The train driver in the courtyard

From then on, the office fell into an unprecedented silence.

The researchers outside looked at each other, not knowing what was going on inside.

"Do you want to go and have a look?" one of them reminded.

"Mr. Liu may be researching something, so let's not disturb them."

"Mr. Liu is old, and Vice President Zhang has been working for two weeks straight. Their bodies can't take it anymore. What if something goes wrong?"

After some discussion, an unlucky technician was selected.

Cheng Li walked to the door with a document and knocked gently. He listened carefully but heard nothing.

Cheng Li knocked again, but there was still no movement.

Cheng Li's face turned grim and he turned to look at the researchers.

"Break the door, Cheng Li, we support you."

"."

Cheng Li took a deep breath, mustered up his courage and pushed the door open.

Chief Engineer Liu and Deputy Chief Engineer Zhang were squatting on the ground studying a blueprint when they were startled awake by a loud bang on the door.

They both raised their heads and looked at Cheng Li.

Cheng Li: “.”

Cheng Li almost cried.

"Um, Mr. Liu, I have a small question that I want to ask you."

Cheng Li was ready to be scolded when he spoke in a trembling voice.

Chief Engineer Liu is usually very amiable, except when he is disturbed while working on a problem, which will make you see what an angry lion looks like.

Unexpectedly, Chief Engineer Liu was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "You came at the right time. Let's organize a group of technicians right away to help me verify an improvement plan."

"Improvement plan for the Qianjin steam locomotive?" Cheng Li's eyes fell on the drawing.

Looking at the data calculated by dozens of technicians.

Chief Engineer Liu's expression was filled with excitement and excitement, with a gleam in his eyes, as if one could see the fire burning in his heart.

"10% increase in power, 50% increase in durability, 30% increase in safety"

The corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted up, revealing a brilliant smile, as if all his worries and fatigue had disappeared at this moment.

As the most authoritative steam engine expert in the country, Chief Engineer Liu immediately realized the brilliance of this improvement plan.

He looked at Deputy Chief Engineer Wang.

"Old Wang, who came up with this improvement plan? Zheng Han? No way, this guy doesn't have this level of ability."

"This is a confidential blueprint from the institute. The person who drew it has his signature below it."

Chief Engineer Liu picked up the drawing and looked at the signature on it.

"Li Aiguo, train driver of Qianmen Locomotive Depot"

Chief Engineer Liu frowned and said, "How can he draw a picture when he is a train driver?"

"Mr. Liu, you forgot that a train driver from the Modu Locomotive Depot also designed a new gadget a while ago.

So, we really can’t underestimate these frontline workers.”

"No. This is different from a half-hearted design. This time, the improvement is very thorough and extremely sophisticated. It is impossible for someone who is not a professional to come up with it.

It's a pity that there is only one drawing, otherwise I would be able to find out the true level of this train driver."

"How about we ask Zheng Han?"

I see that Chief Engineer Liu attaches so much importance to this improvement plan.

Deputy Chief Engineer Wang picked up the phone and contacted Zheng Han at the Beijing Railway Research Institute through a transfer.

After the call was connected, Zheng Han's tired voice came from the receiver.

Deputy Chief Engineer Wang took the microphone and asked a series of questions.

"What? That driver Li is the deputy team leader. Now he has discovered three defects in the forward steam engine, and there seem to be more?"

Chief Engineer Liu was listening very carefully. He took the phone and asked, "Zheng Han, what is your progress now?"

He got an unsatisfactory answer.

After hanging up the phone, Chief Engineer Liu pinched his brows and said, "Zheng Han has good academic ability, but he is too dull. He can only solve problems but not raise them.

In just a few days, Li Aiguo pointed out three defects, and every time he solved one defect, he would immediately propose the second one. This was enough to show that he had a good grasp of many defects of the Qianjin steam locomotive.

Although Liu Guozhang was a good leader, his academic ability was poor. It was easy for problems to arise when an amateur led professionals.

This is a great opportunity and we cannot let it go to waste.”

He looked up at the communicator.

"Please notify the local garrison and prepare a plane. I need to go to the Beijing Railway Research Institute in person."

"Yes!"

The correspondent saluted.

"Chief Engineer Liu, how is your health? Can you hold on?" Deputy Chief Executive Wang was shocked when he learned that Chief Engineer Liu was going to take a plane to Beijing.

He had also ridden in transport planes several times, which were like bumper cars in the air.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Chief Engineer Liu picked up the blueprint and said excitedly, "Old Wang, if those defects are as important as this one, there will be hope for us to improve the steam locomotive."

After saying this, his eyes fell on the signature on the drawing again.

"Who on earth is a train driver who can design such an ingenious device?"

*****
Today is the fifth day that the Railway Research Institute's Forward Steam Engine Improvement Group officially started work.

As night fell, Director Liu Guozhang had to attend a ministry meeting and was delayed at work. He worked in the office until eight o'clock, and only when it was completely dark did he prepare to go home.

As the car passed the laboratory, Liu Guozhang saw that the lights were on inside the laboratory and stopped the driver.

"Xiao Wang, stop for a moment."

Officer Wang, who came from the military, did not ask any unnecessary questions or make any unnecessary movements. He gently stepped on the brakes and the jeep slowly stopped.

"Just wait for me."

Liu Guozhang got out of the car, gathered his clothes, and strode into the laboratory.

At this moment, under the dim white light, a dozen researchers were calculating something seriously with pens and papers.

They looked so focused that they didn't notice Liu Guozhang even when he pushed open the door and walked in.

Liu Guozhang looked around, found Engineer Dong sitting at the front row, and walked over quickly.

"Dong Gong. Dong Gong"

After gently pushing his shoulder, Engineer Dong finally woke up. Seeing that it was Liu Guozhang, he quickly stood up.

"Director, you are here."

After not seeing him for a few days, I found that Mr. Dong had lost a lot of weight, his eye sockets were sunken, he kept yawning, and his face showed fatigue from not getting enough rest for a week.

"What's going on? It's already night time, why don't these comrades go back and rest?" Liu Guozhang said with some dissatisfaction: "Some of them are from Datong Locomotive Factory, and they are the main scientific research force in the factory. If they get sick, how can I explain it to Mr. Liu?"

Liu Guozhang rubbed his cheeks, and his whole body instantly became energetic. He said excitedly: "Director, you misunderstood. It's not me who asked them to work overtime, but they insisted on working overtime."

"Do you have to work overtime? Have you made any progress in your improvement work?" Liu Guozhang has been busy preparing for internal combustion engine research recently and is not clear about the progress of the improvement team.

"Progress? This can no longer be described as progress, it's simply a great harvest!" At this time, the researchers were also alarmed. Zheng Han came over energetically, waving a piece of paper and said, "Director Liu, we are now improving one defect every day. How can we sleep well?" Zheng Han thought of what had happened in the past few days and found it a little hard to believe.

Li Aiguo's pocket was like a treasure chest. Every time they corrected a defect and prepared to take a day off, he would take out a piece of manuscript paper from his pocket.

Written on that piece of paper was another flaw.

When researchers like Zheng Han saw the manuscript, it was like seeing the girl they had been pursuing for years. They had no time to sleep and started working non-stop.

"One defect a day." Even though Liu Guozhang had witnessed the magic of Li Aiguo, he was still shocked.

You have to know that a locomotive with a mature design like the Forward Steam Engine has been studied by countless Chinese and foreign experts and has been used as the main steam locomotive for such a long time.

If there were any flaws, they would have been discovered long ago.

It can be said that the most difficult part of improving a steam engine is finding its flaws.

Now Li Aiguo can actually find so many flaws
Liu Guozhang expressed his disbelief.

He picked up a list and studied it.

After a moment, Liu Guozhang believed it.

"Ahem, it seems my apprentice did play a small role."

Liu Guozhang, who has always been humble and introverted, couldn't help but curl his lips at this moment.

"What about patriotism?"

"After he explained the defects clearly, he went home. He said his wife was waiting for him." Engineer Dong, who has always been honest, said truthfully.

Liu Guozhang: "."

Why did he feel that Li Aiguo seemed to be using these researchers as coolies?

Liu Guozhang looked at the researchers who looked like giant pandas, waved his hand and said, "But you can't go on like this. Let's stop here today. Go back and have a rest, and continue tomorrow."

After he finished speaking, none of the researchers moved, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

The inexperienced Zheng Han felt that he should fulfill his duty, so he stood up and said stiffly, "Driver Li will give us new defects tomorrow."

Liu Guozhang: "."

He took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry, Li Aiguo will not give you any new flaws tomorrow. You can have a good rest tonight."

Zheng Han: “.”

Researchers: “.”

They all thought that the old man was here just to cause trouble.

Engineer Dong couldn't bear it either and was about to go up to persuade Liu Guozhang.

At this time, two comrades in uniform ran in from outside, saluted Liu Guozhang and said, "Report, Director Liu, Mr. Liu from Datong Factory has already left Datong on a military plane and is expected to arrive at our institute early tomorrow morning."

Military secretary Liu Guozhang was stunned for a moment, then he remembered Liu's identity as chief engineer.

"The teacher is coming!"

Zheng Han shuddered and returned to his seat with the manuscript paper in his arms. "I have to get this data done quickly, otherwise I will definitely be criticized."

The researchers also returned to their positions.

Liu Guozhang looked at the researchers and sighed, "Engineer Dong, tell the driver Xiao Wang to call my home and tell him that I won't be going home tonight."

He felt that Li Aiguo had made things worse this time.

This guy has always been steady, what happened this time? Now even Mr. Liu is alarmed, maybe Mr. Wu will also turn his attention here.

The more Liu Guozhang thought about it, the more serious the situation seemed to him. He paused for a moment and called out to Engineer Dong again.

"You ask Xiao Wang to go to Nantongluo Lane to pick up Aiguo. He will have to clean up the mess he has caused himself!"

"Yes" Mr. Dong.

In the house filled with the scent of heather, Li Aiguo has made all preparations before plowing the land.

First, use a tractor to clean up everything on the surface and throw it under the bed.

Then the fertile black soil was watered with a water pipe until it was wet.

Then equip the tractor with a black and sturdy plow.

Just as Li Aiguo was sticking his butt out and shaking the tractor, ready to start the plowing mode, there was a hurried knock on the door.

"Driver Li, Driver Li, please open the door quickly."

I seemed to have heard this voice somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where it was at the moment.

At this critical moment, Li Aiguo certainly did not want to give up halfway and had no intention of giving up the farming task.

But the people outside the door refused to give up.

Li Aiguo's door is made of old pear wood.

One of the important reasons why Carpenter Chen on the street strongly recommended this kind of wood was that the wooden doors made of this wood had a more pleasant sound when knocked.

but.

This wooden door, which is famous for its pleasant knocking sound, will become no different from an ordinary wooden door when driven by a bad temper called impatience.

It started with crisp "bang bang bang" sounds, then turned into "bang bang bang", until the knocking sound turned into "pa pa pa", which was particularly harsh.

Li Aiguo then put on his clothes and suddenly opened the door.

Standing outside the door were two comrades in gray uniforms and Liu Guozhang's driver, Secretary Wang.

Secretary Wang withdrew his red and swollen palm and covered his hand.

In a slightly apologetic but unquestionable tone, he said, "Comrade Aiguo, Director Liu needs to see you right now."

You are about to plow the land and sow seeds, but you are called to work overtime. Who wouldn't be angry?
What? There is no such thing as overtime these days. Forget it.

Xu Damao lived next door to the Li family and was alarmed at this time.

He poked his head out of the house and saw Director Wang and his men, and seemed to understand something.

"Patriotic brother, is there a new mission?"

"Yeah, Brother Damao, you haven't rested yet."

Li Aiguo was just greeting out of politeness, but Xu Damao looked extremely embarrassed.

The reason was simple. Tonight he urged Liu Lan to change the surnames of her two children to Xu.

Liu Lan still used various excuses to get by as before.

Xu Damao felt like he was being framed, which reminded him of a famous person in the Qing Dynasty - Comrade Dorgon.

Such a powerful man couldn't handle the young widow's child. Can he really do it?

Comrade Xu Damao is very troubled.

But this matter was not something that could be told to outsiders, so Xu Damao nodded at Li Aiguo and went back into the house.

He planned to convince Liu Lan with his real ability.

When Li Aiguo saw Director Wang's attitude, he immediately realized that there was an important task ahead.

"Please wait a moment. I will communicate with the family members."

Chen Xueru also came out at this time, helped Li Aiguo pull his clothes, smiled and said, "Hurry up, the mission is important."

Life is really wonderful when you have an understanding wife.

(End of this chapter)