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

Wang Dapao's voice was as deep as muffled thunder.

The large hand slammed down on the desk.

"Creak—"

The glass plate on the table emitted a teeth-grinding groan.

It looked like it was about to explode at any moment.

Sun Dafu was stunned.

He watched helplessly as that fist dangled right under his nose.

That kind of "physical oppression" comes from the bottom-level manual laborers.

It instantly brought back the fear he felt when he was dominated by a sledgehammer in the workshop years ago.

"What...what do you want to do?"

"This is a state-owned enterprise!"

"Are you planning a rebellion?"

Sun Dafu's hand trembled.

That half-pot of scalding hot tea was just unfortunate.

He poured it directly onto his crotch.

"Ouch! It's so hot!"

The fat man screamed and jumped up.

He covered his wet crotch.

He looked as disheveled as a drowned rat.

The live stream chat erupted in laughter:

[Hahaha! This wave, this wave is called "physical castration"!]

[The cannon is awesome! If you can fight, try to keep quiet; this sense of oppression is absolutely incredible!]

[That felt so good! Even though it wasn't a real fight, splashing that tea was incredibly stress-relieving; I suggest increasing the force!]

[Sun Dafu: I was terrified at the time, and even thought about wetting my pants (although they were already wet).]

"Cannon, stop!"

Lin Xi's voice rang out calmly, without the slightest ripple.

He reached out and gently patted Wang Dapao's tense forearm.

The brute force that was about to erupt miraculously dissipated under Lin Xi's calm gaze.

Wang Dapao snorted and withdrew his hand.

"We're here to do business, not to be bandits."

Lin Xi stepped forward, calmly unplugged the power cord, and carefully wrapped it around herself.

Picking up the heater, Lin Xi turned and walked to the door, then stopped and turned her head to the side.

Backlit, his eyes were sharp as knives.

"Manager Sun, you'll regret this. And it will happen very soon."

After saying that, Lin Xi walked out of the office without looking back, leaving Sun Dafu behind, still clutching his crotch and groaning in pain.

……

As soon as they stepped out of the department store, a gust of cold wind blew, and the three of them instantly felt a chill.

Liu Guihua looked distressed: "Manager Lin, this is terrible. We've offended Sun Dafu, how are we supposed to sell this stuff at the base now?"

Wang Dapao looked like a child who had done something wrong, head bowed: "Brother Lin, did I get into trouble again? I couldn't help myself just now..."

Lin Xi smiled, a smile that was calm and serene.

He stood on the steps, looking at the tall chimney belching white smoke in the distance. That was the base's main bathhouse, the place with the highest foot traffic in the entire living area.

"Big Cannon, you're right. People like that deserve to be scareed."

Lin Xi took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke.

"Who says you have to go to a shopping mall to sell things?"

Lin Xi pointed to the large public bathhouse in the distance, her eyes gleaming.

"It's freezing cold, where are the most people outside of their blankets?"

"The bathhouse!" Liu Guihua answered quickly.

"Which region's people are most afraid of the cold?"

"That must be right after they've taken a shower!"

Wang Dapao finally realized what was happening and slapped his thigh.

"This is called scenario-based pain point marketing."

Lin Xi stubbed out her cigarette and flicked it into the trash can.

"Dapao, go back to the workshop right now and have Erga and Wang Yu bring over the rest of the goods."

"Also, go to the cafeteria and borrow two tables, and bring the large power strip from our workshop that we use for connecting electricity."

"We're not going to follow the conventional military route anymore."

Lin Xi narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Tonight, we'll set up a stall in front of the bathhouse."

"I want everyone in the base to know what a fire in winter really means!"

In the live stream, the sentiment in the comments section instantly reversed.

Selling electric heaters at the entrance of a public bathhouse? This scenario-based marketing is brilliant!

[After a shower, you're all warm and your pores are open; a slight breeze can chill you to the bone!]

Sun Dafu is finished. State-owned department stores simply can't defend against this kind of guerrilla tactic!

[Just waiting to count money until my hands cramp tonight! Sunflower seeds and a stool are ready!]

......

At six o'clock in the evening, as darkness fell, at the entrance of the bathhouse.

Every time the heavy cotton curtain was lifted, the billowing white steam was torn to shreds in the cold wind before it could even dissipate.

The workers, who had just finished showering, wrapped themselves tightly in their cotton-padded coats, hunched their shoulders, and rushed out, cursing and swearing.

My hair wasn't completely dry, but it was already covered with a layer of white frost.

It's fucking cold!

Amidst the desolate shivering, a sharp, high-pitched horn pierced through the wind and snow.

"Take a look, have a look!"

"Made in-house, using aerospace technology!"

"Red Star, Little Sun, a Fire in Winter!"

Liu Guihua stood in the sheltered spot opposite the bathhouse, holding a large megaphone made of rolled-up sheet metal. Although her face was red from the cold, she spoke with great energy.

Behind her, in a dark corner of the snowy field, clusters of orange-red halos suddenly lit up.

The light was too warm and too dazzling.

Lin Xi sat on a small stool, with ten "Red Star Warm Sunshine" cameras neatly arranged in front of her.

"Buzz—"

The old-fashioned diesel generator borrowed from the logistics department was roaring nearby.

Ten machines are turned on simultaneously.

Ten orange-red parabolic surfaces, like ten burning eyes, illuminated the snow within a three-meter radius, turning it a deep red.

Even the snowflakes that drifted into the circle turned into water vapor before they even hit the ground.

"What is this thing? It's so bright!"

"That's... for keeping warm? Something that shabby service company made?"

A crowd began to gather.

Humans' phototaxis and desire for warmth drew them in without their even realizing it.

But most people stood two meters away, their eyes revealing the vigilance and scrutiny unique to that era.

In this era of scarcity, anything new meant "risk" and "waste".

Sun Erga, wearing that ill-fitting overcoat, jumped around and spat everywhere:

"Come closer! Don't be afraid! You won't get burned!"

"This is some high-tech stuff that just rolled off the production line in our fifth workshop! It's so warm it'll make you want to cry!"

"Come on, Erga," someone in the crowd quipped, their tone mocking.

"Your lousy service shop can only mend pot bottoms and fix tires."

"They can even make electrical appliances? I hope it's just a showpiece that breaks down after two days."

"Yeah, it looks weird, like a big flashlight."

The sarcastic remarks came like a tidal wave.

Sun Erga's face froze; his earlier excitement was completely dampened by the buckets of cold water poured over him.

He shrank back to Lin Xi, his voice weak:

"Brother Lin, things aren't looking good. These guys are too difficult to deal with. Should we retreat?"

In the live stream chat, the comments were filled with anxiety.

This generation of people is hard to manage! Their ideas are too outdated!

[Don't panic, streamer! Use your persuasive skills!]

[It's minus thirty degrees Celsius here; if we don't open for business soon, we'll freeze to death on the streets.]