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

……

Shanghai, Huasheng Electric Fan Factory, Factory Manager's Office.

Xue Jianhua slammed the teacup in his hand down on the table.

"impossible!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

On the desk sits a "Red Star Gentle Breeze" radio that was just bought from the market.

Next to it is a disassembly report that the technical department rushed to complete overnight.

"Factory manager..."

The head of the technical department stood nervously to one side, holding a vernier caliper in his hand.

"This...this thing looks simple, but it's all plastic."

"But... these blades are too strange."

"We hired the best master craftsman to try and replicate it. But when it turned, it made the same noise as a tractor, and the wind wasn't even half as strong as the original."

"And..." The head of the technical department swallowed hard.

"The cost is too low."

"The base is made of recycled plastic filled with cement, and the mesh cover has a snap-on structure without a single screw."

"We need either cast iron or steel; after calculating..."

"Their costs are probably less than 30% of ours."

Less than 40%.

These four words struck Xue Jianhua like a slap in the face.

Costs are crushed, and performance is utterly outclassed.

This isn't competition; this is slaughter!

This is going to destroy the livelihoods of thousands of people at Huasheng Factory and uproot Xue Jianhua's roots!

"Can we reverse engineer the mold?" Xue Jianhua asked through gritted teeth.

"It's difficult," the head of the technical department said with a pained expression.

"This type of variable cross-section hyperbolic blade can only be made by hand using an eighth-level technician unless there is an imported five-axis CNC machine tool."

"Old Liu from our factory took a look and said that it would take at least three months to figure out the curvature."

Three months? The daylilies are already too cold! Summer's over!

"Useless! All of you are useless!" Xue Jianhua suddenly stood up and walked around the office twice.

Since I can't beat them technically, don't blame me for using other methods.

"Let's go." Xue Jianhua straightened the collar of his Zhongshan suit, his voice icy.

"Go to the First Ministry of Machine Building's guesthouse."

"I want to see Director Zhou."

"Why would a missile manufacturing factory, instead of staying in a secluded mountain village to maintain secrecy, come to Shanghai to steal business from the civilian market?"

"This is called—disrupting market order!"

……

Hongfeng Machinery Factory, at the main gate.

Several Jiefang trucks loaded with fans were preparing to leave the factory and head to Hongqiao Airport.

Lin Xi stood at the door, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, discussing the procurement of the next batch of raw materials with Zhao Dagang.

Suddenly, a screeching sound of brakes broke the noise.

Two black Hongqi sedans blocked the trucks' path at the factory gate.

The car door opened.

Xue Jianhua walked down with a sullen face.

Following behind him was a middle-aged man wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, with his hair slicked back, and carrying a briefcase.

That's typical of a ministry leader—

Director Zhou of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

"Stop! Everyone stop!"

Xue Jianhua pointed at the truck driver and shouted at him.

"Who authorized you to ship the goods?"

"Does it have the necessary approvals? Does it meet national standards?"

The truck driver, a long-time worker at Hongfeng Factory, had a fiery temper. He leaned out and yelled:

"Where did this stray dog ​​come from, blocking the way?"

"Can you afford to take responsibility for the delay in sending foreign exchange?"

"Foreign exchange?"

Director Zhou sneered and walked over slowly, his eyes fixed on Lin Xi like a hawk.

"Young man, what a boastful tone."

"I am here on behalf of the First Ministry of Machine Building to conduct this investigation."

Director Zhou took a piece of paper out of his briefcase, shook it,

"Someone reported that Hongfeng Machinery Factory was a subordinate unit of the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry."

"The illegal use of military resources for civilian production seriously disrupts market order and poses significant quality risks."

"Now, I command—"

Director Zhou pointed to the fans that were about to be shipped to the United States.

"The entire factory is shut down for rectification!"

"All products, seal them off immediately!"

Standing behind Director Zhou, Xue Jianhua looked at Lin Xi with a smug, sinister smile on his lips.

"Manager Lin, business is booming!"

"Unfortunately, not everyone can withstand the winds of Shanghai."

Lin Xi squinted at the two uninvited guests, and gently flicked the ash off the cigarette butt with her fingers.

The live stream chat exploded with comments.

[Holy crap! How shameless! You call for backup when you can't win a fight?]

[The First Ministry of Machine Building manages seven other ministries? That's overreaching!]

[Hey streamer, don't back down! This is a blatant humiliation, you have to fight back!]

[Calling Qian Lao! Calling the base!]

Lin Xi neither looked at the comments nor at Xue Jianhua.

He simply glanced calmly at the Shanghai brand watch on his wrist, then silently counted to three in his mind.

"Director Zhou, right?"

Lin Xi stepped forward, her face showing no sign of panic, but rather a hint of mockery.

"Shut down my factory?"

"You'd better ask the owner of this shipment if they agree."

"besides……"

Lin Xi pointed to the faded emblem of the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry on the roof of the factory.

"Are you sure you want to flaunt your official power in front of a group of people who build missiles?"

......

At the entrance of Hongfeng Factory, the atmosphere was as tense as a fully drawn bowstring.

Two Hongqi sedans were blocking the middle of the road, and several officials were directing the application of seals.

Director Zhou adjusted his glasses, revealing an undeniable air of authority behind the lenses:

"Comrade Lin Xi, the Seventh Ministry of Machinery Industry is responsible for national defense, not speculation and profiteering."

"Your disorderly production across systems and regions must be stopped immediately."

Xue Jianhua stood to the side, a cold smile on his lips.

In his view, the matter was already a done deal.

So what if you're in the military industry?

In Shanghai, a region dedicated to civilian industry, dragons must coil and tigers must lie low.

Zhao Dagang was sweating profusely and wanted to go up and argue, but Lin Xi stopped him.

Lin Xi was not angry at all. Instead, he took out a pack of "Chunghwa" cigarettes from his pocket and slowly handed one to Director Zhou.

"Director Zhou, shutting down the factory is easy."

Lin Xi held the lighter closer; the flame flickered in the wind.

"But what if this batch of goods can't be shipped out?"

"Can the First Ministry of Machine Building handle the resulting 'international breach of contract' and 'diplomatic disputes'?"

Just as Director Zhou was about to lean over to light a cigarette, his movement suddenly stopped.

He looked up, his eyes sharp: "Are you threatening the organization?"

"I am stating the facts."

Lin Xi put away the lighter, lit one for himself, and took a deep drag.

"This batch of goods is an urgent order from Sears, the American department store."

"It's clearly stated in the contract that a one-day delay in delivery will result in a penalty of $50,000."

Lin Xi pulled out a neatly folded copy of an English contract from his pocket and waved it in front of Director Zhou.

"This has the registration stamp from the U.S. Department of Commerce."

"Total penalty for breach of contract: three million US dollars."

"Director Zhou."

Lin Xi exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Three million in foreign exchange reserves, that's roughly enough to buy two imported fertilizer production lines, right?"

Director Zhou's hand trembled slightly.

The cigarette fell.

In this era where foreign exchange is more precious than life, who dares to ask the country to pay foreigners three million US dollars?

That's not making a mistake, that's committing a crime!