Live Stream 1980: Netizens Teach Me How to Make a Rocket by Hand

The location of the Red Star Labor Service Center was just as Lin Xi had expected, in a prime location in the residential area.

It is located diagonally opposite the Dongfeng Department Store, right next to Gate 1 of the residential compound.

This is a row of single-story houses made of gray bricks.

A cotton curtain hung at the entrance, its original color obscured by oil stains and twisted patterns.

A wooden sign hangs above the door, which reads:

Red Star Labor Service Center

To others, this was a "sewer" that tarnished the base's reputation, a refuge for "scrap" and troublemakers;

But in his eyes, this is the future "Global Headquarters of Red Star Group".

In the live stream chat, the comments section was already buzzing with activity:

[Is this the legendary land of the rising dragon? This art style... is so punk.]

[Host, this is a tough start. Will this dilapidated house survive the winter?]

[Don't talk nonsense if you don't know! This is across from the department store, in a prime commercial area! The streamer got a really good location!]

Lin Xi smiled and reached out to lift the heavy cotton curtain.

A warm current, a mixture of the smells of coal smoke, aged vinegar, and dry tobacco, wafted over me.

The room was dimly lit, with a huge iron stove in the center, its pipes winding out towards the window.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and a black kettle sat on top, bubbling and steaming.

By the window, a middle-aged woman wearing a dark blue overall cotton-padded jacket was looking down.

Her fingers flew as she sewed, mending the cuffs of an old work uniform.

The speed was astonishing; the needle tip darted through the fabric as if it were some kind of precise mechanical movement.

Liu Guihua is the base's "know-it-all" and also its head of internal affairs.

Next to the stove, squatted a man who looked like a bear.

He looks to be 1.9 meters tall, with shoulders as broad as a door panel.

Even in this weather, he was only wearing a thin vest, revealing his rock-like, bulging muscles.

He was fiddling with a three-millimeter-thick piece of scrap aluminum in his hand.

Two thick fingers gently pinched and then pried.

In his hands, the hard aluminum alloy was like overcooked noodles, changing shape at will.

Wang Dapao.

The ingredients aren't great, but the strength and feel of this forge make it a natural-born master forger.

In the darkest corner, a young man, as thin as a bean sprout, huddled up.

He was wearing thick glasses and fiddling with a bunch of resistors and capacitors he had taken from a radio.

Wang Yu.

As for the last one...

"Oh, a new person has arrived?"

A glib, slick voice rang out.

A man with slicked-back hair emerged from the shadows at the entrance.

He was fiddling with a Zorro lighter he'd gotten from who-knows-where, clicking it on and off.

Sun Erga.

He looked Lin Xi up and down, his gaze lingering on Lin Xi's excessively young face, a mocking smile of world-weariness creeping onto his lips.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong? What got you into trouble?"

Sun Erga swayed over and blew out a smoke ring:

"Did you steal pork from the canteen? Or did you get caught writing notes with the female soldiers in the cultural troupe?"

Lin Xi looked at him with a smile:

"I am Lin Xi."

"Lin Xi?"

Sun Erga was stunned for a moment, then exaggeratedly slapped his thigh.

"Oh! I know! That unlucky intern in the maintenance team who was so arrogant and almost blew up the rocket!"

Upon hearing this, the people inside the room stirred simultaneously.

Liu Guihua stopped needlework, glanced up, her eyes filled with sympathy, mixed with a bit of gossipy curiosity.

Wang Dapao just grunted and continued fiddling with the aluminum sheet in his hands.

"It's good that you're here. Now that you're here, we're all family."

Sun Erga patted Lin Xi on the shoulder as if they were old friends, acting like an older brother:

"Xiao Lin, now that we're here, there are some rules I need to teach you."

"This place is called a 'waste recycling station'."

Sun Erga pointed to the dim light bulb on the roof.

"The higher-ups dumped us here so they wouldn't have to see us or worry about us."

"So we have three ironclad rules here, remember them well."

"First, don't do any work. The more you do, the more mistakes you make; if you do nothing, you make no mistakes. Just coasting along is the only way to succeed."

"Second, don't be arrogant. Don't think you can turn the world upside down just because you've read a few books. Here, if you're a dragon, you have to coil up; if you're a tiger, you have to lie low."

"Third, and most importantly."

Sun Erga leaned closer to Lin Xi, lowered his voice, and his tone carried a hint of threat:

"Don't cause trouble for everyone."

"We just want to coast until retirement. If you want to cause trouble, don't blame us for being ruthless."

In the live stream, the audience was so angry they laughed.

Who is this guy? Why is he so arrogant?

This is so true; every workplace has these kinds of seasoned bullies.

[Answerer, don't hold back, throw the appointment letter in his face!]

Lin Xi looked at Sun Erga's slick face and suddenly laughed.

"Finished talking?" Lin Xi patted the dust off her hands.

The initial humility of being a "newcomer" vanished instantly, replaced by an aura of dominance.

Sun Erga was stunned: "Wh...what?"

"I'm asking you, have you finished explaining the rules here?"

Lin Xi took out two pieces of paper directly from the pocket of her clothes.

A red-headed "Notification of Appointment of Cadre".

A document bearing a bright red official seal, titled "Approval for the Hongxing Labor Service Center to Conduct a Pilot Project for Technological Innovation."

Snapped!

Lin Xi gently patted the two pieces of paper onto the table.

The bright red seal on it was particularly glaring—

Order from the Northwest First Launch Base Command.

"Comrade Lin Xi is hereby appointed as the Deputy Manager (in charge of operations) of the Red Star Labor Service Center, fully responsible for the department's personnel, finances, and production tasks..."

The room was deathly silent.

Even the sound of coal popping in the furnace could be clearly heard.

Sun Erga stared at the line of words, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.

Deputy Manager? In charge of operations?

This isn't some unlucky exile, this is a parachuted-in emperor emeritus!

"Can you read?"

Lin Xi's gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over everyone present.

"If you can't read, I'll read it to you."

No one spoke.

Wang Dapao's tense muscles relaxed, and a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

The melon seeds in Liu Guihua's hand fell to the ground.

Wang Yu shrank his neck.

"very good."

Lin Xi withdrew his gaze and looked at Sun Erga.

"You just said this is a waste recycling station?"

"No...no, that...it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding..." Sun Erga's forehead was covered in sweat, and his arrogance from just now was instantly extinguished by this official seal.

In this day and age, the official seal is everything.

"That's right, it used to be."

Lin Xi interrupted his explanation and turned to walk to the dusty window.

"Splash—"

He pulled back the heavy curtains.

The blinding sunlight streamed in instantly, illuminating the swirling dust particles in the room and the astonished faces of everyone present.

Lin Xi was facing away from the sun, her shadow stretched long, and her voice, though not loud, was deafening:

"But from today onwards, we will no longer collect scrap here."

"This will be the most profitable money-printing machine in the entire base."

Then, Lin Xi turned around and smiled:

"Now that the new leader has taken office, let's treat everyone to a meal."

Lin Xi reached into her bosom.

The next second, two brand-new banknotes floated lightly onto the table, landing right on the appointment letter.

The ticket is grayish-blue, with a design representing the great unity of all ethnic groups printed in the center, and sharp corners like knives.

Two "Great Unity" cards.

Twenty yuan in total.