The train driver in the courtyard

The port city at dawn.

The traffic was heavy, and even the air was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Workers carrying tool bags and employees wearing black leather shoes and briefcases hurried to the factory and office building.

These days, making a living is not easy, and everyone cherishes their time. Who has the leisure to sit down and eat?

But when people passed the newsstand on the street corner, they all stopped in their tracks.

"Boss, get me a copy of 'The Greed of Man'!" a clerk in a shirt shouted.

Uncle Chen, the newspaper vendor, flipped through the papers quickly, asking without looking up, "Entertainment section or technology section?"

"Of course it's the entertainment section! How can a cold, impersonal machine be as interesting as celebrity gossip?"

The clerk tossed down a banknote, grabbed a newspaper, and stood by the roadside, frantically flipping through it. As he read, he patted his friend on the shoulder, "Hey! Look at this—actress Zhang was caught on camera by paparazzi entering a hotel while having an affair with a wealthy businessman!"

Just as someone hurriedly left with a newspaper in hand, a young man wearing glasses squeezed in from the other side: "Uncle Chen, do you have 'The Great Era Technology Magazine'? Hurry, hurry, I want to see the latest developments in computer processors!"

In less than half an hour, a stack of "The Big Era Entertainment" magazines sold out, and several hundred copies of the technology edition also went by.

Uncle Chen had been selling newspapers on the street for over a decade, and had long since developed the ability to handle emergencies.

He immediately pulled a dollar from the metal box and shouted to the teenagers playing shuttlecock not far away: "Ah Ming! Go to the Hextech distribution department right away and tell them to send over another two thousand copies! Remember, the entertainment edition is fifteen hundred and the tech edition is five hundred. Don't get the numbers wrong!"

The kid took the money, grinned foolishly at the shopkeeper, and ran off in his flip-flops.

Uncle Chen watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and clicked his tongue in amazement: "I really didn't expect that 'The Greed of Man' would become such a sensation in the whole city just a few days after it was released. It's incredible!"

A few days ago, if someone had told him that a new newspaper could get 30% of the sales revenue of Hong Kong newspapers, Uncle Chan would have thought they were exaggerating.

It's important to know that the newspaper industry in Hong Kong has long been a battlefield of cutthroat competition.

Wen Wei Po, Ming Pao, Commercial Press, Overseas Chinese Press, Sing Tao Daily, New Life Press... plus dozens of street tabloids, each occupying its own territory, and each one is a seasoned veteran.

In the past, any young man who dared to barge in would be devoured in no time, leaving not even bones behind.

Unexpectedly, this stalemate was broken by Hextech's "The Great Era".

The TV series "The Greed of Man" took an unconventional approach and split into two versions.

"The Great Era Entertainment" focuses on the popular market, covering everything from celebrity behind-the-scenes shots and embarrassing stories of the wealthy to neighborhood gossip.

It vividly describes which celebrity tripped and fell on the way to the film set, which wealthy woman lost her limited edition bowling ball, and even the domestic affairs of the tycoon.

They also invited several popular writers from Hong Kong to write columns, serializing martial arts and romance novels, which locals thoroughly enjoyed.

Another version of "Big Era Technology" takes a different approach, focusing on the latest domestic and international technology trends and product reviews, from computer chips to aerospace technology. While it may seem to have a narrow audience, it precisely targets the tastes of high-net-worth individuals.

University professors, business tycoons, and engineers almost all have a copy, making it extremely influential in top circles.

One is vulgar, the other refined; one is down-to-earth, the other high-end. This combination of tactics is swift and precise, appealing to everyone from the elite to ordinary citizens, capturing the entire market.

In just half a month, The Great Era became a household name in Hong Kong.

Even the old ladies in the teahouse know that "reading the entertainment section is for reading novels, and reading the technology section is for broadening your horizons."

At Hextech headquarters, after receiving a report from Butler Bai on recent sales figures, Yang Jizong clicked his tongue twice and said, "It seems that Brother Aiguo's idea is in line with reality."

This story begins with the mainland's approval of Hextech's publication of a newspaper.

When it was first being prepared, Yang Jizong originally planned to take the high-end route of "The Great Era" like Ming Pao and the Commercial Daily, focusing on articles by famous writers and political commentary, and adding a touch of literary style to enhance its sophistication.

Unexpectedly, the proposal was rejected outright by Li Aiguo as soon as it was put forward.

“The competition in the newspaper industry in the port city is fierce now. If we want to seize the market, we must use the magic weapon of coming from the masses and going to the masses.”

That's how "The Greed of Man" came to be.

“Selling 300,000 copies a day has broken the record in the port city. We should call our patriotic brother to share the good news.”

After carefully reviewing the sales report, Yang Jizong called Li Aiguo to share the good news.
When the call was connected, he was told that Li Aiguo was not at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.
It's unclear where they went or when they'll be back.

Yang Jizong connected the recent standoff between Lao Maozi and Xiao Mei's family at the Sugarcane family's house, and seemed to have thought of something.

He lit a cigarette, walked to the window and gazed into the distance. The wind stirred the curtains, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

Beyond Yang Jizong's view, the wind of the Gobi Desert carried sand and gravel.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, detonate.

As the countdown ended, a hand pressed firmly on the red button.

A bright white light swept across the vast Gobi Desert, followed by a thunderous roar that shook the earth.

On the distant horizon, a fireball slowly splits open, and mushrooms resembling red clouds rise and bloom between heaven and earth.

In that instant, the extremely high temperature melted the 100-meter-tall iron tower that was supporting the mushroom egg, causing it to collapse to the ground.

The surrounding tanks, planes, cannons, buildings, and other objects were destroyed, and the testing instruments inside various work stations spun at high speed...

Baiyungang Observation Post.

Inside and outside the trench, which stretched for over a thousand meters, thousands of people shouted, jumped, laughed, and hugged each other, throwing their hats into the air...

Sitting in the pilot's seat of the test attack helicopter, Li Aiguo's emotions were stirred as he looked at the scene in the distance.

"Driver Li, when do we approach?" a crew member asked.

"Wait a little longer." Li Aiguo saw the mushroom cloud in the distance begin to spread, calculated the time, and suddenly pushed the control stick.

The armed helicopters circling around the perimeter quickly climbed to an altitude of 7000 meters, an altitude that the experts from Factory 221 had calculated in advance.

Even with goggles on, from the perspective of the armed helicopter, one could still see a magnificent fireball rolling slowly into the sky, sweeping up clouds and smoke, constantly expanding outwards and changing colors.

With the propellers spinning rapidly, Xiao Zhao, a chemical defense soldier monitoring the cabin, loudly reported: "The red light on the instrument is on, excessive radiation has been detected!"

Chen, the expert providing technical support, glanced at the time; it was exactly thirty minutes until the mushroom egg was fully cooked.

He couldn't help but admire the decision; sending driver Li to personally pilot the armed helicopter was a wise one.

During the discussion of the test plan, some experts pointed out that the test should not be conducted too early. If it is conducted too early, the mushroom cloud will not form, and the vortex of air and the powerful shock wave will damage the aircraft.

It was too late; the mushroom cloud had begun to spread, and the required collection dose could not be reached.

The airflow had already arrived, creating turbulent waves that caused the attack helicopter to bounce violently.

Li Aiguo took a deep breath, gripped the control stick tightly, and flew towards the dark black wave of air.

The airflow inside was more complex, but fortunately, the armed helicopter was specially modified to successfully complete its first crossing.

"Second attempt to penetrate the clouds!" Li Aiguo checked the time, and according to the established plan, changed the direction of the plane and headed towards the dark clouds again.

After three "Operation Through the Clouds" were carried out, and the comrades in charge of sampling confirmed that all samples had been collected, Li Aiguo piloted the armed helicopter back to the airport.

The operation was neither thrilling nor life-or-death, and Li Aiguo felt no regrets.

We can already overwhelm them with sheer strength, so why bother with hand-to-hand combat?!

After the armed helicopter landed at the airport as planned, several chemical defense soldiers carrying detectors stepped forward.

As soon as the detector approached the crew, it emitted a series of screams.

"It's incredible that it's within the safe range."

The chemical defense soldiers initially thought they were mistaken, but after repeated checks, they confirmed the fact.

"Being able to fly through the clouds three times and still ensure the safety of the crew, this armed helicopter is amazing!" The deputy commander also arrived.

Li Aiguo quickly stepped forward and saluted the deputy commander-in-chief: "Reporting to the commander, the testing mission has been successfully completed."

"Good, good, good, Comrade Aiguo, you have made a great contribution this time!" The deputy commander-in-chief grasped Li Aiguo's hand tightly.

The deputy commander was very busy and left after exchanging only a few pleasantries. The comrade in charge of sampling quickly delivered the samples to Factory 221.

Almost simultaneously, the test signals and data obtained from the more than 1700 sets of test equipment deployed at the test site were also sent to Factory 221 for analysis. After comprehensive analysis and judgment of these data, the mushroom egg was found to be fully mature.

"The higher-ups were very pleased and extended their warmest congratulations to the comrades who participated in the research and testing that afternoon." On the transport plane returning to Beijing, even the usually composed Old Cat couldn't stop grinning.

Smoking a cigarette, he said loudly, "Old Zhang even wrote a poem for us. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes!" The soldiers were all excited.

The old cat waved its hand and began to chant at the top of its lungs:

That night,

The east wind rises and dances.

A thousand troops beat their drums in triumph.

After a century of bitter struggle, the ruler has been restored.
A hero determined to subdue a tiger.

The glow of dawn sprayed across the sky.

A dragon soared ten thousand feet high.

Spring thunder shocked the world.

Joy is celebrated both on earth and in heaven.

The spirit of the poem echoed in the cabin. Li Aiguo pulled his work clothes tighter, leaned back in his seat, slowly closed his eyes, and smiled slightly.

The maturation of the mushroom egg is just the prelude; the real key lies in the ensuing game.

The transport plane arrived in Beijing before dawn.

On the airport tarmac.

A jeep from the weather station was already waiting. When the driver saw Li Aiguo, he immediately came up to him and said, "Comrade Farmer is waiting for you."

It was nearly 1 a.m. when they arrived at the weather station. The farmer and several leaders were discussing something.

"Our hero is back!" The farmer said with a smile as he stood up.

"Teacher, the real heroes are the comrades from Factory 221. I just helped fly the plane," Li Aiguo said with a smile.

The farmer seemed to have something important to say, and without further ado, he said directly, "Because we have kept it very secret, it seems that no one in the family has noticed that the mushroom eggs have matured. The higher-ups think we should inform them."

"Our superiors are truly farsighted," Li Aiguo nodded emphatically.

The reason Mushroom Egg was kept secret for a while was to prevent the enemy from discovering it and then trying to sabotage it.

Now that the mushroom eggs are ripe, it's natural to let the whole family know, otherwise all the hard work of growing mushrooms would have been for nothing.
The terror of the mushroom egg lies in its deterrent effect, not its power.

"Patriotism, do you have any good ideas on how to let other people know?" the farmer asked again.

That's true, we can't just call Big House and tell President Ken that we've grown mushroom eggs, can we?
“How about through the newspapers in Hong Kong? The sales of ‘The Great Era’ are quite good right now, and we have complete control over it, so we can use that to get the news out,” Li Aiguo replied after a moment’s thought.

"That's a good idea. It gets the message out without being too aggressive. Let's do it that way."

The farmer nodded, then contacted Hai Zili. After the plan was approved, the comrades from Factory 221 sent over some photos.

After carefully checking the contents and confirming that there were no classified information, Li Aiguo and Lao Mao sent it to the "Great Era" newspaper office in Hong Kong.

On November 9th, Yang Jizong was leading a group of dealers to admire the Velociraptor sports cars that had been transported from the mainland. Looking at the dealers' bewildered expressions, Yang Jizong was impressed by the development of the mainland's automotive industry.

In just a few years, they have left traditional European and American car manufacturers behind.

Just then, Butler Bai hurriedly walked in, picked up a newspaper, and handed it to Yang Jizong.

"Young master, this is today's newspaper."

Yang Jizong nodded knowingly to Butler Bai, picked up the newspaper, glanced at it, and feigned surprise: "Oh my, what's that mushroom egg in the newspaper? It looks pretty big." "Mushroom?" John Bull's distributor was a little puzzled. Was Hextech planning to sell mushrooms?

When he leaned closer to the newspaper, his expression suddenly changed.

Besides a picture of a mushroom, there are many more pictures below, including some of the experimental site photos.

"Mr. Yang, this..."

John Bull's dealer initially thought they were being uncivilized, but after reading it carefully, his expression changed drastically, and he handed the newspaper to the others.

What happened over there can be discerned simply from the photos in the newspaper.

The group of dealers lost interest in visiting the Velociraptor sports car and hurriedly ran back, transmitting the news around the world via radio waves.

The American, the British, the French, and other Western factions immediately convened a meeting.

What's strange is that the meeting dragged on without any results, and no one stood up to speak out against Dongda University, let alone make any accusations.

The situation in the Russian family is similar.

The Kremlin was brightly lit. The Korean emperor picked up a corncob and gave the head of the Ministry of the Interior a good beating.

Of course, this person in charge is not Commander Xie.

This cunning fellow had learned of the news through special channels long ago and took sick leave in advance to hide in a sanatorium on the Mediterranean coast.

The "mushroom" in the east has matured, and the standoff at sea in the west continues. Whoever wants to clean up this mess can do so; he has no intention of getting involved.

Here in the capital.

Today was a good day. Li Aiguo had just arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot on his mountain bike when Yan Jiecheng quickly ran over.

"Brother Aiguo, hurry to the auditorium for a meeting! Apparently, there's some great news to be announced!"

When Li Aiguo arrived at the auditorium, it was already full of people.

Section Chief Xing, holding a newspaper, announced loudly, "Comrades, our mushroom eggs are ready!"

"It seems that the experts at Factory 221 are indeed very cautious. I wonder how many times they checked before they were sure it was a real success."

Even though Li Aiguo already knew the news, he was just as excited as the other employees after hearing this, and he stood up and applauded.

The entire capital city and even the whole country of China was immersed in a sea of ​​joy.

Li Aiguo returned home in the evening. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard his second uncle holding a newspaper and loudly reading aloud, "Through our unremitting efforts..."

Everyone already knew the news, but they still put aside their work and rushed over.

This seems a bit puzzling.

But after arriving in this era and experiencing people constantly hanging mushroom eggs on your forehead, Li Aiguo finally understood why his predecessors had to go to such lengths to grow mushrooms.

This is not a mushroom, but a sharp spear and a sturdy shield.

Even Xu Damao, who usually liked to be sarcastic, put away his playful smile this time. After listening, he shouted to Second Uncle, "Second Uncle, read it again."

"Alright!" Uncle Er's voice was already a little hoarse, but he was still enjoying himself.

The people on the street had already started to cheer.

After work, the residents spontaneously gathered together to discuss the mushroom eggs.

As night fell, Li Aiguo returned home to find Chen Xueru had already prepared dinner and set it on the table.

Eat and chat at the same time.

"Our comrades from the neighborhood office are really happy today. Our mushroom eggs are finally a success. We'll never be afraid again," Chen Xueru said while eating.

"Yes, everyone is quite happy."

"The comrade who created the mushroom egg is truly remarkable."

Chen Xueru then steered the conversation back to manufacturing and experimentation.

"I heard that when the mushroom eggs mature, they have strong radiation. It was published in the newspaper. We even had to go to the center to collect samples. Those comrades risked their lives. They are true heroes."

“Yes, I also think they are heroes.” Li Aiguo took a bite of food; the dishes tasted quite good today.

“But I heard someone say that these mushroom eggs need to be delivered by a tool, either a firecracker or one of those big airplanes,” Chen Xueru continued.

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo began to ponder.

The Fifth Academy has already started developing firecrackers; if they don't want to, they should also develop large aircraft.

The studio's current technical level seems to be just a little bit lacking, but it's possible to manufacture simpler items.

The largest aircraft in China right now is the Y-5, which is a copy of the Russian An-2.

The Y-7 didn't make its maiden flight until the 1970s and didn't officially begin operation until the 1980s.

Now, other countries have already brought out the Boeing 707, and the gap is still huge.

That's how it is in cutting-edge industries; if you fall behind in one step, you'll be passive in every step.

If what you produce becomes outdated, it won't bring economic benefits or earn foreign exchange; you'll just keep throwing money into the project.

They seized the market early on and reinvested the profits into research and development, so the gap will only widen in the end.

Furthermore, turboprop engines and turboshaft engines for large aircraft are essentially two branches of technology.

Since we can develop turboshaft engines, with a little more effort, turboprop engines might be just as feasible.

"How about we build one ourselves first, see how it goes, and then make a decision?" Li Aiguo remembered that a noodle factory had built its own airplane.

He remembered hearing someone say that a noodle factory worker had built an airplane. If a noodle factory worker could do it, how could someone like him, who came from a train-making background, be any worse?
Having made up his mind, Li Aiguo saw that it was already dark outside, so as usual, he took Chen Xueru and several children to water the vegetables.

This is considered a regular activity in the Li family.

The three children didn't treat it as work; they had a great time playing.

As Li Aiguo approached Liu Haizhong's door, he saw Liu Guangtian, Liu Guangfu, and Banggeng come out of the house with several bills in their hands.

"Guangtian, where are you going?" Li Aiguo greeted him.

“It’s Brother Aiguo! My dad is especially happy today. Not only did he not beat us, but he also gave us 50 cents to buy firecrackers.”

After saying that, Liu Guangtian led Liu Guangfu and Banggeng out cheering.

Li Aiguo then noticed that the sound of firecrackers was already deafening in the distance and nearby, red paper scraps were scattered everywhere on the evening breeze, and the smell of smoke mixed with the scent of earth drifted over.

"Perhaps this is what it means to celebrate worldwide."

The next morning, Li Aiguo rode his mountain bike to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot as usual.

With the support of Tieyi and Tiesan, as well as the technical workers from all over the country who came to help, the construction of Huaxing Automobile Factory is progressing rapidly.

The main structure is now almost complete, the roadsides in the factory are being paved, and parts from all over the country are being delivered here by train in an endless stream.

Huaxing Automobile differs from FAW and Dongfeng in that it focuses on producing passenger vehicles such as minibuses and buses.

Li Aiguo was thinking that he should also develop a luxury minibus.

The decoration should be more elaborate, the safety should be improved, and the appearance should be impressive to match its purpose.

Li Aiguo placed the blueprints on Section Chief Xing's desk.

"Patriotism, the cost this time is not low. Is there a market for it?" Section Chief Xing asked, lighting a cigarette.

“Now, the chief engineers and key technical personnel of factories in various places often need to go to other places for study and visits. Although they don’t mind, we can’t let them still be crammed into commuter buses, can we? We have to provide them with a more comfortable travel environment,” Li Aiguo explained.

“That’s true. We didn’t have these conditions before. Now that life is better, we can’t let down these comrades who have made contributions.” Section Chief Xing asked casually before signing his name on the paperwork.

Li Aiguo returned to his office with the blueprints, where Zong Xianfeng had already placed more than a dozen foreign newspapers on his desk.

These newspapers were all transported in from the port city; they were specially approved by higher authorities, and they were mostly newspapers from that day.

Li Aiguo poured a cup of tea into an enamel mug, flipped through a few pages, and couldn't help but frown.

"The mushroom egg experiment in the east is suspected of being fraudulent."

Looking at the newspaper, it seems quite authoritative; it's the Wall Street Journal.

Li Aiguo pulled out another newspaper, Pravda, from Russia.

According to calculations by relevant experts, the mushrooms in the east are not yet fully mature.

The situation within the extended family is constantly changing. Logically speaking, if the eldest brother makes any more threats, Xiao Mei's family will definitely cause trouble.

There was a guy in history who said he wanted to plant mushroom eggs all over our house.

Now, these two arch-rivals are surprisingly on the same page.

what 's wrong?
Li Aiguo called the weather station, and Lao Mao's first words upon receiving the call were: "Those guys who should have jumped out to criticize us, we've laid all the evidence in their faces, and they're now playing dumb."

After asking a few questions, Li Aiguo finally understood what had happened in the past two days.

When news of the mushroom eggs' maturity reached Xiao Mei's family, Chief Ken immediately convened a meeting to seek a response strategy.

At this point, someone raised a crucial question: "Which is greater, the threat from the east, or the Russians?"

The answer is definitely the Russians, after all, the firecrackers from the Sugarcane family haven't been removed yet, and a major battle is imminent.

At this point, offending Tokyo University would clearly be an unwise choice.

“There are only mushrooms in the east, no reliable transportation. Don’t worry, don’t worry,” a strategist suggested.

"But we can't just pretend we didn't see anything, can we? We have to give a response, right?"

"Isn't that simple? We just won't admit it, will we?"

"There's really no way to investigate these kinds of things, this is a good idea!"

These messages were all relayed by Comrade Helmsman.

The situation in the Russian family was a little different.

After dealing with the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Korean emperor also convened a meeting with high-ranking officials for discussion.

Their biggest worry is that if mushroom eggs are created in the east, they will pull away the younger brothers in the big family, cutting off their arms.

Since the rise of Dongda Railway, it has attracted a large number of people with its advanced railway technology and equipment.

Let's not even talk about Xiao Yi's family. Jie Ke and his older brother are both flirting with Dong Bian. Do they really think he, as the older brother, didn't see it?
"Boss, let's just say their mushroom eggs aren't ripe yet. That way we can suppress their arrogance and prevent those little brothers from having second thoughts."

By sheer coincidence, the two bitter rivals made almost the same choice.

After figuring out the whole story, Li Aiguo was left speechless, both amused and exasperated.

Sure enough, these days, if someone accuses you of having mushroom eggs, you'd better actually have them.

Otherwise, someone could just grab a bag of laundry detergent and use it as evidence to attack you.

But now that the mushroom eggs have been created, it's far from enough; we also need delivery tools.

Li Aiguo remembered his idea of ​​building airplanes, tossed the newspaper aside, stood up, and walked towards the maintenance workshop.

Let's see if we can find anything good.

(End of this chapter)