Chapter 55: Even a Rocket Launcher Won't Work (Please keep reading)

Officer Wang pushed open the door and reported the exam scores to Minister Niu.

Minister Niu nodded with satisfaction.

Taking a ring of keys from the wall, he led Li Aiguo to a warehouse located not far from the office.

The key turned the rusty iron lock, and with a long, creaking sound, the heavy iron door slowly swung open.

Various types of weapons were arranged on wooden racks inside the warehouse.

There were pistols such as the Laqi, Laqi-8, Ten-shot, Twenty-shot, Push-wheel, and Thirteen-pull, as well as rifles and carbines like the步骑枪 (infantry/cavalry rifles), 套铜枪 (copper-clad rifles), Er-ba, San-ba, and Type 79 rifles, along with Thompson submachine guns, Czech light machine guns, Canadian heavy machine guns, and more.

The condition of the weapons was not great; they were covered in rust, and some were even incomplete, likely decommissioned from the military.

In a corner, Li Aiguo spotted two M1 81mm mortars.

Sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting a cold, metallic luster upon the black mortar barrels.

Judging by the level of maintenance, these things were definitely functional.

As long as a shell was loaded, they could blow down an opposing wall.

Seeing Li Aiguo's eyes fixed on the mortars, Minister Niu hurriedly waved his hand. "Those won't do. Don't even think about it."

"If you want to get locked up, don't drag me down with you."

The idea of firing a shot went up in smoke.

Reluctantly, Li Aiguo walked toward the wooden racks to browse.

"Hey, no rocket launchers either!"

"You look like a good kid, but you're just as greedy as your master."

"You can only choose a pistol."

Reluctantly putting down the rocket launcher, Li Aiguo picked up a pistol.

Unlike standard pistols, this one was exceptionally large, featuring a brown grip and a silver-gray body, looking particularly imposing.

As Li Aiguo walked over holding the pistol, a flash of regret crossed Minister Niu's eyes. "You've got a good eye, kid. This Colt M1911A1 was captured from a Japanese detachment by soldiers of the 23rd Regiment."

"Supposedly, on the Burmese battlefield, American devils used this very pistol to shoot down a Japanese 'Zero' fighter with four consecutive shots."

"This is the only one in our entire locomotive maintenance depot."

Li Aiguo fiddled with the pistol for a moment before a crucial question occurred to him: "Minister, are there matching bullets?"

"Let me see."

Minister Niu took out his notebook, flipped through it for a while, and smiled. "You're in luck, kid. There happen to be exactly two hundred.45 caliber Colt pistol rounds in the warehouse."

Two hundred rounds might not seem like much, but it was actually sufficient.

As a train driver, one didn't get many real opportunities to fire a gun.

However, according to the regulations of the Armament Department, each driver was only allowed to draw four bullets at a time.

After loading the bullets into the magazine, Li Aiguo tested a few shots at the shooting range under Minister Niu's watchful eye.

The crisp cracks of gunfire echoed through the air, and the bullets struck the bullseye dead center.

"Not bad, you've got your master's style."

Only then did Minister Niu help Li Aiguo complete the paperwork.

From then on, Li Aiguo possessed a big gun of his own.

Upon returning to the Armament Department, just as Li Aiguo was preparing to bid farewell to Minister Niu, a delicate-looking woman came running from a distance.

Speaking in broken Mandarin, the woman told Minister Niu that her child was sick and she wouldn't be able to bring him lunch, so he would have to make do with a meal at the depot canteen.

"I understand, Xiao Jin. Hurry and get our son to the hospital."

The woman nodded, glanced at Li Aiguo with a slight nod of acknowledgment, and then hurried away.

Looking at her standard Korean features, combined with her surname Jin and her broken Mandarin, Li Aiguo began to understand why Minister Niu had transferred out of the military early.

Feeling a wave of emotion, Li Aiguo chatted briefly with Minister Niu before turning to head toward the Finance Department.

The pistol at his waist felt heavy, occasionally bumping against his upper thigh, which was somewhat uncomfortable.

Li Aiguo felt he should get a holster to attach the pistol to his belt.

But that was a matter for the future; his most important task right now was to collect his wages.

To receive this month's salary before even starting the job—such an incredible thing was happening right before Li Aiguo's eyes.

In his hands, Li Aiguo held 102 yuan, a stack of meal coupons, oil coupons, match coupons, laundry coupons... for a moment, he was so moved he nearly shed tears.

By comparison...

The black-hearted bosses of his previous life, who only paid last month's wages at the end of the following month, deserved to be hanged from a telephone pole.

Bosses who paid before the 20th could be allowed to pick a shorter pole.

"Comrade, comrade..."

The clerk in the Finance Department looked at Li Aiguo's excited expression with some confusion.

After calling him twice, the clerk pointed to the receipt. "Comrade, please sign your name here."

"Alright, alright..."

Stepping out of the locomotive depot, Li Aiguo felt the sky was exceptionally blue and the birdsong exceptionally pleasant.

Carrying 102 yuan, he felt a sense of prosperity unique to the "ten-thousand-yuan households" of later generations.

Now that he had money, he was going to spend it!

Pedaling his bicycle, he arrived at the Chaoyang Market.

He spent 2 cents to buy five pounds of bok choy.

Then he turned into the grain station to help Auntie Liu next door pick up five pounds of cornmeal.

Auntie Liu had difficulty walking, so every half month, she entrusted Li Aiguo to buy her grain.

By the time he rode the tandem bicycle back to the courtyard, it was lunchtime, and the air was filled with the aroma of cooking.

As he approached Auntie Liu's door, he noticed there was no "Model Family" plaque hanging on the lintel, and he breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Liu Tianquan and Liu Diquan were both workers for an exploration team; three years ago, they were pulled away for a mission that could not be disclosed to the public.

Even Auntie Liu did not know where they were.

It was clear the mission was not simple.

Considering it was 1956, the matter of growing mushrooms in the Gobi Desert had already been put on the agenda.

They were likely exploring locations in the Gobi for mushroom cultivation.

Or perhaps they had joined the 519 Geological Exploration Team to search for uranium in the borderlands.

Whichever it was, they were working at the risk of their lives.

Li Aiguo gathered his thoughts and knocked on Auntie Liu's door.

Auntie Liu was busy cooking; seeing Li Aiguo standing outside with a cotton bag, she hurriedly invited him in.

"You child, I'm troubling you again."

"Don't say that, Auntie. Since Brother Tianquan and Brother Diquan aren't home, as a neighbor, it's only right that I help."

Li Aiguo poured the cotton bag into the flour bin, folded the bag neatly, and placed it into a canvas bag.

This could be reused next time.

By now, Auntie Liu had fished out fifty cents and a five-pound coarse grain coupon from her pocket.

"Here you go, child."

Li Aiguo did not stand on ceremony and tucked the grain coupon into his pocket.

He glanced at the bowl of fine flour noodles on the table.

"Auntie, Tianquan and the others send back so much money every month; you could afford to eat fine grains."

Auntie Liu smiled. "In my old age... when the bandits passed through the capital, I had seven siblings. We had no food, and I was the only one who survived."

"I'm old now; eating those refined grains feels like a waste."

Knowing Auntie Liu's temperament, Li Aiguo said no more and turned to head back to his room.

(End of Chapter)