Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

At the rocket test site of Longxing Factory, yellow sand swirled and the north wind howled.

The silver-white Longxing-1 carrier rocket stands on the launch pad, with the slogan "Precise Recovery, Galaxy Network" prominently displayed beside it.

In the command center of the test site, Li Yu stood in front of the main control console, his eyes bloodshot, his face haggard from days of staying up late.

"Attention all units, ten minutes remaining!"

"Rocket fueling complete, attitude stable!"

"Satellite payload detection normal, communication module debugging complete!"

Reports came through the walkie-talkie, and the atmosphere in the command center was so tense it was almost palpable.

This launch was not only the first practical test of rocket recovery technology, but also a direct response to the sanctions imposed by the Western communications alliance.

If the rocket is successfully recovered, the cost of satellite networking will plummet, and the Chinese people will firmly hold the reins of space communications.

Li Yu raised his hand to look at his watch, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Bai Ling, with her pregnant belly, sat on a chair in the rest area, clutching a thermos containing millet porridge she had cooked at four in the morning.

She watched Li Yu's retreating figure, her eyes filled with heartache, but she didn't dare to make a sound to disturb him.

Nannan came along too, and was held in the arms of the guard. The little girl covered her mouth, afraid that she would shout and disturb everyone.

"One minute countdown!"

"Thirty seconds!"

"Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one! Ignition!"

As the commander's roar subsided, blazing flames erupted from the bottom of the rocket, a beam of orange-red light tore through the yellow sand, and a tremendous roar shook the earth.

Longxing-1, trailing a long plume of flame, soared into the sky, leaving a dazzling trail across the azure backdrop.

A cheer erupted in the command center as the technicians high-fived each other, their eyes brimming with tears of excitement. A slight smile finally appeared on Li Yu's tense face.

But this joy lasted only three minutes.

"Warning! Abnormal rocket attitude! Insufficient thrust from the recovery engine!"

"Oh no! The landing gear has failed to deploy properly!"

"Rocket out of control! Plunging rapidly!"

A piercing alarm suddenly sounded, and the parameters on the screen instantly turned a blinding red.

The smiles on everyone's faces froze, and the command center was deathly silent.

Li Yu clenched his fist tightly and roared into the walkie-talkie, "Activate the emergency procedures immediately! Force a change in posture!"

"It's too late! Chief Engineer Li! The rocket has already entered its descent trajectory!"

Before the words were even finished, the monitoring footage on the big screen showed Longxing-1 drawing a desperate arc in the air before exploding with a deafening roar.

Flames shot into the sky, and fragments rained down, creating deep craters in the yellow sand.

Inside the command center, someone couldn't help but burst into tears.

This was the culmination of countless days and nights of hard work, the hope to break through the Western technological blockade, but now it has turned into ruins.

The news quickly spread around the world.

Western media, like sharks smelling blood, instantly erupted in a frenzy.

At the press conference, Motorola CEO John Mitchell held up a photo of an exploding rocket, his face full of sarcasm: "China's space technology? It's a joke! They'll never break through our technological barriers!"

The Western Communications Alliance took the opportunity to fan the flames and slander the rocket test conducted by Longxing Factory.

"Wasting taxpayers' money."

Lobbying to multiple countries to boycott China's communication technology.

Domestic criticism also came in droves. Some said Li Yu was "ambitious and eager for quick success," while others said, "It would be better to compromise as soon as possible and buy technology from the West."

At home, Li Yu was looking at the parameters over and over again.

Bai Ling brought over a bowl of millet porridge and gently placed it in front of him: "Eat something first, you haven't slept for two days."

Li Yu didn't move, but simply said, "It's my fault. If we check the sensors again..."

Bai Ling held his hand. "This isn't your fault. Everyone fails sometimes. You've come all the way from that courtyard house to where you are now. Haven't you experienced enough setbacks? This little hurdle won't defeat you."

Li Yu looked at Bai Ling, at her slightly protruding belly, and a surge of bitterness welled up in his heart.

During this period, he was busy with rocket testing and hardly ever went home.

Despite Bai Ling's breech presentation, she never complained and always silently supported him.

"I'm sorry. I've made you suffer because of me."

Bai Ling patted his back and said, "Silly boy, we're family. If a rocket explodes, it can be rebuilt; if data is lost, it can be recalculated."

Just then, Nannan ran over, hugged Li Yu's leg, and said, "Daddy, don't be sad. Our teacher said that failure is the mother of success. We'll definitely succeed next time!"

Just then, Li Huaide hurriedly arrived at Li Yu's house, holding a report in his hand:

"Chief Engineer Li! We've found it! The cause of the rocket explosion was that someone tampered with the imported sensors we purchased! The core chip inside was replaced with a substandard one!"

As expected, it was a Western conspiracy!

He slammed his hand on the table: "Fine! Very well! Since they're going to play dirty tricks, we'll play along to the end! From today onwards, all core components of the Longxing factory will be independently developed! I want to see if we can send a rocket into space without their lousy sensors!"

Meanwhile, life in the courtyard remains peaceful.

That day, Sha Zhu was teaching his new apprentice when Yan Bugui walked over, holding a newspaper: "Sha Zhu! Look! Li Yu's rocket exploded! Those people in the West are all cursing him!"

Sha Zhu took the newspaper and looked at the news on the front page.

Just then, Liu Haizhong walked in, holding his Longteng mobile phone: "I just heard on the radio that Longxing Factory is going to independently develop sensors!"

Yan Bugui asked, looking completely bewildered, "Weren't you supposed to be working on rockets? How come you're involved with sensors now?"

"Hey, you don't understand! They said the rocket failed because the foreigners tampered with the sensors."

Sha Zhu, standing to the side, muttered, "What do you mean by tampering? If you're not good enough, you're not good enough."

Although he knew it was most likely true, he just couldn't bring himself to admit how capable Li Yu was.

Over the years, if there's one person you absolutely can't forgive a fool, it's Li Yu. He'll never hesitate to kick someone when he can.

Although even Liu Haizhong has started praising Li Yu, Sha Zhu still hates him. Although he doesn't seek revenge, he will definitely not be polite with his words.