The train driver in the courtyard

The courtyard house at dusk.

The children were playing in the courtyard after school, while the women cooked at home. Smoke billowed from every chimney, filling the air with a warm, homely atmosphere, creating a sense of peaceful tranquility.

"Oh no! Qin Huairu is trapped under the air-raid shelter!"

Xu Damao's voice, however, was like a heavy hammer, shattering this beautiful scene.

Auntie A, Auntie B, and Liu Lan all ran out.

"Xu Damao, how come Qin Huairu is trapped underneath?"

"Oh dear! At a time like this, why are you asking such questions? Hurry up and save them!"

Everyone, regardless of age or gender, grabbed shovels and hoes and rushed outside.

That's how it is these days. Even though there are often conflicts among the residents of a courtyard house, they really help each other when something happens.

Li Aiguo and Yan Jiecheng were also preparing to go out.

Li Aiguo had only run two steps when he caught sight of Zhang Gangzhu pushing his bicycle back from get off work. He immediately shouted, "Gangzhu! Assemble the neighborhood rescue team immediately! Everyone, gather at the park at the end of the street! Someone is buried! Emergency rescue!"

"I'm going right away." Zhang Gangzhu got anxious when he heard that someone was trapped, and turned to run.

The entrance to the air-raid shelter in Nantongluo Lane is located at the foot of a small hill in the park at the end of the street. The entrance is framed with logs and includes a smoke-proof room, a grain storage room, a vegetable room, a medical warehouse, and a weapons and ammunition depot. It is quite large.

There was also a machine gun lookout at the entrance, and red slogans on the wall.

When Li Aiguo arrived, a large crowd had already gathered at the scene. Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and some residents from the neighboring compound were all frantically digging with hoes, and the scene was in complete chaos.

"Dig quickly! Qin Huairu and several of our neighbors are down there!" A woman from the neighboring compound cried out as she sat on the ground, trying to rush forward but being held back by those around her.

"Keep it up, everyone!"

The more anxious they became, the more chaotic things got. They had barely dug a couple of times with the hoe when the soil above them started to fall down.

Immediately following, a crisp "crack" sound rang out, and the log frame that had been erected inside the cave snapped, causing another section of soil to collapse!
"Stop digging! Stop it, all of you!" Liu Haizhong reacted quickly and grabbed the two young men who were running in the lead.

The scene fell silent instantly. Everyone looked at each other, their faces filled with panic and confusion. The landslide just now was terrifying; digging any further might cause an even worse collapse.

"How can we rescue her if we don't dig? Huai Ru is still buried in the sea." Yi Zhonghai was also anxious at this moment.

He was in charge of the air-raid shelter excavation work and had hoped to make an appearance, but instead, such a big incident occurred.

"Exactly, we can't just stand by and watch them get buried!"

Liu Haizhong was also in a dilemma. He had only thought about stopping everyone from digging randomly to prevent further collapse, but when asked how to save the area, he had no idea.

Just as everyone was caught in a dilemma and in chaos, a voice came from afar: "Don't panic! Listen to my instructions!"

"Who is it? Ah, it's Aiguo!" A few young people were a little unconvinced, but when they saw who it was, they immediately shut their mouths.

"Patriot, do you have a way? Please save Huairu!" The old woman was almost crying.

Yi Zhonghai may have had other intentions, but the older woman genuinely loved this young woman from the countryside.

Li Aiguo nodded to the older woman and shouted, "Those of you standing at the edge of the cave entrance, get down immediately! Everyone, move at least two meters away! Crowding will only loosen the surrounding soil and increase the risk of collapse!"

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly stepped back, making way for an open space.

Li Aiguo then directed: "Women comrades, immediately go and find some thick wooden sticks nearby, the thicker the better! Young people, go and bring over some sturdy wooden planks, use the sticks to prop the planks up on both sides of the hole to form support and prevent further collapse!"

"So how do you dig? You can't just not dig, can you?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"Smack!" He had barely finished speaking when he was hit on the forehead.

Yan Jiecheng, standing behind him, said impatiently, "What's the rush! Listen to Comrade Aiguo's arrangements; he'll definitely have a way!"

Li Aiguo ignored him and continued, "We definitely have to dig, but we can't just do it blindly. We have to build supports as we dig. We have to start from the side, from the direction closest to the machine gun emplacement. That position already has the wall supporting the emplacement, so it's relatively more stable. We'll slowly clear the soil from the side, open a small opening, first determine the location of the people inside, and then gradually enlarge the opening."

"This is a good idea, everyone get started!"

Everyone quickly got to work.

At this moment, Zhang Gangzhu arrived with his patrol team.

"Report, Captain! The street patrol team should have twenty-one members, and twenty-one members are present. All are on standby and awaiting instructions!" Zhang Gangzhu ran up to Li Aiguo and gave a standard military salute.

The team members were lined up in neat rows, which made them look particularly reliable.

"You've come at the perfect time! Team leader, lead your team to be in charge of the excavation!"
The second team leader led a group to provide support, reinforcing the area as they dug, ensuring the safety of the excavation area!
Team leader, lead your team to clear away the loose soil and keep the site clear!

"Yes!" the three team leaders answered in unison.

This is where the neighborhood patrol team's advantage comes into play. They are familiar with and trusted by the residents of the neighborhood, and the residents listen to them.

Those digging the soil, those supporting the pillars, and those transporting the soil.
The originally chaotic scene instantly became orderly.

Yi Zhonghai, watching this scene from the side, was extremely frustrated.

He was originally in charge of excavating this air-raid shelter.

But now, all eyes are on Li Aiguo, and everyone is following his orders.

There is strength in numbers.

In addition, everyone was putting their efforts into one place, and with each small step of digging, movement soon came from inside.

"There's a sound! Someone inside is responding!" the team member in charge of the excavation shouted excitedly.

When the last pile of soil was hauled out, Qin Huairu saw the light outside, and could no longer hold on; her eyes were about to close.

"Don't sleep, just hold on a little longer!" Li Aiguo shone his flashlight inside and was immediately bewildered by what he saw.

Qin Huairu and the other residents were lucky; when the building collapsed, it was in a corner, and the supporting poles and planks above it fell down, forming a triangular area.

Qin Huairu's legs were buried in the soil, and her condition was unclear. The other two residents had blood streaming from their foreheads, indicating they had been hit by falling debris.

Qin Huairu barely opened her eyes and saw that familiar face: "It's Aiguo."

After the news spread that everyone inside was still alive, the spirits of everyone on site were boosted even more, and the tunnel was dug through in just a short time.

Two older women ran over and cleared away the dirt and sticks that were pressing on Qin Huairu's legs. Fortunately, Qin Huairu only had one leg broken.

The other two residents suffered head injuries and need to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible.

"Slow down, don't rush."

Li Aiguo directed the people to carry the wounded out of the building.

At this moment, Director Wang from the subdistrict office and Leader Chen from the epidemic prevention and control office also arrived after hearing the news.

Upon seeing the scene, Director Wang and Leader Chen were taken aback.

When they learned that no one had died, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Nantongluo Lane is currently a pilot area for digging air-raid shelters, and the entire district is watching closely. If a death occurs right after the digging begins, that would be unacceptable!

Director Wang looked around but didn't see Yi Zhonghai. He called out to the person in charge, "Where's the person in charge? Yi Zhonghai!"

Yi Zhonghai hid behind the crowd, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Hearing Director Wang's shout, they could no longer hide and quickly squeezed out of the crowd.

"Director Wang, you've arrived. This collapse of the air-raid shelter was caused by the residents' carelessness and improper operation..."

"Yi Zhonghai! You are in charge of the air-raid shelter excavation work, and you are responsible for the on-site safety and organization. Now that an accident has occurred, what are you doing, trying to shift the blame onto the residents?"

Director Wang hadn't intended to blame Yi Zhonghai, but upon hearing this, he immediately became furious.

Yi Zhonghai's face burned with embarrassment after being reprimanded, but he forced himself to say, "Director, don't worry, the collapsed area is almost cleared. I will immediately organize people to continue digging and ensure that the project is completed on time!"

Hear this.

Director Wang was furious: "Yi Zhonghai! Tell me, how can you guarantee that there won't be another collapse during the next excavation? How can you guarantee the safety of the construction workers? Human lives are at stake, and in your eyes it's just a matter of project progress?"

Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

"You have absolutely no regard for human life. From this moment on, you are relieved of your post as the leader of the air-raid shelter excavation team. Now you go to the hospital and keep an eye on things." Director Wang was furious just looking at him.

"Yes, yes, yes," Yi Zhonghai nodded and bowed repeatedly before turning and running away.

He wanted to see who could take over this mess.

After Yi Zhonghai left, Director Chen walked around the scene. Seeing that the scene was in good order, his eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward and extended his hand to Li Aiguo.

"Comrade, are you in charge of the on-site rescue?"

Director Wang introduced, "This is Comrade Li Aiguo from our neighborhood, the patrol team leader, a train driver, and a national model worker."

The titles of "train driver and patrol team leader" were quite ordinary, but when the words "National Model Worker" were mentioned, Director Chen's eyes lit up instantly.

"So it's Comrade Aiguo! I've heard so much about you! We really owe you a lot this time. Without your calm and decisive command, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

"You're too kind, it's all I should do."

"Comrade Patriot, you seem to know quite a bit about digging air-raid shelters." Leader Chen looked at the sticks and boards propped up inside the air-raid shelter.

"Comrade Aiguo previously participated in the excavation work of Beijing Metro Line 1, specifically the Pingguoyuan section. I heard it will be completed and open to traffic in about six months!" Director Wang interjected.

"Beijing subway tunnels. No wonder!"

Leader Chen's eyes lit up as he looked at Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office: "Director Wang, why didn't you say so sooner that we had such an outstanding technical talent! With such a big mess caused by the excavation of the air-raid shelter, we need someone knowledgeable and responsible to take the lead. I think Comrade Li Aiguo is the perfect candidate for the position of excavation team leader!"

Upon hearing this, Director Wang's expression changed.

She was well aware that the subsequent excavation work after the air-raid shelter collapsed would be a complete mess.

“Comrade Aiguo is a train driver and also in charge of work at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. He’s extremely busy.” Director Wang didn’t want Li Aiguo to get involved.

She was perfectly aware that she had now put the excavation work on hold.

However, digging air-raid shelters is a rectification task and an inevitable trend. It will be launched sooner or later, and there may be accidents when it is not done properly.

Leader Chen smiled and said, "I think Comrade Aiguo is a capable person. Director Wang, now that the excavation work in your district has encountered such a big mess, we need someone capable like him to continue."

Upon hearing this, Director Wang hesitated. If he continued to hand it over to Yi Zhonghai, it might cause even more trouble. It would be better to let Li Aiguo handle it.

“Aiguo is quite busy with his work. So, since digging air-raid shelters is originally a matter for our street office, I, as the director of the street office, will take the lead in this matter, and Aiguo, as the group leader, will be responsible for the technical work. What do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Leader Chen's expression changed slightly.

He and Director Wang were old acquaintances, but this was the first time he had seen her so protective of someone.

However, Leader Chen's goal was simply to complete the task, so he didn't dwell on this issue.

Turning to Li Aiguo, he asked directly, "Comrade Aiguo, the organization trusts you. Are you willing to take on the responsibility of leading the excavation team?" "I will obey the organization's arrangements!" Li Aiguo straightened his back.

"Alright, I hereby formally appoint Comrade Li Aiguo as the leader of the excavation team for the air-raid shelter in Nantongluo Lane. All subsequent excavation work will be coordinated and arranged by Comrade Li Aiguo, and the street office and the epidemic prevention office will fully cooperate!" Leader Chen knew that Director Wang knew nothing about excavation, so he gave the order directly.

Upon hearing this, the onlookers erupted in uproar.

Yan Jiecheng's eyes widened, and he whispered, "Brother Aiguo is going to be glorious again."

"What do you know, kid? This is a hot potato. Digging air-raid shelters is a rectification task, and this project is required to be completed. If it's done well, that's fine, but if it's done poorly, you'll definitely be in trouble." The old man blinked his small eyes behind his tortoiseshell glasses.

"Isn't this forcing people to do something they're not comfortable with? How could the leaders of the air defense office do this?!" He Yushui came to help after school.

“What can we do? I heard that all over the country is preparing to dig. Our Beijing is a demonstration site, and the epidemic prevention and control office can’t do anything about it. I think it’s good that Aiguo is the leader of this group.” Liu Haizhong said from the side. If Li Aiguo didn’t take the position, he would like to try to persuade him to. In any case, he couldn’t let Yi Zhonghai act recklessly again.

"Alright, it's getting late, we can't dig any more today, everyone should go home now." Director Wang of the neighborhood office was still concerned about the injured people and called out to the residents.

The residents then packed up their belongings and left in twos and threes.

Li Aiguo chatted with Director Chen and Director Wang for a while before taking He Yushui home.

Chen Xueru had already prepared the meal.

Li Aiguo ate his fill of the mixed noodles with two eggs inside and was about to go into his study.

Liu Haizhong led Xu Damao and Nan Yi in.

"Patriotism, how should we dig tomorrow?"

"If you ask me, we should mobilize the entire compound and call on the residents from the neighboring compounds. There's strength in numbers, and I don't believe we can't manage an air-raid shelter."

“Do you think digging an air-raid shelter is like digging a huge pit? What if it collapses again? Listen to Brother Aiguo.” Nan Yi glared at Xu Damao.

After offering cigarettes to the three men, Li Aiguo said, "Let's stop tomorrow and start digging again once I've finalized the plan."

"Okay." The three of them were somewhat disappointed when they heard this, but considering the scene of the collapse today, they left without saying anything.

"Brother Aiguo, are you sure you can handle this job?" Chen Xueru was starting to worry.

"Do not worry."

Li Aiguo smiled and went into the study.

In fact, Li Aiguo had already made up his mind while digging the air-raid shelter.

Since tunnel boring machines cannot be used to dig air-raid shelters due to their size and cost, we could develop a smaller machine instead.

In later generations, there was a machine known as a small shield tunneling machine, called a cantilever tunneling machine, which was commonly used in the excavation of coal mine roadways and engineering tunnels.

The principle of this thing is similar to that of a tunnel boring machine. There is a cutting mechanism at the front, and a traveling mechanism, a transport mechanism, a frame, and a turntable in the middle.

The most crucial component is the cutting arm. The one Li Aiguo brought out was designed specifically for excavating coal mine tunnels in later generations. The cutting head on the arm is 1.2 meters long and can move freely up and down, which perfectly meets the requirements for excavating air-raid shelters.

The running gear is very simple; there were a few scrapped trucks in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, which we used.

While pondering these matters, Li Aiguo picked up a pen and began drawing on the manuscript paper.

The night is getting darker.

the other side.

Inside the hospital.

After Qin Huairu and the others were taken to the hospital, they learned that the incident had occurred while digging an air-raid shelter. The hospital not only waived their medical expenses but also sent their best surgeon.

An elderly woman gripped the doctor's hand tightly: "Doctor, please take a look, is she alright? This child has three younger children to support at home!"

After a careful examination, the doctor breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Don't worry, ma'am, it's not a big problem. This lady has a comminuted fracture of her lower leg. With a cast in place, she should recover in about three months. The other two ladies only have scalp contusions. A few stitches and some medicine will do the trick."

"Thank goodness!" The middle-aged woman breathed a long sigh of relief.

The doctor wanted Qin Huairu to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days, but when she thought about how no one would take care of her children, Xiaodang, Banggeng, and Xiaohuaihua, she insisted on being discharged.

The doctor couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he repeatedly told her to have regular check-ups and prescribed some anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medication before allowing her to leave.

Just as the two older women were riding their donkeys backwards to take Qin Huairu home, Yi Zhonghai arrived.

"Old man, what brings you here? Aren't you the leader of the excavation team?"

Yi Zhonghai's face flushed slightly, and he coughed twice to cover his embarrassment: "Hey, nothing is more important than Huai Ru's injury. I'm so worried about her, I don't have the mind to care about anything else."

He dared not say that he had been removed from his position as team leader.

At this moment, Xu Damao arrived with Liu Lan. Although they didn't get along, they were neighbors after all.

"What do you mean by caring about Qin Huairu? Uncle, why don't you tell Auntie that your position as head of the excavation team has been dismissed by Director Wang of the neighborhood office?"

"Xu Damao, you—" Yi Zhonghai was exposed, and his eyes widened in anger.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, old man, the new team leader is Li Aiguo now." Xu Damao continued sarcastically.

"You...you..." Yi Zhonghai couldn't catch his breath, his head was buzzing, and everything went black before his eyes. He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

The doctor next to them was stunned when he saw this: "How come one person was just discharged and another one is being admitted?"

However, since someone had fainted, the doctor couldn't ignore it and quickly called a nurse to take Yi Zhonghai to the hospital.

The two older women had originally planned to accompany Qin Huairu back home.

There was no other way but to leave Qin Huairu in the care of Xu Damao and Liu Lan, while the two of them went to the hospital to help Yi Zhonghai with his medical treatment.

Fortunately, Yi Zhonghai only fainted due to a sudden surge of anger. After the doctor gave him a glucose drip, he recovered.

This delay meant that by the time they returned to the courtyard it was already past eight o'clock, and it was completely dark.

"How are you, Qin Huairu? Are you alright?" Yu Li was washing clothes in front of the door when she heard the noise and quickly went out.
"Hey, old man, why are you sitting on a backward donkey too?"

Yi Zhonghai blushed and forced himself to say, "Yeah, I'm feeling a bit unwell. I got some medicine from the hospital."

"Huh?!" Yu Li was stunned. Could this thing be contagious?
Yi Zhonghai is actually fine.

On his way back, he made up his mind that he could take advantage of being sick to avoid being questioned by the neighborhood committee.

Furthermore, even if Li Aiguo were in charge of digging the air-raid shelter, the danger would still exist, and he would be able to avoid it.

After Li Aiguo messes things up, this old man will step in to clean up the mess.

"Li Aiguo, Li Aiguo, you think you're so capable? You want to show off? I'll see how you dig this air-raid shelter! When it collapses again, that'll be the time you fall flat on your face. Then let's see who's going to protect you!"

Yi Zhonghai sat in the room drinking tea, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Hearing this, the older woman became unhappy: "Old Yi, I know you have a conflict with Li Aiguo, and you're resentful, but digging air-raid shelters is related to the safety of everyone in the compound. Aiguo is willing to step forward and take responsibility, which shows his commitment! Even if you don't support him, you can't just hope something happens to him!"

"What do you know!" Yi Zhonghai thought the old lady had been fooled by Li Aiguo.

"Womanly compassion! You'll see I'm right when he messes things up!"

The older woman knew he was obsessed and was too lazy to argue with him anymore. She was about to go inside to pack her things when she suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Huai Ru broke her leg. It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. Who will take care of her during this time? The three children are still young. We can't let her bear it all by herself, can we? How about... we bring Jia Zhangshi back? After all, she is my mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It would be easier for her to take care of me."

"No, absolutely not!" Yi Zhonghai immediately waved his hand and said, "Jia Zhangshi is simply a scoundrel. She's finally quieted down these past few days. If she comes back, the whole compound will be in an uproar."

"what is it now?"

"You help out, and Second Aunt, Third Aunt, you old ladies go and lend a hand!"

Yi Zhonghai certainly had his own ulterior motives. If Sha Zhu came out and could obediently serve as his caretaker, then Qin Huairu and Bang Geng would be of little use.

If Sha Zhu has ulterior motives, Qin Huairu and Bang Geng can still take care of him in his old age.

As for Banggeng wanting to sever ties with him, Yi Zhonghai didn't take it to heart. He thought, "He's just a kid; a few White Rabbit candies will do the trick."

For the next few days, Yi Zhonghai sent an older woman to inquire about the excavation of the air-raid shelter every day.

On the first day, an older woman returned and reported: "Xu Damao said that Aiguo said he is not ready yet, so he will not dig today."

Yi Zhonghai held his teacup and took a leisurely sip: "This kid is cautious, but that's good. The sooner he digs, the sooner it will collapse; the later he digs, the later it will collapse. Something bad is bound to happen sooner or later."

The next day, the woman brought back the same message: "Still no digging."

Day three.

Fourth day.

Upon learning that Li Aiguo had not yet started digging, Yi Zhonghai said with a gloomy expression, "I understand! This kid is simply afraid of something going wrong and doesn't dare to dig! He knows in his heart that this job is not easy, so he simply drags his feet and doesn't start. Even if he fails to complete the task, with Director Wang protecting him, he will at most get a few words of criticism, which is much better than taking the risk!"

"You're quite clever, but how could I, Yi Zhonghai, let you have your way?"

Yi Zhonghai asked an older woman to find him a stick, and using the stick to pretend to be weak, he left the courtyard and headed straight for the neighborhood office.

Director Wang was about to come down when he saw Yi Zhonghai arrive and asked him what was the matter.

"Director, Li Aiguo is deliberately delaying the excavation. It's obvious he doesn't want us to dig out the air-raid shelter so our neighborhood can't get the little red flag. You have to give him a good scolding."

Director Wang's expression turned serious: "Yi Zhonghai, the task of digging the air-raid shelter has been handed over to Comrade Li Aiguo, and he will be in charge of it. It has nothing to do with you! But you, because of your negligence last time, caused the air-raid shelter to collapse. The neighborhood committee wants to know about this matter. When you go back, write a report on what happened and submit it!"

"what?!"

Yi Zhonghai felt that he had tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead.

"Yes Yes Yes"

Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to lean on his cane and slowly walk out of the street office towards the courtyard house.

Just took two steps.

A figure blocked his way.

"Fine, Yi Zhonghai, my daughter-in-law broke her leg, and you're stopping me from coming back to take care of her! What are you up to? Are you trying to ruin the Jia family?! I'll fight you to the death!"

Yi Zhonghai looked up and saw a little fat pig rushing over from a distance. Who else could it be but Jia Zhangshi?
He felt like he had tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing two rice instead.

"That kid Li Aiguo, he's ruined my life!"

Li Aiguo completely ignored the mess that Yi Zhonghai had made.

The structure of a cantilever tunneling machine is far more complex than imagined, especially the power system of the cutting arm and the wear-resistant material of the cutting head, which require careful consideration.

These top experts, who usually study airplanes and rockets, are now engrossed in the blueprints of the tunnel boring machine, arguing heatedly from time to time.

The experts who study aircraft are now helping to tinker with tunneling machines, which is a way for them to refresh their minds while working.

(End of this chapter)