Chapter 17

As for whether this channel would later be snatched away by other computer vendors jumping on the bandwagon, Tao Yan did not care. There were only two of them, and neither their money nor their organizational structure allowed them to spread themselves too thin. Besides, his initial plan only ran until around the Spring Festival of 1991. Even if the channel was taken, it would not affect much.

Thinking this, Tao Yan looked at Jingjing and asked gently, "Sister Jingjing, would you be interested in becoming our campus agent?"

Chapter 17

Though she did not know exactly what a campus agent was supposed to do, Jingjing was clearly very interested in Tao Yan's proposal.

Since it concerned their business development for the foreseeable future, Tao Yan uncharacteristically took the time to explain some of a campus agent's responsibilities and sales commissions to Jingjing. Huo Baichuan, who had already talked himself dry earlier, went outside and bought four bottles of chilled soda, handing the lychee-flavored one to Tao Yan.

The cool, sparkling water slid into his mouth with the sweet taste of lychee. The instant chill and sweetness refreshed him. Fine bubbles burst across his tongue, and the lychee's sweetness seeped into his lungs. Tao Yan glanced at the soda bottle covered in droplets and drained it in one gulp.

Jingjing's mother said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is too extravagant. We came to buy a computer, and you're even treating us to soda."

Huo Baichuan said with a smile, "It's only right. It's part of our service."

Jingjing's mother smiled and shook her head, assuming Huo Baichuan was just making things up. In this era, state-run stores and supply-and-marketing cooperatives still dominated the market, and the attitudes of their staff could be seen in all kinds of film and television dramas. Although some shopping centers had begun promoting slogans like "service first," most transactions still followed the principle of "once goods leave the counter, we bear no responsibility." Vendors like Tao Yan, who not only helped install the system after selling a computer but also promised after-sales service, were exceedingly rare. This was also an important reason why Jingjing and her mother had ultimately decided to buy an assembled computer from Tao Yan.

"...Don't worry. You two are so conscientious and thorough. When I get back, I'll definitely have all my relatives and friends come to you to buy computers." Before leaving, the aunt even held Huo Baichuan's hand reluctantly. "Just wait for my good news."

Jingjing also promised Tao Yan, "I'll contact my classmates as soon as I get back and try to put together this campus agent team before school starts."

Watching Jingjing and her mother struggle to carry the computer onto their tricycle, Huo Baichuan remarked, "Shouldn't we offer delivery service?"

They really should. Tao Yan thought it over and said, "When we get back, let's talk to the neighbors. See whether anyone is willing to take the job. We can give them one yuan for delivering each computer."

Huo Baichuan nodded. Then he suddenly remembered something and asked, "That system you installed just now looked kind of familiar."

Tao Yan said blandly, "Windows 3.2."

Huo Baichuan immediately understood.

Speaking of Windows 3.2, one had to mention its mother, Windows 3.x, an operating system released between 1990 and 1994. Its MS-DOS-based graphical interface allowed DOS programs to run with multitasking. It also improved the file manager while simplifying program launches. It could be called the foremost contributor to a certain international giant's expansion and conquests over the coming decades. [Note]

The Windows 3.2 Tao Yan had installed for Jingjing was the only Simplified Chinese version of that operating system. It was released in 1994, but not long after its release, it was quickly replaced by Windows 95. [Note 2]

One of the partners in the data company Tao Yan had founded was an antique-level electronics enthusiast. He especially loved collecting old relics that had long gone out of print or been scrapped: computers over thirty years old, telephones over forty years old, printers over fifty years old, telegraph machines over sixty years old. Not only did he love collecting them, he was also keen on restoring them. He had to make those old fellows buried in time function again before his collecting obsession could be satisfied.

Before Tao Yan transmigrated, that partner had just bought a computer more than thirty years old online and dragged Tao Yan and several other friends into tinkering with it.

Because the original computer's specifications were far too outdated, they made some modifications to its existing configuration so it could function properly. They hired several experts and replaced some of its hardware. As for the software, they made further adjustments based on Windows 3.2, ensuring that once the system was running, it could perform simple text and image processing, browse the web, receive email, listen to music, watch movies, play games—simple standalone games—and so on.

Tao Yan had majored in finance in college, though he had taken a few computer courses as electives in his spare time. After all, the world of the future was internet-plus everywhere. If he knew nothing about it, it would be difficult to carry out his work. But Tao Yan's programming skills were only a notch above a fortune teller's—he could certainly handle the basics of writing code, but whether the code would run after he wrote it, and how it would run, was up to fate.

Compared with those monotonous and dull programming languages, Tao Yan was clearly more interested in dazzling data processing, and in the thrilling, exhilarating moments of stirring an entire market from within a massive pool of capital.

"You're being modest!" Huo Baichuan chuckled. "You only participated a little, yet you remembered all that ridiculously long code. It's just the two of us now. You don't have to act so humble with me too, do you?"

Tao Yan's steps halted. He looked at Huo Baichuan thoughtfully.

Huo Baichuan took a step back uneasily. "What?"

"You're right." Tao Yan had not noticed before, but once Huo Baichuan pointed it out, he realized something was off too. "Since when did I have such a good memory?"

It had merely been an amateur activity he had participated in once in the past, yet Tao Yan could clearly recall every detail of the modifications made to that old computer. He even remembered every last detail of the programmers' alterations to the operating system, and when he had installed it just now, he had typed it all out effortlessly—

"You've always had a pretty good memory, haven't you?" Huo Baichuan did not think much of it. Otherwise, how could he remember so much complicated data and so many hefty books? He had even ranked first in every university exam.