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

By the time I returned from the launch observation point, it was completely dark.

The cheering crowd dispersed, and a sense of emptiness once again enveloped the Gobi Desert.

Li Jianguo led Lin Xi outside.

The dormitory area consists of several rows of gray, red brick bungalows.

The passageway was filled with coal briquettes and other miscellaneous items.

Large sections of the plaster on the wall peeled off due to dampness, revealing the rough red bricks underneath.

"Watch your step."

Li Jianguo skillfully avoided a pool of frozen sewage and pushed open a mottled green-painted wooden door.

"Squeak—"

The door opened, revealing a room of less than ten square meters.

A metal bunk bed, a rickety table with wooden blocks as footrests, and a peeling washbasin stand.

There was no heating, only a coal stove.

This is the temporary accommodation area. Staff members stayed here for one to two weeks before launch.

This is like a product from a completely different world compared to the Red Star 2, which represented the pinnacle of human technology and cost hundreds of millions during the day.

The viewers in the live stream were stunned.

[This...this is the team leader's dorm? My storage room at home is more spacious than this.]

[Host, did you wander onto the wrong set? Could a rocket be built in this environment?]

Don't say anymore, it's heartbreaking to see. Those were truly difficult times.

Lin Xi didn't say anything, but silently picked up the fire tongs and stirred the stove.

Li Jianguo pulled out a dark green old wooden box from under the bed; it was a repurposed ammunition box from back then.

He pulled out a glass bottle without any labels, inside which was half a pound of clear liquid.

Then, he took out a paper package from his pocket, revealing a small handful of fried peanuts inside.

"Sit down." Li Jianguo slammed the bottle of "Shaodaozi" (a type of strong liquor) onto the table.

That was homemade liquor from the local villagers near the base, and it had an extremely high alcohol content.

When it was time to put the two enamel mugs in, Li Jianguo picked them up.

"Cheers! I'm happy today."

Lin Xi picked up the jar with both hands and took a sip.

It was so spicy it felt like being cut by a knife, and it almost brought tears to his eyes.

"Cough cough..."

Spicy!

It felt like swallowing razor blades; he choked so badly that tears streamed down his face, and his throat burned with pain.

"Hahaha, you greenhorn, you can't even handle this?"

Li Jianguo laughed loudly and tilted his head back to take a big gulp.

The alcohol hit him hard, and the old man's face instantly turned red.

He exhaled a satisfied breath of alcohol, picked up a peanut, and popped it into his mouth.

"What was it like when we first arrived in the Gobi Desert?"

"It's a place where no birds fly in the sky, no grass grows on the ground, and the wind blows stones away!"

Li Jianguo's eyes seemed to be burning with fire:

"Back then, there were no workshops. We worked in tents!"

"In winter, when it's minus thirty degrees Celsius, if you touch a piece of metal, your skin will stick to it!"

As he spoke, Li Jianguo suddenly rolled up his trouser leg.

"Take a look at this."

Under the dim light bulb, the leg was shocking.

The bluish-black blood vessels, like clumps of earthworms, bulged out on the skin's surface, intertwined and tangled.

His calves were covered with several hideous dark purple scars.

That was a permanent stain left by severe frostbite.

Lin Xi was stunned.

This is the "base" from 1980.

That rocket soaring into the sky was not just burning propellant, but also burning the flesh and blood of this generation.

The chat in the live stream paused for a few seconds, then exploded with messages.

[A salute! I don't know what else to say.]

My grandfather also has varicose veins, and the pain keeps him awake all night. How can this old man stand in a car for over ten hours?

This leg...it looks painful.

Lin Xi's throat tightened, and she was about to say a few words of comfort when Li Jianguo suddenly rolled up his trouser leg and his expression changed.

"Alright, let's not talk about the past. Let's talk about the present."

"Snapped!"

Li Jianguo slammed the enamel mug heavily on the table, his eyes fixed on Lin Xi:

"Everyone thinks I'm the one who got all the credit today."

"But I know perfectly well that it was your idea."

"That probe, those turning parameters, you did it."

Lin Xi's heart tightened, and she was about to say something modest.

"Shut up!"

Li Jianguo slammed his hand on the table, making the peanuts on it bounce.

"Do you know you almost caused a huge disaster!"

The old man's roar echoed in the narrow little house:

"Use electrical tape to secure the probe? Are you out of your mind?!"

"That's a first-stage engine! The vibration frequency is several thousand hertz!"

"What if the tape comes off? What if the probe falls into a gap in the pipe and gets stuck on the connecting rod?"

"If the rocket explodes, how many heads do you have to be shot?"

Lin Xi was stunned, and cold sweat poured down her back.

The situation was urgent, and he only considered whether it could be measured, completely ignoring the risks of such a simple and fixed method.

Looking back now, it was indeed dangerous.

"And a lathe!" Li Jianguo pointed at Lin Xi's nose.

"That's all talk!"

"You make a lot of sense, but if you actually tried it, you'd ruin it with that one cut!"

"You think 'feel' is something you can just talk about? It's something you develop by feeding your hands with tens of thousands of scrap parts!"

"All talk and no action! Those four words perfectly describe you!"

This barrage of harsh words was like a bucket of ice water, completely waking Lin Xi from his euphoric state as a "savior."

Even the viewers in the live stream who were praising Lin Xi as a "genius" and "a max-level character slaughtering newbies" were stunned by the insults.

To be fair, the old master craftsman was right to criticize. There's no room for complacency in industry.

[The streamer has really gotten arrogant; if something serious happens, it's the end of the whole thing.]

Lin Xi did not refute.

He lowered his head, looking at the cheap liquor in his glass, all the sense of superiority he had felt in 2025 vanished.

Li Jianguo was right to criticize.

The technology of 2025 gave him a "God's-eye view," but it also fostered arrogance in him.

In an era without CNC machine tools and without room for error, even the slightest oversight could lead to machine destruction and loss of life.

After he finished yelling, the room fell silent.

Only the occasional crackling sound from the coal stove remained.

Li Jianguo took a couple of deep breaths, picked up his chopsticks, and shoveled the few remaining peanuts from his bowl into Lin Xi's bowl.

"The tallest tree in the forest will surely be felled by the wind."

The old man's voice lowered:

"Interpersonal relationships are very complicated here. Standing out too much is not a good thing."

"Regarding that probe and the parameter changes, I'll tell the higher-ups it was my idea, but don't tell anyone else."

"First, master the basics. Only when everyone respects your skills can I protect you."

Lin Xi suddenly looked up.

It turns out... this scolding was actually teaching him how to survive.

In this era that values ​​seniority, social class, and collectivism.

If a newly arrived intern performs too exceptionally well, they may not be greeted with flowers, but rather with endless scrutiny, jealousy, and sarcastic remarks.

His master is using him as a shield.

"Master..." Lin Xi's throat felt a little choked up.

Li Jianguo ignored him, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

"What? Did you get stunned by the scolding?"

Lin Xi did not speak.

He stood up, respectfully held the cup with both hands, bent down, and lowered the rim of the cup below Li Jianguo's cup.

"master."

Lin Xi's voice was a little hoarse:

"You're right to criticize."

"I have high aspirations but low abilities, and I don't understand the rules."

"This cup of wine is a toast to you, my disciple."

Li Jianguo was taken aback, seemingly unaccustomed to this sudden solemnity.

He grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking:

"Alright, stop with the nonsense."

Give me three years, and I'll give you all my skills.

Li Jianguo downed his drink in one gulp and waved his hand dismissively:

"Then, the position of maintenance team leader will be yours."

Lin Xi remained silent.

This is the traditional master-apprentice system passed down through generations—simple, direct, yet deeply moving.

However, becoming the head of the maintenance team was not the final destination he desired.

Lin Xi was still figuring out how to tell her master.

suddenly--

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

A rapid knocking came at the door.

"Engineer Li! Comrade Li Jianguo!"

Urgent shouts came from outside the door.

"I'm from security! And is that intern, Lin Xi, inside?"