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"...The compatibility will be better, and it'll handle memory resources faster..." Tao Yan explained briefly, then gradually trailed off under Jingjing's utterly baffled expression. He then looked at Huo Baichuan expressionlessly.

Huo Baichuan barely held back his laughter. Under Tao Yan's increasingly chilly gaze, he explained to Jingjing and her mother, "He means that after installing this operating system, Jingjing can do other things while working on images. Like writing articles. She won't have to keep waiting for the image processing results, and she won't have to worry about the computer freezing or crashing halfway through drawing."

"Oh!" Jingjing and her mother finally understood.

Jingjing clapped her hands and said with a smile, "That would be wonderful. You have no idea, the computers at my workplace are terribly slow. When we're doing layouts, they often freeze while we're waiting. And they take forever to boot up too—we have to wait seven or eight minutes before we can use them. They're painfully slow."

"This computer won't do that," Tao Yan added.

Jingjing looked at Tao Yan expectantly.

Tao Yan: "...?"

Jingjing stared. "That's it?"

Tao Yan blinked. "What else did you want to ask?"

Jingjing: "..."

Jingjing wiped her face. "Nothing." She would not have understood anything Tao Yan said anyway.

Huo Baichuan clenched his teeth hard, nearly laughing out loud. He cleared his throat twice and patted Tao Yan's shoulder. "Install some music software for Sister Jingjing, and download a few games too. You need to relax outside of work—balance work and rest!"

Tao Yan's long fingers paused as he gazed darkly at Huo Baichuan.

Jingjing smiled. "How could a computer play music? Still, your idea is very creative. Study hard and get into university. Maybe one day, you really will invent a computer that can play music!"

Huo Baichuan snapped back to his senses and rubbed the back of his head. "So backward!"

Tao Yan glanced at Huo Baichuan and said nothing. "..."

In any case, their first assembled computer was successfully completed. Since they had personally selected and assembled the components, they had completely bypassed the profit margins taken by retailers and distributors. In the end, this computer configured according to Jingjing's personal needs cost a total of 26,000 yuan. Her mother and Jingjing had saved nearly 8,000 yuan, while Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan, after deducting the cost of the components, had still earned a full 4,000 yuan.

Tao Yan also issued Jingjing a warranty card and proof of sale, saying that if there were any problems with the computer later, she could come to him for after-sales service at any time. Then he added, "You're our first customer, so it's this cheap because of our opening discount. It won't be this cheap in the future."

Tao Yan was not being greedy. He was simply taking the current market conditions into account. The entire computer market was a hugely profitable industry. With everyone silently accepting these high profits, if Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan priced their computers too low, they would draw far too much attention even if they were selling assembled machines.

Without a powerful background to support him, Tao Yan had no intention of becoming the first person to break the industry's unspoken rules.

However, this era of enormous profits would only last for about half a year. By the spring of 1991, computer brands around the world would collectively cut their prices. Microcomputer chips would drop by 70 percent, and computer prices would naturally fall with them.

In Tao Yan's plan, these six months were the best time for him and Huo Baichuan to earn their first pot of gold.

"...Auntie, you've seen it for yourself. Our assembled computers are guaranteed in both product quality and after-sales service. If you trust us, you can help introduce us to some customers. For every assembled computer sold, I'll give you a one percent commission." Tao Yan did not say much, but every word was like a cat's claw, scratching again and again at the hearts of Jingjing and her mother.

Jingjing's mother sucked in a sharp breath and could not help calculating it. According to Tao Yan, if they sold an assembled computer for 30,000 yuan, one percent would be 300 yuan. Her monthly salary was only 500 yuan...

"Oh, that won't do." Jingjing's mother hurriedly waved her hands. "Auntie trusts your character. Don't worry, if anyone wants to buy a computer, Auntie will definitely introduce them to you. Forget the commission. It's not easy for you two either, coming out to earn money at such a young age while still living in an orphanage. How could Auntie make money off you—"

"Please don't think that way, Auntie." Huo Baichuan smilingly took over. "You're willing to help us out of kindness. We appreciate that, but we have to pay this commission. Not just you—anyone who introduces customers to us will receive it in full. This is business."

Huo Baichuan understood Tao Yan's intentions. Their computer assembly business had only just opened. They had little capital and little influence, so they obviously could not spend tens of millions every year on television and newspaper advertisements like the major brands. The only thing they could do was rely on word-of-mouth among customers to develop more business.

According to Auntie, her husband was an editor-in-chief at a newspaper, while her daughter was a journalism student at Jiangzhou University and was currently interning at a newspaper as well. The people they came into contact with were likely mostly writing professionals, which meant there was a greater chance that some of them would need computers.

Tao Yan was using commissions to entice the mother and daughter. If their relatives and friends really had such needs, they would be more proactive about bringing in customers.

Sure enough, after hearing Huo Baichuan's words, Jingjing hesitated for a moment before saying, "Many students in my department are already out doing internships. A few come from pretty well-off families, and they should need computers too. There are also several students from the computer science department. I'll ask around for you."

Huo Baichuan said with a smile, "Then thank you, Sister Jingjing. If a sale goes through, one percent of the price of each computer will be your fee for the trouble."

Jingjing's pretty face flushed slightly. She was clearly still unaccustomed to such a naked atmosphere of profit.

Tao Yan, however, was struck by an idea. Jingjing's casual remark had inadvertently inspired him. University students from wealthy families whose majors were related to computers should indeed be one of their main target consumer groups. It would be great if they could get in touch with the student unions at several universities in Jiangzhou City. They could use the student unions' functions and influence to enter the student population and develop customers on campus. If they succeeded, they could at least make a good profit when the new school term began in September.