The train driver in the courtyard

When Li Aiguo arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop, he found that in addition to Chief Engineer Liang from Linxi Plant and those mechanical experts, even the main leaders of the Ministry of Coal Industry had come.

Section Chief Xing of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, accompanied by a group of section leaders, was by his side.

They gathered around the soon-to-be-assembled super-large coal cutter, their expressions filled with excitement.

After thinking it over carefully, Li Aiguo felt relieved.

In those days, China's energy was still mainly coal, with an annual output of 34 million tons, which was still far from meeting the needs of industry and daily life.

The coal cutter is a key factor restricting coal production.

In recent years, in addition to the imitation coal cutters, more than 100 coal cutters were imported from Russia, accounting for 70% of the Ministry of Heavy Industry's special foreign exchange quota.

Especially in recent years, the Russians have turned their backs on us. Even if we have the money, they won't sell, and they refuse to provide spare parts for repairs, which is tantamount to strangling coal production.

This is the real reason why the higher authorities made an exception and approved the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop to temporarily suspend the mass production of small aircraft and switch to the development of coal cutting machines.

"Great! If this thing can be put into the coal mine, it'll be like having a powerful weapon." A leader from the Ministry of Coal Industry said, looking at the super-large coal cutter.

"Comrade Patriot, shall we try turning it on first?"

At this moment, Chief Engineer Liang saw that Zong Xianfeng and others had completed the final debugging and carefully inspected the newly manufactured explosion-proof three-phase asynchronous motor. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Comrade Aiguo, shall we try turning it on first?"

“We can’t simulate the underground environment here, so we can only do idling tests.” Li Aiguo nodded to Zong Xianfeng.

Zong Xianfeng turned on the switch, and the cutting head of the coal cutter started to rotate with a rumble under the drive of the motor.

Chief Engineer Liang led a team to inspect the coal cutter again and confirmed that the key technical parameters met the standards, especially the motor's output power, which reached an astonishing 315KW.

"This thing is amazing. The Russian coal cutter only has a power of 90KW, and they are reluctant to sell it to us."

"The most important thing is that the motor is excellent."

"I think we should start mass production as soon as possible. Every coal mine needs coal cutters. If we produce four or five hundred units first, our coal sector is confident that we can achieve our goal of doubling our annual output."

"I think we should be more cautious. This Hongxing coal cutter looks excellent, but whether it can be adapted to underground mining needs to be tested in practice."

“I agree with Lao Wang’s idea. Replacing the coal cutter is related to the future development of our coal mine, so we must be careful.”

After discussing the matter with Chief Engineer Liang and several other experts, several leaders from the Ministry of Coal Industry came up with an idea.

"Comrade Patriot, we hope to bring the coal cutter back to Linxi Mine and install it underground for a period of experimental tunneling."

“Of course.” In fact, even if the leaders of the Ministry of Coal Industry hadn’t brought it up, Li Aiguo would have had to find a way to have the coal cutter undergo practical operation for a period of time first.

After finalizing the experimental excavation plan, Chief Engineer Liang led his team back to Linxi Mine, while Li Aiguo disassembled the coal cutter into parts, loaded them onto a train, and planned to transport them to Linxi Mine.

Li Aiguo is quite busy with work right now, so he has handed over the task of this experiment to Zong Xianfeng and the wild repair expert.

"When you arrive at Linxi Mine, you must be cautious. Apart from the work of the coal cutter, do not get involved in anything else."

Li Aiguo gave the two instructions.

"Don't worry about Aiguo. We will definitely cooperate with Chief Engineer Liang and his team to complete the experimental tunneling as soon as possible." Zong Xianfeng and the wild maintenance expert both patted their chests and made their guarantees.

The two knew this was a good opportunity; if they did well, they would definitely be promoted when they returned to the capital.

On Monday, Li Aiguo saw the two off at the platform and watched the train disappear at the end of the tracks before returning to his office to continue optimizing the small aircraft's weapon loading process.

I had just sat down when I received a call from Yang Jizong from At's house.

"The Tyrannosaurus Rex SUV has been delivered. The At people really like it. The first batch of Tyrannosaurus Rex SUVs sold out completely, and they placed an additional order for 2,000 more."

"This is a good thing. Right now, the production capacity of the Great Off-Road has increased, and we can take on as many orders as we want."

"There are just a few chiefs who don't have foreign currency and they want to buy on credit."

"On credit? Do these chiefs own any oil wells?" Li Aiguo stroked his chin and asked.

"Yes, but it has just started production, so we don't have that much foreign exchange."

“Agreed. Have them sign an agreement that if they can’t repay the debt on time, they’ll use oil to pay it off.” Li Aiguo readily agreed.

As for the issue of defaulting on payments, there's no need to worry. Hextech's mining protection team has now doubled in size, and those young men are getting a bit bored in Africa and wouldn't mind traveling to At's place.

After hanging up the phone, Yang Jizong had his lawyer draft the documents and then handed them to several of the bigwigs.

"Gentlemen, once you sign your names, the Tyrannosaurus Rex Grand Cross-Country is yours."

The dog owners, seeing the imposing SUV parked outside, all picked up their pens.

Li Aiguo was busy at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop until the end of his shift and was just about to go home when Section Chief Xing rushed back from the Ministry of Machinery Industry.

"Patriotism, the foreign affairs department received a contact from a client who wants to send their damaged Velociraptor sports car to our locomotive depot for repairs. What price do you think would be appropriate?"

Li Aiguo was somewhat surprised to hear this. The Velociraptor sports car has 4S stores overseas that are responsible for maintenance, and even if there are some minor problems, the 4S stores will help solve them.

If a major accident occurs, the sports car's structure will be damaged and it will be beyond repair, requiring it to be scrapped.

"Take a look at this." Section Chief Xing knew this was somewhat unbelievable, so he handed over the newspaper he had prepared beforehand.

This is a newspaper from Xiao Ou's family; the first page contains a description of the accident.

The owner of the Velociraptor sports car is a wine tycoon from France, who owns more than a dozen wine cellars and is a prominent social figure.

A while ago, a wine tycoon was driving his sports car to a dinner party when he was hit by a dump truck on the road.

The dump truck was traveling at a very high speed, more than 100 kilometers per hour, and it was fully loaded.

The Velociraptor sports car was hit and sent flying, tumbling several times in the air before landing in the woods by the roadside.

The car was almost completely destroyed, and the doors were also totaled. After crashing into the woods, it broke several more trees before finally coming to a stop.

The wine tycoon's bodyguards were following behind when they saw the car accident. They were stunned and thought the tycoon was dead and they would have to find a new employer.

When they arrived in the woods, they discovered that the tycoon was still alive. They immediately opened the truck bed, rescued him, and took him to the hospital.

The wine tycoon was injured, but not seriously; he suffered multiple fractures and a concussion.

The main feature is that the sports car is equipped with airbags and has a special energy-absorbing design.

In other words, when a sports car is involved in a collision, the body and wheels will deform extensively, and some components will disintegrate during the impact to reduce the impact on the driver and passengers.

It's similar to the design of supercars in later generations.

After news spread that the wine tycoon had been in a serious car accident but only suffered minor injuries, the wealthy in France became even more fond of the Velociraptor sports car, causing sales to double that month.

Li Aiguo had heard Yang Jizong talk about these things before, and it seemed that they were also related to family feuds.

After the wine tycoon was discharged from the hospital, his socialite mistress drove her car into the lake.

Subsequently.

Several murders have occurred in Paris, the home of the French. The gunman was very professional, killing with a single shot and leaving no clues.

Li Aiguo initially thought it was just for fun, but he never expected that the wine tycoon would actually not give up on the car.

"This customer was determined to get the car repaired. However, after inspecting the car, the 4S shop found it was beyond repair and they weren't confident they could fully fix it, which is why they contacted us."

After saying that, Section Chief Xing added:
"This client has a very good relationship with the head of the French foreign affairs department, and they contacted us through those connections. Don't worry, the people in the foreign affairs department said they are only responsible for making the connection, and the price will be whatever it is."

"We need to bring the sports car over and inspect it before we can determine the price." Li Aiguo couldn't make a decision without seeing the extent of the damage.

"Then how should I reply to the client over there?" Section Chief Xing asked.

"The repair cost should be at least twice the original price of the car," Li Aiguo said, understanding what Section Chief Xing meant, and quoted the price directly.

"More expensive than buying a new car?" Section Chief Xing was stunned.

“That’s for sure. Every Velociraptor sports car is a limited edition, with unique interior decorations and a unique serial number. Production is very limited, so the repair cost is definitely very high. This car is probably totaled in the crash. We’ll have to use the original parts to rebuild one, which will take even more effort than building a new car.” Li Aiguo nodded affirmatively.

In later generations, there was a type of luxury car that was quite old but not expensive, yet few people would buy it, mainly because of its high maintenance costs.

Section Chief Xing still felt the price was a bit high, but since Li Aiguo had made this decision, Section Chief Xing had to support him: "Alright, I'll report to the foreign affairs department now; they're waiting for news from us."

After Section Chief Xing left, Li Aiguo did not leave work immediately, but returned to the studio and asked Chen Baiya to retrieve the customer list of the Velociraptor sports car.

The Velociraptor sports car is now limited to 2,000 units worldwide, and each one has its customer information recorded, along with details about its interior design and features.

This is actually a regular Velociraptor sports car with a purplish-red color scheme and mahogany interior, the kind of style that only the wealthy would like.

Section Chief Xing reported the repair cost to the foreign affairs department, which was $400,000.

When the leaders of the foreign affairs department learned of this price, they all gasped in surprise.

Is there anyone willing to repair this? That's $400,000! And if you add the shipping costs, the price will be even higher.

That's more than enough to buy a new car.

The media outlets from Xiao Ou's and Xiao Mei's families were also stunned by the news, all feeling that Dongda Tie was asking for an exorbitant amount.

The three major car dealers also took the opportunity to say that their repair costs were very cheap.

result.

Upon learning of the offer, the wine tycoon immediately wrote a check and had the sports car delivered to Dongdaitie immediately.

"I really didn't expect this." After receiving the notification from the foreign affairs department, Section Chief Xing also felt somewhat incredulous and found it hard to understand.

"These rich people really don't treat money like money." Section Chief Xing clicked his tongue twice. If he had that much money, he would definitely use most of it to provide welfare for the workers at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, to buy grain and meat.

Li Aiguo laughed and said, "That's how wealthy people in Europe and America are."

Li Aiguo also found it difficult to make Section Chief Xing understand that for those wealthy people, the more money they spent, the more it proved their status.

Indeed, this was the case. After news spread that the wine tycoon had spent $400,000 on car repairs, the family's wine business flourished even more. Apart from the few who had been eliminated, the remaining competitors dared not make any moves. Soon, the wine tycoon's sports car was shipped to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop.

Li Aiguo led a team to inspect the damage and found that the main beam was completely destroyed and had no repair value. However, this was not a problem for the Qianmen Locomotive Depot's workshop.

They called in a few car manufacturing experts and had them build another car based on the original blueprints.

Li Aiguo's main work is the mass production of small aircraft.

The first batch of small aircraft is expected to be delivered to the frontier corps in about six months.

In addition, the work of converting armed aircraft into anti-submarine aircraft should also be put on the agenda.

Following the Gulf of Aden naval battle, higher-level leaders recognized the significant role of anti-submarine attack helicopters.

Currently, China lacks aircraft carriers, not to mention carrier-based aircraft, and even the number of ocean-going frigates is insufficient.

In particular, Xiao Mei's family was causing trouble in Southeast Asia, creating chaos, which meant that cargo ships passing through there needed to be escorted.

Several large ocean-going shipping fleets in the port city have suffered significant losses, with cargo transportation costs increasing substantially.

Ocean-going cargo ships are frequently attacked by pirates. If they could be equipped with anti-submarine armed helicopters, they could take down pirates or other malicious individuals.

Chief Engineer Liu and his team of aviation experts had just finished designing the weapons for the small aircraft and were reassigned to help design an anti-submarine armed helicopter.

The concept of anti-submarine attack helicopters was not clear at that time, and the ones developed by the Russians and the United States were not practical.

Therefore, the specific configuration and weapons to be carried became the focus of the design.

Time passed by day by day amidst our busy lives.

On Saturday afternoon, the sun was gradually setting in the west.

Li Aiguo glanced at his watch and, seeing that it was getting late, waved to Chief Engineer Liu and the others, saying, "It's getting dark, you should go home early. Take tomorrow off and leave the business for Monday."

Recently, Chief Engineer Liu and other experts have been responsible for the mass production of small aircraft and have also been helping to develop anti-submarine helicopters, which has been particularly arduous.

After arranging his work, Li Aiguo first went to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to collect his monthly bonus, then hopped on his mountain bike with his canvas bag and rode towards the courtyard house.

As soon as I entered the house, I saw Wang Daikui there, chatting with Chen Xueru.

"Brother Aiguo, you're back. Da Kui needs to talk to you." Chen Xueru stood up and took the canvas bag from Li Aiguo's hand.

"What happened, Da Kui?" Li Aiguo had been busy lately and hadn't been to the scrap metal shop.

"That's great news! The Second Artillery Corps is planning to get married," Wang Daikui said excitedly.

"Isn't the Second Artillery Corps in the army?"

"I got promoted to a company commander in the Second Artillery Corps and I also made a meritorious contribution. It just so happened that the unit was going to hold a group wedding, so I held it in the unit. Now that I have a few days of leave to visit my family, I thought I would hold it again at home."

Li Aiguo paused for a moment before realizing what was happening.

Before liberation, marriage in the army was subject to the 258th Regiment system, which required being 25 years old, having 8 years of military service, and being a regimental-level cadre. These were strict requirements, and marriage could only be approved by the organization.

Later, the restrictions were gradually relaxed, and only company and platoon officers aged 26 and above with 3 years of military service were allowed to get married.

Especially now that the border troops are carrying out missions, they are giving special treatment to veterans who have risked their lives on the battlefield.

"The Second Artillery Corps only has one day to visit his family this time. He'll be back tonight, and by the morning after tomorrow, he'll have to go to the frontier with his wife. So the wedding can only be held tomorrow. But as you know, I'm a roughneck and don't know anything about weddings. You have more experience."

That's true. Li Aiguo has indeed attended many wedding banquets and helped organize some.

In particular, since the Second Artillery Corps and its partner Zhang Su had already held a banquet once in the frontier corps, this time they only needed to set up a few tables in the commune, which would be sufficient.

Li Aiguo happened to be free on the weekend, so he readily agreed.

"Are the meat and vegetables all prepared?"

"Everything has been bought. The commune is very happy to hear that the Second Artillery Corps is getting married. A pig was accidentally killed by a wolf, so it can be used to make the banquet table."

In those days, all the pigs raised in the commune had to be sold to the food station; they couldn't be used for private purposes.

However, there is one exception: if a pig dies unexpectedly, it might spoil if it is transported to the food station. In such cases, the pig is usually left to be distributed among the commune members.

After confirming the time, Li Aiguo asked about the Second Artillery Corps' return time, and after finishing dinner, he went to bed early.

Around two or three in the morning, Li Aiguo got out of bed, changed into a clean Zhongshan suit, and drove his large SUV with Wang Daikui straight to Beijing Railway Station.

The train from Urumqi sounded its whistle and entered the station.

Li Aiguo had excellent eyesight and spotted Zhang Erpao among the passengers getting off the bus at a glance.

Compared to a few years ago, Zhang Erpao has shed his naivety and become more mature and steady.

He looked sharp and smart in his uniform, and walked with a powerful stride, exuding the capable and efficient spirit unique to soldiers.

The team is indeed a place to train people.

He was accompanied by a woman in a nurse's uniform, with delicate features.

"Brother Da Kui, Brother Aiguo!" Zhang Erpao also saw the two and quickly ran over.

"Good lad, you're getting more and more energetic!" Wang Daikui looked at Zhang Erpao in front of him, his nose tingled, and he stepped forward to hug him tightly.

After the two separated, Zhang Erpao tugged at the arm of the woman next to him and introduced her with a smile: "Wang Su, these are Brother Aiguo and Brother Da Kui, whom I often mention to you. Quickly call them over."

Wang Su is an introverted person, and her cheeks instantly turned bright red after being introduced like this.

"Hello, Brother Aiguo! Hello, Brother Da Kui!"

"Okay, get in the car now."

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Aiguo opened the car door.

The SUV roared out of the train station and headed towards the courtyard house.

On the way, Wang Daikui chatted with Zhang Erpao for a while, and Li Aiguo also found out the story between Zhang Erpao and Wang Su.

After Zhang Erpao was injured, he was admitted to the military hospital, where he was taken care of by a young nurse named Wang Su.

Upon learning that Zhang Erpao was injured while protecting supplies, Wang Su looked at him with new respect. That's how it was in those days; women all liked this kind of man.

After a while, the two started chatting together.

"Wang Su, you're from Beijing too, right? Where's your family?" Li Aiguo asked casually as he drove.

"They're all gone. They were killed by the Japanese devils." Wang Su's eyes darkened.

Li Aiguo sighed inwardly.

It's no joke that this place was ravaged by the Japanese invaders back then, leaving nine out of ten houses empty.

"Don't worry, from now on, the Second Artillery Corps's home is your home. If he dares to bully you, I'll deal with him!" Wang Daikui's expression was also somewhat moved.

Wang Su nodded vigorously, and finally couldn't hold back the tears in her eyes, which slid down her cheeks.

When they returned to the scrap shop, Chen Xueru had already arrived with He Yushui, Liang Ladi, and Liu Lan.

They carried face cream, wooden combs, and a brand-new outfit; they were there to help the bride with her makeup.

Although resources are limited and extravagance is unnecessary, the essential sense of ceremony should not be lacking.

After learning about Wang Su's background, Chen Xueru felt heartbroken and immediately recognized her as her god-sister.

He Yushui, Liang Ladi, and Liu Lan also vied to be Wang Su's family members and help her make a scene.

"Thank you so much, thank you so much."

Wang Su lost her family when she was five or six years old. She joined the organization after meeting them and never thought that she could find her family outside of the organization.

"Sister, today is your big day, you mustn't cry." Chen Xueru gently wiped away her tears and pulled her into the house.

"Come on, let me dress you up beautifully."

At eight o'clock in the morning, the SUV, decorated with bright red "double happiness" characters, carried the newlyweds towards Zhangjiazhuang on the outskirts of Beijing.

As soon as the car arrived at the village entrance, Zhang Shun, Erpao's wife, and the villagers were already waiting there.

Over the years, the Second Artillery Corps has repeatedly made meritorious contributions in the army, and good news reports have been sent back one after another, making them well-known figures in the surrounding villages.

When the villagers saw that the bride was beautiful and was also a nurse in the procession, they all surrounded Zhang Shun with envy: "Old Zhang, you are really lucky to have such a promising son!"

"You all know what this kid was like when he was young. If he wasn't beaten for three days, he'd be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles."

"Fortunately, I met Aiguo, which allowed me to join the team."

Upon learning that Erpao was getting married, Zhang Shun renovated his house and specially prepared a room for the young couple, which was decorated with a large red "double happiness" character.

Li Aiguo originally came to help, but Zhang Shun and his wife forcibly pulled him to the main seat.

Zhang Shun and Erpao's wife held wine glasses and toasted him one after another, constantly expressing their gratitude.

The Second Artillery Corps' wedding banquet was a lively and successful affair.

It wasn't until 3 p.m., after seeing off the last group of guests, that Li Aiguo drove his SUV back to Beijing.

As soon as we entered the locomotive depot, Yan Jiecheng rushed over in a panic: "Brother Aiguo, something terrible has happened! The engineer your front-door locomotive depot's workshop sent to Linxi Mine has had an accident!"

Li Aiguo's heart skipped a beat. Without saying a word, he quickly walked towards Section Chief Xing's office.

(End of this chapter)