The train driver in the courtyard

Chapter 68
In the steam engine driver's building, there is only a big space for the buttocks, crowded with several big men, and there is no place to step down.

Master Zheng, who was supposed to rest in the campervan, was squeezed into the hearth and could only stand on the gusset of the hearth with one foot, but was reluctant to leave.

He took Cao Wenzhi's hand and told Li Aiguo how to calculate the number of coal shovels.

Cao Wenzhi laughed and said: "Old Zheng, if I tell you, my apprentice made something called a sandbag.

Install it on the roof of the car, and the wheels will never slip again. Are you shocked? "

"What bag is so powerful that it can keep the wheels from slipping?" Master Zheng's eyes widened.

in the past.

When the train encounters a rainy day or goes up a steep slope, the wheels slip due to insufficient friction between the wheels and the rails.

There is only one solution.

The fireman desperately filled the furnace with coal to increase the power output of the steam locomotive.

Every time the wheels slipped, Master Zheng had to work twice as hard as usual.

Master Zheng, who is a fireman, is more interested in sandbags than others.

So much so that Li Aiguo and Cao Wenzhi handed over shifts, and when they returned to the camping car to rest, he still squeezed into the car and asked about the sandbags.

"Patriotic, I didn't even go to elementary school.

I only learned a few words in the winter school class.

I don't understand what you said either. "

[Winter School is another name for literacy classes for rural people. It is named because farmers have free time to participate in winter when the farming is slack. 】

Li Aiguo's mouth was dry at this time, and he looked at Master Zheng and was silent for a moment.

Feelings just talked about so many scientific principles, all of which are playing the piano to the cow.

Master Zheng smiled embarrassingly, and rubbed his soot-stained hand: "I just want to ask you, can sandbags really prevent the wheels from slipping?"

"Of course!" Li Aiguo was full of confidence.

"That's good." Master Zheng looked out the window of the car, suddenly leaned over, and said in a low voice, "The train will leave for the capital in about two hours."

"Won't you get out of the car?"

"get off?"

Li Aiguo frowned.

He always felt that Master Zheng's so-called getting out of the car did not mean getting out of the car to play.

After all, driving a train is not an easy job.

Who has the energy to go shopping after hours of intense concentration.

Moreover.

In this day and age, there is no Miss Petroleum doing street photography, so it is better to lie in a private room and sleep.

really.

Master Zheng said mysteriously: "There are many good things in Jincheng, such as Xiaozhan rice, Jinghai golden shredded jujube, and Baodi garlic, which can be sold at a good price in the capital."

"The comrades in our chartered crew will bring some back every time they come."

The conductors of the charter group travel widely, and they can take advantage of their positions to bring back scarce gadgets from various places, and then sell them to the pigeon market to make profits.

This is a characteristic of this era, and Father Li often does this kind of thing.

Of course.

Each person carries a limited number of things each time, that is, a canvas bag is filled.

The comrades from Lufeng Office found out, but they only said that it was for their own use, and it was not considered a violation.

Li Aiguo is currently short of money, and has long thought about this way of doing business. Seeing Master Zheng's offer, of course he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'm not familiar with the place where I live, so I have you, Brother Lao."

"You're welcome, you said at noon, we will pack the crew and leave the car, eat and drink, and never separate from each other. We are all comrades in a group. If we have good things, we must share them."

Master Zheng has a good memory and almost recited Li Aiguo's words.

His memory surprised Li Aiguo even more afterwards.

Master Zheng even knew clearly where there was a gap in Jincheng Station.

"Go this way, don't go in and out of the station, and generally you won't encounter Lu Feng's office."

Master Zheng pointed to a hole in the barbed wire fence and said, "This place is also very close to a black market on the outskirts of the city."

"Yes, you are the master, I will follow you."

Following behind Master Zheng, making seven turns and eight turns, wandering here and there in the alleys, Li Aiguo came to a wilderness.

"This is the black market? You really don't betray anyone."

Li Aiguo looked at the vendors who were bargaining in broad daylight and was amazed.

Compared with the pigeon market in Beijing, the black market in Jincheng is as lively as the downtown area.

The sellers' stalls were set up on the side of the road, and the buyers were strolling around swaggeringly, and some of them were even haggling loudly with the sellers.

If it was moved to the capital, this black market would have been washed away long ago.

Master Zheng: "It all starts with the Ming Dynasty, when Tianjin was defended and built a city, and the people were mainly officers, soldiers and their families, who were good at wielding knives and guns, and leading troops to fight."

"Later, water transportation and salt transportation developed, and the mainstream people in the city were foot porters who made a living by working hard."

"Most of these people are reckless. If there is friction, just move the guy directly. Whatever you have, poles, sticks, pistols, big blades, axes, bricks and tiles, butcher's knives, and scales for business... No one is ambiguous."

"Even after liberation, the higher authorities have rectified several times, and the social security is not as good as in Sijiucheng."

While talking, Master Zheng went to a stall selling rice and talked about the price.

The rice on the black market in Jincheng is [-] cents, which is two cents cheaper than in Beijing, and there is no need for food stamps.

After going back and forth, a catty of rice can be brought back to the capital, and at least five cents can be earned.

The canvas bag can hold 1 catties of rice, and the extra money for this trip is [-] cents.

Li Aiguo also bought [-] catties of rice, and was just about to leave when he saw a ticket dealer nearby buying national food stamps.

The guy who sold the food stamps was a fat little black man, dressed in a coarse short shirt, with a basket of eggs under his feet.

"From the south, from the north, look this way, look this way."

"Fathers and folks, young and old, don't miss it when you pass by."

"The special offer is a big bargain. 3 catties of national food stamps can be exchanged for 1 catty of eggs."

For a while, many people gathered around, exchanging food stamps for eggs, and the little black fat man burst into joy.

Li Aiguo smiled and said: "This little black fat man has a business mind. In the supply and marketing cooperative, even with the egg ticket, 1 catty of eggs only costs 5 cents."

"" A catty of national food stamps can be exchanged for [-] cents.

"The goods changed hands and earned 1 cents."

Master Zheng put the bulging canvas bag on his shoulder, and said: "He, his name is Guo Er. Before the liberation, he performed cross talk in the "Three No Matters" theater shed in the south of Jincheng City.

"You know him well?"

"Not really, don't look at Guo Er's lip service, he is a rare honest person in this black market, he doesn't cheat or lie, he has a good reputation."

Master Zheng said with a smile: "I also exchanged eggs with him before."

"is it?"

Li Aiguo's heart skipped a beat.

In the future, if he runs the Jincheng line and often carries things, it will be too conspicuous to show up by himself, so he still has to find an agent in Jincheng Pigeon Market.

If Guo Erzhen was as honest and reliable as Master Zheng said, he would be a suitable candidate.

But this kind of thing can't be rushed, and we need to contact him a few more times to find out the details of the other party.

Li Aiguo also took out 3 catties of national food stamps, exchanged 1 catty of eggs, and chatted with Guo Er for a while.

Seeing that the time was almost up, he returned to the station with Master Zheng.

It is time for passengers to board the train.

Standing at the door, Zhang Yazhi saw Li Aiguo approaching, quickly tightened her grip, and smiled at him with her lips pursed.

"Driver Li, haven't you rested yet?"

"Go out and walk around with Lao Zheng."

"I'll take over later, see you in the camping car."

Zhang Yazhi only focused on talking, her hands and feet slowed down, the passengers behind crowded over, and the door of the carriage suddenly became chaotic.

Li Aiguo didn't say anything more, and returned to the camping car.

(End of this chapter)