The train driver in the courtyard

In the early morning, the courtyard, which had been sleeping all night, woke up.

As usual, residents lined up in front of the faucet in the middle courtyard to get water to rinse their mouths.

"Dongxu, the registration for the promotion exam has started. Are you still planning to sign up?" Yi Zhonghai was brushing his teeth and chatting with Jia Dongxu who was squatting beside him from time to time.

"I won't report it anymore, Master. I feel like I'm being targeted by the examiners." Jia Dongxu continued brushing his teeth.

"How to say?"

"Every time I take a skills test, the tools assigned to me always break and the examiners always give me low scores. Am I just so unlucky and my skills are so poor?" Jia Dongxu was puzzled.

You should know that most of the fitter's tools are made of iron.

For example, the simplest tiger hammer, most people can use it in their lifetime without breaking it.

Jia Dongxu picked up the hammer and hammered the workpiece.

Snapped!
The handle is broken.

The hammer hit the examiner's foot. The examiner did not kick Jia Dongxu out on the spot, which was enough to give face to Yi Zhonghai.

There is also a scribing needle, which is a tool for scribing on the surface of a workpiece. It is usually made of tool steel, and the tip is sharpened to a point similar to a sewing needle.

Jia Dongxu picked it up, and before he could draw a line, the needle broke.

Not to mention, steel rulers and squares, files, scribers, steel rulers, squares, hand saws, files, twist drills, and drill presses.
Once these things fall into Jia Dongxu's hands, they will break down in unimaginable ways.

Now, the workshop director gets a headache whenever he sees Jia Dongxu taking an exam, and starts thinking about how to explain to the logistics department why these tools are broken.

Yi Zhonghai spat out the toothpaste foam and nodded at Jia Dongxu: "It's good that you don't sign up this time, so you can focus more on your work. Perform well, and next year I will use my connections to ensure that you can be promoted smoothly."

Jia Dongxu was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth: "Master, you are still the best to me."

"Oh, you are talking nonsense again, kid. I am your master. If I don't treat you well, who else can I treat well?"

Although Jia Dongxu is a lazy guy and doesn't focus on his work on weekdays, he has worked in the workshop for several years after all.

There is a saying in the workshop: "Even if you hang a bone on the machine, even if you lead a dog, you can make the workpiece."

However, Jia Dongxu failed to be promoted repeatedly, which had a lot to do with Yi Zhonghai.

As long as Jia Dongxu cannot become a senior worker, he can't do without the help of Yi Zhonghai, the master chef.

Keeping Jia Dongxu hanging on one side and waiting for Sha Zhu on the other side, this is a double insurance.

Yi Zhonghai felt that he had planned everything out.

At this time, the three aunts also got up.

She walked in from the front yard carrying a basin of water. As soon as she approached the pool, she looked at Chen Xueru and asked, "Just now I saw Aiguo got on the jeep of the locomotive section. Is he on a business trip again?"

Jia Dongxu had just received Yi Zhonghai's assurance and was feeling happy. Hearing this, he curled his lips and said, "Li Aiguo is a train driver who travels all day long, but he really thinks he is a big boss."

Chen Xueru ignored Jia Dongxu and looked at the three aunts with a smile: "It will probably take more than ten days to go to the local place."

"Go to the local area to inspect? He is a train driver, not a big leader, what qualifications does he have to inspect!" Jia Dongxu raised his head.

The residents looked at Jia Dongxu and frowned.

Why did this guy drink so much vinegar so early in the morning?

In the past, Yi Zhonghai would definitely stop Jia Dongxu to prevent him from causing any more trouble.

There is nothing to be afraid of today since Li Aiguo is not in the compound.

It can also provide an opportunity for residents to recognize Li Aiguo's true face, so why not do it!

With Yi Zhonghai's connivance, Jia Dongxu raised his voice.

"Workers should work hard in the workshop, just like me, and devote themselves quietly. They should not think about being in the limelight all day long."

Liu Lan had been watching the fun from the side. Seeing that Jia Dongxu was getting more and more outrageous, she shook off the water stains on her hands, stood up, and said, "I heard from Damao yesterday that the publicity department of the steel mill held a meeting.

We need to promote the spirit of Aiguo Ge and set him up as a role model. I guess Aiguo Ge went to the local area this time just to promote his work. "

As a projectionist, Xu Damao was half a propaganda officer, so it was normal for him to know these things.

The residents' faces changed slightly when they heard this. People living in this era knew too well what it meant when their superiors encouraged them to learn from someone.

"Burp!" Jia Dongxu was complaining to the residents about Li Aiguo's high profile when his voice suddenly became choked in his throat and the smile on his face froze.

Yi Zhonghai was also shocked by the news, his face turned ugly, and he frowned and said, "Liu Lan, Aiguo is just an ordinary resident. What spirit is there worth learning from him? Damao must have made a mistake."

"Yes, yes, yes, the eldest uncle is right. Li Aiguo is not a good guy. The higher-ups must be blind to choose him." Jia Zhang also came up.

"I don't know either. There are promotional materials at home."

Liu Lan hurried back home and came out a moment later with a stack of promotional materials.

Yi Zhonghai took it and saw the words "Learn from Comrade Li Aiguo's spirit of unity and mutual assistance!" written on it. He felt dizzy and almost fainted.

“This is the spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance that I often advocate in the compound, how could it be stolen by Li Aiguo?

He can also go around to preach. If it were me, I would not only be an eighth- or ninth-level worker, but I might even be able to become a factory leader directly."

"Li Aiguo, you thief, how dare you steal my things? How despicable!"

"No, I have to go. I have to go."

When Yi Zhonghai thought about how Li Aiguo became a role model for the workers with his spirit of unity and mutual assistance, he felt as if he had lost tens of thousands of dollars.

If he could be set as a role model, he would be able to rise to a high position in the future.

Now it has been taken away.

Yi Zhonghai was somewhat unwilling, but found that he seemed to have no way to deal with Li Aiguo.

There is no room for reasoning.

It’s so frustrating.

Jia Dongxu was quick to act and grabbed Yi Zhonghai, preventing him from falling.

"Master, what Liu Lan said can't be true, right? Our steel mill really needs to learn from Li Aiguo's spirit?"

"Dongxu, my heart is beating so fast, help me go back and take medicine."

At this time, Yi Zhonghai was out of breath, his face turned red, his hands and feet began to tremble, and he didn't want to answer at all.

Seeing that something was wrong, Jia Dongxu hurriedly helped Yi Zhonghai back.

Although the residents did not see the promotional materials, they could tell something from Yi Zhonghai's performance.

"Patriotism has caused trouble again this time."

"I think the vision of the people on the railway is quite good. Everyone in our compound is patriotic."

"Xue Ru, your Aiguo is honored this time, and you, as a good wife, will definitely be praised by the street office."

The group of young wives looked at Chen Xueru with enthusiasm and came up to her to chat.

Qin Huairu was washing clothes. She looked up at Chen Xueru who was surrounded by the young wives and sighed in her heart.

If she had not changed her mind back then, she would be the one giving compliments to the young wives now.

She really regretted it!
Unfortunately, it's too late to regret.

Qin Huairu finished washing the clothes and returned home with the enamel basin. At this time, Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu had already returned to the house.

"How is Lao Yi?"

"I feel a little better after taking the medicine, but I probably won't be able to go to work tomorrow." Jia Dongxu said, "Li Aiguo is really a piece of shit for making Master Yi so angry. When he comes back, I will definitely give him a good beating."

Jia Zhang sighed: "Li Aiguo has become a role model for learning. Dongxu, you should be careful in the future and don't provoke him."

"Mom, you think too highly of Li Aiguo. He's just a role model. What's the big deal?" Jia Dongxu pouted. "I found out that Li Aiguo was chosen this time because of the solidarity and mutual assistance of the uncle. If it weren't for the uncle, he would still be playing in the mud."

"Don't worry, when I go to work today, I will try my hand at it. The leaders in the factory will definitely choose me as a role model."

Jia Dongxu's words reminded Jia Zhangshi. Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands and said, "Yes, Li Aiguo can be a role model, so why can't my son be one?! Dongxu, mother supports you."

Jia Dongxu raised his head proudly.

Qin Huairu: "."

Afterwards, the Jia family held the first Rise Conference. The name of the Rise Conference was given by Jia Zhang, and its meaning was very clear - the Jia family was going to rise.

In order to help Jia Dongxu become a role model for study, Jia Zhang went to great lengths and even extracted secrets from the third aunt that the residents of the compound did not know.

"It is said that Li Aiguo was chosen by the Ministry of Railways because he donated two wolves."

Under the dim light, Jia Dongxu's face turned ugly: "Mom, I'm afraid of wolves."

He raised his head and looked at Jia Zhang: "Mom, how about you go up the mountain?"

Jia Zhang's face darkened: "I'm so old, you want me, an old woman, to go up the mountain to hunt wolves?"

The two paused for a moment and turned to look at Qin Huairu at the same time.

"Huai Ru, this is a big deal that affects whether your man can become a role model. Shouldn't you do something about it?"

"If Dongxu becomes a role model, you will be honored as his daughter-in-law."

Qin Huairu was startled.

She grew up in the countryside and often saw wild wolves. She knew better than anyone how terrifying wild wolves are.

Qin Huairu held the sleeping Bang Geng in her arms and said, "How about I take Bang Geng with me to the mountains to hunt wolves?"

Banggeng woke up dazedly and opened his eyes: "Ah!"

Both Jia Zhang and Jia Dongxu were deflated.

Qin Huairu was like this. She went up the mountain not to fight the wolves, but to feed them.

Besides, we have to bring sticks. It is impossible to kill the wolf, Jia Dongxu suggested: "Mom, Li Aiguo's operation method is very simple, in fact, it is to give food to the workers. We don't need wolf meat, we can replace it with something else, such as fat!"

"Fat? What are you thinking about? I, an old woman, can't bear to eat pork and give it to others. Am I stupid? Do you think I am a fool?" Jia Zhang was furious.

"I can't bear to give away fat. How about giving away cornmeal?" Jia Dongxu suggested again: "Although it's a little cheaper, it also reflects my spirit."

"Cornnoodles won't work either. The corn noodles we have were sent by Yi Zhonghai, and they're not enough for our family to eat." Jia Zhang rejected the idea.

"Then wild vegetables, wild vegetables will be fine, right?"

"We need to save wild vegetables for winter. Haven't you noticed that every household is storing wild vegetables now?"

Seeing that wild vegetables were also rejected, Jia Dongxu was silent for a moment and suggested: "Mom, why don't we forget it? I can't bear to part with it. Then Li Aiguo is a fool."

Jia Zhang already regretted it at this time. She was not willing to give away her family's things at all.

Seeing Jia Dongxu backing off, he nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, Li Aiguo is a fool!"

With this, the first Jia family rise conference came to a perfect end.

After two hours of discussion, the meeting came to only one conclusion: "Li Aiguo is a fool."

Qin Huairu shook her head helplessly, stood up, and went into the inner room holding the stick.

Li Aiguo had no idea that the Jia family actually wanted to learn his methods.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't care, because he had already arrived at the Zhengzhou North Locomotive Depot under the Zhengzhou Railway Bureau.

Deputy Section Chief Liu of Zhengzhou North Locomotive Depot, along with the leaders of the Propaganda Department, warmly welcomed Li Aiguo and his delegation.

"Driver Li, welcome to our Zhengzhou Locomotive Depot. The venue is ready now."

The preaching teams these days are truly preaching.

There was no warm welcome, no dinner.

After arriving at the place, I gave a briefing to the local comrades, and that was it, there wasn't so much nonsense.

At most, I would have one working meal and two sips of tea.

After the presentation at Zhengzhou North Locomotive Depot, Li Aiguo originally planned to continue to the next stop with his comrades in the department, but Deputy Section Chief Liu came to his door with a young railway worker.

"Comrade Aiguo, this is Comrade Dou Wu, the shunting worker in our Zhengzhou section. He learned that you were coming and changed his shift to come here to meet you."

Dou Wu? Looking at the young face, Li Aiguo felt that the name was familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it.

Secretary Chen from the department reminded: "This person should be the inventor of the inertial shunting method."

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Aiguo suddenly remembered and looked at Dou Wu with eager eyes.

Zhengzhou North Railway Station is located at the intersection of the Beijing-Guangzhou and Longhai railway trunk lines, and is mainly responsible for the arrival, dismantling, marshalling and departure operations of the two trunk lines.

It is an important transportation hub connecting my country's five major regions: North China, East China, South China, Northwest China and Southwest China.

In recent years, Zhengzhou North Station receives and sends about 500 trains every day, and the average daily number of vehicles handled is more than 2.2. It can be said to be the busiest railway station in the country.

The more vehicles there are, the more troublesome the shunting operation becomes. Dou Wu devoted himself to studying the knowledge of shunting business every day, and improved the original flat shunting operation method into a new operation method of multiple sets of inertia continuous shunting.

Using the inertial shunting method, a shunting group can shun more than 1600 vehicles per shift.

After the inert shunting method was promoted, the dispatching operation speed was greatly accelerated, the train stop time was reduced, and it made a contribution to railway transportation.

Dou Wu was subsequently named a national advanced producer and this year also participated in the national gathering of heroes held in Beijing.

Dou Wu held Li Aiguo's hand tightly and said, "Driver Li, I was looking forward to meeting you at the National Heroes Conference, but you didn't attend. Later, I found the comrades in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and they told me that you were on a business trip."

Li Aiguo remembered that when the gathering of heroes was in session, he was masturbating in the northeast.

"Comrade Dou Wu, you are in such a hurry to find me, is there something wrong?"

Li Aiguo was not arrogant enough to think that just because he was a role model, a person of Dou Wu's level would take leave and come here.

"The thing is, I'm still working on improving the shunting method, but it's too complicated. The arrival and departure times of vehicles may be affected by various circumstances."

Dou Wu briefly described the difficulties he encountered, and finally said with a smile: "I heard that you designed an automatic railway signal. The principle of railway signal is similar to shunting, so I want you to help improve the shunting method."

Li Aiguo could not help but look up to Dou Wu.

The fact that he was able to connect railway signals and shunting together is enough to show that this advanced worker, who originally was a shunter, put a lot of effort into his research.

"Automatic railway signaling is indeed similar to shunting, but I didn't develop it alone. I have other tasks to accomplish now."

"If you go to the capital again, we can discuss this."

Li Aiguo is also interested in shunting operations, but now is not a good time.

He has to complete his presentation tasks and attend the Iron Group meeting at the end of the year, so he is really too busy.

Dou Wu also understood this and nodded heavily: "Driver Li, I will definitely come to Beijing to visit you next year."

Li Aiguo exchanged a few more pleasantries with the local comrades before boarding the train with the comrades in the ministry.

Watching the train go away, Deputy Section Chief Liu of Zhengzhou North Section smiled and asked Dou Wu: "Old Dou, you are an expert in dispatching operations. Driver Li is indeed an excellent train driver in the country, but I am afraid he can't provide you with any help."

Dou Wu said: "Section Chief, as we have more and more trains, the shunting method I came up with is becoming more and more difficult and needs to be improved urgently.

I have studied automatic railway signals before, and the ideas and thoughts here are eye-opening, and the level is far beyond mine. "

"Really?" Deputy Section Chief Liu smiled, but he disagreed in his heart.

He used to be Dou Wu's old leader and knew this national advanced representative better than anyone else.

Even though Dou Wu only has a primary school education, his actual cultural level is far beyond that of ordinary university professors, and should be much higher than that of train drivers.

In the next ten days, Li Aiguo and his comrades in the department visited more than a dozen locomotive depots.

Wherever we went, we were warmly welcomed by the workers in the locomotive depot.

Time passed unknowingly and it was the end of the month. After leaving his last stop, the Yangcheng Locomotive Depot, Li Aiguo returned to Beijing.

Just after returning to Beijing, before he had time to report to the locomotive depot, he was invited into the office by Liu Guozhang of the Railway Research Institute.

There Li Aiguo met an old acquaintance, Deputy Chief Engineer Wang of Factory 428 (Datong Locomotive Factory).

Liu Guozhang pointed at Deputy Chief Engineer Wang and said to Li Aiguo, "Aiguo, you are all old acquaintances, so there is no need for me to introduce you. Deputy Chief Engineer Wang will also go to the Iron Group with the Ministry this time."

Li Aiguo was stunned.

Now Factory 428 has taken over the production plan of most of the patriotic steam locomotives in the country, and the production task is very heavy.

It is said that Engineer Liu from the Changxindian Locomotive Factory revealed that they have sent a full two hundred skilled workers to support the production of the No. 428 Factory.

Deputy Chief Engineer Wang was a senior technician and factory leader second only to Chief Engineer Liu. Why did he leave the 428 Factory at this critical moment?

Liu Guozhang saw Li Aiguo's doubts and said with a smile: "This time, Lao Wang went to the Railway Group mainly to promote the Aiguo steam locomotive."

"Promoting trains? Isn't that the business of the Foreign Affairs Department and the Ministry of Railways?" Li Aiguo frowned.

Since its successful production, the Patriotic Steam Locomotive has won unanimous praise at home and abroad for its excellent performance.

The department signed several large contracts with foreign countries in succession and sold dozens of patriotic steam locomotives.

"This time things are more complicated."

Liu Guozhang stood up and closed the office door. After sitting down again, he asked in a low voice: "Aiguo, do you know a country called Iraq?"

Half an hour later, Li Aiguo left the Railway Research Institute and rode his bicycle towards the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

He looked calm, but a little excited inside.

The story began two months ago, when the Ministry of Railways suddenly received a request from Ai's family.

The other party plans to send a team of experts to the country to inspect the patriotic steam locomotive.

The Ai family at that time was not the mess it is in later generations, but a good place with an average annual income of 5500 US dollars and every family having a car and a house.

Especially after Ai's family drove out Faisal on July 14, 1958, their lives became more and more prosperous, and they became closer and closer to the Big Brother in the international arena.

Although Ai's family is not a big family like ours, we have a very good relationship with them.

Besides, they came with foreign currency.

Faced with Ai's family's request, the Ministry of Railways naturally agreed immediately and warmly entertained the guests from Ai's family.

Ai’s family took a liking to the Patriotic steam locomotive at first sight and planned to purchase fifty of them to replace the old trains on the Baghdad-Mosul and Baghdad-Basra railway lines.

It’s just that Ai’s family is too close to Big Brother. It is said that the Russians are even planning to build a railway line for Ai’s family.

Under such circumstances, direct transactions between the two countries may cause trouble.

It just so happens that Ai’s railway company, IRR, is a private railway company.

After the Ai family and both of us discussed it, we decided to let IRR and the 428 Locomotive Factory conduct transactions directly.

In this way, even if someone is dissatisfied, they cannot use this matter to make a fuss.

IRR was also a member of the Railway Group, so the higher-ups decided to take advantage of the Railway Group meeting to allow Factory 428 to discuss the sale of Patriotic locomotives to IRR.

Ai's family is a wealthy family, and they are one of the big dog owners these days.

Besides, the trains at home are all old-fashioned. If we can take this opportunity to open up Ai's railway market, we will make a fortune.

The reason why Liu Guozhang invited Li Aiguo to meet with Deputy Chief Engineer Wang was that he wanted him to join the negotiation team.

After all, he was the developer of the Patriot steam locomotive and knew the performance of the Patriot steam engine better than anyone else.

Li Aiguo agreed immediately.

Li Aiguo rode his bicycle back to the locomotive depot, canceled his leave, and then went to the foreign affairs department to exchange some foreign currency.

These days, for people who go abroad on government scholarships, the government will approve a corresponding amount of foreign exchange based on factors such as the country they are going to and the distance. The amount can only meet basic living needs.

Although not much, but it's a rare trip abroad, so naturally I have to bring back some souvenirs. (End of this chapter)