The train driver in the courtyard

Early the next morning.

Li Aiguo said goodbye to Chen Xueru and came to the maintenance depot carrying large and small bags.

When Lao Zheng saw him, his eyes widened.

"Huo, we're moving."

Seeing that there was only an enamel pot and an iron lunch box in the net bag hanging around Lao Zheng's waist, Li Aiguo shook his head helplessly.

This is jealousy from a single guy, don't bother with him.

At nine o'clock in the morning, all members of the 131 driver team arrived.

After holding a brief swearing-in meeting, Director Xing waved his hand.

"set off!"

As a train person, the best benefit is that you can ride in a camping car for free every time you travel long distances.

In particular, the train crew knew that the 131 driver team went to Wu Han to gain face for the Beijing Railway Bureau, and they offered the highest standard of reception.

The meal was instant noodles and the tea was West Lake Longjing.

There were also two female flight attendants who would come into the private room from time to time to ask about the guests' well-being.

The two female flight attendants were both in their thirties, which was the mature age.

There is no air conditioning in the train and the temperature is quite high.

Both of them buttoned their shirts every three buttons, and whenever they bent down, a piece of snow-white was always exposed.

People like Li Aiguo and Cao Wenzhi, who often eat meat, were not moved.

Lao Zheng and Lao Chen from the driving team were both single, and they immediately became aroused and started talking to the female flight attendant about all sorts of things.

For a moment, the private room was filled with smoke.

Finally, Duanchang Xing couldn't stand it anymore, so he called the conductor and scolded him with a stern face.

"You look like a good guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, how come you are a traitor?"

"What's the matter, old section chief?" The conductor looked confused.

Director Xing pointed at the two female flight attendants.

"You kid, are you trying to shake the morale of the army?"

"."

The conductor felt very aggrieved.

He's just a little more enthusiastic.

Besides, is this kind of thing considered a big deal on a train?

Finally, the conductor chased away the two enthusiastic female stewardess because they were worried that they might affect the state of the driving team, and the compartment finally became quiet again.

Woo woo woo. Eat, eat, eat.

Accompanied by the monotonous and boring sound of wheels hitting the tracks, Li Aiguo fell into a deep sleep on his comfortable bunk.

After a day's journey, the train arrived at Hankou Dazhimen Station.

"Patriotic, it's time to get off the bus."

Li Aiguo picked up his luggage and followed Director Xing off the train.

Dazhimen Station was built before liberation.

On the side of the main building of the station, you can see the traditional Chinese characters and Wade-Giles spelling of "Hankou Dazhimen", which was the most common notation method in that era.

As soon as we got out of the station, a leader in railway uniform and two comrades who looked like drivers came to greet us.

"Old Xing, I haven't seen you for two years. How come you're still alive?"

The leader walked up and punched Director Xing hard on the shoulder.

"Old Meng, I said back then that if I had to die, you would die before me."

Director Xing was so excited that he punched back. The two men held hands and started chatting. It seemed that they had a good relationship.

"Let me introduce them to you." Section Chief Xing introduced the members of the 131 driver team to the leader.

Then he pointed at his leader and said, "This is Chief Meng from the Jiangan Locomotive Depot."

"Hello, Chief Meng Duan."

Several people greeted each other, and Director Meng also introduced the two people behind him.

"This is Comrade Jiang Shan, the regular driver of Train No. 2612 of our Jiangan Locomotive Depot, and Comrade Liu Dali, the deputy driver.

The two of them are the train drivers sent by our Jiangan Locomotive Depot to perform the train inspection task on the bridge."

Li Aiguo had always felt that the two drivers looked at him in a strange way, and now he finally understood.

It turned out to be a competitor.

Jiangshan is a little older than Cao Wenzhi, probably in his forties. He is a very humble person and keeps welcoming comrades from other units.

Liu Dali is only in his thirties. Although he is much older than Li Aiguo, he is considered a rare young talent among train drivers.

Looking at Li Aiguo and others, he raised his eyebrows and snorted coldly.

"When friends come, we have good wine; when jackals come, we have shotguns!"

Good guy, just call for the lever.

The faces of the people in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot all changed.

Section Chief Meng reprimanded Liu Dali in a neutral tone.

"Driver Liu, you are the best train driver in our Zhengzhou Bureau. You once held a national record of 200,000 kilometers without an accident, and you have been praised by your superiors many times.

However, you are a guest, please be careful with your attitude and don’t let the big brother in the capital make a fool of himself.”

He turned around and looked at Director Xing and said, "Old Xing, young people are ignorant, please don't be offended."

"No way."

Section Chief Xing suddenly pulled Li Aiguo over, pointed at him and said, "Speaking of young people, our section driver Li is only 20 years old this year, but he is already an excellent train driver in the country.

There are so many recipients of the National Trade Union Medal, Second Class Merit, and other commendations that I can’t remember them all.

By the way, the Patriotic Steam Locomotive was modified by him.”

"."Meng Duanchang was suddenly speechless.

Li Aiguo nodded in agreement and said with disdain: "Duanzhang, these are just small achievements, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."

Meng Duanchang: “.”

Liu Dali: “.”

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became weird.

Liu Dali's face changed from red to white, and then from white to green, just like a traffic light.

The people in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot puffed out their chests, and Section Chief Xing felt as if he had drunk honey water.

Having an excellent driver under him, he, as a leader, can hold his head high.

After all, train people speak with strength.

How to demonstrate strength depends on honor.

Whoever has more honors and higher honor levels is the most awesome.

Duanchang Meng originally wanted to give his old rival Duanchang Xing a warning, but he got hit hard and lost interest afterwards.

After sending them to the railway guesthouse, he left in a hurry.

Return to the passenger transport office of Jiangan Locomotive Depot.

Liu Dali sat down on the chair, looked at Jiang Shan and said, "Brother Jiang, this is obviously our home court. These guys from the Beijing City Bureau are obviously picking a fight. How can our Section Chief Meng tolerate this?"

"Things at the top are complicated. We can only listen to whatever decisions are made."

"But they are too bullying, especially that driver Li, who acts like he is worth two and a half million. He thinks this is Beijing."

Liu Dali unbuttoned two buttons, and the gentleness on his face disappeared without a trace, replaced by a bandit-like air.

Seeing this, Jiangshan frowned slightly.

Liu Dali became famous very early. Before liberation, he was already a train driver in the first section of the Hunan-Hubei Railway.

It's just that he made the same mistake as those train drivers before liberation, and had unclear relationships with some local Hongbang muddy water (locally known as Hanliu).

The Hong Gang has always been divided into "clean water" and "muddy water". The so-called "clean water" refers to the "Pao brothers" with legitimate jobs who do not steal or rob, and do not take ill-gotten gains, while the "muddy water" refers to professional hooligans who do all kinds of evil.

At that time, a twelve-word slang was circulating in the muddy water: "Don't stop, don't expose; don't beat, just blow; lie down and lick the ashes." It means that if you don't do bad things, you can't get money and you can only starve.

The train station was a "dry wharf" in those days and a prosperous place, and most of the materials transported on the train were valuables.

The hooligans in the muddy water soon set their sights on the train.

Liu Dali, a train driver, hit it off with them and became the gangsters' accomplice.

Liu Dali was extremely careful and would not touch any materials that were on record.

Whenever he encountered supplies that were difficult to count, he would secretly contact the Muddy Waters gangsters in advance.

When setting off, the train deliberately increased its speed and then stopped in a remote place halfway.

The hooligans rushed in, stole the supplies on the train and carried them down.

After the theft was completed, Liu Dali continued to increase the speed of the car to make up for the lost time.

This way, the train can arrive at the freight yard on time, and since the supplies are difficult to count, they will not attract other people's attention.

Relying on this relationship, Liu Dali made a lot of money from the railway before liberation.

After liberation, Liu Dali was smart enough to cut off ties with that gang of hooligans in a timely manner and actively move closer to the organization.

He was even selected into the long list of private car drivers because of his good driving skills.

In the end, he was not selected because of his past dark history.

Since then, Liu Dali felt that he was treated unfairly.

This time, it could have been awarded the honor of "first run" and cleared of the stain, but the Beijing Railway Bureau intervened.

No wonder he was so angry.

Jiang Shan lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and said in a deep voice: "Liu Dali, you are a few years younger, but I am your elder brother. I have to warn you today. This driving mission is related to whether the ceremony can go on. Don't have any crooked ideas."

Hearing this, Liu Dali stood up from his chair abruptly, blushing and saying, "Brother Jiang, look at what you are saying. I am an upright train driver!"

"That's good. Let's go. I heard that two Patriotic steam locomotives have been transported to the section.

Let's get familiar with the locomotive first, so we don't get caught off guard when the time comes."

Jiang Shan brought Liu Dali to the maintenance workshop of Jiangan Locomotive Depot.

Unlike usual, there was a security officer guarding the workshop door.

Liu Dali is an old man in the Jiangan Locomotive Depot and has acquaintances in all walks of life.

He took out a cigarette and left the two security officers.

"Xiao Chen, Xiao Zhang, what's wrong? Have you offended Section Chief Wang?

It's late at night, and I won't let you rest. You are performing wooden stakes here."

The two security officers took the cigarettes and said with a smile, "Don't mention it. There are two locomotives parked here. They are said to be used on the bridge.

The section chief ordered the brothers to stay here to prevent anyone from causing trouble."

"You are really careful." Liu Dali smoked a cigarette and said calmly, "Can I go in?"

"This"

The security officers looked at each other and said awkwardly, "Brother Liu, it's not that we don't give you face, but this is the order of the section chief, and we are also in a difficult situation."

"I'm a train driver. If I don't familiarize myself with the train in advance and something goes wrong, can you take responsibility?"

Seeing that the two security officers refused to give way, Liu Dali's face suddenly turned gloomy.

Both security officers knew that Liu Dali had a domineering style and was a favorite of Chief Meng, so any important tasks would be undertaken by him.

He is a person you cannot afford to offend.

Both of them looked embarrassed.

At this time, Jiang Shan stepped out to smooth things over: "We can understand the decision of the Security Department, after all, safety comes first, but you can't ignore the actual situation.

How about this, you send one person to go in with us and get on the locomotive together.

This way, even if Section Chief Wang comes, he won’t criticize you.”

The two security officers discussed for a while and made way for the other party.

"Driver Liu, Driver Jiang, you are both top-notch drivers in our locomotive depot. You must not do anything wrong. Go in quickly and don't let the section chief see you."

"Thanks. I'll treat you two to a drink some other day."

Liu Dali, who had a gloomy face just now, became excited at this moment. He took out a pack of Great China cigarettes from his pocket and threw them to the two of them.

"Take it and smoke it."

"Thank you, Brother Liu."

Seeing the Zhonghua cigarettes, Jiangshan raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn't say anything.

After all, as comrades in the same driver group, we should focus on unity.

The two men entered the workshop and found the Patriotic steam locomotive that had been overhauled.

"Is this the train that Li Aiguo modified? I think it's just so-so. If he wasn't in the Beijing Bureau, this thing wouldn't be mass-produced!"

Liu Dali checked the locomotive and said disdainfully while smoking a cigarette: "If I were in the Beijing Bureau, it would not be Li Aiguo's turn."

Jiangshan ignored him and took the structural drawings and analyzed them bit by bit.

The more he analyzed, the more frightened he became.

This patriotic steam locomotive is really amazing!

*****
The Railway Guesthouse is under the management of the Jiangan Locomotive Depot. No letter of introduction, no ID card, and no accommodation fees are required.

The conditions are just average, there is not even 24-hour hot water.

Comrades from the 131st driver team entered the room.

Cao Wenzhi, Lao Liu and others immediately inquired about their opponents' situation.

"This old Meng worked with me in the Beijing Bureau before liberation. He was born into a poor family for three generations. He's not a bad person, but he's too utilitarian."

Director Xing Duan gave an evaluation.

"Is that all the news? Where is Liu Dali?" Cao Wen's eyes widened.

Xing Duanchang raised his eyebrows and thought for a while: "If I am not from the same railway bureau, how can I understand it so clearly?

But I heard that this guy has good skills in driving a locomotive. Two years ago, he had the hope of driving a special train and received training in Beijing for a period of time. "

"and after?"

"Then he didn't get the job. Maybe it was because of his poor skills or his background. The bureau won't make this kind of thing public. Don't ask around."

Xing Duanchang yawned and waved his hand at Cao Wenzhi: "For us, it is useless to understand the opponent. When performing driving tasks, be more careful."

Cao Wenzhi and his comrades in the driver group also understood this.

After all, train workers rely on their strength, and everything will be proven during operation.

The railway bridge of the bridge is undergoing final inspection.

The driver team plans to have a good rest for two days before carrying out the bridge driving mission again.

It’s just that these people are all energetic.

Especially Lao Zheng, after arriving here and asking around, he found out that the guesthouse was not far from Snake Mountain, so he suggested going hiking.

"Yellow Crane Tower, Chief Duan, that's a great place."

This time when Section Chief Xing came out, he also brought the camera from the section's education room, as he also had the idea of ​​checking in during his trip.

Several people went to Snake Mountain for sightseeing with great enthusiasm, and Li Aiguo stayed alone in the guesthouse.

He knew that the old cat would contact him at any time and he needed to be on standby at all times.

really.

The next morning, just after breakfast and returning to his room, Li Aiguo received a call from the guesthouse.

After hanging up the phone, Li Aiguo walked out of the guesthouse, straightened his collar, and disappeared into the crowd.

A moment later, he appeared in a small alley more than 200 meters away from the guesthouse.

There was a 28-inch truck parked there quietly.

The 28-inch bicycle looks neither new nor old, similar to an ordinary 28-inch bicycle, with a chain lock hanging on the handlebar.

In the front basket of the eight-bar truck was a canvas bag that was extremely worn out.

The canvas bag has the words "Wu Han Steel Plant Construction Corps" written on it.

Wu Han Steel started construction in 1955 and has not yet been completed.

The construction site is not far from here, so it is reasonable for the workers of the Construction Corps to park their bicycles here.

The old cat is still as cautious as ever.

Li Aiguo walked forward, took out the canvas bag from the basket and opened it.

Inside the bag was a map and an envelope.

Li Aiguo picked up the map, looked at the marked location, and couldn't help but take a breath.

"This time, the old cat's standards are quite high. He actually stayed in the Central South Bureau Guesthouse."

The Central South Bureau Guesthouse is also known as the Central South Bureau Senior Officials Guesthouse.

It is directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security and is specifically responsible for entertaining leaders and foreign dignitaries.

Scorching sun.

Li Aiguo rode his 28-inch bicycle and it took him half an hour to arrive at this majestic place.

The guesthouse is located in the shade of green trees and there are almost no pedestrians on the road.

There were dense woods on both sides, and it looked very quiet, but Li Aiguo was keenly aware that he was being watched.

Sure enough, about forty or fifty meters away from the door, two uniformed guards blocked his way.

"Comrade, please stay."

"I'm looking for someone." Li Aiguo took out a certificate and a letter of introduction from the envelope and handed them over.

The guard took the ID and compared it carefully with Li Aiguo, and then looked at the letter of introduction carefully.

"Just a moment."

The guard asked his companions to remain alert, turned around and ran into the sentry box to make a phone call.

After a while.

When the guards came out, they looked much friendlier.

"The person you are looking for lives in the backyard. The terrain there is complicated. I will take you there."

"Thank you."

Even after verification, the guards were still worried and personally "escorted" Li Aiguo to the backyard of the guesthouse.

Walking along the corridor to the end, the guard stopped and pointed at a crescent door.

"The yard belongs to the special case team. You can just go in directly."

"Thank you." Li Aiguo turned his head and looked at the guard.

The two guards stood there motionless.

Li Aiguo: "."

Two guards: "."

Li Aiguo: "."

A guard: "."

Another guard fumbled for his gun.

Good man, you are so vigilant!

Li Aiguo was startled and turned around and entered the crescent door.

The guard waited for a while, and seeing that there was nothing happening inside, he turned around and walked towards the gate.

"What exactly is the special investigation team in the backyard investigating? Why can't even we enter?"

According to the regulations of the guesthouse, they need to send the "guests" to the gate of the courtyard and watch the guests enter the courtyard before they complete their mission.

"Shut up. On your first day here, the captain told you that there is only one rule in this guesthouse, and that is to follow the rules and regulations.

Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t ask about.”

"Yes" the little guard was startled.

This guesthouse may not look big, but it actually houses many talented people, including the Russian experts, bridge experts, and even the leaders of the ministries.

The young guard remembered seeing the tall figure in the compound on May 5 last year. He couldn't help but feel excited and secretly reminded himself to abide by the discipline.

Li Aiguo had already entered the yard at this time.

The small courtyard was very ordinary, with a blue brick floor and three rooms on the west side. The only difference was that the guards were now wearing grey Zhongshan suits.

Li Aiguo smelled the scent of weather station personnel from these people.

It seems that this is the reason why the guards in the guesthouse do not step into the courtyard.

"Are you the driver? Team Leader Mao is waiting for you." A man in a gray Zhongshan suit came up to greet me enthusiastically.

Li Aiguo shook hands with him, feeling the calluses all over his palms, and asked calmly, "Have you seen me?"

"Not really, but Team Leader Cat described your appearance to us."

From the bicycle to the documents in the envelope to these gray Zhongshan suits, Lao Mao is still as thoughtful as before.

The man in a gray Zhongshan suit brought Li Aiguo to the door of the house.

The door seemed to be quite old. It was originally carved with exquisite patterns, but with the passage of time, the patterns have become blurred. The paint on the door has also peeled off a lot, revealing the wood inside.

After a heavy knock, there was a response from inside.

The man in the gray Zhongshan suit pushed open the door, invited Li Aiguo in, then immediately closed the door from the outside and left.

The light in the room was dim, and Li Aiguo couldn't help but squint when he walked in. It was not until the door was closed again that he could see the situation inside clearly.

I saw the old cat sitting among a pile of documents, white smoke coming out of the cigar in his mouth and his brows twisted into knots.

Compared to a year ago, Lao Mao looked several years older, and his originally black hair had turned gray.

Next to the old cat stood a middle-aged man in a gray Zhongshan suit.

"Cat Leader"

Seeing this old leader who was always at the forefront again, Li Aiguo felt mixed emotions. He wanted to say hello, but his throat was blocked.

The old cat seemed to sense his mood, put down the documents, stood up and patted his arm.

This old comrade who had dared to charge directly into the face of the enemy's guns seemed to not know what to do when faced with this reunion.

If Li Aiguo was his direct subordinate, Lao Mao could just kick him to express his emotions.

It just seems inappropriate now.

The old cat's face turned red and he squeezed out a sentence.

"You seem to have grown taller. You will have to spend a lot more money to buy cloth and make clothes in the future."

Li Aiguo: "."

He burst out laughing.

"Comrade Lao Mao, if you don't know how to speak, you don't have to say anything."

"Ahem, the atmosphere has been set there." The old cat smiled awkwardly.

After some casual chat, Li Aiguo raised a question that he was most concerned about.

"Swallow, where are Lao Bai and Lao Hei?"

"The situation in the Gobi Desert is not optimistic now. We have encountered..." Lao Mao stopped talking halfway, picked up the cigar and took a long puff.

Li Aiguo certainly understood that he was essentially a non-staff member and could only be involved in specific tasks, and Lao Mao needed to keep it secret.

It seems that Gobi Desert is really in big trouble, otherwise Lao Mao would not come to Wu Han alone to supervise the case.

Li Aiguo was not the type to talk too much, so he asked directly about the case.

"Do you have any clues about the other two enemy groups now?"

"Don't mention it."

The old cat pointed to the pile of documents on the ground, sighed and said, "These are all clues, but they are useless."

Li Aiguo is now quite experienced. When investigating cases like this, there is no need to worry about lack of clues. As long as the masses are mobilized, clues can always be found.

I’m afraid there are too many clues and you don’t have the time or energy to verify them one by one.

The middle-aged man also spoke at this time.

"Comrade Wu Han did a very poor job in his work. No wonder strange things like the embroidered shoes happened."

"Xiao Zhou, local comrades are different from us. They have a lot of things to consider."

Lao Mao scolded him and introduced him to Li Aiguo: "This is Zhou Wenzhong, who we sent to work on the bridge. He is also my apprentice."

"This is the driver."

Zhou Wenzhong had heard of the driver's name a long time ago. He held Li Aiguo's hands tightly with both hands and said excitedly: "Driver Li, you are really young."

Li Aiguo: "."

He felt that this guy seemed to have inherited the old cat's temperament.

"Comrade Zhou Wenzhong, you have made a great contribution by stopping the enemy in time on the bridge," said Li Aiguo.

Zhou Wenzhong scratched his head in embarrassment: "I am still inexperienced and failed to stop the enemy from jumping off the bridge in time. If you, driver Li, were there, the enemy might have been captured."

Li Aiguo: "."

He changed his mind. This guy is much more flexible than the old cat.

"Okay, stop chatting and get down to business." Old Cat glared at Zhou Wenzhong.

The person his apprentice admired the most in the past was himself.

Since the driver's name became known, people have been asking, "What's the driver doing here?"

The old cat will not admit that he is jealous. (End of this chapter)