Chapter 31 New Year's Day, Cloud-based Modeling Event

New Year's Day.

The red paper from last night's firecrackers at the base hadn't been swept away yet, and the air held the cold crispness of a post-celebration morning.

The curtains in Lin Xi's dormitory were tightly drawn.

He was conducting a "Cloud Finalization Meeting" that spanned forty-five years.

Draft paper covered the table, and the smell of cheap cigarettes filled the air.

Lin Xi frowned, whispering to the void:

"Everyone, based on my investigation over the last ten days..."

"Mass-producing fans using military-grade ABS plastic is basically impossible."

"I'm afraid we'll have to downgrade our fan's product standards."

In the livestream, the bullet chat scrolled frantically.

It was as if countless brains were burning in parallel.

[Structural Master]: No ABS? Then we can only use modified polypropylene (PP), but it lacks strength and is prone to brittle fracture.

[Structural Master]: The casing and mesh cover can be solved through processing, but the blades won't work.

[Lin Xi]: I can get civilian-grade ABS plastic.

[Long Five Screw]: Then change the structure! Abandon the original ultra-narrow bezel design; that was meant for polycarbonate. Add three reinforcing ribs to the base of the blades and change from 7 blades to 5.

[Lin Xi]: 5 blades? Won't the wind noise increase?

[Fluid Dynamics Rep]: As long as your blade curvature follows the NACA 4412 airfoil, 5 blades can actually reduce the load on a single blade. While not as refined as 7 blades, it's more than enough to crush those 3-blade iron sheets currently on the market!

"Good, it's settled then."

Lin Xi's pen moved rapidly, sketching new lines on the paper.

With the structure solved, next was the aesthetics.

"I want a look that, in this era..."

"...makes people feel 'rustic' to the core just by looking at it."

Lin Xi proposed his core requirement.

The livestream immediately grew excited.

[Aesthetic Hegemony]: Don't use those reds and greens! Give me 'Minimalist White'! Matte white all over, with space gray for the fan blades!

[Material Tycoon]: Don't rush to decide on the colors yet; it depends on the materials the Streamer can get.

[Industrialist]: For the casing shape, refer to Japanese appliances from after 2005—rounded and streamlined, with no sharp edges. This design isn't just good-looking; it also maximizes the concealment of injection molding flaws—it's called the fig-leaf aesthetics of industrial design.

[Retro Enthusiast]: The switch! Don't use a knob! Use a piano-key style! Mechanical feel, with that 'click-clack' sound! This is called retro in 2025, but in 1980, it's called sci-fi!

Three hours later.

The final draft of the "Red Star-1 air circulation fan Assembly Drawing" was completed.

It lay quietly on the yellowed draft paper like a gray-white ghost from the future.

Lin Xi put down his pen, looked at the drawing, and said softly:

"Thanks, everyone."

"Happy New Year."

...

On the second day of the New Year, the Northwest wind cut like a knife.

The large iron door of the Fifth Workshop was pushed open a crack.

Li Jianguo, wrapped in an old cotton-padded jacket, ducked inside with his neck shrunk into his collar.

"You little brat, why are you making a fuss during the New Year?"

Li Jianguo grumbled under his breath, a vernier caliper in his hand.

"Master, Happy New Year!"

Lin Xi didn't waste words, slapping a drawing directly onto the workbench.

"Take a look at this."

Li Jianguo put on his reading glasses and leaned in with squinted eyes.

Five minutes later, the old man sucked in a sharp breath.

Then he looked up and glared at Lin Xi:

"Is your brain filled with mush, kid?"

He pointed at the elegant curves on the drawing:

"These twisted, variable cross-section blades?"

"And they have dual curvature!"

"We have old C620 lathes, not those foreign five-axis CNC machines!"

"How do you expect me to turn this?"

"If we were to make a steel mold for this, it would make the master craftsmen at the mold factory cough up blood."

"They might not even deliver in a month!"

"Who said we're making a steel mold?"

The corners of Lin Xi's mouth curled up as he kicked a silver-white metal ingot out from under the table.

With a "clink," it rolled to Li Jianguo's feet.

It was something he had scavenged from a corner of the scrap warehouse before the New Year—

aviation aluminum ingot.

"We're making an aluminum mold."

Li Jianguo was stunned.

He took off his glasses and looked at his apprentice strangely:

"An aluminum mold?"

"Do you even know the trade?"

"Aluminum is soft; it'll deform after a few thousand presses!"

"That's a crude method for making samples, not a way to mass-produce!"

"Master, what I need is speed!"

Lin Xi's eyes burned brightly.

"We don't have time."

"Aluminum molds are soft and easy to machine. With your skill, you can turn it out in three days!"

"Though its lifespan is short, it's enough to last for two or three thousand units."

"Once we sell those thousands and make money..."

"...we'll custom-order a steel mold!"

"This is called 'small steps, fast sprints, rapid iteration'."

Li Jianguo took a few puffs of his pipe, his expression shifting from doubt to amazement.

This kind of "thinking three steps ahead" mindset—of smashing a hole through a technical dead end—

Was exactly what his generation of old military industry workers lacked most:

Commercial flexibility.

"Alright..."

Li Jianguo tapped his pipe against the sole of his shoe.

"You kid, you're really deviously clever."

"I'll take this job!"

"But this surface is too complex; it'll be too slow with just me."

Li Jianguo turned toward the guardroom.

"I'll go call that blockhead Big Cannon and tell him to get his ass over here to practice."

"Okay, Master."

"Master, look at the drawing; this small area is crucial, don't miss it."

...

Half an hour later.

The doors of the Fifth Workshop were pushed wide open, and a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in.

Lin Xi looked up in surprise.

It wasn't just Wang Dapao who entered.

Sun Erga, Liu Guihua, Wang Yu.

Even those slacker team members who loved to loaf around before—they were all here!

These people were all wearing the brand-new uniforms issued before the New Year, their faces glowing with holiday cheer.

They were also carrying all sorts of things—

Some had bags of peanuts, some had handfuls of melon seeds, and Liu Guihua even brought a thermos.

"You guys..." Lin Xi was stunned.

"Manager Lin, Happy New Year!"

Sun Erga rubbed his hands and grinned, showing his two large buckteeth.

"Master said there's a big job?"

"Well, we can't just be lying around at home!"

Wang Dapao added in a thick, heavy voice:

"Staying at home is so boring my bones ache, and listening to those relatives brag is pointless."

"I'd rather come to the workshop and listen to the hum of the machines; it's more comfortable."

"Exactly!" Liu Guihua quickly poured a cup of hot water for everyone.

"Working with Manager Lin makes us feel secure!"

"Making money isn't a disgrace!"

Lin Xi looked at the group.

Half a month ago, they were the "trash" everyone despised, the "troublemakers" just waiting for their paychecks.

And now, simply because they had tasted the sweetness of dignity and profit...

...they were like different people entirely.

During this Spring Festival, a time for family reunions, they had proactively chosen to keep company with cold machinery.

This was cohesion.

"Good!" Lin Xi took a deep breath, no longer being overly sentimental.

He strode to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and turned to look at everyone.

"Since everyone is here, I'll introduce our next product."