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

Hongfeng Machinery Factory, Factory Director's Office.

The phone kept ringing.

Lin Xi just picked up the receiver.

Then came Sun Dafu's signature loud voice, slurred in Cantonese-accented Mandarin.

The background noise was filled with noisy human voices.

"Manager Lin! Brother Lin!"

"You're amazing!"

Sun Dafu's voice sounded so excited it was almost cracking.

Do you know what the market is like in the South right now?

"It's going crazy! The counters at the Friendship Store are bursting at the seams!"

Lin Xi held the receiver twenty centimeters away and calmly picked at her ear:

"Old Sun, shut up, calm down."

"Has it only been implemented in a few cities?"

"It's spread all over the coastal area, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Fuzhou!"

Sun Dafu was completely unable to calm down.

"Those leaders from the Second Light Industry Bureau used to look down on me."

"Now they're all blocking my door with packs of Zhonghua cigarettes, demanding a permit!"

"This feeling is amazing!"

This is called "the south wind spreading northward".

Lin Xi looked at the map on the wall, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"The South gets hot early, and with the presence of remittance certificates from overseas Chinese, it's the best litmus test."

"As soon as the south gets hot, this wind will immediately blow to the Yangtze River basin."

"Stop talking! I only have one request!"

Sun Dafu roared on the other end of the line.

"Give me another three thousand units!"

"No, five thousand units! I'll bring cash to Shanghai to pick them up!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xi flicked off her cigarette ash.

The booming domestic market was within his expectations.

In this era of scarcity.

An "industrial work of art" with stunning looks, superior performance, and a reasonable price is bound to become a hit.

But this is just an appetizer.

But the real highlight isn't here.

Lin Xi's gaze passed through the window and looked towards the distant east.

That's the direction of the Pacific Ocean.

At this very moment, across the ocean, a real "disaster movie" is unfolding.

……

May 28, 1980, Gotham City, the United States.

Although it was only the end of May, the entire North American continent seemed to have been thrown into a microwave oven and then the high-power button was pressed.

An unusually high pressure system, like a giant lid, hung tightly over the Americas.

The weather presenter loosened his tie, sweating profusely, and pointed to the temperature map, which was a deep, purplish-red:

"My God, today's high temperature broke 102 degrees Fahrenheit (about 39 degrees Celsius)!"

"This is the hottest May since 1950!"

Sears flagship store.

This is no longer a shopping mall, but a battlefield.

"Air conditioning! I need air conditioning!"

A burly white man covered in fat waved banknotes and slammed them against the counter with a deafening roar.

"I'm sorry, sir, the window units were sold out yesterday."

The sales assistant explained desperately, "We've sold out of even the next three months' worth of inventory!"

"Damn it!"

The burly man roared angrily.

"How am I supposed to sleep then? Do you want my child to die of heat in bed?"

Just then, a forklift slowly drove out.

The tray was piled high with dark blue cardboard boxes, like a small mountain.

The box is printed with a striking red five-pointed star and that magical GG phrase:

【Soft & Safe】

"That's a fan! That fan from the East!"

I don't know who shouted it.

The next second, the crowd pounced on them like hungry wolves.

"Give me one!"

"Shut up! I saw it first!"

"I'll pay double!"

Harrison stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the manager's office on the second floor, watching the crazy scene below, his coffee cup trembling.

He felt like he wasn't watching a sales event, but rather a frenzied ceremony.

In just half a day.

The "Red Star" fans, which had just been released from customs and hadn't even been put on the shelves yet, were sold out immediately.

What kind of fan is this?

This is water in the desert!

Harrison swallowed hard and picked up the receiver of the overseas phone with trembling hands.

The image of that sweltering corner at the Canton Fair two months ago flashed through my mind.

What the young Asian man said to himself—

"This is not just a fan, this is life-saving medicine."

At the time, he thought it was a sales pitch; now he knows it was a mysterious prophecy from the East.

……

Hongfeng Machinery Factory, Songjiang District, Shanghai.

late at night.

Lin Xi was checking the production schedule with Zhao Dagang when the phone rang again.

This is a long-distance transoceanic journey.

"Forest!"

"Oh my God! Lin!"

Harrison's almost raspy roar came through the receiver, and you could even hear his heavy breathing.

"Are you a prophet?"

"Are you a wizard sent from the East?!"

How did you know there would be a heatwave?

"How did you know?!"

Lin Xi glanced at Zhao Dagang and made a "shush" gesture.

Then he switched to fluent English, his tone as relaxed as if he were chatting casually.

"Mr. Harrison, I have said before that we should have faith in Eastern wisdom."

"I believe you! I believe you!"

"I even keep your business card under my pillow when I sleep!"

Harrison was rambling incoherently.

"Listen, Lin, I want the goods!"

"I need it now!"

"No matter how much you have, I'll eat it all!"

"But..." Lin Xi paused deliberately.

"Sea freight takes time."

"As you know, cabin availability is very tight right now."

"Fuck shipping!"

Harrison swore.

"Air freight! I want it shipped by air!"

"I'll contact Pan Am Cargo Airlines right away; I'll cover the freight!"

"I'll cover the full cost! All you need to do is get the goods to the airport!"

Zhao Dagang, who was standing to the side, couldn't understand English, but he could understand Lin Xi's expression.

That's the composure of a hunter watching his prey fall into his net.

"Since Mr. Harrison is so sincere..."

A slight smile curved Lin Xi's lips.

"Adding $5 to the factory price per unit as 'overtime pay for high temperatures' for the workers, is that alright?"

"no problem!"

"Even adding $10 wouldn't be a problem!"

"As long as you can ship the goods!"

"By the way, my dear business partner."

Could you please send me some academic journals from your area?

"A public offering will do; that shouldn't be too difficult."

Harrison pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, what can we do when we're partners?"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xi turned around.

Zhao Dagang stared at him expectantly: "Manager Lin, what did the foreigners say?"

"Prepare the goods." Lin Xi tossed her pen onto the table.

"The first batch of 3,000 units will be taken to the airport early tomorrow morning and shipped by air."

"Furthermore," Lin Xi held up five fingers,

"The price will be increased by $5 per machine, and this money will be distributed as bonuses to the workers."

Zhao Dagang's eyes instantly turned red.

"I'm going to the workshop right now!" Zhao Dagang grabbed his safety helmet and rushed out.

"Tell those bastards, who the hell dares to mess things up at this crucial moment?"

"I'll hang him on a flagpole and let him dry in the sun!"

The entire Hongfeng Factory has entered a state of complete war.

The injection molding machines never stop running, with three shifts operating continuously.

A red banner with white lettering that read "Work hard for 100 days to earn back a car" was hung in the workshop.

In this era where people still haggle over a few cents or work points.

The workers at Hongfeng Factory are enjoying the benefits of multinational capital.

However, the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind.