The train driver in the courtyard

the next morning.

As soon as Li Aiguo arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, he knocked on the door of Section Chief Xing's office.

"Aiguo, the Fengtai Locomotive Depot somehow got wind of needing a minibus." When Section Chief Xing saw Li Aiguo come in, he stood up, poured him a glass of water, and handed it to him.

Li Aiguo took it and said with a smile, "Section Chief, I also have something to report. Deputy Director Li of the steel rolling mill also wants to order a minibus."

Before he could finish speaking, the section leader in charge of logistics entered.

"Aiguo is here too, Section Chief. Old Chen from Beijing Station called me. He thinks our minibuses are pretty good and wants us to help build one."

Li Aiguo was somewhat bewildered.

This news spread way too fast!

Section Chief Xing was somewhat troubled.

The commuter trains at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot are not yet fully equipped, and this has added three more orders.

The key issue is that all three companies have good relationships with the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and frequently trade materials, so it wouldn't be appropriate to reject any of them.

“Aiguo, how about this, let’s build three first and send them to these three families. We can assemble the commuter buses for our section later. We’ll get there in a few years, so a few more days won’t make a difference,” Section Chief Xing suggested.

"I'll listen to Section Chief." Li Aiguo nodded and was about to return to the studio to assign tasks.

The telephone on my desk rang.

Section Chief Xing picked up the receiver and said "Hello," his face instantly breaking into a smile: "Is this the comrades from the motor factory? What? You also want two minibuses?"

"Oh dear, our production capacity is really tight right now... What? It's mainly for transporting the chief engineers; they're old and have trouble getting around? Okay, I'll think of a solution."

After hanging up the phone, Section Chief Xing shook his head with a wry smile and looked at Li Aiguo, saying, "Aiguo, the motor factory is the only factory in our country that can produce high-end generators. Those chief engineers have put in a lot of effort. Look at this."

"I'll listen to Section Chief," Li Aiguo nodded.

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Section Chief Xing nodded approvingly.

What is a benchmark?

It's not about wearing a big red flower and dancing around on the podium, but about being able to step up and handle things at crucial moments.

Section Chief Xing thought that was the end of it and stood up to see Li Aiguo out, but the phone rang urgently again.

The phone rang again.

Section Chief Xing glanced at the telephone: "."

Li Aiguo glanced at Section Chief Xing: "."

Throughout the morning, Section Chief Xing received more than a dozen phone calls, all from factories and organizations around Beijing, all wanting to order minibuses.

Some of the companies were okay with it, as they could postpone the order due to limited production capacity. Even so, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot still finalized an order for more than 30 cars.

"This situation has put Section Chief Xing in a bit of a predicament."

He was aware of the studio's production capacity.

Moreover, manufacturing minibuses is not as simple as manufacturing motorcycles; quality must be the top priority, and it's impossible to just cobble things together haphazardly.

“Since those factories have needs, how about we find a way to expand our scale?” Li Aiguo suggested.

The plan was to obtain approval from the Ministry of Machine Building and the Ministry of Transport before mass production of the minibuses began.

The application report has been submitted, but it has not been approved yet.

We decided to start with small-batch production, making improvements based on feedback from these minibuses while waiting for the application report to be issued.

As for whether minibuses can be driven on the road, that's easy to solve; they can be applied for under the guise of road test vehicles.

Anyway, the locomotive depot workshop also needs a large number of road test vehicles to provide data and information for improvement.

"A three-pronged approach, with all three aspects being equally strong, is indeed a good method, and there shouldn't be too many problems. However, with such a large-scale undertaking, aren't you worried about patriotism?"

"Section Chief, we are serving the people. We produce whatever the people need, and we don't profit from it," Li Aiguo said righteously.

"Alright, let's do it that way!"

Section Chief Xing is an old comrade who has endured hardship. Back in the day, he even worked on the battlefield assembling bullets and modifying mortars.

Now that conditions are better and the army is stronger, they naturally won't be timid or hesitant.

He immediately convened several leaders in the section to plan for small-scale mass production.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot now has a full range of jobs and the ability to mass-produce engines, while the car bodies can be handed over to the steel rolling mill for completion.

The Railway Industrial University has cultivated a group of outstanding students who possess both cultural knowledge and practical experience, making them perfect candidates for car manufacturing.

Section Chief Xing personally coordinated the materials, and the wild car experts, Zong Xianfeng, and the engineers who manufactured the large off-road vehicle were also brought onto the production line, working in two shifts around the clock.

Time passes quietly in the busyness.

Before long, minibuses with road test license plates began to appear on the streets of Beijing, attracting passersby to stop and discuss.

"What kind of vehicle is this? Why don't I see any large air pockets on it?"

"Yes, it looks pretty. Look how shiny the glass is."

"Lights, lights, lights, look, the car lights are too bright."

The traffic police on duty on the road were also puzzled: Where did this minibus come from?
He stopped a car, intending to ask a question.

The driver got out of the car first, opened the water tank cap and checked, saying, "Comrade, please wait a moment, let me make a note of how much water is left in the tank."

This was specifically mentioned by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot when they delivered the vehicles.

Drivers must record the vehicle's condition at all times while driving and then provide feedback to facilitate future improvements.

The traffic police were also friendly, and only asked the driver a few questions in detail after he finished his work.

However, it's easy to find out who manufactured the minibuses and where the road test licenses were issued.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot is not under local jurisdiction, and its license plate is a regular road test license issued by the Ministry of Transport, so the traffic police can only report it to the Transportation Bureau.

The transportation bureau was also somewhat baffled when it received the report.

Trains built on the railway? And they even have proper license plates? How are they regulated?
There's no other way but to keep reporting it.

After being reported through multiple levels of government, the final report was submitted to the transportation department.

When the leader saw the words "Qianmen Locomotive Depot" and recalled the road test vehicle application submitted by the workshop a while ago, he roughly understood what was going on.

The transportation department leaders decided that the next day, people from the First Machinery Department of China Unicom would go to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to investigate.

However, before doing so, it is necessary to inform the railway authorities to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

"Brother Teng, your Qianmen Locomotive Depot has come up with something good again."

When Leader Teng received the call, he also felt something was off. As far as he knew, the Qianmen Maintenance Depot and Li Aiguo had been busy with the modification of armed helicopters recently. What was going on?

"Old Liu, cough cough..." Leader Teng cleared his throat.

"Here's the thing, they've built a minibus, and I heard that more than a dozen factories and organizations around Beijing couldn't wait for approval and placed orders ahead of schedule. This minibus is a great solution for short-distance passenger transport!"

"Cough, cough," Leader Teng coughed again as soon as he picked up his enamel mug to take a sip of water.

****
Li Aiguo was unaware of these circumstances and was currently at home receiving his sister-in-law and her coworker's husband.

This man, named Zhang Laishun, is in his thirties, tall and thin. He has been married to Liu Cuihua for ten years but they still don't have a child, and he looks depressed.

“Patriotism, to be honest, I’ve thought it through. If Cuihua really can’t have children, I won’t care.” Zhang Laishun sighed and said, “But now Cuihua has become strange and eccentric.”

Li Aiguo took a sip of tea and asked, "What's with all this mystical talk? Tell me about it."

“This…” Zhang Laishun rubbed his hands together, looking around nervously, revealing a hint of difficulty.

This little Jiu Jin has been round and chubby since he was a baby, and now he's even stronger, like a little calf. He's grown taller than Hong Sheng, and he can run around like a whirlwind if he picks up a stick.

After the children had all left, the eldest sister-in-law said to Zhang Laishun with a stern face, "Old Zhang, I have to say you're really useless! The workers in the workshop say you're not like a real man, and I think that's absolutely true."

What kind of person is Patriot? He's my brother-in-law, family! And now you need his help, and you're hiding it from him? Aren't you ashamed?

Li Aiguo quickly intervened, saying, "Sister-in-law, don't be like that. Brother Zhang, you're her coworker, so you're my friend too. Just say what you want to say, don't hold back."

After being scolded, Zhang Laishun decided to go all out: "Last night, in the middle of the night, Cuihua woke me up. I saw her sneakily pulling something that looked like a lump of mud from under the bed, squatting in the yard, and kowtowing to it while muttering some incantations!"

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

It's only been a few years since liberation. Although those people who used to be superstitious have been dealt with, that bad influence hasn't been completely eradicated. There might still be some remnants! This is no small matter.

"And then?" The sister-in-law was also taken aback and couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Laishun waved his hands anxiously: "I didn't dare to disturb Cuihua, for fear that we would start a fight and be overheard by the neighbors. You know how serious this kind of thing is."

This morning, I pretended to have diarrhea and sent Cuihua to work first. As soon as she left, I quickly crawled under the bed and searched, but found nothing.

He slapped his thigh, regretting it so much he clicked his tongue: "Afterwards, I asked Cuihua, but she completely denied it, saying I was having a nightmare. I'm so regretful now; I should have rushed up there last night to see what that was!"

Li Aiguo could understand Zhang Laishun. After all, Cuihua was his wife, and if this matter were to get out, it would probably cause a lot of trouble.

He advised, "Brother Zhang, haven't you thought about going to the hospital to get checked out? Maybe it's not a serious problem."

“I did mention it! But Cuihua absolutely refused, saying it was all nonsense and that she would definitely get pregnant soon,” Zhang Laishun replied.

Just then, Chen Xueru came out of the kitchen wearing an apron: "Sister-in-law, Brother Lai Shun, don't leave, dinner is ready."

"Xueru, no need, your older brother will be off work soon, I have to go home to cook." The sister-in-law picked up Jiujin and was about to go back.

Zhang Laishun didn't stay either.

After seeing the two off, Li Aiguo met with Dajunzi again and told him about Liu Cuihua's worship of the statue.

Li Aiguo had carried out several missions and understood one principle very well: only by ensuring that frontline personnel had sufficient information could they better complete the mission and guarantee their safety.

Some people don't understand this principle and like to hide things, which inevitably leads to tragedy.

“Junzi, this matter may involve some things from before liberation, and it is very dangerous. If you withdraw now, I will find someone else to take over.”

"Captain, what are you saying? Do you think I, Dajunzi, am a coward? Don't worry, I guarantee I'll find out where Liu Cuihua went," Dajunzi patted his chest and assured him.

"Alright, then you have to be extra careful! If you feel any danger, retreat immediately, don't try to fight it head-on!" Li Aiguo was relieved. Da Junzi and the others had all been trained and carried triangular bayonets; as long as they didn't engage in direct combat, they were guaranteed to escape unscathed.

When Li Aiguo returned home, Chen Xueru had already set the food on the table and was calling the children to eat.

Chen Xueru didn't mention Liu Cuihua's matter again. Children don't know any better, and if they were to talk about it, it could easily cause trouble for others.

After eating and drinking his fill, Li Aiguo went into his study and took out a stack of documents from his canvas bag.

These are all road test data of minibuses reported back by the transportation teams of various factories. Based on this data, the minibuses can be modified.

Early the next morning.

Li Aiguo had just entered the workshop of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Yan Jie ran over and shouted, "Brother Aiguo, Section Chief Xing wants you, Zong Xianfeng, and Yu Shu to go over there. It seems a leader is coming."

After saying that, Yan Jiecheng blinked and said, "These leaders seem to be of a pretty high rank."

Li Aiguo led the two men into the section chief's office, where they saw several leaders wearing four-pocket uniforms.

"Aiguo, you've come over. These two are Director Chen and Director Zhao from the transportation department. You know these two; they are leaders from the First Ministry of Machine Building."

"This is Comrade Li Aiguo from our Qianmen Locomotive Depot, a national model worker."

Now, when Section Chief Xing introduces Li Aiguo, he always likes to mention the title of National Model Worker.

There's nothing we can do about it; that's just how things are these days. No matter how high your rank is, it doesn't bring the same glory as being a national model worker.

"Comrade Aiguo, please sit down. We're here to learn about the minibus situation," the transportation department leader said politely upon seeing Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo, Zong Xianfeng, and Yu Shu sat down.

Actually, the situation is pretty much understood. Many things are like this; once they talk to you, they've already figured things out.

"Comrades, which of you designed the minibus?" the leader from the transportation department asked.

Zong Xianfeng immediately said, "It was proposed by Comrade Aiguo. I am in charge of electrical work, Comrade Yu Shu is in charge of chassis manufacturing, and some engineers from the Second Automobile Works also participated in the project."

We originally intended for internal use, but the demand grew so much that we decided to prioritize serving the public and had absolutely no intention of disrupting traffic.

“Yes, this is Comrade Li Aiguo’s design, and I support it.” Yu Shu straightened her back as well.

Seeing that the two seemed a little nervous, the leader smiled and said, "Young comrades, don't worry, we're just here to ask about the situation."

Seeing this, the two breathed a sigh of relief.

The transportation department leader looked at Li Aiguo and then asked, "Comrade Aiguo, how did you come up with the idea of ​​manufacturing minibuses?"

“Boss, many of our workers at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot live in the suburbs, and it’s quite inconvenient for them to commute to and from get off work. So I thought I’d tinker with a commuter bus to pick them up and drop them off. After building it and testing it out, I found it to be really useful,” Li Aiguo said honestly.

While taking notes, the leader asked, "Comrade Aiguo, what are your thoughts on the current situation, where the number of people needing minibuses is increasing?"

Knowing that the main event was about to begin, Li Aiguo straightened up and said, "We will make whatever the people need. I suggest we start mass production immediately. Of course, we must ensure quality and safety."

The leader from the Ministry of Transport nodded and looked at the leader from the First Ministry of Machine Building, who said, "Comrade Aiguo, may I take a look at these blueprints?"

"Of course."

A copy of the drawings was actually submitted along with the review report.

Li Aiguo had some doubts, but he still made Zong Xianfeng run back to the studio and bring out a thick stack of blueprints.

"Good comrade, we'll take these blueprints for now. As for the minibuses, you can continue with the original designs for the time being. The needs of the people are our responsibility." The leader from the Ministry of Transport finally made the decision.

"Aiguo, you've done a great job again this time." The two familiar leaders from the Ministry of Machine Building patted Li Aiguo on the shoulder and said.

Before their departure, the leaders from the Ministry of Transport toured the minibus and had Li Aiguo sit in the driver's seat for two photos.

"Patriotism, has this minibus been given a name yet?"

"Not yet, it has a temporary name, called Huaxing Minibus," Li Aiguo replied.

"Hmm," the Ministry of Transport leader nodded in agreement.

After everyone left, Section Chief Xing convened a small meeting to discuss the purpose of these leaders' visit.

"It doesn't seem like they're here to interrogate us!" a section leader remarked.

“They wouldn’t dare. If anyone’s going to be held accountable, it’ll be the leaders of our Ministry of Railways,” another section leader said.

"Never mind, let's get back to production!" After discussing for a while, the group still couldn't figure out the reason for the situation, so in the end, Section Chief Xing made the decision.

"Have the steel plates from Ansteel been delivered to the rolling mill?"

"It's been sent. Deputy Factory Director Li is personally overseeing it to ensure the forging is completed as quickly as possible."

"What about the engine workshop?"

"We're already operating on two shifts, and we've also organized a backup team so that any worker who's not feeling well can step in at any time."

"Have the tires from the south arrived yet?"

"It's already loaded onto the train. I just contacted the Yangcheng Freight Station."

****
Just as the Qianmen Locomotive Depot was bustling with activity.

A report and a roll of drawings were placed on the desk of the superior.

"Sir, this is the minibus you saw on the road a couple of days ago," the transportation department leader reported.

"This patriotic comrade, I heard they were busy building off-road vehicles, but I didn't expect they would build a minibus. This is great! This is better than an off-road vehicle. One vehicle can carry dozens of people, which is more practical for ordinary people."

The higher-ups only saw the minibus on the road.

Seeing the crowd gathered around the minibus watching the commotion, he then asked his assistant to inquire what was going on, only to discover that the minibus had caused quite a commotion.

"Comrade Patriot is indeed very busy. I heard that in Daqing and the border oil fields, they've switched to the two-headed donkey-shaped oil drums, and production has increased significantly."

The transportation department leader was pleased to see his superior and handed over the notebook.

"I asked Comrade Aiguo why he wanted to build minibuses, and he replied that it was for the convenience of railway workers commuting. What a practical answer! This is the record of our questioning."

The higher-ups opened the package, looked at it carefully, and nodded, saying, "We'll build whatever the people need—that's well said! What's the name of the minibus?"

"Huaxing is the name suggested by Comrade Aiguo. Once mass production begins, the name can be changed." The Ministry of Transport leader asked, "What name do you think would be suitable?"

"No need to change it, the name is fine." The superior nodded in satisfaction.

After the transportation department recorded this information, the higher-ups asked, "Have you figured out how many buses each region needs?"

"It's out. We've organized experts to survey passenger transport capacity in various regions, and there are significant gaps. In the Beijing area alone, there's a shortage of over three thousand passenger vehicles. Not to mention remote areas, some places still use trucks as buses, which is neither safe nor convenient."

Is the situation true?

“It’s absolutely true. It was reported by the local highway bureaus, and we even sent people to verify it.”

Upon hearing this, the superior pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that the mass production of minibuses should be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

"The locomotive depot at Qianmen has already started small-scale production, but relying solely on the locomotive depot is probably not enough," a leader from the First Ministry of Machine Building replied when discussing production.

The superior said, "Many hands make light work."

"We know what to do."

After the leaders from the Ministry of Transport and the First Ministry of Machine Building left, the superior picked up the photo in the document and looked at it: "This kid seems even more energetic now, Xiao Liu, what do you think?"

"Yes, Driver Li is so busy every day, from morning till night, he must have plenty of energy." The assistant took the opportunity to hand over hot tea.

Li Aiguo learned from Leader Teng that the minibuses would soon be mass-produced.

"Production will still be handled by your Qianmen Locomotive Depot. The Ministry of Machine Building and the Ministry of Transportation will send people to support you."

You don't need to worry about the factory; I've already contacted the railway troops.

Railway No. 1 and Railway No. 3 have completed the excavation of the first half of the subway line and are currently undergoing maintenance, which is perfect for launching them.

Section Chief Xing was also taken aback by the speed and asked in a low voice, "Sir, how come the speed is so fast this time?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!" Leader Teng said sternly, then added, "When the first mass-produced minibus rolls off the production line, you should be prepared to welcome your inspection team."

Who will be inspecting us?
It couldn't possibly be a leader from the Ministry of Railways. Perhaps Section Chief Xing suddenly became excited after figuring it out.

Leader Teng looked at Li Aiguo and asked, "Are you confident that you can complete the mass production?"

"Yes!" Li Aiguo stood up. In the past, when the days were hard, he could work hard with all his might, let alone now that the army is strong and well-equipped.

The transportation department quickly organized a large number of experts to review the Huaxing minibuses.

Once the review was approved, all procedures were completed quickly.

The Ministry of Machine Building quickly convened a meeting to select personnel. Anyone who was seconded to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot would be promoted to an officer upon their return, and the employees eagerly signed up.

Most importantly, any unit that deliberately shirks its responsibilities and fails to complete its tasks will be disqualified from supplying Huaxing minibuses.

Others take the Huaxing minibus when they go out, but you take the large public bus. No wonder you can't make progress.

Many hands make light work, and many people make the best steamed buns.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot now has the capacity for large-scale mobilization, and these personnel from various places were quickly assigned to workshops after their arrival.

The equipment from each factory has been debugged and installed.

As evening fell and the sun set, Li Aiguo stood on the platform, feeling as if everything around him was bathed in a reddish glow.

He was excited to be a part of it and to be part of the fiery team.

Today's efforts will become tomorrow's achievements. Li Aiguo believes that given enough time, this rabbit will become a giant rabbit, and then, equipped with a tank, it will become a giant tank rabbit.

At that time, we will not be afraid of any storms.

Back at the courtyard house, Li Aiguo saw that Chen Xueru had not returned yet. Just as he was about to deliver the remittance slip sent by Liu Tianquan to Aunt Liu, a street patrolman ran over.

"Report to the captain, Liu Cuihua has moved, and the third team leader is following her."

(End of this chapter)