Chapter 18: Wang Cuie

Heh.

So, it turns out she was the "wet nurse."

A wave of embarrassment washed over Li Aiguo, and he felt like his toes were about to dig a hole through the floorboards.

However.

On second thought, it wasn't a big deal.

In this era, the bonds between workers were harder than steel and fiercer than fire; it was perfectly normal for people to help nurse each other's children.

Stay calm.

Stay calm.

*Phew.*

"That was all back when we were kids. Why do you keep bringing up these old stories? Can't you see the boy is blushing?"

"I'm just worried about the child. You know I've always treated Aiguo like my own."

Zhou Tiehu, holding an enamel mug and a palm-leaf fan, came over and started shouting at Wang Cuie.

Both of them were loud-mouthed; their normal conversations sounded like arguments.

If they actually started fighting, it would be like two cannons firing at each other, booming and roaring.

Li Aiguo noticed the incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling flicker twice with a "zzzt" sound.

He quickly stood up to change the subject. "Uncle Zhou, the exam is less than half a month away. When should I go to the Motive Power Department for the screening?"

"You haven't been screened yet?"

Zhou Tiehu's eyes widened in surprise. "Aiguo, are you saying Director Liu from the Education Office didn't notify you about the exam being moved forward?"

Li Aiguo felt a chill in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He smiled. "I've been staying in my room reviewing my studies lately, so I didn't receive any notice from the department."

Train driver exams were organized by the Education Office of the Motive Power Department, with the Director leading a team to the Bureau to take the exam.

According to regulations, for critical matters like changing an exam date, the Education Office was required to notify the candidates in advance.

Zhou Tiehu seemed to remember something; his expression turned strange, and he took a sip of water as if to hide his reaction.

"Maybe Director Liu was just too busy and overlooked it."

"Overlooked it? My foot! I think that old hag Liu Chunhua did it on purpose."

At that moment, Wang Cuie brought over a plate of washed large red dates. She picked up the largest one and handed it to Li Aiguo.

"I heard about it at the Crew Department. Liu Chunhua's younger brother, Liu Erfeng, is taking the train driver exam this year. Aiguo's grades are so good that if he takes the exam, he'll definitely be in the top three. She's bound to be on guard against him."

*Liu Erfeng...* Li Aiguo searched his memory for this person.

Liu Erfeng was indeed a classmate of Li Aiguo's, though from the neighboring class, and his grades seemed decent.

At their graduation party, Liu Erfeng had specifically sought out Li Aiguo to toast him, using a sarcastic tone to "wish him a bright future."

At the time, Li Aiguo had found it strange. He had only met Liu Erfeng a few times and they weren't close, so why was Liu Erfeng being so "enthusiastic"?

Looking back now, he realized he had been targeted by Liu Erfeng even then.

As expected, wherever there is interest, there is conflict.

The more Wang Cuie spoke, the more indignant she became. Finally, she slammed her fist onto the table.

"Does Liu Chunhua have any sense of organizational discipline? Any sense of class solidarity? Aiguo's father sacrificed himself for this department! This won't do. I have to go find Section Chief Zhang and report this. We can't let our child suffer grievances..."

Seeing Wang Cuie putting on her shoes to head out, Zhou Tiehu stood up and grabbed her arm.

"It hasn't caused any real trouble yet. As long as Aiguo passes the screening tomorrow, he can still take the exam."

"Old Zhou, I've noticed that the older you get, the smaller your courage becomes. Is Liu Chunhua anything more than a deputy section chief? She might be top tier in the Education Office, but I, a member of the working class, am not afraid of her!"

"It's not about being afraid or not; it's about the bad influence it would have."

Seeing that Wang Cuie was still relentless—she had already pulled her utility belt and buckled it around her waist, determined to report the situation to the Section Chief—Li Aiguo stood up and chuckled.

"Auntie, Uncle Zhou is right. My most important task right now is passing the train driver exam, not getting into a spat with Section Chief Liu. Once I take first place, we'll make that old hag die of anger."

As he spoke, Li Aiguo silently etched the name "Liu Chunhua" into his heart.

Hearing this, Wang Cuie looked Li Aiguo up and down.

After confirming he was being sincere, she let out a long sigh. "You child, you're just like your father. You always think about the big picture."

Although Zhou Tiehu didn't want to make a scene, he couldn't let his own child be wronged. Furthermore, since Liu Chunhua wasn't following the rules, he decided he would personally accompany Li Aiguo to the Education Office for the screening tomorrow.

Li Aiguo hurriedly thanked them.

He was a third-generation proletarian and grew up in Beijing; his family background and files were spotless.

However.

Screening was a very serious and complex matter, and many small complications could often arise.

With an experienced train driver like Zhou Tiehu accompanying him, even if Liu Chunhua was arrogant, she wouldn't dare to openly manipulate things.

Li Aiguo chatted a bit more about daily life, and seeing that it was past ten in the evening, he rose to take his leave.

Zhou Tiehu and Wang Cuie saw him down to the bottom of the building. Only after watching him ride his bicycle into the darkness did they return upstairs.

Wang Cuie picked up a red date and bit into it with a *crunch*. "I didn't expect Old Li's son to be so composed. If he hadn't stopped me just now, I would have kicked down Section Chief Zhang's door and caused a massive mess."

"You know it would cause a mess, so why don't you control your temper?" Zhou Tiehu teased.

Over the years, because of Wang Cuie's fiery temper, he had spent a lot of time cleaning up her messes.

Wang Cuie gave a charming, coquettish smile. "Tiehu, don't I still have you?"

Zhou Tiehu's heart skipped a beat, and he lunged forward with a sudden step.

***

The night was pitch black.

The night was silent.

Due to the curfew, there were few people on the streets after ten at night.

Li Aiguo rode his bicycle through the streets of Beijing.

Between heaven and earth, there seemed to be nothing but the sound of tires rubbing against the ground.

Before this, he hadn't expected Zhou Tiehu and Wang Cuie to be so warm and welcoming.

It seemed that in this era, personal connections and colleague relationships were far tighter than in later generations.

Additionally, the reason Zhou Tiehu agreed to take Li Aiguo for the screening was also out of a desire to compensate him.

If Li Aiguo had acted like a hotheaded youth tonight and insisted on following Wang Cuie to Section Chief Zhang's house to make a scene, even if Zhang investigated, Liu Chunhua could use various excuses to deflect. The worst result would merely be a reprimand.

But Li Aiguo, and even Zhou Tiehu, would have gained a bad reputation as "troublemakers."

In this era, collective interest was above all, and unity was above all.

Anyone who disrupted unity would be marginalized by the collective.

Furthermore, since the exam had been moved up by five days, once he passed the screening tomorrow, he would have to continue grinding his books to ensure he maxed out his train driving technical skills to 100 points before the exam.

By the time Li Aiguo returned to the courtyard, it was nearly eleven at night.

In the courtyard, every household had turned off their lights, leaving everything in darkness.

Suddenly, a dark shadow darted out from under the old camphor tree by the entrance.

Fortunately, Li Aiguo's cycling skills were rated at 95. He squeezed the brakes and scraped his foot against the ground, barely managing to stop without crashing into the figure.

"Who is it? Do you have a death wish? Do you really think a bicycle can't kill someone?"

Li Aiguo pulled a flashlight from his pocket and shone it over. The bright white light made Yan Jiecheng's face look somewhat pale.

"Aiguo, my dad told me to wait for the bicycle... no, to wait for you." Yan Jiecheng was half-asleep, rubbing his eyes.

Li Aiguo's mouth twitched.

As expected of "Old Stingy Yan"—did he really think he was going to steal the bike and flee?

"Here, take a good look."

Entering the courtyard, Li Aiguo tied the bicycle under the Yan family's eaves.

Yan Jiecheng was not polite at all; he turned on the lightbulb under the eaves and meticulously inspected the bicycle from all sides.

The frame, the handlebars, the pedals, the wheels... he checked everything.

After finishing the inspection, he shouted toward the house, "Dad, Brother Aiguo returned the bike!"

A voice came from inside: "Go inside and sleep. Don't let it interfere with school tomorrow."

(End of Chapter)