Siheyuan: Why does your brother beat you up every day, Shazhu?

"You guys, please help pass tools and lend a hand."

"When it comes to crafts, you can't just watch. You have to understand them clearly and then practice. With more practice, you will naturally become proficient."

Hearing He Weiguo's clear promise to teach them, the three of them showed gratitude on their faces and responded in unison:

"Thank you, Master He! We'll remember it!"

Wen Tiezhu was even more satisfied with the harmonious atmosphere and continued to make arrangements:

"Comrade Weiguo, there aren't many trucks to go out this afternoon, so it's time to clean up the old guys in the factory. Let's have lunch and take a break."

"In the afternoon, you, Liu Jun, and I will each lead an apprentice and go through all these cars!"

"Repair what needs to be repaired, tighten what needs to be tightened, and patch what needs to be patched! We can't let them go to work with problems!"

He Weiguo had anticipated this, and Liu Jun also greeted him on the way.

He nodded decisively: "No problem, Brother Wen. I'll follow your arrangements this afternoon."

At this time, Liu Jun returned with the receipt: "Done! Let's go eat!"

Wen Tiezhu waved his hand:

"Let's go! I'll treat you to lunch tonight! Consider it a welcome to Brother Weiguo to officially join our transport team family!"

He looked at He Weiguo, "Weiguo, go get your new lunch box! Let's go to the cafeteria!"

He Weiguo did not refuse the courtesy. The captain treating him to the first meal was a favor and also a courtesy.

He replied "Okay" and turned to get his brand new aluminum lunch box.

The three of them walked towards the cafeteria together.

On the way, Liu Jun suddenly remembered something and asked He Weiguo:

"Hey, Weiguo, have you changed your meal ticket?"

He Weiguo was stunned: "Meal ticket? What do you mean, Brother Liu?"

Liu Jun slapped his forehead:

"Oh! I forgot about that! Didn't you go to the finance office to exchange for meal tickets? We only accept meal tickets in the cafeteria! We don't accept money or food tickets! You have to go to the finance office first and exchange your food tickets and money for meal tickets specifically for the cafeteria!"

"Without a meal ticket, you can't get food even if you have a golden bowl!"

He Weiguo suddenly realized that there was such a process!

Quick thanks:

"Got it! Thanks for the reminder, Brother Liu! I didn't even know this existed. I'll go change it tomorrow morning!"

Liu Jun breathed a sigh of relief: "That's right! Remember this. Missing a meal is a big deal!"

Soon, the three of them arrived at the cafeteria door.

The treat Wen Tiezhu mentioned naturally referred to him, Liu Jun, and He Weiguo, not including the apprentices.

Nowadays, it’s good enough if the master can teach you the skills, don’t worry about anything else.

The cafeteria was bustling with people; it was the peak meal time.

Several lines for food were stretched out like long dragons, and the air was filled with the mixed aroma of food and the smell of sweat.

He Weiguo was about to walk to the end of the line as usual, but he saw Wen Tiezhu and Liu Jun walking straight towards the food window without stopping, with no intention of queuing at all.

He Weiguo was stunned for a moment, and the awareness of queuing that he had developed in later life made him stop.

Liu Jun noticed that he hadn't caught up, so he turned around and called out:

"Hey! Weiguo! What are you doing there? Aren't you hungry? Come here quickly!"

He Weiguo quickly followed, lowering his voice, with a hint of confusion and hesitation:

"Brother Liu...can't we...don't we have to queue for dinner?"

He pointed to the long dragons.

Liu Jun was delighted when he heard this. He tugged at the work badge on his chest with the word "Yun" engraved on it, and pointed at the three people's bodies that had a faint smell of engine oil that could not be washed off. His face showed the driver's natural sense of superiority:

"Queue? What queue?"

Liu Jun's voice was low, but it was full of arrogance. He raised his chin towards the food window:

"In this factory, our drivers always get the first bite at meals!"

"No matter how many people are in line in front of us, everyone will automatically give way to us when they see us!"

"Remember this, brother. From now on, when you come to the cafeteria, hold your head high and walk straight to the window! No one will dare to stop you, and no one will say a word of objection!"

"This is the reputation we drivers have earned by risking our lives driving long distances, through wind and rain!"

Chapter 75 Car Repair

The food in the cafeteria is very cheap, which is a benefit of state-owned units.

He Weiguo looked at the price list above the food window. One meal ticket could be exchanged for two steamed buns made of two-grain flour, the size of a large bowl, which were quite filling.

He estimated that two would be just enough for a big guy like him, while one would be enough for an ordinary worker.

The three of them prepared their meal and found an empty seat to sit down.

Due to the habit developed from years of racing or working in the army, Wen Tiezhu and Liu Jun eat at an astonishing speed.

There is no need to talk about He Weiguo, everyone knows the speed of eating in the army.

In less than five minutes, the lunch boxes in front of the three people were empty.

Wen Tiezhu wiped his mouth and said, "Let's go! Go back to the convoy and pack up our stuff!"

Nowadays, there is not much entertainment at night, and people generally go to bed early and get up early, so naps are dispensable for many people.

However, Wen Tiezhu still took care of the newcomer He Weiguo:

"Brother Weiguo, this is your first day here. How about finding a place to take a nap? Liu Jun and I will go first. We are used to it."

"Yeah," Liu Jun said, patting his bulging belly.

"I crouched down and crawled under the car right after I finished eating. I was worried that you might feel sick to your stomach."

"Our maintenance work is dirty and tiring, so we don't mind taking a moment."

He Wei's biological clock has been very well adjusted these past two days, and he doesn't feel sleepy at all. Besides, even if he felt sleepy, how could he really rest?

He understood this bit of social etiquette and immediately waved his hand:

"Brother Wen, Brother Liu, you are too distant!"

"I'm not sleepy. Let's work together, three brothers. There's strength in numbers. Let's take care of these old guys sooner rather than later. That way, we can run around with peace of mind, right?"

"A good car makes driving more enjoyable! Besides, I do car repairs whenever I have time in the army! I'm used to it."

Wen Tiezhu grinned when he heard this:

"Okay! Brother Weiguo is straightforward!"

He turned around and slammed his hand heavily on the door of a GAZ-51:

"Brother Weiguo! This old GAZ will be yours from now on!"

He sighed, with a little yearning:

"Our factory is just like this, full of old cars with patches upon patches. I heard about that new Jiefang CA10, hey! It's such a pleasure to drive!"

“I don’t know when it will be our food factory’s turn.”

The domestically produced Jiefang CA10 was mass-produced in 1958, but in an era of tight material allocation, not all units were able to be equipped with it in a timely manner.

He Weiguo understood Wen Tiezhu's feelings very well. At this moment, Wen Tiezhu kicked the tire of the old Gas:

"This car has a lot of problems. The front wheel bearing clearance is horrific. It makes a buzzing sound when it runs, just like flying an airplane!"

"Last time I was trying to find the right ball bearings, but I couldn't find any at all after scavenging scrap yards. In the end, I just stuffed a few bicycle balls of varying sizes in there to hold it in place. It's OK for short distances, but forget about long distances!"

"Brother, this is the current condition of our transport team. I'm sorry to have put you in such a difficult position!"

The old GAZ in front of me is covered with scratches and rust, and obvious repair weld scars can be seen in some parts.

But He Weiguo had already gotten used to it. He patted the hood nonchalantly.

"Brother Wen, look at what you're saying! What kind of car haven't I driven in North Korea?"

"Even cars with half their cabs blown off by artillery shells, with only three wheels left to turn, as long as they can be moved, we've driven them!"

"This car is great! I'm not the kind of person who would be picky!"

"Brother Wen, you're really too polite to tell me whether you feel wronged or not!"

After hearing this, Wen Tiezhu patted He Weiguo's shoulder vigorously:

"Good! Brother Weiguo! You are indeed a man who has retired from the battlefield."

"You get familiar with it first and tidy it up. I'll go check on the ones next to it."

After saying that, he and Liu Jun walked towards other vehicles.

He Weiguo rolled up his sleeves and began to inspect the old GAZ.

There are only a few common problems with cars these days.

He first checked the carburetor - a high-prone area for failure.

After taking it apart, we found that there were indeed many problems: the oil needle in the float chamber was worn and stuck, and the metering hole was partially blocked.

This is the root cause of unstable idling and soaring fuel consumption!

He skillfully disassembled the carburetor body and prepared to soak it in kerosene to clean it.

Then he checked the air filter, which was filled with dust and sludge and almost blocked, seriously affecting the air intake efficiency.

He also removed the air filter and dealt with it together.

Since you are starting the inspection, you must do it thoroughly to avoid trouble in the future.

At this time, several apprentices came back after lunch.

Li Dachui walked up to He Weiguo in a muffled voice: