The train driver in the courtyard

Chapter 632: There is a trick to catch mice in the courtyard, Xu Damao is bitten by a mouse, and Professor Wu is worried
Two days later, another rumor came.

Chengde had already started the Four-Day Exorcism as early as October last year.

Units with outstanding achievements were reported in newspapers, and individuals with outstanding achievements wore big red flowers and went on stage to receive commendations.

The enthusiasm of residents in Siheyuan and even Nantongluo Lane district was fully aroused.

The masses are eager to fight for glory.

The people are very smart and have a wide variety of methods.

Conventional mousetraps are no longer sufficient.

Liu Haizhong took Liu Guangfu and Liu Guangtian to "dig out the nest".

Liu Guangfu’s little arms could just fit into the mouse hole, and he reaped a good harvest, but it was a bit of a waste of his arms.

Zhang Gangzhu created the "double-spring wire mouse trap" method and turned his home into a dragnet.

Whenever a mouse passed by, a whoosh sound would appear and a mouse would be broken into two halves and lie on the ground.

The tragic scene was horrifying.

The rat's body was broken in the middle, and bright red blood spread on the surrounding ground like a horrific canvas.

The upper half of the mouse's body was wriggling slightly, dragging its internal organs along with it, making the clean ground a bloody mess, almost like a scene from a horror movie.

Wang Gangtie came out from the inner room and was so scared that he almost jumped onto the roof.

After Zhang Gangzhu successfully received a slap in the face, the steel wire was thrown into the trash.

The third uncle is an educated man and naturally disdains those barbaric methods.

Relying on his own cultural background, he creatively figured out the "ink-mixing method to catch mice".

He used ink to stick on the ground as a mousetrap, but because he didn't want to put out any steamed bread as bait, he didn't catch any mouse. Instead, Yan Jiedi stepped on the mouse when she went to the toilet in the middle of the night.

I don’t know how many years the third uncle’s ink has been kept.

Although Yan Jie Di was not stuck, the ink on her feet could not be washed off.

Later, Li Aiguo took half a bottle of liquor and poured it on the ink to dissolve the ink. Only then did Yan Jiedi have clean little feet again.

"Uncle, what year is this ink from?"

“I can’t remember clearly. It was passed down from my grandfather’s generation.” said the third uncle.

Li Aiguo was surprised and said, "You really invested a lot this time."

"Catching mice is a big deal. Not to mention me, even the deaf old lady catches mice."

"She can't even walk, right? How can she catch mice?"

"The deaf old lady couldn't walk, but that didn't stop her from opening the water jar. She put half a steamed bun in the jar and caught two mice in one night."

The third uncle did not think that the "mixing ink to catch mice" method had failed, it was just that the placement was wrong.

He carefully put the remaining ink into a bottle and prepared to put it somewhere where no one would pass by.

Looking at the busy uncle with his butt sticking out, Li Aiguo fell silent.

He felt that he had underestimated the enthusiasm and creativity of people these days.

As it turned out, Li Aiguo underestimated the residents in the compound again.

Early the next morning.

Li Aiguo was preparing to go to work at the Railway Research Institute. As soon as he walked out of the house with his canvas bag, he saw Hailong, Haitao, and Xu Damao gathered together.

They caught a big rat.

That mouse was also unlucky.

Its front paws were grabbed by the sea dragon, and its hind paws were grabbed by the sea waves. It looked like it was being torn apart by five horses.

Xu Damao was sewing.

"Brother Damao, what's going on? Are you making flowery clothes for the mice?" Li Aiguo walked over and handed Xu Damao a cigarette.

Xu Damao took the cigarette and put it between his ears.

While busying himself, he said with a smile: "Aiguo brother, are you going to work? Don't worry, I will show you what a rat catching expert is later."

The research work has been on track in recent days. Li Aiguo is not busy, but stands aside and watches the excitement.

The residents in the compound also gathered together, and Jia Dongxu was among the crowd, holding the stick.

Xu Damao felt a little proud when he saw so many people surrounding him.

"I learned this method of catching mice from an old member in the countryside. That member specialized in catching mice before liberation and was nicknamed the Rat King. He was extremely good!"

As he spoke, Xu Damao took out a soybean from his pocket and stuffed it into the mouse's skin.

Regardless of the mouse's grimace of pain, Xu Damao poked inside with his finger to make sure that all the soybeans were in. Then he picked up the needle and thread and sewed up the mouse's skin.

"See? Soybeans expand. The mouse is getting anxious now."

Jia Dongxu said in a mean way: "If you stuff this thing in your Piyanzi, you'll be furious too."

Xu Damao ignored Jia Dongxu, held the crazy mouse and walked to the mouse hole next to him and stuffed the mouse in.

When the crazy mouse entered the mouse hole, it acted like it had rabies, killing everywhere in the hole and biting every mouse it saw.

In a short while, two mice were bitten all over their bodies and were dying when they slipped out of the hole.

Hailong and Haitao took the fire tongs and gently clamped the mouse into the wooden barrel.

"You know what, Xu Damao's method is really good."

"I'll find a mouse hole later and play this game."

Hearing the residents' praise, Xu Damao raised his head proudly.

There was a squeaking sound of anger coming from the mouse hole. It was obvious that the mouse had lost its target for venting its anger and was about to rush out.

The residents who were watching realized something was wrong and quickly retreated to the back.

Li Aiguo took two steps back and asked, "Brother Damao, how are you going to catch that mad mouse?"

Xu Damao: "Isn't it just a mouse? I am the descendant of the Rat King. How can I..."

In the blink of an eye, the mouse with its skin sewn on had crawled out of the mouse hole.

The mouse's eyes were red and its hair stood on end.

Its body was tense, and its little claws were gripping the ground tightly, making a slight "squeaking" sound, which was an angry roar.

The hateful gaze swept over the residents and finally stopped on Xu Damao.

Suddenly, the mouse pounced on Xu Damao like an arrow.

It was moving at an extremely fast speed, leaving a black shadow in the air.

Xu Damao then realized that something was wrong, but it was too late.

The mouse, harboring a great vengeance for Pi Yanzi, rushed to Xu Damao's ankle and bit it hard.

Xu Damao sucked in pain, but still maintained his composure and said what he had not finished.

".You can be afraid of a mouse."

Unfortunately, the dignity Xu Damao could maintain in front of the angry mouse was very short-lived.

He cried for his parents, jumped onto the flower bed, and kicked his legs desperately to shake off the mouse.

歘!
The black butcher knife flew out, and Zhang Gangzhu raised his knife and chopped the mouse into two pieces.

"Hey, I picked up a mouse for nothing."

A figure rushed over from a distance and kicked Zhang Gangzhu.

"Can't you just not chop the rat?" Wang Gangtie was very disappointed.

Zhang Gangzhu: "Don't you think it's handsome?"

Wang Tiedan: “.”

Li Aiguo: "."

Xu Damao: "."

******
Although Xu Damao's method of stuffing swallows with soybean peels failed, the enthusiasm of the residents in the compound could not be dampened.

All the rats in the compound were caught in less than two days, and the rats were even swapped by their tails.

Others only rely on the tail of a rat to gain honor, but Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu try to keep their position and job by eliminating the four villains.

Compared with ordinary residents, the two of them seemed more anxious.

Inside the Yi family's house.

An old lady was also worried about Yi Zhonghai.

"Yi Zhonghai, what can we do? Rats can't be caught, flies are worthless, and you still want to turn things around by relying on the four-point elimination. Now it's all over."

Yi Zhonghai was not in a hurry at all. He drank his tea comfortably and said, "Don't worry, I have a good idea. I guarantee that I can get the advanced certificate."

"what?"

Without waiting for Yi Zhonghai to answer, Liu Haizhong knocked on Yi's door, took out a slingshot from a canvas bag and handed it to Yi Zhonghai.

"Old Yi, are you going to kill the sparrows? Let me remind you, there is still a lot of debate about whether sparrows are pests or not."

"This matter has nothing to do with you. Here, these are two bottles of Lao Fenjiu." Yi Zhonghai took out two bottles of wine and handed them to Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong put the wine in his arms and walked away happily.

He helped just for the wine and would definitely not meddle in Yi Zhonghai's affairs.

The auntie also understood it now.

Rats in compounds and neighborhoods are difficult to catch, but there are many sparrows outside, and catching sparrows can also help you gain advancement.

But the aunt also heard that since sparrows were listed as one of the four species of animals, they have been opposed by some people.

"Old man, just listen to the sea. We in the capital haven't confirmed whether the sparrow is a four-tailed one yet. Just wait for a while."

The aunt was a little worried.

"You have long hair but little knowledge. Chengde and Zhengzhou have been playing mahjong since last year.

This is definitely not wrong. Also, didn’t Mr. Guo, the president of the Academy of Sciences, publish poems in the Beijing Evening News?

Get me yesterday's newspaper."

Although the old lady had attended a literacy class, she could not read a few words. She took out a newspaper and handed it to Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai took the newspaper and read: "Curse of the Sparrow"

Sparrow, sparrow, you are too arrogant, you don't care when the sky falls. Sparrow, sparrow, you are too arrogant, you eat rice like the wind.

You are such a jerk, jumping around with all your anger. You have committed sins for thousands of years, and today I will settle accounts with you.

"They attacked with fierce blows, bombardment, and finally set fire to them. They burned all the weapons, and the four evils were wiped out."

Yi Zhonghai shook the newspaper and said, "Look, a great poet called sparrows bastard birds. How could this be wrong?"

In order to prevent the residents in the compound from discovering that he had started catching sparrows and to reduce the number of competitors, Yi Zhonghai decided to go to the barren hills in the suburbs to catch sparrows.

"Old lady, no one is paying attention now. If we take the lead, we will definitely get the upper hand."

The lady hesitated for a moment and asked, "He's breaking his own bricks and hitting his feet. He's choking on his throat while eating alone. Why don't you ask Jia Dongxu to help? He's in a difficult situation too."

"That's an ungrateful person. Don't mention him in front of me anymore."

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai had made up his mind, the aunt had no choice but to prepare dry food and clean water for him.

Yi Zhonghai slung a canvas bag over his shoulder, holding an old military water bottle, and left the courtyard.

When someone asked him about it on the road, he always said that he was visiting relatives.

Heading west, it took Yi Zhonghai half a day to reach the western suburbs.

He was about to take a break when he looked up and saw a figure.

The figure was chewing a black steamed bun under the shade of a tree. He raised his head when he heard the sound.

The two looked at each other.

"Jia Dongxu?"

"Master Yi?"

"What are you doing?" "Visiting relatives."

"What are you doing?"

"Visiting relatives."

"."

"."

The two looked at each other's clothes and understood each other's true intentions.
After eating the black steamed bread, Yi Zhonghai walked towards the barren slope to the east, and Jia Dongxu walked towards the barren slope to the west.

A flock of birds are flying around on the barren hillside.

******
Railway Research Institute, Project Team.

Li Aiguo read the calculation data submitted by Chen Zihua.

I have to say, he is a big shot after all. He calculated the peak of the uninsulated track signal in just a few days.

Putting down a thick stack of data, Li Aiguo looked at the information and asked:
"Comrade Chen Zilan, are you adapting well to life at the institute?"

"Adapted. Eat well, sleep well, everything is fine." Chen Zilan was as concise as usual.

“That’s good. The next step for your calculation team is to calculate the resonant frequency and the capacitance value of the coupling unit resonant circuit.

There are also 4 types of natural attenuation values ​​of rail signals under alternating signal carrier frequency settings.

The specific calculation method is provided by the electrical team. Contact person of the electrical team"

Li Aiguo waved at Zong Xianfeng who was coordinating with several senior professors: "Zong Xianfeng, come here. Let me introduce you. This is researcher Chen Ziyuan from the Institute of Mathematics. Chen Ziyuan, this is Zong Xianfeng from Jingcheng University."

"Team leader Li, we have known each other for a long time. Teacher Chen also taught me analytic number theory, and I particularly admire Teacher Chen's understanding of prime numbers." Zong Xianfeng said with a smile.

Wow, Chen Zilan is indeed a good teacher. He never forgets to teach his students wherever he goes.

Since the two people know each other, Li Aiguo's work will be easier. He can just let the two contact each other directly.

"Xianfeng, if your electrical engineering team has any difficult mathematical problems, you can give them to Researcher Chen."

After arranging the work, Li Aiguo prepared to go to Factory 783 to talk to Professor Xia Zhongsu.

Zong Xianfeng followed him out the door.

"Team Leader Li, I've noticed some rumors recently."

Li Aiguo stopped and looked at Zong Xianfeng.

"There's a rumor going around in the capital that we're going to get rid of the four evils, and many researchers feel that if they don't participate, they might be criticized by others."

It may sound incredible that scientific researchers are catching mice and hitting flies, but it is very normal in this day and age.

You know, in the original timeline, two thousand teachers and students of the Academy of Sciences, including scientific research giants such as Mr. Qian and Mr. Hua, also participated in it.

“Tell those researchers not to worry. I will have the institute organize a rat-catching and fly-killing activity, and everyone needs to participate.

But even if there is no harvest, I will give each of them ten rat tails."

"Ten Rat Tails" Zong Xianfeng's breathing became rapid.

Asking those nerds doing scientific research to catch mice is like asking a scholar to go into battle with a machete to kill the enemy.

They bury themselves in books and experiments all day long, dealing with sophisticated instruments, complex formulas and profound theories. How could they know the tricks of catching mice?

Zong Xianfeng told the old professors and researchers about the "Ten Rat Tails".

They were immediately happier than if they had received 20 kilograms of refined white flour.

They would also rather spend their time on research than on catching mice.

When Liu Guozhang learned about this, he breathed a sigh of relief and invited Li Aiguo over.

"Aiguo, I was just thinking about how to deal with it, but I didn't expect you to solve it."

"This is what I should do. I happen to have a friend who is an expert at catching mice." Li Aiguo stopped talking halfway.

Liu Guozhang also knew that these rat tails must have unknown origins, so he did not ask any further questions.

"But why do you still want those researchers to participate in the event? You know, it will definitely delay their research work."

Li Aiguo lit a cigarette, took a puff and said, "Teacher, people cannot be separated from life.

The purpose of scientific research by researchers is to make people's lives better, and therefore they must never be separated from the fertile soil of the masses.

We should not use the funds allocated by the state simply to pursue personal academic status and honor and turn a blind eye to the suffering of the world.

That would be like a bird lost in the clouds, forgetting the vastness and reality of the earth.

After all, we haven’t built a paradise on earth yet.”

Liu Guozhang pondered for a long time after hearing this, then sighed and said, "Scientific research is for the people. There are many researchers and engineers who don't understand such a simple truth as patriotism. Your thinking is becoming more and more progressive."

“This is all because of the teacher’s good teaching.”

Li Aiguo smiled playfully and pointed to the drawer: "Teacher, do you have any cigarettes left?

I am a deputy team leader and a leader after all, so I have to carry a few bags, right?!"

"You, you are becoming more and more difficult to understand."

It seems that Li Aiguo, who was just serious and concerned about the country and the people, has suddenly turned into a monkey trying to take advantage of the situation.

Liu Guozhang shook his head with a wry smile, took out two packs of white cigarettes from the drawer and handed them to Li Aiguo.

"Here, that's all for this month."

"Then I'll come back next month."

Li Aiguo put the cigarette in his pocket, turned around and ran away.

Liu Guozhang: "."

******
After leaving the Railway Research Institute, Li Aiguo came to Factory 738 and met Professor Xia Zhongsu.

The development of the 103 vacuum tube computer is proceeding in an orderly manner, and the current focus of work is on the development of the magnetic drum.

"Magnetic drum?"

"It is the storage core of the vacuum tube computer. The manufacturing process is very complicated and time-consuming."

Professor Xia Zhongsu gave a brief introduction to the magnetic drum.

This thing requires spraying magnetic glue on the aluminum cylinder first. The magnetic glue is imported from the Russians at a high price.

The aluminum columns need to be stored outdoors, which is called natural aging. They are exposed to wind, rain, and scorching sun for several months. After fine turning, grinding, and spraying with magnetic glue dozens of times, they are ground again.

The aluminum column cannot have air holes, and the distance between the magnetic head and the drum surface must be checked and corrected by dynamic and static balance.

Finally, a magnetic drum can be made to store data.

The magnetic drum has a storage capacity of only a few KB (kilobytes), while more advanced ones may reach more than ten KB.

"We use the Russian technology, which can store 20KB of data," said Professor Xia Zhongsu proudly.

Li Aiguo looked at the magnetic drum that was as big as a tractor and his mouth twitched.

It seems that foreign countries have already started to develop [magnetic core memory], and the technology introduced from the Russians is still a bit backward.

However, Li Aiguo did not ask too much.

After all, the large storage capacity of 20KB is enough to run the program that generates pulse signals.

What Li Aiguo cares about is when the magnetic drum can be manufactured.

Li Aiguo felt relieved when he learned that there were more than ten days left before the last layer of magnetic glue could be applied.

It was almost dusk when we left Factory 738.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the ancient city walls, covering the bricks and stones that have experienced the vicissitudes of time with a layer of light golden gauze.

In the distance, the sound of bells rang out slowly, echoing over the capital. The steady and melodious sound seemed to be telling the story of this ancient city.

Li Aiguo seemed to be in an old painting.

As soon as I pushed my bicycle back to the compound, I saw the third uncle squatting under the eaves scraping ink. The black ink was shining with a greasy sheen.

"Uncle, how many mice did you catch today?"

"Oh, forget it. This thing doesn't work. It only sticks to a few mouse hairs." The third uncle smiled awkwardly and said, "Look, I'm adjusting the formula."

Li Aiguo gave a thumbs up to the great scientist Comrade Yan Bugui.

But the third uncle's idea is correct.

Using sticky mouse boards to catch mice is indeed more efficient than using mousetraps.

Li Aiguo remembers the acrylic glue on the mousetrap, which is often used in maintenance workshops to glue broken train seats.

If there is a chance, you can make a mouse trap.

After greeting the third uncle, Li Aiguo walked into the compound.

At this time, the third uncle seemed to remember something and stopped Li Aiguo again.

"Aiguo, you have a guest at home. An old man dressed as a member of the commune is carrying a bag of corn cobs and is asking about your home's location. He is probably waiting at your door."

The third uncle added: "The corn cobs are really yellow and big."

Member?

Could it be someone from Wei Zhuang Commune?

No, that’s impossible. The day before yesterday, Wang Da Kui went to Wei Village to get mousetraps, and the village chief, Old Wei, asked him to bring back a big bag of dandelions for Li Aiguo.

Dandelion can be eaten cold, cooked or made into soup. It has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and dispersing knots, and promoting diuresis and relieving stranguria, which is suitable for people with hot tempers like train drivers.

When he walked to the backyard and saw the man dressed like an old farmer wearing a straw hat and a short shirt, Li Aiguo burst out laughing.

"Professor Wu, why are you here?"

This person is Professor Wu, a breeding expert from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Li Aiguo had dealt with him several times and the two had become friends.

"I just came back from Chengde. Knowing that you like to eat corn, I thought of giving you some hybrid corn cobs that we harvested last year."

Although Professor Wu holds the title of professor, his behavior is no different from that of ordinary members and he has a simple personality.

Following Li Aiguo into the house, he took out seven corn cobs from his net bag and placed them on the table.

The corn cobs have full grains and are much longer than ordinary corn.

"New variety? The yield is good, right?" Li Aiguo poured a enamel mug of tea for Professor Wu and handed him a cigarette.

Professor Wu lit up a cigarette and nodded, saying, "This is the latest double-line hybrid corn. Last year, the yield per mu was about 600 kilograms, but this year the yield is expected to decrease."

"What do you mean?" Li Aiguo frowned.

"It's all because of catching sparrows. Chengde started catching sparrows last year. Without sparrows, pests are rampant."

Professor Wu said angrily, smoke coming out of his nostrils: "We have suggested to the higher-ups several times that sparrows are not pests and asked them to remove sparrows from the list, but they have not responded yet."

Professor Wu had a great rant, and Li Aiguo understood what he meant.

Since the idea of ​​eliminating the four pollutants was proposed, many biologists and agricultural experts have expressed objections.

It means that sparrows are different from mice, mosquitoes and flies, and can be used to prevent and control pests.

However, some people also expressed support for catching sparrows, including many well-known scientists, especially President Guo of the Academy of Sciences, who strongly supported it.

Professor Wu said: "Although the matter is small, it is related to agricultural production. I have already thought about it. I will write a big report tomorrow to report these situations to my superiors."

Li Aiguo looked at the excited Professor Wu, took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Old Wu, do you think your method is useful?"

Professor Wu's expression suddenly darkened.

The whole person looked like an eggplant hit by frost, with his head drooping and his shoulders drooping weakly.

"I have to do something. Some communes are already experiencing famine. If the crop yields continue to decrease..."

"Even if it means risking my life, I will do it"

His hometown is Huayuankou. Having experienced the events of 1938, he knows well the horror of famine.

Li Aiguo interrupted him: "When making suggestions, you need to pay attention to methods and strategies. How about this, as a breeding expert, you write a report on the breeding situation in Chengde this year. Remember, only talk about the work and don't make suggestions, let alone take advantage of the topic to make a point."

Looking at Li Aiguo's serious expression, Professor Wu nodded heavily even though he was not sure what he was going to do.

"Driver Li, I'll listen to you."

(End of this chapter)