The train driver in the courtyard

"You said it was rocket engines connected in parallel."

In the study, Mr. Qian frowned, "We have thought of this method before, but there are too many factors in the parallel design. There may be problems in resonance, fuel delivery, and other links. Once there is a problem, the missile may explode during the ignition stage."

Li Aiguo felt that he was a bit of an expert in teaching an expert.

How could a rocket expert of Mr. Qian's level not have considered the option of connecting engines in parallel?

However, Li Aiguo came from the future and he knew very well that with the development of space industry, the amount of materials that needed to be transported would increase, and high-thrust rockets became inevitable.

The manufacturing cost of a single high-thrust rocket is too high and its stability is also problematic.

Therefore, parallel connection of rocket engines eventually became the preferred solution for high-thrust rockets.

Technology can gradually mature, but once you go in the wrong direction, you will have to pay a huge price to turn back.

Li Aiguo, who possesses the third eye, naturally cannot allow such a thing to happen.

Li Aiguo went on to say: "Another advantage of connecting rocket engines in parallel is that they can be recycled."

"Recover the rocket." Old Qian's eyes widened, and the pen he was using to take notes trembled, leaving a bean-sized ink dot on the paper with the tip of the pen.

When I was studying there, my teachers also discussed the future of rockets with those big guys, and they all felt that rocket recovery was the only way forward.

I didn't expect that a train driver would have the same opinion.

Mr. Qian took a deep breath and asked, "Why do you think so?"

"Exploring space is an inevitable path for human civilization. Rocket technology will inevitably mature gradually. By then, rockets will gradually move away from military use and become an important tool for scientific research and even commercial use. In this case, cost becomes one of the important factors."

Li Aiguo said: "Cost determines everything!"

Mr. Qian was a very forward-looking person and he quickly understood Li Aiguo's intention.

"Comrade Patriot, your opinion makes sense. When I came back, my superiors told me that I should come from labor and go back to labor.

I didn't think it was true at first, but now that I see that you, a train driver, can actually understand this truth, I believe it a little bit now."

Mr. Qian wrote down a few words in the notebook: "Rocket engine parallel technology and rocket recovery technology."

This is why Li Aiguo admires Mr. Qian.

Never afraid of difficulties.

It is precisely because of this spirit that domestic rocket technology can develop rapidly.

The two chatted for a while, and it was almost ten o'clock in the evening.

In order not to disturb Mr. Qian's rest, Li Aiguo offered to leave.

Mr. Qian personally sent Li Aiguo and Chen Xueru downstairs.

"Dean Qian, Teacher Jiang, it's windy outside, please stop." Li Aiguo turned around and said goodbye to the two.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the distance and a middle-aged man ran past.

The wind was howling outside, and the middle-aged man was only wearing a large vest, shorts, and a pair of yellow clay shoes, and he was shouting "one, two, one, two, one".
He was sweating profusely in the severe cold, exhaling bursts of white air, but he did not stop.

Wow, he’s not sleeping in the middle of the winter night and is running outside. He’s really a talented person!
"Old Zhao, have you encountered another problem?" Old Qian knew the man and seemed to be used to it.

The middle-aged man ran over shouting "One, two, one, two, one" without stopping. He just kept running on the spot and asked, "Oh, don't mention it. You know what I'm researching. I'll encounter difficulties one day."

He originally wanted to say it directly, but when his eyes fell on Li Aiguo and Chen Xueru, he quickly used "that thing" as a substitute.

He asked curiously, "Old Qian, it's rare that a nerd like you has friends now."

"This is Comrade Li Aiguo, a train driver from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. He has a lot of insights into rockets. This is his wife, Comrade Chen Xueru, a secretary at the Street Office."

After Mr. Qian pointed at Li Aiguo and introduced them, he pointed at the strange running man and introduced him, "This is Professor Zhao from the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences."

"You are Professor Zhao, who invented the proton electrostatic accelerator." Li Aiguo's eyes lit up.

Professor Zhao, like Mr. Qian, is also an outstanding scientist.

I met another big guy.

After hearing this, Professor Zhao stopped and looked Li Aiguo up and down: "How can a train driver know this?"

When Mr. Qian saw Professor Zhao’s puzzled look, he felt very happy.

He laughed like a child and said, "Old Zhao, Comrade Aiguo, this train driver is not an ordinary driver. His confidentiality level is almost the same as mine."

Professor Zhao Zhongyao then realized his negligence. Could a friend who was personally sent out by Mr. Qian be an ordinary person?

"It's so amazing. If we have time, we should discuss high-energy physics.

I can’t do it anymore. It’s almost eleven o’clock at night and I still have five laps to run. Bye.”

Professor Zhao raised his wrist to check the time, then turned around and ran away.

The sound of "one, two, one" gradually faded away.

Li Aiguo narrowed his eyes slightly.

If he had the chance, he would like to have a good exchange with Professor Zhao.

Just because of an old friend of Professor Zhao - John Trump.

He is currently the director of MIT's accelerator laboratory.

John Trump is also a scientist who likes to wear bright red ties.

John Trump is considered a relatively open-minded scientist and may be of great use in the future.

Li Aiguo has long been interested in John Trump and would like to have a good communication with him if there is a chance.

Of course, these things have to be done step by step. You can't eat a big fat man in one bite.

We should still be careful.
The night was quiet.

Tightening his collar, Li Aiguo rode his bicycle with Chen Xueru towards the courtyard, and kept reminding himself on the way back.

in the days that followed.

Li Aiguo continued driving while sorting out information related to rockets. His life was quite unhappy.

However, as the end of the year approaches, railway accidents are frequent in rainy and snowy weather, and we have to be extremely alert when driving every day.

"We're passing Qinglongqiao Station ahead, slow down." Liu Qingquan said.

Huang Jing stood by and repeated: "We are passing Qinglongqiao Station ahead, slow down."

Li Aiguo received the signal and gently pulled down the gate. Puff. Air was puffing from both sides of the train and the speed gradually decreased.

After this period of training, Huang Jing has begun to take on the responsibility of repeating signals.

The car speed stabilized at around 25.

Li Aiguo observed the dashboard and found nothing unusual, then he lit a cigarette and smoked it leisurely.

Qinglongqiao Station was a small freight station in those days. There were no trains or passengers on weekdays, so the safety factor was very high.

After passing the gate, Liu Qingquan also relaxed. He stuck his head out to look around and said with a smile, "Aiguo, my second son is getting married at the end of the year. You must go to the wedding to have a drink then."

"Xiao Shuanzi is getting married? I will definitely be there on time. Where is the girl from?"

When Li Aiguo got married, Liu Qingquan gave him a big gift, and this was a good opportunity to return the favor.

"The girl's parents are both employees in our locomotive depot, and she is now working as a flight attendant in the crew." Liu Qingquan's son is a fireman in the driver's team next door, and is preparing to take the exam to be a deputy driver.

My daughter-in-law is now a flight attendant
Sure enough, railway workers still prefer to find other railway workers as their partners when they get married.

Li Aiguo has already predicted that Liu Qingquan's grandson will also spend his youth on the black railway tracks in the future.

This may be the torch passed down by three generations of railway workers.

It is thanks to their efforts that the great cause of railways can be developed and flourish.

As we were chatting, a dull sound suddenly came from the distance.

"What happened?" Although Li Aiguo didn't know what happened outside, he subconsciously braked the train according to the rules and regulations.

Liu Qingquan was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth, and an incredible sound came out of his throat.

In panic, he looked down at Li Aiguo in fear.

"The train flew"

“Can trains fly?”

Li Aiguo thought Liu Qingquan was dazzled, so he quickly rushed to the side window and looked out. He was no less shocked than Liu Qingquan, and even felt it was ridiculous.

Under the gloomy sky, on a railway line in the distance, a train was speeding towards the obstruction at the end of the railway line.

The barrier was made of cement and had a small curvature. After the front of the train hit the barrier, it actually jumped up along the barrier, just like Grand Theft Auto, and flew up with a roar.

The locomotive rushed into the sky with two carriages, flew for a distance, and then fell into a pond in the distance.

The shattered parts of the train fell from the sky and landed in the pond like iron rain.

Water splashed everywhere, and bursts of violent white smoke erupted when the train furnace touched the water.

Bubbles gurgled on the surface of the calm pond, and the huge, twisted and deformed front of the train, along with its two sections of black car body, gradually sank.

This is a big scene that can only be seen in action movies.

At this time, the switchman at Qinglongqiao Station also discovered what had happened. He ran to the pond and immediately shouted for help.

The tranquility of the small station was broken by urgent shouts.

Seven or eight workers ran out of the station and gathered around the pond.

But it was obvious that they could do nothing about the train that fell into the water and could only watch the front of the train sink slowly.

"There must be someone in the locomotive, save him! Huang Jing, I order you to temporarily replace me as the driver!" Li Aiguo's heart skipped a beat and he stood up immediately.

Huang Jing subconsciously sat down and took over Li Aiguo's job.

Co-driver Liu Qingquan was a little embarrassed: "Aiguo, our mission is to take the passengers to their destination. If we participate in the rescue now, it will definitely delay time."

"Old Liu, don't say anything. This is my decision. If anyone in the department blames me, I will apologize to them."

Time was running out, Li Aiguo had no time to explain and directly interrupted Liu Qingquan.

"Old Zheng, open the door."

Fireman Lao Zheng couldn't wait to see the train fall into the water.

Before Li Aiguo reached the side door, he had already opened the door and rushed out with a shovel.

Liu Qingquan looked at the two men's backs and stamped his feet in anger: "It's the end of the year, and it's related to whether we can get the title of the first flight crew. Do you have any sense of collective honor?"

Liu Qingquan gritted his teeth, turned his head and said to Huang Jing: "Huang Jing, you are the driver now!" After that, he ran down with the two of them.

While running, he shouted, "Wait for me."

It is not common for a train to fall into water, and it is even rarer for a train to fall into a fish pond.

When people encounter something they have never seen before, they always appear weak and panic-stricken.

When Li Aiguo arrived at the pond, the employees at Qinglongqiao Station were still helpless.

The webmaster Chen Xing was so anxious that smoke was coming out of his mouth.

"What should I do? What should I do?"

It’s not that Chen Xing’s ability to cope with the situation is poor, but Qinglongqiao Station itself is a small station and does not involve passenger business, so no accidents will happen throughout the year.

The result is a big one.

The train flew and jumped into the water.

That is a train worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, a precious national property.

Anyone would have a buzzing head.

Not to mention the employees.

This place is specially used to accommodate the families of employees, most of whom are temporary workers and have not received any special training at all.

"Save people first!"

A majestic voice sounded in their ears, and everyone woke up in shock.

"Yes, yes, there are still three people inside. Let's rescue them first."

At that time, four or five employees took off their clothes and jumped into the pond despite the severe cold.
What Li Aiguo didn't expect was that Liu Qingquan, who had been dragging his feet just now, actually got ahead of those employees.

The wind was freezing cold, and Li Aiguo felt a little cold even though he was wearing a sheepskin coat and a tiger skin four-piece suit.

Liu Qingquan jumped into the pond naked and his skin soon turned blue from the cold.

He dived down like a fish and swam towards the train.

I don't know when small snowflakes started floating in the sky.

The train had deformed from the windows, and Liu Qingquan tried to pull it up several times but failed.

The cold wind was raging. Liu Qingquan picked up the maintenance hammer at his waist, pulled at the side door window with one hand, and hit the window hard with the hammer with the other hand.

Well, even though he was naked, he still remembered to bring the inspection hammer, which earned a thumbs up from Deputy Driver Liu.

Bang, bang, bang. After a few hits from the hammers, the car windows were smashed into pieces. The station staff who followed came forward to help, and several of them cleared an entrance.

Liu Qingquan looked at the dark window and heard screams from inside. He gritted his teeth and was about to get in.

"Lao Liu, let me do it."

Liu Qingquan turned his head and saw that Li Aiguo had swam behind him at some point.

In the middle of winter, the muscles were frozen bright red.

"Driver Li, I grew up by the river and won the employee swimming championship in our section. My swimming skills are better than yours." Liu Qingquan grabbed Li Aiguo's arm.

"It's just like in a cave. It's not about swimming skills, but about agility and strength. I'm younger than you, so let me do it."

Li Aiguo shook off Liu Qingquan's arm and climbed in through the car window.

Liu Qingquan looked at his back and wanted to say, "Driver Li, be careful," but he felt that he was being a little fussy, so he just shut his mouth and let the employees outside prepare to rescue people.

This was also the first time that Li Aiguo entered a locomotive filled with water. It felt a bit like entering a flooded cave. (End of this chapter)