The train driver in the courtyard

The next morning.

Concerned about the rats at the Changxindian machine repair shop, Li Aiguo got up very early.

As usual, I carried an enamel basin to the pond in the yard to wash up.

As usual, many early-rising residents had already gathered around the pool.

"Aiguo, I heard we've sold several electric trains, is that true?" Xu Damao asked as soon as he saw Li Aiguo approaching.

The biggest news in China these past few days has been the successful export of the high-speed Dongfang-type electric train.

The news naturally spread like wildfire throughout the courtyard.

"I think so, but I'm not sure exactly," Li Aiguo said with a smile.

"I heard that an electric train can sell for one or two million dollars, is that true?" Nan Yi, holding a porcelain teacup, also came over.

"I don't know the exact amount, but I estimate it won't be a million or two dollars."

The final price of the electric train has not yet been determined, but Li Aiguo is still somewhat confident.

"Hiss, one or two million isn't enough, it would take several million dollars."

"This electric train is a great thing."

"Yes, yes, thanks to electric trains, we can earn a lot of foreign exchange every year."

The residents immediately perked up.

With foreign exchange, one can purchase large quantities of grain, minerals, machinery, and equipment, and engage in production and industry.

People in this era are so simple and honest.

Of course, there are all sorts of birds in a big forest, and some people think this is just a fantasy.

"Several million US dollars? Ha, Li Aiguo has quite the big mouth. Does he really think foreigners' money grows on trees and that his electric trains are made of gold?"

This person is Yi Zhonghai.

After staying in the hospital for a few days, Yi Zhonghai felt bad about the money and dared not pretend to be sick anymore, so he returned to the courtyard house.

As for the deaf old lady, she's still lying in a hospital bed.

Seeing that Li Aiguo had left, he quickly came over to offer his insightful opinion.

"Oh ho, old man, you're used to worshiping foreign things, so you look down on the good things we make ourselves?" Xu Damao rolled his eyes and directly accused Yi Zhonghai of a big accusation.

Yi Zhonghai became even more furious when he saw that Xu Damao didn't take him seriously at all.

"Alright, Xu Damao, let's make a bet. If the electric train's price doesn't exceed two million US dollars, you'll pay me ten dollars, how about that?!"

Ten yuan is a small matter.

Yi Zhonghai mainly wanted to take this opportunity to deflate Xu Damao's arrogance and, incidentally, get back at him in the courtyard.

As for losing the bet, how could that be?

As a senior worker, Yi Zhonghai also understood the pricing of trains. The trains we bought from Big Brother cost less than 500,000 US dollars each.

His coworker heard from a notebook at the Friendship Hotel that the Shinkansen only cost a little over one million US dollars.

Could the electric train developed by Li Aiguo possibly cost more than the Shinkansen?
It's not that the high-speed Oriental Electric Train is necessarily inferior to the Shinkansen.

Rather, it's because people like Yi Zhonghai always felt that their products couldn't compare to those from abroad and should be sold cheaply to attract buyers.

"Alright, sir, let's make this bet!" Xu Damao said confidently.

He turned around, cupped his hands in greeting to the surrounding residents, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, you all heard what happened just now. An old man insisted on making a bet with me. When the results come out in the newspaper, I would appreciate it if you could all be my witnesses."

Those who enjoy watching a good show never mind making things worse, and the surrounding residents nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, Da Mao, we heard it clearly just now."

"No matter who wins, we will not show favoritism."

The old man patted his chest and declared that he was a cultured man and wanted to be the referee.

Finally, even Liu Haizhong joined in.

“I’m not as educated as Old Yan, but I’m still the second oldest in the courtyard, so I’ll be the supervisor.”

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Last time, he was just careless and, without understanding the situation, someone seized on his words.

This competition is for real money, two million US dollars, and we absolutely cannot lose.

How could the price of the high-speed Oriental Electric Train possibly exceed that of the Japanese Shinkansen?

The deaf old lady used to always say that everything in the little notebook was the best...

the other side.

Li Aiguo had returned home, eaten breakfast, and then rode his motorcycle to the Changxindian Motorcycle Factory.

Old Cat, along with his special investigation team, had already secretly moved into the Changxindian Motorcycle Factory.

To avoid suspicion, they all changed into the uniforms of the locomotive factory's security officers.

Section Chief Liu from the Security Department also arrived early at one of the Security Department's meeting rooms.

"Team leader, we conducted an overnight investigation, reviewing the files of all engineers, technicians, and relevant employees in the locomotive factory who had been involved in the project, but we did not find any obvious problems."

The head of the security department was an old acquaintance of Li Aiguo and knew his style well, so he didn't waste any words and went straight to reporting the situation.

Li Aiguo was not surprised by this. Changxindian Locomotive Factory had become a key project due to its continuous undertaking of important projects, and the screening of workers was particularly strict.

"Section Chief Liu, we've worked together on cases at the locomotive factory before, so I have a lot of faith in your security department's capabilities."

As soon as Li Aiguo spoke, Section Chief Liu's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, immediately settled back into his stomach.

There was an incident at the Changxindian Locomotive Factory last time, but considering that it had little to do with the security department, the higher-ups only gave them a few words of criticism.

Here we go again?!
"Team Leader Li, just tell us how you want our security department to cooperate! No matter the cost, we have to find this traitorous rat!"

"Here's what we'll do: you send a security officer to keep a close watch on things in the workshop," Li Aiguo said.

"That's a good idea," Old Cat agreed with Li Aiguo's opinion.

If the mouse wants to get the blueprints, it will definitely take action, and will inevitably reveal its weaknesses.

In military strategy, this is called using stillness to control movement.

Section Chief Liu left the meeting room to assign tasks.

The meeting continued, and Li Aiguo asked Lao Mao to bring the employee files of Changxindian Locomotive Factory back to the meteorological station for the analysts to analyze.

The remaining team members stayed at the Changxindian Locomotive Factory to continue their investigation.

The investigation may not seem difficult, but it must be conducted secretly without affecting the factory's normal production schedule and without alerting the Iron Alliance and Iron Group members.

This is like walking a tightrope; you have to be extremely careful.

The most crucial thing is to find the shadow of the mouse.

Unfortunately, as noon approached, a series of discouraging messages came back.

"Reporting to the team leader, the third batch of employee files has been reviewed and no abnormalities were found."

"Reporting to the team leader, all the sentries in the workshops have reported that no one was found loitering around all morning, nor was anyone found to be hiding or copying blueprints."

The atmosphere inside the meeting room was heavy, and everyone looked grim.

For those who work in meteorology, the last thing they want to see is knowing that rats exist but being unable to find them.

"Alright, it's almost noon, everyone go eat." Li Aiguo's expression didn't change as he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"Come on, come on! People need food to survive. Only when you're full can you have the strength to catch mice," the old cat called out to the group.

Upon hearing Li Aiguo's words, the meteorologists followed him toward the canteen.

The workshop had already closed for the day, and the workers came over with their lunchboxes.

Li Aiguo stopped after taking only two steps.

He saw Chen Xingyi, a key technical worker, walking over chatting and laughing with a young and beautiful female worker.

The female worker was very close to him, and her every smile and gesture exuded an indescribable charm, making her seem very intimate.

However, at this moment, Chen Xingyi was inwardly groaning.

He had already explained it clearly to Zhou Ning last night.

The broken machine tool part was damaged due to severe wear and tear from prolonged high-load operation.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the original quality of the equipment or its installation.

But Zhou Ning was like a fairy, clinging to him and calling him "Master Chen" in a sweet, coquettish voice.

I kept pestering him until he came up with some "suggestion for improving the parts".

Although Chen Xingyi was a techie, he wasn't a blockhead.

Especially since several of his coworkers had winked at him and laughed at his good fortune with women when he passed by earlier, he naturally knew that Zhou Ning's behavior was a bit excessive.

But... there's really no other way. The girl is using the perfectly legitimate reason of promoting production.

He's a grown man; he can't just kick people out.

"Zhou Ning, about this matter."

Chen Xingyi was halfway through his sentence when he saw Li Aiguo standing by the roadside and quickly said to Zhou Ning, "Comrade Zhou, you go to the canteen first, I have something to do."

"Alright then... Master Chen, you'd better come find me soon."

Zhou Ning gave him a playful glare, then her watery eyes followed her gaze to Li Aiguo.

She glanced at it casually, then naturally swayed her hips and turned to walk towards the cafeteria.

The back view looked perfectly normal, but the way the buttocks swayed was somehow alluring.

"Hey, Aiguo, isn't this your brother-in-law who's completely infatuated with you? How come he's getting so close to a woman with such an open personality?"

The old cat stroked its chin beside it and teased, half-jokingly.

Li Aiguo didn't respond, but just stared coldly at Zhou Ning's back until she completely disappeared through the cafeteria door before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

"Advisor Li, are you going to have lunch?" Chen Xingyi addressed Li Aiguo by his official title when they were working.

"Hmm, Xingyi, who was that lady just now?"

Upon hearing Li Aiguo mention Zhou Ning, Chen Xingyi's expression immediately became flustered.

"Consultant Li, please don't misunderstand. My relationship with her is completely innocent, nothing has happened between us! We were just... talking about work..."

Li Aiguo was both amused and exasperated. He waved his hand to interrupt him, saying, "Alright, alright, I didn't say I suspected you of having problems with your sexual conduct. Why are you so nervous?"
I was just asking casually, what was that woman's name, and which department was she from?

"Oh... Her name is Zhou Ning. She is a level three equipment inspector in our factory's equipment and power department."

Last night, during her shift inspection, she discovered a problem with a part on the lathe we use in our workshop. Today, she came to me to discuss the issue, insisting that I provide an improvement plan.

Chen Xingyi was still trying his best to distance himself from the situation. Li Aiguo's eyes narrowed slightly, and he smiled, "Alright, Comrade Chen Xingyi, go and eat."

"Oh? Aren't you coming to the cafeteria with me?"

"I suddenly remembered that I have some work to do."

"Well... okay." Chen Xingyi was a little confused, but he didn't say anything more and left.

Old Cat had worked in meteorology his whole life and immediately noticed the clue in Li Aiguo's expression. He leaned forward and asked in a low voice.

"Patriot, do you think there's something wrong with that woman named Zhou Ning?"

"It's hard to say for sure, but I understand how Dieter stole the blueprints right under our noses!"

Li Aiguo's words sent a chill down the spine of the old cat.

"Equipment inspector is a very common but also the most easily overlooked job in large heavy industrial factories."

"It belongs to the Equipment and Power Department and is stationed in the maintenance workshop."

My daily work involves rotating between different workshops to perform equipment inspections, circuit repairs, and report tool malfunctions.

They hold plant-wide inspection access passes, eliminating the need for separate approval forms for each cross-workshop visit.

Inside the meeting room, as Li Aiguo finished speaking, all the group members' expressions turned serious.

During the previous case discussion meeting, everyone felt something was amiss.

The secrecy regulations formulated by Li Aiguo were already very strict, so how did Dieter manage to get involved?
The fact that Zhou Ning is an equipment inspector says it all.

She could move freely between workshops using her credentials, and she could even disassemble machines and equipment under false pretenses to copy down parameters and circuit diagrams by hand.

"Send Zhou Ning's file over immediately!" Old Cat slammed his hand on the table.

The examined file was placed on the table five minutes later.

Li Aiguo picked it up and flipped through it.

Zhou Ning, a member of the public task force focused on improving the appearance of the city, is 21 years old. He is from Northeast China, and his mother died early. Before the liberation, he came to Beijing with his father.

Her resume shows that she had worked briefly at a local health clinic.

Later, when the Changxindian Locomotive Factory was expanding and lacked workers, Zhou Ning was recruited into the factory. Just half a month later, he was transferred to work in the power department.

Compared to typical archives, this one can be described as rudimentary.

What's even stranger is that being an equipment inspector is considered a good job.

Although they were still workers, they enjoyed the same treatment as cadres, much like Xu Damao, a film projectionist.

How did Zhou Ning, a girl from out of town, get transferred to the power department so soon after joining the factory?

But upon seeing the words "health clinic," Li Aiguo laughed and said, "Old Cat, do you remember the ferrous sulfate and bleaching powder used in that secret letter? These things are very common in health clinics."

Old Cat turned to look at Section Chief Liu and asked, "Old Liu, what's Zhou Ning's usual conduct like?"

"Well, his work is fine, but his conduct is a bit messy," Section Chief Liu recounted how Zhou Ning had been dating quite a few women.

"She's the factory's most beautiful girl, and she's very sociable. She has friends in every department and workshop."

“So, Zhou Ning’s actions are now more advantageous,” Old Cat said, looking at Li Aiguo.

"Team leader, Zhou Ning is highly suspicious."

Li Aiguo nodded: "There is indeed suspicion, but one thing is still missing: Zhou Ning's father's file."

"I'll go and arrange it right away." Section Chief Liu immediately stood up.

Section Chief Liu acted swiftly; in less than an hour, a new file was placed in front of Li Aiguo.

"Zhou Hei, 45 years old, from Northeast China. His wife passed away before the liberation, and he came to Beijing with his daughter. He currently works as a night watchman at Shichahai Park."

"Shichahai! Zhou Hei can access that bridge!" Old Cat exclaimed excitedly.

The enthusiasm of the team members in the meeting room was instantly ignited, and their eyes were filled with undisguised admiration as they looked at Li Aiguo.

He was able to discern something amiss from a seemingly unrelated "equipment inspector" position.

They followed the clues and found a lead.

This young train driver has incredible insight!

"Team leader! The chain of evidence is basically closed. Let's arrest them! Take down that old bastard too!"

A young, impetuous team member suddenly stood up and eagerly made the suggestion.

Li Aiguo shook his head: "We can't arrest him yet."

Upon hearing this, the enthusiastic team members were all stunned, their faces full of confusion.

"Team leader, why? Are we just going to stand by and watch Zhou Ning steal our hard-earned blueprints and give them to the enemy?"

"Yes! Even if she can't access the blueprints for the core motor right now, the losses would be incalculable if the technical parameters of other key components were leaked!"

"Quiet down, everyone, and listen to what Comrade Aiguo has to say." Old Cat stopped the group members and looked at Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo stood up and laughed, "Have you heard the story of the prince being replaced by a raccoon dog?"

Zhou Ning was in a bad mood, a very bad mood.

According to her plan, relying on her status and connections, she would be able to obtain the blueprints for the Extreme East type in no time.

What Zhou Ning didn't expect was that the technicians assigned to various workshops were very confidential, and she had no chance to see the blueprints.

Therefore, the only remaining option is to disassemble the machine for inspection, measure the dimensions of the parts, and draw up the blueprints.

However, not only was it a waste of time, the resulting drawings also had very large errors.

Even if I send it back, I'll still get criticized.

"Ningning, why are you standing here alone in a daze? Did someone bully you? Tell the section chief, and the section chief will stand up for you."

Just as Zhou Ning was feeling extremely irritable, a greasy voice came from behind him.

A middle-aged man wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, with a receding hairline and a slightly protruding belly, approached with a lecherous grin.

Upon seeing the person who arrived, a flash of extreme disgust instinctively crossed Zhou Ning's eyes.

This person is Liu Jian, the deputy head of the Power Department.

That old lecher is always glib and smooth-talking. The reason Zhou Ning was able to transfer to the power department was because this deputy section chief Liu coveted her beauty and secretly pulled strings.

How could she not understand the naked, almost monstrous look in Liu Jian's eyes when he looked at her?

Liu Jian is old enough to be her father! It's like a toad trying to eat swan meat, or an old cow trying to eat young grass!
But at this moment, Zhou Ning acted as if nothing had happened, instantly concealing the disgust in his eyes.

She sighed sweetly, deliberately puffed out her chest, and reached out to brush a stray hair behind her ear, perfectly capturing that flirtatious charm.

"Section Chief Liu, tell me, we can't get this job done. We only managed to inspect two workshops all night."

Looking at her alluring appearance, Liu Jian couldn't help but swallow hard: "Ningning, look at you, how many times have I told you this?"

Liu Jian, emboldened by lust, actually reached out and touched Zhou Ning's fair and delicate hand.

"If you don't want to suffer on the front lines, just say the word and I'll arrange for you to be transferred back to your department and sit in an office."

"Section Chief, I really feel sorry for you, girl. Why are you so stubborn and disobedient?"

"Oh, you're so annoying, Section Chief Liu!" Zhou Ning subtly withdrew her hand, twisted her slender waist, and gave him a coquettish glare.

"They're just doing this for work."

Besides, if I were transferred to an office where I could have a more relaxed job, who knows what those gossipy women in the factory would say behind my back and talk about you.

They certainly don't want to tarnish your reputation, Section Chief.

Zhou Ning looked at Liu Jian's mouthful of rotten teeth, stained yellow from smoking, and suppressed the churning in her stomach, still wearing a foxy smile on her face.

"However..." Zhou Ning changed the subject, his tone tinged with a hint of resentment.

"We don't have any blueprints to refer to when we go down to inspect, which is too inefficient and a waste of time."

Section Chief Liu, could you perhaps find a way to get them a set of structural blueprints for that electric train?

Even a secondary image would be fine..."

As he spoke, Zhou Ning intentionally or unintentionally nudged Liu Jian's arm with his elbow.

With that touch, Liu Jian immediately felt half of his body go numb, and his mind went completely off track.

His gaze greedily swept over Zhou Ning's rounded body, and he swallowed hard, but his remaining rationality made him shake his head.

"There's nothing we can do about it. You should know that the electric train is highly classified, and the blueprints are with the research and development team."

Just as Liu Jian was about to take advantage of the situation, a security officer's hurried footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside the conference room.

"Section Chief Liu! Is Section Chief Liu there? The electric train research and development team suddenly called, saying they've encountered an emergency and need you to come over for a meeting immediately."

Liu Jian, his good time interrupted, straightened his tie impatiently and asked irritably, "What's all the fuss about! What kind of emergency meeting is it?"

"The specifics weren't explained over the phone, but it seems... it's about the structural drawings of a certain piece of equipment, and they said they need the power department's cooperation," the clerk reported through the door.

"Blueprints?" Liu Jian and Zhou Ning's hearts skipped a beat at the same time.

"Okay, I'm coming right now," Liu Jian said in a low voice.

"Ningning, look how thin you've gotten from being so busy these past few days. As your boss, I see it and it pains me to see it."

"How about this, skip the cafeteria tonight, I'll treat you to a good meal at Donglaishun, it'll be nice and nourishing!"

Seeing Liu Jian's lecherous and ugly behavior, Zhou Ning instinctively wanted to refuse outright.

But when the "meeting about the blueprints" that the secretary had just reported flashed through her mind, her thoughts instantly became active.

"Well... alright. Since it's such a kind gesture from you, Section Chief, how could I possibly refuse?"

"Huh?!" Liu Jian was completely dumbfounded.

This wasn't the first time he had invited Zhou Ning.

In the past, Zhou Ning always found various reasons to turn them away.

Did the sun rise in the west today?

This thorny factory flower has finally been allowed to be nudged by this old ox?

The overwhelming surprise left Liu Jian stunned and speechless for a moment.

"Look at you, so silly..." Zhou Ning giggled and gave him a little push.

"It's a deal then, I'll remember that."

You'd better hurry up and go to your meeting. They're waiting for you at the gate after work; you can't lie to them.

After being pushed by Zhou Ning, Liu Jian felt as if his bones had become several ounces lighter.

"It's a deal! It's a deal! You wait for me, I'll be right out after my meeting!"

(End of this chapter)