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

New Year's Day.

The red paper from last night's firecrackers hadn't been swept away from the base yet, and the air was still chilly from a hangover.

The curtains in Lin Xi's dormitory were drawn tightly shut.

He is conducting a "cloud-based finalization session" spanning 45 years.

The table was covered with draft paper, and the air was filled with the smell of cheap cigarettes.

Lin Xi frowned and whispered into the void:

"Everyone, based on my investigation over the past ten days or so..."

"It's basically impossible to mass-produce fans using military-grade ABS plastic."

"Our fan product standards may need to be downgraded."

Inside the live stream, the chat was scrolling wildly.

It was as if countless brains were burning simultaneously, operating in parallel.

[Structure Master]: No ABS? Then you can only use modified polypropylene (PP), but the strength is not enough and it is easy to break.

[Structure Master]: The outer shell and mesh can be addressed through manufacturing processes, but the blades cannot.

[Lin Xi]: I can get civilian-grade ABS plastic.

[Long Five Screws]: Then change the structure! Abandon the original ultra-narrow bezel design, which was reserved for polycarbonate. Add three reinforcing ribs at the base of the blades, and change the 7 blades to 5 blades.

[Lin Xi]: 5 leaves? Won't the wind noise increase?

[Fluid Mechanics Expert]: As long as your blade curvature conforms to the NACA 4412 airfoil, 5 blades can actually reduce the load per blade. Although not as refined as 7 blades, it easily surpasses the 3-bladed blades currently on the market!

"Okay, it's settled then."

Lin Xi's pen tip glided rapidly, sketching new lines on the paper.

After resolving the structure, the next step is aesthetics.

"I want one in this era."

"An appearance that makes people feel incredibly 'outdated' at first glance."

Lin Xi put forward the core demands.

The live stream chat instantly went wild.

[Aesthetic Hegemony]: Forget all that red and green! Give me "minimalist white"! Matte white all over, with space gray fan blades!

[Materials Tycoon]: Don't rush to decide on the color; it depends on the materials the streamer can obtain.

[Industrial Design Party]: The casing design references Japanese home appliances from 2005 onwards, featuring rounded, streamlined shapes without any sharp edges. This design is not only aesthetically pleasing but also effectively conceals flaws in the injection molding process—this is known as the fig leaf aesthetic of industrial design.

[Retro Enthusiast]: Switch! Don't use knobs! Use piano keys! Mechanical feel, the click-clack kind! This is called retro in 2025, and sci-fi in 1980!

Three hours later.

A final draft of the "Hongxing-1 Air Circulator Fan Assembly Drawing" has been completed.

It lay quietly on the yellowed draft paper, like a gray-white ghost from the future.

Lin Xi put down her pen, looked at the blueprint, and said softly:

"Thanks, family."

"Happy New Year."

……

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the northwest wind was as sharp as a knife.

The large iron gate of the fifth workshop was pushed open a crack.

Li Jianguo, wrapped in an old cotton-padded coat, hunched his shoulders and squeezed in.

"You little brat, what are you doing making a fuss over the New Year?"

Li Jianguo muttered curses under his breath, holding a vernier caliper in his hand.

"Happy New Year, Master!"

Lin Xi didn't waste any words and simply slammed a drawing onto the worktable.

"Take a look at this."

Li Jianguo put on his reading glasses, squinted, and leaned closer.

Five minutes later, the old man gasped.

Then he looked up and glared at Lin Xi:

"Is your brain filled with mush?"

He pointed to the several alluring curves on the drawing:

"These twisted, variable-section blades?"

"It's hyperbolic!"

"Ours is an old C620 lathe, not a foreign five-axis CNC machine tool!"

"How am I supposed to drive?"

"If this thing were used to make steel molds, it would exhaust the experienced craftsmen in the mold factory to the point of exhaustion."

"It might not even take a month to deliver!"

"Who said we needed to make steel molds?"

Lin Xi curled his lips and kicked out a silver-white metal ingot from under the table.

With a clatter, it rolled to Li Jianguo's feet.

He found it in a corner of the junkyard before the New Year—

Aviation aluminum ingots.

"We make aluminum molds."

Li Jianguo was stunned.

He took off his glasses and looked at his apprentice strangely:

"Aluminum mold?"

"Do you even know anything about this business?"

"Aluminum is soft; it will deform after being pressed a few thousand times!"

"That's a makeshift method for making samples, not a way to mass-produce them!"

"Master, what I need is speed!"

Lin Xi's eyes were burning.

"We don't have time."

"Aluminum molds are soft and easy to cut. With your skills, you can machine it in three days!"

"Although its lifespan is short, it's enough to support two or three thousand units."

"Once these few thousand units are sold, we'll make a profit."

"Let's order another steel mold!"

"This is called 'small steps, quick iterations'."

Li Jianguo took a couple of puffs of his pipe, his expression shifting from skepticism to astonishment.

This kind of "think three steps ahead for every step you take" approach, or the unorthodox way of thinking that involves forcibly breaking through a dead end in the craft.

This is exactly what their generation of veteran military industry workers lacks most—

Business flexibility.

"Sure..."

Li Jianguo slammed his pipe on the sole of his shoe.

"You little rascal, you're a real devil."

"I'll take this job!"

"However, this surface is too complex, and it's too slow for me to do it alone."

Li Jianguo turned and walked towards the gatehouse.

"I'm going to call that idiot Da Pao and tell him to come over and practice his skills."

"Okay, Master."

"Master, look at the blueprints. This small detail is crucial; you absolutely cannot overlook it."

……

Half an hour later.

The door to the fifth workshop was pushed open completely, and a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in.

Lin Xi looked up in surprise.

It wasn't just Wang Dapao who came in.

Sun Erga, Liu Guihua, Wang Yu.

Even those lazy, slacker members from before, all came!

These people were all wearing brand-new work clothes that they had just received before the Lunar New Year, and their faces were beaming with the festive spirit of the holiday.

He was also carrying all sorts of things in his hands—

Some carried a bag of peanuts, some held a handful of melon seeds, and Liu Guihua even brought a thermos.

"You guys..." Lin Xi was stunned.

"Manager Lin, Happy Chinese New Year!"

Sun Erga rubbed his hands together, chuckled, and revealed two large front teeth.

"Master said there's a big job coming up?"

"But we can't just stay home and lie around!"

Wang Dapao added in a deep, booming voice:

"I'm so bored at home, it's no fun listening to my relatives brag."

"It's more comfortable to come to the workshop and listen to the machine tools."

"That's right!" Liu Guihua quickly poured a cup of hot water for everyone.

"Working under Manager Lin gives me peace of mind!"

"Making money is nothing to be ashamed of!"

Lin Xi looked at the group of people.

Just two weeks ago, they were considered "trash" and "troublemakers" who were looked down upon and thought nothing of living.

And now, it's simply because they've tasted the sweetness of dignity and benefits.

They were like people with different souls.

During this Spring Festival, a time for family reunions, they voluntarily chose to spend their time with cold, impersonal machines.

This is cohesion.

"Okay!" Lin Xi took a deep breath and stopped being coy.

He strode to the blackboard, picked up the chalk, and turned to look at everyone.

"Now that everyone is here, I'll introduce our next product."