The train driver in the courtyard

The workshop was filled with the roar of machinery.

"come over?"

"I?"

Worker Xiao Zhao had already recognized Li Aiguo; he was the one who had recently bought Yu Shu's auto parts.

As for why Li Aiguo left such a deep impression, it's because Li Aiguo seemed like a car enthusiast, and he even advised Yu Shu to take advantage of the situation.

Seeing Section Chief Qin and Chief Engineer Liu behind Li Aiguo, Xiao Zhao was somewhat glad that Yu Shu hadn't listened to him back then.

"Comrade, is there something you need from me?"

Li Aiguo looked at the somewhat flustered Xiao Zhao and said with a smile, "Could you please call Yu Shu out?"

“good good”

Worker Xiao Zhao immediately realized what was happening, rushed into the workshop, rushed to Yu Shu, and turned off the machine.

"What are you doing? You're affecting the work, and we won't be able to deliver this batch of goods on time." Yu Shu was a little anxious and still wanted to turn on the machine.

Xiao Zhao grabbed his arm and pointed outside the door, saying, "The train driver who often buys parts from you is here!"

"What? Li Aiguo? He came to our workshop to buy parts. Make him leave right away, I'll deliver them to his home after get off work."

Seeing that Yu Shu still didn't understand, Xiao Zhao stamped his foot and said, "He's not alone. Chief Qin from the security department and Chief Engineer Liu, along with several factory leaders, are following him. This guy seems to have some unusual connections."

Yu Shu was a little confused.

When Li Aiguo invited him to work at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to develop automobiles, he thought Li Aiguo was joking and readily agreed.

Later, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot sent a transfer order, and Yu Shu realized that this train driver was indeed taking it seriously, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

Now they've even brought their boss with them!

The other workers nearby knew about Yu Shu's situation and advised her, "Xiao Yu, this is a good opportunity, you should go quickly."

"Yes, yes, this might be your benefactor."

Yu Shu glanced at the machine, hesitated for a moment, and then threw away the wrench and walked out of the workshop.

When Yu Shu came outside, Li Aiguo was standing not far away in the sunlight, a cigarette dangling from his lips, smiling at him.

"Driver Li, you've arrived."

"Here you are." Li Aiguo flicked his cigarette ash and pointed at Section Chief Qin, saying, "Old Qin has already investigated your case thoroughly."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shu was even more bewildered.

That was a case from a year ago, and Deputy Section Chief Niu was interfering. He, the wronged man, had already resigned himself to his fate. How could the truth have been uncovered?
Yu Shu turned her head and looked at Section Chief Qin in surprise, her mouth slightly open: "Section Chief Qin."

"Ahem." Section Chief Qin felt uneasy when he met his gaze.

Yu Shu had personally approached him to report the situation, but because she mistakenly believed Section Chief Niu's words, her advice was not heeded.

"Comrade Yu Shu, according to our investigation, the person primarily responsible for the production accident in the workshop a year ago was actually Deputy Section Chief Niu. As a technician, your courage to stand up and expose the truth is admirable."

Only then did Yu Shu realize that the injustice done to her had been completely cleared.

Long-held grievances surged into my heart like a flood breaking through a dam.

Yu Shu's eyes instantly turned red, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing this, Li Aiguo stepped forward, patted Yu Shu on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Yu Shu, the truth of this matter has finally come to light."

Yu Shu looked up at Li Aiguo, wanting to say thank you, but couldn't bring herself to say it.

He felt that using this word to express his gratitude was far too superficial.

Li Aiguo smiled, took out a cigarette case, and handed it to all the leaders present. Then he looked at Yu Shu and said, "I urgently need a car expert like you on my end. Do you still stand by what you said before?"

Yu Shu took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and nodded heavily to Li Aiguo: "Driver Li, don't worry, even if it costs me my life, I will get the car out for you."

Yu Shu knew very well that the person who wronged her knew she was innocent better than anyone else.

Without Li Aiguo's intervention, his case would never have been investigated thoroughly.

He could never repay such an immense debt of gratitude in his lifetime.

Li Aiguo laughed: "That's going too far. You need to keep your life to develop more cars. I have some things to do. You guys continue."

Next comes the internal affairs of BAIC Group. Li Aiguo can indeed get involved, but it's easy for him to give others cause for gossip.

It may seem harmless on ordinary days, but once a strong wind blows, it can easily be exploited by those with ulterior motives.

Having followed the farmer for so long, Li Aiguo has learned a lot.

Watching Li Aiguo's dashing departing figure, Section Chief Qin frowned.

"Qin Ke, we..."

Now that Li Aiguo is gone, everyone's attention has turned to Section Chief Qin.

This is a huge headache.

The matter has indeed been investigated and clarified. Deputy Section Chief Niu will definitely be dealt with. The key question is how to handle the follow-up actions.

If Li Aiguo were here, he could let Li Aiguo take the lead, and he would support him in handling the follow-up work.

However, Li Aiguo was too cunning. After investigating the case, he not only failed to offer any opinion on how to deal with Deputy Section Chief Niu.

After meeting Yu Shu, he just kept chatting with Yu Shu and relaying the details of the case to him, without asking or saying a single word about anything unrelated to the case.

He didn't say how he would arrange things for Yu Shu, nor did he say what requirements he would have for the factory.

He did not plead for anyone, nor did he convict anyone, nor did he interfere with the work of Section Chief Qin and the Beijing Automotive Plant.

But Yu Shu was to be transferred to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Li Aiguo said nothing, which was tantamount to saying everything.

If this matter cannot be resolved, Section Chief Qin will not have an easy time.

Moreover, during his investigation, Li Aiguo had already set a trap for Section Chief Qin by sending the forged signature drawing to Chief Engineer Liu's safe.

The security department did check the blueprints back then.

The fact that they failed to detect the forged signature on the blueprints is, at best, a lack of professional skills, but if we take it more seriously, it's dereliction of duty.

At that time, not only Section Chief Qin, but also the staff of the security department will be implicated.

Not to mention that the weather station behind it hasn't even shown up yet.

After a moment of contemplation, Section Chief Qin carefully considered his words and looked at Yu Shu, saying, "Because of our carelessness, you were wronged. I apologize to you here and hope to gain your understanding."

Yu Shu was surprised that Section Chief Qin would apologize to him, and quickly said, "The responsibility for this matter does not lie with you. It was Deputy Section Chief Niu who was too cunning."

Chief Engineer Liu was somewhat moved. This young man, who had been wronged for two years, didn't harbor any resentment at all.

"Old Qin, now that the matter has been investigated and it's clear that Deputy Section Chief Niu deliberately framed someone, causing this miscarriage of justice, we need to expedite the process of restoring his reputation and providing compensation."

Section Chief Qin nodded hurriedly and said solemnly, "Of course! Comrade Yu Shu, the factory has decided to reinstate your technician title, pay your back wages and bonuses for the past two years, and moreover..."

He paused, then raised his voice, "Given your outstanding technical talent, I will propose to the factory that you be transferred to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to support automobile research and development. I hope you can use your expertise to make greater contributions to the factory!"

These words immediately drew gasps of astonishment from those around them.

Yu Shu gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh, just to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming.

Xiao Zhao jumped up excitedly and put his arm around Yu Shu's shoulder: "I told you! Brother Yu, you're a gem that will always shine! Come on, let's celebrate properly after get off work!"

Yu Shu turned her head to look at the departing figure, her eyes becoming somewhat blurry.

"Yu Shu, get to work."

"Here you are, Patriot Brother."

Two days later, Yu Shu was officially transferred to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop and became a formal automotive expert.

It's important to understand that building cars is not an easy task.

In later generations, many large companies built cars, and as they built them, their founders went overseas.

He keeps saying he wants to go back to China, but he never does.

Some companies that manufacture cars have gone bankrupt, and the livestreamers who are responsible for selling the cars learn during their broadcasts that the companies have gone bankrupt.

Such things happen all the time, so Li Aiguo should naturally be cautious.

As it turned out, Li Aiguo's vision was correct. Yu Shu was exceptionally quick-witted, and her understanding of automobiles far surpassed that of the average person, so the car manufacturing project progressed rapidly.

Li Aiguo took out the blueprints and prepared to manufacture the engine.

There are two types of engines: one is a civilian model, a 2.0 naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, which is particularly fuel-efficient.

Another type is the military-grade 6.0L V8 engine, which has high power and torque, making it suitable for use on the battlefield.

The most important factor in manufacturing engines is materials.

In those days, alloy material technology was not up to par, so Li Aiguo decided to change the design and create a new mold.

The engine was slightly larger and heavier than those of later generations, but it was also more robust and durable.

Cylinder blocks need to withstand high pressure and high temperature, but they are prone to porosity, sand holes and residual stress during casting.

In the early days, FAW trialed 100 V8 cylinder blocks, but only 3 were qualified, requiring repeated adjustments to process parameters based on the experience of craftsmen.

FAW's approach meant that cylinder blocks could not be mass-produced. To solve this problem, Li Aiguo added materials such as nickel, molybdenum, and chromium to the cylinder blocks, forming high-quality alloy cast iron cylinder blocks.

With the material issue resolved, the next hurdle is machining precision.

Crankshafts and camshafts require micron-level machining precision to ensure dynamic balance.

In an era lacking CNC machine tools, the main method relied on experienced craftsmen to manually scrape and grind the materials, using simple measuring tools (such as micrometers) for calibration, which was time-consuming and had a low yield.

Yu Shu utilized the mindset of a junk assembler to create a method called "formula selection" and grinding adjustments, ensuring the precision of the processing.

These assembly tasks were relatively simple; the most difficult part was the 90° crankshaft of the V8 engine.

This thing requires a precision counterweight to balance the inertial force.

Li Aiguo borrowed a rotating test bench from the mechanical laboratory under the Ministry of Machine Building to test the vibration, and manually added or removed the lead weights to adjust it repeatedly until it ran smoothly.

Meanwhile, Li Aiguo and Yu Shu were busy in the workshop working on the manufacturing of the V8 engine.

On the other side, the hydraulic press workshop has been completed.

Director Zhang, in coordination with the newly appointed Director Chen, is busy producing a 2,000-ton hydraulic press.

In addition to supplying domestic and international markets, our hydraulic presses have received orders from more than a dozen countries. These days, hydraulic presses of this caliber are no longer something you can simply buy with money; you need to consider many factors.

Currently, only Xiaomei's family and Lao Maozi's family can produce this kind of hydraulic press.

These two companies particularly like to attach various conditions when selling their products.

Even if you pay in advance, you might have to wait four or five years to pick up the goods, and they might even ask you to pay more in the meantime.

Every family has been tricked by Xiao Mei's family and Lao Maozi's family.

The situation is quite the opposite at the University of Tokyo.

Whether it's selling patriotic steam engines or railway network dispatching systems, the primary focus is on doing business and making friends. They strictly adhere to agreements and truly treat their customers like family.

Having had previous experiences of cooperation, now that Dongda Ironworks can also manufacture heavy-duty hydraulic presses, not only have our Eastern European brothers come to purchase them, but also several countries such as the United States and France.

Hydraulic presses are different from steam engines; they cannot be sold casually.

At this point, it becomes necessary to distinguish between close and distant relationships.

After deliberation, it was decided to sell two units to a few smaller companies in Eastern Europe and one to the British. As for the French, they were sidelined for now because they had previously supported India.

"Our domestic food shortage situation has eased, but we still can't eat our fill. So, this time, the main focus is on exchanging foreign exchange and food." After listening to the report, the top leader gave his guidance.

"Yes, sir." Upon hearing his superior's words, the secretary immediately wrote down his opinion in his notebook.

"The radar from John Bull's side is quite good. Radar is very important for fighter jets, so we can't settle for anything less. We can take this opportunity to make contact and see if we can exchange some radars for them. Let the Fourteenth Research Institute handle this."

"Yes." The secretary was thrilled and quickly wrote it down.

China is currently planning to develop the J-7 fighter jet, but urgently needs a high-performance radar.

"This Section Chief Xing is quite capable; he actually helped Li Aiguo get the hydraulic press working." The senior leader continued reading and saw that, in order to support the research and development of the hydraulic press, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot had actually taken out the meat that should have been distributed as employee welfare and exchanged it for materials.

"Sir, the Ministry of Railways reports that Section Chief Xing is exceptionally capable. Since taking office, he has handled all matters very well." Seeing that the leader was paying attention, the secretary promptly reported the situation.

After listening, the leader lit a cigarette and said, "Organizational management is also of paramount importance. Section Chief Xing deserves credit for the successful development of the hydraulic press. We should commend such a capable comrade."

"Yes, sir." The secretary nodded and took notes.

"The maintenance workshop of Qianmen Locomotive Depot made a great contribution by cooperating with Li Aiguo to develop the hydraulic press, and the reward that should be given should be implemented in a timely manner."

"Yes, sir." The secretary was surprised that the leader had even paid attention to the maintenance workshop, and took notes again.

"As for Li Aiguo," the leader said, smoking a cigarette and pondering for a moment, "he has made such a great contribution, the people should know about it. But this time, we need to promote collectivism more, and individuals need to integrate into the collective, understand?"

"Yes," the secretary replied, recalling the rumors he had heard recently, feeling that the top leader was starting to consider Li Aiguo's interests.

The leader's words were quickly implemented.

Li Aiguo was tinkering with the engine in his studio when Yan Jiecheng came running over: "Brother Aiguo, hurry up, a reporter is here."

"A reporter?" Li Aiguo was taken aback, then realized it was about the hydraulic press. He put down his tools and prepared to go out.

Yan Jiecheng then shouted to Director Zhang and the skilled workers, "And you too, you have to go and be interviewed by reporters."

"Huh!?" Director Zhang and the technicians were all stunned.

They already received a reward from the division a while ago, so why are they asking for it again?

And it was a reporter's interview.

For a moment, Director Zhang, this old comrade, was so excited that his face turned red.

"Patriotism? That's not appropriate, is it? We haven't done anything wrong."

“How is it inappropriate? This is a collective achievement,” Li Aiguo immediately said.

Director Zhang was about to decline, but Li Aiguo continued, "Old Zhang, even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about the younger comrades."

If they could make it into the newspaper, even just one line, their future would be bright.

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang finally realized what was happening and patted Li Aiguo on the shoulder: "Good lad, thanks to your reminder."

"Old Zhang, what are you waiting for?" Li Aiguo chuckled.

This interview was a bit unusual; it wasn't aimed at him alone, but rather a group interview, which is quite rare.

This is enough to show that the higher-ups were worried about him getting too famous and were protecting him.

In this situation, it is natural to cooperate with those above and do the following work well.

Section Chief Xing and several other section leaders also noticed that this interview was different.

After discussing it with Li Aiguo, we decided to focus the interview on praising the railway technicians for uniting together, not being afraid of hardship or fatigue, carrying forward the spirit of collectivism, overcoming numerous difficulties, completing the research and development of the hydraulic press, and breaking the monopoly.

The focus is on the front gate locomotive depot and the maintenance workshop.

The facts proved their guesses correct.

The reporters' questions all revolved around how Li Aiguo led the skilled workers to work hard and how the Qianmen Locomotive Depot maintained unity.

After the interview was published, people in Beijing and even across the country learned that there was a locomotive depot on the railway that had developed a hydraulic press in their spare time.

In no time, the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and Maintenance Workshop became famous.

Even two young workers in the maintenance workshop found their ideal partners because of this.

These are all things for later.

Li Aiguo thought that the matter would be over after the publicity campaign.

The next day, as soon as I arrived at the locomotive depot, I saw several trucks carrying a large amount of supplies into the depot.

All kinds of food, including beef, mutton, rice, and refined wheat flour, are readily available.

"This is a special reward allocated to you from above." The comrade who transported the supplies completed the handover procedures.

The entire Qianmen Locomotive Depot was practically in an uproar upon seeing the supplies.

They've just become famous, and now they're getting a share of meat; their lives are getting better and better.

****
Just as the Qianmen Locomotive Depot was filled with laughter and joy, Section Chief Xing suddenly received a notice from the Railway Administration Office, asking him to attend a meeting at the bureau.

"The Railway Discipline Inspection Office? I haven't heard of any accidents on the train recently. Could it be that some crew has gotten into some kind of mess again?" The deputy section chief was also a bit confused.

"We just made an appearance in front of the whole nation. If something goes wrong, it would be too embarrassing. Never mind, I'm going to the road safety office right now to see what's going on."

Section Chief Xing drove his jeep all the way to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

After greeting a few familiar faces, I pushed open the door to Director Zhang's office in the Road Safety Office.

"Old Zhang, just say what's on your mind. If it's one of our people who made a mistake, then I definitely won't protect them," Section Chief Xing stated first.

Director Zhang's expression did not soften at all because of his statement.

“Old Xing, the one who committed this offense is not an ordinary worker, but a role model for your Qianmen Locomotive Depot.”

"Li Aiguo? What happened to him?" Section Chief Xing was a little flustered.

Director Zhang took a letter out of the drawer and handed it to Section Chief Xing: "Take a look at this."

While Section Chief Xing was reading the letter, he lit a cigarette and said, "Logically speaking, upon receiving a report, we should immediately take action and apprehend the person involved."

We only contacted you because of Comrade Li Aiguo's special status.

But you absolutely mustn't be overprotective of your own later.

After reading the letter, Section Chief Xing suddenly burst into laughter: "That's it? A bicycle ticket? Oh my, who is this? This is incredibly disrespectful. Comrade Li Aiguo would now violate regulations and help someone transport goods just because of a bicycle ticket?"

"Ahem. Old Xing, since someone has reported it, we have to investigate where Li Aiguo's bicycle ticket came from?" Director Zhang picked up his pen and looked at Section Chief Xing.

Section Chief Xing's smile faded, and he said seriously, "It's not one, it's two."

A while ago, Comrade Aiguo invented a hydraulic press, and we rewarded him with two bicycle vouchers. He probably gave them away, and that's when those envious people started eyeing them.

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang's expression relaxed, and he asked excitedly, "Is there a record?"

"Of course, I wrote a note back then, and there's a stub. The materials department also has Li Aiguo's receipt record," Section Chief Xing replied.

"Then this matter will be easier to handle."

Out of caution, Director Zhang did not let Section Chief Xing leave, but picked up the phone and notified the staff of the Road Safety Office to go to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

"Remember, don't alert the people at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Find out the real situation first."

A short while later, the comrades from the Road Administration Office returned with the stubs and records from the Materials Section.

Upon seeing the two items, Director Zhang smiled and said, "It seems someone has made a false accusation. Section Chief Xing, I'm truly sorry for causing you trouble."

"You're too kind." Section Chief Xing knew that Director Zhang wasn't to blame for this.

Since someone reported it, and it involved valuable items like bicycle tickets, the road safety office had to conduct a thorough investigation.

He looked at the letter and said, "This person is falsely accusing Comrade Li Aiguo. It seems he has ill intentions. Can we find out?"

Director Zhang took out the letter and said, "We have already investigated. The words on this letter were all cut out from the newspaper, and the envelope is also a mass-produced item, making it difficult to investigate."

After saying that, Director Zhang added, "Generally speaking, we rarely investigate anonymous letters like this. I will have the railway bureau investigate it."

Section Chief Xing understood what Director Zhang meant.

Firstly, investigating this kind of thing is too much of a waste of energy and time.

Secondly, it will instill fear in those who dare not come forward to report, making them hesitant to write letters to report.

Director Zhang made concessions because he considered Li Aiguo's special status.

"Thank you." Section Chief Xing understood his good intentions.

Section Chief Xing returned to the locomotive depot and told Li Aiguo about it.

"Patriotism, as you rise to a higher level, more and more people are watching you. Things like this will happen again, so don't take it to heart."

"The road safety office is already investigating, and they will probably give us the results soon."

Hearing the words of comfort, Li Aiguo laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's just a letter of denunciation."

Li Aiguo really didn't take it to heart.

After all, the railway bureau has taken action, and they'll eventually find out who's behind this.

In addition, the engine block has now been cast by the Beijing foundry, and the other parts have also arrived one after another, so he can move on to the next task.

(End of this chapter)