Chapter 338

Seeing Wei Ming interested in the items on the table, Li Aiguo said, "My dad bought this for me—it's a reward for successfully collaborating with you. Don't think this computer is expensive; the whole set costs less than two thousand dollars."

The white machine on the table was called the IBM 5150, also known as the "IBM PC 5150."

The term PC, personal computer, gained popularity starting with this machine, marking humanity's true entry into the personal computing era.

The monitor, the main unit, the keyboard—these were no different from personal computers of the future.

Previously, IBM, Apple, and other companies had released so-called personal computers, but the IBM 5150 was revolutionary in both size and price.

IBM originally projected sales of 200, 00 units over five years, but it reached 240, 00 units in just one year.

Coupled with its open architecture and software-hardware ecosystem, it spurred the rise of compatible machines, directly accelerating PC adoption and bringing personal computers into every household.

Alongside the IBM PC, Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system entered the market, and Microsoft officially entered the OS business, beginning its rapid ascent.

But personal computers at the time had very limited appeal—applications were scarce; Microsoft hadn't even developed Word or Excel yet.

"So why did your dad buy such a big thing and bring it all the way to China?" Wei Ming asked curiously.

"My dad said that once computers became small enough to enter every home, the world's trends would revolve around them," Li Aiguo said. "He told me to master computers just as seriously as learning a foreign language."

Wei Ming nodded. "I thought the same thing as your dad."

Then Li Aiguo invited Wei Ming to try operating the antique machine, which was still unfamiliar to Wei Ming—he didn't start using computers until the mid-to-late 90s, and his were all Lenovo-built PCs.

Wow, this keyboard is heavy—Wei Ming hefted it; it weighed about five jin, the same as a future laptop.

The mouse had already been invented, but it wasn't here yet; it had just begun commercial use and wouldn't be popularized until Apple took it further.

Since Microsoft hadn't developed Word or Excel, this PC used VisiCalc for spreadsheets and EasyWriter for text input; Wei Ming mainly tested the typing function.

You could create new documents, edit them, and print them—if you wrote English novels, it was far more convenient than pen and paper.

Wei Ming couldn't help feeling tempted.

Then he dashed downstairs and borrowed the guard's phone to call the Production Management Office.

"Uncle, you're at work? Perfect—can you come to Shao Yuan New Building? I've got something great to show you."

While waiting for Wei Anping, Li Aiguo showed Wei Ming some newspaper clippings; Wei Ming saw that Elton John, Paul McCartney of the Beatles, and Michael Jackson from the U. . had all praised him highly.

Li Aiguo couldn't help asking when Wei Ming planned to write his third song.

"I heard from my dad that MCA really values its collaboration with you."

Wei Ming pointed to his head. "The melodies here have been drained by that charity gala—I'd rather write novels now."

But after finishing "The Sunny Days," Wei Ming fell back into creative uncertainty—he'd better fill the gap left by the "Jurassic" trilogy first.

As Wei Ming chatted with Li Aiguo, several returning international students arrived, both male and female.

Just as Wei Ming switched between English and Chinese to converse with them, Wei Anping arrived.

Wei Ming immediately had him take a look at the IBM 5150.

"This is a computer?"

"Yes, a personal computer—IBM's latest model released this month. Li Aiguo bought one and brought it over."

Wei Anping sat down immediately and began typing on the keyboard without hesitation.

Last year, the Department of Computer Science and Technology launched a short-term software training class; after co-founding Founder with Professor Wang Xuan, Uncle Ping became an audit student in that class, voraciously absorbing computer knowledge—he might even know more than Wei Ming now.

"This is so convenient! How much does it cost?"

Li Aiguo replied, "The price without the graphics card and monochrome monitor is $1, 65."

Several international students from impoverished African, Asian, and Latin American countries immediately stepped back—the price was astronomical, far beyond what they could afford!

But Wei Anping said, "That's not expensive at all."

He had previously encountered other so-called personal computers, and their prices were much higher.

After leaving Shao Yuan, Wei Anping asked his nephew, "Do you want the school to buy a batch of these computers to strengthen the Computer Science Department?"

Wei Ming shook his head. "I'm thinking—can Founder develop its own PC? The market potential here is huge."

"Ah, us make it? Doesn't this require extremely high tech?" Wei Anping instinctively thought it would be too difficult.

"There's definitely high tech involved, but not as unattainable as you think. At first, we'd have to assemble them—what matters is manufacturing skill."

Lenovo didn't start selling PCs until 1989, but before Lenovo, there was the Great Wall computer—they had already developed China's first microcomputer, the Great Wall 0520CH, back in 1985.

Given Wei Ming's knowledge of the future, he made this suggestion to Uncle Ping, but the final decision rested with the leadership—he didn't claim it was guaranteed to be profitable.

First, the investment required was enormous; a university-affiliated entity like Founder might not have the boldness to commit such funds.

Second, even if they built it, success wasn't assured.

Both Great Wall and Lenovo eventually developed their own computers; the former, despite its powerful backing, ended in bankruptcy and losses, while Lenovo became synonymous with national enterprise by the early 21st century and later acquired IBM's PC division.

Leaving aside Liu's character, for a long time, the brand had strong market appeal—even by 2025, it remained the top domestic PC brand.

So early start doesn't guarantee final victory.

He had already made the suggestion, even mentioning a Chinese-American named Wang An, who would become the world's richest Chinese person; Wang An Computer had once been wildly popular in the U. .

Although he made strategic errors and refused to develop PCs as IBM pushed forward, missing the new trend, Wang An Computer still had solid technical foundations—if Founder wanted to make PCs, they could try contacting them.

Of course, Mr. Ni Guangnan was also an indispensable key figure—Lenovo's foundation rested on him—but he was currently abroad as a visiting researcher, so that could wait.

Seeing the IBM 5150 today, Wei Ming felt a new era was about to begin.

So when he got home, he opened his manuscript paper and wrote a new "Black Cat Detective" story, planning to continue introducing computer and internet concepts within it.

The massive potential of the computer market owed much to the internet; the internet's spread made computers a necessity for youth before the smartphone era.

But the internet in the strict sense hadn't been born yet—Wei Ming's behavior was essentially science fiction prophecy. Then again, many people treated "Black Cat Detective" as science fiction anyway.

For example, Ma Huateng, a ten-year-old boy from Hainan, who longed for the stars and loved science; the "Black Cat Detective" series taught him many novel animal facts.

As for his parents saying "Wei" was Wei Ming and donating 150 million Hong Kong dollars to Sichuan disaster relief—he couldn't understand that.

That day, the long-awaited August issue of "Children's Literature" finally arrived by mail.

Opening the table of contents, the most prominent feature in the fairy tale section was "Wei Shenme's" "Black Cat Detective" and Zheng Yuanjie's "Magic Cube Building."

The Rubik's Cube on his desk was bought after reading "Magic Cube Building."

He started with "Black Cat Detective"—this chapter's title was intriguing: "The Egg-Laying Rooster."

It told of a rooster who lost an egg and reported it to the Forest Police Station, but his testimony was suspicious—he claimed the egg was laid by himself and was extremely precious. The new officer, a rabbit from Rabbit Village named Zhu Di, suspected the rooster had stolen the egg and was crying wolf.

Little Huateng chuckled—how could a rooster lay an egg? It must have been stolen.

But the rooster refused to explain how a rooster could lay an egg, so the complainant was temporarily detained as a suspect.

Later, Black Cat Detective intervened, visiting his informant—a once-incarcerated, now-reformed, and highly clever red fox named Nick.

Nick, drawing on years of chicken experience, revealed a secret about chicken coops to the detective.

It turned out hens could turn into roosters!

When a flock had no rooster, the hens' eggs couldn't be fertilized and couldn't hatch chicks.

To ensure the species' survival, one hen would bravely step forward, adjusting her hormones to transform herself into a rooster and continue the lineage.

This was exactly what "Wei Shenme" had mentioned in "Jurassic Park": "Life finds a way."

The reporting rooster had once been a hen, and the egg was the last one she laid while still a hen—deeply symbolic.

So when the egg disappeared, she panicked—but was too ashamed to admit she had once been a hen; what if her chicks found out? Calling her "Dad" was wrong, "Mom" was wrong, "Auntie"…?

In the end, the truth came out—Rabbit Officer Zhu Di apologized to the rooster, now "Rooster Sister," and Black Cat Detective, after careful investigation, determined the egg had likely been stolen by Yi Zhi Er.

Yi Zhi Er hadn't appeared in two episodes; young readers missed him.

Later, it was confirmed: Yi Zhi Er had done it. Just as Black Cat Detective located his hiding place and was about to capture this persistent villain who had plagued the series for over a dozen episodes—CRACK—the story ended abruptly!

Ma Huateng flipped to the last page of the story, but the familiar "To Be Continued" was missing.

At the end of the story was a letter from "Brother Wei Shenme" to the young readers.

He told them that since "Black Cat Detective" had been serialized in "Children's Literature" for one and a half years, to make room for more outstanding fairy tales, the detective's stories would no longer appear in "Children's Literature" starting September.

"But don't worry—we've moved to a new home. Just subscribe to the newly launched magazine 'Fairy Tale King,' and you'll see the continuation of 'Black Cat Detective,' along with a brand-new fairy tale by Brother Wei Shenme. 'Fairy Tale King' is a magazine dedicated to serializing long-form children's stories. Welcome to subscribe!"

Behind it were the postal subscription details; similarly, Zheng Yuanjie had posted a relocation notice after "Magic Cube Building."