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

Lin Xi didn't move.

He simply and slowly put on a pair of cotton gloves.

Then, he raised his head.

His gaze was fixed on the middle-aged man who was making the most noise in the crowd.

Engineer Dai, from the base's power room, is known for being meticulous and stingy.

"Comrade," Lin Xi began, his voice low.

"You just said this is just for show?"

Dai pushed up his glasses and snorted.

"Young comrade, it's not that I look down on you."

"This thing uses electricity, right?"

"Are those coils inside resistance wires?"

He pointed to the heating element, with the air of an expert who knew everything:

"This is an electric stove!"

"At least one kilowatt!"

"If you leave it on all night, the electricity meter will have to turn into a fan! This isn't heating, it's burning money!"

"I have a coal stove at home; it's cheap and affordable. Who's going to be the sucker for that?"

Upon hearing this, the few people who were initially interested immediately withdrew their hands back into their sleeves.

"Yeah, it uses too much electricity."

"Who can afford to live like this?"

"Dai Gong is really knowledgeable; he almost got fooled by this young man."

Public opinion instantly turned against them.

Sun Erga's face was as white as paper, and Liu Guihua, holding the megaphone, dared not shout anymore.

Lin Xi, however, was amused.

He walked a few steps to Dai Gong, not annoyed at all, but instead clapped his hands.

"Well said! Professional!"

Lin Xi gave a thumbs up, "Dai Gong's calculations are quite shrewd."

Dai Gonggang was about to say something boastful.

Lin Xi abruptly changed the subject, posing a thought-provoking question:

"But let me ask you something—do you pay for the electricity at our base?"

Engineer Dai was taken aback: "No, it's not that, the base is contracted out..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly choked.

Lin Xi didn't give him a chance to react at all.

He whirled around, facing the crowd, his voice instantly rising in volume, his aura commanding:

"Dear fellow villagers!"

"Our base has a rule: electricity in the family quarters is a perk!"

"It's a privilege the country has given to us aerospace workers!"

"You turning on a light bulb is a perk, you turning on a heater is a perk too!"

"The electricity bill for this Red Star Little Sun heater is paid by us—"

Lin Xi raised his index finger and drew a sharp line in the air, his expression resolute:

It's free!

boom--!

These words were like a bomb, completely clearing the minds of everyone present.

Lin Xi didn't give them a chance to breathe, pointing at Dai Gong:

"You say burning coal is cheaper? Let's do the math again!"

"Coal costs three mao a night, that's nine yuan a month! And in winter, that's at least thirty yuan!"

"This doesn't even include the labor cost for you getting up in the middle of the night to unclog the stove and empty the coal ash!"

"You need a ticket to buy coal, you need to borrow a vehicle to haul it, and lighting the stove fills the house with soot; there's also the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning!"

"And this machine of mine!" Lin Xi patted the scorching hot machine body.

"Just plug it in and it works; you won't have to pay a single penny for electricity!"

"That truly warms people's hearts with the country's welfare benefits!"

"Would you rather waste your money and suffer, or get something for free...?"

"Sigh, enjoying the country's free electricity so my wife and kids can have a warm winter?"

The logic is complete.

In this day and age, nothing is more stimulating than "taking advantage of public resources".

Dai Gong opened his mouth wide, his mind racing with abacus beads, but he couldn't come up with a reason to refute it.

"It seems...that makes sense?" Some people in the crowd began to waver.

"No need to buy coal anymore?"

"Saving over thirty yuan a year?"

"This machine isn't that expensive!"

"It's more than just not expensive."

"It's like paying for a year's worth of coal in exchange for free heating afterwards!"

The wind is about to change direction.

Dai Gong was a little embarrassed, but he still found fault with her:

"That...that won't work either!"

"This thing is dangerous!"

"Look how bright red this is! What if a child knocks it over and sets the bedding on fire?"

"A coal stove is at least a solid piece of iron; if this thing falls over, it'll cause a fire!"

"Yes! Safety first!"

"This would be terrible if it caught fire!"

Lin Xi's confident smile deepened.

"Everyone, watch carefully!"

He suddenly raised his foot and kicked over two machines that were in operation.

"Clang! Clang!"

The two machines collapsed to the ground, falling onto the snow.

However, the expected sparks and flames did not occur.

Just as the machine tilted and fell to the ground, the blinding red light went out.

Silence as death.

Lin Xi bent down and straightened them.

"Smack."

The red light shone again, and the heatwave continued.

"Holy crap! That's amazing!"

The crowd erupted in astonishment, asking, "What kind of technology is this? Does it automatically shut down when it collapses?"

"Gravity-sensored power failure protection system".

Lin Xi's voice was flat.

"The same logic as the attitude control of the Red Star-2 satellite."

"If the tilt exceeds 30 degrees, the power will be cut off within 0.1 seconds."

"This is called—space standard."

The live stream chat went crazy:

[666! This kick has shown the confidence of industry!]

[Hardcore sales performance! I give this rigorous test a perfect score!]

[Dai Gong: Who am I? Where am I? Why does my face hurt so much?]

This isn't just selling appliances; this is a complete technological assault!

[This level of security, if placed in 1980, would definitely be considered alien technology!]

The scene went wild.

This isn't just an appliance, it's a miracle!

"I want one!"

Dai Gong, who had been nitpicking just moments before, was the first to rush forward.

All the stinginess and fussiness were melted away by that heat wave.

"My wife just had a baby, and she was shivering from the cold while breastfeeding at night. With this, she won't be afraid anymore!"

"How much? I'll buy it!"

Lin Xi smiled slightly and looked at Liu Guihua.

Liu Guihua shuddered, took a deep breath, and raised the megaphone.

He uttered the most lethal ultimate curse of this era:

"Thirty-eight yuan!"

"I don't want industrial coupons!"

"No ticket needed! Pay and you get the goods!!!"

No ticket required.

In those days, you needed ration coupons to buy a washbasin and quotas to buy a pound of cotton.

The power of the phrase "no tickets required" is more insane than any "space standard."

This means that as long as you have money, you can have this warmth and dignity.

boom!

The crowd completely lost control, surging forward like a flood bursting its banks.

"I want!"

"Give me one!"

"Don't push! I was here first!"

"I'll pay forty! Give me that sample unit!"

Dozens of hands waved banknotes, crowding around Lin Xi's stall.

"Line up! Everyone line up!"

Wang Dapao stood in front, protecting the machines.

Sun Erga was holding a wooden box, his hands were trembling.

money.

It's all money.

One crumpled piece, two crumpled pieces, and brand-new "Big Unity" coins drifted into the box like snowflakes.

"Hey! Sir, here's your change!"

"Don't grab it! This one belongs to this lady!"

five minutes.

Just five minutes.

The ten machines they brought, along with the two samples that had been kicked, were looted, leaving not even a single wire or hair behind.

Those who didn't manage to buy one had red eyes and refused to leave Lin Xi.

"Manager Kobayashi!"

"You're the one who fixed the 'man-eating machine' in Workshop Five, aren't you?"

"I recognize you! I want to order one too!"

A man who looked like a workshop foreman squeezed in and snapped two ten-yuan bills onto the table.

"Twenty yuan!"

"I'll calculate your deposit!"

"I must have the first one tomorrow!"

"Otherwise, I'll just stay at your doorstep and not leave!"

"I'll order too!"

"And me!"

Lin Xi took out a notebook from her pocket and calmly began registering.

The pen tip scratched across the paper.

The cold wind still howled, but in this small open space, the heat was intense, and people's hearts were burning with warmth.

This was the winter of 1980, when a fire pierced through the cold night.