Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

March 1st, 6:00 AM.

On the Gobi Desert, it was still dark.

The launch tower stands against the gray-blue sky, its silver-white steel structure covered with searchlights, illuminating the entire launch site as if it were daytime.

Beside the launch tower, the rocket stood quietly.

The fairing is printed with the five-star red flag, and next to the flag are the two characters "China".

Zhao Ping'an stood in front of the observation window, a cigarette in his hand, but he didn't light it.

In the control room, dozens of technicians were in their positions, staring at the instrument panels in front of them.

A green curve danced on the oscilloscope, and short command beeps occasionally came from the speaker.

The air was taut, like a string stretched to its limit.

Everyone stood motionless in front of the large screen.

The second hand of the wall clock ticked away, one tick at a time.

It's exactly 7 o'clock.

A voice came through the loudspeaker: "One hour to prepare. Report the final test results..."

Seven-thirty.

"Thirty minutes to prepare. All personnel evacuate..."

In the control room, someone began to call out numbers.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silence.

Zhao Pingan noticed that the young technician had sweat beading on his forehead.

But he quickly wiped his face, his eyes fixed on the instrument panel in front of him, not looking away for a moment.

7:55.

"Five minutes to prepare. All communication equipment ready..."

Mr. Qian leaned forward slightly, as if trying to see through the screen.

Seven fifty-eight.

"Two minutes to prepare..."

Zhao Ping'an clenched his fists silently.

With the announcer's voice

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one—"

"ignition!"

On the big screen, orange-red flames shot out from the bottom of the rocket.

Smoke and dust rose as the rocket slowly ascended, growing faster and faster, trailing a long plume of flame as it pierced the sky.

The control room was completely silent.

Everyone stared at the screen, at the ball of fire that was flying higher and higher.

"The program transitioned normally."

The sound came from the speaker.

Zhao Ping'an noticed that the young technician's shoulders relaxed slightly, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen.

"Level I separation is normal."

Another group of people breathed a sigh of relief.

"Secondary ignition is normal."

Old Qian stood there, motionless.

His hands were clenched behind his back, not letting go.

"Fairing jettisoning is normal."

Zhao Ping'an stared at the trajectory line on the screen; it was extending, rising, and rushing towards space.

"Stage 3 ignition is normal."

"Star and arrow separate—"

There was a pause in the speaker.

"Satellite successfully deployed! Satellite successfully entered orbit!"

There was a two-second silence in the control room.

Then it exploded.

Some people jumped up and threw their hats into the air. Others hugged each other and patted each other hard on the back.

Someone was squatting on the ground, covering their face, their shoulders trembling.

The young technician leaned back in his chair, head tilted back, tears streaming down his face without him even realizing it.

"It's done! It's done! We've succeeded!"

Zhao Ping'an saw that Qian Lao was still standing there, motionless.

But his hand loosened, and his eyes were terribly red.

Qian Lao slowly turned around and looked at the people in the control room who were both crying and laughing.

His lips moved, but he didn't say anything.

Then he saw Zhao Ping'an.

Mr. Qian walked over and extended his hand.

Zhao Ping'an grasped Qian Lao's hand. That hand was trembling slightly.

"Comrade Ping'an," Qian Lao's voice was a little hoarse, "our satellite has gone up. My promise has been fulfilled!"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"He's up there. Mr. Qian, this is just the first step. I have plenty of new data that needs your guidance! Don't even think about shirking your responsibilities!"

Suddenly, Mr. Qian laughed, his eyes reddening with laughter.

"You! You used all those things you gave me before. Not a single one was wasted."

Now there are new ones! Okay, once this is all finished, I'll come back to Beiping to find you. I also need your cooperation on some of my ideas!

Zhao Ping'an held his hand and didn't let go.

"That's good."

The message was sent to Beiping via encrypted telegram.

It then spread throughout the country via Beiping.

At 3 PM, Xinhua Broadcasting issued a notice to the world:

Xinhua News Agency, January 1: The People's Republic of China's first artificial satellite, the world's first artificial satellite.

It was successfully launched at 7:58 a.m. on January 1 from a launch site in Northwest China.

The satellite is operating normally and has entered its designated orbit.

This is another major scientific and technological achievement made by the people of the whole country under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

This marks a new stage in the development of my country's advanced defense technology and space technology.

This signifies that our nation has the capability and confidence to retaliate against threats anywhere in the world.

On the radio, the announcer's voice repeated itself over and over again:

"my country's first artificial satellite was successfully launched! The world's first artificial satellite was successfully launched..."

People flocked to Tiananmen Square from all directions.

Some people were waving red flags, some were beating drums, some were shedding tears, and some were laughing and shouting.

The sound from the loudspeaker mingled with the cheers of the crowd, resounding through the sky.

On Nanjing Road in Shanghai, when newspaper extra editions were handed out, people would stand on the roadside and read them.

After reading it, someone held up the newspaper and shouted, "Our satellite! Our own satellite!"

People spontaneously gathered in front of the Jianghan Customs Building in Wuhan.

An old man pulled the person next to him aside and asked, "Really? Is it really our own?"

The man nodded vigorously: "It's true! It was on the radio! Satellite Number One!"

Students marched with banners on Chunxi Road in Chengdu.

Someone tossed their hat up into the air, which was caught by someone nearby and then tossed up again.

From cities to villages, from factories to schools, people are spreading this news.

The family sat around the radio, listening to it over and over again.

Some people said, "Now that's great, let's see who dares to bully us now."

That evening, Zhao Ping'an left the base.

Liu Ying saw him to the door.

Zhao Pingan got into the jeep, rolled down the window, and glanced at her.

"Comrade Xiaoyanagi, do your best."

Liu Ying nodded.

The car started moving.

Zhao Pingan leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Outside the window, the Gobi Desert receded into the distance. The shadow of the launch tower grew smaller and smaller until it became a dot and disappeared below the horizon.

He remembered what Qian Lao had said, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"Our nuclear weapons will soon be able to reach anywhere in the world."

I couldn't help but think to myself, this is nothing compared to what you'll achieve in the future! Your wave-riding body will be truly unparalleled!

But I couldn't help but think again, this is the first day of 1955.

This country is no longer the same.

I wonder how Big Brother and the United States will react when they find out this news?

The Star Wars you started in your past life, we're here to start it in this one!