Chapter 6: Power On
The entire room was bathed in the bright light emitted by the laptop. Yang Rui sat upright at his desk, browsing through the materials within. Although he used the computer daily, it was primarily for sending and receiving emails, reading novels on Qidian, and downloading movies. He generally did not delve into the files stored on the hard drive. A review of the contents revealed several categories: one category consisted of company documents and agricultural information; another included movies and novels, with the films mostly being American productions, while the domestic films were mainly comedies by Stephen Chow. The remaining items were a few adult videos whose sources he could not recall. The novels were primarily time-travel stories, all of which he had previously read and deemed classics. There was also a category for university major materials, mainly electronic books related to social sciences. Finally, there were personal items, primarily photographs. Yang Rui could not help but click on one photo, where he saw himself wearing a T-shirt, smiling broadly while standing by the railing of a boat. Behind him, under a clear sky, was the blue sea and the white wake of the boat. The sunny weather, the ocean, the waves, and the long coastline created a very bright and pleasant atmosphere. That was a trip to Qingdao for work, taken with colleagues. Yang Rui gently touched his smiling face in the photo; all of this felt like a lifetime ago. His eyes involuntarily became moist, realizing that in this life, he might never see his family and friends again
Mrs. Huang felt very pleased; the bedroom that had been vacant for more than two months could finally be rented out. She would no longer have to listen to her husband grumble about the loss of that fifty cents. With a smile, she said, "Yes, they say they will come to stay tomorrow morning. Oh, this foreign lamp is so bright now"
After contemplating for a while, he calmed down, as he was no longer a young person just entering society. Thanks to the convenience of the internet, he became aware of many despicable acts that followed greatness. The struggle for interests is devoid of any morality, and people will go to any lengths. Alas, at the end of the day, one must have money, connections, and power; otherwise, it is difficult to survive in this society. With this thought in mind, he sat down honestly, recalled the letter from Su Bao, turned off his computer, and began to write.
Although the book only introduces the principles without detailing the processes and technical drawings, it still contains a wealth of valuable information. For instance, the catalysts used in ammonia synthesis are practical industrial production catalysts that would typically require significant time and effort to discover through actual operations. However, the book conveniently lists them as iron pentoxide or similar iron oxides, which is far more efficient than the trial-and-error approach taken by Haber in his time. While he had to experiment one by one, this text resolves the issue with just a few simple words. Although these findings can only be realized after generating profit for further research, knowing the key points will expedite the development process.
Yang Rui was in a daze when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs outside. Mrs. Xu's voice rang out: "Mr. Yang, your electric light has been installed." Upon hearing someone call him, Yang Rui quickly wiped the corners of his eyes, closed his notebook, hid it under the quilt, and then rushed to open the door. As soon as the door opened, he saw Mrs. Xu standing outside with her daughter.
After finishing his business and returning, everyone in the courtyard had come back. Just as he was going upstairs, Old Deng called out to him again, handing him several letters and a remittance. After Yang Rui expressed his gratitude, he returned to his room to examine them carefully. One was from the Agricultural Science Journal, another from the Women's Studies Journal, and there was also one from the Su Report, which included not only a remittance but also a letter. Since Yang Rui had never used his real name when submitting to the newspaper, only providing an address and the pen name "Tingzi", the other party could only address him as Mr. Tingzi. The handwriting was excellent, beautifully done in brush script, far more aesthetically pleasing than Yang Rui's penmanship. The gist of the letter was that the article he had previously submitted analyzing the rise and fall of dynasties was well received, and they hoped he would submit more articles. Additionally, they briefly summarized some feedback received after publication—stating that the rise and fall of dynasties was merely a matter of the rulers and ministers losing their virtue, the end of their mandate, the presence of treacherous officials, and the chaos caused by unruly subjects, among other points. Yang Rui was not surprised by such statements; people of this era could only hold such views. The payment for the article was ten yuan, which was not a small amount, and with the other two letters, he received a total of twenty yuan. It seemed that he would be free from worries about food and clothing for the time being.
The previous writing on the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties was essentially a compilation of others' insights, integrating external ideas with his own. Since the newspaper appreciated it and even requested more contributions, he decided to continue along this favorable path. In order to earn more money, he thought it would be better to write a series. This issue would discuss why China fell behind, while the next issue would explore how China could avoid falling behind. Yang Rui was calculating his strategy meticulously, preparing to write a lengthy serialized piece
Walking back and forth on the wooden floor, Yang Rui was waiting for his laptop to charge. He did not dare to open the laptop hastily, even though he knew that the power adapter provided protection and that there was no issue with the laptop. However, he still felt uneasy and preferred to charge the laptop fully before turning it on. After half an hour of pacing, he grew impatient. Seeing the completed manuscript, he thought it would be boring to just wait, so he decided to send the items first and then have a meal, by which time the battery should be sufficiently charged. Just as he was about to go out with the letter, he turned back at the door and returned to the laptop charging on the table. Feeling uneasy, he thought for a moment and took out the suitcase, placing the laptop inside. After half an hour of pacing, he grew impatient. Seeing the completed manuscript, he thought it would be boring to just wait, so he decided to send the items first and then have a meal, by which time the battery should be sufficiently charged. Just as he was about to go out with the letter, he turned back at the door and returned to the laptop charging on the table. Feeling uneasy, he thought for a moment and took out the suitcase, placing the laptop inside, zipping it up, locking it, and leaning it against the wall. He then covered the power cord and finally felt reassured enough to close the door, lock it, and hurriedly leave.
It seems that he works at a foreign firm, speaking fluent Cantonese, but I couldn't hear clearly; he just arrived in Shanghai. Mrs. Huang was in a good mood today and chatted a bit more. "I will go take a look first; I need to come over to stay tomorrow morning." After saying this, she went out. Mrs. Xu also did not stay, taking her daughter down, probably because her husband downstairs had already finished eating and was tidying up. The little girl, however, did not want to leave and was carried down by her.
The next day, the people living in the two bedrooms moved in, two young men from Guangdong, around twenty years old, seemingly brothers, speaking Cantonese fluently. Yang Rui could only understand some of it, but not the specifics. Later, for some reason, they started chatting in English, and he learned that the elder brother was named Hu Da and the younger brother Hu Er. When asked for their full names, they said they were afraid to share, and Yang Rui did not press further. In fact, they were from Chaozhou and worked at a trading company related to a distant relative. It was not exactly a foreign trading company but rather a subordinate organization selling goods to foreign firms, with a semi-independent nature. Later, it was revealed that it was a domestic wholesaler of imported opium. The trading company was originally established in Guangdong, but the owner wanted to expand and moved to Shanghai. The new trading company was not fully equipped, and there was no place for them to stay, so they were given money to find their own accommodation, which they ended up being introduced to this place. Since they started conversing in English, they would come over every day after work to invite Yang Rui to dinner or late-night snacks, seemingly treating him as a foreigner to practice their spoken and written English. Their English was quite informal, likely the rumored "pidgin English." Yang Rui would point out their mistakes, and out of gratitude, they would often try to pay the bill, but Yang Rui would stop them. In Yang Rui's view, after paying rent, they hardly had much left from their monthly wages, and earning money was tough. They would wake up at four in the morning to supervise unloading at the docks and sometimes worked until midnight. The two brothers were not afraid of hardship, or perhaps it could be said that people of this era were not afraid of hardship.
He set down the letters and such, opened the box, and the laptop was fully charged, so he unplugged it. Carefully, he placed the laptop on the desk and gently pressed the power button. The computer emitted a soft "hum" as it vibrated lightly, and the screen began to light up. Entering DOS, he input the password—there was too much company information on the laptop. Yang Rui's password was set from DOS—then the familiar startup sound of WINDOWS rang out. Hearing this sound, Yang Rui felt a significant weight lift off his heart. In no time, the account page appeared, and after entering the user password, the desktop popped up.
Mrs. Xu, embodying the nature of a gossip queen, said: "It's all good, leaving the house vacant is not cost-effective. Who are you, and what business are you in?"
Yang Rui said, "Oh, Mrs. Xu, the electric light has been installed, but it hasn't been turned on yet. Please come in." Yang Rui turned to switch on the light, and the room immediately brightened. Mrs. Xu exclaimed, "Wow, this is electric light, it's so bright! These foreign things are really good." She slapped her daughter's hand as she tried to touch the light bulb. In fact, the electric light was not very bright; it was only fifteen watts, but it was certainly better than a kerosene lamp. Just then, the sound of footsteps on the stairs was heard again; it was Mrs. Huang coming upstairs to see the electric light as well. Mrs. Xu, being conversational, said, "Mrs. Huang, were those two people with the *picture* books just now here to rent the house?" In fact, the electric light was not very bright; it was only fifteen watts, but it was certainly better than a kerosene lamp. Just then, the sound of footsteps on the stairs was heard again; it was Mrs. Huang coming upstairs to see the electric light as well. Mrs. Xu, being conversational, said, "Mrs. Huang, were those two people with the *picture* books just now here to rent the house?"
As he pondered, Yang Rui could no longer lie still; he suddenly stood up and began pacing back and forth in the room, the floorboards creaking loudly under his steps—he was excited. If these things were successfully developed, he would make a fortune, not only ensuring a life free from financial worries but also gaining recognition in society. Of course, once the development was successful, confidentiality would be paramount; many of the technologies were highly advanced. If they were revealed, it would not only be the Japanese to worry about; those in Europe and America were not to be trusted either. Alone and without connections, it would be difficult to stand firm, no matter how wealthy one became. It seemed necessary to have an identity or to bring in someone with a reputable background as a partner. Yang Rui thought for a long time but could not come up with a solution; it was indeed a troublesome matter. However, upon reflection, he questioned what he was doing—had he lost his mind? Here he was, with only twenty-some yuan in his pocket, yet he was dreaming of businesses worth hundreds of thousands or even millions; it was truly an unrealistic ambition.
After being stirred up by a few of them, Yang Rui was not as melancholic anymore. Solitude brings a sense of loneliness and sorrow, while the hustle and bustle of city life entangles one in trivial matters, leaving no time for loneliness. Once he locked the door, he simply lay down on the bed, resting his head on the quilt, holding his laptop to continue browsing. After searching for a while, he discovered something new: a set of high school physics and chemistry textbooks in an old folder. When he was a junior, he took on tutoring, teaching high school physics and chemistry. Since the high school textbooks in Shanghai were different, he was worried about not teaching well, so he downloaded the complete set of physics and chemistry textbooks at that time. Now, these books seem quite useful. Not to mention the value of the textbooks themselves, there is a lot of information introduced within them. The physics sections on electricity and magnetism contain many excellent resources. The chemistry section is even more remarkable, with dedicated chapters on ammonia synthesis and alkali production. If any of these processes could be realized, it would lead to wealth.