Chapter 734: I Was Happy Too Early

"Li Ye, tell me more about those improvement suggestions just now. I'll save them on a floppy disk and take them away."

Ni Dashen didn't leave immediately after agreeing with Li Ye to improve "Fengyu Chinese," but instead dragged Li Ye to ask about this and that.

Li Ye didn't put on airs like some hermit expert; he just stood from the user's perspective and expressed the desire for "more convenience and speed."

But these ideas, which would be ordinary decades later, were absolute "heavenly secrets" in 1987.

Ni Dashen stared at Li Ye's mouth, his fingers typing "click-click-click" on the keyboard to type out every word Li Ye said, saving them to his 1.2M floppy disk.

Finally, Li Ye couldn't handle Ni Dashen's gaze and said with a wry smile: "Alright, alright, there really isn't any more. Whenever I have an idea, I will definitely tell you the first time..."

"Really none left?"

"Really none left," Li Ye said straightforwardly: "Old Ni, actually, you just need to uphold one line of thinking: the computer you are researching is not for specialized typists, but for any high school student to use. That's enough."

"What?"

Ni Dashen was stunned for a moment, then asked skeptically: "You mean universal computer popularization?"

Li Ye snapped his fingers and praised: "Exactly, Old Ni, you are indeed smart."

Ni Dashen frowned: "But... even in the Lighthouse, computers are not universally popularized..."

【That's because there is no internet, no ICQ, no online games.】

Li Ye said calmly: "We can't always follow behind the Lighthouse. If in the future, whenever someone mentions Fengyu computers, they realize that this is a computer designed for ordinary people, what do you think it will look like?"

"I'm not just talking about mainlanders, oh! I mean, let the whole world know the Fengyu brand, know that Fengyu was born for ordinary people..."

Although there were still a few years until the large-scale popularization of computers, Li Ye believed that starting to think for ordinary people now could allow Fengyu computers to form their own characteristics.

Ni Dashen was first astonished, then fell into deep thought.

And the "typist" Xiao Zhiyu in the office looked at Li Ye with strange eyes.

【If any high school student can operate a computer, then what is the use of me, a microcomputer operator?】

And Pan Xiaoying also looked at Li Ye: 【To let the whole world know Fengyu... How big is your heart?】

After Ni Dashen thought for a long time, he suddenly sighed.

"All along, I have warned myself in my heart not to be proud, not to be complacent... But today I know that I was happy too early."

"We used 70% of overseas parts to assemble and produce this Fengyu 386, and we felt we should celebrate. Then if there really is a day as you said, Li Ye... how should we celebrate? Hehehehe~"

Ni Dashen laughed, but the smile was a bit self-deprecating.

In 1986, the first-generation 386 computer launched by PAQ Company was followed by Fengyu's own 386 the next year, a year earlier than the Great Wall 386 in history, allowing the mainland's computer industry to enter the 32-bit processing capability stage.

But this achievement was because Fengyu Hong Kong obtained authorization from the Lighthouse side, then authorized it to Pengcheng Fengyu in the mainland, and Pengcheng Fengyu cooperated with Factory 506 to scrape together this machine.

So how much of this is an achievement worth "celebrating"?

Li Ye patted Ni Dashen on the shoulder: "Engineer Ni, you have already taken the first step. Then are the second and third steps far away?"

Pan Xiaoying also said with a smile: "That's right! This celebration was not requested by us; it was an award actively given to us by the higher-ups. Engineer Ni, don't be humble. Let's move towards processors next and conquer the CPU..."

"..."

The expressions of Ni Dashen and Li Ye both stiffened for a moment.

Pan Xiaoying immediately noticed it and asked with a smile: "What's wrong? Looking at the expressions of you two geniuses, did I say something stupid?"

Li Ye hurriedly shook his head and said: "No, no, sister-in-law. If you want to conquer processors and conquer chip manufacturing, you must get official support. We can't do it ourselves."

Pan Xiaoying's smile remained: "Can't do it? Tell me why you can't do it?"

Li Ye thought for a while and said helplessly: "Sister-in-law, if you want to make chips, how many researchers can you mobilize? I'm not talking about technical school students, but researchers in research institutes."

Pan Xiaoying straightened her back: "If there is no problem with capital investment, I can find you thirty researchers."

Li Ye and Ni Dashen looked at each other and smiled, sighing: "Although I don't know too much, I also know that thirty researchers are not enough. Three hundred, one thousand might not be enough."

"..."

How many technical personnel are needed to make chips? There is no fixed number.

If you use the "sandpaper method," erase others' trademarks, and print your own... then a few people are enough.

But if one wants to make a chip at the 386 level, there is no telling how many high-level technical personnel would need to be mobilized.

The 80s were not the later generations where Tsinghua and Peking University graduates were everywhere and 985 graduates were as common as dogs!

And apart from the astronomical funds and manpower, you, a private company, dare to recruit thousands of technical personnel to engage in a project. What do you want to do?

In the 80s, chips were not cars; they were absolutely national priorities. Would they let you hold them in your hands at will?

It must be firmly pushed by the top of the pyramid to possibly realize such a huge project.

But when Li Ye's voice fell, Pan Xiaoying's eyes lit up, green and thief-bright.

Ni Dashen was very surprised, not understanding why Factory Director Pan still didn't understand after Li Ye had explained it so clearly.

But Li Ye suddenly understood that Pan Xiaoying's ambition had been touched.

Pan Xiaoying knew too well the charm of large-scale national projects. To become famous overnight and rise to the top—if it could be started from her hands... even if she lived ten or twenty years less, it would be worth it.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Just when Pan Xiaoying's eyes were shining, someone knocked on the door again outside.

"Come in."

After opening the door, Li Ye was surprised to find that it was actually Li Juan who had come.

Technician Xiao Zhu pointed at Li Juan and said: "Section Chief Li, this girl wants to find you. She says she is your younger sister..."

"Right, she is my younger sister. It's fine, you go get busy!"

Li Ye dismissed Xiao Zhu and was about to pull Li Juan outside, because Li Juan knew the phone number of Li Ye's office, but this time she came over without calling, so there must be something special.

But Li Ye pulled Li Juan, only to feel resistance.

Turning his head, he saw Li Juan stretching her neck, "drooling" at the new computers in the microcomputer room.

Since she was drooling, there was no urgent matter.

Li Ye led Li Juan back to the microcomputer room and introduced her to Pan Xiaoying and the others: "This is my younger sister Li Juan, a sophomore at Peking University..."

"Whoa, another one from Peking University! Li Ye, is your whole family high-achieving students?"

"There must be a secret to learning, there must be..."

Everyone greeted Li Juan one after another, but Li Juan just smiled shyly at everyone and then couldn't take her eyes off those computers again.

Li Ye asked with a smile: "Xiao Juan, did you have microcomputer classes this year?"

Li Juan said eagerly: "We did. We can use the machines twice a week, queuing up, limited time..."

"Oh~, then I'll send you one another day."

"..."

Li Juan's eyes slowly moved toward Li Ye, radiating dazzling brilliance.

This girl knew her brother had money, but how to spend it... she didn't know, and couldn't even imagine it.

In this day and age, owning a computer yourself? That was such an unrealistic thing. Even the trendsetters of the era like the "Red Sect Leader" or the "Baidu Big Boss" only contacted computers at the units of their elders!

But this wasn't over yet. After arranging the hardware, Li Ye said to Ni Dashen: "Old Ni, my sister is studying microelectronics at Peking University, which is related to your business. When the summer vacation comes, I'll send her over. You can take her as an apprentice, okay?"

Ni Dashen agreed without hesitation: "Okay, okay, but this also needs Factory Director Pan's consent! I'm in charge of technology; I can't make the decisions for other things."

Li Ye looked at Pan Xiaoying, and Pan Xiaoying said with amusement: "What are you looking at me for? Do I dare to disagree? If I say I disagree today, Xiao Yu will smash my front door tonight..."

"Then it's settled," Li Ye turned his head and said to Li Juan: "Although Engineer Ni is not an academician, he is currently at the forefront of microelectronics in our mainland. As long as you take him as your master, there will be no shortage of benefits in the future..."

Li Juan was fidgety and suddenly tugged on Li Ye's sleeve, signaling him to go outside to talk.

Li Ye frowned and followed Li Juan out of the microcomputer room.

Then Li Juan said aggrievedly: "Just now my mother sent me a telegram saying she gave birth to a younger brother for me, asking you to name him, and also saying that I should go to Hong Kong to take care of my younger brother during the summer vacation..." ===== CHAPTER 735 =====