The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 356 Little Smart Phone

All the car-loving spendthrifts in Beijing now know that a specially customized Mercedes-Benz has appeared in the city, and it's the only one of its kind in the world.

If anyone buys a new car and shows off, someone will say, "If you're so capable, compare it to that red Mercedes. There's only one of those cars in the world. If you're so capable, go and show off."

As soon as he said that, he immediately stopped showing off. He only had a few coins at home, and he couldn't even afford a limited edition, let alone a special custom version.

Leon's talks with the officials are going very well. He'll go home and tidy up a bit, and then he'll bring out the engine data model that's been sitting idle for about two months.

I'm flying directly to Shanghai, but unfortunately, it's still an Airbus. When will I be able to fly on our own Y-10? That would be truly awesome.

When Liu Hua displayed the results of his work, which he claimed was two months' worth of work but was actually completed in one night, the engineers were stunned.

What kind of brain could come up with such a structural model? People are indeed very different.

The chief engineer sent from the Hans country headquarters was practically bowing down to Liu Hua.

"Mr. Liu, your wisdom is truly astounding. I hope that under your guidance, I can design the most perfect car engine in the world."

“There is no perfect thing, this is just the best I can think of right now.” Liu Hua smiled and said, “Since you all agree with this model, then our work from now on will revolve around this data model.”

While Liu Hua was still explaining the data model to them in Shanghai, the second payment from Hans Country had already arrived.

The chief engineer flew back to Europe overnight and brought back a data model that astonished everyone. Otherwise, he wouldn't have paid so readily. Of course, they were quite wealthy at the time, so it was only natural that they paid so readily.

After getting the money, Liu Hua returned to Beijing and started to slack off again. Anyway, he didn't need to write research logs, and no one would check up on him. He could tinker with it when he felt like it, as long as he could deliver goods in a year or two.

When his wife came back from driving school, she chatted with Liu Hua while cooking: "You're such a big boss now, why don't you buy a mobile phone? I see other bosses carrying mobile phones, it's convenient to contact each other."

"That ice pop is so hard and big, it's as heavy as a brick, I don't want it." Liu Hua said disdainfully, "Holding that thing makes you look stupid."

"If you're so capable, why don't you make one that isn't stupid?"

Liu Hua laughed and said, "Hey, don't provoke me. If I really make it, it will definitely dazzle your eyes."

"Just brag."

"You still don't believe me? Think about it, if I can make a computer, can't I make a telephone?"

In the end, Liu Hua failed to convince his wife that he could build a wireless phone.

Even his own bedmate didn't believe him, which made Liu Hua's anger rise rapidly. "You don't believe me? Well, I'll make you believe me no matter what."

Liu Hua is currently working on three major projects: a supercomputer, an LNG carrier, and Volkswagen's engines.

The saying goes, "The more debts you have, the less you worry; the more lice you have, the less they itch."

Liu Hua decided to start another project on his own. He knew that if he wanted to rent 2G or 3G mobile phones now, the project would be too huge. Moreover, 2G was just beginning to be promoted, and GSM was still foreign, which would require patent negotiations and complicated cooperation.

So he decided to start a niche market, but it was also very profitable: mobile phones.

This was developed by the Japanese, and it was only started this year, but our countrymen have taken it to a whole new level. Since it satisfied many people's communication needs in its previous life, it's bound to satisfy everyone's communication needs now.

Liu Hua thought that it would be best to go back to Tsinghua University to do this kind of scientific research, so he went to Director Huang.

"I'm planning to start a big project."

Director Huang was overjoyed: "Great! I've been looking forward to you starting a new project. Although we can make a living from photocopiers and printers now, the more projects like this, the better."

"You know what a mobile phone is, right?"

Director Huang nodded: "You want to develop our own mobile phone, one with our own intellectual property rights."

Liu Hua shook his head: "The mobile phone industry is already a sunset industry. Now the international community is starting to prepare to promote GSM."

"So you're planning to develop GSM?"

Liu Hua shook his head again: "The GSM standard was just released this year. You can try to implement it, but you'll need to pay real money to get their authorization. Do we have that kind of money?"

"This won't work, that won't work, so what are you trying to do?"

"I don't think it's that complicated. It's just communication within the city," Liu Hua said with a smile. "For now, we'll rely on the postal service's telecommunications services to conduct wireless telephone communication within the city. Later, the telecommunications company can adjust the services according to its own technology to achieve nationwide communication."

"That sounds plausible."

Liu Hua explained, "Think about it carefully. When we make phone calls, we mainly communicate within the same city, and we try to save money on long-distance calls."

"That's true. I usually answer the phone mostly from my colleagues at the school."

"If there were a mobile communication device that you could put in your pocket, with signal coverage everywhere in the city, and the ability to make clear calls, would you be willing to buy it?"

Director Huang said with a smile, "Of course I'm willing to buy it, but we need to clarify the price first. If it's like the old-fashioned mobile phone, costing 20,000 or 30,000 yuan each, plus several thousand yuan for network access fees and one yuan per minute, then I can't afford it."

Liu Hua nodded: "How about we bring the post office over? We can do joint research and development with them and try to reduce call charges to one cent, with no network access fees or service fees, or at least lower the price."

Director Huang nodded: "That's great! If it's really that cheap, I'd buy it even if it costs 20,000 or 30,000 yuan. At least I can afford it."

Liu Hua slammed the research and development plan he had written overnight onto Director Wang's desk: "This is the project proposal. Sign it. It won't cost much. The most important thing is to get the post office to come over."

Director Wang glanced through the plan. He didn't understand it very well, but he trusted Liu Hua.

"I can't sign this document. I have to go to my superiors, to the principal and vice-principal, and ask them to ask the post office for help." Director Huang said with a smile, "I'm not high enough in rank."

"If we can't get the national postal service, let's try the Beijing postal service first," Liu Hua instructed. "Use Beijing as a pilot city. Once we expand from here, people all over the country will want it."

Director Huang tidied his desk and said to Liu Hua with a smile, "This is the most important matter for our school right now. I'll go talk to the principal right away. Don't worry, our principal is reasonable and will definitely agree."

Director Huang is right. The principal only glanced at the plan and listened to Director Huang's report. He didn't ask any more questions before signing his name.

(End of this chapter)