Chapter 22: Zhang Dahua

Although there were no telephones or mobile phones in this era, a highly efficient communication tool existed within the courtyard compounds—the "flesh loudspeakers."

By the water tank in the middle courtyard, the "flesh loudspeakers" maintained their intelligence station for exchanging gossip.

The news that Li Aiguo was going to take the train driver exam seemed to have sprouted wings, spreading through the entire compound in no time.

Most residents offered their blessings to Li Aiguo. The Li family had only one descendant for three generations; if Li Aiguo became a driver, he could marry and have children as soon as possible to expand the family lineage.

However, a few people felt as if their ancestral graves had been dug up, their teeth itching with rage.

For instance, Jia Zhangshi.

Under the old camphor tree in the middle courtyard, Jia Zhangshi shouted loudly while sewing shoe soles: "That little brat Li Aiguo! If he actually manages to become a driver, our Dongxu could become a workshop director!"

Jia Dongxu, who had taken the day off due to a stomachache, stood beside her, nodding repeatedly.

"Exactly! I know Li Aiguo's level; he's just a pretender. A train driver has to drive massive locomotives—how could he possibly do it!"

Someone nearby, unable to stand it, spoke up loudly: "You two, stop just flapping your gums. Why don't you make a real bet? If Li Aiguo passes the exam to become a train driver, what will you do?"

"If he passes, I'll call him 'Dad'!" Jia Dongxu said triumphantly.

The onlookers glanced at Jia Zhangshi and fell into immediate silence. If you want to be someone's son, they have to marry your mother first.

Qin Huairu, squatting on the ground and scrubbing clothes with vigor, almost burst out laughing upon hearing Jia Dongxu's words. Was this what they called "covering all bases"? Jia Dongxu really lacked a brain.

Li Aiguo, of course, had no idea he had almost gained a "bargain son."

By then, he had arrived at the locomotive depot facing the morning sun to meet the other candidates.

A total of thirty-two people from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot were participating in the exam this time. In addition to the candidates, there was Liu Chunhua, the director of the education office, and Cao Wenzhi, the driver captain.

The distance from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to the Beijing General Locomotive Depot was roughly twenty miles. Normally, one would take a bus to reach the General Depot. However, if word got out that railway workers were riding buses, they would surely be mocked.

Captain Cao Wenzhi wandered around the dispatch room, checked the trains passing through the depot that day, and then led Li Aiguo and the others onto a train parked at the maintenance platform.

This train was covered in rust, the carriages were empty, and there were no seats or windows. The floors and walls were stained with a black, grimy substance. Li Aiguo rubbed a bit between his fingers and found it was coal dust.

Good heavens, they were going to use a coal car to transport them to the General Depot.

After everyone was on board, Cao Wenzhi explained with a smile, "This coal car is heading toward the Northeast. It departs in five minutes and will pass the General Depot in ten minutes. The train won't stop, so I assume you've all learned how to jump from a moving train?"

Jumping from a train...

Li Aiguo couldn't help but swallow hard. Jumping off a moving train? Was this some kind of railway guerrilla warfare? The railway workers of this era were truly unconventional. In later generations, if dozens of people jumped from a train, the depot would probably lose several executives in the fallout.

The regular vocational school graduates in the carriage all nodded in unison and shouted loudly: "Run forward, grab the carriage, jump outward, land on one foot!"

Hearing the synchronized and loud chant, Li Aiguo pinched the bridge of his nose. They even had a mnemonic for it; it seemed this was a mandatory skill for train drivers.

"Alright, everyone be careful. Nothing will happen," Cao Wenzhi clapped his hands and looked at Liu Chunhua. "Director Liu, what about you?"

"Can't the train just stop? I'm a woman," Liu Chunhua said with a look of difficulty.

She had originally been a female worker in a factory under the railway bureau. It was only after meeting Deputy Depot Manager Liu that she became the director of the education office; she had never received professional railway training.

Cao Wenzhi looked troubled. "I'm afraid that's impossible. If we stop the train, the driver will have to write a report, and the General Bureau will definitely investigate. How about you take a bus?"

"Will the depot reimburse me?"

"Do you really think our depot will reimburse you for a bus fare?" Cao Wenzhi looked at her in astonishment.

Relying on her relationship with Deputy Manager Liu, this woman gave no respect to anyone in the depot. Even Cao Wenzhi, the driver captain, had frequently been harassed by her regarding writing self-criticism reports. This time, he naturally wouldn't give her face.

Liu Chunhua also felt her request was somewhat ridiculous, but she didn't dare jump. She stated that she would ride a bicycle to the General Depot instead.

As she reached the carriage door, Liu Chunhua turned back and waved to a tall, thin young man. "Liu Erfeng, there will be a ten-minute gap later. Don't just sit idle; hurry up and memorize those key points I had someone highlight for you. Try to get me a first-place finish!"

Only after Liu Erfeng nodded did she walk toward the engine shed.

By now, the other candidates had also realized the relationship between the two. Several candidates immediately crowded around.

"Calling him 'Liu Erfeng'... so you actually have a relative who is a big director? The top three spots in this exam are practically in your pocket."

"Don't talk nonsense. This is fair competition," Liu Erfeng nodded arrogantly, though his eyes stole a glance at Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo pretended not to notice. He walked up to a female candidate and smiled, "How about it? Do you have confidence?"

When Li Aiguo first saw a female candidate among the group, he was momentarily stunned.

The steam locomotives of this era were far less convenient to operate than the electric trains of later generations. Specifically, things like control levers and brakes required manual operation. Those things were incredibly heavy; an average person couldn't move them at all. Furthermore, long-distance trips often lasted days and nights; it would be inconvenient for a female driver to deal with her menstrual cycle while on duty. Therefore, women were not considered suitable to be train drivers.

Well, he was only considering it from a physical standpoint, with no other intentions.

It was only after browsing through the original owner's memories that Li Aiguo discovered the reason. This female candidate was no ordinary person.

Her name was Zhang Dahua, a standard "railway child." Her grandfather had operated a Longhao locomotive at the Kaiping Mining Bureau, which was one of the earliest trains in the country. Before the liberation, Zhang Dahua's father was a train driver at the Tumen Locomotive Depot of the Harbin Railway Bureau. After the liberation, as the Beijing Locomotive Depot expanded, he brought his whole family to Beijing. The Zhang family could be considered a prominent lineage of train drivers in the country.

Since childhood, Zhang Dahua had shown a talent for train driving that surpassed ordinary people. She was physically robust; in elementary school, she could knock down a child with a single punch. By middle school, her height had shot up to 1.6 meters, and her weight reached 75 kilograms, allowing her to lift a hundred-pound sack with one hand.

Zhang Dahua's father was overjoyed. He had no son and was worried about his legacy; Zhang Dahua was a natural-born train driver. Thus, he specifically trained her toward becoming a driver. With an old master guiding her from behind, Zhang Dahua's practical skills were the strongest among this batch of candidates. It was only her academic scores that were mediocre; otherwise, the first place in this exam would undoubtedly belong to her.

As Li Aiguo searched through his predecessor's memories, he discovered that the previous owner actually had a very good relationship with Zhang Dahua. Among the two classmates he used to play on the tracks with, besides Zhang Dakui, the other was Zhang Dahua.