The train driver in the courtyard

The training of the Nantongluo Lane square formation continued until the evening.

It was so dark that people could no longer be seen clearly, and Li Aiguo announced the disbandment.

Liu Guangfu, who was squatting in the square watching the excitement, counted the numbers.

Yi Zhonghai was hit with fifteen sticks in total, Jia Dongxu was hit with forty-three sticks, and Liu Haizhong was hit with twelve sticks.

Li Aiguo returned home humming a little tune.

As soon as he sat down, Liu Guangfu sneaked in quietly and bowed to Li Aiguo.

"Thank you, brother Aiguo!"

After saying that, he turned around and ran away.

Chen Xueru was watching in amazement.

"What's wrong with this kid?"

"Maybe it's because of the beating Liu Haizhong got."

Li Aiguo picked up the enamel mug and drank the tea, then placed the books he brought back from the scrap shop on the bookshelf.

Under the dim desk lamp, I began my great undertaking of reading the whole book and dominating the server.

Night falls.

The air in the courtyard was filled with the clinking of pots and pans, the laughter of adults, the playful voices of children, and today there were a few more groans of pain.

Yi Zhonghai's family.

"Ouch, please be gentle, old lady."

Yi Zhonghai was lying on the bed and an old lady helped him take off his pants.

His buttocks were already red and swollen, with streaks of blood that looked very creepy.

"It's too cruel. Li Aiguo was really too cruel."

An old lady borrowed some mercurochrome from a deaf old lady and helped Yi Zhonghai apply it.

Every time I apply it, I can hear a painful groan.

An old lady sighed and said, "Old man, have you ever thought of complaining to Director Wang of the Street Office?"

"Am I the kind of person who suffers losses? After the drill, I called Liu Haizhong and Jia Dongxu and went to Director Wang's office."

"What did Director Wang say?"

"She didn't care at all. She even said that the drill was related to the square formation performance and asked us to cooperate with Li Aiguo."

Aunt: "."

She then said, "Why don't we stop practicing."

"What nonsense! I still have to perform in the square." Yi Zhonghai said angrily.

Aunt: "."

She felt that Yi Zhonghai was like a sow trying to get through a fence this time - caught in a dilemma.

Yi Zhonghai is very concerned about his reputation and certainly does not want to give up the square performance.

However, if he continued the training, he would definitely be beaten by Li Aiguo.

The most important thing is that Li Aiguo spanked Yi Zhonghai's butt openly and with a clear conscience. This is really too frustrating.

Jia family.

Jia Dongxu's situation is even worse than Yi Zhonghai's because he "deliberately" was hostile to the instructor.

There were bloody streaks on his buttocks, which were red and swollen and looked very miserable.

This made Jia Zhang very sad.

"This damn Li Aiguo actually dared to hit my son. It's totally unjust. No, I have to settle the score with him."

Hearing this, Jia Dongxu, who was lying down peacefully, suddenly stood up from the bed and covered Jia Zhang's mouth.

"Mom, don't make a sound, don't look up, don't even think about it or you'll get beaten."

Seeing Jia Dongxu's crazy look, Jia Zhang's heart was bleeding.

Qin Huairu was originally happy that Jia Dongxu was able to perform in the square.

Now seeing Jia Dongxu's miserable appearance, the excitement in her heart suddenly disappeared.

"Dongxu, why don't you just forget about it this time? Li Aiguo is very strict. If you continue like this, you will definitely get beaten again."

"No, if I give up, wouldn't my beating be in vain?

There were dozens of sticks as thick as bowls. Now when I close my eyes, I can see Li Aiguo waving the sticks in front of me.

Jia Dongxu was unwilling to give in.

Qin Huairu had no choice but to give up.

The residents in the compound were already angry about Yi Zhonghai's overbearing style.

Now that they heard that several people were beaten up by Li Aiguo, they were all so excited that they couldn't stop smiling.

Xu Damao squinted his eyes while drinking and said, "It feels so good. It would be great if I could spank Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu myself."

Liu Lan rolled her eyes at him: "You? It's impossible in this lifetime!"

When Yan Jiecheng returned home from the locomotive depot, he saw a pile of pickles on the table and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Dad, what's the good day today? Did you make money again?"

“It’s more fun than making money!

Yi Zhonghai did not allow me to join the square formation, and he himself was beaten by Li Aiguo as a result. "

The third uncle grinned.

Whenever he thought of Yi Zhonghai limping back in the afternoon, he felt happy.

"Dad, you are the third uncle in the compound. Isn't it too embarrassing to let others, Aiguo, help you vent your anger?" Yan Jiecheng said.

"."The third uncle was silent.

He looked up at Yan Jiecheng and said, "Jiecheng, isn't it time to pay your accommodation fee, food fee, flashlight fee, desk and chair wear and tear fee, bed sheet fee, water fee, and electricity fee for this month?"

"Dad, the other expenses are fine. The water comes from the compound, and the electricity is generated by our own electric wheel. Why are you charging me?"

Yan Jiecheng had just received his salary, and it wasn’t even warm in his pocket yet.

"If you don't live in this house, can you use the water in the compound? As for electricity, isn't it made by grinding electric wheels?" The third uncle said confidently.

Yan Jiecheng: "."

He felt that the third uncle was obsessed with money.

When the three aunts saw the two people arguing, they came out to smooth things over.

"Old man, Jie Cheng is our own child, how can he be so strong?"

"Jie Cheng, you just need to pay your living expenses. It's still fifteen dollars a month."

Yan Jiecheng had no choice but to take out fifteen yuan and give it to the third uncle.

The third uncle took the money, put it in his pocket, and kept muttering.

"A loving mother often spoils her son, old woman, you have spoiled Jie Chengdu."

Yan Jiecheng quietly turned his head, looked at the darkness outside the window, and fell silent.

The night is getting darker.

All the joy, sadness, depression and resentment eventually turned into calmness.

"One two one, one two one"

"Pap-pap-pap-pap."

the next day.

The drill continued.

The beating of Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and Jia Dongxu also continued.

He was beaten for not keeping his hands and feet in sync, for not walking at the right speed, for staring with his eyes, for closing his eyes, and even for twitching his mouth.

Finally it was time for lunch break. Other residents went out to eat, so Yi Zhonghai and two other people gathered under the shade of a tree next to the neighborhood office and held a meeting.

Yi Zhonghai covered his butt and said, "Lao Liu, I don't think this can go on. If we don't make it to the performance, Li Aiguo will beat us to death."

"What can we do? He is an instructor. Even if we report it to Director Wang, it will be useless."

Liu Haizhong was just about to sit on the stone when he felt a sharp pain in his buttocks and stood up with a jump.

Yi Zhonghai was helpless at this point.

If he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have joined in the fun.

Now, having offended the third uncle, he has to be beaten by Li Aiguo. It is so miserable.

Jia Dongxu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised his hand, with a sinister look on his face: "Master, Second Master, we can make a false accusation!"

"False accusation?" Yi Zhonghai was stunned at first, then he slapped his thigh fiercely: "Disciple, you are still smart."

After Liu Haizhong figured it out, he couldn't help but move outside.

He decided to stay away from these two sinister guys.

Because Li Aiguo was training residents for the street office, the street office provided lunch as a welfare benefit.

For lunch, we had noodles with soybean paste. The noodles were light and the sauce was fragrant. The taste was very authentic.

In the future, that shameless food blogger would definitely give a thumbs up and praise: "It tastes like my mom's!"

I finished two bowls of authentic noodles with soybean paste.

After drinking a cup of tea from an enamel pot, Li Aiguo staggered to the training ground, ready to continue training his teammates.

But I saw Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and Jia Dongxu talking to Director Wang from the Street Office, and there were many residents surrounding them.

Director Wang seemed a little embarrassed.

Seeing Li Aiguo coming over, he waved at him and said, "Aiguo, you came at the right time. Comrade Yi Zhonghai has sued you."

Oh, after being beaten so many times, you finally can’t bear it anymore?

Li Aiguo was mentally prepared and walked over slowly.

Director Wang said with a serious face, "Aiguo, Yi Zhonghai accused you of deliberately targeting the three of them in order to drive them away."

Li Aiguo nodded and said, "Yes, I just want to drive them away."

Jia Dongxu was overjoyed when he heard this. He rushed forward, pointed at Li Aiguo's nose and said, "Director Wang, you heard it, Li Aiguo is just seeking revenge. He wants to drive us away and participate in the square activities himself."

"Snapped"

As soon as Jia Dongxu finished speaking, he was hit on the buttocks with a stick.

The severe pain replaced the smile on his face with anger.

"Director Wang, Li Aiguo is lawless. He dared to hit someone in front of you!"

"Jia Dongxu, I am still the instructor now. You have not been expelled yet, so I have the power to deal with you." After Li Aiguo finished speaking, he raised the stick again.

Jia Dongxu was so frightened that his face turned pale and he quickly hid behind Yi Zhonghai.

"Master, save me!"

Yi Zhonghai: "."

This disciple is so filial.

However, Yi Zhonghai wanted to remind Jia Dongxu that he is also a member of the team and will be beaten.
Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to say, "Li Aiguo, Jia Dongxu violated discipline and should be punished. But you are using public power to take revenge on your own and have ulterior motives. This is something the subdistrict office cannot tolerate."

Wow, he is worthy of being Yi Zhonghai, he directly uses the big banner as a tiger skin.

Director Wang also came out to smooth things over: "Patriotic, this training is related to the square performance activities, it is not a joke."

Li Aiguo put away his stick and said coldly, "I want to chase them away. It's because their level is not enough to participate in the square performance. If they go, they will only bring shame to our street."

"I think you want to replace us." Jia Dongxu still didn't give up.

The residents who were watching also cast puzzled glances.

Although Director Wang was unwilling to believe that Li Aiguo was so ignorant, he felt that being able to perform in the square was very attractive.

Liu Haizhong also took the opportunity to say: "Li Aiguo, you should be selfless. Director Wang trusts you so much. How could you have such evil thoughts?" For a moment, Li Aiguo became the center of the vortex, with everyone staring at him.

"Oh, do you think I need to perform?"

Facing those questioning gazes, Li Aiguo took out a bright red invitation from his canvas bag.

The invitation sparkled in the sunlight, and the onlookers were so shocked that they couldn't close their mouths.

Director Wang of the Street Office was also moved.

You should know that the National Day celebration is the biggest event and the standards are particularly high.

Even the district leaders could only stand in the crowd and watch from afar.

Those who can appear in the stands are all famous figures.

When did Li Aiguo reach such a level?

Liu Haizhong had just finished speaking, but his mouth was still open. Now he could no longer close it, his eyes fixed on the big red invitation.

If he could get an invitation, he would be willing to never drink for the rest of his life.

Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu's faces suddenly turned hot and dark.

They were still considering it an honor to be able to participate in the square performances, but Li Aiguo was already sitting in the stands watching the performances.

This is no longer a person of the same level.

The residents who were watching all shut their mouths. For a moment, the scene was silent.

"Why, do I need to attend the square performance?" Li Aiguo put away the invitation and put it back into the canvas bag.

He also didn't expect that he would have the opportunity to sit in the stands and watch the National Day celebrations this time.

Last night, after going to the ministry to help explain the technical problems of a patriotic steam engine, Liu Guozhang personally handed him the invitation.

He was famous for his significant contribution to the improvement of the forward steam engine and his outstanding contribution in receiving the expert group from the Hungarian People's Railway Ministry.

At the same time, I hope his position will be next to the Hungarian expert team.

Maybe the last one is the real reason why I can sit in the stands.

However, Li Aiguo was not discouraged at all.

After all, it is a great honor to be able to sit in the stands these days.

What kind of bicycle do you want?

Faced with Li Aiguo's questioning, Yi Zhonghai and others were unable to utter a word.

As long as they dared to speak out, Li Aiguo could use the invitation to deal with them.

Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office tried to smooth things over again: "Comrade Aiguo, it seems that Yi Zhonghai and his men have misunderstood you."

"I am not afraid of being misunderstood. I am just worried that our subdistrict office will lose face and become a laughing stock in front of the whole world in the future."

Li Aiguo said solemnly: "So, I propose to expel all the unqualified residents in the square array."

Expelled?
Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and Jia Dongxu were startled and said quickly: "Director Wang, we are activists and can represent our neighborhood."

Director Wang of the Street Office knew very well how the three people obtained the qualifications.

It’s just that it’s a custom in the district for the manager to attend the celebration, so the street office turned a blind eye to it.

Now that the celebratory performances are at stake, the situation is different.

Director Wang of the Street Office looked at Yi Zhonghai with a serious expression: "Yi Zhonghai, you are the eldest uncle of the courtyard, and you have the highest ideological awareness. I hope you can put the overall situation first and take the initiative to withdraw from this celebration performance."

bang.

Yi Zhonghai felt that he was being accused of something shady.

When did Director Wang from the Subdistrict Office learn about Li Aiguo's recruitment?

Yi Zhonghai could only grit his teeth and nod, "I am willing to withdraw voluntarily."

Director Wang looked at Liu Haizhong and Jia Dongxu again.

Since Yi Zhonghai, the backbone of the group, had surrendered, the two men also raised their hands obediently.

Li Aiguo screened the residents in the square again and eliminated two unsuitable residents.

After Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office agreed, he asked with concern: "Now there are five fewer vacancies, who should we find to fill them?"

"Director, have you forgotten our neighborhood patrol team?" Li Aiguo was prepared and said with a smile.

"The guys in the neighborhood patrol are indeed the most energetic in our neighborhood. They have received training before. This is a good idea."

Director Wang from the Subdistrict Office agreed on the spot.

Li Aiguo rode his bicycle back to the courtyard and told Zhang Gangzhu the news.

"What?"

Zhang Gangzhu was taking a nap when he jumped out of bed in excitement without even putting on his shoes.

"Can I also go to the square to participate in performances?"

"Yi Zhonghai and the others have voluntarily withdrawn. Now we need to select five people from our patrol team. I think you are fully qualified." Li Aiguo repeated the decision of the street office.

Zhang Gangzhu's reaction was more intense than Li Aiguo had imagined.

After confirming the truth of the matter, he was stunned for a moment as if he had been struck by lightning.

Then he suddenly pulled aside the curtain and ran to the inner room, took out his father's portrait from the drawer and placed it on the table.

Zhang Gangzhu knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times in front of the portrait.

"Dad, did you see that? My son is glorious!"

After consultation, Li Aiguo and Zhang Gangzhu selected four more members from the patrol team.

They are all members who perform very well in their daily neighborhood patrols.

Like Zhang Chen from the compound next door, he found an old lady fainted on the side of the road while on patrol last month.

He carried the old lady on his back and ran seven or eight miles to take her to the hospital, and even paid the medical expenses.

The doctor said that if the old lady had been brought in half an hour later, she would have died.

These days old ladies haven't learned how to blackmail people.

When the old lady's son and daughter-in-law found out, they came to Zhang Chen with gifts to express their gratitude and also wrote a letter of praise to the street office.

"Zhang Chen, Da Junzi, Wang Pao" were read out one name after another.

The patrolman whose name was called almost jumped up with excitement.

Although they joined the patrol not for any reward, who would dislike honor and rewards?

Although the patrol team is voluntary, Li Aiguo knows that it cannot be sustained relying solely on the enthusiasm of these young people.

So we do some small benefits from time to time.

For example, raincoats and flashlights provided by the supply and marketing cooperatives, red bills issued by the street office, movie tickets from the cinema, etc.

Of course, these gadgets were provided voluntarily by those units.

"Comrades whose names are read will go to the small square next to the neighborhood office early tomorrow morning to participate in training."

Following Li Aiguo's order, the young people cheered.

Even the players who were not selected felt honored.

After Da Junzi returned home, he told his grandmother that he was going to perform in the square.

"Da Junzi, you finally got your honor, all thanks to Li Aiguo, otherwise you would have gone astray."

The grandmother, who was in her seventies, said incoherently with her mouth drooping: "This is great news. You should write a letter to your parents as soon as possible."

At the writing desk, Da Junzi picked up a pen and wrote in crooked handwriting: "Dear father, mother, are you all right in the army?

I have good news to tell you. Because of my outstanding performance in the patrol team, I will go to the square to participate in the performance of the National Day celebration.

I was worried that I might not perform well, but Captain Li Aiguo encouraged me
Grandma is in good health and I will take good care of her.

Best regards. ”

Tears fell and dripped onto the letter paper, forming a ball of ink drops.

As the sun sets, golden sunlight spreads across the capital.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and Jia Dongxu came back from outside dejected.

The third uncle stopped them and asked curiously, "What's wrong, old men? Aren't you going to perform in the square? Why are you so unhappy?"

Yi Zhonghai looked calm and said seriously, "Ahem, Old Yan, something went wrong. In order to allow our subdistrict office to take the lead in the performance, Old Liu, Dongxu and I, the three of us, showed our style and took the initiative to withdraw."

The third uncle had heard the whole thing and had originally planned to take revenge.

As a result, he was resolved by the cunning Yi Zhonghai with just one sentence, and he could only return home and sulk.

The residents in the compound were also surprised to learn that the three people were fired.

Yi Zhonghai said "carry forward the style" on the left and "pay attention to unity" on the right.

Liu Haizhong said that he endured the humiliation and bore the heavy burden.

Jia Dongxu said that he was uniting the residents to help the patrol team members realize their dreams.

What was originally a disastrous and embarrassing situation was cleverly resolved by the three of them.

"Alright, everyone should continue to learn from our two stewards, so let's go."

Feeling that the atmosphere was set just right, Yi Zhonghai returned home with his hands behind his back.

Just close the door.

He seemed to have lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground, his back leaning against the door.

Two lines of hot tears slid down his cheeks and a choking sound came from his throat.

The lady was startled and quickly ran over to help him up: "Old Yi, aren't you trying to maintain your style? Why are you so sad?"

"What do you mean by promoting style? This time, Li Aiguo beat me up badly and I was beaten dozens of times for nothing. I was even deprived of my performance qualification.

To those residents, it was just a forced smile."

The more Yi Zhonghai thought about it, the sadder he became. Finally, he could no longer bear it and lay down on the bed and cried bitterly.

Of course, he did not forget to cover his head with a quilt to prevent the residents from hearing him.

Even an old lady could sense his frustration.

"Old Yi, I told you not to pick on Li Aiguo, but you didn't listen. Now look what happened." The old lady shook her head and turned around to get busy.

Jia Dongxu is obviously not as patient as Yi Zhonghai.

He started swearing as soon as he entered the room.

"This damn Li Aiguo is clearly trying to bully us, and he's even doing it in the name of doing good for the neighborhood. It's despicable."

Jia Zhang's eyes turned red with hatred: "This is a good opportunity for our Jia family, but now it has been ruined by Li Aiguo. I, an old woman, cannot coexist with him."

Qin Huairu didn't say anything, but instead felt relieved.

Maybe it's a good thing that Jia Dongxu was fired.

Otherwise, if we really get to the square, there might be a big mess.

When Xu Damao learned that three people were expelled and replaced by members of the patrol team, he regretted it so much.

When the patrol was established last year, he had the opportunity to join.

I gave up just because I thought the patrol team didn't pay and was dangerous.

"I should have listened to Li Aiguo's advice at the beginning," Xu Damao sighed deeply.

People’s joys and sorrows are all connected.

Those people were dissatisfied, angry and depressed, but we, Li Aiguo, were extremely happy.

Li Aiguo's decision to select people from the neighborhood patrol team was not entirely out of selfish motives.

Marching in step may seem simple, but it is not easy to march well, with vigor and majesty.

The young men in the neighborhood patrol team are all energetic and mixed in the team. They can serve as role models and motivate other residents.

With the addition of those patrol members, they were able to march in an orderly manner in just one morning.

(End of this chapter)