

After the truck stopped, Li Aiguo and the leaders of the logistics department of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot jumped off the truck.

"Aiguo, Director Liu, what are you doing?" Yan Jiecheng recognized the leader and went up to greet him.

"Jiecheng, you're here right now. Tell the residents who participated in the rice research program a while ago to come out and collect their rice." Li Aiguo handed Yan Jiecheng a cigarette.

"What kind of rice?"

"Meritorious Rice!"

After figuring out the whole story, Yan Jiecheng took off running into the courtyard, shouting as he ran.

"Everyone, come out and collect your rice! Brother Aiguo has recommended us for credit, come out quickly!"

The residents had already started cooking, but when they heard the noise, they put down their pots and pans and came out, looking somewhat bewildered.

"What credit?"

"It might be because of the meal we had the other day?"

"Even eating can earn you merit."

The residents came to the gate in twos and threes, and only when they saw the rice on the truck did they believe it.

"Dear elders, brothers and sisters, in recognition of your outstanding contributions to the rice research project recently, our Qianmen Locomotive Depot has decided to reward each of you with ten kilograms of rice. Please line up neatly and do not crowd. Everyone will receive one."

Li Aiguo stood on the truck, directing Yan Jiecheng to weigh the rice.

Director Liu was in charge of verifying names; those who had already received rice had their names crossed out. "Hey, your name is Yan Bugui, right? Didn't you already get yours? Why are you here again?" Director Liu saw an old man quietly rejoin the queue after receiving his rice.

Yan Bugui raised his head: "Leader, I deserve the most credit for the scientific research task! I should be given two more credits."

"Ha, why is your contribution the greatest?" Director Liu glanced at the materials, which did not indicate this.

Yan Bugui: "I ate the most."

Director Liu: "."

Li Aiguo: "."

Xu Damao: "."

Yan Jiecheng covered his face.

evening.

Night falls.

The courtyard, which should have been quiet, was still bustling with noise.

Ten pounds of rice per person may not seem like much, but if you eat it sparingly, it can last for several months.

Most importantly, this is a merit rice; if we mention it in public, it will make us look good.

Only one woman from Yi Zhonghai's family received ten jin of rice.

Seeing the old woman hiding rice in a jar, Yi Zhonghai was puzzled: "Old woman, it's evening, we're about to cook dinner, why are you hiding this rice?"

"This is my contribution, it has nothing to do with you," the older woman replied.

Yi Zhonghai was so angry that he almost fainted.

If he had known he would receive merit rice, he wouldn't have acted like a big shot in the courtyard house.

Now, not being able to get rice is a minor issue; the real problem is that the residents in the compound are criticizing us.

"That damned Li Aiguo must be targeting me by distributing rice to the residents."

Yi Zhonghai sat in the chair, his teeth grinding together.

*****
The next day, the Ministry of Machine Building and the Ministry of Railways took action, and the construction of the rice cooker factory began.

The rice cooker was named Red Star brand rice cooker, which has a good meaning and is easy to pronounce.

Considering that the main market for rice cookers is overseas, they even gave them an English name: "HongXing".

Li Aiguo asked Yang Jizong, who had returned to the port city, to register related patents for rice cookers in various countries around the world and to start marketing activities.

Lou Xiao'e's current cultural and entertainment company continues to be involved in the advertising industry while producing films, and maintains good relationships with media in Hong Kong and North America.

Within a few days, advertisements for the Red Star brand rice cooker appeared in newspapers in Hong Kong and North America.

The advertising slogan is simple: Red Star brand rice cooker, let you taste the skills of a master rice cooker.

The advertisements on this side of the notebook are a bit different.

"Red Star Rice Cooker, a masterpiece created by a rice-cooking expert over a century."

There's no way around it, the little notebook just falls for this.

Later generations created figures like the "Cooking Immortal" and the "Grilled Bird Immortal."

Can someone become a master craftsman and a representative of craftsmanship by cooking rice, frying skewers, and making sushi for decades?

This is nothing more than capital marketing.

In reality, it's just that small-scale financial and political conglomerates have monopolized upward mobility, leaving ordinary people with no choice but to run a small shop for generations.

Decades later, it was promoted by conglomerates and used to exploit ordinary people again, which is simply killing two birds with one stone.

True craftsmanship: in a place with strict gun control, using everyday items to handcraft a double-barreled pistol, hitting the target with two shots, proving the rumor that "the steel pipes of a small notebook can really be used to make a pistol" to be true.

The former is laughable, while the latter commands respect.

Just as Li Aiguo had predicted, the advertisement quickly caused a huge sensation in Tokyo.

"A master of cooking rice? That's quite an arrogance."

"Yes, a true master of cooking rice must be an old man who has been cooking rice for decades, and he must use an earthen stove and decide whether to cook rice based on the weather."

How delicious can rice cooked in a rice cooker be?

While ordinary people might find the advertising for Red Star rice cookers a bit exaggerated, several rice cooker companies in China feel a deep sense of threat.

After all, the dire situation of Bentian Company is still fresh in people's minds. Once Hongxing Rice Cooker is launched on the market, their market share will be taken away.

To strike first is to be strong, but to strike later is to suffer disaster.

Inside a rice cooker company called Komatsu, Chairman Jiro Komatsu convened a meeting after receiving several phone calls.

"Now Hextech's Red Star brand rice cooker is coming on strong. What strategies do you have to deal with it?"

Those executives were well aware that the chairman had the support of several other appliance companies.

That's how small companies are; they especially like to band together. After conquering the market, they often devour all the profits of the entire industry, much like locusts.

“I think we can join forces to control all the channels and prevent Red Star brand rice cookers from being sold on the market.”

"If it were a few years earlier, maybe it would have been possible, but it's too late now. Hextech has already established sales channels all over the world and has good relationships with both old and new money."

"What about spare parts? We can try to cut off its spare parts supply."

"The Red Star brand rice cookers all use other people's self-developed technology."

"."

As everyone frowned in worry, someone raised their hand: "Doesn't Hextech advertise that their rice cookers are comparable to rice-cooking masters? We can find a real rice-cooking master and have them compete with it. We can invite media from all over the world and ruin its reputation."

"This is a good idea!"

"Yes, rice cooked in a rice cooker can only be considered cooked."

"Hextech is going to reap what it sows."

Jiro Komatsu suddenly stood up and made the final decision: "You guys contact our cooking master here immediately, and also contact the foreign media to release the news."

"Yes!"

Seeing his subordinates get to work, Komatsu Jiro poured himself a cup of sake, picked it up, and drank it all in one gulp.

"The Hextech rice cooker market is not the motorcycle market. You'd better wait and see what happens."

Li Aiguo was unaware of these circumstances, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

Because the machinery factory had already completed its first month's production target.

On Monday, Li Aiguo received a call from Liu Feng at work.

"Comrade Patriot, our machinery factory has lived up to expectations. We have overcome the difficulties and completed the first month's mass production, a full two thousand vehicles." Liu Feng sounded extremely happy on the phone.

Li Aiguo frowned: "Two thousand vehicles?"

Liu Feng: "Yes, it's four times better than expected, a huge leap forward."

Li Aiguo: "Congratulations!"

Liu Feng: "When will you send someone to inspect it?"

Li Aiguo raised his wrist to check the time: "I'll arrange for someone to go there now."

"Alright, I'll be waiting for your comrades from the locomotive maintenance section."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Feng looked at Zhao Anan from the production department and the two workshop directors and said, "The quality inspectors from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot will be here soon. Once they pass the quality inspection, these oddballs will be handed over to the local authorities."

Zhao Anan frowned: "Factory director, this is a hybrid product produced by our factory. Why should we let others conduct the inspection? Don't you understand that this shows a lack of trust in the improvements made by our technical department?"

Liu Feng waved his hand: "We're just manufacturers. The 'four-legged beast' is still a product of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. We can't just take other people's things, can we?"

After saying that, worried that Zhao Anan might get upset, he smiled and said, "Old Zhao, you have made a great contribution to the factory this time. I will definitely report your merits to the ministry truthfully."

"Thank you very much, Director Liu." As he spoke, a subtle smile appeared on Zhao Anan's lips.

I contacted a leader in the ministry yesterday and reported on his ambitious plans.

The ministry leaders will come this afternoon to personally inspect the results.

That would be the perfect opportunity for him to launch a counterattack.

In the afternoon, Zong Xianfeng arrived at the machinery factory in a jeep with two technicians.

The person in charge of receiving them was Zhao Anan, the head of the production department.

"Engineer Zong, welcome to our machinery factory. We've prepared some food and drinks. How about we eat first and then start working?" Zhao Anan warmly shook Zong Xianfeng's hand.

"Section Chief Zhao, it's not lunchtime now. Where are those strange creatures? We need to finish the inspection so we can go back to work."

"As expected of the comrades working at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, their work style is excellent. This way, please."

Seeing that Zong Xianfeng was not giving him face, Zhao Anan could only lead Zong Xianfeng and the two technicians to the square behind the machinery factory.

This place is filled with two thousand different kinds of vehicles.

“This one was just built yesterday. Shall we inspect this one?” Zhao Anan said, pointing to the one at the front.

Zong Xianfeng gave him a deep look, stepped inside, and randomly picked a car.

"Master Zong, our factory workers have put in a lot of effort to create these strange creatures. Several workers were injured, but they didn't leave the front line despite their minor injuries," Zhao Anan said, trying to take credit for Zong Xianfeng's efforts since he couldn't fool him.

Zong Xianfeng had already had the boxes opened and tools such as wrenches taken out to get busy.

The engine assembly is fine, the wheel assembly technique is acceptable, and the seats are also fine. Zong Xianfeng took out a notebook, checked each item, and circled the corresponding item.

"Next up is the hydraulic system." Zong Xianfeng had been busy for a while and was covered in sweat.

He had someone prepare a jack, intending to lift the truck bed.

"Zong, let's forget about the hydraulic system. It's too difficult to install. Let's just test it. As long as it can hold up, we'll know if it's up to standard, right?" Zhao Anan said with a fawning smile.

"No, if the hydraulic pump isn't installed properly, it's prone to malfunction," Zong Xianfeng shouted to the workers not far away. "Set it up quickly."

"Xiao Liu, you go back first."

The worker had just stepped forward when Zhao Anan called out to him.

Zong Xianfeng also noticed something amiss, stood up, and asked coldly, "Section Chief Zhao, what do you mean?"

"Engineer Zong, you won't be able to inspect this hydraulic pump today." Zhao Anan took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a puff. "Your nitpicking has seriously damaged the work enthusiasm of our machinery factory workers. You're sabotaging Da Ge Bu!"

Zhao Anan sneered: "The higher-ups have given special approval for this major leap forward. Are you trying to go against them?"

Zong Xianfeng's expression hardened.

The tall trees in the distance rustled and swayed in the strong wind.

(End of this chapter)