The train driver in the courtyard

"I can't really say anything about that. I'm just an ordinary citizen right now. Li Aiguo is the leader of the air-raid shelter excavation team, so it's not appropriate for me to comment." Yi Zhonghai knew this all too well and presented himself as an honest and simple person.

"So what if you're a team leader? You still need to be supervised."

Deputy Director Zhang raised an eyebrow, immediately took out a packet of sunflower seeds from his Zhongshan suit pocket, pulled out one and handed it over, his face darkening.

"Old comrade, don't be afraid. The organization is backing you up. Speak whatever you know without any worries!"

Yi Zhonghai took the cigarette, but his face still showed that troubled expression.

He stammered, "But Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office specifically instructed that everything about the excavation team should be under Li Aiguo's command. If I say this... it would be terrible if I offended Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office."

“I think the slow progress in digging the air-raid shelters stems from the local street office. Old comrade, speak your mind!” Deputy Director Zhang patted Yi Zhonghai on the shoulder.

Yi Zhonghai felt that the time was right before he spoke up: "Boss, to be honest, ever since Li Aiguo became the team leader, he has abruptly stopped the excavation work that had already begun!"

I approached him three times to offer my suggestions, saying that the air-raid shelter was a task assigned by higher authorities and that we needed to expedite its construction.

But instead of listening, he used Director Wang's name to pressure me, saying I was senile and just causing trouble, and even threatened to publicly criticize me at the group meeting!

"This is ridiculous! Digging air-raid shelters is something the higher-ups are encouraging. Li Aiguo is going against them by doing this. How can someone like that be the head of the excavation team? I think the Nantongluoxiang Subdistrict Office is also problematic. Don't worry, old comrade, I will definitely report this matter to the higher-ups!"

Deputy Director Zhang's eyes lit up.

This is what is typical.

As long as we seize this typical example, we can take the initiative, and even the director can't say anything.

"Old comrade, what's your name? Where do you work?" Deputy Director Zhang's tone softened.

"My name is Yi Zhonghai, a level seven fitter at the steel rolling mill." Yi Zhonghai straightened his back.

"Oh, so you're a master fitter at the seventh level!" Deputy Director Zhang's eyes lit up even more.

"Great! Excellent! Your skills are superb, and your awareness is high! If Li Aiguo is removed from his position as team leader, would you be willing to take over as the leader of the excavation team?"

Yi Zhonghai was overjoyed: "I'm willing! I'm more than willing! Don't worry, leader, if I become the team leader, I guarantee I'll follow your lead!"
"You asked me to start digging today, and I immediately organized people to begin work. Even if it's hail or snow, I'll lead everyone forward and ensure the project isn't delayed!"

"Good!" Deputy Leader Zhang patted Yi Zhonghai heavily on the shoulder before turning and leaving.

After he left, Yi Zhonghai's lips curled up slightly: "Li Aiguo, Li Aiguo, you were bullying this old man, weren't you? Now look what's happened, someone will take care of you."

Just then, Zhang Gangzhu's voice came from not far away: "Yi Zhonghai! Time to get to work, come and lend a hand!"

Yi Zhonghai sneered inwardly. He was about to be reinstated, so why would he want to do such menial work again?

"My stomach hurts, I'm going home first."

Yi Zhonghai pretended to be sick, clutching his stomach and running towards the courtyard house.

Just as they turned the corner, a person suddenly emerged from behind an old locust tree; it was Captain Jia.

Captain Jia rubbed his hands together: "Hehe, Yi Zhonghai."

Yi Zhonghai: "."

When Yi Zhonghai returned home, covering his face, an older woman was tidying up the house. She was used to seeing him like this.

"Old man, have you been caught by Jia Zhangshi again? I'm telling you, we really need to find a way to resolve this."

"What can I do? I can't exactly let Jia Zhangshi go back to the courtyard house, can I?" Yi Zhonghai said, taking out some mercurochrome from the drawer and applying it as he spoke.

An older woman also put down her work to help, and suddenly asked, "Weren't you called by Zhang Gangzhu to clean up the ruins over at the air-raid shelter? Why are you back now? You've only been gone for half a day, and you've already finished all the work?"

When this matter was mentioned, the pain on Yi Zhonghai's face was instantly replaced by smugness.

He lowered his voice and chuckled, "What kind of work? From now on, I might not have to do those rough and tiring jobs anymore. I reckon I'll be reinstated this time!"

"Wait a minute, isn't the current team leader Li Aiguo?" an older woman asked, puzzled.

"Li Aiguo? He won't be around for long. Don't worry, he's going to be in trouble this time."

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, the middle-aged woman was startled and quickly asked, "Are you up to something again? Old Yi, we're all getting on in years, isn't it better to live a peaceful life? Stop thinking about fighting and arguing. What if something goes wrong again? Will we still be able to live like this?"

"Bang!" Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table. "I'm in this state all because of Li Aiguo. I'm not done with Li Aiguo!"

Upon hearing this, the older woman shook her head helplessly.

She wasn't worried about Li Aiguo, but rather afraid that Yi Zhonghai would once again shoot himself in the foot.

****
On the other side, inside the workshop of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

All the spare parts for the tunneling machine have arrived. With the experience of manufacturing excavators, the assembly work went smoothly this time.

The only troublesome part is the cutting head and boom of the tunneling machine.

The boom, as the main support structure, has a complex structure, high precision requirements, and some parts need to be welded.

Li Aiguo personally took charge, and with the assistance of an expert in aircraft welding in Chief Engineer Liu's team, they used submerged arc welding, a technique rarely seen at the time.

This welding technique has a large penetration depth, good forming quality, and stable heat input, making it suitable for long, straight welds on thick plates.

It can also be used when building ocean-going freighters in the future.

Now, as Red Star Minerals acquires more and more mineral resources in Africa, mineral production has skyrocketed.

To bring these minerals back and to ship Hextech's products out, a fleet of large ocean-going freighters is needed.

Several ships have been purchased so far, but this is still not enough to meet the demand. Li Aiguo had long planned to build ocean-going freighters.

The entire weld was completed in one go. The boom has four layers of steel plates on all four sides, making a total of eight welds.

Because the tunneling machine is quite large, it can only be assembled in an open-air location. We even specially brought over two cranes so they can work together.

The boom was hoisted onto the tunneling machine, which signifies the start of formal assembly.

The aviation experts also came to help. Don't let their age fool you; they sit in the office all day and are young and strong, but they are incredibly powerful.

That guy named Xiao Chen can lift a roller weighing over 300 kilograms all by himself.

Section Chief Xing has been keeping a close eye on the situation here. The Ministry of Railways has now started to establish an air defense office, which plans to first investigate the situation of each locomotive depot. It is estimated that the tasks will be assigned soon.

If we were to rely entirely on manual labor for digging, it would require at least several hundred people, mostly young men.

"Wow, this thing is really big." Section Chief Xing walked around the tunneling machine.

Although the tunneling machine is not yet fully assembled, the overall frame has been completed. It is about the length of a trailer and as tall as a one-and-a-half-story building.

"Aiguo, when will it be assembled?" Section Chief Xing offered Li Aiguo a cigarette.

"If all goes well, it should be done around today."

Li Aiguo also did not expect the assembly to be completed so quickly.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. With the foundation laid over the years, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop is no longer what it used to be.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Section Chief Xing said "good" three times in a row, patted Li Aiguo on the shoulder, and said, "I'll have the canteen add some dishes for you at noon, stewed meat! The day before yesterday, Lao Zhang and his men were running the Baoding line and accidentally hit and killed a few donkeys, so this will be a good opportunity to improve everyone's meals."

Section Chief Xing turned and left, leaving Li Aiguo somewhat bewildered.

Is it possible to run into a donkey and die while traveling to Baoding?

How could such a coincidence happen?

Needless to say, the materials department must have skirted the rules and reached an agreement with the commune in Baoding.

Nowadays, all meat has to go through the food station, where the price is relatively low. The commune prefers to sell cattle, sheep, and donkeys to the railway.

The Qianmen Locomotive Depot has been living comfortably lately and doesn't care about these costs; as long as there's meat, they'll take it all.

Anyway, the record says "accidental death", so even if the people at the food station knew the truth, no one dared to come and make a fuss.

At noon, Li Aiguo ate a fragrant braised donkey meat dish with chili peppers, and he ate it while sweating profusely.

Those aviation experts all thought it would be wonderful if this kind of life could continue forever.

The transport equipment wasn't heavy, but it had too many parts, and they were all irregularly shaped, so it couldn't be lifted by a crane. Li Aiguo had to ask for help.

Just then, the young men from the fire brigade were working out, so Li Aiguo called them over.

The assembly of the cantilever tunneling machine is almost complete.

"This"

"What is this thing?!"

"Everyone, please lend a hand." Li Aiguo asked Zong Xianfeng to bring over the complimentary cigarettes, a very high-end brand called Sunflower, and gave one to each person.

Liu Qingsong waved his hand: "Aiguo, you're too kind. I think this thing looks like a house. Let's just treat it as a fire drill."

He turned and waved to the group of young men: "Comrades, there's a fire up there, everyone get out!"

These young men are the most physically fit in the locomotive depot; each one is broad-shouldered and strong.

Each of them picked up a component, carried it steadily on their shoulders, and climbed up the makeshift iron ladder to the body of the tunneling machine.

The bustling scene left Chief Engineer Liu and the aviation experts speechless.

"Xiao Chen, do you see that? This is the advantage of living next to the fire station. I dare say, if a fire breaks out here, it will be put out immediately," an expert said.

Chief Engineer Liu stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

After you go back, will you also set up a special fire brigade in the factory and arrange it next to the laboratory?
Even if there's no fire, they're quite good at helping with moving heavy objects.

With the concerted efforts of dozens of young men, the hoisting work, which was originally expected to take most of the day, was completed in just half an hour.

With all components in place precisely, all that remains is for the installers to secure them with bolts and connect the pipes.

The young men didn't rush to leave; they all gathered around to watch the excitement, chattering amongst themselves.

"Patriotism, what kind of machine is this?" Liu Qingsong squatted down next to the machine, helping to hand over a wrench while asking curiously.

"It's for digging air-raid shelters. You'll know once it's installed." Li Aiguo and Liu Qingsong were sworn brothers, so he didn't mince words.

"I thought it was a large fire truck," Liu Qingsong said, squatting down beside him as he helped.

"I heard that they now have large fire trucks abroad that can carry water dozens of meters high. If you have time, could you help us build one?" a young man said.

"Snapped!"

Before he could finish speaking, he received a slap on the forehead.

Liu Qingsong said with a stern face, "Do you think fire trucks are building blocks produced by our steel rolling mill, something we can just build whenever we want?"

After saying that, Liu Qingsong handed Li Aiguo a cigarette: "Aiguo, that fire truck is really good. Our locomotive depot is alright, it's mostly single-story buildings."

According to the firefighters in the district, their biggest fear right now is a fire on the fifth floor of those tenement buildings. They have to carry buckets of water up the stairs, which is exhausting and wastes a lot of time.

Fire trucks. That's a good idea. There aren't many high-rise buildings in Beijing now, but they will definitely grow in the future.

Li Aiguo hadn't really paid attention to this thing; he'd have to figure it out slowly.

Around 4 PM, the wild car expert applied grease to the hydraulic arm, and Zong Xianfeng led a group of experts to conduct a final inspection.

"Aiguo, that's about right. You can start it now." Zong Xianfeng jumped off the tunneling machine.

Li Aiguo turned to Chief Engineer Liu and said, "Old Liu, come here."

Chief Engineer Liu was standing to the side, happily admiring the fruits of his labor, completely unexpected that Li Aiguo would ask him to start it. Hearing this, he paused, then reacted. "I'll start it?"

"Of course, you've been a great help this time, it's only right."

"Good good!"

Chief Engineer Liu has started many aircraft engines in his life, but this is the first time he has started a civilian tunneling machine, and he is full of energy.

He climbed onto the tunneling machine, crawled into the cab, and first checked everything according to the manual formulated by Li Aiguo before starting the engine.

boom.
With a roar, a plume of black smoke billowed from the exhaust pipe at the rear of the tunneling machine.

"It's done, it's done!"

“That sound is so nice.”

"The tunnel boring machine is a success!" Zong Xianfeng and the wild car expert jumped up excitedly.

Li Aiguo called out to Chief Engineer Liu, signaling him to test each movement.

Chief Engineer Liu nodded, pushed the control lever, and the tunneling machine slowly moved forward, then turned left and then right.

"Wow!"

"This thing is amazing. It's so huge, yet it's so agile."

Then, the tunneling machine slowly extended its boom, and Chief Engineer Liu started the cutting head. Driven by the transmission shaft, the cutting head spun rapidly, making a buzzing sound.

"Wow, this thing can even spin!"

"If this were to actually drill into the soil, it could probably replace dozens of people in a day."

"There are also transportation agencies behind it, which can directly transport the construction waste out. It's so convenient."

"Don't you guys think this thing has a big head and a thick stick in the back, kind of like... you know?"

"You know what, it really does look like it!"

Li Aiguo stood to the side, speechless. These young men had started telling dirty jokes again.

But you know what, it really does look like it.

Since the location of the air-raid shelter in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot has not yet been determined, and the tunneling machine cannot be dug into the ground like an excavator to conduct experiments.

Li Aiguo decided to drive the tunnel boring machine to the air-raid shelter in Nantongluo Lane tomorrow morning to conduct experiments and make improvements.

"Aiguo, come up here." After having his fill, General Liu gave up his spot.

Li Aiguo climbed up and tested the various functions of the tunneling machine. Everything was normal and the operation was not difficult.

When the leaders of the Aviation Industry Bureau came to deliver the documents, they entered the office and found that the person was nowhere to be seen.

We can't all take leave, can we?

Could something have gone wrong?
These experts are top-notch aviation experts in China. If something really happens, China's aviation industry will be set back by several years.

The leaders of the Industry Bureau were also anxious, and looked at the comrades from the Meteorological Bureau, asking, "Where are they?"

Upon inquiring, I learned that all the experts had gone to the backyard to help assemble some kind of tunneling machine.

"Chief Engineer Liu is a veteran comrade, how can he be so irresponsible!"

The leader was both angry and anxious, and turned to walk towards the backyard. Before he even got close to the courtyard, a deafening buzzing sound came from behind him. The sound was deep and powerful, making his eardrums vibrate.

I quickly ran inside and saw the group of aviation experts squatting nearby watching the commotion, while Li Aiguo was driving.

"Old Liu, what's going on here?" the leader of the Industry Bureau asked in confusion.

"This is a tunneling machine designed by our patriotic comrade, and we helped build it," Chief Engineer Liu replied with great excitement.

"Huh? They really are neglecting their duties!" The leaders of the Aviation Industry Bureau couldn't stop smiling.

"Sir, this is called a tunnel boring machine. It's mainly used to dig air-raid shelters." Li Aiguo got out of the car when he saw the leaders from the Industrial Bureau coming over and asked the Wild Car Expert to go up and see how to operate it.

"Comrade Aiguo has a good idea for the air-raid shelter." As soon as the leader heard this, he understood Li Aiguo's plan.

No wonder the higher-ups value this guy so much; he always thinks ahead and helps solve problems.

This matter wasn't under his jurisdiction either; the leader of the Industry Bureau handed him a document.

"The weapon system you designed has already been approved by the Ordnance Bureau."

In two days, experts from the Ordnance Industry Bureau will come to meet with you. We need to expedite the subsequent research and development and production.

"That's great." Li Aiguo was already quite impatient, but he also knew that it was already very rare to get approval so quickly.

After the leaders of the Industry Bureau left, the wild car experts also stayed for a while but found no problems.

"Patriotism, shouldn't we paint it with paint?"

"Paint it, use dark green. Oh, and paint a gold five-pointed star on the car body." Li Aiguo handed over the task of painting to the untrained car expert.

I finished processing it while working overtime tonight, so it'll be completely dry by tomorrow morning, which is perfect since it won't delay my use.

It's not like a car that can be fully electroplated and painted.

This tunnel boring machine will be drilling tunnels every day, so bumps and knocks are common. The paint will wear off sooner or later, so we should save money wherever possible.

"I heard the Russians sold a batch of large aircraft to India. I wonder how things are going on Li Yunlong's side."

Li Aiguo believes that at this pace, the first batch of armed small planes should be able to go to the front line in about two months.

At that time, we can definitely give the Indians a hard time.

And on the frontier, Commander Corn has gone mad, sending hundreds of thousands of people there.

Back at the courtyard house, Li Aiguo found Zhang Gangzhu and said, "Notify everyone in the excavation team that we will officially begin excavating the air-raid shelter first thing tomorrow morning!"

"We're finally going to start digging." Xu Damao and Nan Yi had been holding back for days, and now they were feeling restless.

Good news keeps coming from other demonstration sites, and they've even unearthed gold, silver, jewelry, and antiques.

Although regulations stipulate that any valuable items found must be handed over, and the police station will arrive as soon as possible after receiving the news, there are always some quick-witted people who manage to sneak some small items away.

Even if they aren't antiques, some old items are still useful and worth keeping for your own use.

"Everyone, get up early tomorrow."

"Go to bed early at night and stop thinking about fighting with your wife," Xu Damao said.

An older woman who had been taking care of Qin Huairu at the Jia family's house for the past few days had also heard the news about digging an air-raid shelter.

Back home, she immediately told Yi Zhonghai, "Old Yi, Aiguo said that tomorrow all the members of the excavation team in the neighborhood will go to dig air-raid shelters. We're finally going to start work!"

I knew it! Li Aiguo definitely wouldn't just leave the air-raid shelter unattended.

"Ha, now he's worried? It's too late!" Yi Zhonghai sneered.

"Old Yi, what exactly are you planning?" an older woman asked with some concern.

"Don't worry, this has nothing to do with me. It's the higher-ups who want to deal with Li Aiguo!" Yi Zhonghai stood up and hummed a little tune as he went into the room.

*****
The next morning, Li Aiguo got up very early.

After breakfast, instead of going directly to the air-raid shelter construction site, Zhang Gangzhu was sent to maintain order and make preparations.

"Patriotism, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the locomotive depot to find some tools." Li Aiguo started his mountain bike and roared away from the courtyard.

At eight o'clock in the morning, all the members of the excavation team arrived and, under Zhang Gangzhu's command, carried out the final cleanup work.

Yi Zhonghai was also among them. The old man worked listlessly while looking into the distance.

Based on his understanding of Deputy Director Zhang of the Air Defense Office, he would definitely not miss such a good opportunity.

"They're here!" Yi Zhonghai saw a group of people walking towards them and immediately dropped what he was holding.

Zhang Gangzhu also saw these people and quickly stood up and rushed over.

"Comrades, what are you doing here?"

"This is Director Zhang from the Air Defense Office, get out of the way!" The assistant, who had been humiliated by Zhang Gangzhu yesterday, said aggressively.

He showed his identification as he spoke.

"Director Zhang is here on behalf of the Air Defense Office for inspection!"

Zhang Gangzhu glanced at the identification and could only ask the team members to make way.

Deputy Director Zhang walked to the construction site, looked around, and immediately frowned: "What's going on? Other air-raid shelters have already started digging, but you haven't started construction yet. I think you're going against the initiative from above!"

bang.

A huge accusation was leveled against them.

Zhang Gangzhu's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward to explain, "Sir, you've misunderstood. We were ready to start work early this morning, but..."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Deputy Director Zhang waved his hand impatiently, his tone icy. "This is absolutely outrageous! Where are your street office leaders? Someone go and tell them to come see me!"

Everyone present exchanged glances, but no one stepped forward.

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up, and he raised his hand, saying, "I'll go!"

Upon seeing this, Liu Haizhong quickly grabbed Yi Zhonghai's arm: "Old Yi, what are you doing getting involved in this?"

“Hai Zhong, now that the leaders are coming to inspect, we should cooperate, right? I think your second uncle's ideological awareness isn't very high.” Yi Zhonghai shook off Liu Haizhong's arm and ran away in a flash.

Captain Jia was squatting on the street corner when he saw Yi Zhonghai coming over, and he immediately wanted to rush over and stop him.

Yi Zhonghai moved extremely fast, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Is this old man born in the Year of the Rabbit?" Captain Jia was also stunned.

When Director Wang from the neighborhood office arrived at the construction site, it was already 8:30. On the way, she questioned Yi Zhonghai, and although Yi Zhonghai hesitated, Director Wang sensed that something was wrong.

When Director Wang saw Deputy Director Zhang of the Air Defense Office with a dark face, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir, what brings you here?"

“Your Nantongluo Lane Subdistrict Office is really outrageous. You’re not taking the decisions from above seriously. I think you should just quit being the director of the subdistrict office.”

The moment the director of the subdistrict office was dismissed, everyone present changed their expressions.

Director Wang, on the contrary, calmed down at this point.

"Director Zhang, please calm down. The reason why the air-raid shelter has not been dug for so long is because there was a collapse accident at the construction site a while ago, and some workers were injured. Comrade Li Aiguo postponed the start of construction to ensure everyone's safety. We are ready today and will start construction immediately."

"Starting excavation now is too late!" Deputy Director Zhang said slowly, then asked, "Where is Li Aiguo?"

"The team leader went to the locomotive depot, saying he needed to retrieve a tool for digging air-raid shelters."

"What tools can get the progress done?" Before Deputy Director Zhang could finish speaking, a roar came from afar, and the ground trembled.

Everyone looked into the distance, and when they saw it clearly, their mouths dropped open in astonishment.

"My goodness! What kind of thing did our patriotic brother create?!"

(End of this chapter)