A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Time was tight, so we didn't dare to talk for long.

This should be the last train. The stoker, Lao Zhao, has already lit the furnace, and steam is already billowing from the front of the train.

Quickly drive the small cannon back onto the flatbed truck and secure it again.

I didn't dare turn off the engines, fearing the sudden drop in temperature might actually freeze and crack the cylinder blocks. I'll just let these two little powerhouses continue idling. Anyway, we'll reach our destination in seven or eight hours. Even if it wastes a bit of fuel, it's better than getting a broken one.

When they arrived at the driver's quarters, they saw Zheng Aiguo stuffing straw into a carriage with an iron lock.

The carriage door wasn't open very wide, only about a finger's width, and people were coughing as they tried to squeeze in.

Cough cough cough~~

Hearing Zheng Aiguo's voice, which sounded like he was about to cough up his kidneys, Jiang Xia felt like crying again.

After inhaling so much "toxic gas," it's no wonder his trachea is in bad shape.

I quickly took out the "Pleasant Goat" sticker, rubbed it a bit, and stuck it on my chest a little above the chest.

The bronchi are most susceptible to sudden changes in temperature, so hopefully this little thing will make the veteran more comfortable.

"Uncle Zheng, are you feeling any better?"

"Xiao Jiang! What's this? Why is it warm?"

"Little thing, just think of it as a hot water bottle, it can last for 20 hours!"

Zheng Aiguo thought for a moment, then pulled Jiang Xia aside: "Is there any more?"

Jiang Xia didn't ask any more questions. She stuffed everything in her bag into his hands and then turned around and went up to the driver's building.

Zheng Aiguo silently stuffed the heating pack that Jiang Xia had given him back into the box.

"Do you know how to use it? It seems like you only need to knead it a few times!"

A low chuckle came from inside the carriage.

"I know. I've seen it before. They said they brought some, but unfortunately, they didn't bring enough. I didn't expect to run into them here!"

"Huh, you know each other?"

"Famous, but never seen!"

After a brief exchange, Zheng Aiguo finished stuffing the straw and returned to the driver's quarters.

"Waaaaah~~~~~~"

The train restarted, billowing white mist, and plunged headlong into the snowstorm ahead.

Clang clang clang clang~~~~~

Tie Jun continued to help Lao Zhao shovel coal, while Jiangxia leaned against the carriage, writing and drawing on a small stool.

"Uncle Zheng, are coal carts unloading coal all done manually now?"

Zheng Aiguo didn't turn around, but reached out and handed over the blueprints, still warm from his body.

"You left it in the dormitory..."

"They just send people to shovel it. But most of the people going there are family members of the locomotive depot's employees."

Jiang Xia took the blueprints, and Zheng Aiguo continued speaking.

It turns out that no one is having an easy time these days. Considering the difficulties faced by employees, the leaders of various locomotive depots, together with the Women's Federation, established a March 8th Mutual Aid Group.

Capable locomotive depots arrange for members of mutual aid groups to work in various subsidiary factories.

Locomotive depots in remote areas lack the capacity to establish affiliated factories, so they can only organize family members to load and unload coal or sand at the station.

Whether loading or unloading, it costs 80 cents per carriage.

Jiang Xia recalled the red headscarf swaying in the wind on the train carriage, and pressed the tip of his pencil heavily onto the drawing.

"The carriage is two stories high! You could easily fall if you're not careful!"

Zheng Aiguo didn't say anything, but just looked at Liu Hongqi, the co-driver who was looking around.

"Dear driver, the road ahead is clear and there are no slow-down lights. You may proceed normally!"

When Liu Hongqi pulled his head back, his face was covered in snow.

He casually picked up a handkerchief and wiped himself.

"What's there to be ashamed of? My wife shovels coal! It's really dangerous. One of the women she works with has fallen off the coal cart several times!"

"My wife fell down too, and broke her arm. There have even been people who were buried alive!"

"What is that old lady still doing now?"

Liu Hongqi shook his head: "No, the organization requires that this kind of work take care of employees in difficulty, especially those with many children in their families, where only one person has a food ration ration."

"I became the co-driver, so your aunt gave up the job to someone else."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia paused for a moment.

Why would anyone rush to do such a dangerous job?

The way out, it really is the "way to survive".

"Uncle Liu, do you think if there were a faster way to unload the truck, would the money they get be reduced?"

Zheng Chenggong and Liu Hongqi exchanged a glance.

Liu Hongqi suddenly burst into laughter: "No way. The section only charges by the number of wagons! No matter how many people are unloading the goods, it's the same amount of money!"

"What, the young engineer has another great idea?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xia finally felt relieved.

The original purpose of designing this was to reduce workload. But if it disrupts people's livelihoods, it's better to pretend it never existed.

"Yes, two aspects. One is to improve the carriage structure by making it movable by directly opening the floor or side panels of the carriage."

"Then, dig down two or three meters on both sides of the railway. This way, when the train stops, you don't have to climb up to the top and shovel it; you can just open the latch and the coal will flow down."

"Furthermore, a simple belt drive can be added, and the power can be directly from the engine of our little steel cannon."

Seeing that Liu Hongqi still didn't understand, Jiang Xia simply drew a picture of a little person.

"Look, the coal is coming down here. Once it's mostly flowed out, people can go up and shovel it. Or we can just open the trap door at the beginning and let the train slowly move on..."

"Wherever you want to transport the coal, you can use this conveyor belt, or you can use the small cannon to transport it directly!"

They might not understand standard blueprints, but the little figures are different—simple and easy to understand, how great is that!

"Hahaha!"

Liu Hongqi slapped his thigh and laughed loudly: "Oh my~ if we do it this way, the head of the locomotive depot will be cursing. Think of how many more wagons we can unload in one day!"

Zheng Aiguo also glanced at it briefly and chuckled.

"Old Liu, switch places! I need to get a closer look!"

Upon hearing what the driver said, Liu Hongqi immediately stood up and stood beside him, ready to go.

Zheng Aiguo pressed a button on the control panel: "Driver requests to leave Taiwan!"

"Co-driver, understood! Co-driver, prepare to take over!"

Seeing that Lao Liu was ready, Zheng Aiguo stepped out from the side and stood behind Lao Liu.

Old Liu strode to the control panel, gripping several gates with both hands, while simultaneously peering out the driver's window. He then spoke:

"The co-driver has taken over, and everything is normal!"

After the handover was completed, Zheng Aiguo did not go to look at the drawings immediately. Instead, he ran to the car window and looked ahead for a while before turning back to take the drawings.

Jiang Xia gestured at the little figure again.

Zheng Aiguo looked at the picture, imagined the scene of coal automatically flowing out from under the car, and chuckled.

However, Jiang Xia was still worried that once this thing was developed, the treatment of those family members would be reduced.

It's 80 cents a carriage now, what if it gets changed to 50 cents after the change?

Zheng Aiguo scratched Jiangxia's tuft of hair, smiling without saying a word.

Old Zhao couldn't hold back his laughter any longer and gestured for Tie Jun to help him shovel a few spades so he could go and take a look too.

Tie Jun waved his arm again, indicating to Lao Zhao that he should do as he pleased.

"Alright! Tie Jun, why don't you quit the steel rolling mill and come work for our locomotive depot! Become my apprentice, and I'll make sure you learn everything perfectly!"

Seeing Tie Jun doing the work of two people, Comrade Lao Zhao was somewhat delighted.

"Old Zhao, this guy is a vocational school graduate. You're asking him to shovel coal for you?"

Liu Hongqi couldn't help but joke after hearing what Lao Zhao said.

"What's wrong with shoveling coal! Our instructor said we just have different job roles, and we're all contributing to the development of our country! There's no such thing as a high or low job!"

"Besides, without me as the stoker, this train would break down! Tell me how important it is!" Old Zhao jumped up, rolled the blueprints into a bucket, and gave Liu Hongqi a light tap.

Liu Hongqi was speechless and could only give a thumbs-up.

Zheng Aiguo laughed heartily: "That's right, it's a new society now, everyone is equal! Leaders and workers are just different in their roles!"

"So, kid, the things you're worried about only happen in capitalist countries. Here, you try having those people detain you?"

"Do you think the working class is afraid of the iron fist of the working class?!"