Chapter 630
It Flyed
Chapter 630 It Flyed
Time flies like sand through our fingers, and in the blink of an eye, it's December 31, 1998.
Amidst the ever-changing global political landscape, contrary to the expectations of many countries, East Asia has remained steadfast despite various attempts to contain and suppress it, and has not repeated the mistakes of the Soviet Union as reported by Western media.
Perhaps only those within the territory of the Eastern Kingdom can truly understand what is going on.
In an ordinary little city in the East, Guo Lidong was woken up by his alarm clock and habitually reached for the flashlight on his bedside table.
These are things his mother started stockpiling at the beginning of the year.
Candles, flashlights, dry cell batteries, and salt filled the kitchen cabinets.
His mother said at the time, "Who knows how long this lockdown will last? Many people are saying that it might go back several decades."
It's not just his mother who thinks this way; many people say the same thing.
His father didn't stop him; instead, he quit drinking and forced his family to get up an hour earlier with him to practice the militia's routine.
At the beginning of the year, the news was filled with reports of US sanctions. COCOM was upgraded, chip embargoes were imposed, soybean supplies were cut off, bearing supplies were cut off, and even oil supplies were being restricted.
The factory's veteran workers gathered together for a smoke, all saying that this was a big problem, as our country's industrial foundation was weak and we couldn't do without foreigners.
But no matter what, a year has passed, Dongguo is still there, and the factory hasn't collapsed.
Guo Lidong got out of bed, drew back the curtains, and saw his mother already cooking in the kitchen.
The gas stove flame glowed a deep blue, and the TV in the living room was on, showing the morning news.
His father sat on the sofa, holding an enamel mug in his hand, his eyes fixed on the screen.
"...my country's independently developed Longyin series optical computing platforms have completed their third batch of deployments, covering research institutes and key universities at the prefecture-level city level and above nationwide..."
Guo Lidong's eyebrows twitched, the memories of his dead body whipping him once more.
Thank you, Teacher Xinbao, for saving his life. He never wants to tutor his son in science again, not in his entire life!
My son went to school very early this morning. His enthusiasm for learning is ridiculously high. He can't understand what his classmates and Xinbao are discussing.
Guo Lidong thought bitterly, what's the use of learning so much knowledge? People's lives still go on as usual.
Well, it's still useful; at least the US missiles can't fly over the country.
After finishing his meal, Guo Lidong rode his bicycle along Renmin Road towards the factory.
When I passed by the post office, I saw a long line of people at the entrance.
He took another look and realized that the people weren't buying stamps, but were gathered around a newly installed machine.
The machine was about the height of a person, with a silver-white casing and blue lights on it.
A red paper notice was posted next to it: Longyin Terminal Convenience Service Station.
The line below in smaller print reads: "You can handle social security inquiries, utility bill payments, interbank transfers, and email registration."
Guo Lidong stared for a long time, then felt a pang in his heart, sensing that something had subtly changed.
He continued pedaling his bike.
When he passed the intersection, he noticed that the intersection, which used to be a complete mess during rush hour, was no longer congested!
He saw a traffic policeman standing in the booth, in front of a brightly lit screen with densely packed, flowing lines.
"That's the Traffic Management Bureau's Dragon Roar Dispatch System. It can calculate the optimal solution for the traffic flow throughout the city and then automatically adjust the rhythm of each traffic light." The person waiting at the light next to me exclaimed, "The news said that we are about to enter the computer age. In the future, if you don't understand computers, it may be difficult to find a job."
Guo Lidong smiled wryly: "I can't even help my son with his science homework. The world is changing too fast."
"No, it's just that our country has changed so much. There are no Dragon Roar computers or Heartbao abroad." The red light turned green, and the two waved their hands.
Guo Lidong arrived at the factory with a lot on his mind. Director Zhou stopped him and said, "Lidong, your bearing has been approved."
Guo Lidong was taken aback: "What bearing?"
"The spindle bearing for the C6140 lathe that you reported last month," Old Zhou said, flipping through his notebook. "It arrived yesterday; it's from the Luoyang Bearing Factory."
Guo Lidong remembered.
The spindle bearing on his lathe has been worn out for six months, and its accuracy has been steadily declining. He reported it twice, and the purchasing department said that the supply of imported SKF bearings had been cut off, and told him to wait.
"Didn't they cut off the supply?"
“Made in China.” Old Zhou handed him the material requisition form. “They say it’s a new material, something like… self-healing bearings. I heard from Old Li in the warehouse that this thing is even more durable than the German ones.”
Guo Lidong took the order and glanced at it. It was printed with "Luoyang Bearing - Xirang Series", and below it in small print: 15-year design life, 10-year warranty.
A 15-year-old bearing?!
In all his years of work, the best bearings he's ever used are from SKF in Sweden, with a three-year warranty.
real or fake? !
Guo Lidong went into the workshop to check on the newly arrived bearings, but he didn't expect the workshop to be so quiet, with dozens of people gathered together.
"What are you doing?"
"Hey, Lao Guo, come quick! Our factory's got a major upgrade. See that? It's called a laser additive repair station." His colleague, Lao Li, was ecstatic.
"Simply put, it involves putting the worn-out parts in, and using a laser to re-coat a layer of metal on them, making them even harder than new."
Guo Lidong asked in surprise, "You can repair any kind of part?"
Old Li pushed up his glasses: "The technician said that anything made of metal will do. Titanium alloy, high-temperature alloy, mold steel, all of them."
Guo Lidong gasped: "How much does it cost to repair one?"
Old Li laughed: "It only costs electricity. This thing is connected to the new supercharged power line that the factory just installed, so the electricity is practically free."
Oh right, back in October, the news reported that room-temperature superconducting materials were beginning to be used commercially.
Wasn't all the candles his mother hoarded just for nothing?
The factory's equipment is being updated too quickly, and everyone needs to undergo a period of training before they can resume operations.
During lunchtime, national news was playing in the cafeteria lobby.
"...my country's independently developed Longyin optical computing platform has been successfully applied to the field of meteorological forecasting. The accuracy rate of rainstorm warnings during this year's flood season reached 97.3%, successfully predicting this year's major floods."
"According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the first phase of the synthetic starch production base in Heilongjiang Province has been fully put into operation, with an annual production capacity of 300 million tons, which can replace 1200 million tons of imported soybeans..."
Guo Lidong held his rice bowl, staring at the screen, which was bright red and bustling, in a daze.
Synthetic starch is made from air, which is absurd. Old people often say they live on air, but they certainly don't realize that you can get full just by drinking air.
It took Guo Lidong a while to recover from his shock.
calm down.
You're a college student, someone who's seen the world. So what if the country is developing faster and life is changing more? Study hard, and you'll definitely catch the tail end of this era!
The older generation had to adapt to electric lights, telephones, and televisions, while our generation has to adapt to Longyin Xinbao (a type of smart phone). That makes sense! It's fair and reasonable.
The news anchor suddenly paused, then said seriously, "We have an urgent news report to broadcast..."