The train driver in the courtyard

"Have all the members of the Bereaved Families Association left?"

Inside the hotel.

When Li Aiguo returned from shopping, he received this news from Lao Mao.

"It's confirmed. They've probably already reached international waters."

"Seeing that the other side is quite cautious, let's withdraw our people." Li Aiguo was not disappointed.

It would be disappointing if the other party couldn't see through such a simple trick.

As a meteorologist, never underestimate your opponent.

After returning to his room, the old cat made a phone call. When he came back, a bunch of things were in front of him.

"This is what I bought for you."

Looking at the handicrafts and scarves, the old cat was a little confused: "What would I do with these things?"

“Who said it was for you? This is for your sister-in-law,” Li Aiguo said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the old cat realized his oversight; he was no longer alone.

"Ahem, you know her personality, she doesn't like these things."

Despite verbally declining, the old cat readily packed up the items.

the next day.

Li Aiguo, along with Zhou Ke and members of the Red Star Motorcade, arrived at John Bull's airport.

Dr. Jonathan came to see him off on behalf of the Isle of Man.

Yang Jizong also drove his large SUV to the helipad, and its appearance immediately attracted the attention of many people.

Especially those old-timers, even they aren't qualified to drive their cars over here, what's wrong with this guy?
When they saw a veiled figure gracefully step down from the large off-road vehicle, the old-timers all looked relieved.

"It's Ms. Adele."

"I heard that Lady Adele has a very good relationship with the Queen and can freely enter and leave the palace."

"That's right. Their ancestors were ducal families, with genuine noble blood. They're not like us businessmen."

Hearing the murmurs, Li Aiguo couldn't help but look at the girl.

The title "Lady" has become so common in later generations that any woman can be called "Lady".

However, in the John Bull family of that era, such formalities were particularly important, serving as a unique mark of aristocratic status rather than a general expression of politeness.

It's not that being well-dressed and from a wealthy family is enough to be addressed as "Madam." Behind those two words lies a hereditary noble title and the endorsement of class lineage.

Like these old-money men, they might be no less wealthy than some impoverished nobles, but they did not have hereditary titles, and the women in their families could at most be called "Miss".

In this rigidly hierarchical society, an invisible threshold clearly separates the "newly rich" from the "old guard."

Some people say they don't feel this strict, low-level hierarchy.

That just means you haven't reached that level yet.

Unlike us, we smashed this thing to pieces with hammers after liberation.

"Patriot, this is Adele, a veteran member of our Red Star Club and one of our distributors at John Bull."

“Adele, this is my good brother, Li Aiguo.”

Yang Jizong introduced the two parties. Adele's Chinese was a bit rusty, so after a brief greeting, she returned to the Grand Cross-Country.

Yang Jizong pulled Li Aiguo aside and whispered, "Brother Aiguo, how are you?"

"Well done, kid, you actually won the heart of a beauty."

Li Aiguo was genuinely happy for Yang Jizong.

This guy is almost thirty years old now, and Grandpa Yang is so anxious for a grandson.

Yang Jizong waved his hand with a smile: "Don't talk nonsense. My relationship with Adele is purely professional. But to be honest, if it weren't for her aristocratic status, she would have been a great help."

Li Aiguo felt that Yang Jizong was serious this time.

After chatting for a few minutes, a staff member came to announce boarding. Li Aiguo waved goodbye to everyone and led the members of the Red Star Motorcycle Team onto the plane.

More than two months later, Li Aiguo returned to Beijing.

By this time, people on the street had already taken off their winter clothes and put on spring clothes.

The trees lining both sides of the street sprouted tender yellow new leaves, looking vibrant and full of life.

Li Aiguo followed the usual procedure, heading straight to his workplace and knocking on the door of Section Chief Xing's office.

He not only gave a detailed report on the progress of the trip to the Isle of Man, but also took out several simply packaged small boxes from his bag, all of which were small items brought back from John Bull.

A bronze ornament engraved with a landmark pattern and two simply packaged boxes of chocolates were not worth much money. After a brief inspection, they were allowed to pass smoothly.

"Patriotism, I didn't expect you to still be thinking of me while you're abroad." Section Chief Xing seemed very happy. The gift wasn't expensive, but the sentiment behind it was profound.

"Section Chief, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now." Li Aiguo said casually for a few moments before standing up.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Shijingshan Steel Plant called and said the VR furnace upgrade is basically complete, and they seem to be testing some kind of alloy?" Section Chief Xing was also confused.

"That's great!"

Li Aiguo had also been in contact with Chief Engineer Liu and Xia Zhongsu in the Isle of Man and knew that the industrial control modification of the VR furnace was going smoothly, but he did not expect the progress to be so fast.

Back in his office, Li Aiguo called Shijingshan Steel Plant, and Xia Zhongsu answered the phone.

"Aiguo, we've already started the trial production. We expect to have results by Monday." "Okay, I'll go there on Monday."

"By the way, Chief Engineer Liu has already reported the situation. I heard that the leaders of the metallurgical department will also be visiting tomorrow."

"I understand. You all get ready."

After hanging up the phone, Li Aiguo visited Cao Wenzhi and Liu Guozhang's homes one by one with gifts. After running around the house, he finally went to the farmer's courtyard.

"Old Cat has already submitted a detailed report on the situation on the Isle of Man. You did a great job this time." The farmer was also pleased to see the small gifts and asked his teacher's wife to put them away.

"In particular, the liaison point on the other side of the notebook has been established, which has laid a good foundation for our subsequent work." The farmer changed the subject, his tone became serious, and he did not go on to elaborate.

Li Aiguo understood that the higher-ups must have some ideas.

However, we must take things one step at a time. We haven't fully resolved things in South Asia yet, the US is currently beating up the monkeys in Southeast Asia, and the islands are also frequently causing trouble.

We cannot shift our focus to the notebooks for the time being.

“Teacher, you planned all of this in advance,” Li Aiguo said.

The farmer waved his hand: "We're people who get things done, not those who play games. Whoever deserves credit will get credit. I've already reported your performance truthfully, and the commendation and reward should be coming soon."

"I will obey all decisions made by the organization." Li Aiguo nodded solemnly.

"Alright, you haven't been back for so long, don't waste this old man's time on you, hurry back." The farmer stood up and saw Li Aiguo to the outside of the courtyard.

It was past 5 p.m. when Li Aiguo returned to the courtyard house.

The workers hadn't finished their shift yet, and the roads were very quiet.

Before he even reached the courtyard gate, he caught a glimpse of a hunched figure lurking furtively under the old locust tree, peering suspiciously into the courtyard.

As soon as the figure saw him coming, it darted away like a startled mouse into the depths of the alley.

"Jia Zhang's family?"

Li Aiguo frowned, feeling that the figure looked somewhat familiar, but he wasn't entirely sure.

Inside the courtyard, the third uncle was grumbling to the third aunt: "That eldest son's wife is so wasteful! She insists on squeezing out a whole long tube of toothpaste when brushing her teeth. Does that stuff cost nothing? If she goes through all that every day, even a mountain of gold and silver wouldn't be enough to keep her from squandering it!"

"Stop shouting, it's not appropriate if Yu Li hears you." The third aunt quickly stopped the third uncle.

Just then, Li Aiguo stepped inside.

The old man saw Li Aiguo, stood up with a smile, and greeted him: "Aiguo, you're back."

Li Aiguo pointed outside the courtyard gate and asked, "Third Uncle, I think I just saw Jia Zhangshi. Was it her?"

"It's her!" The third uncle looked around and, seeing that no one in the yard was paying attention, quickly pulled Li Aiguo to the corner and said in a low voice.

"You've been abroad for more than two months, so you don't know what's new in the hospital."

Madam Jia Zhang has divorced Jia Ba and now wants to return to the capital. Lately, she's been loitering around the courtyard gate every day, constantly arguing with Qin Huairu.

The third uncle, who lived in the front yard, was the most well-informed.

Jia Zhangshi was lazy and good-for-nothing, and Jia Ba was also an idle fellow. Although the commune ate from the same pot, work points were still calculated.

The two of them owe a lot of work points every year.

Jia Ba originally thought that by marrying Jia Zhangshi, he could obtain the Jia family's property and even move to the city to work for the government.

Seeing that there was no hope, he kicked Jia Zhangshi away.

Where could an old widow like Jia Zhangshi go? She longed to return to the courtyard house that had been loyal to her.

However, her household registration had been transferred long ago, and Qin Huairu did not recognize her. Jia Zhangshi had no choice but to cause trouble from time to time.

"Don't worry, the patrol team members are very diligent. After being thrown out a few times, Jia Zhangshi never dared to enter the compound again," the third uncle added.

Li Aiguo listened without any emotional reaction.

As long as Jia Zhangshi doesn't cause trouble in the courtyard, it has nothing to do with him.

After chatting with the third uncle for a few more minutes, Li Aiguo went straight home.

As night deepened, the lights in the courtyard gradually came on.

Miss Chen took a nice hot bath and carefully took out the new clothes that Li Aiguo had brought back from the closet. When she unfolded them, her cheeks turned red instantly, and she looked a little embarrassed.

"Brother Aiguo, this...this dress has so little fabric, it's so embarrassing to wear." She pinched the edge of the dress, her voice barely audible.

"This is a popular swimsuit style in New York, called a bikini. It's cool and comfortable to wear." Li Aiguo leaned against the headboard and casually pulled back the blankets next to him.

Miss Chen blushed even more, bit her lip, and obediently lay down in bed.

In the next room.

Just as Xu Damao was about to get closer to Liu Lan, she suddenly kicked him off the bed.

"Ouch!" Xu Damao clutched his back and got up, looking frustrated.

Liu Lan rolled her eyes and complained in a low voice, "Look at those patriotic brothers, they're all making a big fuss as soon as they get back. And look at you, all you do is think about useless things all day long!"

Xu Damao rubbed his lower back, feeling depressed.

Patriotic brother, you've gone too far!

The night was bustling with activity.

(End of this chapter)