Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 123 The 8086 microcomputer is out! Let's open a department office factory!

Northwestern Polytechnical University, Teaching Building No. 1, Class 5381.

At the classroom door, a crowd had gathered in layers. The homeroom teacher, Yu Zhi, frowned: "Hey, what are you all doing? Disperse, disperse! What's all this commotion about?"

"Wow, the screen is so big, it must be at least 17 inches, right?"

"What 17 inches? This is 21 inches! 21 inches!"

No one paid any attention to Yu Zhi; there was only the sound of countless people talking.

Yu Zhi was even more curious. 21 inches? What's that? A television? Impossible. The largest television in China is only 14 inches. Our Northwestern Polytechnical University's administration office has one, which is usually locked in a cabinet and only carefully taken out when needed...

"There's sound!"

"It's in the picture! Wow, and it's in color!"

Just then, a voice came from inside.

"Good morning, viewers. This is the evening news program. Today's main topics include..."

It really is... a television!

Yu Zhi took a deep breath: "Excuse me, excuse me, I'm the homeroom teacher of Class 5381!"

Only then did the students who had been watching notice Yu Zhi and quickly made way for her. Yu Zhi looked at one side of the classroom blackboard, where a temporary iron frame had been welded, and the television was mounted on it. Its size... was really big, even bigger than the New Year's picture hanging at home!
Clearly, very clearly! This color TV?

"Where did the color TV come from?" Yu Zhi frowned.

"Teacher, Qin Liang bought these for this trip abroad," Tang Changhong, as the class monitor, quickly stepped forward to introduce.

Sure enough, it was Qin Liang again. Only Qin Liang has this ability!

"Qin Liang bought it? Why isn't it at his house?"

"Qin Liang said that this color TV will be placed in our classroom so that we can listen to the news and learn about national events. We can also use it for any activities we have..."

Yu Zhi had mixed feelings. She wasn't worried about scarcity, but rather about inequality. Having this big color TV in our class would cause problems later…

"Teacher Yu, it's such a waste to keep such a big color TV in your classroom. Why not put it on the first floor and turn it on in front of the teaching building every night so that everyone can watch it?"

"That's right!"

Yu Zhi's face darkened: "This color TV was bought by Qin Liang. He said it would be placed in the classroom, so it's placed in the classroom. If you want to watch it, figure it out yourselves! If you want to watch it, then watch it quietly here. If you keep making noise, go back to your own classroom!"

The students immediately behaved.

Yu Zhi sighed inwardly. These students were easy to fool, but it would be a different story if other leaders or directors came to ask for them. Qin Liang had really set a big problem for her! "Hey, a color TV? Your Class 5381 has achieved its goal of becoming well-off ahead of schedule!" Just then, a voice came from the doorway.

Yu Zhi looked over and thought to herself, "Someone's here so quickly!"
"Director Meng, this television was a gift from Qin Liang to our Class 5381. Our class is so proud to have such an outstanding student as Qin Liang. This television is the best gift Qin Liang could leave for our Class 5381. As you know, although Qin Liang is a student in our class, he's often not in class. From now on, when everyone sees this television, they'll think of him..."

Now that things have come to this point... if you still shamelessly insist on asking for more, that would be going too far!

"Hmm? Teacher Yu, we're here to see Qin Liang," Director Meng said. "We heard he's back. Perfect timing, our 8086 microcomputer has also been developed, and we'd like to invite him to take a look..."

We promised a year back then, and now, it's been done in less than six months! Over the past six months, our mathematics department and electronics department have worked closely together, day and night... Of course, the books on microcomputers that Qin Liang brought back last time played a crucial role!
Since acquiring those books, their research and development has been on the fast track. In addition, with the source code of the S/370 operating system still available, they studied it, simplified it, and created the operating system for the microcomputer in front of them!
"Really? That's great news! What are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!"

Director Meng shuddered, turned around, and saw a young man with a ruddy complexion.

"Qin Liang! You're finally back! Let's go!"

Looking at Qin Liang's slightly swaying body and smelling the strong odor in the air, Yu Zhi frowned. How much had Qin Liang drunk?

First, the computer room.

Ten computers were lined up on a long table.

A horizontal computer case with a small 12-inch monitor perched on top, a keyboard in front, and even a mouse next to the keyboard!
Hmm, this computer finally gives people a modern feeling!
"Qin Liang, there are two buttons on the computer case, one big and one small. The big button is the power button, and the small button is the reset button. Apart from these two, there are no other buttons on our computer. We operate everything using the keyboard. As for the mouse... since we are using the computer for design, a mouse is provided. Once the matching design software is developed, we can use the mouse." Zhu Xianghua excitedly explained to Qin Liang from the side.

Beep! With a crisp sound, the self-test passed, and countless characters appeared on the screen. A minute later, the screen remained in the command prompt state.

"Excellent, excellent!" Qin Liang said, "This is what a modern computer should be like. Next, we'll develop application software... By the way, our department should also start setting up a department-run factory! And the Department of Electronic Engineering deserves credit for this; we can also bring them in as partners..."

Is it a department-run factory?

Everyone present was stunned.

Director Meng smiled wryly: "Qin Liang, our university is, after all, just a research institution. We don't have the capacity for large-scale production. We've already reported this microcomputer to the authorities, and we expect... quite a few electronics factories will be interested..."

Qin Liang's face changed instantly: "Director Meng, you've already submitted the project report? You've awarded the project to the electronics factory. How much are they planning to pay for our design drawings?"

"Well...we're all brothers..."

"Director Meng! Times have changed!" Qin Liang was speechless. It was really too difficult to get these old academics in the university to grasp the concept of a market economy!
"Now it's a market economy. Our university's research and development costs money, but the higher-ups aren't allocating a single penny. Without the chips I coordinated, could our project even start? And now, after the project is completed, we have to provide them to other electronics factories for free? Director Meng, what benefits will our mathematics department get? Praise from higher-ups? What good is praise? Our mathematics department is still struggling, isn't it? If we want to build a computer lab in the future, we probably won't even be able to afford the computers ourselves!"

"Well... we were just thinking about the whole country working together as a whole. We're providing computer technology so that more research institutions in China can use microcomputers and improve our country's overall scientific research capabilities..." Director Meng said somewhat embarrassedly.

Qin Liang sneered: "Our Fifth Department is going to build its own teaching building and a wind tunnel laboratory. It's not easy to get funding from higher authorities. Why not do it ourselves and be self-sufficient? Once our building is finished, every class can have a big color TV! Your First Department has a noble style and is selfless. You'll have to live a miserable life from now on!"

You old professors, show some magnanimity and let the whole department suffer with you!

(End of this chapter)