1950s: After transmigrating into a capitalist, I relied on military industry to achieve a comeback.

As night deepened, the wind and snow intensified.

Lin Jiaoyue returned to her small, drafty storage room in the corner.

Although the conditions were still rudimentary, it must be said that Gao Jianguo was truly loyal and righteous.

In the afternoon, this girl actually skipped half a class, and somehow carried two sacks of smokeless coal to the door and piled them up. She even helped her clear the chimney of that broken stove and thoughtfully covered it with a layer of newspaper to block the wind.

At this moment, the stove fire was burning brightly, and the red glow of the flames made the small room warm and cozy. The unique dry aroma of burning coal dispelled the musty smell.

Lin Jiaoyue filled a basin with warm water and, under the dim light of the overhead bulb, carefully washed the grease off her hands. The soap suds dissolved on her fingertips, washing away the black engine oil and revealing her originally fair skin.

As she was washing, she suddenly stopped and stared at her reflection shimmering in the water, lost in thought.

At this time in her past life, she was probably sitting in her office, holding an expensive iced Americano, facing three huge monitors, typing out those invisible and intangible virtual codes.

Back then, she was glamorous and earned a million-dollar annual salary, but she always felt empty inside, like a high-end cog spinning aimlessly in a massive internet machine.

Now, her hands are rough, there's still black dirt under her fingernails that she can't wash off, she lives in a drafty house, and eats communal meals that are lacking in oil and salt.

However, when she saw the cannon raise its muzzle again, saw the trusting eyes of the soldiers, saw the excited expression on the commander's face because of a promise, and even heard Gao Jianguo's gruff voice defending him... she felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment.

The feeling of having your feet firmly planted on solid ground and personally driving the gears of a nation's industry is absolutely captivating.

"This is probably... what it feels like to be alive."

She murmured to herself, a smile playing on her lips, and dried her hands with a towel.

Just then, there was a soft, hesitant knock on the door.

"Tap, tap, tap."

"Engineer Lin? Are you asleep?" It was Song Siming's voice, which had a scholarly and refined quality.

Lin Jiaoyue was somewhat surprised and went over to open the door.

A cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, rushed in instantly, and three figures, shivering from the cold, stood at the doorway—Song Siming, Gao Jianguo, and Chen Mo.

Each of them was clutching a stack of books or notebooks tightly in their arms.

The most eye-catching person was Chen Mo, who was usually quiet and reserved. He was carrying an old net bag containing several frozen Qiulin bread loaves, and under the bread loaves was a tin can.

That's... Merlin brand luncheon meat!

In this era of extreme scarcity of resources, when ordinary people rarely saw meat, this thing was practically the hardest currency among hard currencies, even more desirable than real gold and silver!

Lin Jiaoyue's eyes lit up for a moment (a foodie's instinctive reaction), but she quickly regained her composure: "This is..."

"We've made up our minds." Gao Jianguo scratched his head, a little embarrassed, but his smile was honest and sincere.

"Your skills during the day were amazing! We'd love to learn them. But our foundation is weak, especially with calculus and fluid mechanics—they sound like gibberish to us. We were wondering if we could come over for some private lessons in the evenings?"

At this point, he pointed to the net and added eagerly:

"Of course, we won't learn for nothing! I saved up this canned food by the last drop of my stomach, I couldn't bear to eat it... Now I'm using it as tuition! This stuff smells amazing!"

Song Siming adjusted his glasses, abandoning his daytime arrogance, and said earnestly:

"Lin, we not only want to learn how to repair artillery, but also how you think. Today's lesson made me realize that simply memorizing Soviet manuals won't save the front lines. We want to become engineers like you, and we don't want to see our comrades sacrifice themselves because of equipment malfunctions anymore."

Although Chen Mo didn't say anything, he silently went into the house, placed the precious net bag on the table, then squatted by the stove, skillfully slicing the large loaf of bread and baking it on the stove lid.

Soon, a tantalizing aroma of wheat and smoky luncheon meat filled the small hut. On a cold winter night, this smell was an irresistible temptation.

Lin Jiaoyue looked at the three men standing straight in the snowy night, and saw the flame of curiosity in their eyes—a thirst for knowledge, and even more so, a yearning for a strong nation.

In this impoverished age, knowledge is a luxury, but faith is a necessity.

She smiled, and in that instant, the coldness in her eyes vanished, replaced by a mischievousness and warmth unique to young girls. She stepped aside to make way for the doorway.

"Come in. But let me make this clear first, my classes are very strict. If you can't keep up, I'll eat this whole can of food, no returns allowed."

"We guarantee to complete the mission!" the three shouted in unison, their faces beaming with bright smiles warmer than a fireplace.

The door to the cabin was closed, keeping out the howling wind and snow. The crackling fire illuminated four young faces.

No one expected that on this cold winter night, in a corner of the Beijing Military Academy, an "underground cram school" about steel, ballistics and the future would officially begin, accompanied by the aroma of luncheon meat.

From this moment on, the fates of these four people became inextricably intertwined, and they were about to unleash a massive wave in China's military industry in this turbulent era.