Chapter 54: Special Education (Please keep reading)

Chapter 54: Special Education (Please keep reading)

"Mm-hmm."

Zhang Yazhi's eyes flickered, and two rosy clouds rose upon her fair, delicate face.

Seeing that Zhang Yazhi's expression was unusual, Conductor Bai asked curiously, "Aiguo, do you and Yazhi know each other from before?"

"No, we just ran into each other on the road today. A chance encounter."

Seeing that Li Aiguo did not expose her embarrassing moment, Zhang Yazhi breathed a sigh of relief and gave him a grateful glance with pursed lips.

Cao Wenzhi continued the introductions: "These are the railway police comrades assigned to our crew."

Seeing the bulges at their waists, Li Aiguo felt an immediate surge of respect and nodded in greeting. The railway police comrades also nodded in response.

"This is your assistant driver, Old Liu, Liu Qingquan."

Cao Wenzhi pointed to a middle-aged man and introduced him: "Master Liu is a veteran driver. Although he is the assistant, his driving experience is extensive. You should learn a lot from Old Liu in the future."

Li Aiguo reached out enthusiastically: "Uncle Liu, I've heard about you from my father. He said you are the best marksman among train drivers, and among skilled hunters, you are the best at driving trains."

Liu Qingquan was originally a hunter. Before the liberation, he had been a solid hunter in the Tongbai Mountains of Henan for over ten years.

Liu Qingquan had an honest, simple nature. He gave a blunt smile and reached out to shake Li Aiguo's hand firmly. "I've heard of Old Li's deeds; he was a real hero. A hero's son is a hero; since you are his son, you naturally won't be bad either."

"Aiguo has good academic results, but his practical experience is still lacking. Old Liu, you'll need to help guide him more," Cao Wenzhi said with a smile.

"Just put your heart at ease. You know what kind of man I am," Liu Qingquan promised, patting his chest.

He could tell by now that Cao Wenzhi held significant expectations for this young man. Cao Wenzhi had taken several apprentices before, but never with this kind of fanfare. In particular, the presence of the crew and the railway police—who were not under Cao Wenzhi's direct command—was a deliberate move by Cao Wenzhi to build prestige for the boy.

Next, Cao Wenzhi introduced the remaining member of the vehicle team—the stoker, Old Zheng.

Old Zheng was in his forties. His skin was reddened by the glow of the furnace, he wore an oil-stained cap, and his fingernails were caked with coal dust. He was not a man of many words. Upon hearing his name called by Cao Wenzhi, he merely stood up slightly, the stem of his tobacco pipe clicking rhythmically.

"Old Zheng has this personality, but don't underestimate him. He is the best stoker in our motive power depot," Cao Wenzhi explained with a smile.

Seeing that it was getting late, Conductor Bai Yuejie clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, tomorrow at nine in the morning, our Crew 131 will officially change shifts and board Train 131 from Beijing to Tianjin to execute our passenger transport mission."

"It's getting late, so everyone should head back early to rest and gather their strength. Let's strive for a flying start."

"Now, please everyone sing a song to welcome our new comrade!"

"Ready, go!"

Accompanied by the wave of Bai Yuejie's small hand, loud singing erupted in the lounge.

*The sun is setting in the west,* *The Weishan Lake is quiet and still,* *I pluck my beloved earthen lute,* *And sing that moving melody.* *Climbing onto the speeding train,* *Like riding a galloping steed,* *The stations and the railway lines,* *Are our great battlefields to slay the enemy.*

This was a song from this year's most popular movie, *The Railway Guerrillas*, titled "Plucking My Beloved Earthen Lute."

Although Li Aiguo had not seen the movie, he had heard others sing it and knew the lyrics and melody. He froze for a moment before reacting, joining in loudly. His voice echoed in the air, his chest filled with surging emotion.

"As train drivers, we often encounter emergencies. According to regulations, both the main and assistant drivers are required to carry firearms."

"Did you learn how to shoot in school?"

Li Aiguo straightened his back: "I did. I was even the top marksman in my class."

Cao Wenzhi nodded. "That's good. Master will take you to collect your gun."

As the crew members went back to prepare for tomorrow's run, Li Aiguo followed his master, Cao Wenzhi, to the Motive Power Depot's Armory Department.

Cao Wenzhi pushed open the door and shouted inside, "Old Niu, get your ass out here and find my apprentice a handy tool!"

Minister Niu, wearing an old dark green uniform, walked out. He approached Li Aiguo, sized him up from head to toe, and nodded heavily. "Alright, I see that spirit of our old Railway Corps in this kid."

"Old Cao, you've really picked up a treasure this time."

"You don't need to tell me that!" Cao Wenzhi pointed to Minister Niu and introduced him: "Aiguo, this Minister Niu is no ordinary man. He went to Korea back in the day and performed great service during the railway repairs. Before returning to civilian life, his rank was Second Lieutenant."

"A hero doesn't need to boast of past glories," Minister Niu said, a hint of regret appearing on his face as he thought of those turbulent years.

This left Li Aiguo somewhat puzzled. The Railway Corps was different from other domestic branches; they used the Soviet-style rank system, where a Second Lieutenant was a platoon leader level. Minister Niu was only around thirty years old and was already at the rank of Second Lieutenant, which made him quite young and promising.

However... why didn't he stay in the Railway Corps and instead transfer to civilian life?

Cao Wenzhi seemed to know the inside story. Seeing that Minister Niu was unwilling to discuss the past, he laughed. "Stop with the useless talk. Hurry up and finish the paperwork for my apprentice. I have to head to the maintenance workshop to keep an eye on the locomotive inspections today."

Minister Niu stepped aside and waved at Cao Wenzhi. "Old Cao, go ahead with your business. With our relationship, do you think I'd mistreat your apprentice?"

"You wouldn't dare, even if you had the guts. If you try to play tricks, I'll eat all the kimchi in your house."

Cao Wenzhi turned to instruct Li Aiguo: "When choosing a gun later, try to pick a larger one. We drive big trains; if you carry a tiny pistol, people will laugh at you."

Li Aiguo nodded. "Master, I think the same way. A man should be big!"

"You train drivers have no sense of decorum! Now get lost!" Minister Niu slapped the table.

After Cao Wenzhi left, Minister Niu took a firearm permit from a drawer, wrote down Li Aiguo's name, and stamped it with a red seal.

"This is your firearm permit. Although it might not seem useful, you must keep it safe."

"Don't worry," Li Aiguo said, tucking the permit into his pocket.

"Your school has already conducted secrecy and anti-espionage education, but according to procedure, all personnel in our Motive Power Depot must undergo a study session once a month."

"It must be taught every day and remembered at all times."

"Now, go with Officer Wang to the study room for half an hour." Cao Wenzhi called over an officer.

In this era, the imperialists' desire to destroy the nation remained unquenched, and they were always looking for opportunities to cause sabotage in the shadows. The railway was the lifeline of transportation and was a primary target for enemy "attention." Consequently, the Railway Technical School had established specialized courses on secrecy and anti-espionage education.

Li Aiguo understood the importance of this education. His expression turned solemn as he followed Officer Wang into the adjacent study room.

Though called a study room, it was actually just a small, empty room. Inside were seven or eight long benches, suggesting it was used for collective study. Today was a private session for Li Aiguo. In the center sat a simple projector, a dusty screen hung on the wall, and over ten copies of the latest internal reference materials were laid out on the table.

The film being projected was a so-called internal educational film, and the reference materials covered recent cases. Under the dim light, Officer Wang held a handwritten manual with frayed edges, walked to the screen, looked Li Aiguo in the eye, and spoke with an impassioned voice

"Heighten your vigilance to defend the motherland!"

Li Aiguo stood up, his expression solemn and dignified: "Let the enemy spies be drowned in the vast ocean of the people's war!"

Following the brief slogan, Officer Wang began explaining the details of secrecy and anti-espionage. This included subjects such as how to identify suspicious persons, common methods used by enemy spies, types of enemy equipment, and how to respond to them. After finishing the lecture, he posed questions to Li Aiguo on the spot.

Naturally, Li Aiguo answered them fluently.

"Comrade Li Aiguo, your score for this education session is ninety-eight." Officer Wang wrote the score on a document and signed his name. He then handed it to Li Aiguo. "Among the items most frequently carried by enemies, you missed one—a signal flare."

A signal flare is used to call for help... Li Aiguo laughed in surprise. Those useless people, even at a time like this, still refused to give up and were still dreaming the impossible; it was simply ridiculous.

If a score in secrecy and anti-espionage education fell below sixty, one had to stop working and undergo specialized education until passing. Li Aiguo's ninety-eight was considered an impressively high score.