The train driver in the courtyard

The night was quiet.

After watching Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li's short video of eating apples at Uncle San's house, Li Aiguo took Chen Xueru home.

"Brother Aiguo, I think Uncle San and Aunt San don't seem too satisfied with Miss Li," Chen Xueru said softly as she spread out the mattress.

“Yu Li doesn’t have a formal job right now. Don’t you know what kind of person Uncle San is? He’s always been very careful with his money.”

Li Aiguo unbuttoned his shirt and lay down on the bed.

"That's true. But once they get married, Yan Jiecheng should be able to arrange for Yu Li to work in your locomotive depot's subsidiary factory, right?"

Chat for a while.

Chen Xueru then moved closer to Li Aiguo.

Having not practiced driving skills for a while, Ms. Chen's driving skills had become rusty, and she couldn't even pass the reverse parking test.

She needed Li Aiguo, the experienced driver, to help her adjust the direction.

Just as everything had smoothly "entered the warehouse," a commotion and shouting suddenly erupted outside the gate, mixed with angry curses and cries to break up the fight:

"Xu Damao, you bastard, you dare to climb over the wall! Beat him up!"

"Liberation, give them a good beating!"

"Everyone, stop fighting! Let's talk this out..."

It seems Xu Damao was up to something again and got caught red-handed by the Yan brothers.

Li Aiguo had no interest in joining in the fun.

Just kidding, teaching Chen Xueru how to drive is more important.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Li Aiguo was preoccupied with the industrial control installation project of the VR furnace at Shijingshan Iron and Steel Plant. He jumped up, picked up a basin, and headed to the pool in the yard.

As soon as I stepped out of the house, I caught a glimpse of Xu Damao sneaking towards the alley entrance.

"Brother Da Mao, you're out so early?" Li Aiguo greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning...good morning." Xu Damao was very reluctant, but he had no choice but to stop and turn around to answer.

Good heavens, his face was bruised and swollen, and a lock of his hair had been pulled out; he looked rather disheveled.

"Brother Da Mao, what's going on?"

"Don't even mention it! That bastard Yan Jiecheng actually launched an ambush last night. I was no match for his overwhelming strength," Xu Damao said angrily.

Without even asking, it's obvious that he climbed over the wall and got dealt with by Yan Jiecheng.

"Did the Yan family also pluck your hair?" Li Aiguo asked curiously.

Yan Jiefang and his friends are young men, surely they wouldn't pull hair out of a fight?
"No, it's Liu Lan." Xu Damao blushed and couldn't say anything more, so he hurriedly ran away.

Li Aiguo found something amusing and happily went to the edge of the pool.

Over there, Yan Jiecheng was enthusiastically recounting to the residents how he had brutally beaten Xu Damao the previous night, which drew laughter from everyone.

The air was filled with joy.

After breakfast, Li Aiguo slung his canvas bag over his shoulder and headed straight for Shijingshan Iron and Steel Company.

The renovation project for the VR furnace is already in full swing.

Chief Engineer Liu first convened a short meeting with everyone, repeatedly emphasizing the construction safety guidelines. Then, he continued with yesterday's division of labor, with everyone taking responsibility and performing their duties.

There were three groups of people at the scene.

Chief Engineer Chen and the engineers from the smelting institute were responsible for designing the modification.

The steel plant's engineers were in charge of the specific modification work.

Professor Xia Zhongsu's team from the Red Star Computing Institute was responsible for industrial control.

Li Aiguo's work is not very busy; he only needs to provide technical support.

In his spare time, he would chat with several gray-haired senior engineers in the factory.

This VR furnace uses DC power supply technology and can be considered one of the few third-generation furnaces in China, making its technology top-notch at present.

The only drawback is its small tonnage; its rated capacity is only 1000 kilograms, classifying it as a small furnace.

I heard that two factories in China are jointly designing and manufacturing a 3000-kilogram furnace.

However, it still cannot fully meet the needs.

Even in the 1990s, China was still spending huge amounts of foreign exchange every year to purchase furnaces weighing more than ten tons.

"In the steel industry, you have to focus on both quality and output; you can't do without either," Chief Engineer Liu said with a smile, seeing that Li Aiguo was listening attentively.

“That’s right. If we can build a 50-ton furnace, maybe in the future we won’t be dependent on others to build large aircraft carriers and cross-sea bridges,” Li Aiguo said casually, taking a sip of hot water from his enamel mug.

Chief Engineer Liu felt that the young man in front of him was too daring to dream. "Fifty tons"

Li Aiguo smiled but did not reply.

China's steel industry is developing rapidly, and with the addition of ore imported from Africa, it can now be considered a major steel-producing country.

However, "big" does not equal "strong," and it's time to shift the focus to quality.

Of course, he also understood that the development of the materials industry can never be rushed; it must be done step by step, steadily and surely, without any impatience.

At noon, the steel plant canteen delivered the food.

The staple food was white rice, and the side dish was stewed beef. These were supplies specially allocated by the Ministry of Metallurgy to take care of these engineering personnel.

In the following days, Li Aiguo continued working as usual.

As the days passed, on Monday morning, Li Aiguo was about to head to the steel company when he received a call from Section Chief Xing.

"Patriotism, our first batch of Huaxing minibuses has rolled off the production line."

"So fast?!" Li Aiguo was slightly taken aback. After hanging up the phone, he rode his motorcycle to Huaxing Automobile Factory, which was under the jurisdiction of Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

Recently, factories in and around Beijing have been increasingly in need of commuter buses.

Although the workshop rushed to assemble a batch of minibuses, it was far from meeting the market demand.

It is precisely for this reason that Huaxing Automobile's mass production project has received full support from various higher-level departments.

In addition, the solid technical reserves of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop enabled them to overcome the mass production problem in a short period of time.

Upon arriving at the car factory, Li Aiguo realized something was amiss.

Everyone's cleaning up; even the staff from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot have been transferred here.

Huang Shuxian also led several colleagues from the Education Department to post promotional slogans.

"Um, Aiguo, are these mass-produced minibuses really okay?" Section Chief Xing asked, looking exhausted, as soon as he saw Li Aiguo approaching.

These minibuses all use mature technology and have undergone several rigorous tests, so their quality is already excellent.

Li Aiguo said confidently, "Section Chief, don't worry, there's absolutely no problem! Today is..."

"That's good. We'll organize two more checks, and then we'll demonstrate it today." Section Chief Xing breathed a sigh of relief, saying while munching on a steamed bun.

What to showcase?

"A higher-level leader came to inspect this morning. You haven't been back to the section for the past few days, didn't you know?" Section Chief Xing asked, somewhat surprised.

Li Aiguo suddenly realized: "Hey, I've been just signing in and rushing to the steel plant these past few days, I haven't had time to ask about what's going on in the section."

Zong Xianfeng and several other automotive experts listened with amusement.

Only Li Aiguo would say such things openly and honestly in front of the section chief, and the key point is that the section chief wasn't even angry.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. You hurry up and take some people to check. I need to take some people to check the factory again." Section Chief Xing had already checked several times, but he was still worried that something might go wrong, so he hurriedly left with his men.

Li Aiguo also perked up and called on Zong Xianfeng and several other automotive experts to inspect each minibus.

Due to certain special reasons, the arrival time of higher-level leaders is not fixed.

By the time Section Chief Xing learned of the news, the convoy of higher-level leaders had already entered the factory.

"Is this ahead of schedule? Oh no, Aiguo and the others are still inspecting the minibuses."

After receiving the message, Section Chief Xing jogged over and wanted Zhou Ke to inform him.

However, the factory area had already been taken over by the accompanying personnel. Several comrades dressed in gray Zhongshan suits were guarding the intersection, making it inconvenient for the employees to move around freely, so they had no choice but to give up.

"Old Teng, your railway system is making great progress. Now you can even manufacture minibuses on your own!"

The superior leader, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, looked around and addressed Leader Teng.

"Thanks to the support of other departments, the car factory was able to break the record for mass production speed." Leader Teng was also very pleased.

"Not only must we break records, but we must also ensure quality! Come on, take me to see it." The superior leader had seen Section Chief Xing when he visited the locomotive depot last time, and waved to him.

Section Chief Xing quickly stepped forward to lead the way.

The higher-ups walked along the road into the factory and when they got to the workshop, wow, it was bright and clean.

Completely different from the industrial workshops I had in mind, the workers were wearing clean uniforms and assembling the car body with tools, including steel pliers that looked like arms.

The higher-ups found it strange; they'd never seen anything like it before.

"This is a combination machine tool and a robotic arm designed by patriotic comrades."

Seeing that the superiors were interested, Section Chief Xing took the initiative to explain: "The combined machine tool is based on the approach of FAW, which classifies assembly production into the same module."

Although this robotic arm still relies on manual labor, its built-in hydraulic joints ensure both precision and reduced effort.

"The idea of ​​a robotic arm is great; it reduces the workload for workers."

The superior nodded approvingly: "It seems that Comrade Aiguo has implemented the instructions on 'one new and three modernizations'!"

"One New and Three Modernizations" refers to the instructions given by higher-level leaders on industrial production at a conference. "One New" means adopting new technologies, and "Three Modernizations" means mechanization, automation, and rationalization of labor organization.

"Great, great!" the superior said as he toured the workshop.

These minibuses may not look as luxurious as large SUVs, but they are very practical. They have several cargo racks and a rack at the back for hanging bicycles.

The leaders walked through the assembly workshop, casting workshop, stamping workshop, painting workshop, and chassis workshop, shaking hands warmly with the workers and inquiring about their work and living conditions.

"Excellent, excellent." The superior praised as they walked.

Before they even got close to the testing workshop, the higher-ups heard a roaring sound.

"What is this sound?"

"The workers are inspecting the minibuses," Section Chief Xing explained.

Quality issues have always been of paramount importance, and higher-level leaders are also very concerned about this issue.

"I'll have to take a look at this." The superior became interested.

Seeing dozens of minibuses neatly lined up in the parking lot, gleaming in the sunlight, the higher-ups were very satisfied.

"Press the accelerator a little harder, check the RPM, and see how the engine is running," Li Aiguo shouted to the back from the driver's seat, slamming on the gas pedal.

Not hearing Zong Xianfeng's reply, Li Aiguo shouted again, while simultaneously reducing the throttle.

"Patriotism, the leaders are here." Zong Xianfeng and the wild car expert felt their legs go weak when they saw a group of people walking over. "We know."

Li Aiguo didn't expect his superiors to arrive so quickly, and was about to jump off the minibus.

The superior had arrived: "Comrade Aiguo, we meet again. Don't worry about me, you all continue your work."

"Yes!" Li Aiguo, a man who had seen his share of big events, took a deep breath and stepped on the gas again.

The engine speed is up to standard, the brakes are up to standard, and the oil pressure is also fine.
Section Chief Xing was sweating profusely with anxiety. "Your superiors told you to keep working, and you actually did the whole check-up?" But he couldn't say anything at that moment.

The higher-ups, however, were quite interested. Standing to the side, they watched and asked, "Comrade Aiguo, the inspection of our domestically manufactured minibuses isn't just about checking the engine speed and brakes, is it?"

"Sir, firstly, we need to check the performance parameters of core components such as the engine, chassis, and brakes to ensure sufficient power and stable braking. Secondly, we need to inspect the welds, assembly gaps, and paint quality to ensure the vehicle body is sturdy and leak-proof," Li Aiguo replied.

"The most important thing is to prevent the car body from getting rusty; it can't be covered in rust after only two years."

"The chassis of our minibuses have also been treated with rust prevention."

"Good, good, you're a car manufacturing expert now."

After hearing Li Aiguo's answer, the superior laughed and said, "This minibus should be mass-produced. It can be used as a commuter bus or a public bus!"

Section Chief Xing's face flushed with excitement, and Li Aiguo's face also turned red, probably because he had just been busy and was covered in sweat, with a lot of oil stains on his face.

Reporters will come up to take pictures, and there's no way to clean it.

The superior then boarded a minibus, walked around the interior, sat down in a seat to try it out, and said with satisfaction, "These seats are quite comfortable. Are they also manufactured by your factory?"

"Is this car seat also made by your factory?"

“Springs have been added under the seats, making them about as comfortable as sedan seats,” Li Aiguo replied.

“good good”

The superior leader said "good" three times, looked at Li Aiguo, and said, "Now that the minibuses are in mass production, you have made a great contribution. Do you have any requests?"

Upon hearing this, Leader Teng, Section Chief Xing, and the accompanying leaders all tensed up instantly, fearing that Li Aiguo might say something inappropriate.

"I don't have any personal requests, but it would be great if the leaders could write an inscription for our factory," Li Aiguo said.

"Okay." Upon hearing this, the superior immediately agreed.

Section Chief Xing felt a surge of happiness rush to his head, and he almost fainted.

To receive a personal inscription from a superior is an immense honor!

The other leaders and employees present were also very excited and applauded enthusiastically.

Next, the higher-ups were going to inspect other places, so Li Aiguo naturally didn't go with them.

By noon, the gate sign of Huaxing Automobile Factory had been replaced with a new one.

The five characters "Huaxing Automobile Factory" are still there, but the strokes are vigorous and powerful, like dragons and snakes leaping, exuding a magnificent momentum.

A new metal plaque has been added next to the gate, with six large characters engraved on it, personally written by the higher-level leaders: "Huaxing Automobile for the Prosperity of China".

Leaders from ministries, locomotive depots, automobile factories, and factory workers stood at the entrance, all agreeing that the calligraphy was exceptionally well done.

"Aiguo, look, this is a letter from your superiors. They also asked if you have any other requests." In the afternoon, Section Chief Xing returned from the ministry and handed an envelope to Li Aiguo, asking enviously.

The inscription given by the higher-ups to the car factory was an official matter; the letter they wrote back and sent was a private matter.

Li Aiguo didn't hide anything and directly opened the envelope, which contained a stack of photos.

There were photos of Li Aiguo inspecting minibuses, as well as photos of Li Aiguo with his superiors. Section Chief Xing's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw them.

It's one thing for a photo like this to appear in a news report, but it's quite another when it's given directly to the person involved.

"Patriotism! Quickly find a frame to put it on! This is something that will bring honor to your ancestors!"

Section Chief Xing swallowed hard and solemnly instructed, "Don't go to the steel plant this afternoon. Take care of this matter specifically and get some rest while you're at it."

Near the end of the workday, I went to the locomotive depot to collect some perks, which were specially allocated by the ministry to recognize our mass production project.

"Alright then." Li Aiguo wasn't worried about the steel mill.

With Professor Xia Zhongsu and two chief engineers overseeing things, there shouldn't be any problems.

Li Aiguo rode his mountain bike and bought a large photo frame that could hold more than a dozen photos.

Chen Xueru had nothing to do in the afternoon and was planning to take the quilt out to air it when she saw Li Aiguo return, which surprised her.

When I saw those photos, I was immediately excited.

"Patriotic Brother, this photo..."

"The higher-ups inspected the car factory." Li Aiguo didn't explain further, and Chen Xueru understood.

But Ms. Chen couldn't decide where to hang the frame. She looked to the east but felt it wasn't suitable, and to the west but felt the light was too dim.

"Let's hang it behind the long table in the main room!" In the end, Li Aiguo made the decision.

"Wouldn't that be too conspicuous?"

Ms. Chen was initially worried, but after thinking about it, she immediately understood.

After hanging up the picture frame, Miss Chen also hung the large characters "Study hard and make progress every day" on top of the frame.

"Patriotism!" Yi Zhonghai stayed at home for a few days, feeling that things couldn't go on like this. He thought that if Liu Haizhong took his position, things would be even worse.

He changed into his most presentable clothes, knocked on Li Aiguo's door, and was just about to say a few words to Li Aiguo.

Upon catching sight of those large glasses, he opened his mouth several times, but before he could utter a single word, he turned and slunk away.

The second and third uncles also rushed over after receiving the news. They looked at the photos in the frame and exclaimed that they were well taken.

In the afternoon, Li Aiguo was planning to go to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to collect welfare items when he heard someone calling for him outside before he even left the house.

When they came outside, they saw Zhou Ke driving up in his big SUV.

"Brother Aiguo, this is for you. I'll take it to your home." Zhou Ke opened the trunk and pointed to a burlap sack inside.

"what."

"Don't mention it, we're like brothers." Before Li Aiguo could react, Zhou Ke picked up the bag and carried it into the courtyard, leading him all the way into the house.

When Li Aiguo opened it, he was astonished to find abalone, prawns, and frozen yellow croaker—all high-quality items.

Zhou Ke lowered his voice and said, "This was specially given to you by the department to help you recover. Don't make a fuss about it. It's fine for our locomotive depot, but if other units find out, they might have something to say."

"Mhm." Li Aiguo nodded, handed Zhou Ke a cigarette, and chatted for a few minutes.

Seeing Zhou Ke rambling on and on without leaving, Li Aiguo felt that the kid must be up to something.

Sure enough, a short while later, Zhou Ke rubbed his hands together and said, "Brother Aiguo, I heard you're going abroad for a motorcycle race soon. Can you give me a ride this time?"

"You're also from the Armed Forces Department of our Qianmen Locomotive Depot, so it's only right that we take you along."

If Zhou Ke hadn't mentioned it, Li Aiguo would have truly forgotten.

With the year drawing to a close and the Isle of Man race just over two weeks away, motorcycle teams should start preparing.

The next day, Li Aiguo first went to the steel plant, then returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop to arrange the personnel for the competition.

For this competition, the Red Star Motorcycle Team plans to send five official team members, plus two substitutes and maintenance personnel, for a total of twelve people.

The procedures for these people to go abroad have been completed long ago, and the staff from the foreign affairs department have already sent them over.

The Red Star Double R used in the race was first transported by train to Tanggu Port, and then from there to the Isle of Man.

Since there are no direct flights from China to the Isle of Man, the team members will take a train to the port city, then a flight to the Isle of Man, and finally a ship to the Isle of Man.

"This is our detailed plan."

The team leader for this competition is surnamed Zhao. He is a veteran foreign affairs worker who studied at John Bull's house before the liberation. He is quite familiar with the situation there, so the higher-ups specially sent him over.

"Thank you very much." Seeing that Leader Zhao had planned things well, Li Aiguo didn't say much. He simply contacted the weather station and transferred Lao Mao and two other meteorologists, along with Zhou Ke, to form a security team.

Team leader Zhao felt that Li Aiguo was being too cautious; for such a prestigious event, most people wouldn't dare to pull any tricks.

“What if those things aren’t human?” Li Aiguo smiled.

"This"

Leader Zhao was speechless. The things those guys did before liberation could not be considered human no matter what.

After the two finalized the detailed itinerary, Leader Zhao left the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to make arrangements.

Li Aiguo then gathered the team members who were participating in the competition together.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Isle of Man race is extremely dangerous and fraught with peril. It takes you from plains to mountains, with roads that are steep and winding. Every year, drivers are injured or even killed during the race. Anyone who wants to withdraw can do so now, and I will try to find a way to replace them."

After he finished speaking, the scene fell silent.

Vice Captain Lao Zhou was the first to raise his fist: "Captain, please rest assured, there is not a single coward in our racing team. Even if we fight to the death, we can still take down this Sweetheart Racing Team."

"Yes, I have a blood feud with the Japanese, how could I possibly back down in the face of battle!"

"Kill this sweetheart team!" a young team member shouted, raising his fist.

"Take down this sweetheart team."

"Take down this sweetheart team."

On the track, slogans suddenly rose up and soared into the sky.

****
the other side.

This is the headquarters of the Ben Sweet Team.

Chairman Ben Tiansheng also made a rare appearance here.

Compared to before, Ben Tiansheng looks noticeably older, with a haggard appearance and large patches of gray hair.

Unfortunately, Bentian Company's Little Wolf motorcycles have been driven out of the market, causing Bentian Company to lose a lot of money.

Unwilling to admit defeat, Ben Tian raised a large amount of funds and copied the scooter, intending to make a comeback.

Before Hextech could even make a move, Bentiansheng was badly beaten by the distributors and lost a lot of money.

Now, our company has no choice but to abandon scooter motorcycles and focus on racing motorcycles, which are more expensive and more profitable.

However, the Red Star Double R has already begun mass production.

This is simply not giving people a way to survive.

This Isle of Man TT event is our only chance to turn things around, and we have made thorough preparations for it.

Even so, he was still worried and came to the convoy himself.

"Please rest assured, Chairman. I have already inquired and found that the Red Star Racing Team's drivers are all ordinary workers, not professional racers. We are confident that we will achieve victory this time," Team Captain Zongyilang declared.

"Very good, very spirited! Soichiro, I've always had high hopes for you. This time, you'll definitely beat those guys to their knees and beg for mercy, just like your grandfather did."

After saying that, Ben Tiansheng stood up and added, "Your marriage with Xunzi will take place after the competition. Do you know the consequences if you lose?"

"Hai!" Soichiro bowed deeply.

He didn't take the Red Star team seriously at all.

(End of this chapter)