The train driver in the courtyard

The morning gradually brightened.

The first ray of sunlight cast a bright red glow on the ancient capital.

Li Aiguo woke up from his sleep, picked up the watch on the bedside table and took a look at it.

"Fuck, half past six!"

"I have an appointment with the cotton mill people to meet at seven o'clock today."

It’s not that Li Aiguo has no sense of time, nor that he wants to sleep in. The key is that Miss Chen loved studying too much last night.

The two of them kept talking to each other until two o'clock in the morning.

Even a tractor made of iron would run out of fuel.

Li Aiguo jumped off the bed, quickly put on his clothes, put on his shoes, opened the door, picked up his canvas bag and ran out.

Chen Xueru heard the noise and came out of the kitchen.

"Brother Aiguo, breakfast will be ready soon."

"It's too late. We're going to be late."

"wait"

Chen Xueru ran into the kitchen and took out a big white steamed bun with two fried eggs in it.

Oh boy, a sandwich.

Li Aiguo threw down the handlebars, rode his bicycle and ate a steamed bun, and rushed all the way to the Computing Institute.

Professor Xia Zhongsu from the Institute of Computing Technology and Zhang Qingshan and others had been waiting for a while.

Seeing Li Aiguo coming over, Professor Xia Zhongsu pointed at Li Aiguo and said, "See? Driver Li has now reached the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. You should learn more from him when doing research in the future."

Li Aiguo: "."

Looking at the admiring eyes, Li Aiguo finally decided not to tell the truth, otherwise it would teach the children bad lessons.

“Research makes me happy.”

After some small talk, the Computing Institute sent a GAZ truck and a jeep.

"Get in the car. Don't keep the comrades from Beijing Cotton No. 1 Factory waiting for too long."

Jeeps and GAZ trucks slowly drove out of the computer institute.

A car with a white background and a camera on it just happened to drive in from outside, and the two passed each other.

Professor Lebedev, who was sitting in the back seat, saw Professor Xia Zhongsu and a young man sitting in the jeep.

When he saw that the cargo bed of the GAZ truck was tightly wrapped with tarpaulin, his eyes narrowed slightly.

When the car approached the gate, the guard had already seen the license plate number and opened the gate without checking.

The car stopped, Professor Lebedev rolled down the window and waved to the guard.

"Dear comrade, where did the jeep and truck go?"

The guard was honored that the Russian expert had approached him. Upon hearing this, he replied cautiously, "Reporting to the leader, we don't know either."

"What's on the truck?"

“We still don’t know.”

The guard saw Professor Lebedev's grim expression, hesitated for a moment, and explained: "The truck was arranged by Team Leader Li. We received it from our colleagues in the institute and have no authority to inspect it."

Team leader Li, it should be the train driver. Professor Lebedev's eyes flashed with a gleam of light.

He took out a pack of Russian cigarettes from his pocket and deliberately placed the logo on the cigarette box facing outwards so that the guard could see the words "CCCP".

Professor Lebedev took out a cigarette from the cigarette box and handed it to the guard. He said as if he didn't care:
"Little comrade, don't be nervous. I'm just curious. Remember, I didn't ask anything today and you didn't say anything."

"Yes"

The guard saw the car driving away, looked down at the Russian cigarette in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and put the cigarette back into the drawer.

He called the security department.

"Chief, a Russian expert just asked about the whereabouts of Team Leader Li."

******
The jeep drove along the wide street towards Tonghui River in the eastern suburbs of Beijing.

Half an hour later, the silhouette of a large factory could be vaguely seen on the barren land.

Beijing Cotton Mill No. 1 was the largest cotton spinning mill in Beijing at that time. Its status in Beijing was comparable to that of Shougang, and the workers were treated better than those in steel mills.

It was working hours and the workers were moving towards the factory gate like fish, with security officers standing by to maintain order.

Seeing the jeeps and trucks approaching, the security officer waved to them to stop from a distance.

"Comrade, which unit are you from? Do you have a pass?"

Li Aiguo jumped off the jeep, took out the documents from the canvas bag and handed them over.

"Ah, it's Team Leader Li. Our Section Chief Ma is already waiting for you at the workshop door."

The security officer had been notified in advance, and after seeing the procedures, he immediately had the main gate opened.

This scene attracted the attention of many people.

Those female comrades and little girls had sparkling eyes and looked at Li Aiguo without any concealment.

Look at this tough face, solid muscles, and strong dog waist.

Oh my, why are you so greedy!
It's okay for the little girls to close their legs, but it's a bit too much for you, auntie, to drool.

Li Aiguo simply ignored those murderous looks, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and gave a few cigarettes to the security officers before getting into the jeep.

Zhang Qingshan sat in the car, looking at the crowd watching, and asked curiously: "Team leader, how did you do it?"

Li Aiguo took a puff of his cigarette and said, "This is innate. You will never be able to learn it in your lifetime."

Zhang Qingshan: “.”

He felt that the team leader was too inconsiderate of the team members' feelings.

When the convoy arrived at the workshop door, Section Chief Ma and Team Leader Hua came to greet them with a smile.

After getting off the car, Li Aiguo took out his documents and introduced his identity.

"Team Leader Li, don't worry, we have received the notice from the department and we guarantee to fully cooperate with you to complete the production task."

Li Aiguo looked around and pointed outside the workshop, saying, "Add sentries outside. From now on, no outsiders are allowed to approach."

Although Section Chief Ma felt that Li Aiguo was too cautious, he still agreed and arranged two security officers to guard the workshop door.

Li Aiguo looked at Team Leader Hua again and said, "Comrade Team Leader, the raw materials are on the truck. Please organize the staff to move them down."

"I'll arrange it right away."

Originally, there were porters in the workshop who were responsible for carrying things, but those porters had some problems with their backgrounds and were ordered to take a temporary rest.

Now the job of carrying things falls on the female workers.

Team leader Hua agreed and went into the workshop to explain the situation.

At that time, several female workers raised their hands and expressed their willingness to carry the goods.

Seeing that there were not enough people, squad leader Hua called a few more.

She was just about to take people to move the materials when she saw Zhang Caixia hiding far away in the corner, with her head tucked in and her shoulders shrugging, obviously eating snacks secretly.

"Zhang Caixia, eating snacks in the workshop is strictly prohibited. It will attract rats. Don't you know that?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Caixia hurriedly hid the oil paper bag under the chair, then raised her head and looked at Squad Leader Hua with an innocent face.

"Squad leader, I didn't eat anything, stop accusing me."

There were biscuit crumbs at the corners of her mouth. Wasn't that just lying with her eyes open?

The female worker Wang Mei touched her arm gently.

After Zhang Caixia reacted, she calmly took out an embroidered handkerchief and wiped the corners of her mouth.

"Yes, I ate the cookies because I didn't have breakfast this morning. Captain, you can't let us workers work on an empty stomach, right?!"

When squad leader Hua saw Zhang Caixia's rogue look, he also looked helpless.

Zhang Caixia came from a labor education camp. Not only did she not suffer any discrimination, but the factory and workshops were particularly tolerant of her in order to guide people like her onto the right path.

Most prostitutes can get rid of their bad habits after working in the workshop for a few years.

Only Zhang Caixia refused to change despite repeated warnings.

For the sake of collective honor, Team Leader Hua once wanted to transfer Zhang Caixia out of the factory to prevent a rat from spoiling the whole thing.

It’s just that Zhang Caixia seemed to have a good relationship with a leader in the Logistics Department, and her reports were rejected repeatedly.

"You go and move things now!" Squad leader Hua was also very angry and directly called out Zhang Caixia's name.

Although Zhang Caixia was reluctant, she had to stand up and follow the female workers out of the workshop.

At this time, Li Aiguo had already directed Zhang Qingshan and several other researchers to lift the tarpaulin.

There were four or five wooden boxes in the bed of the truck.

Inside the wooden box were pieces of black plastic, reels of copper wire, steel poles, and dozens of magnifying glasses.

Plastic plates and copper wires are very expensive these days. Although Team Leader Hua is not sure what they are used for, he still reminds the female workers to be careful.

"Two people carry one box, go slowly."

Working alongside Zhang Caixia was a female worker named Wang Mei. The two of them took the boxes from the researcher and moved them to the workshop.

The box itself was not too heavy, only about 40 or 50 kilograms, but Zhang Caixia was a lazy person, so she bent her body like a shrimp.

As a result, all the burden fell on the female worker Wang Mei.

Wang Mei's palms were sweaty and her hands suddenly slipped.

By the time she reacted, the box had already fallen. With a loud "clang", the box hit Zhang Caixia's feet.

"Hey!"

Zhang Caixia hugged her feet and burst into tears.

Team leader Hua didn't expect that something would go wrong while moving the boxes. He was shocked and worried that the materials in the boxes would be damaged.

"It's okay. The plastic sheet and metal wire are not fragile items. How is the woman's foot?"

Li Aiguo checked the box and breathed a sigh of relief.

The copper wire would be fine, but the plastic board is custom-made. If it is damaged, it will delay the process by at least a week.

Although Zhang Caixia screamed loudly, her feet were not actually injured because she was wearing work protection shoes.

She wanted to take sick leave, but was rejected by squad leader Hua.

"Zhang Caixia, we have an important production task now. Are you willing to desert?"

"If you don't want to invite me, then don't invite me. Why are you putting a label on others?"

Zhang Caixia turned her face away from Team Leader Hua, turned around and walked into the workshop with her butt twisted.

Li Aiguo was stunned.

Wow, this female worker is quite capable! She actually went against the squad leader?
You have to know that the work team in a textile factory is a small collective, and the team leader is the leader of the team and directly manages the workers.

Most workers dare to offend the factory manager, but are unwilling to offend the team leader? !

There was silence.

Team leader Hua felt as if he had been given a heavy slap in the face, especially in front of the leaders of the Institute of Computing Technology.

She stood there in a daze.

Li Aiguo came to her rescue at this time.

"Zhang Qingshan, the female comrades are not as strong as you, so you guys should help carry it."

Zhang Qingshan and his friends had long wanted to help the little girls.

Especially Wang Mei, with a pair of bright eyes, like clear lake water, and a natural blush on her face without any makeup, which is a symbol of health and vitality.

"Let me help you." Zhang Qingshan ran over, picked up the box and ran into the workshop.

Li Aiguo: "."

Didn’t this guy complain about back pain a few days ago?
This minor incident did not affect the cooperation between the Institute of Computing Technology and Beijing Cotton Mill. The materials were distributed to the female workers at their workstations.

The female workers were puzzled when they saw the plastic plates, copper wires, and strange steel poles.

Section Chief Ma closed the workshop door, and Li Aiguo said, "From now on, every step I talk about is confidential and must not be leaked to the outside!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the workshop suddenly became tense.

The security officers on duty outside the workshop, the large trucks responsible for transportation, etc. are enough to illustrate the nature of this production task.

Team Leader Hua stood up and said, "Team Leader Li, don't worry, the workers in our workshop have all participated in confidentiality training, and the information will definitely not be leaked."

People are very conscious of confidentiality these days, so Li Aiguo didn't say much.

"Now everyone, take your magnifying glass and pass the copper wire through the black circle. Yes, the name of that thing is a toroidal core."

Following Li Aiguo's instructions, the female workers wrapped the copper wire around the magnetic core in circles.

Manufacturing magnetic core memory is like weaving clothes.

Professor Xia Zhongsu was a little confused at first, until he saw the coils were fixed on the wire board.

Then the two wire boards are placed side by side with copper wires connected in the middle to form a horizontal arrangement.

The two horizontal arrangements are placed vertically and connected with a copper wire in the middle to form a vertical arrangement.

At this point, a magnetic core storage array is manufactured.

One core storage array is equivalent to having the capacity of four core storages.

The key is that storage arrays can continue to be stacked.

Two arrays stacked together become four, and four stacked together become eight. Can't this be superimposed infinitely?

After Professor Xia Zhongsu figured it out, his eyes widened and his pupils contracted sharply.

The problem of magnetic core storage capacity that troubled countless computer experts was actually solved by Li Aiguo using a group of textile workers and the method of weaving clothes? !

It’s not that Li Aiguo’s method is so brilliant. The cumulative effect is a truth that everyone who has attended elementary school understands.

The key point is, how did Li Aiguo come up with this idea?

If it were researchers and experts like Professor Xia Zhongsu, they would definitely find ways to improve the memory material, adjust the current, or even redesign a new memory.

Only those workers who have life experience and have worked on the front line for many years can come up with such unconventional ideas.

Professor Xia Zhongsu felt that he had a deeper understanding of the phrase "coming from labor and going to labor."

In order to keep it confidential, Li Aiguo never disclosed the production method of magnetic core memory to the outside world.

Zhang Qingshan and his group of researchers also discovered the mystery of the weaving method.

Their breathing became rapid and disordered, and every breath seemed like an effort to calm the waves in their hearts.

Their eyes were fixed on the scene before them, an indescribable shock in their eyes, as if the whole world was turned upside down at this moment.

Computers are considered high-tech these days, but they are combined with textiles, an old craft that has been passed down for thousands of years.

The women workers in the workshop had no idea that the copper wire they were fiddling with would make history.

In their opinion, copper wire is a little harder than cotton thread and easier to "weave".

In addition, the handsome leader in the Institute of Computing Technology even equipped them with a magnifying glass.

Section Chief Ma said that as long as they successfully completed the task, each of them would receive a subsidy of one yuan.

The work is easy and there is extra money to be made.

This job is so beautiful!
The workers were busy nearby.

Professor Xia Zhongsu could no longer contain his excitement and moved closer to Li Aiguo.

"Comrade Patriot, can the capacity of the magnetic core memory produced by this method be increased infinitely?"

"That's the theory, but considering the need to use magnetic pulses for reading and writing, the array can't be too large, so the estimated standard capacity is only 72K."

That’s right, the weaving method used by Li Aiguo utilizes the expandability and stacking properties of the magnetic core to increase the capacity of the magnetic core memory.

This technology seems simple, but it was not invented until 1961 and was first used in the Apollo moon landing.

The Apollo spacecraft guidance computer designed by MIT required at least 72 kilobytes (kB) of read-only memory (ROM) and 4kB of random access memory (RAM).

However, the magnetic core memory produced using Wang An's patent only has a few hundred bytes.

Demand is the primary driving force. In order to solve the storage problem, the NSA offered a reward of up to $200,000.

Soon, after half a year of research, Raytheon engineers proposed the "weaving method" to solve this problem.

In addition, Raytheon also made a lot of money in the computer market by relying on its patent for the "textile method".

(Yes, this Raytheon is the military-industrial complex that produces Patriot missiles and Tomahawk missiles, which have blown up the houses of countless civilians in the third world.)
Without the patent for the textile method, Raytheon's pace of missile research would be slower.

From this perspective, our Li Aiguo can be said to have eliminated harm to the world.

“72K” Professor Xia Zhongsu was stunned by the ultra-high capacity of the memory.

At present, the most advanced magnetic drum storage in the world has a capacity of only about 10 kb.

The value of this thing is immeasurable!

"Aiguo, we have to keep this technology secret, lest it be stolen by others."

Professor Xia Zhongsu originally thought that Li Aiguo was being mysterious.

Now that I know the truth, I feel that Li Aiguo was a bit too careless.

This thing should be produced by a military factory so that it can be kept absolutely confidential!
"Don't worry, the real core technology is not the textile method."

Li Aiguo was halfway through his words when Section Chief Chen from the textile factory informed him that there was a call from the Qianmen Maintenance Depot.

"Professor Xia, please keep an eye on the workshop."

"Don't worry, these are all treasures!"

Professor Xia Zhongsu was depressed because he failed to find out Li Aiguo's core technology, but he couldn't care less at the moment.

With the improved magnetic core memory, the performance of the 103 vacuum tube computer will be greatly improved.

Maybe it can become the computer with the largest storage capacity in the world.

Just thinking about it made the old professor excited.

the other side.

"What? Lao Yang is back? I'll be there soon."

Li Aiguo received a call from Section Chief Xing of Qianmen Locomotive Depot. His face changed and he left the textile factory in a jeep and returned to Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

At this time, Section Chief Xing of the Maintenance Section and Director She of the Education Office were carefully chatting with Yang Jizong while looking into the distance.

"Mr. Yang, don't worry. I have already contacted Comrade Li Aiguo. He has not left the capital and will be back soon."

Xing Duanchang is a big and strong man.

He always likes to swear when he is working, but now he has to be careful with his words and make sure not to use vulgar language, which is really a bit embarrassing for him.

Director Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead and blamed Li Aiguo in his heart.

Why are you provoking such a powerful person for no reason?
Just this morning, Section Chief Xing suddenly received a call from the foreign affairs department, stating that Yang Jizong, the representative of the Yang family in Gangcheng, would arrive at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The Yang family has a cooperation with the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, and instant noodles and hand warmers are all sold through the Yang family’s channels in the port city.

Yang Jizong also visited the Qianmen Locomotive Depot several times, but Section Chief Xing didn't take it seriously.

However, comrades from the foreign affairs department said that Yang Jizong now represents the Yang family of Gangcheng and his status is different from before. They hope that Qianmen Locomotive Depot will give him a serious reception.

Although the Yang family is not on the staff, everyone knows that the Yang family is an important part of foreign trade and station management.

It is related to communication with the outside world. The Yang family holds a special position in the hearts of the above.

Section Chief Xing immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and took Director She to personally go to the maintenance section to welcome Yang Jizong.

As soon as Yang Jizong arrived, he asked to see Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo is a train driver and is under the management of Qianmen Locomotive Depot, so this request is reasonable.

but.

The person is missing!

Section Chief Xing called the Railway Research Institute, and the other party said that Li Aiguo had gone to the Computing Institute.

Duanchang Xing did not have the Institute of Computing Technology's telephone code, so he used his connections to get the code and made the call.

As a result, the other party said that Driver Li's whereabouts were unknown.

There was no choice but Section Chief Xing revealed his identity and said that a foreign guest had arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The other party then said that Driver Li went to Beijing Cotton Factory No. 1.

It is understandable that a train driver would do research instead of driving trains.

Why did you go to the textile factory?
Making clothes?

This delay lasted nearly two hours.

The comrade from the foreign affairs department accompanying Yang Jizong was already getting impatient.

Fortunately, Yang Jizong had communicated with Section Chief Xing before and was familiar with Li Aiguo's temper. He did not get angry, but instead asked about the current situation of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

"Did Driver Li invent the electric fly trap? I've seen it in the lake before, and I want to know who invented it. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the harbor, so it should sell well."

Such a high-level topic made it impossible for Director Xing Duanchang to respond.

At this moment, accompanied by a roar, a jeep came speeding from a distance.

Click!

It stopped steadily in front of the studio door.

When Director Xing saw the familiar figure getting out of the jeep, he immediately felt relieved.

As soon as the jeep stopped, Yang Jizong rushed over.

Li Aiguo stretched out his hand and tightly grasped the right hand that was extended to him.

"Long time no see, Lao Yang!"

"My patriotic brother, long time no see. You are still so strong." Yang Jizong squinted in pain.

Li Aiguo let go of Yang Jizon's hand and patted his shoulder.

"Has the chaos in Hong Kong been resolved?"

"Solved, thanks to your reminder."

Yang Jizong looked at Director Xing and the foreign affairs comrade, and said with a smile: "Driver Li, I heard that you built a waste heat greenhouse in your studio and planted a lot of fruits and vegetables. I have to taste some of them today."

"Let's go, there are plenty of cucumbers!"

Li Aiguo greeted Director Xing, nodded to the foreign affairs comrade, and took Yang Jizong into the small courtyard of the studio.

"It's a good idea to use the waste heat from the bathroom as a heat source. Unfortunately, most of the vegetables in our port city are supplied from the mainland, so there is no need for this kind of greenhouse."

That’s right, vegetables are already supplied to Hong Kong these days.

In fact, since liberation, the supply of vegetables, grain and oil from the mainland to the port city has never been interrupted.

In 55, the Ministry of Foreign Trade set up a Yangcheng Commissioner to take charge of the five provinces in Central and South China and the Fujian Province, and was specifically responsible for supplying materials to Hong Kong.

The transportation of materials is the responsibility of the railway, with three trains numbered 751, 753 and 755.

Every day, the train departs from Wuhan or Changshi (departs every other day) or Zhengzhou, loaded with fresh and frozen goods, and transported to the port city via Shenzhen. Water, ice and green fodder are added at designated points along the way, and the train rushes non-stop to catch up with the port city's morning market.

Everyone in the railway system knows that these three express trains are designated as the "top of freight trains" by the ministry, and the train drivers they use are all excellent train drivers with the title of big trains.

Except for the "Express", all passenger and freight trains give way to it.

Even in difficult times, the three trains' transportation missions have never been suspended.

Thinking of these things, Li Aiguo really wanted to scold those poisonous apples and those guys who regarded their fathers as thieves.

Isn't this like picking up the bowl to eat and then putting down the chopsticks to curse?
The two chatted while picking some cucumbers and tomatoes from the greenhouse, washed them with clean water, and put them on a plate.

In the studio, Yang Jizong nibbled on a crisp cucumber and said with a smile, "Brother Aiguo, I became the heir of the Yang family this time thanks to what you told me when we parted in Yangcheng."

(End of this chapter)