Siheyuan, Me and the Yu Sisters

After a busy afternoon, Zhang Renkang and Qin Jingru finally moved the things in the courtyard back home. They put the large and small bags in the cargo box of a newly produced freight tricycle and transported them back and forth twice.

During the journey, Zhang Renkang deliberately drove slowly on the road. The "thump thump thump" sound of the motorcycle engine also attracted a lot of people's attention. The pedestrians in the city showed great interest in this novel thing. Some people stood on the roadside and shouted

"Dude, what kind of car is this?"

"It's the first time I see you."

Zhang Renkang also started to promote it with a smile, shouting

"Dekang tricycle, a new model just released"

For a time, the old and young men in the city were talking about this new trend.

Courtyard house

As soon as the engine of Zhang Renkang's tricycle entered the alley, it attracted the attention of many neighbors.

Today is the weekend and most people in the courtyards are at home. When they heard the noise, they came out to watch the fun. People from several courtyards came out to see this novel-looking vehicle, and they gathered around and pointed at it. Some brave children came over with curious eyes and wanted to reach out and touch it.

Yan Bugui had just seen Zhang Renkang's current appearance, and he was amazed and said

"Li Gui, what kind of car did you buy? It doesn't look like the leader's car, nor does it look like the government's tricycle."

"It looks quite unique. Did you buy it?"

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"Mr. Yan, you are joking. How can I afford such a rare thing?"

"This is a tricycle that has just been finalized in our factory. I am moving, so I applied to borrow it so that I can test its performance for the factory."

“This thing is not something that ordinary people can buy.”

Yan Bugui nodded, touching the side of the tricycle. The unpainted tricycle was still made of dark silver and black-gray steel. Some of the burrs on the details had not been polished, and it looked a little rough, but it did not affect Yan Bugui's love for it at all. He opened his mouth and asked

"Li Gui, this bike is not cheap, is it? I saw the leaders have three-wheelers. How does this compare to three-wheelers?"

"There are quite a lot of things in the back. I think it's perfect for hauling goods."

“Is this oil-burning?”

Yan Bugui was curious and chattered a lot, asking questions that the people around him were curious about. Everyone came over to listen to Zhang Renkang's explanation.

Zhang Renkang looked at everyone and didn't want to spoil the fun, so he smiled and explained:

"This is a three-wheeled transport motorcycle jointly developed by our North Suburbs First Machinery Repair Factory and Red Star Steel Rolling Mill."

"I can't really tell you the approximate price. This is just a sample car used to test performance."

"This vehicle uses a diesel engine, so it consumes oil. It can be operated by one person in the front. The load capacity of the truck bed at the back is currently 100 kilograms, which is kilograms of our stuff."

That’s all I know. If you’re interested, I heard from the factory that they will supply the city in the next few months. You can come and watch the fun then.

As he said this, he pulled out the key from the car, picked up two packages from the truck bed and walked into the yard. Song Jie, who came out to watch the excitement in the yard, was quite enthusiastic. Unlike Yan Bugui, he was still waiting to see if Li Gui, who had just arrived, would ask him for help and then calculate some benefits. He just came out and said with a smile

"Brother Li Gui, right?"

"I'll get it for you. We'll be neighbors in the same courtyard from now on. Just give me a call if you need anything."

As he spoke, he helped Zhang Renkang carry the two remaining packages in the truck bed.

Zhang Renkang smiled and nodded. After thanking Li Gui, he put the things in the backyard room and then came out to start the tricycle.

A "boom boom boom" sound was heard, and a burst of black smoke spewed out from the back of the truck bed, attracting a group of children to rush over and inhale the exhaust fumes intoxicatedly. Even a few adults sniffed the black smoke with a look of aftertaste. This was breathing in the advanced breath of industrialization, a symbol of progress.

Zhang Renkang said hello to everyone and rode his tricycle southward.

This time, Zhang Renkang came back on a tricycle specifically to try out the experience of using this model himself. After all, he would soon submit his achievements to the Ministry of Industry for commendation. If there were any problems on that day, it would be troublesome.

Zhang Renkang is not satisfied with the current model. Although the performance is slightly better than the sample car he and Li Huaide visited last time, it still does not meet his expectations.

The Dekang model is limited by the level of the engine. Not only is the car unusually noisy when starting and driving, but the fuel tank is only 15 liters and the cruising range is 45 kilometers.

The actual maximum load is only about 25 kilograms, but this weight can only be driven on a smooth road at a speed of kilometers per hour, otherwise the axle will be broken and the connection between the bucket and the motorcycle in front will break.

To some extent, the Type 1 vehicle can only be regarded as a single-person motorcycle pulling a cargo box, and is far from being defined as a mature vehicle series.

When Zhang Renkang returned with Qin Jingru and the remaining luggage, not only were there people from several courtyards around the alley watching, but also many people from other alleys and streets who were just strolling around came over.

Zhang Renkang first called Qin Jingru to go back and clean up the house, then smiled and said to Song Jie and Liu Haizhong who were ready to fight, as well as Director Wang and his group who came from the street office after hearing the news,

"Why don't you give it a try? And give the factory some suggestions. I'll give them feedback later."

As he spoke, he took out a barrel of gasoline that he had kept at home, unscrewed the gas cap in front and slowly poured the gas in. He waited until the barrel was empty before screwing the gas cap back on and making room for the other person.

Zhang Renkang brought back these ten liters of gasoline from the repair shop yesterday. He wanted to drive a little further to test the stability of the vehicle. He also has a spare barrel at home.

First, under the guidance of Zhang Renkang, Song Jie started the vehicle along the road ahead and gently turned the accelerator. Suddenly, the tricycle rushed forward and almost hit the wall. Zhang Renkang quickly reminded him to turn the accelerator slowly and control the speed.

Song Jie had actually driven a sidecar tricycle in the army, so he had some experience. He was just a little nervous the first time and lost control. After a while, he had become familiar with this new vehicle. Seeing that Song Jie had already mastered it, Zhang Renkang asked with a smile:

"How is it? How do you feel, or what's not comfortable about driving?"

Song Jie adjusted to the feel of the tricycle, thought about it and said

"The engine is too shaky, and I feel the fuel supply isn't smooth enough, and the throttle control isn't as sensitive as a big truck."

"I can clearly feel that the balance between the back truck and the front motorcycle is unstable. This car is only suitable for use on paved roads. If it is a little bumpier, I think it may not be satisfactory."

Zhang Renkang nodded. As expected of a front-line cadre from the army, these opinions were very valuable.

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"Indeed, this is the first type of mass-produced vehicle, mainly used to accumulate experience. I'm afraid there are many problems. I guess it will be better after it starts to be put into large-scale use."

"Your steel mill will soon receive a batch of vehicles for testing. When the time comes, please give the factory more questions based on your experience."

Song Jie nodded, and then Director Wang from the Street Office also got on the car curiously and tried it out, and asked

"Comrade Li Gui, which units are these cars allocated to? Does our subdistrict office have one?"

Director Wang immediately saw the value of this tricycle. It is of moderate size and can easily enter these alleys. It has a certain load-bearing capacity. It will be easier for the street office to transport some things or deliver supplies to the needy and the families of martyrs than using a bicycle.

As for some minor problems, Director Wang felt that they really didn't think there were any problems. The road surface in the city had been paved, so there wouldn't be too much bumps. They didn't worry about these defects.

She now feels that this thing is simply the best configuration for their grassroots street office.

Zhang Renkang smiled and said

"Director Wang, I don't know about this matter. Please ask our Director Zhang."

"I'm just a worker, how can I know about this?"

"Maybe my boss knows that it's not easy for me to move today, so he asked me to come out and test the performance."

Director Wang smiled and nodded.

"That's right. I'll go find Renkang when he comes back. Comrade Li Gui, do you need any help from the street office?"

Zhang Renkang shook his head and said

"No need, Director Wang. Thank you for your concern. I don't have anything to prepare. Besides, I may have to go south to provide support tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I'll have to trouble you to take care of my wife, Comrade Qin Jingru."

Director Wang said with a smile

"That's easy to say. You're doing your best for the country, and our subdistrict office will definitely give preferential treatment to your family members. Just rest assured."