Chapter 22: Zhang Dahua

Although there were no telephones or mobile phones in this era, the residential compound had a highly efficient communication tool: the "meat loudspeaker." By the pool in the central courtyard, these human megaphones would gather to exchange information. The news that Li Aiguo was going to take the train driver’s examination spread throughout the entire compound as if it had wings.

Most of the residents offered Li Aiguo their blessings. The Li family had only one heir for three generations; if Li Aiguo became a driver, he could get married and have children soon, carrying on the family line. However, a small number of people were as furious as if their ancestral graves had been dug up.

For instance, Mrs. Jia.

Under the old camphor tree in the central courtyard, Mrs. Jia was stitching a shoe sole while shouting loudly, "If that little brat Li Aiguo can pass that driver exam, then our Dongxu could be a workshop director!"

Jia Dongxu, who had taken the day off work due to a stomachache, stood nearby and nodded repeatedly. "Exactly. I know Li Aiguo’s level; he’s just making up the numbers. A train driver has to operate a real locomotive—how could he possibly handle that?"

Someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore and said loudly, "You two shouldn't just run your mouths. Why not make a real bet? If Li Aiguo passes the train driver exam, what will you do?"

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

The others looked at Mrs. Jia and fell silent. If you want to be someone’s son, that someone would have to marry your mother first. Qin Huairu, who was squatting on the ground scrubbing clothes with all her might, nearly burst out laughing when she heard Jia Dongxu’s words. Is this what you call... having it both ways? Jia Dongxu really had no brains at all.

...

Li Aiguo, of course, was unaware that he had almost gained a cheap son. By now, he was walking toward the locomotive depot in the morning sun to join his fellow examinees. A total of thirty-two people from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot were taking the train driver exam. Besides the candidates, there was Liu Chunhua, the director of the Education Office, and Cao Wenzhi, the captain of the drivers.

The distance from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to the Beijing Locomotive General Depot was about twenty li. Normally, one would take a bus to get there. But...

Workers on the railroad riding a bus would surely be a laughingstock if it got out. Captain Cao Wenzhi took a turn through the dispatch office to check the trains passing through the depot today, then led Li Aiguo and the others onto a train parked on the maintenance platform.

The train was covered in rust, the carriages were empty—no seats, no windows—and the floors and walls were stained with a dark, grimy substance. Li Aiguo rubbed his fingers together and realized it was coal dust. Good grief, they were being sent to the General Depot in a coal wagon.

Once everyone was on board, Cao Wenzhi smiled and explained, "This coal wagon is heading to the Northeast. It leaves in five minutes and passes the General Depot in ten. The train won't stop, so you’ve all learned how to jump from a moving train, right?"

Jump from a train... Li Aiguo couldn't help but swallow hard. Jumping off a moving train—was this the Railway Guerrillas? The people in the railroad industry in this era were truly wild. If this were the future, you can bet several leaders in the depot would be fired for letting dozens of people jump off a moving train.

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

Listening to the rhythmic, loud chanting, Li Aiguo rubbed his brow. They even had a mnemonic for it; it seemed this was a mandatory skill for train drivers.

"Alright, everyone be careful, it’ll be fine," Cao Wenzhi said, clapping his hands. He looked at Liu Chunhua. "Director Liu, what about you?"

"Can’t the train stop? I’m a woman, after all," Liu Chunhua said, looking troubled. She had originally been a worker at a factory affiliated with the Railway Bureau; it was only after she met Deputy Director Liu that she became the director of the Education Office. She had never received professional railway training.

Cao Wenzhi looked awkward. "I'm afraid that's impossible. If the train stops, the driver has to write a report, and the General Bureau will definitely investigate. Why don't you take the bus?"

"Will the depot reimburse me?"

"Do you really think our depot can reimburse you for a bus ticket?" Cao Wenzhi asked, looking at her with surprise. This woman relied on her connection with Director Liu and showed no respect to anyone in the depot. Even Cao Wenzhi, the driver captain, had been given a hard time by her over his study reports. Naturally, he wasn't going to give her any face this time.

Liu Chunhua realized her request was ridiculous, but she didn't dare jump off the train, so she decided to ride her bicycle to the General Depot instead. Before walking toward the door of the carriage, she turned back and beckoned to a tall, thin young man. "Liu Erfeng, there’s a ten-minute break later, so don't be idle. Hurry up and memorize those key points I had someone mark for you. Try to get first place for your sister."

After Liu Erfeng nodded, she headed toward the carriage shed. By now, the other candidates had realized the relationship between the two. Several candidates crowded around him. "Well, look at you, Liu Erfeng! You have a relative who’s a big director. The top three in this exam are practically in the bag for you."

"Don't talk nonsense. This is a fair competition," Liu Erfeng said with a haughty nod, though his eyes darted toward Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo pretended not to notice. He walked up to a female candidate and asked with a smile, "How about it? Are you confident?"

When Li Aiguo first noticed there was a woman among the candidates, he had been a bit stunned. Steam locomotives from this era were far less convenient to operate than the electric trains of the future; the control levers and gates required manual operation. That equipment was incredibly heavy—most people couldn't budge it. Furthermore, long-distance runs often took days and nights, and it was inevitably inconvenient for a female driver to work during her period. Therefore, women were generally not suited to be train drivers—strictly speaking from a physical perspective, with no other implications.

Later, while reviewing the original owner's memories, 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 the "Dragon" locomotive at the Kaiping Mining Bureau, which was the first train in the country. Her father had been a train driver at the Tumen Locomotive Depot of the Harbin Railway Bureau before Liberation. After Liberation, when the Beijing Locomotive Depot expanded, he brought his whole family to Beijing.

The Zhang family could be considered a dynasty of train drivers. From a young age, Zhang Dahua displayed talent for operating trains that surpassed the average person. She was physically robust; in elementary school, she could take down other kids with a single punch. By the time she reached middle school, her height had shot up to 1.6 meters, her weight reached 150 jin, and she could lift a 100-jin sack of grain with one hand.

Her father was pleasantly surprised. He had no sons and was worried about the family legacy, but Zhang Dahua was a natural-born train driver. Thus, he specifically trained her in that direction. With such a master guiding her behind the scenes, Zhang Dahua’s practical skills were the strongest among all the candidates. It was only because her academic performance was average that she wasn't a guaranteed lock for first place.

Li Aiguo, sifting through the memories of his predecessor, discovered that the predecessor had actually been quite close to Zhang Dahua. Among the two classmates he used to hang out with at the rail tracks, besides Zhang Dakui, the other was Zhang Dahua.