Chat software can be traced back to the 1970s, when it was used by electronic programming engineers as a peer-to-peer tool and had not yet been widely adopted.

But it wasn't until 1996 that something called ICQ appeared.

This thing, touted as instant messaging, was one of the earliest chat tools. But no matter how it evolved, it couldn't kill off the counterfeiters. Instead, it paved the way for a company worth hundreds of billions.

A framework alone doesn't require much technical expertise; the key is to continuously add plugins to it to increase its functionality.

Xing Baohua assigned this task to the software team, instructing them to develop it soon, conduct internal testing first, and then release it to the app store for people to download.

One is a browser, and the other is communication software. These two will become the factory configuration of DaMi communication devices in the future.

The kind you can't delete even if you want to.

As May arrived, a little gadget was about to be assembled and launched into space, and a little guy was born.

The Xing family has a new heir, the eldest son and grandson. Except when breastfeeding, Old Mrs. Xing holds him every day and won't let go.

The grandmother is a full-time caregiver for the child, so he's probably spoiled rotten.

This matter has really troubled Xing Baohua. The child is still young, and the grandparents dote on him. They'll wait until he's older before making any decisions.

In June, another baby girl was born. The child's maternal grandparents went to accompany her, not in Hong Kong, but in Shenzhen.

At that time, her maternal grandfather sighed and said: "If it were a boy, it would be better. We can always earn some money for the family property. If it were a girl, we could only earn a dowry."

Also this month, Xing Baohua took some time to visit Shenzhen to see Zou Wenjuan and her daughter.

The little girl is chubby and very cute, but her skin is a bit dark, which is unusual for a girl.

If he were like that, being big and burly would be fine, but being too dark-skinned is a bit much.

So what if it's a freckle? It's a healthy thing. Maybe it'll change as it grows older; as the saying goes, a girl changes a lot as she grows up, so just wait and see.

Xing Baohua was certain that with his vast fortune, he would never lack a son-in-law; what he lacked was a happy family for his daughter.

The Minxing began assembly in May and was completed after more than a month. It then entered the ground testing phase, and if there were no problems, it will be launched into space by a carrier rocket.

China's first commercial satellite was thus born.

The day before the launch, Xing Baohua, along with several senior executives and some technical personnel from the company, personally went to the site to watch the ignition and startup.

Factory Director Li was so excited that he couldn't sleep for several nights. The Minxing project was a key confidential project, and Liu Quan only informed Factory Director Li about it when it was about to arrive.

This is a satellite belonging to DaMi. Although it has communication capabilities, that's not its primary function. Ground mapping and navigation are its true missions.

Of course, there are other functions, but I can't mention them.

The name of this satellite is DMM, which is short for the civilian satellite chain of China, commonly known as the "compass".

Later, I felt it was too tongue-twisting, so I changed it to "rice compass".

When the time was up, Xing Baohua personally operated the ignition button, simply touching a red button with his finger. He pressed the button only after the countdown reached zero.

Through the television in the command center, you can see that the carrier rocket successfully ignited, then detached from the launch pad and platform, and began its takeoff.

The technical staff in the command center were also observing the flight dynamics.

Many people dared not breathe too loudly, for fear that a sudden breath would frighten this thing down.

Then the technicians shouted, "Booster detachment..."

Then comes the first and second stage separation, and finally the third stage fairing separation.

It successfully entered space and entered its designated orbit.

Once things stabilized, the entire command center erupted in applause. The crowd that had come to watch also jumped for joy.

Factory Director Li clapped his hands with tears streaming down his face, muttering something that no one could understand.

After the satellite entered a stable orbit and its functions were tested, it was handed over to the Dami Geological Survey Team.

Xing Baohua also asked the leaders of AVIC that launching satellites one by one was too laborious, and whether there was a way to launch two or three satellites at once.

Xing Baohua recalls reporting on the successful launch of six satellites in one rocket, but that was about thirty years ago.

Whether it's launching two satellites at once or three at once, it took many years of experimentation and failures. Only after launching two satellites at once did we gain enough experience and gradually increase our efforts.

The most impressive one seems to be launching 26 satellites in one go.

This would save a huge amount of transportation costs! Unfortunately, it won't happen for another thirty years or so, and Xing Baohua won't live to see that day.

Back in the capital, we held a celebratory banquet with the leaders and engineers of AVIC, and then signed an agreement to issue one every three months.

The money was being spent like water, but Xing Baohua didn't care. In another two or three months, he would make a profit on his oil futures.

Upon learning that Xing Baohua was in the capital, Lao Mou flew back from the border. Yes, the rice satellite had been featured on television and in newspapers; its launch had been successful, and his satellite dream had been rekindled.

When Lao Mou approached Xing Baohua, the guy was conducting an interview.

"It was only a matter of time before DaMi (a company) started making satellites. Three years ago, DaMi began planning satellite projects and successfully joined Motorola's Iridium project through a partnership. Yes, I am a shareholder of Motorola Iridium."

"Later, some things happened. Although Iridium is called a commercial satellite, its functions are somewhat special. Later, they kicked me out and bought my shares. The reason was that I was a foreigner. Unless I acquired their citizenship, I would have to swear allegiance to their country."

“My ancestors are in China, and I was able to give up my citizenship, so I faced various forms of targeting. I gradually lost interest in them and began to move my businesses out of the country.”

"Personally, I don't think it's safe to live there. I've said it before, the moon is round, that's true, but if you look at it with a telescope, it's all craters. It's never as good as home."

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