Chapter Eleven: Stargazing

Inside the factory, at an operation console, Li Dongling was busy working while Zhang Xiaocheng stood rigidly behind him, eyes fixed without blinking, far more nervous than Li Dongling himself.

Zhou Wenyan and some of the employees still guarding the Yuanqi Factory, along with Zhang Ao—who somehow caught wind of what was happening—had all gathered to watch.

Li Dongling’s pace wasn’t fast; he stopped frequently to test with various instruments. Zhang Ao, growing bored, yawned and reached for a cigarette. But the moment he looked up, he was met with Zhang Xiaocheng’s intense, piercing gaze, as if it could swallow him whole. Startled, he quickly put the cigarette away.

This process took nearly two hours, during which a considerable amount of material was wasted. The components at this time differed from the ones Li Dongling was familiar with, so testing their performance and stability consumed much time.

"Alright! We can start testing now!" Li Dongling announced after the final round of checks.

On the console appeared a rudimentary receiver—essentially a set-top box without a casing, looking very basic with many exposed wires.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaocheng, who had been standing still the entire time, seemed to hear a heavenly melody. Without waiting for anyone else, he single-handedly dragged the heavy television from his office, a bulky set weighing several dozen pounds.

Zhang Xiaocheng, Zhou Wenyan, Zhang Ao, and the others all watched Li Dongling intently as he connected everything.

After hooking up all the wires, Li Dongling began adjusting the satellite dish’s position. This took over half an hour. Zhang Xiaocheng was even more tense than Li Dongling, clenching his fists with sweat forming on his face.

"There it is!" Zhang Ao suddenly exclaimed, catching everyone’s attention. On the screen, a picture appeared, stirring excitement among the group.

"It’s Dian-Qian Satellite TV, showing the Haima Dance Hall. I watched this at home yesterday; this channel is already on episode 25, while the city station is only on episode 10!" Zhang Ao remarked, eyes fixed on the screen. Zhou Wenyan and the others also turned their gaze to the television.

The picture from the satellite dish was remarkably stable, with no flickering or sudden signal loss, and the image was very clear.

Seeing the satellite dish actually display TV, Zhang Ao, Zhou Wenyan, and the few employees from Yuanqi Factory were all amazed. Just one dish, and it could truly receive satellite television!

Zhang Xiaocheng exhaled deeply and hurriedly asked Li Dongling, “How many channels can it find?”

Li Dongling began flipping through channels using the receiver’s remote. Channels like CCTV-4, Western Region Channel, Bashu Channel, and Phoenix Satellite TV from Harbor City all appeared on the screen.

When they reached the 16th channel, it showed no signal. Even so, it was a revelation to Zhang Ao, Zhou Wenyan, and the others. Zhang Xiaocheng punched the air in triumph.

“The channels aren’t fixed yet. These are the satellite channels currently searchable. But I heard next year, Qilu TV, Qiantang TV, and others will launch satellites, so the number of available channels is expected to exceed 22 by then,” Li Dongling explained.

“That’s enough!” Zhang Xiaocheng rubbed his large hands together, unable to hide his joy. The satellite dish’s capabilities far exceeded his expectations.

“What will we call this satellite dish?” Zhang Xiaocheng asked Li Dongling.

They had previously agreed that the technology and brand of the satellite dish would belong to Li Dongling. Zhang Xiaocheng didn’t care much about patents or branding. Not just him, but many state-owned and private companies domestically had lost interest in patents and brands, as counterfeits were rampant. Whenever a product became popular, countless knockoffs would follow quickly, making everyone look the same.

“Let’s call it... ‘StarGazer,’” Li Dongling said, looking proudly at the satellite dish he had assembled. Whether or not there would be imitators, he was determined to register the StarGazer brand.

Zhang Xiaocheng led Li Dongling into his office. His attitude toward Li Dongling had completely changed.

“As expected of a university graduate. That’s why studying matters. I consulted many people before, but no one found a way to save the factory. We even tried launching other products, but none sold, and the factory’s debt just kept growing!” Zhang Xiaocheng brewed a cup of rare tea he usually reserved for old comrades and offered it to Li Dongling.

“What’s the production cost for one of these satellite dishes? When can manufacturing begin?” Zhang Xiaocheng bombarded Li Dongling with questions, clearly anxious.

“The main expenses are the motherboard, chips, and storage, which account for over half the cost. Right now, producing one unit costs over 150 yuan. But if mass-produced, the cost could drop to 100 yuan or even lower,” Li Dongling replied.

“Once we design the casing and packaging, and train the production and sales staff, we can start manufacturing,” he added. Producing the satellite dish was basically assembling purchased parts, a process that was easy to learn within a few days. To sell the dishes, sales staff would need to know how to operate and troubleshoot them.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaocheng couldn’t sit still. “I’m going to get the factory crew back to work right now!”

Li Dongling stopped the eager Zhang Xiaocheng. “Are you planning to start production and sales just like that?”

“Why not?” Zhang Xiaocheng looked at him, puzzled.

“What if the Pingyang TV Station, or Hansi Province TV, or even the Yanjing Broadcasting Bureau come down with the police to investigate the satellite dish? What would you do then?”

“What else can I do?” Zhang Xiaocheng’s fighting spirit flared up again. “That’s my life. At worst, they take it away!”

Li Dongling’s head ached at this. His question was not just for Zhang Xiaocheng’s sake but also for the future customers of the StarGazer dish.

He wanted to earn his first pot of gold through the satellite dish, yes, but he also didn’t want the buyers to suffer. It would be a shame if people just started using the dish and soon after got raided, losing the dish and getting fined. Li Dongling hoped they could use it safely and openly—watching TV without fear.

“Director Zhang…”

“No need for formalities. Just call me Old Zhang,” Zhang Xiaocheng said, a rough man who nonetheless understood the importance of making connections with capable people.

“Brother Zhang, the StarGazer satellite receiver is a legitimate project, nothing shady. As long as no law declares the satellite dish illegal, we should proceed through normal channels—even advertise it!”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaocheng wanted to reach out and check if Li Dongling’s head was overheated from the busy days.

He couldn’t help but say, “If that’s really the case, why not say we should cooperate with Pingyang TV Station…”

“Why not?” Li Dongling’s gaze burned into Zhang Xiaocheng. The smile on Zhang’s face froze completely.

“Do you know what you’re saying? Pingyang TV Station cooperate with us on this satellite dish project? They’d have to be crazy!”

“But what if they’re not?”

“I’ve never met anyone from Pingyang TV Station. How can you be so sure we can’t cooperate with them?”

Zhang Xiaocheng’s mind felt overwhelmed. To borrow an expression, it was like a weasel being relatives with a chicken, or a cat marrying a mouse.

“Really cooperate with Pingyang TV Station?” Zhang Xiaocheng looked at Li Dongling seriously.

Li Dongling nodded. “It’s possible. We might have to give up part of the satellite dish’s profits to Pingyang TV Station. But if the cooperation succeeds, it would be highly beneficial for the project. The returns could be even greater, and we could sell the dishes to more places, even outside the province.”