Chapter 1337
Spring Chapter: The Railway to Establish an Iron Cavalry Team
According to old custom, on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, people sweep the house.
Of course, it's no longer Li Aiguo's turn to take action.
The two brothers, Xiao Hongsheng and Xiao Dongfang, got up early in the morning.
One person was sweeping the floor with a broom, while the other was responsible for the outside.
Xiao Mingwei wasn't idle either. He took a rag, stood on a small stool, and hummed a nursery rhyme as he carefully wiped the table.
As for Li Aiguo?
All he had to do was sit comfortably in the rocking chair by the door, with a blanket draped over his legs, a book in his hand, basking in the rare warmth of the winter sun.
"Patriotism, or is it just sunbathing for warmth?"
As Liu Haizhong was reading a book, he pushed his bicycle into the middle courtyard.
Large and small bags were hanging on the handlebars and the back seat, and Aunt Er followed beside her, dressed very warmly.
"Second Uncle, are you going on a long trip?" Li Aiguo put down his book and asked with a smile.
"Your second aunt is going to the Northwest to see Guangqi! By the way, Aiguo, I have to thank you for helping me get the train tickets, otherwise where would I buy tickets at this time!"
As the second aunt walked, she greeted Li Aiguo and the residents, her excitement evident in her words.
Li Aiguo smiled and waved his hand: "Don't mention it, we're all neighbors. Second Aunt, please be careful on the road, and give my regards to Guangqi and me."
"Hey, good!"
The older woman also saw the younger woman, hesitated for a moment, stepped forward, and said with a smile, "Hai Zhong's family, with all these bags and packages, let me see you off."
"Oh, sister-in-law, I couldn't be happier!" Auntie Er quickly said.
Despite the bitter rivalry between Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong within the compound, things didn't look like a fight between fire and water.
However, the two older women don't usually get involved in the men's affairs, and their relationship has always been quite good.
The older woman saw the younger woman to the door.
Watching the second aunt ride away on the back of the bicycle, the first aunt stood in the cold wind, feeling an indescribable pang of sorrow.
On one hand, she was genuinely happy for her second aunt.
If Guangqi's wife gives birth to a big, healthy boy this time, then Second Aunt will truly become a grandmother, and the Liu family will have a third generation.
But the thought of herself made the middle-aged woman anything but happy.
When I married Yi Zhonghai, I thought he was a good person.
Who could have imagined that so many messy things would happen later?
He had no children of his own, so he had no hope for the future.
"Sigh," the old woman sighed deeply and walked towards the hospital. Although Yi Zhonghai could walk again, he still needed to take medicine.
People really do have their own destiny, and it's not something they can control.
Li Aiguo sat at the door, taking in the coldness and warmth of human relationships and the fickleness of human nature in the courtyard.
She shook her head slightly, closed the book, stood up, stretched, and turned to go back into the house.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's Lunar New Year's Eve.
The workshop also had a day off that day, and the locomotive depot specially allocated a batch of supplies to reward everyone.
Everyone received their year's benefits and happily went home for the Chinese New Year.
Li Aiguo also returned to the courtyard house carrying large and small bags.
This year's benefits are particularly generous, including dozens of kilograms of rice and twenty or thirty kilograms of meat.
Including what we posted a while ago, we definitely can't finish it all at home.
As Chen Xueru tidied up, she said, "Brother Aiguo, we can't possibly finish all this food."
How about we cook a nice meal at home tonight and invite my dad, Aunt Liu, and Yushui over so everyone can have a good time together?
Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo thought it was a good idea: "Great! We just want to have some fun during the New Year."
Let's call Da Kui over too.
By the way, for a grand feast, Nan Yi's skills are essential; let Nan Yi be in charge of the cooking..."
Li Aiguo mentally calculated the number of people, and the more he counted, the more he felt there were. It seemed that one table would definitely not be enough to accommodate everyone, so he thought he would borrow two tables later.
Just as they were discussing it, Liu Haizhong walked in with a smile, carrying an old hen in his hand.
"Aiguo, your second aunt went to the Northwest, shall I come over for a meal tonight?" Liu Haizhong said with a smile.
"Second Uncle, what are you saying? I couldn't be happier! Please come in and warm up." Li Aiguo greeted him with a smile and invited Liu Haizhong into the house.
Before Liu Haizhong could even sit down, Xu Damao and Liang Ladi arrived, carrying two large, lively carp.
According to Xu Damao, he brought the water back from the pond in the commune below using a basin.
Since guests are welcome, Li Aiguo didn't mind the food and invited the two of them in, along with a few children.
Soon, the room became lively.
There were significantly more people than originally planned, and Chen Xueru and He Yushui were simply overwhelmed with work in the kitchen.
Li Aiguo simply waved his hand and called on Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong to help.
The men killed chickens and fish, while the women chopped vegetables and tended the stove.
Looking at this bustling, lively scene, Li Aiguo was momentarily dazed.
This is no longer a New Year's Eve dinner; it's practically turned into a banquet in the courtyard.
As evening approached and darkness fell, lights were turned on in every household in the courtyard, and the aroma of food filled the air.
At this moment, an even more unexpected guest appeared for Li Aiguo.
"Happy New Year, Patriot Brother!"
Zong Xianfeng and Dasha, along with Anna and the Ivanov couple, walked into the central courtyard, chatting and laughing.
"Brother Aiguo, this is some Russian cuisine that my mother-in-law made herself. She asked us to bring it over so everyone can try it." Zong Xianfeng smiled and handed over the several aluminum lunch boxes he was carrying.
Inside is salad, meat jelly, and yogurt stew with meat.
"Please come in quickly."
Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao, who were helping to serve dishes in the courtyard, couldn't help but stop what they were doing when they saw the blond, blue-eyed "big brother," and they opened their mouths in surprise.
However, what happened next made their eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.
An Indian girl dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit also arrived carrying a lunchbox.
It was Zhao Xita, who was studying at a university in Beijing.
"Brother Aiguo, this is chicken I made with seasonings I brought from my hometown. Let's have a meal together tonight." Zhao Xita has been in Beijing for a while now and speaks fluent Mandarin.
"It's curry chicken! Welcome, welcome!"
Li Aiguo wanted to invite Zhao Xita into the house, but found that there weren't enough seats at the table.
Xu Damao was quick-witted; he turned around, ran back, and brought over his family's table.
Night falls, and the city lights begin to twinkle.
The Li family's New Year's Eve banquet has officially begun.
In the spacious main room, four square tables had to be pushed together to barely seat everyone.
The Chen Fangxuan family, the Xu Damao family, the Nan Yi family, the Zong Xianfeng family, as well as Aunt Liu, He Yushui, Da Kui, and several foreign friends, Anna and her husband, and Zhao Xita.
The table was covered with dishes that combined Chinese and Western culinary traditions.
Everyone toasted and laughed, creating a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere.
"Patriotism, today is New Year's Eve. It's the New Year, and you organized this gathering. Why don't you say a few words to everyone?" After a few rounds of drinks, Xu Damao raised his glass and egged them on.
Li Aiguo didn't stand on ceremony. He stood up, raised his glass, and said, "I wish our motherland will become stronger and stronger, and I wish everyone's life will get better and better."
There were no lengthy, high-sounding pronouncements, nor any flowery language.
This simple and unadorned statement truly touched the hearts of everyone.
Even Anna and her husband, along with Zhao Xita, nodded repeatedly; they had now fallen deeply in love with this land.
"Bang! Smash!"
Just as Li Aiguo finished speaking, a burst of firecrackers rang out outside the courtyard, bringing the festive atmosphere to a climax.
The lively atmosphere at the Li family's house drifted out through the windows, making the other residents in the compound quite envious. Li Aiguo must have been very popular to be able to gather so many people for a New Year's Eve feast.
However, they were only envious, not jealous, after all, Li Aiguo's character and conduct were evident.
Apart from Yi Zhonghai.
He looked at the white steamed buns and a few side dishes on the table, but had no appetite at all.
Upon hearing the laughter again, his face darkened even more, and he wrung out water.
"That damn Li Aiguo, even during the Spring Festival he's so arrogant, isn't he afraid of the neighborhood committee investigating him?"
An older woman quickly stopped him: "Old man, it's the New Year, can you keep your voice down? Are you out of your mind? Didn't you see who's here tonight to support the country?"
Besides Second Uncle and Xu Damao, even the professors and experts from the eldest brother's side were sitting inside! They were foreign guests!
"Who can the neighborhood committee trace back to him?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's face turned red with anger, and he was unable to utter another word.
The older woman knew he was upset, so she didn't try to persuade him any further and picked up a bowl of dumplings.
“I’m going to deliver it to the deaf old lady. Her health is getting worse and worse, and I don’t know how much longer she can hold on.”
At midnight, I heard the sound of firecrackers suddenly going off outside.
Li Aiguo put down his book.
"1965, here I come!"
Li Aiguo only had a three-day holiday for the Spring Festival, and he went back to work on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
However, I didn't work much.
First, I went around to each workshop to wish the workshop leaders and workers a Happy New Year. Then I went to the flight attendant workshop to wish a group of old friends a Happy New Year.
By the time I got back to the office, it was almost noon.
Just as I was carrying my iron-waisted lunchbox to the cafeteria, Zhou Ke came looking for me.
"Brother Aiguo, I heard that a motorcycle squad has been set up at the weather station."
"Yes, that's true." Li Aiguo nodded. Zhou Ke was now practically a meteorologist, so it wasn't surprising that he knew about this.
“I’d like to set up a motorcycle patrol team at the railway police station, what do you think?” Zhou Ke said, explaining the situation.
One of the most important tasks of the railway police station is to catch thieves on the railway lines.
With railway lines in the wild, it's inevitable that some people will have ulterior motives.
Of course, railway sleepers are quite heavy and generally cannot be stolen.
but.
The rail spikes and bolts are valuable items, as are the rail clamps and electrical wires, which are frequently stolen.
Especially on those remote branch lines, where trains don't pass by often, the patrol workers patrol relatively infrequently, and theft is more frequent.
Li Aiguo had read the internal report from the Railway Police.
Last year, along the Tianjin-Tangshan Railway, thieves committed 22 thefts in six months, stealing more than 1.2 kilograms of rail clamps, connecting bolts, and overhead power lines, causing the Jingxi Power Plant to shut down and the Tianjin-Tangshan section to be suspended for half a month.
This incident has had an extremely negative impact. The railway police have already registered the case and dispatched a large number of personnel to strengthen patrols along the railway line.
However, with such a long railway line, complete coverage was too difficult. Fortunately, members of the nearby commune helped, spotting the thieves and immediately reporting it. Unfortunately, by the time the railway police arrived, the thieves had already escaped.
Finally, the railway bureau deployed hundreds of people to lie in ambush, and at great cost, they managed to catch the thieves.
To everyone's surprise, the ringleaders were a pair of notorious thieves, a male and a female.
"Brother Aiguo, just think about it. If we had a motorcycle patrol team, the police officers would be able to patrol along the railway line on motorcycles. How fast would that be? As soon as they receive a tip from the public, they can get there in no time. These thieves wouldn't be able to escape even if they had wings!"
Zhou Ke looked at Li Aiguo with anticipation.
It's clear that he's been longing for this "Iron Cavalry" for a long time.
“This is easy to handle. The motorcycle police at the weather station are already in place, and the next batch will be given to you first. However, you need to submit a report to the section first.” Li Aiguo would definitely help if he could.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke's face lit up with joy, and he scurried off to Section Chief Xing's office to report the situation.
The theft of railway assets is very harmful. When Section Chief Xing heard that there was a way to solve the problem, he immediately approved the solution.
Since patrolling and chasing thieves doesn't require as much skill as catching Dieter, the original motorcycle only needs simple modifications.
In the afternoon, Li Aiguo and Zong Xianfeng completed the modification blueprints, which included two models. One model was specifically designed for patrol, with three fuel tanks added, giving it a range of several hundred miles.
Another option is the speed model, which also has a warning light installed on the back.
Relying on the production capacity of the motorcycle assembly plant, twenty motorcycles were assigned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot Police Station in just one day.
A railway motorcycle patrol team was established within the police station, with Zhou Ke serving as the captain, in charge of the team members and patrol duties.
At the switch station, the old switchman saw Zhou Ke riding his motorcycle over and said with some suspicion, "Little Zhou, is this motorcycle you got... any good? This is the middle of nowhere, the roads are tough."
"Don't worry, I'll be patrolling this line today. You just sleep soundly, and I guarantee nothing will be lost." Zhou Ke still trusted Li Aiguo's plan.
"Alright, alright, I haven't had a full night's sleep in over half a month." The old switchman is responsible for switching the tracks during the day and patrolling the lines at night, which is very hard work.
Zhou Ke raised his wrist to check the time, and then set off according to the original patrol plan.
Patrolling the lines on a motorcycle is much more comfortable and faster than running on two legs.
As luck would have it, while patrolling around a bend, Zhou Ke spotted a dark figure crouching by the railway tracks in the distance. The figure looked shifty and suspicious, clearly up to no good.
"Hey, we opened for business on our very first day! What great luck today!"
Zhou Ke smirked and twisted the accelerator.
The black figure heard the roar of the motorcycle, but it was too late to escape.
The motorcycle roared up to us with a strong gust of wind.
At this point, the cavalry tactics that Li Aiguo mentioned when designing the blueprints became apparent.
Zhou Ke controlled the speed of the motorcycle, squeezed the fuel tank with his legs, and used the inertia of the motorcycle to suddenly turn his body to the side, stretching out his long leg to kick the black figure in the buttocks.
Ouch!"
The black figure screamed and was kicked two or three meters away, landing face-first in the mud.
Zhou Ke got out of the car, took out handcuffs, and handcuffed himself in one swift motion.
After subduing the man, Zhou Ke went over and opened the tattered bundle that the man had dropped beside him. Upon seeing it, he burst out laughing.
Inside were more than a dozen railway spikes.
"These iron cavalry are really a good thing." Zhou Ke was overjoyed to have caught the thief.
He simply found a thick hemp rope, tied the unfortunate thief to the back of the motorcycle like a pig, and returned to the switch station.
"Huh? Xiao Zhou, what did you bring back in the back seat of your car? Why is it moving?" The old switchman had just lain down for a while when he heard the noise and came out to take a look. His eyes widened immediately.
"Caught a thief stealing nails! Sir, I told you before, our Iron Cavalry is a real treasure!" Zhou Ke laughed heartily as he pulled the thief down.
The old switchman's eyes widened in surprise.
Even switchmen have their own circles.
Within a few days, the nearby switch stations knew that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot Police Station had upgraded its equipment, now equipped with motorcycles specifically for catching thieves! And they were catching them every time!
Leaders from several other locomotive depot police stations visited the Qianmen Locomotive Depot office.
"Hey buddy, get us some motorcycles too."
"Director Zhao, these motorcycles are heavy industrial products that are supplied with ration coupons, so this matter requires the approval of our section leaders. As long as Section Chief Xing nods, the blueprints are ready, and I can help you prepare them in advance."
"Alright! That's good enough. We'll go find Old Xing right now!"
In the afternoon, several old friends arrived at Section Chief Xing's office.
"Old Xing, our Nankou Locomotive Depot needs twenty-five motorcycles."
"Old Xing, our Fengtai Locomotive Depot needs twenty motorcycles."
"Old Xing, our Jincheng Locomotive Depot needs thirty-five cars."
When Section Chief Xing saw that Lao Liu from the Jincheng Locomotive Depot had also arrived, he widened his eyes and said, "Lao Liu, you're from the Jincheng Railway Bureau, why are you getting involved?"
Section Chief Liu laughed heartily: "Who told you to come up with such a great thing as the iron cavalry? Besides, we railway workers are all one family."
Section Chief Xing was amused by Section Chief Liu, but thinking about it, it made sense; everyone on the railway was helping out when needed.
We have no shortage of motorcycles, but we need a workshop to help us modify them.
Fearing that Section Chief Xing might not agree, Section Chief Liu said, "Don't worry, we won't let you help for nothing. We'll give you all the sluggish materials for this year."
The so-called stagnant materials are materials that are stockpiled in warehouses, left unused, and left unused for a long time.
We live in a planned economy now. The higher-ups issue materials according to quotas, regardless of whether you actually need them or not. If too many are issued, they will pile up.
They can't be sold or thrown away casually; they are often used for exchange with other locomotive depots.
The Qianmen Locomotive Depot is expanding rapidly and needs various spare parts, so these stagnant parts are a good thing.
Several other locomotive depots also made promises, some with cotton yarn, some with refined white flour, and others with diesel fuel—all urgently needed supplies.
Section Chief Xing made a decision: to do it first, and then let everyone exchange supplies for it.
As for manufacturing motorcycles, Li Aiguo was too busy to handle everything himself, so he dispatched veteran workers from the motorcycle assembly plant to oversee the overall modification work.
Li Aiguo originally only wanted to help his own people catch thieves, but now that he saw everyone needed it, what could he do? He'd do it.
The Queen's private jet has just been assembled and is undergoing testing these past two days, so Li Aiguo doesn't need to pay too much attention to it.
From Monday to Wednesday, we were overwhelmed with orders.
Everyone has seen the benefits of the Iron Cavalry. They were just assigned to a few maintenance depots and made great contributions by capturing several thieves.
The most crucial aspect is safety; the railway police can directly charge in on motorcycles.
Without comparison, there is no harm. Those railway police stations without motorcycle police can only patrol on foot. Not only is it slow, but even if they receive a notice to catch thieves, the person has already disappeared.
This is what it means; this is the difference.
He was exhausted and covered in dirt but still couldn't catch the thief, while someone else just twisted the accelerator and kicked the thief down.
The leaders of those railway police stations immediately rushed into the offices of their respective locomotive depot leaders and slammed their fists on the table.
Regardless, a cavalry force must be established immediately.
Around noon, Section Chief Xing felt a little guilty looking at the seven or eight leaders from the locomotive depot who had just arrived.
"Such a large-scale operation? That's a lot of motorcycles needed."
However, considering that they are all family and there are still unsold materials to be collected, I will help them if I can.
Several section leaders looked at the registered name of the locomotive section and were somewhat apprehensive, but more than that, they were excited.
The presence of so many locomotive depots signifies that Qianmen Locomotive Depot is recognized by its peers.
In the following days, motorcycles were transported out of the workshop and delivered to various locomotive depots and police stations.
Those locomotive depot members who arrive later can only register first and wait for the orders from the previous customers to be completed.
The first to find this strange were the Beijing Railway Public Security Bureau, which was in charge of public security work for the entire railway bureau. They noticed that the performance of various railway police stations in the Beijing area had recently skyrocketed.
In just a few days, dozens of thieves have been caught, almost completing the amount needed for the past month.
The Ministry of Railways Public Security Bureau was also puzzled. Could there be something fishy going on?
So, they sent people to investigate, and found that motorcycle police from several railway police stations were patrolling. Of course, they also knew exactly who had built the motorcycle police.
The Qianmen Locomotive Depot is not directly under the jurisdiction of the Railway Public Security Bureau; reports can only be submitted to the Public Security Bureau of the relevant ministry.
Upon receiving the news, the leaders of the Ministry's Public Security Bureau decided to go to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot the next day with people from the Beijing Railway Bureau to investigate.
On Friday, Li Aiguo was in his studio discussing with Section Chief Xing and Zhou Ke how to further improve the motorcycle patrol system.
"Section Chief Xing, leaders from the Railway Bureau, and leaders from the Ministry of Public Security have arrived," Yan Jiecheng reported as he ran in.
Before Li Aiguo could even stand up, leaders from the railway bureau and the public security bureau of the ministry entered.
"Sit down, we're here to understand the situation." The railway bureau leader recognized Li Aiguo, nodded to him first, and then gestured for everyone to sit down.
Section Chief Xing and Li Aiguo both sat down, having already learned most of the situation.
The railway bureau leader looked at Li Aiguo and asked, "Aiguo, I heard that the idea of the cavalry was yours?"
Zhou Ke immediately said, "It was indeed Comrade Aiguo who proposed it, but the purchase of motorcycles was a decision made by our railway police station and has nothing to do with Aiguo."
Section Chief Xing also said, "It was my decision as section chief to produce motorcycles for those locomotive depots, and it has nothing to do with patriotism."
Seeing the two men's expressions, the railway bureau leaders were both amused and exasperated: "You really think we're here to interrogate us?"
As he spoke, the railway bureau leader looked at the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security and said, "Old Qin, you talk to them about it."
Leader Qin began, "Our ministry's public security bureau plans to equip all public security sections and railway police stations with motorcycle police. Today, we're here to understand the situation. Do you have any statistics on the specific advantages of these motorcycle police?"
This is a very important issue. After all, such a comprehensive matter cannot be decided hastily based on a few words; it requires deliberation and verification.
“We’ve actually studied this; it’s twenty times faster than manual patrols,” Li Aiguo said, taking out a document and handing it over.
After carefully reviewing the document, Director Qin found that the information was clearly marked, including the motorcycle's speed, fuel consumption, and even the cost of replacing parts, making it easy to understand.
In addition, there are other methods used by cavalry to catch thieves, such as flying kicks and interceptions.
"This material is quite good. Who made it?"
Section Chief Xing said, "It was Comrade Aiguo who did it. Comrade Aiguo is a natural genius when it comes to motorcycles."
"Section Chief Xing provided a lot of help, as did Comrade Zhou Ke, who offered considerable assistance through practical experience," Li Aiguo said.
"Good comrade, we'll take these materials first. As for the motorcycle police, you can continue with the original plan. Those locomotive depot police stations are just trying to catch thieves. Also, you need to prepare more materials," Leader Qin said in conclusion.
"Thank you, leader." Section Chief Xing also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he often dealt with ministries and commissions, the public security bureau of a ministry or commission was a very special department, and it was especially difficult to receive their praise.
"Comrade Aiguo, do a good job." As he left, Leader Qin patted Li Aiguo on the shoulder.
After everyone left, Section Chief Xing immediately convened a meeting.
"When Leader Qin came this time, his attitude was very clear. Next, police stations in locomotive depots across the country will be equipped with motorcycle police. We must make preparations."
A leader below asked, "Section Chief, isn't this still undecided? What should we do?"
"It's too late to make a decision now. The sooner the motorcycle police are deployed, the more thieves we can catch and the fewer railway accidents we can handle." That's how Section Chief Xing is. Despite his usual self-reliant nature, he's exceptionally conscientious when it comes to matters of the big picture.
"Patriotism, how many orders can you accept now?" Section Chief Xing knew that the modification was relatively simple, but he still asked.
"As long as we have enough materials, we can easily produce more than a thousand vehicles a day," Li Aiguo replied.
"What about the materials department? How are the materials?" Section Chief Xing asked again.
"no problem."
"Then you need to bring the materials back immediately; we can't delay production."
"no problem!"
"Meeting adjourned." (End of Chapter)