Chapter 30: Resolution

Assistant Liu had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Pointing at the blueprint, he said slowly, "Engineer Dong, Comrade Aiguo, have you considered this? Sand has adhesive properties; even if placed on top of a train, there is no guarantee that it will flow out smoothly when the valve is opened. If an emergency occurs and the sand has suddenly clumped together, wouldn't we be left helpless?"

Engineer Dong’s expression turned solemn. "Your point is very valid." He looked up at Li Aiguo. "Comrade Aiguo, what do you think?"

"What do I think? I think with my eyes, of course," Li Aiguo chuckled. "The reason sand is adhesive is because it contains moisture; the attraction between water molecules binds the grains together. If we roast the sand to remove its internal moisture, its stickiness will be greatly reduced. Coupled with a properly designed delivery system, the sand in the 'sandbag' will certainly flow out smoothly."

Roasting sand sounded somewhat ridiculous, yet it was a standard practice in later generations. In the locomotive depots of the future, there was even a dedicated position for workers who roasted sand.

Upon hearing this, Assistant Liu’s eyes widened. "Roasting sand? That is absolutely preposterous! Comrade Li Aiguo, do not speak nonsense. This concerns the safety of thousands of trains; you are on the verge of making a grave mistake..."

Engineer Dong frowned in thought for a moment before cutting him off. "Enough! Xiao Liu, when you encounter a problem, you don't think about how to solve it; instead, you focus on questioning others' plans. This kind of flippant attitude is unacceptable! Comrade Aiguo's method may seem simple—it may be a 'rustic' solution—but sometimes, rustic solutions solve major problems."

As he spoke, he picked up a pen and performed some calculations on scrap paper. Seeing the final result, he nodded. "According to Comrade Aiguo's method, as long as it is roasted, the sand in the sandbag will absolutely be able to flow out smoothly."

Assistant Liu’s face paled, and he managed an awkward smile. "I was too hasty..."

Engineer Dong glanced at Assistant Liu indifferently and gave a slight shake of his head without further criticism. Someone with such a fickle mind was truly unsuited for research; he should find an opportunity to transfer him back to the Sifang Factory. Assistant Liu, unaware of his fate, was already sealed by his own "outstanding performance," busied himself by pouring tea for Li Aiguo to make up for his error.

Shortly after, Li Aiguo drew the second half of the blueprint, incorporating specific optimizations based on the characteristics of the "August 1" steam engine. By this time, it was dinner hour. Just as Li Aiguo was about to take his leave, staff from the General Depot brought over aluminum lunch boxes. Opening the box, he found fragrant white rice accompanied by a side of fried soybeans.

Under the dim light, the soybeans glinted with an oily sheen. Li Aiguo, who had been hungry all afternoon, felt his throat tighten. Engineer Dong put down his pen and looked at Li Aiguo with great interest. "How about it? Are you interested in working at our Sifang Factory? I guarantee you can have fried soybeans every day."

Li Aiguo shook his head. "No, thank you. My father was a train driver; his dying wish was for me to follow in his footsteps and haul more cargo for the country."

Entering the Sifang Factory, with his abilities, he could at least become a Grade 9 engineer, and the benefits would seemingly be much better than driving a train. However, in the near future, a great storm would sweep through Beijing. Staying a worker was the safest path. Of course, the more important reason was that Li Aiguo simply loved driving big trains.

Seeing that Li Aiguo was unmoved, Engineer Dong stopped persuading him and went back to studying the blueprints. Engineers only had slightly better benefits than train drivers, but their social status and reputation were far inferior. It was perfectly reasonable for Li Aiguo to not want to "switch jobs."

...

The "sandbag" was a clever concept, and its structure was not complex; Engineer Dong grasped the blueprint within two hours. He set the paper down, a glimmer in his eyes, and impatiently cranked the handle of the telephone. "Please connect me to Deputy Director Wang."

A moment later, Deputy Director Wang’s weary voice came through the line. "Old Dong, you’d better have good news."

"Director Wang, we've struck gold this time!"

Half an hour later, Deputy Director Wang arrived at the office with a group of leaders in tow. Pushing the door open, he laughed heartily. "Old Dong, you’d better not be pulling my leg this time. I even adjourned the departmental meeting for you."

Li Aiguo looked up. Sure enough, the people following him were leaders from various sub-depots, including Xing Liuzhu, the head of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. Xing Liuzhu had once visited the Li household on behalf of the depot to pay his respects to Li Aiguo's father. Seeing Li Aiguo there, he paused slightly.

That afternoon, Xing Liuzhu had heard Cao Wenzhi mention that a candidate from the Qianmen Depot had scored a perfect double-hundred on the exam and had been summoned by Engineer Dong. He had originally assumed Engineer Dong was simply fond of talent, but it seemed there was more to it.

Now that he could make Director Wang interrupt a meeting and rush over in the middle of the night, this kid must have come up with something extraordinary. That afternoon, Cao Wenzhi had also reported the incident where Liu Chunhua had made things difficult for Li Aiguo. Considering Liu Chunhua's close ties to Deputy Depot Head Liu, Xing Liuzhu had originally intended to have a word with her and offer a few words of comfort to Li Aiguo to smooth things over and keep the team unified. Now, he felt he needed to reconsider how to handle Liu Chunhua. As for how, it would depend on what Li Aiguo had produced.

Seeing Xing Liuzhu staring at him, Li Aiguo gave him a casual nod. Xing Liuzhu felt a spark of amusement. This kid wasn't timid at all; he was interesting. In the locomotive depot, the depot head was the highest authority, and Xing Liuzhu was known for his stern, humorless, and demanding nature. Most staff and drivers were like mice seeing a cat when they encountered him; only old hands like Cao Wenzhi dared to joke with him.

While the two exchanged glances, Engineer Dong pulled Deputy Director Wang to the desk. "Old Wang, look, this is the complete blueprint for the sandbag."

Deputy Director Wang looked at the dense, intricate drawings and rubbed his brow. "Old Dong, I came up through the political track; I only have a superficial understanding of blueprints. I don't know this technology—you just tell me, is this thing useful?"

"Useful? It is absolutely useful!" Engineer Dong stood straight, saying confidently, "I have calculated it. As long as the sandbag is filled before each trip, when an emergency arises, opening the valve will release sand onto the tracks. It will provide enough friction to prevent the vast majority of sliding accidents."

"That is exactly what I need!" Deputy Director Wang suddenly perked up, his graying hair standing on end. "As of today, we have already had over thirty sliding accidents this year, causing more than twenty casualties and the loss of tens of thousands of tons of supplies. We must install these sandbags on every train immediately."

He waved his hand. "Engineer Dong, you are the technical representative of the Sifang Factory. I order you now: transmit these blueprints to the Sifang Factory immediately and have them produce these sandbag devices according to the design."

"Yes!"

"Section Chief Zhang, coordinate the supplies immediately and send them to the Sifang Factory."

"Yes!"

"Director Liu, establish sand-roasting departments in every sub-depot immediately."

"Yes!"

The railway workers of this era were filled with a sense of tension and mission. Following the issuance of these orders, even in the middle of the night, the entire depot began to buzz like a massive, well-oiled machine.