The train driver in the courtyard

When Li Aiguo arrived after receiving the news, the comrades from the Fifth Academy had already begun assembling the rocket.

"Old Xu, what are you doing?"

Seeing Zhang Dongshan pumping air into a pipe, Li Aiguo was a little confused.

"During transport, the internal pipes of a rocket may shift, affecting its sealing. So we came up with the makeshift method of using a bicycle pump to test the sealing of the fuel lines."

Li Aiguo almost applauded. These days, you really can't do scientific research without some unconventional methods.

In fact, the true level of the Fifth Academy far exceeded Li Aiguo's imagination.

Take the debugging work as an example. The Fifth Academy has created a unique "three-in-one" model: the joint debugging method of engineers, workers and soldiers.

The engineers in charge of research and development, the workers in charge of manufacturing, and the soldiers in charge of launch work together to communicate and resolve problems at any time, avoiding lengthy processes.

This is one of the reasons why the development of the new Dongfeng-1 rocket has been progressing so quickly.

After testing and adjustments, the rocket was installed on the launch pad and is ready to launch at any time.

"Now everything is ready, we're just waiting for the right opportunity."

After confirming that Xiaoxishan was ready, Li Aiguo reported the situation to his superiors according to the pre-arranged procedure.

After careful consideration, the authorities announced the details of the artificial rainmaking project to prevent any malicious individuals from gossiping behind its back.

The best way to eliminate rumors is to publish the facts, even if those facts only contain part of the truth.

Soon, major international newspapers reported on the matter on their front pages.

Yugoslavian newspaper "Combat": "Science for the People! Comrades at Dongda University Plan to Conduct Artificial Rainfall Experiment!"

Asahi Shimbun: "Far East weather experiment draws attention from Allied Command"

The Washington Post: "University of Tokyo's plan to conduct artificial rainmaking faces scrutiny."

The family suddenly became lively.

"Tokyo University is going to launch a rocket to induce rain."

"Rockets? Does he have that ability? Artificial rain is something even our eldest brother and Xiao Mei couldn't do, how could he?"

"You can't judge a book by its cover. The University of Tokyo today is not the same as it used to be."

"Should we send someone to take a look?"

The smaller Eastern European countries were thrilled to hear the news.

The Nance family even called to share their previous experience with artificial rainmaking.

The Mao family has not made any statement.

The atmosphere in Langley became tense, with radio messages flying across the ocean.

For a time, Xiaoxishan became the focus of attention worldwide.

From time to time, several hunters carrying hunting rifles would appear on the mountain.

Old Cat had already sent people to keep an eye on this area, and those hunters were arrested as soon as they went up the mountain.

Upon learning of this, Langley slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "A trap! This thing is a trap! The artificial rainmaking at Dongda Iron is a pretense; they really want to use this as an excuse to arrest our people!"

The key issue is that they still have no way to tell the outside world.

After all, who asked you to go to someone else's house and act like a voyeur? Tell me if you feel wronged or not.

Meanwhile, the television weather program also announced the news of this artificial rainmaking to the domestic audience.

evening.

The area in front of the Li family's courtyard house was bustling with activity.

"Good news, viewers! To alleviate the drought in Beijing, relevant departments will be conducting artificial rainmaking operations in the area soon. Please be prepared for the rain."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao was so shocked he almost swallowed the jujube.

What is artificial rainmaking?

"You don't even know this! It's about finding a way to bring down the dark clouds in the sky." Liu Haizhong reads newspapers all year round and is very knowledgeable.

"My goodness! Isn't this just like the Dragon King that the older generation talked about? He's really something else!"

The old man, usually a very composed person, was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth and kept clicking his tongue.

The residents were excited when they heard the news. If it really rained, their crops could be saved this year.

"What the hell? Are you trying to fool people again? Who has such extraordinary abilities?"

While munching on a date, Jia Dongxu rolled his eyes and pouted, "Besides, what's with the rain? The dried sweet potatoes on my roof haven't even dried yet!"

The third uncle couldn't stand it anymore and immediately retorted: "Jia Dongxu, what kind of nonsense are you talking about? The drought is so severe, the crops in the fields are almost withered and dying, and all you care about is your little bit of dried sweet potatoes?"

"The food I eat is bought with ration coupons, I don't have to dig it up from the fields, what does it have to do with me?"

Jia Dongxu grunted and stubbornly retorted, "But the dried sweet potatoes are drying on the roof. If it rains, I'll have to bring them down myself. Why should I?"

Xu Damao was a true scoundrel, but even he was taken aback by Jia Dongxu's shamelessness.

She jumped up and snatched the dates from his hand: "Get lost! Jia Dongxu, if you dare to steal my dates again, I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Yes, there's no food in the fields. Even if we have food coupons, we can't buy any. Jia Dongxu is too selfish."

"Someone like him should be sent to a training class at the neighborhood committee to be properly detained and taught a lesson on how to behave!"

"It had nothing to do with me anyway! Forget it, I won't stoop to your level!" Seeing that everyone was arguing with him, Jia Dongxu knew that he wouldn't get away with it, so he slunk away with his tail between his legs.

Yi Zhonghai had been watching from a distance. Seeing this situation, he shook his head helplessly and muttered, "This Dongxu is getting more and more unreliable."

The night was quiet.

Chen Xueru snuggled into the covers next to Li Aiguo and whispered, "Brother Aiguo, can artificial rain really work?"

"It should be about the same, within the next few days." Artificial rainmaking was not a secret plan, and Li Aiguo did not hide it from Chen Xueru.

"That's great. If the harvest is good, life in the commune will be easier." Chen Xueru looked up at the rough man's face and bit her lip. "Brother Aiguo, you're really capable."

"I have even greater abilities, would you like to see them?"

Before Chen Xueru could react, Li Aiguo rolled over.

"lighter."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became sticky and warm, with an indescribable ambiguity.

The next day, the neighborhood committee also received a notice from the district and went from courtyard to courtyard to convey the news of artificial rainmaking: "Listen up, those residents who are drying grain and clothes, be on your guard these next few days, or you'll be caught off guard!"

Upon hearing this news, Qin Huairu looked at the dried sweet potatoes on the roof with some concern.

"Dongxu, why don't we store the dried sweet potatoes first? If it rains, they're sure to get moldy."

"What are you afraid of! Those guys are just bragging! Do they really think they're the Dragon King? Ridiculous!" Jia Dongxu sipped his tea and gave Qin Huairu a good scolding.

Just kidding, Jia Dongxu is so shrewd!
Since ancient times, when God doesn't send rain, there's nothing anyone can do! Trying to fool him? No way!
Seeing his stubbornness, Qin Huairu had no choice but to take Xiao Dang to the suburbs to dig for wild vegetables.

Li Aiguo had already arrived at the Xiaoxishan base, where Professor Huang was leading a group of experts to monitor the weather.

"Gusts of level 3, wind direction southwest, cumulonimbus clouds are expected to reach the target area within five hours."

Upon hearing this news, all the teams at the Xiaoxishan base sprang into action.

The meteorologist in charge of recording the data stayed at the weather station.

Xu Lanruo, along with colleagues from the Fifth Academy, conducted a final inspection and adjustment of the small rocket.

Li Aiguo then asked the third company commander to lead the soldiers to cut some semi-dry firewood and piled it up into more than a dozen stacks.

"Aiguo, what are you doing?" Professor Huang, having finished his preparations, walked over with some curiosity.

"Once the campfire is lit, the rising smoke can act as condensation nuclei for rain, thus maximizing rainfall."

"This idea is really good." At first, Professor Huang felt that the method was a bit old-fashioned, but after careful consideration, he realized that this old-fashioned method, combined with rockets, would be far more effective than those seemingly advanced technologies.

He picked up his notebook and wrote it down, thinking it might come in handy in the future with artificial rainmaking.

The campfire is ready.

The rocket is ready.

The weather station is ready.

Time passed bit by bit.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the sky gradually darkened.

"The cumulonimbus cloud will arrive at the target area in ten minutes." The weather station on the mountaintop waved its flag to signal this.

Li Aiguo, holding a metal megaphone, shouted: "All units, prepare!"

Xu Lanruo led the experts to retreat to a distance, and several soldiers in charge of the operation took their positions and activated the safety devices on the small rocket.

"Direction: 30.2 degrees east of south".

As the cumulonimbus clouds churned like ink, Li Aiguo waved the red flag: "Light the fire!"

The first rocket spewed orange-red flames from its tail, leaving a trail of silver iodide smoke as it soared into the sky.

Professor Huang's glasses reflected crisscrossing streaks of light as his knuckles unconsciously tapped the weather data panel.

At the foot of the mountain, bonfires simultaneously emitted plumes of smoke, and the sound of counting off echoed across the scene: "Rocket No. 1 has reached catalytic altitude."

"The parachute deployment device has been activated."

"The rocket detonated."

Thirty-seven seconds later, the first cluster of sparks exploded deep within the clouds.

Everyone stared intently at the sky; the scene was completely silent, with only a rumbling sound emanating from deep within the clouds.

Sudden.

pat!

A raindrop fell to the ground.

"It's raining! It's drizzling!" Professor Huang shouted excitedly, his age belying the joy of a child.

The raindrops gradually thickened, and the third company commander suddenly took off his military cap and laughed loudly.

The soldiers were stunned for a moment, then threw off their raincoats and rushed into the rain.

There was a joyful atmosphere at the scene.

In a study in the capital, a superior heard the sound of rain pouring down outside, put down his pen, and looked up.

"It's raining," the assistant said, walking over to close the window to prevent rainwater from splashing in.

"No need, I want to see this rain that we created ourselves." The superior walked to the window and admired the seemingly ordinary but unprecedented beautiful scenery.

"Comrade Patriot, well done."

Hearing this praise, the assistant was also a little excited.

He hadn't heard his superiors make such a comment about someone in a long time.

Crash.

The rain grew heavier, splashing onto the parched earth of the street and stirring up clouds of dust.

The passersby on the street were stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into cheers. They didn't bother to avoid the rain, letting it soak their clothes. Inside the courtyard, it was Aunt Liu who first noticed the rain.

While hugging Xiao Kuangsheng, she called out to He Yushui, "Yushui, your brother Aiguo's family has dried wild vegetables under the eaves. Hurry up and help them gather them."

"Good."

Xu Damao also came out of the house, looking at the pattering rain outside, and wanted to compose a poem.

Ultimately, however, he lacked the knowledge to express it and could only manage to utter, "Damn it!"

"Help! Help!"

Jia Dongxu's shouts came from the side.

Xu Damao ran over with the steel pot on his head and saw Jia Dongxu jumping around under the eaves. He immediately burst out laughing.

Water was already gushing from the roof, and the entire patch of dried sweet potatoes was soaked by the rain.

"You little bastard, it's raining now, aren't you? You're blind now!"

Jia Dongxu was extremely anxious when he heard Xu Damao's sarcastic remarks. He angrily said, "Xu Damao, we are all neighbors in this compound. Now that my family is in trouble, if you don't help, you are not uniting the masses."

"Hey, now you're thinking about helping each other? The villagers can't plant their crops and are hoping for rain. What did you say again? What, this has nothing to do with you? What about your problems now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gangzhu, Nan Yi, and other residents who had originally wanted to help stopped in their tracks and went home to take shelter from the rain.

Jia Dongxu's face flushed red, and he was speechless.

However, the dried sweet potatoes on the roof still need to be taken down. If these not-completely-dried sweet potatoes are thoroughly watered, they are very likely to mold.

With no other option, Qin Huairu had to move a ladder herself and climb onto the roof.

Raindrops pattered down on her hair, and Qin Huairu felt terrible.

****
Li Aiguo was unaware that the artificial rain had caused such a stir in the capital.

But even if they knew, it didn't matter, because there were two more rocket launches to come, and they needed to prepare in advance.

Zhang Dongshan and a group of technicians are recording the launch data of the first rocket.

"Report: The second cumulonimbus cloud has reached the target area, with a cloud thickness of over twenty meters." Seven or eight minutes later, another signal came from the mountaintop.

Li Aiguo picked up the megaphone again: "Rocket No. 2, Rocket No. 3, prepare! Activate the guidance system as planned, launch direction 35 degrees west of north!"

Rockets used for artificial rainmaking are similar to firecrackers; they simply send rainmaking materials into the clouds and do not require a guidance system.

However, for this artificial rainmaking experiment, the Fifth Academy installed guidance systems on the No. 2 and No. 3 rockets to test the guidance of the Dongfeng-1 rocket.

The comrades from the Fifth Academy realized that the critical moment had arrived, and everyone perked up.

"Ready, fire!"

As Li Aiguo waved the flag down.

Two rockets shot into the sky amidst flames.

boom!
The exhaust plume of the No. 2 rocket traced two golden-red trails in the rain, and the water droplets condensed on the surface of the rocket were instantly vaporized by the high temperature, forming two spiraling white clouds.

The rocket initially flew northwest, then suddenly turned around and traced a graceful arc as it headed towards the cumulonimbus clouds.

The parachute deployed, and the rocket exploded as planned.

The No. 3 rocket did not have such a smooth run. It experienced fluctuations while passing through cumulonimbus clouds, and its trajectory was deviating from the planned path.

"Yaw 17 degrees!" Zhang Dongshan's voice was swallowed by the thunder.

boom!
The moment the thunderstorm tore through the clouds, Xu Lanruo's observation glasses were scorched with white spots by the intense light.

Guidance control interfered with! Silver iodide compartment struck by lightning!

Before Li Aiguo could issue the detonation command, the sky filled with silver dust that instantly vaporized amidst the coiling electric snakes.

Professor Huang: "Wait... the cloud vortex is expanding!"

"Lightning ionization caused the catalyst diffusion efficiency to surge by 300%! Quick, record this!"

"Lightning ionizes silver iodide particles, expanding the catalyst coverage!"

The thick smoke from the campfire at the foot of the mountain was pushed to the ground by the torrential rain, while the rain, which was intended only for the outskirts of Beijing, had already flooded the border of Hebei...

This scene also took Li Aiguo by surprise.

According to the original plan, the rainfall was expected to be a maximum of 50 millimeters, which would penetrate the entire topsoil layer and restore the soil's relative humidity to a suitable level.

This is based on experience; back then, 35.6 mm of rainfall in Fengyang relieved a 146-day drought that lasted from autumn to winter.

Now, because the rocket went directly into the thunderstorm area, the catalyst diffusion area has greatly increased, and the rainfall has also been greatly increased.

The rain continued until 3 p.m., with the final rainfall reaching an astonishing 100 millimeters, effectively replenishing the deep soil in the Beijing area.

Several dried-up reservoirs near the capital area have also been filled.

After confirming the effectiveness of artificial rainmaking at 21 meteorological stations around Beijing, a report was promptly submitted to higher authorities.

"The current rainfall is sufficient to meet the needs of farming."

"The groundwater in the surrounding area has been effectively replenished."

"The drought that has plagued the area for months has been successfully resolved."

"This artificial rainmaking operation has been a great success!"

Upon hearing the news, the higher authorities were overjoyed and immediately decided to hold a grand celebration for the artificial rainmaking project team.

At the celebration banquet, amidst laughter and cheers, Zou Jieguang repeatedly raised his glass and enthusiastically toasted Li Aiguo.

The artificial rainmaking has achieved its intended purpose and its feasibility has been confirmed. Now, the higher authorities have decided to make artificial rainmaking a regular practice, and Zou Jieguang is specifically in charge of this work.

Zou Jieguang's rank and military position have both been promoted one level, and more importantly, he will be able to legally operate large rockets in the future.

Xu Lanruo was also very happy and offered Li Aiguo several cups of tea.

This artificial rainmaking operation included a rocket test launch, which yielded a large amount of data.

The fact that the small rocket almost went out of control, in particular, shows that there were some flaws in their design.

If the design is corrected, similar problems with the Dongfeng-1 can be avoided in the future.

Teacher Qian also learned about the whole process of the rocket experiment and was happy to achieve such a good test launch result. He told Xu Lanruo over the phone to toast Li Aiguo a few more times.

"Professor Qian is already on his way back," Xu Lanruo said with a smile after clinking glasses. "The lab is also ready."

Li Aiguo felt a surge of excitement upon hearing this.

The fact that Qian Xuesen left the Gobi Desert base indicates that the work there is basically finished. As long as the liquid rocket fuel ratio is settled, the official test launch of Dongfeng-1 will be just around the corner.

This thing is a real weapon of mass destruction; only when you actually have it in your hand can you have enough confidence.

Victory celebrations in those days were actually very simple, consisting of just a few bottles of wine and a few dishes, and the gathering would end after a while.

Before the event ended, Zou Jieguang also distributed welfare subsidies to everyone who participated in the program.

Thirty catties of refined white flour, ten catties of pork coupons, and fifteen catties of oil coupons.

The refined white flour was packaged in bags, while pork and oil were all rationed and needed to be purchased separately with additional money.

Li Aiguo doesn't lack these things, but seeing that everyone else has taken them, he doesn't refuse either.

When we got back to the courtyard house, it was only around six o'clock in the afternoon.

It rained heavily today, and the weather has cooled down. The residents in the compound are all enjoying the cool air at the gate.

When Xu Damao saw Li Aiguo return, he excitedly said, "Aiguo, have you heard? A rocket was launched over at Xiaoxishan. It was really powerful. Whoosh! It brought down the rain in no time."

"Yes, I went up to the water tower with several of my coworkers to see it. The rocket was incredibly fast." Liu Haizhong also stood up.

Li Aiguo smiled and said, "I've heard about it too."

"Oh, you didn't see it? It's such a pity." Xu Damao sighed, feeling sorry for Li Aiguo.

Liu Haizhong also felt that Li Aiguo had missed a rare and memorable moment.

After chatting for a while, Li Aiguo saw that Aunt Liu was playing with the little miner. "Auntie, I just got some ration coupons for refined white flour, and I also have some pork cracklings at home. Could you please come over and lend me a hand? I'll treat you and Yushui to dumplings tonight."

"This"

“Auntie, Xue Ru has been very busy lately, so the task of making dumplings will fall to you,” Li Aiguo said with a smile when he saw that Aunt Liu was about to decline.

Aunt Liu understood what he meant and said, "We're mother and daughter, there's no need for formalities."

He Yushui heard that there were dumplings to eat, so she took the small mine and ran into the yard.

This girl is at the age where she is growing. Although Aunt Liu's family is not bad, it is not easy for them to eat dumplings, let alone dumplings with pork lard.

Li Aiguo and Aunt Liu followed behind into the courtyard.

Before they even reached the Intermediate People's Court, they heard Qin Huairu complaining about Jia Dongxu.

"But I'm exhausted. Now, most of the dried sweet potatoes have been soaked in water. How are we going to get through the next two weeks?"

"I never expected it to actually rain," Jia Dongxu said with a grumble. "It was just good luck."

Upon seeing Li Aiguo walk in, Qin Huairu quickly shifted her gaze elsewhere and pretended to squat down and busy herself.

Aunt Liu didn't want to take advantage of Li Aiguo, so she went home and got eight eggs and a bunch of chives, intending to make vegetarian dumplings.

Aunt Liu came out carrying some things. When the deaf old lady saw what she was carrying, she squinted and said, "Oh, is this for Li Aiguo? You're quite generous."

"Aiguo is treating Yushui and me to pork dumplings tonight. You know, I'm getting old and my appetite isn't good, so it's easier to digest vegetarian food," Aunt Liu replied before turning and going into Li Aiguo's house.

The deaf old woman almost rolled her eyes in anger: "Even a country woman can eat pork scraps dumplings now, what's wrong with this world!"

In the evening, Aunt Liu and Chen Xueru worked together to make dozens of dumplings.

Li Aiguo personally cooked two plates of vegetables, and the family enjoyed a lively meal together.

On the other hand, Yi Zhonghai and the older woman were not in a good mood.

"What's wrong with the deaf old lady? She insists we make meat dumplings for her. Meat coupons are so expensive!" The old woman was annoyed. To make dumplings, they had to buy refined white flour and meat, which would cost at least two yuan.

"It's all because of Li Aiguo. I don't know where he got his hands on some flour, but he invited Aunt Liu to eat dumplings," Yi Zhonghai said irritably.

"And Jia Dongxu, his sweet potato chips got flooded, and he just borrowed thirty catties of cornmeal."

Hearing this, the older woman sighed, "The Jia family is a bottomless pit. They've lent out so much money, squandering all our retirement savings. What are you going to do now?!"

Yi Zhonghai was somewhat shaken, unable to understand why his painstaking planning had turned out this way.

As for the deaf old lady, that's fine. After she passes away, those two rooms and the hidden little yellow croaker will all belong to him.

The Jia family had finally managed to send Jia Zhangshi back to the countryside, hoping to take the opportunity to win over Jia Dongxu, but how did they end up falling into a trap?
Not only did they borrow money and grain, but they were also implicated and lost their position as group leader.

Most importantly, there's no way to extricate myself now, otherwise all my previous efforts would be wasted.

"Forget it, let's take one step at a time."

Yi Zhonghai increasingly felt that his loss of composure was slipping out of his control.

After dinner, Chen Xueru took her two children to Aunt Liu's house to play.

Li Aiguo used this spare time to reorganize the blueprints for the two-stroke motorcycle.

The assembly work is now basically complete. Considering that the motorcycle will be used in mountainous areas in the future, some safety protection equipment will need to be added.

(End of this chapter)