The train driver in the courtyard

"What? Aren't sparrows eating insects?"

"Ah? Liu Haizhong, what are you talking about?"

Jia Dongxu was enjoying the admiring gazes of the residents when Liu Haizhong splashed water on his head.

He became furious at that moment, pointing at the nose in his bangs and shouting angrily.

"Don't worry, Dongxu. The second uncle must have made a mistake."

Yi Zhonghai stopped Jia Dongxu and warned him that Liu Haizhong was the manager of the compound after all, and Jia Dongxu should show respect.

Yi Zhonghai didn't take Liu Haizhong's words to heart at this time. He straightened his collar and walked forward, looking Liu Haizhong up and down.

"Haizhong, have you been drinking again? How many times have I told you not to drink so early in the morning?"

Snapped!
Liu Haizhong pulled out a newspaper from his arms and held it high.

"Old Yi, this is really incredible, it has been published in the newspaper!"

Newspapers in those days are different from the Douyin self-media of later generations. They are the real authority.

There is absolutely no way that what is published in the newspaper can be wrong.

If you get an error, refer to step 1.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai, who had been full of confidence just now, became flustered and muttered softly, "Impossible, absolutely impossible."

He snatched the newspaper from Liu Haizhong's hand.

The bright black words on the newspaper glowed with colorful light under the sunlight and were reflected in Yi Zhonghai's eyes.

He couldn't help but gasp, and he seemed to have suddenly aged several years.

His straight body was now hunched over, and his hands holding the newspaper were shaking.

"Baji, Baji," Yan Jiecheng drank the cornmeal in big gulps, raised his head and shouted, "Uncle, what exactly does the newspaper say? You can't be illiterate, can you?"

The third uncle, the third aunt, and Nan Yi and his wife were also interested in what was in the newspaper and were talking loudly nearby.

Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to pick up the newspaper and read in a trembling voice: "There has been a long-standing debate on whether sparrows are insects.

A worker from Qianmen Locomotive Depot conducted in-depth research on sparrows.

Finally, it was concluded that in winter, sparrows feed on grass seeds;
While raising their young in the spring, sparrows eat large quantities of insects and insect eggs;
In July and August, the young sparrows grow up and peck at the crops;
After the autumn harvest, they mainly eat leftover grains and grass seeds from farmland.

Ornithologists dissected the crop of sparrows and found that 4/3 of the crop was pests and only 4/1 was food, which shows that sparrows are basically beneficial birds.

In short, the benefits and harms of sparrows should be viewed dialectically and treated differently according to the season and environment.

Sparrows should no longer be beaten, and even protected, with bedbugs replacing them.”

Yi Zhonghai's voice trembled slightly, like fallen leaves rustling in the wind, and every syllable was filled with panic that was hard to conceal.

The words were squeezed out from slightly trembling lips. The tone was unstable, sometimes high and sometimes low, as if it had lost its proper rhythm.

When I finished reading it, I felt like I was hit hard in the heart and my hands loosened.

The newspaper fluttered and fell to the ground.

The residents were also shocked by the news.

"It was said that sparrows are harmful insects, how come they have become beneficial insects? Who is that worker at the Qianmen locomotive depot?"

"Yeah, can a worker persuade his superiors?"

"What's wrong with the workers? We workers are the masters. Don't you see that the higher authorities listen to the workers' opinions every year?"

Nan Yi gloated: "A while ago, I wanted to catch sparrows, but it was Brother Aiguo who stopped me. At that time, I didn't believe that sparrows were not insects.

If my wife hadn’t reminded me, I might have fallen into the pit as well.”

Yan Jiecheng held up an enamel bowl and said, “The newspaper said that it was the workers of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot who studied sparrows and gave suggestions to the higher-ups.

Brother Aiguo seems to have not been driving recently. He is busy at some research institute all day. Could that worker be Brother Aiguo?"

As these words were spoken, the residents all gasped and the leaves of the big trees nearby rustled.

They did not discuss it as usual because this matter was beyond their imagination.

This time, the elimination of the four evils was a national event, and Li Aiguo was able to get involved.

Fortunately, Yan Jiecheng was not sure about the worker's true identity.

So the residents can only guess.

Otherwise, how can I be neighbors with Li Aiguo in the future?
"Li Aiguo is just a small train driver, how can he have such ability!"

As Jia Dongxu denied it, he felt that something was wrong and his face turned pale.

He worked so hard to catch so many sparrows, but now sparrows are not insects anymore?
No. Not only are they no longer harmful insects, they have become beneficial insects and should be protected.

Then wouldn’t all those sparrows he caught become evidence of his crime?
"Ouch, my stomach hurts. I have to go back quickly."

Jia Dongxu suddenly covered his stomach and ran away before the residents in the compound could react.

Yi Zhonghai: "."

He had originally planned to feign illness.

But Jia Dongxu got there first, so he could only smile awkwardly and pick up the newspaper and hand it to Liu Haizhong.

"The weather is really nice today, Haizhong."

Liu Haizhong rolled his eyes and said, "Old Yi, I heard that you caught a lot of sparrows. Is that true?"

"What sparrow? Sparrow? Nothing at all!" Yi Zhonghai suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted, "Ah, a big plane."

Liu Haizhong looked up, and when he realized he had been tricked, he hurried to find Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai has disappeared.

Bangs: "."

There was a burst of laughter from the crowd.

Everyone thought it was ridiculous that Yi Zhonghai, at his old age, still resorted to such tactics.

What’s even more ridiculous is that Liu Haizhong was fooled.

Jia Dongxu ran back home. Jia Zhang was a little surprised to see him looking so flustered.

"Son, you are going to be a leader in the neighborhood, why don't you be steady?"

Jia Dongxu ignored her.

He ran into the inner room, took out the sack containing the sparrows, put it on his shoulder and prepared to go out.

Jia Zhang felt that something was wrong and no longer cared about sewing the insole that was covered with starch. She stood up and stopped him.

"Dongxu, the meeting hasn't started yet, what are you doing?"

"If we wait until the meeting starts, it will be too late and I might be arrested."

Beads of sweat appeared on Jia Dongxu's forehead.

Jia Zhang was surprised: "What's going on?"

"Mom, sparrows are not pests, they are beneficial insects, and the higher-ups asked us to protect them."

Jia Dongxu said angrily: "It is said that this is a suggestion made by Li Aiguo to his superiors."

Jia Zhang was shocked. This was the hope for their Jia family to turn things around, how could it change so suddenly?
Wait for the reaction to come over.

Hatred shone in his triangular eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Damn Li Aiguo, he just can't bear to see our family have a good life, and always wants to mess with us!"

"Alas, there's no point in talking about this now. I have to deal with these sparrows quickly. If the people from the street office catch me, I'll definitely be punished."

Jia Dongxu sighed to the sky, then hurried out of the house carrying the sack.

Jia Zhang stood in the room cursing helplessly.

Qin Huairu was in a dark room, her eyes passed the door frame and fell on the big tree outside.

The sun is shining brightly above the big tree.

Li Aiguo was able to give suggestions to his superiors
Qin Huairu regretted it.

Yi Zhonghai returned home and ran out carrying a sack, but the aunt did not ask him why.

She had expected this long ago. It must be that Yi Zhonghai was dealt with by Li Aiguo again.

"Alas, when will this old man realize that he is no match for patriotism."

The old lady put down the enamel pot, stood up with the help of the table, and went into the kitchen to busy herself.

Since the last time I visited Sha Zhu, the deaf old lady's appetite seemed to have improved a little.

She can eat a big bowl of noodles in one meal, so she has to roll the noodles.

The sun is high.

In the empty fields.

A figure was digging a hole with great effort.

The hands gripped the hoe tightly, the rough palms rubbing against the hard wooden handle.

The blisters on my fingers burst, and every time I exerted force, I felt excruciating pain.

His chest was heaving violently, his lungs were like a worn-out bellows, he tried desperately to breathe but still felt breathless.

Every time Jia Dongxu swings the hoe, he uses up all his strength.

My legs began to tremble, but I didn't dare to stop.

Finally, the pit was dug, and the sack was thrown in and filled with soil.

Jia Dongxu couldn't hold on any longer.

He slumped down on the ground, wiped the sweat off his face, and muttered softly, "Finally, the evidence has been destroyed."

At this time, another figure came over with a hoe in one hand and a sack on his shoulder.

"Master Yi"

"Jia Dongxu"

"Walking?"

"Let's take a walk."

The two looked at each other, and saw anger, helplessness, and despair in each other's eyes.
They turned their heads away at the same time, pretending not to see each other.

Flutter! A group of sparrows jumped out of the woods, soared in the air, and chirped happily.

Li Aiguo was not aware of this, and even if he knew, he would not care.

After all, there are not many opportunities to blast away at vacuum tube computers. No, the development of magnetic core memory is extremely important and we cannot waste time on it.

Li Aiguo rode his bicycle towards Factory 738 early in the morning.

As soon as I reached the street corner, I saw Wang Da Kui pedaling a tricycle while shouting at the top of his lungs.

"I'm buying junk! Bring in scraps of copper, iron, old newspapers, and toothpaste tubes to sell!"

"Do you have any junk to sell? Old books, old clothes, and waste bottles, bring them in exchange for money!"

The shouting is simple and direct, full of the flavor of life.

If Li Aiguo didn't know Wang Da Kui's background, he would have really thought that he was just a poor man in the capital.

Seeing Li Aiguo, Wang Dagui stopped his tricycle and said with a smile: "Brother Aiguo, are you going to work?"

"Yes." Li Aiguo's eyes fell on an old comrade sitting on the back of a tricycle.

This old comrade is probably in his fifties.

He was wearing a washed-out blue coarse cloth shirt covered with patches. The sleeves were a little worn, revealing the rough threads underneath.

His hands caught Li Aiguo's attention. They were rough and strong, with thick knuckles covered with calluses.

Li Aiguo had seen someone with such hands once before. He was an old man who made bullets in a military factory before liberation.

Li Aiguo instantly became alert and raised his chin towards Wang Da Kui: "Da Kui, who is this?"

Wang Da Kui took out a cigarette and handed one to the old man and Li Aiguo respectively.

He looked around and explained in a low voice, "My second uncle from a distant family. He is from Dongyang, his surname is Chen, and he used to be a master woodcarver in Beijing."

"Hello, Second Uncle." Li Aiguo greeted Master Chen, his eyes still full of confusion.

Wang Dagui continued to explain: "Now that wood carving is not allowed, Second Uncle has no way to make a living. When he went to visit relatives a while ago, he begged me to give him a ride."

Li Aiguo immediately understood.

Woodcarving masters are also laborers.

But it’s a little different from repairing bicycles and pots and pans.

Before liberation, they served high-ranking officials.

You should know that before liberation, wood carvings were mainly carved on doors, windows, and furniture. Things like good fortune and abundance, bumper harvest, auspicious dragon and phoenix, peace and happiness, and longevity of pine and crane were the most common themes of wood carvings.

Most of the wood used for carvings is precious wood such as mahogany and rosewood.

Ordinary laborers could not even get enough to eat, could not afford expensive wood, and were reluctant to spend money to hire someone to carve patterns on their furniture.

The wood carving business is often associated with high-ranking officials and feudal desires.

Therefore, although the woodcarving masters are craftsmen and laborers, they do not have the status of laborers.

As a result, Master Chen, the old wood carving master, can only collect scraps with Wang Da Kui.

Li Aiguo looked at Master Chen and asked with a smile, "Second Uncle, you are old now. There is no need for you to follow Da Kui around the streets. It would be easier for you to stay in the scrap shop and help look after it."

Master Chen smiled naively and said, "I wanted Da Kui to learn wood carving from me, but he disagreed, so I just followed him."

Li Aiguo: "."

He could understand Master Chen's thoughts.

Wood carving is not allowed now, and as an old craftsman he has no way to take in apprentices. He can only find ways to pass on his craft.

At this time, a resident who was selling scrap was waving from a distance.

"Brother Aiguo, I'm going to do my work." Wang Da Kui did what he loved and rode his tricycle over.

(End of this chapter)