The train driver in the courtyard

Commerce and trade department.

The top leader was somewhat taken aback when he received the order from the port city.

"Fifteen custom-made sports cars, after deducting costs, yielded a net profit of £2.5 million, equivalent to several years' worth of net profit for a steel rolling mill in Beijing."

"The foreign exchange Li Aiguo has brought in over the years through his schemes is countless. That guy is a money-making machine!" a leader said happily.

"What God of Wealth? Old Zhou, this is called accumulating wealth for the family, you know?" the senior leader immediately corrected.

"Yes, yes, it was a slip of the tongue."

"I propose that we immediately contact the First Ministry of Machine Building and provide full support to the production workshop of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot!"

"Yes, I heard they're short-staffed over there. Comrade Aiguo still has to do research, so we can't let him be distracted."

After the meeting, the top leader of the commerce department immediately called the leader of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

The whole country is now working together as a unified whole. We need to cooperate with each other and support each other to get the work done.

Many department leaders even fought side by side in the same trench, so they didn't have many unnecessary conflicts with each other.

The leaders of the First Ministry of Machine Building immediately ordered a group of senior workers to be selected from factories with few domestic orders and to travel by train overnight to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Section Chief Xing has been very anxious and stressed about this matter lately. The port city is urging for orders, and there is also a need for motorcycles in the country. He also needs to ensure the work on the railway. His lips have even developed blisters.

Upon hearing that a large number of workers were coming to provide support, he was overjoyed and immediately instructed the logistics department to make arrangements for their resettlement.

After Li Aiguo made a trip to Tianjin, he returned to the station and saw Yan Jiecheng running quickly to help welcome the new employees. Only then did he learn about the matter.

He went to Tianjin for two reasons: first, he wanted to experience driving a train; second, Little Black Fatty Yu Er had another daughter.

Over the years, Yu Er has made a fortune through the Beijing-Tianjin trade route. He even went into a local factory to do publicity, recruited his fellow apprentices, and practiced crosstalk every day. He was living a very comfortable life.

"Two thousand people! Two thousand senior workers!" Section Chief Xing beamed with joy as he entered the workshop.

Li Aiguo offered a cigarette to Section Chief Xing: "Are there enough dormitories in our locomotive depot?"

"The higher-ups have approved several hundred more acres of land, but the comrades from Tieyi have already started construction in the suburbs. You don't need to worry about these things."

Section Chief Xing looked around the studio, saw nothing new, chatted with Li Aiguo for a few words, and then left.

After he left, Li Aiguo took out the completed "VAR Smelting Furnace Industrial Control Transformation Plan" from the drawer and checked it again.

In the past few days, the Red Star Computing Institute has manufactured an experimental industrial control computer. It's time to add a controller to the vacuum furnace.

Li Aiguo picked up the phone and connected with Chief Engineer Chen of the smelting workshop.

"Old Chen, we can set off now."

The predecessor of the Ministry of Metallurgy was the Ministry of Heavy Industry.

In 1954, considering the important role of metallic materials in industrial construction, the Ministry of Heavy Industry was reorganized, and the Iron and Steel Industry Bureau and the Nonferrous Metals Industry Bureau were established, thus giving rise to the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry.

Chief Engineer Chen often went to the Ministry of Metallurgy to report on his work. He knew the way well and led Li Aiguo to knock on the door of Deputy Leader Zhang's office.

The secretary was in the office. When she saw Chief Engineer Chen arrive, she stood up with a smile and said, "Chief Engineer Chen, the leader is waiting."

The secretary pushed open the door, and when the two entered, Deputy Leader Zhang was reviewing documents. He looked up and nodded slightly, indicating that they should wait a moment.

Li Aiguo sat down and looked around. His office was as simple as those of other ministries, with the most eye-catching thing being the several mineral samples on the bookshelf.

Not long after, Deputy Leader Zhang finished approving the documents, stood up and said with a smile, "Old Chen, what did you come in such a hurry for this time? You've almost emptied my savings."

"Boss, you really guessed wrong this time. I've come to deliver something to you." Chief Engineer Chen pointed to Li Aiguo and introduced him: "This is Comrade Li Aiguo from our Qianmen Locomotive Depot's workshop."

"Ah, Li Aiguo, a national model worker, hello, hello."

Deputy Leader Zhang was exceptionally enthusiastic, reaching out to firmly shake Li Aiguo's hand.

Let's chat for a bit.

Li Aiguo took the document out of his canvas bag and handed it over.

Deputy Leader Zhang glanced at it and frowned: "Modify the existing vacuum furnace? Do you know that the vacuum chamber and heating system are rigidly matched? Rashly altering it could easily cause vacuum leakage or power imbalance. The risk is too great!"

Just as Li Aiguo was about to speak, Chief Engineer Chen quickly added, "Deputy Zhang, please turn to the third page and take a look at the design of the temperature control module."

Deputy Leader Zhang turned another page, his eyes widening: "Computer closed-loop control + real-time acquisition by S-type thermocouples looks impressive in theory, but those who do practical work know that theory and practice are often two different things."

"Old Liu from the smelting plant specializes in VAR furnaces, so he's the most qualified to speak on this matter."

Deputy Leader Zhang stood up and dialed the phone: "Xiao Zhou, notify Chief Engineer Liu of the Smelting Institute to come over immediately."

Less than twenty minutes.

Chief Engineer Liu from the Metallurgical Institute rushed over, panting.

"Deputy Zhang, why did you call me so urgently? Is there another problem with the VAR furnace?"

His gaze swept over the people present, landing on the materials Li Aiguo handed over, and he felt that this young man did not seem like a metallurgical engineer.

Without much small talk, Deputy Leader Zhang shoved the materials over: “Take a look at this plan from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot’s workshop. They want to add computer temperature control to the existing VAR furnace. I think the risk is too high.”

Chief Engineer Liu was stunned for a moment, then took the paper and quickly flipped through it with his fingertips: "Using thermocouples to collect temperature in real time, and comparing it with the preset curve every second, and dynamically adjusting the power output—this completely solves the problem of lag in manual monitoring!"

Deputy Leader Zhang frowned: "Existing equipment can be modified..."

"It will be very difficult, but it's not impossible to succeed, leader. Foreign countries have already started to improve their smelting furnaces. The steel used in the US aircraft carriers is a nickel-chromium and titanium alloy made with new technology. The Russians use nickel-chromium-titanium alloy steel, both of which are made by improving their furnaces. We can't just stick to our old furnaces."

Although the alloy steel used to build aircraft carriers cannot be produced by a single smelting furnace, the smelting furnace is an unavoidable hurdle.

Ever since the VAR furnace was introduced, Chief Engineer Liu and his team of veteran engineers have been dissatisfied with the temperature control. Now that they've encountered such a great opportunity, they can't miss it.

Chief Engineer Liu became increasingly agitated, his tone urgent: "If this technology is successful, we won't have to envy foreign automatic smelting furnaces anymore!"
Many VAR furnaces in China still rely on manual labor, which is not only inefficient but also hinders the production of high-end alloys.

If this transformation is successful, it can be used as a benchmark in metallurgical plants across the country, and our independent smelting technology can advance by ten years!

Seeing Chief Engineer Liu's unusually excited expression, Deputy Leader Zhang turned to Li Aiguo and asked, "Has everything been coordinated with the Red Star Computing Institute?"

“A working group has been established, and the industrial control computer has been manufactured. We are just waiting for the data and approval for the modification. As long as they agree, we can start work at any time,” Li Aiguo replied.

Deputy Leader Zhang slammed his hand on the table: "Alright! Send the industrial control computer to Shijingshan Steel. I'll make the arrangements there... Wait, the industrial control computer is too important; it must be transported with complete secrecy!"

Deputy Leader Zhang, who had also lived through those extraordinary times, immediately took the phone and contacted the weather station.

"The industrial control computer developed by Comrade Li Aiguo of Qianmen Locomotive Depot can linearly adjust the temperature of the vacuum furnace in real time, which is crucial to the smelting industry. The complete system is currently at Hongxing Computing Institute. We request that personnel be dispatched to escort it to Shijingshan Iron and Steel Company."

When I received the call from a meteorologist at the weather station, I felt like my head was about to explode and my hair was standing on end.

As a specialist responsible for confidential transportation, he was acutely aware of the profound significance contained in those few words.

The metallurgical industry is the foundation of China's heavy industry, so this industrial control computer is surprisingly important.

In particular, Comrade Li Aiguo, isn't that the same person who drives a train?
If it were someone else, he might understand, since he was only responsible for confidential transportation.

But this is a train driver comrade. He is a train driver, and he also holds an important position at the meteorological station. Now he has also made such achievements in metallurgy.

It's simply unbelievable that such a thing could be created.

Genius! No wonder the usually reserved farmer often praised his apprentice as a genius.

Upon hearing the news, the farmer became unusually excited, and his driver, messenger, and escort all set off.

This is something my own apprentice made; if the master doesn't step up, who will?

He even specifically told Old Cat, "If there are any problems with this transport mission, you don't need to come back."

"Please rest assured, sir, I guarantee the task will be completed!"

Old Cat was also shocked by the news and dispatched elite troops to rush towards the Red Star Computing Institute.

Throughout the journey, Old Cat wondered what this industrial control computer was that could alarm the leaders of the Ministry of Metallurgy.

Before even entering the Red Star Computing Institute, Lao Mao was stopped by the security officers. Lao Mao stepped forward, identified himself, and showed them his weather station credentials before the security officers made way for him.

Li Aiguo was also notified by phone.

Indeed, Li Aiguo, along with Deputy Leader Zhang from the Ministry of Metallurgy, Engineer Chen, and Engineer Liu, had already arrived at the laboratory of the Red Star Computing Institute.

Looking at the square box that was different from the office computer, Deputy Leader Zhang's eyes lit up.

The modified keyboard is used for input, and there are dozens of interfaces on the back for input and control. It's really a great thing.

This alone represents a significant leap forward, surpassing those foreign industrial control systems that use old-fashioned panels.

In the field of industrial control computers, stability is paramount. To ensure stable operation year-round, the Red Star Computing Institute has devised numerous methods.

The chassis is fully sealed, with dustproof cotton padding inside, shielded cables for all wiring, and separate grounding.

The core computing module and power module were all spared.

If one of them breaks, you don't need to shut down the machine; just unplug it and plug in a new one.

It also has a self-diagnostic program that checks its status every ten minutes and flashes a red alarm if there is a problem, so engineers can see it at a glance.

In addition, the program automatically backs up to the tape once a day, so if it crashes, it can quickly recover after restarting without needing to be re-edited.

Li Aiguo gave a brief introduction to Deputy Leader Zhang, who praised it repeatedly and eagerly asked Li Aiguo to give a demonstration.

Li Aiguo asked Professor Xia to power on the industrial control computer. Although no specific equipment was connected, some tests could still be conducted in a simulated environment.

The leader was incredibly excited. As soon as the temperature control program was entered, the signal started to adjust automatically, and his eyes even welled up with tears.

This is the first time that a domestically produced industrial control computer has sent out its own signal, and it is also its first demonstration on this great land.

The leader looked at the constantly changing curves on the screen and nodded repeatedly: "That's great, that's great."

The leader walked up to the industrial control computer, intending to operate it, but then stopped, turned to Li Aiguo, and asked, "Could you adjust it?"

Li Aiguo nodded: "It's not connected to the furnace yet, so it's fine."

The leader touched the keyboard, and Li Aiguo explained how to operate it. The leader entered the specified temperature and watched the value on it change continuously. Even though he knew it was just a simulation, he still looked satisfied.

This industrial computer was far more powerful than he had imagined; it was no longer just a simple temperature adjustment device, but a fully automated control system.

Just moments ago, the leader felt sorry for Li Aiguo, remembering how he had worried about the furnace malfunctioning due to the modifications.

The value of this industrial control computer alone exceeds that of a furnace.

The leader quickly composed himself, turned around, grasped Li Aiguo's hands with both of them, and shook them firmly twice: "Comrade Aiguo, on behalf of all metallurgists, I thank you!"

The significance of identifying metallurgists is self-evident.

"Thank you, leader. I did my best!" Li Aiguo didn't try to be modest. With such a result, being too modest would seem a bit fake.

At this moment, Lao Mao arrived with his men. After the security officer verified their identities, he brought them in.

"Is this what we need to transport?" Old Cat was a little surprised to see the industrial control computer, which was just a dark, unremarkable metal box.

However, upon seeing the expressions on the faces of the leaders standing beside him, he immediately understood.

This box is unusual. "Everyone be careful, keep your hands steady." Old Cat didn't waste any time. After handing over the paperwork, he carefully put the industrial computer into the box and sealed it.

Then it was transported to a large off-road vehicle outside; it couldn't be placed in the car, so someone had to carry it.

The signal cables and other accessories were packed in another box, which was carried by another person.

After doing all this, Lao Mao looked at Li Aiguo and asked, "Leader, Advisor Li, are you going along too?"

"Let's go together, let's go together." Deputy Leader Zhang was now completely focused on the industrial control computer and was very curious about what it would be like after it was installed.

With specially designed vehicles leading the way and fully armed guards in the car behind, this convoy sped through the streets of Beijing, attracting considerable attention.

When they arrived at Shijingshan Steel, the furnace was under maintenance, but the person in charge had already made preparations.

Deputy Leader Zhang stood on the scaffold and defined the nature of the installation: "The industrial control computer is related to the future of metallurgy, so we must be fully focused on the installation! Wiring, debugging, and verification—not a single step can be omitted, and responsibility must be assigned to specific individuals!"

The engineers, now aware of the role of the industrial control computer, were filled with enthusiasm and responded in unison: "Rest assured, leaders! We will strictly adhere to the standards and will not be careless!"

With Chief Engineers Chen and Liu in charge, the furnace was modified after the industrial control computer was removed.

Li Aiguo was an outsider to this work and didn't interfere recklessly. He simply worked alongside Professor Xia Zhongsu, debugging the program according to the engineers' requirements.

At the same time, they also helped with the design and installation of some internal sensors.

Deputy Leader Zhang stood by and watched for a while before leaving.

This job can't be completed in less than a week or two.

This is already incredibly fast; it would have been unimaginable before.

Li Aiguo wasn't in a hurry. He worked at the steel plant until the end of his shift and then left on time.

Back in the courtyard house, Chen Xueru had not yet returned. Li Aiguo had just sat down and taken a sip of hot water when he entered the house.

The third uncle then came to the door.

"Aiguo, Jiecheng is getting married this weekend. Can we use your big SUV as the wedding car?"

With the increasing number of vehicles in Beijing, wedding cars are becoming more popular.

Of course, it was just wedding cars, not a convoy.

Families getting married hire a wedding car to bring the bride back, which is both impressive and dignified.

What time is it on the weekend?

After confirming the time, Li Aiguo agreed.

Yan Jiecheng is currently an officer at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. According to the depot's regulations, he is eligible to apply for the use of a wedding car. Tomorrow is the weekend, so he can take a day off.

No sooner had the third uncle left than Xu Damao rushed in excitedly.

"Yan Jiecheng is getting married. Aiguo, let's have a 'bridal chamber party' together this weekend night!"

Li Aiguo shook his head with a smile: "Brother Da Mao, you're already married. People who make merry in their new homes are all unmarried young men."

"Huh?! So you mean I'll never be able to get revenge in this lifetime?" Xu Damao was stunned.

Seeing that something was amiss, Li Aiguo asked a couple of questions out of curiosity.

That's when I understood why.

When Xu Damao and Liu Lan got married, although they didn't hold a wedding banquet, Yan Jiecheng brought a few young men from the compound, waited until the two were in bed, pried open the window, and shouted inside.

Xu Damao was so frightened that he almost lost his erection, and his wedding night was nearly ruined.

"Cough, cough," Li Aiguo was drinking hot water when he choked.

"No, this matter can't just be left like this." Xu Damao stood up, turned around, and left.

Chen Xueru came out of the house, somewhat worried: "This weekend is Yan Jiecheng's big day. Knowing Xu Damao's personality, he's bound to cause trouble."

"Nothing serious should happen."

Li Aiguo understood Xu Damao's personality.

This person is indeed wicked, but he only gets involved in trivial matters; we can just treat it as gossip.

The night gradually fell.

The noise inside the courtyard was still going strong, as everyone was discussing Yan Jiecheng's marriage.

"I heard that the Third Uncle hired Nan Yi as his cook."

"Don't even mention it. Nan Yi was so upset. The Third Uncle only bought radishes and cabbage. Nan Yi forced him to go to the market and buy a few pounds of meat."

"I reckon there won't be much meat at this wedding banquet."

Actually, everyone knew Uncle San's personality, and no one was thinking of having a big meal.

Li Aiguo had Chen Xueru check the gift list from that year and, based on the gift money the Yan family had given to the Li family, returned it exactly as it was.

When Chen Xueru returned, the three children were already asleep, and Li Aiguo was lying in bed reading.

"Brother Aiguo, stop looking," Chen Xueru tiptoed over, took the book away, and blushed.

night.

It was lively and bustling.

In the following days, Li Aiguo kept an eye on the studio while also traveling to Shijingshan Iron and Steel Company, keeping himself quite busy.

Time flies and the weekend is here.

Li Aiguo was woken up early in the morning by his third uncle.

"Patriotism, patriotism, it's time to set off."

After changing into clean clothes and tidying his hair, Li Aiguo arrived outside the compound to find that Uncle San had already pasted the "double happiness" character on the front and back of the large off-road vehicle.

Yan Jiefang also went along, responsible for distributing wedding candy and setting off firecrackers to the bride's family.

Li Aiguo drove to the alley where Yu Li's family lived, where Yu's family was already waiting. They set off firecrackers, distributed wedding candies, and the bride was ready to get into the car.

That's how it is these days; nobody stops people from getting married.

The people accompanying her were one of Yu Li's aunts and her younger sister, Yu Haitang.

When Li Aiguo first saw Yu Haitang, he couldn't help but take a few more glances. The girl had two small braids, looked clever, and her little mouth never stopped talking once she got on the bus.

"Driver, you and Brother Jie are neighbors in the compound, and you even drive a car, so you must be a leader at the steel rolling mill, right? I heard the steel rolling mill's publicity department is recruiting broadcasters, do you know the details?"

Yu Li's eyes lit up when she saw Li Aiguo wearing a gray Zhongshan suit.

Before Li Aiguo could reply, Yan Jiefang spoke up first: "Brother Aiguo is from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, he works on the railway."

"Oh..." Yu Haitang immediately lost interest and started whispering to Yu Li.

Yan Jiefang added, "However, Brother Aiguo also serves as an advisor to the steel rolling mill, and he was also in charge of employee promotion assessments recently."

"Promotion assessment? I heard Yang Weimin mention this. It seems that Deputy Factory Director Li invited a leader from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to be in charge. The questions set by the technical department were inappropriate, and the head of the technical department was later criticized." Yu Haitang's eyes became enthusiastic again as she looked at Li Aiguo.

"So it's you, Aiguo-ge! You're practically a leader at the steel mill now. What are the requirements for recruiting a broadcaster?"

Li Aiguo was both amused and exasperated: "Comrade Yu Haitang, I'm just a nominal consultant, I really don't know anything about these things. If you want to take the exam, just go to the publicity department to register."

Before Yu Haitang could say anything more, her aunt tugged at her arm: "Haitang, today is your sister's wedding day."

Yu Haitang stopped talking and just kept her eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.

Li Aiguo is an experienced driver now, and with few vehicles on the road in the early morning, he drove his SUV back to the courtyard house in less than half an hour.

As soon as he got off the bus, Li Aiguo sensed that something was wrong.

A large crowd had gathered outside the compound, with many people even holding their rice bowls to join in the fun.

Xu Damao, Liu Guangtian, Liu Guangfu, and seven or eight young men from the neighborhood blocked the gate with sticks, making a fuss and saying they wanted to eat wedding candy.

Seeing the bride get out of the car, Uncle San and Yan Jiecheng stepped forward to try to pull the group apart, but they were all grown men and the two of them couldn't budge them at all.

Yan Jiecheng could also see that Xu Damao was deliberately causing trouble, but there was nothing he could do. He could only shout to the third aunt, "Mom, quickly bring out the candy!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, the three women gritted their teeth, went inside and took out a bag.

Upon seeing this, Xu Damao immediately squeezed out of the crowd, snatched the bag, and jumped up and down shouting, "Brothers, come quick, it's time to hand out wedding candy!"

As soon as the young men heard that it was time to distribute wedding candy, they forgot about stopping people and swarmed around, and the neighbors from the courtyard who were watching the excitement also came to join in.

In an instant, Xu Damao was swallowed up by the crowd.

You grab a handful, he grabs a handful, and the bag is almost empty.

The third aunt felt sorry for him and complained to the third uncle, "Look at Xu Damao, he doesn't even know how to save a little money."

The old man looked around and whispered, "Don't worry, after you bought the candy yesterday, I divided it into three bags, and the other two bags are hidden in our cupboard."

The three aunties gave a thumbs up: "You really know how to scheme."

At this moment, Xu Damao saw something else: "Hey, Third Uncle, this little bit of wedding candy is enough to get rid of us. At least we could get some melon seeds, peanuts, and cigarettes. Where are the wedding cigarettes?"

Third Uncle: "."

Today is a joyous day, and even the Third Uncle couldn't get angry, so he could only bring out all the things he had been saving up for a long time.

Just then, Liu Haizhong came over, and the Third Uncle quickly complained, "Second Uncle, Xu Damao is deliberately targeting our family!"

"Kids like to make a fuss, so let them be on this joyous occasion."

Liu Haizhong looked around but didn't see Yi Zhonghai. He asked, "Old Yan, didn't you invite an old man?"

"I've invited him, but he's still sick and probably won't be able to come. I've saved a seat for an older lady."

As the third uncle was talking, he saw Xu Damao rummaging through the house, and he forgot all about the wedding customs and rushed in.

"Xu Damao, put it down! That's my radio!"

In that short time, several residents in the compound also noticed.

"Da Mao is deliberately trying to cause trouble for the Yan family."

"Hahaha."

Laughter filled the courtyard for a time.

Li Aiguo never expected Xu Damao to come up with such a method. After watching the commotion for a while, he went back to his room.

The installation of the industrial control computer has begun, bringing us one step closer to producing single-crystal high-temperature alloys. The design of the turbojet engine needs further refinement.

(End of this chapter)