The train driver in the courtyard

Li Aiguo was confused about what had happened to his third uncle, so he went back to the courtyard house first. At the gate, he ran into Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao.

Although Liu Haizhong is now the second uncle, as the workshop director, he really treats the affairs of the courtyard as family matters.

Xu Damao simply enjoys joining in the fun, and since he didn't have to go to the countryside to show a movie today, he came along too.

"Aiguo, the third aunt is so anxious! My wife is inside trying to persuade her. Come on, let's go inside quickly."

The second uncle handed cigarettes to Li Aiguo and Xu Damao, and led the two towards the Yan family's house.

Inside the house at this time.

"Old Yan, you're so old, how could you do something so shameful! A tomb raider, oh dear, you've disgraced yourself for generations!" The third aunt cried and cursed the third uncle.

When she cried, Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiekuang, Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiedi also started crying.

When the family started crying, the second aunt, who had come to comfort them and was an ally of the third aunt in the courtyard known for gossip, was probably infected by the sad atmosphere and started crying as well.

For a moment, the sound of crying filled the room, which was quite eerie.

Xu Damao stood at the door, tilted his head, and asked, "Ah, we're late. Did Uncle San get shot?"

The three aunties: "."

Second Aunt: "."

Yan Jiecheng: "."

The second aunt quickly stood up: "Xu Damao, what nonsense are you talking about? The police only said he was arrested."

"Then why are you crying like that!" Uncle Er was at his wit's end. He had asked Aunt Er to come over to help persuade her, so why was she crying?
"I...I don't know either. When Jie Cheng's mother cried, I thought of Guang Qi from our family, and I couldn't help it." Aunt Er stood up awkwardly.

Liu Haizhong: "."

He took a deep breath and said, "Stop crying, everyone. Aiguo is back. He's a damn good boy. Tell me what happened."

Seeing Li Aiguo enter, the third aunt quickly stood up and said anxiously, "Aiguo, you know your third uncle isn't a bad person. He wouldn't do anything bad. How did he get arrested? My poor Jiecheng is about to get married. Now that this has happened, will the bride's family call off the engagement?"

The three women were very emotional, tears streaming down their faces as they spoke, and they could no longer form coherent sentences.

It was Auntie Er who explained the situation again.

Actually, the second aunt didn't know much either. She only knew that this morning, someone from the district public security bureau suddenly came to inform the third aunt that the third uncle had been arrested for tomb raiding, and the specific circumstances were still under investigation.

Li Aiguo was familiar with the procedures of the public security department, and this was considered to be in accordance with regulations to notify the family in advance, so as not to make the family think that the person had gone missing.

"Patriotism! You're a train driver, you know a lot of people, can you think of a way?" The old woman's eyes were already swollen from crying.

Li Aiguo said, "Auntie, I can go and find out some information. As for the specifics, we'll have to see if Uncle San really did rob a tomb."

Li Aiguo wouldn't make any guarantees; if the Third Uncle really did something despicable, then he deserved to be arrested.

"Thank you, thank you," the auntie said, knowing this too.

Considering that he had to go to work the next day, Li Aiguo did not waste any time and took Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong to the district public security department.

At the supply and marketing cooperative near the entrance, Li Aiguo called Cao Wenzhi to ask if he knew anyone there.

"You know what, I actually remembered someone from the district. It's a colleague in that office who often books tickets through us." Cao Wenzhi gave Li Aiguo the name and even made a phone call to him.

A young clerk quickly came out and warmly extended his hand: "You must be a comrade from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, come in, welcome, welcome."

"No need, I'm here on behalf of the suspect's family to inquire about some things." Li Aiguo shook hands with him, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then explained his purpose.

The district police officers often need to travel on business, and they often have to leave in a hurry. Train tickets are in short supply, and most of the time the local police station has to coordinate with them.

Since the people were just asking about something and it didn't involve anything else, the young cadre agreed without hesitation.

"Those arrested early yesterday morning should be being held in the criminal investigation team. Come with me."

Li Aiguo followed the young staff member around the office building and into a small courtyard at the back.

There were seven or eight people squatting inside, all of them crouching on the ground with their heads in their hands.

There were also bags of rice and antiques next to them. Li Aiguo also saw a flock of ducks. The ducks had run away, and now several cadres were catching them. The courtyard was very lively.

"Team Leader Zhou, these are Yan Bugui's family members. They've come to inquire about the situation," the young officer called out to a team leader who was flipping through documents.

Team Leader Zhou looked up and his eyes fell on Li Aiguo, then lit up: "Comrade Aiguo!"

"You are..." Li Aiguo looked him up and down, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he was.

"You've forgotten, back when we arrested Hou Youde and Hou Bingchang, I was the one who helped open their coffins," Captain Zhou said with a smile.

Li Aiguo then remembered: "Zhou Dadan, right? Aren't you from Zhengyangmen Police Station? How did you get transferred here?"

This happened several years ago.

Back then, the Hou family planned to smuggle gold and silver jewelry out under the guise of a funeral, but Li Aiguo and his men stopped them.

When the museum was about to open, many comrades felt it was an unlucky omen. It was Zhou Dadan who grabbed a crowbar and was the first to rush forward. Li Aiguo was deeply impressed by him.

"Because of that incident, I made a contribution, and there happened to be a position available in the district, so the leader gave it to me." Captain Zhou felt a surge of gratitude when he recalled this incident.

At the local police station, they can only handle trivial matters. It's only when they get to the district level that they can truly investigate cases. This is also Captain Zhou's dream.

However, getting promoted was easier said than done. There happened to be a vacancy in the district, and the higher-ups wanted to find a shrewd and capable comrade, so they assigned it to Captain Zhou.

He made the right move from one step to the next, first getting into the district, then making meritorious contributions, and now he's the brigade leader.

Sometimes, what people lack is just a good opportunity.

"You're here to inquire about Yan Bugui, right? Let me look it up for you."

Team Leader Zhou was also a decisive person. After figuring out Li Aiguo's purpose, he didn't waste any time and immediately opened his notebook.

"Yan Bugui hasn't been tried yet; he's currently being held in detention cell number two." Captain Zhou called for someone to bring Yan Bugui over.

Taking advantage of this moment, Li Aiguo offered a cigarette to Captain Zhou and asked, "Are those people pigeon dealers from the pigeon market? How did you have to come all this way?"

Patrolling the pigeon market is generally the responsibility of the local police station, while the criminal investigation team handles major cases.

"That's right, these people were all brought from Beixiaoshi and are involved in a case," Captain Zhou explained, taking a drag of his cigarette.

Upon hearing "Beixiaoshi," Li Aiguo vaguely understood what was going on.

The pigeon market in Beijing is also graded.

In places like Xizhimen and Dongxiaoshi, pigeon markets were just small-scale operations where vendors would exchange pigeons for grain or a few coupons.

Beixiaoshi was different. Before liberation, this area was known for smuggling. It is said that the big dealers there helped the warlords buy weapons from overseas.

After liberation, Beixiaoshi was investigated several times, and the big dealers all went underground, but they still regarded Beixiaoshi as a contact point.

Whenever a major case occurs in the district, they like to send people to Beixiaoshi to look for clues.

This time, in order to investigate an antique smuggling case, Captain Zhou and his men changed into plainclothes and entered the market.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on that antique dealer for a while now. Since we couldn’t figure out who the real seller was, we brought back everyone who had been in contact with him. Among them was Yan Bugui, who had the most conversations with the antique dealer and was the prime suspect,” Captain Zhou said, flicking his cigarette ash.

Li Aiguo was stunned.

Could the Third Uncle really be a tomb raider?

Believe it or not, Li Aiguo remembers watching a TV series where the leader of a tomb raiding organization was a low-level employee in a cultural institution.

In that short while, Yan Bugui was brought out of the detention room.

The old teacher's glasses had a broken arm, and his hair was a mess. He could only support himself with one hand as he staggered this way.

When Xu Damao saw the Third Uncle's unfortunate appearance, he immediately laughed: "Hey, isn't this the excellent teacher Yan Bugui? Well done, I never would have guessed, you've become quite capable, turning into a master tomb raider!"

Yan Bugui was trying to figure out how to explain when he heard this and was terrified: "Leader, please don't listen to this kid's nonsense. I'm just an ordinary teacher, I really didn't rob any tombs."

Li Aiguo turned around at this moment, and the third uncle saw Li Aiguo and his eyes lit up: "Aiguo, you should quickly tell this leader that I have been wronged and that I am not a tomb raider."

“Uncle, the leaders haven’t said you’re a tomb raider. You’re just a suspect, you know? You have to trust the organization and Comrade Gong An. They’ll definitely be able to find out the truth.” Li Aiguo said sternly.

Team Leader Zhou nodded: "Yes, we are questioning everyone one by one. Now that you're here, let's first find out the truth about this old comrade."

There's no set order to questioning anyone; if it's a favor, why not do it?

It just so happens that Li Aiguo, Liu Haizhong, and Xu Damao are all Yan Bugui's neighbors, and they can provide some clues.

However, problems arose during the interrogation. Yan Bugui knew nothing and could not provide any useful clues.

Left with no other option, Captain Zhou had the antique dealer taken into the detention room and asked him, "Are you planning to buy antiques from this old man?"

"I don't know." The antique dealer's mouth slurred, and he even smacked his lips as he spoke.

Seeing the puzzled look on Li Aiguo's face, Captain Zhou explained, "This guy's nickname in the underworld is Big Gold Tooth. He had a gold tooth in his mouth. When he saw us arresting people, he was worried about being discovered, so he used a brick to knock the gold tooth out."

Big Gold Tooth said with a frustrated look, "If I had known, you would have targeted me a long time ago. Do I need it, boss? That gold tooth is an heirloom from my ancestors, not an antique. You can't confiscate it."

This was the first time Li Aiguo had ever seen such a bold antique dealer, and he couldn't help but look him up and down.

This guy has a big head, wears a small leather jacket, and has his hair slicked back; he looks like a cunning fellow.

This time, Li Aiguo stared at him, and the guy grinned at Li Aiguo and said, "Comrade, do you need any antiques? I, Big Gold Tooth, am honest and trustworthy, and I guarantee I'll get you a real one."

Team Leader Zhou sternly said, "Behave yourself!"

"Yes." Big Gold Tooth lowered his head obediently.

Team Leader Zhou then asked, "If you can't be sure whether this old man is a tomb raider, why are you wasting your breath talking to him? Let me take a look."

Team Leader Zhou picked up his notebook, glanced at it, and said, "You've been talking for almost two minutes, that's quite a while."

Big Gold Tooth gave a wry smile: "Boss, I feel wronged too. I've never directly bought antiques from tomb raiders before. I only came to Beixiaoshi to try my luck because I heard that an ancient tomb in the suburbs was recently robbed and a lot of good stuff was taken out. You know, this line of work is getting harder and harder to do these days; it's not even as good as collecting scrap."

Team Leader Zhou interrupted Big Gold Tooth: "Stop rambling. Just answer my questions."

Big Gold Tooth was clearly a chatterbox, and he still seemed to have more to say. He scratched his head and said, "I've been in Beixiaoshi for over ten years, and this is the first time I've ever seen someone selling radishes while wearing a gray Zhongshan suit. I thought there must be something fishy about this, so I went up to him and struck up a conversation. After a few exchanges, this old man actually managed to answer most of the questions."

Hearing this, Yan Bugui, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but exclaim: "You call that thing a cut? I thought you were buying radishes!"

Team Leader Zhou slammed his hand on the table: "Quiet down, everyone! Big Gold Tooth, what exactly did you say back then?"

Big Gold Tooth said, "I asked the old man if he had any scrap metal, and he said yes, a lot of it."

The old man said angrily, "These radishes of mine were all bought from wasteland in the suburbs. What else could they be but wasteland?"

Big Gold Tooth continued, "I asked him if he got this from the Tong family, and he nodded."

"Tong Jia Shou" means cultural relics that he dug up from the ground. This is a code word among antique dealers. Li Aiguo and Captain Zhou both looked at the Third Uncle.

The old man looked completely innocent: "The man who sold me the radishes is surnamed Tong, and he lives in Sijiqing Commune. You can go and investigate."

Big Gold Tooth grew increasingly frustrated and directly asked the Third Uncle, "So, when I asked you how much you were planning to sell that for, what was your answer?" With his raised tone and nonchalant manner, the Third Uncle shrank back in fear and said, "Three thousand eight hundred radishes."

Big Gold Tooth puffed out his cheeks: "Boss, in our line of work, 'radish' means 'piece.' Three thousand eight hundred radishes equal three thousand eight hundred yuan. Tell me, how could he not be a tomb raider?"

At this moment, Li Aiguo interjected, "Have you considered that this old comrade does indeed have 3,800 radishes he plans to sell?"

"Huh?!" Big Gold Tooth looked incredulous and said, "Who would bother with so many dried radishes? They're worthless, and they'd haul them all the way from the suburbs. Aren't they worried about the hassle?!"

Team Leader Zhou also found it a bit strange, and looked at Li Aiguo, asking, "Aiguo, what do you think?"

Li Aiguo was both amused and exasperated. He pointed to the Third Uncle and recounted the origin of the radishes from the Third Uncle's house.

Captain Zhou listened with amazement, and even the police officers in the detention room couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The originally serious atmosphere was transformed into one that was surprisingly cheerful.

After Big Gold Tooth figured out what had happened, he was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out: "So, I was tricked by a little stingy guy!"

The matter has now been basically investigated and clarified.

Uncle San was worried that the radishes would be eaten by rats, so he took a few radishes to set up a stall in Beixiaoshi. As a result, he ran into the antique dealer Da Jinya.

The two of them talked at length, almost turning an agricultural trade into a major antique transaction.

The reason it's described as "basic" is because the real tomb raiders haven't been caught yet, and the antiques haven't been recovered.

Team Leader Zhou couldn't be absolutely certain that Yan Bugui was completely innocent.

No one can guarantee that Yan Bugui, the old teacher, didn't dig up an ancient tomb while he was harvesting radishes in the countryside.

He's only been released temporarily, but he can't leave the capital.

The old man signed his name on the statement and asked a question: "Sir, what about the communes in the suburbs? Can I go there?"

Team Leader Zhou frowned: "What are you going to do in that area?"

The old man's lips twitched twice, unable to answer.

Xu Damao, however, knew the truth and said with a smile, "Boss, he's going to resell grain coupons!"

Team Leader Zhou: "You, an experienced instructor, have quite a wide range of expertise."

Third Uncle: "."

Team Leader Zhou didn't continue arguing with the Third Uncle.

Everyone was struggling financially, so these were just minor squabbles, and they simply pretended not to notice.

No one wants to make life unbearable for someone.

Li Aiguo had arranged to have drinks with Captain Zhou, so he led the three of them toward the courtyard house.

Along the way, Xu Damao kept giving the Third Uncle a thumbs up: "You're really something, a tomb raider!"

This really upset the old man.

When Uncle San returned home, Aunt San, after understanding the whole story, gave him a good scolding.

“Old man, you can’t do this kind of thing again. Luckily, Aiguo helped us this time, otherwise you might have been in jail for a few days.”

"I quit, I quit." The old man chuckled twice.

Looking at the huge pile of radishes in the room, he stroked his chin, thinking, "I guess I'll have to sell these eventually."
Although the Third Uncle was released, thanks to Xu Damao's propaganda, he also earned the nickname of a notorious tomb raider.

When the old man walked down the street, people would call him by this nickname, which always attracted the attention of the crowd.

That's nothing, as long as you get spat on a few times and explain yourself, it'll be fine.

However, being unable to resell grain coupons in rural areas meant cutting off a source of income.

The old man went to the district police station every few days to inquire about the case, but even Big Gold Tooth didn't know who the seller was, and the case made no progress.

Time passed slowly amidst the noise.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop has also achieved considerable success, with the first batch of one hundred sports cars already manufactured.

The off-road vehicle was named Tyrannosaurus Rex, while the sports car was ultimately named Velociraptor, a relatively fast dinosaur.

The entire vehicle is handcrafted, with seven layers of paint applied. The body must be low, so that when a person sits on it, it's almost like sitting on the ground.

The fuel tank is engraved with a velociraptor pattern, and since LEDs have not yet been developed, the headlights use a high-power light array that can be blinding in the dark.

With large tires and high horsepower, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in three seconds is not a dream.

The seats are made of lambskin, and the paint has seven layers. In short, it's all about being as expensive, futuristic, and stylish as possible.

Whether it's comfortable to drive is not a consideration.

Do you really think this is the only car that someone would buy?
"Wow, this car is amazing!" Section Chief Xing looked at the prototype. Although he didn't know much about cars, he could tell from its exaggerated design that this thing was very valuable.

The automotive expert expressed some concern: "The parts for this car are all custom-made. What if they break down?"

"Of course we bought it from here at a high price. If this car gets hit on the road, the other party will probably have to pay so much they won't even have their underwear left," Li Aiguo said.

Both Section Chief Xing and the wild car expert found it hard to understand.

"Those big capitalists are pursuing a superiority over ordinary people; that's the effect they want."

Li Aiguo looked at Section Chief Xing: "I've already contacted Yang Jizong. When should we deliver this vehicle to Gangcheng?"

Just like last time, the Velociraptor sports car was disassembled into its body and other parts, which were then transported to the factory in the port city for reassembly.

These require the dispatching of freight trains.

"I'll contact the department right away," Section Chief Xing nodded.

On Monday, Li Aiguo received a notification from Section Chief Xing as soon as he arrived at work that the train dispatched by the Ministry had arrived at the station.

All one hundred sports cars were packed in wooden crates.

Li Aiguo personally oversaw the loading of the train cars, and the sports cars embarked on their journey to the port city at the end of November.

With the arrival of winter, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot has become even busier than usual.

In particular, several greenhouses have been built in the suburbs, with the intention of delivering off-season vegetables to residents' tables before the Spring Festival.

While helping out in the greenhouse, Li Aiguo also kept an eye on the research and development of LED lights.

In addition, the development of vans and aviation refueling vehicles has been put on the agenda, and this work is being handled by wild car experts.

This kid just got promoted; he's now a Level 6 engineer, and he's full of enthusiasm.

Motorcycles also saw a surge in orders.

Xiao Ou's family prefers scooters, while Xiao Mei's family prefers high-powered racing motorcycles. In Asia, the main focus is on selling mountain bikes.

To Li Aiguo's surprise, Africa contributed one-third of the mountain bike orders.

Li Aiguo made a phone call to Liu Tiehan, the soldier in charge of protecting the mine, and only then did he find out the reason.

Odbit particularly loves mountain bikes; they're great for hauling bananas and timber, almost as good as a small truck.

Although Odbiao has no foreign exchange, it does have mineral resources.

Hongxing Kaituo Company adopted a new sales strategy of bartering.

Odbiao can exchange minerals for mountain bikes.

Each type of mineral is assigned different points based on its value, weight, and purity.

If the amount of ore handed over at one time is not enough, it can be accumulated. Once the accumulated value reaches the required level, it can be exchanged for a mountain motorcycle.

Mountain bikes are now not only a symbol of power in Africa, but also a tool for making money, although they require a lot of mineral resources.

Those promising young men from Odeborg gathered together, scratching their heads in frustration.

What to do?
The Odbiaos gathered outside the French gold mine, looked at the mountains of ore inside, and raised their sticks!
French Rooster: "."

In the port city, Hextech's factory has grown larger and larger, now employing tens of thousands of people.

To solve the housing problem for its employees, Hextech bought a piece of land and built seven or eight high-rise buildings.

Yang Jizong appeared at the construction site, and the chief engineer in charge of the construction work rushed over immediately.

“Mr. Yang, these buildings will be completed in a few more months.”

Yang Jizong was satisfied with the construction progress. He looked at the building again and asked, "Has all the scaffolding been replaced?"

“We’ve replaced all the scaffolding with steel frames.” The chief engineer was puzzled as to why Hextech had made such a request.

Using steel frames is significantly more expensive than using bamboo frames, and it also risks offending several associations that control bamboo frames.

That is, companies with strong backgrounds like Hextech.

In addition, the construction workers here are all from the inland areas. They are all fellow villagers and will not treat them badly. If anyone dares to cause trouble, they will be beaten up first.

Otherwise, things could really get out of hand.

Yang Jizong then toured the construction site again, emphasizing construction safety.

Upon receiving a report from the housekeeper that the sports cars had arrived, Yang Jizong returned to the factory.

More than a hundred sports cars with wooden frames have been transported to the warehouse and the frames are being dismantled.

The workers wore gloves and were very careful during the disassembly process, for fear of damaging the car paint.

After the vehicle body was disassembled, a group of experienced mechanics took their tools and began to assemble it.

Because of the special design features incorporated into the Velociraptor sports car, assembly proceeded very smoothly.

Soon, a Velociraptor sports car appeared.

Bright red, with an exaggerated shape, it looks like it came straight out of a science fiction magazine. It's incredibly fashionable, and to put it simply, Yang Jizong really likes it.

The sports car comes in seven colors: black, white, red, yellow, blue, and green.

There's also a two-tone color scheme, with black on the bottom and silver on top. It looks less flamboyant and more dignified, giving it a more upscale feel.

"Should we notify those distributors?" Butler Bai asked.

“Send them a telegram. Also, invite all the reporters in Hong Kong who have good relations with us. Let’s drive our sports cars to Central and hold an exhibition, so those bumpkins can see what it’s like.”

Looking at the sports car, Yang Jizong felt that he had been a bit ignorant.

(End of this chapter)