The train driver in the courtyard

at this time.

On a remote road in the suburbs of Beijing.

The old man in the front seat was hunched over, pedaling hard.

Another old man sat behind, swinging his legs from side to side and shouting, "Faster, faster!"

This strange scene drew surprised glances from the commune members in the fields.

The third uncle in the front seat, Yan Bugui, turned around and glared at her, panting heavily, saying, "Old Yi, if you have the strength, you ride it."

"Isn't this your bicycle?!"

Yi Zhonghai, sitting in the back seat, chuckled twice and patted the third uncle on the shoulder: "Don't worry, this time I only want the first big fish, the rest are all yours."

Yi Zhonghai knew Yan Bugui all too well. This man loved to take advantage of others his whole life, and he would do anything to benefit himself.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the old man straightened his back even more, pedaled the pedals even faster, and muttered, "That's more like it. If you don't give me the fish, I'll never forgive you!"

The two old men riding bicycles at high speed became a beautiful sight in the suburbs of Beijing.

However, the dirt road was rugged and full of potholes, and Yi Zhonghai's backside couldn't take it for long while sitting in the back.

"Old Yan, how much further?"

"Soon, after passing Chenjiazhuang Commune, we'll reach the Yongding River. There are fewer people there, and there are dry grass nests everywhere. There are plenty of fish, so we're guaranteed a good catch."

Uncle San likes to go around collecting things; he knows exactly where the good stuff is.

The two rode forward for about two miles, and just as they rounded the mud-brick courtyard wall of Chenjiazhuang Commune, a figure suddenly darted out from the woods beside them.

"Halt! Where are you from?"

A loud shout startled the two men. A militiaman wearing a blue cloth jacket and a belt, holding a red-tasseled spear, stood directly in front of the bicycle.

The old man panicked, lost his footing, and the handlebars wobbled violently. With a loud crash, the bicycle and the old man fell to the ground.

Yan Bugui struggled to get up, and his first reaction was to check on his bicycle. When he saw that a piece of paint had been scratched off the mudguard, he felt heartbroken.

Yi Zhonghai fell even harder, his knee hitting the stone, which made him gasp in pain and sit on the ground for a long time to recover.

"I'm asking you a question! Are you deaf?" The militiaman stepped forward, brandishing his red-tasseled spear twice, his eyes warily scrutinizing the two men.

The old man, forgetting all about the damaged bicycle, quickly raised his hands, a smile plastered on his face: "Young man, don't misunderstand! We're not bad people, we're just visiting relatives!"

The militiaman asked, "Whose relative are you?"

Third Uncle: "."

The militiaman pressed further, "Do you have a letter of introduction? Or a travel permit?"

The two were just fishing, not doing anything else, so they could only laugh awkwardly.

"I bet you guys are up to no good!"

The militiaman looked the two men up and down, his gaze quickly landing on the old man's fishing rod. He frowned and asked, "You're here to fish, aren't you?"

The Yongding River is not far from Beijing, and city dwellers often come to fish there, which is not considered a serious violation.

Normally, the militia would turn a blind eye to it.

The old man nodded and bowed hurriedly: "Yes, yes, just catching a couple of small fish to satisfy my craving, I won't catch more, just enough for one meal and then I'll leave!"

To everyone's surprise, the militiaman's face hardened and his tone became serious: "No! A notice was just issued from above today, strictly prohibiting anyone from approaching the vicinity of the river. You must turn back immediately!"

Yi Zhonghai immediately became anxious: "Young comrade, could you make an exception? We'll just catch one fish, just one fish, and leave as soon as we get it. We won't delay anything!"

"Not a single one! Get out of here!" The militiaman got angry when he saw the two men lingering there, and he sternly prepared to blow his whistle to notify the other militiamen.

The third uncle had witnessed firsthand how formidable the militiamen were.

These are all cases where people can be arrested directly, tied up, and sent to the commune. Even if the truth is eventually found out, it's still a loss for nothing.

Yi Zhonghai glared at the militiaman unwillingly, but he knew that the militiaman meant what he said, so he could only follow the Third Uncle back.

After rounding a small hill and completely out of the militia's sight, the old man stopped, panting, and said, "Old Yi, we're not going to catch any fish today. Let's go home and try again next time."

“Go back? Why are you as stupid as Sha Zhu? There are so many ditches here. We can just crawl into any one of them, sneak over, and stand in the grass. Who can see us?” Yi Zhonghai pointed into the distance.

The old man's eyes widened; this old fellow had quite the nerve.

In the past, if there was a bargain to be had, Uncle San would have agreed immediately.

But he has learned his lesson after suffering several losses over the years and knows that there are some things he shouldn't touch, otherwise he will suffer more losses than gains.

He shook his head, took the fishing rod off the handlebars and handed it to Yi Zhonghai: "Old Yi, you go by yourself, I won't accompany you today. Here, take this fishing rod, and don't forget my share if you catch any fish."

"You, you're even more timid than a mouse now!"

Yi Zhonghai curled his lip, took the fishing rod, and gave the third uncle a disdainful look.

Then, crouching low, it quickly disappeared into a nearby ditch overgrown with weeds.

The old man was still thinking about the fish that Yi Zhonghai had caught.

He wasn't planning on going back yet; he was just repairing his bicycle by the roadside while waiting for Yi Zhonghai.

A moment later, the third uncle heard the roar of an engine coming from afar.

Turning my head, I saw a jeep leading the way, followed by two trucks rushing towards us.

A strange little airplane was placed on one truck, and several people were standing on another truck, including soldiers in uniform and a few workers.

"Yan Jiecheng?"

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Yan Jiecheng also saw the old man by the roadside.

He poked his head out and shouted, but the truck was going too fast and rushed past him in an instant, his voice broken by the wind.

The old man stood there, scratching his head, wondering to himself, "What are they going to do? They've brought soldiers and workers with them, and that strange little plane..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Oh no!" the third uncle exclaimed, slapping his thigh.

"The militia blocked the river just now, it might be related to this plane! Old Yi! Old Yi is still inside!"

The old man quickly shouted a few times into the ditch.

But Yi Zhonghai had already disappeared, leaving him anxious and stamping his feet, but there was nothing he could do.

As the convoy sped along, Li Aiguo, driving his truck, could see a group of people in an open field ahead, which told him they had arrived at their destination.

As soon as the truck stopped, the Party Secretary and the militia captain of Chenjiazhuang Commune rushed over.

They first noticed the small plane on the truck, and a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, but they dared not ask or speak.

"Reporting to Commander Zhang! The militia of Chenjiazhuang Commune have cleared all personnel around the river as instructed, and sentry posts have been set up at the intersection three miles away. Please give further instructions!"

The militia captain was a very strong man in his thirties. When he saw Commander Zhang in his uniform, he stepped forward and saluted.

Commander Zhang returned the greeting and then asked, "Are you sure there weren't any stragglers? Have you searched all the haystacks and ditches along both sides of the river?"

"Absolutely certain! Upon receiving the notice from the Armed Forces Department, all our militiamen mobilized overnight to conduct a door-to-door search. Within a three-mile stretch along both sides of the river, there wasn't a single wandering soul in sight! Two people were stationed at each intersection; not even a fly could get in!"

The militia captain puffed out his chest, his tone resolute.

On his way here, Li Aiguo did indeed pass through several checkpoints. In the past two years, as we have fallen out with our big brother, the big brother has repeatedly threatened to deal with his little brother.

He had heard from Lao Mao that there were now over a million militiamen, and several divisions had been expanded in North China alone. Every village and community had organized training and was ready at any time.

After confirming that the surrounding area was safe, Li Aiguo began to set up the experimental work for the small aircraft.

The small plane wasn't heavy, and a dozen or so railway soldiers, along with Zhou Ke and Yan Jiecheng, easily unloaded it from the truck.

"Patriotism, there's no runway here."

Commander Zhang looked around; this place could be considered a threshing ground.

Although it's flatter than a field, it's generally not a place where airplanes can take off or land.

"Brother Zhang, this small plane has a lot of thrust and a small mass, so it can take off and land in a short distance."

Li Aiguo had considered this point when designing the aircraft.

There aren't many proper airports in China right now. If a standard runway is required for takeoff and landing, then even if this aircraft is manufactured, it will be useless.

As they spoke, Zong Xianfeng and the wild car expert had completed the inspection and added aviation kerosene.

The flight suit and flight helmet haven't been manufactured yet.

Li Aiguo wore a motorcycle helmet. Fortunately, this test was just a routine test, and he didn't need to fly too high, so there was no danger.

After putting on his helmet, Li Aiguo opened the hatch of the small plane and climbed inside. The narrow cabin was just big enough for him to fit alone.
"Patriot, have you checked everything thoroughly?" Commander Zhang shouted from outside the cabin, looking at the densely packed instrument panel inside, which he didn't understand either.

The railway soldiers, Zhou Ke, Yan Jiecheng, the Party branch secretary and militia captain of Chenjiazhuang Commune all held their breath.

Li Aiguo nodded inside the cabin and called out through the gap in his helmet, "Everything checked, Brother Zhang! Everyone, step back a bit and keep a safe distance!"

Upon hearing this, everyone retreated more than ten meters, forming a semi-circle.

Aiguo took a deep breath and gripped the control stick tightly with both hands.

The engine first emitted a low rumble, then the sound grew louder and louder, and the fuselage began to vibrate slightly.

"It moved! It moved!" Yan Jiecheng exclaimed.

"Hey, the plane actually moved! Look, look!" The militiamen stared wide-eyed. No matter what, the fact that it was moving was already a huge success.

"It's flying! Look!"

Li Aiguo stared intently ahead, sensing the changes in the forces acting on the aircraft.

When the plane taxied to the center of the threshing ground, with a pile of straw just ahead, he suddenly lifted the control stick upwards!
Everyone's heart was in their throat, and Commander Zhang subconsciously took a step forward.

The nose of the small plane tilted slightly upward, and the wheels gradually lifted off the ground, rising little by little!
"It's flying! It's really flying!" the militia captain couldn't help but shout.

The people around them were also in an uproar.

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"Our own small airplane has taken to the skies."

"This ability to love one's country is truly amazing!"

"I wish I could fly a small plane to conduct experiments."

"Do you have the guts?!"

"Hahahaha!"

Section Chief Xing was also shocked; the small plane made by the Qianmen Locomotive Depot had actually taken to the sky.

Li Aiguo piloted the small plane smoothly to an altitude of twenty or thirty meters above the ground. Looking down, he could clearly see the figures of people on the ground and the winding river not far away.

The wind was steady, and the aircraft was surprisingly stable, making it even smoother to control than he had expected.

He gently turned the control stick, and the small plane began to slowly turn, circling once above the threshing ground.

"Good!" Commander Zhang, standing below, took off his hat, waved vigorously at the plane, and shouted his approval.

Cheers rose and fell all around, echoing throughout the entire threshing floor.

Li Aiguo sensed the airflow and confirmed that all the aircraft's performance was normal before starting the next test: low-altitude flight and maneuvering drills.

Under Li Aiguo's control, the small plane's speed decreased rapidly, almost skimming the water's surface.

"Watch the attitude!" Zong Xianfeng shouted from the ground. He was the most knowledgeable about aerodynamics in the team and was keeping a close eye on the small plane's attitude.

But the next second, Zong Xianfeng was relieved. The little plane was lifted up in a flash, just like a nimble swallow.

Then it dives again and pulls up again.

Others didn't feel anything when they saw this, but Commander Zhang was stunned.

This was the most agile aircraft he had ever seen. Putting everything else aside, this one move alone was enough to evade enemy radar and launch a low-altitude surprise attack.

"If only we had a few hundred of these small planes." Even Commander Zhang was surprised by his own thought.

If it can really be mass-produced, then we'll need to add another sharp knife!

At this moment, Li Aiguo had already tested low-altitude flight, and his gaze fell on a red button.

This button looks impressive, but it's actually just a simple external latch switch. Compared to a real military bomb-throwing device, it's incredibly crudely made.

But since it's a flight exercise, how can the bombing segment be omitted?

This is a crucial step in testing the aircraft's combat potential.

He specially asked Chen Zhenyuan from the wood products business to make several wooden cannonballs. The outer shell was painted with a layer of black paint, making them look quite decent. After use, they had to be recycled and reused, so the location for dropping the cannonballs had to be carefully chosen.

Li Aiguo's finger hovered above the button, his gaze sweeping across the river below before finally settling on a wide, shallow beach in the distance.

He quickly estimated the distance, mentally calculated the flight speed and descent angle, and after confirming that everything was correct, he pressed the switch with his thumb!
Whoosh!
The latches loosened, and the shell, propelled by inertia, hurtled directly towards the beach.

Wow!
Although no explosives were loaded, the shells crashed heavily into the muddy shallows, instantly splashing up a cloud of mud that was more than a meter high. The murky mud sprayed all around, creating a spectacular scene.

"Bombs are being dropped! Bombs are being dropped!"

"It hit, damn it."

"Holy crap, that hit!"

The crowd was thrilled, and applause and cheers erupted. Even the railway soldiers couldn't help but cheer.

But the next second, Commander Zhang's expression suddenly changed, and he waved his hand sharply: "Quiet down!"

The applause immediately stopped.

A series of intermittent cries drifted on the wind, filled with deep terror and grievance: "My God! It's just fishing! Is it really necessary to bomb me with a plane? It's going to kill me!"

The sound was mournful and piercing, making one's heart tighten.

"Not good! There are people over there!" Commander Zhang's face darkened, and without saying a word, he strode towards the shallows.

The militia captain was startled and led his militiamen to follow.

Yan Jiecheng, Zong Xianfeng, and the others quickly followed behind.

Dozens of meters away from the shallows, a figure was seen squatting on the ground, sobbing and wailing.

The man's hair, face, and body were completely covered in mud, making him look like a mud figure. You could only vaguely make out that he was an old man.

There was also a fishing rod lying next to it, half of it submerged in the water, clearly indicating that it was up to no good.

"My goodness... such a huge shell, it just came crashing down... it scared me to death..."

The old man was truly terrified. Hearing footsteps, he tried to struggle to his feet, but his legs gave way and he swayed and was about to fall down again.

Yan Jiecheng quickly took two steps forward, and just as he was about to help the old man, he smelled a strong odor of urine and frowned: "Old comrade, you've wet your pants."

"Huh?! You're an old man?"

Yan Jiecheng was stunned. Although the old man's face was covered by mud, his eyes, nose, and tone of voice were all the same. Who else could it be but Yi Zhonghai from the courtyard?

"Solve it?" Yi Zhonghai couldn't care less about being embarrassed at this point.

At this moment, Regiment Commander Zhang caught up from behind, stared wide-eyed, and asked, "Comrade Yan Jiecheng, do you know this old man?"

Yan Jiecheng quickly explained Yi Zhonghai's identity.

Commander Zhang frowned: "A level seven worker, instead of working properly at the factory, you're sneaking around this restricted area fishing? I bet you're not here to fish, but to steal our little plane's secrets."

Normally, if it were just an old man secretly fishing, Commander Zhang would at most have the militia give him a few words of reprimand and then let him go. But the performance of this small plane exceeded his expectations.

It is fast, highly maneuverable, and easy to handle, making it significantly more powerful than the MiG-9.

We imported quite a few MiG-9s back then, buying more than 300, but they were all eventually phased out due to defects such as straight wings limiting speed and small cannon payload.

Commander Zhang even felt that, based on visual estimation, the speed even exceeded that of the MiG-19.

What China is currently lacking is this kind of low-cost, high-performance small aircraft. It is very useful for military reconnaissance, civilian surveying and mapping, and agricultural spraying. This is a real secret!
Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai was terrified and quickly explained, "Sir! I'm innocent! I really came here to fish! If you don't believe me, I have a companion, Uncle Yan Bugui from our compound. He's waiting for me by the roadside not far away!"

"Oh? Or was it a gang operation?" Commander Zhang's eyes widened, and his tone became even more serious. "Looks like you came prepared!"

Yan Jiecheng: "."

*****
Li Aiguo was unaware of these circumstances. He piloted the small plane around in the air for a while, and even performed a few stunts.

This is the advantage of using a large engine to power a small vehicle, allowing the small plane to be kept under control at all times.

After all the performance indicators were tested, Li Aiguo steered the aircraft to turn and slowly fly towards the threshing ground.

With a soft "whoosh," the small plane's wheels landed steadily on the threshing floor. After gliding for a distance, its speed gradually decreased, and it finally came to a steady stop.

The roar of the engine gradually subsided and finally fell silent completely, and the surroundings instantly became quiet. Then, an even louder cheer erupted.

Li Aiguo took off his helmet and climbed off the plane.

Commander Zhang strode forward and hugged him tightly: "Patriotism! You succeeded! You succeeded!"

"Brother Aiguo, my dad's been arrested! Arrested!" Yan Jiecheng ran over and hugged Li Aiguo, pointing to the distance.

"Huh?" Li Aiguo looked in the direction Yan Jiecheng was pointing and immediately burst out laughing.

Yi Zhonghai and Uncle San were seen sitting on the ground, bound hand and foot, with militiamen holding rifles on guard nearby.

Li Aiguo took out a cigarette, lit it, and walked over. Looking at Yi Zhonghai and Uncle San, he said, "Well done, you two have made something of yourselves. You've actually become big shots now."

Yi Zhonghai recognized Li Aiguo immediately from the plane and instantly understood who had dropped the "bomb." He turned pale with anger and struggled to stand up.

"Li Aiguo! So you were the one who threw that shell! You almost scared me to death!"

He trembled as he recalled the scene of mud flying everywhere and shells hitting him, becoming more and more agitated and struggling even more violently.

I've lived this long and have never wet my pants.

The militiamen weren't going to tolerate him. They raised their rifles and gave him a whack, and Yi Zhonghai slumped back down.

The old man, with a mournful face, cried out his innocence, his eyes secretly glancing at Li Aiguo: "Leader! I don't know anything! It was Lao Yi who dragged me here! He caused this trouble, how did it implicate me? I'm just an honest and law-abiding teacher, how could I dare to be a 'Dieter'!"

Commander Zhang came over, explained the situation, and said, "Aiguo, I think we should take these two back and investigate them thoroughly."

"Let's follow the rules."

Li Aiguo knew the Third Uncle well; although such a person was shrewd and calculating, he probably wasn't Dieter.

However, he was somewhat unsure about Yi Zhonghai.

"Li Aiguo, you little brat, you're trying to harm me! I won't let you get away with this!" Yi Zhonghai panicked and shouted.

"Is Dieter this arrogant now?" Zhou Ke wasn't going to tolerate Yi Zhonghai. He stepped forward and stuffed Yi Zhonghai's mouth with a rag.

The men threw Yi Zhonghai onto the truck. Yi Zhonghai's forehead hit the truck bed, and his head started ringing.

As for the third uncle, because of his good attitude, he was given the opportunity to climb onto the car on his own.

Although Yan Jiecheng was worried about the Third Uncle, he could only stand aside and dare not go forward.

The small plane was reloaded onto the truck, and Li Aiguo waved goodbye to the militiamen of Chenjiazhuang Commune before returning to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

By this time, most of the staff in the maintenance depot had heard about the small aircraft test and rushed over.

"How about it?"

"Of course! Li Dache drove it himself, and in a flash, it soared into the sky, flying higher than a crow!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen a small plane fly so fast."

"Wow! Our maintenance depot can build airplanes now! This is an incredible honor!"

Surrounded by a crowd, the small plane was unloaded in the courtyard of the studio. Professor Qi and Zong Xianfeng and the others inspected the plane again and compiled the flight records.

Yi Zhonghai and Uncle San were taken away by officers from the locomotive depot's police station for further investigation.

Li Aiguo organized all the data from the test flight and neatly transcribed two reports, one for Section Chief Xing and the other for Regiment Commander Zhang.

Section Chief Xing dared not delay, and went straight to the Ministry of Railways with the report in his hand to report to Leader Teng.

"Sir, this is the report on this test flight."

After reviewing the report, Leader Teng asked with some curiosity, "This small plane can really fly?"

"Really, it took off in a flash, and flew incredibly high, even skimming low. It gave us all a fright. Regiment Commander Zhang from the Railway Corps said that this little plane is faster than a Russian fighter jet. Oh, and Comrade Aiguo, he loaded it with shells and hit a Dieter," Section Chief Xing said, patting his chest.

Leader Teng exclaimed in surprise: "Dieter?"

"Here's the thing, that man is a worker at the steel rolling mill, and he said he was fishing," Section Chief Xing explained the situation.

Leader Teng nodded: "Knowing it's a military restricted area, yet still forcing his way in, this person might have something going on and definitely needs to be investigated."

After reviewing the report, Leader Teng asked, "I think this small aircraft is quite suitable for surveying railway lines. Our railway system is currently lacking air power. Is there any difficulty in mass production?"

“Other things may be difficult, but no matter how difficult it is, we have to build this small plane.” Section Chief Xing perked up. The Qianmen Maintenance Section, which can manufacture small planes, is the largest maintenance section in the country.

Leader Teng continued, "I'll leave this to you. I'll follow up later."

Before Leader Teng could finish speaking...

The phone on the table rang.

Picking up the phone and answering it, Leader Teng's expression changed slightly: "Does your Air Force also need small planes?"

(End of this chapter)