Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

The cafeteria was noisy.

The aroma of braised pork wafted everywhere, mingling with the smoky scent of stewed ribs, making one's mouth water. Ma Yuejin squatted by the door, a bowl on his lap, shoveling rice into his mouth while boasting to the person next to him. Rice grains clung to the corners of his mouth as he pointed into the distance with his chopsticks, spittle almost spraying onto the person's face.

"You know what? Two thousand one hundred kilometers! Guess how far we could hit the target from here?"

The person next to him shook his head.

Ma Yuejin proudly picked up a piece of meat.

Lin Jianguo sat in the corner, not eating. He clutched a notebook in his hand, staring at the numbers on it. He would look at them for a few seconds, then look up at the sky outside the window, before looking down again to continue reading. The edges of the notebook were damp from his grip.

Qian Nian sat opposite He Yuzhu. He used his right hand to pick up food, holding it very steadily, but after each serving, he would look down at his hand, as if to confirm that it could still move.

He Yuzhu ate a few bites and then put down his chopsticks.

He didn't speak immediately, first glancing at Qian Nian, then at Lin Jianguo in the distance. The cafeteria was noisy, filled with the sounds of clinking bowls and chopsticks, laughter, and footsteps.

"Lin Jianguo".

His voice wasn't loud, but Lin Jianguo raised his head.

"Come here for a moment."

Lin Jianguo walked over and stood by the table. He was still clutching the notebook in his hand, not letting go.

He Yuzhu looked at him without saying a word.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Your computer," He Yuzhu paused, "can it calculate orbits?"

Lin Jianguo was stunned for a moment.

"track?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"The satellite's orbit."

The surroundings became quiet.

Ma Yuejin's chopsticks froze in mid-air. He slowly put them down, staring at He Yuzhu for several seconds.

Qian Nian also raised her head, looking at He Yuzhu, and then at Lin Jianguo.

Lin Jianguo gripped the notebook in his hand even tighter. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Dean," his voice was a little dry, "you want to develop a launch vehicle?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer, he just looked at him.

Lin Jianguo lowered his head, looking at the numbers in his notebook. He had spent three days calculating those numbers; they were the ballistic parameters of the missile.

He raised his head.

"The missile can reach a range of 2,000 kilometers. Theoretically, if we add a few more stages, we can send things into the sky." He Yuzhu said slowly, "If one stage isn't enough, we'll add two stages, and if two stages aren't enough, we'll add three stages."

Lin Jianguo listened without responding.

He Yuzhu continued. First-stage rocket, second-stage rocket, third-stage rocket, orbital velocity, orbital altitude, inclination. He spoke haltingly, unsure of some of the terms, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.

Lin Jianguo listened and took notes in his notebook. After he finished, he stared at the words for a long time.

"Dean," he finally spoke, his voice a little more steady than before, "this thing, with our current industrial base, might be too much for it."

He Yuzhu waited for him to continue.

Lin Jianguo turned the notebook over and pointed to a few numbers on it.

"The materials, precision, and control systems all need to be an order of magnitude higher than those for missiles. We're currently developing missiles using a production line we assembled ourselves. The requirements for rockets are even higher, and that equipment..." He paused, "...some parts simply cannot be manufactured domestically."

Ma Yuejin chimed in from the side.

"If we can't make it, we'll build another production line."

Lin Jianguo shook his head.

"It's not a problem with the production line. It's a problem with the entire industrial system."

He looked up at He Yuzhu.

"Dean, it's not that I don't want to do it. It's that I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish his sentence; his words got stuck.

He Yuzhu looked at him without saying a word.

Qian Nian spoke softly from the side.

"Director, could we proceed in stages?"

He Yuzhu turned his head.

"explain."

Qian Nian thought about it for a moment.

"Let's start with the first generation of rockets. We don't need them to be the best; just enough to get things up there. We'll build them up as we go, and improve them as we go. We'll take it one step at a time."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Yes. Let's take it one step at a time."

Lin Jianguo stood there, his hand gripping the notebook loosening and then tightening again.

"Dean," his voice trailed off, "this thing is too big. I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish speaking.

He Yuzhu remained silent. He waited.

Lin Jianguo took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress something.

"You really think I can do it?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"Missiles, starting from scratch, who can do it?"

Lin Jianguo did not answer.

He Yuzhu added.

"Back when Qian Nian's dad was in the fuel business, who could do it?"

Lin Jianguo lowered his head.

After a long time, he raised his head.

"Okay," he said. "I'll do it."

He turned and walked away. He paused at the door, then continued walking.

He Yuzhu watched his figure disappear outside the door.

That night, He Yuzhu sat alone in his office.

The lamplight only illuminated a small area of ​​the desktop; it was pitch black outside the window, and he couldn't see anything. He brought up the system interface and looked at the line of text.

[Launch Vehicle Overall Design (1959 Edition)]

[Redeemable Points: 1,000,000]

His finger hovered over the redemption button.

Eight million.

How many rain-reducing bombs can we buy? How many disaster victims can we save?

He thought of the parched, cracked land in the north. He thought of the flooded villages in the south. He thought of the old man kneeling on the ground, kowtowing. He thought of the old woman whose bundle had fallen into the water.

I also recalled the image of Lin Jianguo's back as he turned away.

He clicked "redeem".

[Redeem successful. Points consumed: 1,000,000]

Current total points: 73,811,233 - 500,000 = 73,311,233 points

He took out the stack of documents from the system space; it was a thick pile, and he put it on the table. The cover was printed with the words "Overall Design of Launch Vehicle".

He turned to the first page.

Configuration scheme. Interstage separation. Guidance principle.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Lin Jianguo pushed the door open and came in. He was still clutching the notebook in his hand, the edges of which were even more crumpled from his grip.

"Dean, I've done the math." He opened his notebook and pointed to a few lines of numbers. "With the materials we have, we can build the first stage rocket. The second stage is unlikely."

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"What's wrong with it?"

Lin Jianguo swallowed hard.

"Fuel. The existing fuel is insufficient for specific impulse. The second stage cannot be propelled."

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"I'll figure out the fuel problem."

Lin Jianguo nodded. He stood there, not moving.

"Is there anything else?"

Lin Jianguo hesitated for a moment.

"Dean, about what Qian Nian said about taking a step-by-step approach, I've thought about it, and I think we might need to add one more step."

He Yuzhu waited for him to continue.

Lin Jianguo pointed to the notebook.

"First, use a computer to simulate the track. Calculate every step clearly before starting. This saves time, money, and fuel."

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"Can it be simulated?"

Lin Jianguo thought for a moment.

"Yes, we can. But we need to write the orbital equations first. That stuff..." He paused, "is quite complicated. It'll take a while to calculate."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"That's settled then. Just tell me what you need."

Lin Jianguo responded and turned to leave.

"Nation-building".

Lin Jianguo stopped.

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"You take the lead on this."

Lin Jianguo stood there, motionless. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

After a few seconds, he nodded, pushed open the door, and went out.

The door closed. The footsteps faded into the distance down the corridor.

He Yuzhu sat there, looking at the stack of documents and at the night outside the window.

The next morning, the meteorological bureau staff arrived.

It was the same Deputy Director Zhang. He stood at the door, holding a document in his hand, and his expression was off.

He Yuzhu took the document and glanced at it.

"Will it be even drier next year?"

Deputy Director Zhang nodded. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He Yuzhu looked at that number.

%.

Rainfall in the north is down by 30%.

He remembered the stack of documents he had just exchanged yesterday. He remembered Lin Jianguo's hand clutching the notebook. He remembered the look in Qian Nian's eyes when he looked down at his right hand.

Deputy Director Zhang has left.

He Yuzhu was still standing there, looking at the document.

The wind picked up outside. It blew in through the cracks in the window, making the stack of rocket documents on the table rustle.

Laughter from the cafeteria drifted through the courtyard, faint and indistinct.

He walked to the window.

Outside the window, everything was gray and the sun was hidden by clouds. In the distance, the model of the missile that had just been successfully test-fired still stood in the square, swaying slightly in the wind.

next year.

he thinks.

Next year will be even more difficult.