Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 387 Why is this only told to boys?
Chen Luyang could only translate and explain it again by referring to the original text.

As she spoke, Chen Luyang put down the original book in her hand and casually pulled out a piece of draft paper.

I drew two lines with a pencil brush.

The first one is a horizontal line.

"This is a perfectly elastic demand curve. It means that as long as the price changes even slightly, the demand will become infinitely small or infinitely large. For example, if someone sets the price of a bottle of soda at 1 dollar, and the price changes to 1.1 dollars, everyone will immediately stop buying it and turn to buy something else. In other words, as soon as the price changes, the number of people buying it immediately drops to zero."

Chen Luyang pointed to the horizontal line: "The horizontal line means the price cannot change. If it does, no one will buy."

"Look at this vertical line. This is perfectly inelastic. No matter how much the price rises, everyone still has to buy it. For example, salt and honeycomb briquettes, whether it costs one yuan, five yuan, or fifty yuan, people still have to buy them."

"So, elasticity means a strong response, while inelasticity means being as immovable as a mountain," Chen Luyang said.
"Elastic is fast-moving, while Inelastic is as stable as a mountain."

"..."

The once quiet six-person dormitory has been transformed into a small classroom.

At first, Chen Luyang helped her classmates correct their mistakes, but later she simply started reading the original text to them.

Rather than reading, it's more like translating and explaining to everyone.

He read the original English text aloud, then translated it into Chinese, so that everyone could memorize it.

For those parts that Chen Luyang didn't hear clearly or didn't understand, he would explain them further.

By the end, Chen Luyang's mouth was dry and her cheeks ached from talking so much.

Just as everyone was listening intently, suddenly "snap!"
The entire dormitory was pitch black.

"Why are the lights off?!"

"What time is it?!"

"The lights went out at just the right time!"

……

Complaints echoed from the dormitory.

At 10:30 p.m., the entire school switched off its power.

It won't work for anyone.

Looking at the darkness in the room, Chen Luyang was on the verge of tears of happiness.

That's why they say this teacher is like a candle.

They illuminate others while destroying themselves.

He originally thought that after attending the weekly English lectures at the provincial university, his teaching skills had improved significantly.

But little did they know that while their experience did improve, their physical fitness didn't keep up.

He had only been speaking for less than three hours, and his throat was already parched.

But the students still wanted to hear more.

"Alright, the Cultural Committee has been talking to us all night, let them get some rest too," Tao Runze said, trying to maintain order.

"The Cultural Committee is also giving us lectures and tutoring us on a voluntary basis. Everyone has classes tomorrow, so go back and get some rest."

After the class monitor spoke, everyone felt embarrassed to stay any longer. They thanked Chen Luyang one by one and were just about to leave room 421 and return to their own dormitories.
Then they heard Chen Luyang shout wildly in a hoarse voice.

"Bros!"

"Everyone is eager to sign up for the welcome party!"

"We need to start preparing for our show next week, so please support my brother's work!"

Don't be fooled by how enthusiastic and active everyone was during the last class meeting.

However, when the class held a meeting the day before yesterday to discuss the program for the welcome party with the students who had signed up, there were very few people who came.

Although Chen Luyang understood that everyone was reluctant to go on stage and was waiting to hear the shouts.

However, with this kind of attitude, there's no guarantee that rehearsals won't be done half-heartedly, and then the show won't be very interesting!

Upon hearing Chen Luyang's shout, several economics students hesitated slightly.

They really don't have any special talents.

Moreover, not everyone comes from the provincial machinery factory, and they don't dare to use the few Japanese phrases they've just learned to make friends with a Japanese person they see on the street.

People aren't that outgoing.

But this is something that always requires empathy.

The Cultural Committee did nothing all night but sacrificed their time to translate textbooks and correct notes for everyone.

The Cultural Affairs Committee needs everyone's support for its work now, so we must do it!
"Wenwei, I'm at your service. Call me anytime and I'll be there!" Switchman Feng Tiesheng shouted.

Although he has absolutely no talent for art and literature, he certainly has plenty of strength.

He can carry anything the show needs to move.

“Me too, Cultural Committee member! I’m available anytime!” Meteorologist Zhao Lixin shouted.

He previously made a weather vane while waiting in line, demonstrating both practical and design skills.
If the show needs props, he can go on stage!
With the call from these two older brothers, the other students also expressed their support.

Unlike the previous class meetings where I just watched for the spectacle, this time it came from the bottom of my heart.

"Thanks, guys!!"

Chen Luyang shouted in a hoarse voice.

In the corridor, a group of people finished washing up and went to bed.

Chen Luyang was really exhausted today; she lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and was about to fall asleep.

But the lively atmosphere of the room, which had just been filled with people, seemed to linger in the air, and none of the roommates went to sleep immediately.

Zhang Dongliang, in the next bunk, couldn't hold back any longer. He turned over and muttered under his breath:
"Xiao Chen, you're really amazing... Our dorm is practically turning into a temporary study room."

Tao Runze chimed in, "Absolutely! It's a good thing that Teacher Lian taught us in class before, otherwise it would be really difficult to understand just by listening to the original text."

Pan Yu lay on the lower bunk with her hands behind her head and said, "That's right~ But after listening to Xiao Chen's translation of the original text, it feels like even what the teacher said is much clearer now."

"I think we shouldn't call him Xiao Chen anymore, let's just call him Teacher Xiao Chen."

Chen Luyang, still half-asleep, suddenly widened her eyes.

"Come on! I can understand the original text, how does that make me a teacher!"

tsk...

After hearing this, the five older guys in the dorm felt even more heartbroken.

It means being able to understand the original work...

They struggle to even read English, while others can understand it immediately.

Although we are all freshmen, we are starting from completely different points!
The room fell silent for a moment.

As the room quieted down, a faint drowsiness mixed with complex emotions permeated the entire dormitory.

Gradually, everyone fell asleep.

……

quickly,

The second lesson on political economy has begun.

In the morning, Chen Luyang ate breakfast and then went with the guys from dormitory 421 to reserve a spot in the classroom.

To their surprise, the first few rows of the classroom were already full when they arrived.

Just as they resigned themselves to their fate and prepared to sit in the back, Gao Xiaolin in the second row waved her hand high at them.

"Class monitor, literature committee member! This!! I've reserved all the seats for you."

Oh my god?!
Chen Luyang, Tao Runze, and the others' eyes lit up, and an incredulous, happy smile appeared on the lips of the men.

Are you that happy?

There were even girls who offered to save seats for others?!

Even after the group of older men sat down in the second row, their sense of happiness hadn't quite settled in yet.
Gao Xiaolin reached out as if plucking cabbages, pulling Pan Yu, Wu Dechen, and Zhang Dongliang one by one, making them lean back and sit down.

The three people didn't understand, but they obeyed.

In an instant, the people separating Gao Xiaolin and Chen Luyang were all "cleared out." "Wenwei, I heard you gave a lecture to everyone in the dormitory last night?"

Chen Luyang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly explained, "It's not a lecture, it's just a brief explanation of the original text."

"Then why only tell the boys?" Gao Xiaolin feigned grievance. "We're both in the economics department, and we're in the same class. You can't be biased, can you?"

Chen Luyang was a little embarrassed: "They insisted on making me talk about it..."

"Then we'll drag you into this too, or we'll say you're discriminating against girls!" Gao Xiaolin said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Several girls nearby also rushed over, jokingly looking at Chen Luyang from all sides, making Chen Luyang's ears turn red.

"Yeah, Committee Member of the Arts Department, we got up early this morning to save seats for you. You can't just talk to the boys and not let us hear!"

Chen Luyang is having a bit of a headache.

Last night was an accident.

If Jiang Feng hadn't kindly asked me to copy the notes, and if I hadn't kindly pointed out the errors in the notes...

The story about discussing the original novel in the dorms later on will never happen.

He came to Peking University to study, and he doesn't even have enough time for himself, so how could he have time to lecture others over and over again?
"I'd like to tell you, but you can't come into the boys' dormitory!"

Helpless, Chen Luyang began to find excuses for herself.

"If we can't get in, you can just come out!" Gao Xiaolin wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by, and simply said:
"Don't we have a special classroom? Xiao Chen, why don't you give a lecture there tonight, and all the boys and girls in the class can listen? How about that?"

Before Chen Luyang could answer, the students of Economics Department (1) agreed one after another.

“That’s right! We have specialized classrooms, and there’s even a blackboard in the classrooms. When we talk about words, you can just write them on the blackboard instead of spelling them out verbally,” said Luo Jianmin, a doctor from the medical team.

Chen Luyang choked up, almost slapping himself to death.

It would have been better if I had just promised to explain it to the girls again!

That's great, they even made a classroom.

"Since the students have all spoken up, and if you trust me, I won't refuse."

Chen Luyang steeled her heart and agreed.

Even if the girls can't get into the boys' dorms, they can't stop the other boys from coming to their dorms to ask all sorts of questions.

Why don't we do it all together in the specialized classroom!
"Okay! After class, I'll tell our classmates that everyone should come to your lecture tonight!"

Tao Runze, acting as class monitor, cheerfully spoke up.

While the students in the Economics Department (1) class were having a small discussion, they gradually entered the classroom.

As the school bell rang, even the teacher walked into the classroom with a teacup in hand.

"Classmates, today we're going to talk about eating steamed buns."

Um?!?!?!

Upon hearing Teacher Lian's words, the students below the stage immediately became curious.

Teacher Lian said, "Imagine this: you're extremely hungry, and you eat your first steamed bun. How would that feel?"

A boy in the audience shouted, "It smells good!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Even the teacher laughed: "And the second one?"

The boy in the audience shouted, "It smells good too!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Luyang couldn't help but turn around with a smile.

Who? !
This guy is pretty interesting!

At the back of the classroom, a young man in his early twenties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, was interacting with Teacher Lian.

The young man looked thin and tall, with a long neck.

His hair was black and thick, parted in the middle and bursting out on both sides of his head like an explosion.

Thank goodness my hair was cut short; if it were longer, I don't know how scary it would have been.

Then Teacher Lian asked, "And what about the third one?"

The boy continued, "It smells good!"

The whole class burst into laughter.

Everyone's attention was focused on the boy, and they all turned around to look.

Even the teacher asked with a smile, and it wasn't until the eighth bun that the boy said, "I'll just eat this much, I want to drink some water."

"What if I let you eat the ninth one?"

"Spitting out..."

"And the tenth one?"

"Uncomfortable."

"And the eleventh?"

"...Teacher, I really can't eat eleven buns."

The whole class burst into laughter.

Even the teacher chuckled: "Fine, if you can't eat, you can't eat. Which department are you in?"

The tall young man said, “Teacher, I am Cui Shaojie from the Philosophy Department (3) class.”

Turning around, I saw that the teacher had drawn a parabola on the blackboard.

“Let’s take Cui Shaojie as an example. The first bun tastes the best. The eighth one is barely edible, the ninth one is choking, the tenth one is uncomfortable, and the eleventh one is unbearable.”

Teacher Lian turned around and pointed to the parabola on the blackboard, saying, "From the initial fragrance to the final discomfort, this curve represents the change in happiness from the first bun to the eleventh bun."

"This is the law of diminishing marginal utility."

After saying that, Teacher Lian wrote a few words on the blackboard with a "whoosh".

Immediately following, he wrote an English explanation below, the handwriting strong and slightly messy, but every word was written clearly.

"Has Chen Luyang arrived?"

Teacher Lian threw the chalk into the chalk box and looked at the densely packed group of students with black heads in the classroom.

Chen Luyang raised her hand and stood up.

"Read it." Teacher Lian said it so naturally, as if he were being asked to read 1+1=2.

Chen Luyang read it out calmly and clearly, in a relaxed and natural tone.

"What do you mean?" Teacher Lian asked.

Chen Luyang replied, "The law of diminishing marginal utility means that, under normal circumstances, when a person continuously consumes a certain good, the additional satisfaction brought by each additional unit will gradually decrease."

On the podium, Teacher Lian raised his thick, dark eyebrows, which resembled fiery clouds, without saying a word, but a clear hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes.

A few seconds later, he suddenly burst out laughing:
"Which dictionary did you memorize this from? You translated it more smoothly than we did in that short economics training course at Fudan University back then."

Teacher Lian didn't know if she wanted to test Chen Luyang or if she had just become interested.

He looked at Chen Luyang and asked again, "Then what is marginal utility?"

Chen Luyang was stunned for a moment!
We didn't talk about marginal utility in the last lesson!
Fortunately, he had done his homework at the library yesterday and had seen the concept of marginal utility in the book.

Otherwise, I would have stood there awkwardly in the classroom today, making a fool of myself.

Teacher Lian stood on the podium, watching Chen Luyang quickly lower her head and flip through Samuelson's original book, swiftly finding a line of text amidst the pages of English.

While reading, he translated:

Marginal utility refers to the additional satisfaction a consumer gains from consuming one more unit of a good or service, all other things being equal.

The students in the back row couldn't see the book Chen Luyang was reading and assumed he was reading from notes taken by older students.

But only those around Chen Luyang knew this.

He translated it directly from the original text, looking at the English words that seemed like gibberish.

Gao Xiaolin and several other girls stared wide-eyed.

(End of this chapter)