Returning to 1949, I decided to hand it over to the state.

Meng Tai shook his head, his expression serious.

"You're wrong about that."

"We've never seen things outside, but you have, which makes you superior to us."

"You can speak foreign languages, read and write, and know some foreign methods. Not everyone has these skills. If there is anything you can do to help in the factory in the future, you can't back down. You have to take the lead."

Jiang Fan was somewhat stunned by what he said.

That's not just being polite.

Meng Tai truly believed that.

In this era, the so-called "returnees from studying abroad" are an extremely scarce resource.

For many, overseas is not just far away, but more like another completely unseen world.

Those who have seen it before, and those who know a little about it, naturally have a broader perspective than others.

At that very moment, a thought that had not yet fully taken shape suddenly popped into Jiang Fan's mind.

Yes.

Ansteel is currently in its initial stage.

They lack technology, mature processes, product direction, and market insight.

But I am different.

Although he was standing in 1949, his mind contained the knowledge and information of 2026.

That was an era in which the industrial system was highly mature, products had undergone countless iterations, and countless technological paths had been repeatedly screened by the market and time.

What is more practical? What products are more likely to generate stable demand? What technological approaches can save costs? What designs are easier to promote? The answers to these questions can be found in later generations.

In fact, for much of the content, you can simply go online and find a lot of publicly available information.

However, if we put this information in 1949, its meaning would be completely different.

That's not ordinary information.

Those are road signs that can save you from taking many detours.

If used properly, it is entirely possible for Ansteel to find a more suitable product direction in advance, accumulate funds in advance, and then invest the funds in equipment repair, process upgrades and capacity expansion, forming a truly virtuous cycle.

And this is not just about economics.

The front lines lacked weapons, equipment, and various industrial products, while the rear areas also lacked production tools, daily necessities, and basic supplies.

Every practical product that Ansteel manufactures adds a layer of confidence to this newly risen nation.

The moment this thought popped into his head, Jiang Fan involuntarily sat up straighter.

A surge of heat rushed up from my chest.

My heart started racing.

He used to make popular science videos, talking about industrial history, mechanical principles, and the development of various technologies, always through a screen.

But this time is different.

He truly stood at a pivotal moment in history.

The knowledge you possess can potentially be put into practice, or even lead to a rewritten development path.

This feeling is so wonderful.

From bystander to participant.

They went from being recorders of history to people who could potentially influence it.

Thinking of this, his breathing became a little rapid.

Seeing the change in his expression, Meng Tai couldn't help but ask:

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Jiang Fan suddenly came to his senses, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart, trying to make his tone sound as natural as possible.

"No, no, Uncle Meng, you're right. I just suddenly thought of something."

As he spoke, he smoothly steered the conversation back on track.

"I'd like to ask, have we decided what products we'll be producing yet?"

Seeing that he was alright, Meng Tai was relieved. He rubbed his hands on his knees and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"It can't be that fast."

"The product direction is still under discussion. We haven't stopped working on the No. 2 blast furnace. We're prioritizing supporting the front lines with whatever we can. But what about the No. 1 blast furnace? The factory has held several meetings these past few days, and the leaders have been pondering this."

As he said this, he started counting on his fingers.

"Someone suggested making farm tools. There's a lot of land in Northeast China, and farmers always need things like shovels, hoes, and plows to farm."

"Some people have also suggested making iron pots and kettles, as people can't live without these household items, and the demand is stable."

"Some people have suggested manufacturing machine parts, but our equipment is not fully restored yet, and our processing precision is still lacking. It would be quite difficult to do that."

He sighed at the end.

"After much discussion, we still haven't reached a conclusion."

"But now that the No. 1 blast furnace is up and running, we can't just leave it idle. Once a furnace is started, it's not something you can just turn off. It would be a real shame to let it sit idle."

As Jiang Fan listened, he tapped his fingers lightly twice on his knee.

Meng Tai is absolutely right.

Once a blast furnace is put into production, it consumes costs and resources.

In those days, there was a shortage of coal, electricity, and transportation capacity, so no industrial production was easy.

If the product direction cannot be determined in time, and the smelted iron has no suitable place to go, the losses will not only be the numbers on the books, but the entire recovery process will be slowed down.

However, from Jiang Fan's perspective, he thought about it on an even deeper level.

For a factory to truly make money, especially in those days, demand alone was not enough; purchasing power, distribution capacity, and the practical conditions of regional expansion also had to be considered.

To whom should we sell it?

How much?

What kind of product is suitable for current technological capabilities, has a clearly defined use case, and can be scaled up?

This is the key.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

As dusk deepened, the surrounding outlines gradually blurred, leaving only the last trace of dark red on the horizon.

Both were lost in their own thoughts, and neither spoke first.

Just then, Jiang Fan's gaze fell on a ceramic jar standing in the corner of the yard.

The jar was small and grayish, and inconspicuous in the twilight.

But that one glance made a thought suddenly pop into Jiang Fan's mind.

Gas cylinder!

Yes, a gas cylinder!

In that era, city gas was far less widespread than it would be in later times, let alone a large-scale civilian steel liquefied gas tank system.

From a product logic perspective, this product is naturally highly compatible with steel mills.

First of all, the raw materials are a good match.

The main body of a gas cylinder is essentially a steel container.

What Northeast China has in abundance is precisely steel resources and the capabilities surrounding steel processing.

Secondly, it is not entirely without a foundation in terms of supporting infrastructure.

Steel plates, stamping machines, and welding workers—these are all readily available!

If we can focus on "people" and "steel," even if we can't achieve the complete standardized system of later generations for the time being, we can start with storage and transportation containers and related processes.