Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 613 Cut off the beard
After spending two days at home with Zhou Yali, the two Jiang sisters went off to do their own things, leaving Chen Fan alone at home with Zhou Yali.

Although they were a single man and a single woman, she was still cousins. It was common knowledge in mainland China that relatives did not intermarry, so the two sisters felt quite at ease.

Besides, they come back every day at noon, so there's no need to worry about anything happening.

In the room on the second floor, the air conditioner was whirring loudly, mingling with the noise from the computer, creating a constant, cacophony that gave me a headache.

Chen Fan, however, was completely unaware, calmly typing on the computer keyboard, and lines of English text appeared on the screen.

Zhou Yali sat next to him, leaning on the table, her fingers covering her ears, her eyes fixed on the computer screen, only blinking once in a long while.

After half a day, Chen Fan suddenly said, "Make a note of this."

Zhou Yali snapped out of her daze and turned to look at him. "Remember what?"

Chen Fan, “After you go back to the United States, find a few hardware engineers and design something.”

Zhou Yali listlessly picked up the notebook beside her, opened it, and slumped onto the table. "What is this?"

Chen Fan released the keyboard and gestured as he said, "It's a computer peripheral that can control cursor movement..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yali turned to look at him curiously, "You want a mouse?"

"what?"

Chen Fan was stunned and looked at her in confusion, "There's such a thing?"

How could he remember that the mouse was first launched by Apple in the early 80s?
Could my memory be faulty?

Seeing his blank expression, Zhou Yali's face finally brightened up a bit, and she smiled and said, "What you're talking about is a mouse. It's the prototype of the first mouse invented by Dr. Douglas Engelbart in 64. It took several years to finally develop it successfully, and he applied for a patent in 67. It was finally approved in 70, and the patent name is 'computer mouse'."

However, this mouse didn't receive much attention from the market. It was only recently, because of something involving the Chinese character card company, that I went there to chat with some technical researchers and learned a bit about the computer industry.

Chen Fan blinked. "Is that so?"
What about apples?

He squinted and thought for a moment, guessing one possibility: Apple had purchased the patent, improved it, ported it to personal computers, and launched it to the market in the early 80s, thus achieving great success.

Yes, that's right. Apple spent $79 in 4 to buy the mouse patent from Engelbart and used it in its own computers.

If he waits until next year, he won't have the chance. Acting now is the perfect opportunity to steal the opportunity.

After pausing for two seconds, Chen Fan looked up and smiled, "Then send a telegram to your dad and ask him to check if the patent for this mouse is still in that doctor's hands. If it is, see if there's any possibility of acquiring it."

Zhou Yali gestured, "No problem."

As she took notes in her notebook, she said, "If the patent is still in Dr. Douglas Engelbart's hands, there shouldn't be any problem in buying it, because the doctor's career doesn't seem to be going very well these past few years. His research lab has fallen into a slump and disbanded."

According to several employees at our Chinese character card company, Dr. Engelbart believed that the future should consist of collaborative, networked, client-server computers, but young programmers are refusing to support the development of personal computers.

As she spoke, she turned to look at Chen Fan and smiled, "In this respect, we are quite similar, both believing that the future belongs to the world of personal computers."

At this moment, Chen Fan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "You mean, he believes that future computers will be able to network and collaborate?"

Zhou Yali nodded. "I heard that after his research lab was disbanded, he went to work for a communications network company in Cupertino, California, as a senior scientist. It seems that this company uses computers to provide communications network services."

She shrugged as she spoke, “I’m not a computer science major, so this is all I can remember. Any more than that would require a professional to talk to you, but that would require you to go to the United States.”

Chen Fan smiled slightly, "Don't try to lure me abroad."

He thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do: add another line to the telegram, telling your father to make contact with this Dr. Bart."

Zhou Yali: "It's 'Engelbart'."

Chen Fan: "Hmm, Engelbart, see how he is doing now. If possible, you might as well talk to him about connecting computers on different local area networks."

Zhou Yali looked at him, puzzled. "Different local area networks?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "You're not a professional, so you wouldn't understand even if I explained. Just have your dad talk to him. Hmm, your dad should understand what I mean, right?"

"You're not a computer science major either. Oh well, I'll just treat you like an alien."

Zhou Yali made a sarcastic remark, then raised her eyebrows, "Hmm, I've noticed that you two are quite similar. You both like to only say half of what you mean, and then say things like 'You should understand what I mean, right?'"

She lay down to take notes, muttering to herself, "No wonder they say nephews resemble their uncles, it's really true."

Chen Fan remained expressionless, pretending not to hear.

After finishing recording, Zhou Yali asked, "Is there anything else?"

Chen Fan casually remarked, "It would be best to send another computer and printer as backups."

Zhou Yali nodded gently, "No problem, it should arrive before I get back. Hmm..."

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then turned to look at Chen Fan. "Little brother, do you know anything about video game consoles?"

Chen Fan turned to look at her. "I've read about it in a book, but I don't know much else."

Zhou Yali immediately started gesturing excitedly, "It's actually a kind of electronic product that can be connected to a TV and controlled with a gamepad to play games..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Fan waved his hand, interrupting her, "Enough nonsense, send over two machines, and you'll see."

Zhou Yali clapped her hands, "That's exactly what I was thinking!"

He immediately started hunching over his laptop and scribbling notes.

He then closed the notebook, his face full of conflict.

Chen Fan glanced at her, his fingers continuing to tap on the keyboard. "What is it now?"

She turned her head and chuckled twice. "I want you to come with me to the post office to send a telegram, but I also want to read your novels."

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then turned and pointed to the telephone in the corner, "Why don't you just make a call?"

Zhou Yali's eyes widened. "This phone can make international calls?"

Chen Fan nodded. "Yeah, I called you from home last time."

"You didn't tell me earlier."

Zhou Yali stood up and walked over angrily, "You want me to send a telegram? Isn't that a waste of time?"

As for the fact that it was still midnight in the United States at that time, that was completely outside her consideration.

Chen Fan also got up and walked over, saying helplessly, "Do you think this is America? Almost everyone here uses landline phones. Making international calls here is incredibly troublesome. It's common for a single call to take all day. If it's not necessary, I really don't want to make them."

Fortunately, a direct telephone line between China and the United States was established in the 30s, allowing direct dialing. In contrast, in places like Australia, calls would have to be routed through European telephone exchanges, and it was normal for a call to take two or three days to connect.

Hmm, should we set up a switch factory through HanCard Company?
This matter is definitely promising. In the early days of reform and opening up, the biggest obstacle to international trade and foreign investment was communication, if not the only one.

The example I just mentioned, where it took two or three days to call Australia, is a real case. The head of a foreign company had finalized a business deal in China and needed the headquarters' approval, but it took them a full three days to get through and receive a reply. They were completely exasperated.

It wasn't that China didn't want to develop the telecommunications infrastructure at the time; the main problem was the lack of funds!
With limited funds, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications made a decision at the time: to prioritize the development of international telegraph services.

It means don't think about making a phone call yet; let's use a telegram instead for now.

Even so, it wasn't until the mid-80s that international telegraph coverage of key cities was basically completed.

It’s difficult.

Therefore, starting a telecommunications equipment company is definitely a promising venture in China. With the country's development, it may even have the opportunity to become an industry giant.

Shaking his head, Chen Fan dialed the number as instructed, then gestured to Zhou Yali, "Just wait."

Zhou Yali glanced at the phone that had been hung up, then at him, "Is this all there is to it?"

Chen Fan sat in front of the computer and said without turning his head, "If the call goes through, the telephone company will call back."

Zhou Yali felt she had learned something new. "That's amazing! You can do that?!"

She sat down next to Chen Fan and continued staring at the computer. "Brother, how many words are you planning to write for this book?"

Chen Fan's fingers kept typing on the keyboard. "Not necessarily. Taking Lord of the Rings as an example, I think a single book should be around 36 words, or at most 40 words. As for how many books to write, we'll talk about that later." Zhou Yali nodded. "Will we write more books if we do well, and fewer if we do poorly?"

She suddenly laughed and said, "I think you should definitely write more. I only read the beginning and I thought it was very good. The rest will definitely be even more exciting."

Chen Fan turned to look at her, smiled, and said nothing.

Just kidding, he intends to write this "Legend of the Dragon Knight" to surpass "Harry Potter".

There are a total of 8 Harry Potter books. If I don't write at least 9, how can I justify reading so many online novels?!
Chen Fan typed on the computer while Zhou Yali read the text beside him, and couldn't help but shout out when she came across something interesting.

At this point, she'll most likely get a flick on the forehead, which will calm her down a bit, and then she can continue repeating the process.

It wasn't until the sun was setting and she heard noises coming from the gate that she suddenly realized, "Ah, the day is already over?"

Chen Fan stretched and saved the 30,000-plus words he had written that day. (I wonder how Lao Ying writes. I heard that Lao Lang can write 5,000 words an hour while listening to music with headphones on, and he doesn't need to edit them much. It's amazing.)

He then turned off the computer and stood up, saying, "Let's go, go downstairs and rest for a while, then we can eat."

Zhou Yali followed closely behind him, glancing at the phone as she left. "Don't you need to worry about the phone?"

Chen Fan kept walking. "There's one on the first floor too, it won't delay my answering."

Zhou Yali said "Oh," and added, "You've all had a long day, how about I cook dinner tonight?"

Chen Fan turned and glanced at her. "You can?"

Zhou Yali chuckled dryly, "No."

Chen Fan decisively turned around and left.

She hurried after her, saying, "But I can learn, just like Lili. I'll do it, and you can guide me."

Chen Fan: "Forget it, I don't want to wait until night to eat while looking at the stars."

Zhou Yali: "...It's not that serious, is it?"

As they came downstairs, they saw Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili come in after changing into slippers.

Zhou Yali immediately went to greet them, "You're back!"

She waved her hands excitedly and said, "You all have to check out my brother's novel later. He wrote over 3 words today, it's really good!"

Jiang Lili smiled slightly, glanced at Chen Fan, and sighed inwardly, "Okay."

In the end, I couldn't be Xiao Fan's first reader. It seems I'll have to wait for the next book.

Jiang Tiantian nodded and smiled, then said, "Please wait a moment, I'll go cook, it'll be ready soon."

Zhou Yali kept walking after her, saying, "I'll help you."

Jiang Lili ignored Chen Fan and quickly walked over, saying, "I can do it, you should rest."

Breaking a few bowls and plates is a minor matter, but if she cuts her hand, she doesn't know how to explain it to her uncle and aunt.

In the end, it was the two sisters who did the cooking. The vegetables were bought in the morning, processed, and put in the refrigerator. They were ready to be cooked as soon as they were taken out.

Before Chen Fan could finish his tea, the food was already on the table.

Zhou Yali, holding her rice bowl, chattered away, transforming into a storyteller as she shared the story Chen Fan had just written.

The two sisters listened with great interest, but secondhand books are never as satisfying as reading them on their own, so they quickened their pace of eating.

Chen Fan said helplessly, "Just eat properly. I'll print out what I've written later, and you can take your time to read it. It won't delay you."

The two sisters then gave an embarrassed smile and slowed down.

At this moment, Zhou Yali suddenly said, "Brother, you can write more than 30,000 words a day, so does that mean you can finish the first book in just 10 days?"

Chen Fan glanced at her. "More or less, what's wrong?"

Zhou Yali put down her chopsticks and looked at him with a dry laugh. "Brother, last time I came here it was just a quick visit, I didn't really get to do much. How about we go out and have some fun after you finish writing?"

Chen Fan nodded, then looked at the two sisters and asked, "Can you spare the time to come?"

Jiang Tiantian and Jiang Lili exchanged a glance, both feeling a little tempted.

Strictly speaking, they had never gone out with Chen Fan before. If they had to count, the only time they went hunting together for half a day was during Chinese New Year this year.

Jiang Lili thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask the teacher tomorrow when the experiment will end."

Chen Fan looked at her and smiled, "Don't tell me you're still a key player in this experiment?"

Jiang Lili quickly shook her head and said with a forced laugh, "How could that be? I'm just following the teacher to learn."

That teacher was an expert in textile materials. He particularly liked Jiang Lili, which is why he took her along to do experiments and research new textile materials. He hoped that she would work hard in this direction and even planned to take her on as a graduate student in the future.

The main issue is that the general academic level of this year's students is "low," lacking a significant amount of basic knowledge. Jiang Lili, on the other hand, stands out in the class, not only possessing a solid foundation but also a thorough understanding of her major, clearly having done considerable preparation beforehand.

She was already incredibly intelligent, and she worked so hard, so it was no wonder that the teachers couldn't help but like her.

Chen Fan gently shook his head and said to her, "Don't forget, your ideal is fashion design, and you chose textile engineering because it's the closest major. If you always go to the lab, you'll easily go astray."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, spending more time in the lab will also benefit you, as it will give you a better understanding of textile materials. But you need to prioritize, otherwise if you really focus on materials, you'll be far from your ideals."

Jiang Lili nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Chen Fan with a worried expression, "But my teacher likes me a lot, and I don't know how to tell her."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "That's simple. Just ask her for advice on fashion design in private, and it's best to explain your ideals to her clearly. She will naturally understand what you mean."

Jiang Lili pursed her lips and thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, I understand. I'll be careful."

Chen Fan then turned to look at Jiang Tiantian, "I don't even want to talk about your little problems. Why are you working so hard? Repetitive work is the most meaningless thing. Your goal is to learn, to figure out the ins and outs of the publishing house, and at the same time, to make as many connections as possible to prepare for starting your own business in the future."

She really is working day and night. What, does she want to be a superwoman, making *Guanghua Literature* magazine bigger and stronger, standing shoulder to shoulder with the sun?

Jiang Tiantian puffed out her cheeks in anger, "I'm the oldest here, and you're the youngest. Can't you give me some face and not yell at me?"

Jiang Lili, however, sided with Chen Fan and moved closer to him, saying earnestly, "Sister, I support Xiao Fan this time."

Even Zhou Yali put down her chopsticks and raised her right hand, saying, "I'm voting for my brother."

Jiang Tiantian sighed in frustration, "Okay, okay."

She turned her head to look at the three of them, finally fixing her gaze on Chen Fan's face. "Then tell me, what should I do?"

Chen Fan's expression relaxed, and he nodded, "Hmm, this child is teachable."

Before Jiang Tiantian could glare at him, he quickly said, "Tomorrow I'll go and tell your school leaders that I have some family matters to attend to and will be leaving for a while. I'll come back to register when school starts."

After Jiang Tiantian calmed down, Chen Fan said softly, "Working in a collective unit is different from studying. While you're working hard, you also need to consider other people's opportunities. Even if they aren't as capable as you, they also want to improve. Besides, if you don't give others a chance, how can they prove themselves?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tiantian's playful anger vanished. She lowered her head and thought for a while before looking up at Chen Fan and smiling, "I understand. I'll be more careful in the future."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Good, let's eat."

Zhou Yali quickly ate a few bites, finished her meal, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and asked Chen Fan, "When do we leave?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment and said, "Today is the 12th. I'll speed things up these next few days and try to set off on the 20th."

Jiang Lili couldn't help but imagine their trip, her eyes filled with longing as she asked, "Where shall we go?"

Chen Fan thought about it and realized that there were really few scenic spots these days, and transportation was inconvenient. Apart from a few big cities, it was not easy to go to other places.

After a few seconds, he looked up at the three of them and said, "Ten days is neither a short nor a long time. Lili and Tiantian haven't been to the capital yet, have they? How about we go to Beijing for a couple of days first, and then take you hunting in the old forests of Northeast China?"

The three women exchanged glances, and couldn't help but smile. They clapped their hands in unison, "Great!"

(End of this chapter)