[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-864":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2295282,4489,"Chapter 864","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-864",864,"\u003Cp>Once a person passes forty, they grow fond of napping, especially after spending hours exhausting themselves watching over children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Pan Xiaoying went to call Teacher Ke, she was sound asleep, leaning against her grandson, and was abruptly woken by Pan Xiaoying—naturally, she was a bit grouchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s all this fuss? What do you need me to decide?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom, you know our department is launching a mobile phone project—I thought of partnering with Xiao Yu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then just talk to Xiao Yu yourself. Why call me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke cut her off, gazing deeply at her daughter-in-law: “Xiaoying, you can discuss other matters with Li Ye and Xiao Yu, but when it comes to money, why drag me into it? Don’t you understand that much?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaoying froze, then realized Teacher Ke had misunderstood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talking about money hurts feelings—you, as a daughter-in-law, negotiating terms with your sister-in-law is one thing, but dragging in your mother-in-law? What’s that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re Wen’s eldest daughter-in-law, practically one with Wen Guohua; if you now ask your mother-in-law to “mediate” and make Li Ye and Wen Leyu pay up, aren’t you implying your own son is negotiating terms with his own sister and brother-in-law?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s that? That’s bullying the young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the money belongs to Li Ye and is merely managed by Wen Leyu, let alone if it’s Wen Leyu’s own—no mother should help her daughter-in-law demand money. Uneven treatment will make the household fly apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaoying quickly explained: “Mom, I originally planned to settle it among ourselves, but Li Ye said you needed to mediate, so I came to get you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ye wants me to mediate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Pan Xiaoying’s tone, Li Ye was willing to facilitate this partnership—otherwise he wouldn’t have spoken up; a single glance would’ve made his daughter fend it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Teacher Ke knew her son-in-law well: he casually tossed around small change for minor deals and never cared about others’ opinions. Now that he agreed, why drag her in? How big could this be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiaoying, how much money are you planning to ask Xiao Yu and Li Ye for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom, Beijing’s been considering a mobile phone project since three years ago, but it was small-scale. I proposed a nationwide network plan, and now there’s a hundred-million-dollar shortfall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normally, that sum isn’t much—several companies in the U.S. are willing to invest—but the Postal and Telecommunications Bureau thinks foreign capital is unreliable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaoying rattled off a long explanation, subtly hinting she wanted to keep the profits within the family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Teacher Ke raised an eyebrow and asked bluntly: “The plan you mentioned—started three years ago, small-scale—who was leading it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaoying chuckled, a little embarrassed: “It’s the second son of the Lu family—petty and timid, no vision at all. Under his plan, Beijing would get barely two thousand numbers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And even those two thousand could support only dozens of simultaneous calls. During holidays, the phones become bricks that won’t connect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom, would you pay ten thousand yuan for a brick that might never ring? That’s irresponsible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke smiled faintly—coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiaoying, I have no objection if you want to compete with Lu’s second son. At your level, you can’t avoid competition—but if you use Li Ye’s money as a stepping stone, I won’t allow it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaoying’s smile vanished. She could only stammer: “Mom, I never meant to use family as a stepping stone. Li Ye thinks if we can take equity, it’s worth cooperating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke frowned, still sensing something off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the past two years, Wen Leyu had invested in nearly twenty state-owned enterprises—she could just invest whenever she wanted! Why did she need Teacher Ke’s “backing”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the circle’s rules, kids making a bit of money isn’t unusual, but elders rarely interfere openly. Lu’s second son wasn’t worth Teacher Ke’s personal intervention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke left her bedroom and walked into the living room to ask Li Ye: “Xiao Ye, your sister-in-law told me about the mobile phone project, but she didn’t explain clearly. Tell me again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her, Pan Xiaoying couldn’t help sneering—her mother-in-law didn’t trust her!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye’s explanation was entirely different from Pan Xiaoying’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom, when Xiao Yu and I interned in the U.S., we studied the mobile phone project. We analyzed it and concluded that computers and mobile communications are the future’s hottest applications in electronic tech.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And our gap in this field is smaller than in automotive or chemical industries. With China’s massive market as support, we can build a virtuous cycle and reach world-class standards, exporting globally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke mused: “I remember you and Xiao Yu said in the U.S. you wanted to steal others’ irrigation water and develop higher-end industries.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re not just getting into mobile communication services—you want to control manufacturing too. Are you planning to build an entire industrial chain again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke was well aware of Wen Leyu’s recent “package imports” of automotive supply chains, so she instantly guessed Li Ye’s intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye explained patiently: “Mom, we already have the manufacturing base for mobile phones. For example, Shenzhen Fengyu and Factory 506 have similar equipment and technical reserves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With stable market support, we can create a virtuous cycle, reach world-class levels, and sell our products worldwide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“World-class levels? Sell worldwide?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaoying exclaimed: “Li Ye, my husband always says I have a mouth bigger than my body—so you’re even more ambitious than me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiaoying, shut up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke silenced her, then looked sharply at Li Ye: “So what exactly do you want me to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye swallowed, took a deep breath: “We need to import some advanced overseas technology, then combine the technical strengths of several domestic electronics firms to research and break through in mobile communications and computing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve analyzed China’s electronics industry with Engineer Ni. I heard it’s been stagnant for years—if we don’t act now, it’ll be lost forever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, China’s high-end electronics industry truly stood on the brink of collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1972, Wuhan Radio Component Factory No. 3 published “Manufacture of Photomask Plates.” In 1965, the Academy of Sciences developed the Type 65 contact photolithography machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 1970s, the Chinese Academy of Sciences began developing computer-aided photomask processes. Tsinghua University succeeded in developing a fourth-generation step-and-project photolithography machine in 1980, achieving 3-micron precision—close to international standards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, ASML, the photolithography giant, hadn’t even been founded yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>China’s research in electronics and chip photolithography was only slightly behind the U.S., roughly on par with Japan, and a full decade ahead of South Korea and across the strait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But due to lack of market returns, China abandoned its electronics industry in the 1980s, wiping out twenty years of accumulated technology. By 1994, Wuhan Radio Component Factory No. 3 went bankrupt and switched to selling snacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, those reflecting on this history couldn’t help sighing in regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after Li Ye finished speaking, Teacher Ke thought for only two seconds, then said calmly: “Get to the point. What do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye sighed inwardly—he knew no matter how grandly he spoke, no matter how noble his words, he couldn’t fool his mother-in-law’s sharp eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While coordinating high-end electronics research did require someone like Teacher Ke to connect and mediate, Li Ye always operated on a “six-four split”—the state takes six, he takes four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The higher the rank, the more cautious one becomes. She must know exactly what her son-in-law stands to gain before she steps in to help him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom, my sister-in-law only told you about the mobile phone project—but how much control do we really have? We can’t just do all the hard work and end up with nothing but the hollow title of ‘pillar of the nation.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I’ve been thinking—could we base a new company on Factory 506, with Xiao Yu’s firm taking equity, focused solely on mobile communications and computer network infrastructure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And after it’s built, we’ll need several years of monopoly operation—otherwise, without market profits, even if we’re determined to persist, the authorities might demand we stop wasting resources.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good heavens!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaoying, Wen Guohua, and Wen Leyu all silently exclaimed “Good heavens!” eight times in their minds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Li Ye mentioned private equity. No wonder he needed Teacher Ke to step in—he planned to monopolize nationwide mobile phone services and draw technical resources from several state enterprises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a massive undertaking couldn’t be carried by the younger generation. These are state assets and state operations. Even with money, how could you hand over a national pillar like telecommunications?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with Teacher Ke’s intervention, ensuring no one else reaped the benefits would require complex alliances and delicate coordination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difficulty here far exceeded that of Li Ye’s current automobile factory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke exhaled slowly, fell silent for a long while, then smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Ye… you’re aiming very high indeed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, hehe~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye sheepishly held up two fingers, pinching a tiny gap: “Mom, I’ll only take a little slice—the bulk will go to the state.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm. If you claimed you were acting purely for the public good, that’d be fake. But since you’re honest, I think this plan is feasible. But the money—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teacher Ke nodded slowly, then turned to Wen Leyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Yu, how much money do you still have? According to Li Ye, a hundred million won’t be enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Leyu froze, then shot straight up in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where would I have that much money?!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1575,"2026-06-20T05:05:02.628Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1e2a0419a2e29e5d37b6a093423a955d8b700ff507af22a1258c7bade09a1dbe","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-865","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-863",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]