The train driver in the courtyard

Pingguoyuan subway construction site.

Zhou Kezhen brought several railway officials to assist in the inspection. When he saw the situation at the gate, he couldn't help but slow down his pace.

"Lieutenant Liu, you said such a big event, how big of a leader is this?"

Because the Pingguoyuan construction site involves various "forces" such as the Railway Corps and the Engineering Bureau, the inspection work is jointly undertaken by the local government and the Railway Corps.

Captain Liu is the leader of the Railway Corps who is specifically responsible for maintaining order.

"Xiao Zhou, keep calm. No matter who it is, we just need to do our job well."

Although he spoke calmly, he had already thrown away the cigarette butt, straightened his clothes and hat, and moved his facial muscles to make a serious expression.

"Let's go and maintain order."

Zhou Ke became even more curious.

Captain Liu is a tough guy. He doesn't show any resistance even when facing Captain Zhang and the five-man team. What happened today?
When we arrived at the door, the convoy had already come in and slowly stopped.

Looking through the car window and seeing the people inside, Zhou Ke's heart suddenly shook. He couldn't help but tighten his stomach and straighten his chest, standing with dignity.

The car door opened, Liu Guozhang and his five-member team hurried forward, and an elder got out.

He has a calm expression, elegant demeanor, handsome appearance, and his every move exudes a unique personal charm.

"gentlemen!"

"Here comes the gentleman!"

At this time, railway soldiers, local workers, and railway police officers all gathered around spontaneously.

Several people were so excited that they even shed tears.

The elder first shook hands with Liu Guozhang and the five-member group, and then waved to the onlookers.

"Thank you for your hard work, and please be sure to pay attention to safety. Although our project is important, everyone's life is the most important. If you can't finish the work today, there will be tomorrow, but you only have one life."

"Sir, we have implemented a three-shift system, strictly stipulated that the maximum working hours for workers is eight hours a day, and we have also set up a safety inspection post." Liu Guozhang took the opportunity to briefly introduce the situation at the construction site.

After listening to the explanation, the gentleman advised: "You can maximize efficiency by working in three shifts. You should also pay attention to the problem of disturbing the residents. Try to do heavy work during the day and light work at night to maximize the rest of the surrounding residents."

Subway projects are large-scale construction projects, so noise is inevitable, especially with tunnel boring machines. Once they start, the vibration can be felt within a few miles.

At the beginning, when the gentleman learned that the rest of the surrounding residents was affected, he sent someone to investigate.

Who would have thought that the residents would say that the vibration was nothing and lying on the bed was almost like a massage, it was wonderful.

As for the noise, they just treat it as listening to a play, and they would miss it if they didn't listen to it for a day.

What a great crowd.

The leader in the five-member team who was in charge of communicating with local authorities reported: "We have changed our work schedule. We mainly do pipeline laying at night, and even the waterproofing work, which is not so noisy, is done during the day."

Speaking of waterproofing, the gentleman went on to say, "The project encountered a groundwater problem a while ago. How is it going? Is there any progress now?"

"We have found a solution. We are currently carrying out waterproofing work in the tunnel."

"Let's go to the front-line construction site."

Seeing the gentleman was about to enter the tunnel, several leaders nearby became panicked.

"It's too dangerous in there."

“The workers can work in the tunnels, so why can’t we?”

Seeing that the gentleman insisted on entering, Liu Guozhang shouted to Zhou Ke and asked Zhou Ke to bring a safety helmet and a four-purpose scarf.

The hard hat was understandable, but what was the scarf for? The gentleman looked up and looked around, only to find that everyone on the construction site was wearing a scarf.

Liu Guozhang explained: "Sir, this is a four-purpose scarf, developed by Comrade Li Aiguo. It can be used to wipe sweat, as a pillow, to prevent wind and sand, and in winter it can also be used to cover the face."

"As a worker, Comrade Li Aiguo is able to start from reality and solve problems skillfully in his work practice. This is rare."

The gentleman praised him and suddenly asked, "Where are the patriotic comrades?"

"He is the deputy commander, and he is in the tunnel now."

After hearing this, the gentleman had a better impression of Li Aiguo.

Wearing scarves and safety helmets, Team Leader Liu and Zhou Ke turned on the mining lamps.

Mr., Liu Guozhang and a team of five people entered the tunnel.

As soon as I entered, I heard a noise coming from a distance, and vaguely someone shouted "retreat".

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen technicians ran out.

The faces of the five-member team and the subway engineering workers all turned pale.

It's not easy for the gentleman to come here.

They haven't performed well yet.

He actually defecated a big pile.

Shame on you.

"Something happened! Hurry, take the teacher and evacuate." Liu Guozhang was the first to react. He asked Zhou Ke, squad leader Liu and the men in gray Zhongshan suits to quickly take the teacher out.

Just then, another voice came from inside.

"It's okay. The pipeline has been connected. Everyone, come back quickly and we'll continue working. We'll try to complete the refueling work before noon."

The technicians also saw the people outside. They wanted to say hello but didn't dare. They wanted to turn around and go back to work, but felt it was inappropriate. They just stood there in a daze for a while.

The situation at the scene was very strange.

"Young comrade, can you take me to see your work?"

The gentleman remained calm throughout, and now he looked at a young technician and asked.

How could Xiao Jishu dare to make the decision? He could only turn his head and look at Liu Guozhang.

Liu Guozhang knew the gentleman's temperament and nodded slightly.

"Commander, please put on your rubber shoes first. There's mud all over here."

"Mud? What's going on?" the gentleman asked while changing his shoes.

"Today we were performing grouting and pressurizing operations, and the pipe burst. The deputy commander rushed over without hesitation, and he should be fine now. Yes, the person who just shouted was our deputy commander."

Seeing that the gentleman had not put on his shoes yet, the young technician was worried that the audience would feel awkward, so he added: "The deputy commander is a good person. If he died, I would be sad for at least two months. The only shortcoming is that he eats too much."

Liu Guozhang covered his face and said: Why is this guy talking about these things?

"How much do you want to eat?" The gentleman put on his shoes.

"I can eat at least five white flour buns for every meal!"

"It is indeed a bit much. During the great migration, we didn't have any food for three days and three nights. We were finally reunited, and I remember eating four black steamed buns for that meal."

The gentleman didn't seem to think that the young technician was talking nonsense at all. On the contrary, this kind of thing was the most real and closest to the grassroots.

The grassroots is not about shouting slogans or singing high-sounding slogans, but about the daily necessities of life, such as food, drink, defecation and urination.

Many leaders may not understand or may not be willing to understand.

"Come on, take me to see your fierce general."

The gentleman followed the young technician into the tunnel.

At this time, the pipeline has been connected, high-pressure grouting work is continuing, and the roar of machines fills the tunnel.

Li Aiguo was staring at the pointer when someone tapped his shoulder. Jiang Gan pointed to a place not far away and moved his mouth a few times.

Li Aiguo couldn't hear clearly, so he squinted and looked into the distance. When he saw the gentleman, he suddenly became excited.

He pointed at the machine, motioning Jiang Gan to look at it, and he quickly walked up to the gentleman and saluted: "Hello, Chief!"

"Are you Li Aiguo?" The gentleman stared at Li Aiguo from head to toe and could hardly recognize him.

The person standing before him could be described as a man of mud.

His hair, face, and clothes were all covered with half-dried mud, and his appearance could not be seen at all.

A leader nearby stepped forward and said, "Aiguo, go wash up quickly before you come back to see the gentleman."

"No need. Patriotic comrades are at a critical moment in their work right now, right?" The gentleman stopped the leader and said with emotion: "Not afraid of hardship, tiredness, or dirt, this is exactly the style of a worker."

Li Aiguo was so busy that he actually forgot that he was covered in mud.

"Comrade Aiguo, can you help me introduce your waterproofing project?" The gentleman didn't care about the mud on Li Aiguo's hands at all. He took the initiative to shake his hand and pointed to the machine running in the distance.

“It looks quite mechanical.”

"Chief, this is a high-pressure grouting machine." Li Aiguo explained the subway grouting sealing and barrier technology in plain language.

After listening to it, the gentleman said "good" three times.

"In ancient times, Dayu passed by his home three times without entering. Today, Li Aiguo is taming floods and remains covered in mud without frowning. With excellent workers and technicians like you, our subway will be completed in no time."

Hearing this, the leader of the five-member team secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At least I didn't embarrass myself.

Afterwards, Mr. Wang inspected every corner of the construction site and held a discussion with the railway soldiers.

At noon, Li Aiguo completed the high-pressure grouting work, returned to the tent, changed his clothes, and came to the canteen.

The atmosphere in the cafeteria was a bit weird. The workers were all eating happily, but several leaders were standing at the door looking at each other.

"Director Chen, what's wrong?" Li Aiguo asked Chen Jieming, who was in charge of the project logistics.

"We had prepared a working meal, but who knew that the gentleman wanted to eat from a big pot and queue up by himself. Look at what happened."

"This is the sir's style, don't worry about it."

Li Aiguo knew Mr. Li's character very well. He always insisted on distinguishing between public and private affairs and opposed any special treatment.

"Comrade Aiguo, come and line up." The gentleman was standing in the middle of the line. Seeing Li Aiguo coming, he waved at him and said, "How about you take me to visit the construction site this afternoon? I will pay you your labor remuneration in advance at noon."

Li Aiguo: "Commander, my price is very high."

"Five steamed buns and a serving of fried tofu," said the gentleman.

Li Aiguo: "No, I like meat. I need at least two servings of meat and potatoes stew."

There was a shortage of supplies in the country a while ago. In order to save food, my husband took the lead in reducing meals. He only ate radishes and vegetables every day, and has lost a lot of weight.

The chef had wanted to prepare meat dishes for a long time, but since the gentleman had ordered only vegetarian dishes, he did not dare to make the decision on his own.

Now hearing this, the chef looked at the gentleman with expectant eyes.

"You are really a clever little fellow." The gentleman could not help but smile and said, "Two more meat dishes."

The gentleman chews his food slowly.

Li Aiguo couldn't help but slow down his eating speed.

Lunch was over quickly.

In the afternoon, accompanied by Li Aiguo, Mr. visited the construction site.

It was hot outside, so Li Aiguo asked Zhou Ke to bring some salty soda and distribute it to the accompanying personnel, and then handed a bottle to his husband.

"How much is this?" The gentleman gestured to his entourage to pay.

Li Aiguo waved his hand: "In order to prevent heatstroke, our construction site has a regulation that all comrades on the construction site should drink a bottle of salty soda every day. This soda is produced by our small railway collective and the cost is very low."

The gentleman then unscrewed the bottle, took a sip, and reminded: "Life on the construction site is hard, and we must do our best to ensure the welfare of the workers."

One of the leaders of the five-member group felt grateful when he saw Li Aiguo brought up the topic, and took the opportunity to report the details.

"In addition to wages, all local workers involved in the construction will be given an additional 28 kilograms of coarse grains, 2 kilograms of fine grains on holidays, half a kilogram of pork tickets, and 1 kilogram of eggs." Food would be fine, as it is now in sufficient supply, but the key is pork and eggs.

"There is also a special allowance for the night shift, 20 cents a day."

After listening to the report, Mr. nodded, expressing his affirmation of the work of the five-member team.

"Let's go to the front and take a look."

The gentleman pointed at the workers on the elevated platform and asked, "What kind of work is this?"

"Pneumatic hammer workers." Li Aiguo introduced: "The pneumatic hammer machine hammers the I-beam into the ground, and wooden boards are embedded between adjacent steel frames to prevent landslides."

Liu Guangqi from the pneumatic hammer squad of the third company was riding on a steel frame and operating a pneumatic hammer. He didn't care when he saw someone below, after all, leaders came to visit from time to time these days.

But when he saw the old man's appearance clearly, he couldn't help but gasp.

"Hey, look, it's the gentleman."

"Really, it would be nice if we could go down and say hello."

The squad leader reminded them: "We have to pour concrete in the evening, we have to hurry up."

Liu Guangqi looked at Li Aiguo, who was standing next to his husband, with envy, and returned to his work.

At the site, Li Aiguo explained the situation of each type of work to Mr. Li and reported on the construction progress, construction arrangements and technical details.

The gentleman nodded and said, "Comrade Aiguo is indeed a frontline worker expert. He has a deep understanding of professional issues and makes them easy to understand. I heard that you are now a teacher. You must be a good teacher."

Li Aiguo didn't expect that the gentleman would pay attention to such a small matter as the waterproofing class.

I was so excited that I was a little dazed for a moment.

The roar of the machines in the tunnel seemed to become distant, and the emotion surging in my chest almost burst through my throat.

The gentleman then said, “I heard that the patriotic comrades always stick to their identity as workers?”

Liu Guozhang didn't know what the gentleman meant, so he quickly explained for Li Aiguo: "He is a patriotic young man, and he likes to drive trains. Look, he was a train driver a few days ago."

Mr. said: "I think the patriotic comrades' choice is quite correct. As the leading class, the working class is the backbone of promoting social progress. The patriotic comrades' choice to take root in the production line is not only a commitment to their original aspirations, but also a vivid interpretation of the advanced nature of the working class."

He raised his hand to signal Li Aiguo to come forward, and said earnestly: "Technical research needs to go deep into the grassroots, and theoretical innovation cannot be separated from the fertile soil of practice. I hope you will continue to maintain this character and contribute more to the development of the country on the road of technological breakthroughs."

"Please rest assured, Chief!" Li Aiguo nodded excitedly.

The inspection ended in the evening.

Watching the car go away, Liu Guozhang patted Aiguo on the shoulder and said, "I didn't expect you to retain your identity as a worker. This is a blessing in disguise."

Li Aiguo chuckled.

****
Mr.'s visit to the construction site was not reported in the newspaper.

However, it caused quite a bit of heated discussion in the capital.

Especially inside the courtyard.

As soon as Liu Guangqi returned home, he was pulled to the middle courtyard by Liu Haizhong: "Guangqi, I heard that the master visited the construction site where you work. Did you see him?"

"I saw it."

Liu Haizhong and the thirty or so residents watching: "Really? Tell us about it."

Liu Guangqi took a breath and said, "It's about 700 to 800 meters away. I can't see clearly."

Liu Haizhong + more than 30 residents watching: "."

Liu Guangqi: "But the patriotic brother shook hands with the gentleman."

hiss.

hiss.

sizzle.

Liu Haizhong and the thirty or so residents who were watching all gasped in shock.

Yi Zhonghai silently withdrew his like, snorted, and left with his hands behind his back.

"What's so great about that? I am now the production champion in the hot-rolled steel workshop."

A while ago, the steel rolling mill undertook a large-scale production project - to provide high-quality rails and steel for the Beijing Metro.

Master craftsmen such as Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were transferred to the past to produce rails and steel.

The production plan is the key plan. If you can stand out, you will easily get the title of advanced worker.
It was already evening when Li Aiguo returned home.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he was stopped by Xu Damao.

"Patriotic, you haven't washed your hands, have you?"

Li Aiguo was confused by this question. Before he could react, Xu Damao grabbed his hand.

"Hey, I'm also someone who has shaken hands with the gentleman!" Xu Damao looked intoxicated.

Only then did Li Aiguo understand.

"Da Mao, this matter probably won't be published in the newspapers, so don't spread it around."

He felt it necessary to remind Xu Damao.

Xu Damao did have the idea of ​​showing off to the Propaganda Department. Hearing this, he smiled awkwardly: "Hey, patriotic brother, look at what you said. Am I, Xu Damao, that kind of person?"

"You may not know this, but Yi Zhonghai has been very active recently. He is expected to win the title of advanced worker of our steel mill this year." Xu Damao quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah."

Li Aiguo didn't care either.

Mr.'s visit greatly boosted the morale of the construction site, and the work enthusiasm of the railway soldiers and local workers was high.

The project is progressing rapidly.

The tunnel foundation has been completed, and when GAZ trucks brought in rails from outside, the project officially entered the laying stage.

Since the railway soldiers were all veterans in laying tracks, Li Aiguo's job became easier.

The most important job at work every day is to plan the next route, then take a walk around the construction site, and also take time to go to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to arrange the assembly work of the trench excavator.

Time passes bit by bit in the busyness.

At the weekend, Huang Sen prepared to leave Beijing and go to the border area.

Li Aiguo borrowed a GAZ jeep and took Aunt Liu, He Yushui and the children to the station to see Huang Sen off.

On the platform, the conductor saw Li Aiguo seeing someone off and came over with a smile: "Driver Li, this is your relative. Which car is he sitting in?"

"Hello, it's Captain Chen." Li Aiguo was stunned for a moment before he recognized that he had seen this conductor at Cao Wenzhi's home.

Upon learning that Huang Sen was a member of a geological survey team and was going to the border before his child was even one year old, Captain Chen was somewhat moved.

"It's thousands of miles from here to the border. So, I'll help her get into the camper."

Li Aiguo had originally planned to do so, but Huang Sen felt that this would make Li Aiguo owe others a favor, so he refused.

Now that Captain Chen took the initiative to propose it, Li Aiguo naturally agreed happily.

"Thank you, Lao Chen."

"You're welcome."

The train was about to start. Huang Sen handed the child to Aunt Liu, his eyes moistened: "Mom, I leave the child to you."

"Don't worry, I will take good care of you." Aunt Liu was already crying.

Huang Sen had lived in the Liu family for several months, and Aunt Liu had long regarded this daughter-in-law as her own daughter.

"Brother Aiguo, Sister Yushui, goodbye!"

Huang Sen bit his lip and boarded the train resolutely.

Woohoo! The train went away emitting black smoke.

After Huang Sen left, Li Aiguo sent Aunt Liu and He Yushui home. Considering that railroad tracks had to be laid today, he drove a jeep to the construction site.

At this time, the tunnel was already a bustling scene.

Entering the tunnel, the hot and humid air wrapped in cement dust rolled in the tunnel, and the ventilators made a buzzing sound.

Li Aiguo picked up a towel and wiped the sweat off his face, then turned on his headlamp and strode over.

At this time, the railway track had been laid for more than ten meters, and the newly laid railway track was glowing blue.

"Deputy Commander-in-Chief, you are here." The squad leader of the first squad of the Railway Corps greeted them while directing their work.

"how is the situation?"

"Everything goes well. It will probably be completed in half a month."

Li Aiguo's eyes fell on a section of railroad track and he suddenly squatted down.

"Engineer Chen, track caliper!"

Engineer Chen, who was in charge of the current technology, heard the shouting and ran over.

"Deputy Commander, these rails were sent from the steel mill. They were produced using the indicators and technology we developed, so there shouldn't be any problems."

While explaining, Engineer Chen handed over the feeler gauge honestly.

"Just because the technology and standards are reliable doesn't mean the people are reliable." Li Aiguo took it, squatted down, and inserted the feeler gauge into the gap in the track.

A feeler gauge is a precision ruler specially used to measure railroad tracks, with an accuracy of up to 0.01 mm.

"The rail head width deviation must be 0.82mm, and the rail bottom flatness error must be 0.76mm/m"

Seeing this data, Engineer Chen's face darkened.

According to technical standards, the rail head width deviation must be less than 0.5mm and the rail bottom flatness error must be less than 0.3mm/m.

"How is this possible! We clearly sent quality supervisors to the steel mill to oversee it." The cigarette butt in Engineer Chen's mouth fell to the ground.

"Stop work! Call the comrades from the Logistics and Materials Department over here immediately."

Following the order, the railway soldiers at the scene stopped what they were doing and stood there staring at the rails with grim expressions.

The gentleman had just inspected the project a while ago and praised the construction work of the subway, but now something like this has happened.

Section Chief Wang from the Materials Department of the Logistics Department rushed over after hearing the news. After checking the hammer, he handed Li Aiguo a cigarette and said, "Deputy Commander, such a small error is nothing. These rails have been running in the open-air test section for three months."

"That's an ordinary railway." Li Aiguo threw out a subway design specification: "This is a subway. The humidity in the subway tunnel exceeds 75%, and the corrosion rate of the rails increases five times!"

Section Chief Wang rubbed his hands and said: "Rust can be delayed through coating maintenance or anti-rust oil treatment."

“Subway rails are part of the circuit return, and the coating will affect the conductivity.”

Li Aiguo pointed to the distance and said: "The subway is different from the ground railway. It uses a monolithic concrete roadbed and needs to run at a high frequency, which places higher requirements on the rails."

Section Chief Wang was still thinking about how to make this matter go away.

Li Aiguo frowned and said, "Notify the technicians immediately to re-measure all the rails. Any rails that do not meet the standards will be removed."

Seeing that the deputy commander-in-chief was angry, Section Chief Wang, an old materials clerk, realized the seriousness of the problem. He immediately organized the materials department staff and railway soldiers to inspect all the rails and steel.

There is nothing wrong with the materials of rails and steel themselves.

The carbon content is less than 0.25%, and the rail head carbon content error must be controlled within ±0.05%. The manganese content is greater than 13%, and the proportion of alloying elements such as silicon and manganese meets the requirements of balanced mechanical properties.

The only problem is that there are more than a dozen rails and steel with large deviations and errors.

"Contact the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill immediately and ask them to send someone over!" Section Chief Wang was so angry that he cursed.

(End of this chapter)