Chapter 8: Times of Hardship

Listening to Su Qiao's words, Chen Xiao chuckled and disregarded him, proceeding to the examination room alone.

Being a person in their thirties, the concerns of teenagers didn't affect Chen Xiao much.

During the afternoon English test, Chen Xiao effortlessly tackled the multiple-choice questions, cloze passages, and reading comprehension, as if it were child's play.

Even the English composition posed no challenge. The task was to assume the role of Li Hua and write a letter to an American friend, introducing the weather and tourist attractions in Jiangcheng.

As expected, the English test felt like a breeze for Chen Xiao, who had been proficient in English even before his rebirth.

He finished the exam in less than 40 minutes, leaving an hour before submitting his paper, as required by the college entrance examination.

After the first day of examinations, high school students enjoyed a rare break. The following two days, Saturday and Sunday, were free from classes, allowing them to relax at home.

Instead of going straight home after the exam, Chen Xiao headed to the internet café near the school to search for information.

During this era, internet cafés were not as formalized as they would become in the future. They were more like computer rooms, with about seven or eight dimly lit computers. Most of them ran on the WIN95 system, while a few used WIN98.

Accessing the internet involved an antiquated process of calling and dialing, with excruciatingly slow dial-up speeds.

Even if someone could access Google, it was uncertain whether the search engine included phone numbers of integrated circuit manufacturers in Jiangyang Province.

Chen Xiao stared at the bulky 15-inch monitor, realizing that he had underestimated the difficulty of searching for information using the computer. He hadn't considered the option of dialing 114 to check the yellow pages.

As students left the school one by one, an odd scene unfolded in the computer room.

Out of the eight computers, seven were occupied by gamers, leaving Chen Xiao as the sole person with a web page open, seemingly idle.

Behind Chen Xiao, several students impatiently waited for their turn to go online and enjoy half an hour or an hour of fun before heading home.

"You still can't get online, brother? What's the holdup?" a young man in his twenties with unkempt hair couldn't help but ask.

Chen Xiao stood up and gave up his seat, saying, "Go ahead and play."

The owner of the computer room nodded and remarked, "You still have forty-five minutes left. I won't refund your money if you leave now."

The shaggy-haired young man was overjoyed. He patted Chen Xiao on the shoulder and said, "You remind me of my younger brother today. I'll treat you next time."

With that, the shaggy-haired man launched Red Alert 95, selected the United States, and went all out against seven opponents.

In this era, the youth of Xia Guo held a certain admiration and envy for the United States.

Chen Xiao borrowed paper and a pen from the owner and made a call to 114, seeking information about integrated circuit manufacturers in Jiangyang Province. He discovered that there was an integrated circuit factory in Jiangzhou, the provincial capital, located over 40 kilometers away from Jiangcheng. The factory specialized in manufacturing DVD OEM equipment motherboards.

As long as the motherboard could be produced, with the necessary raw materials and equipment, there should be no problem.

Chen Xiao had come across a joke on the internet, where it seemed that Big Brother Jackie Chan endorsed this product. However, in this era, such jokes didn't exist, and Jackie Chan was still a highly popular star.

Following the guidance of 114, Chen Xiao jotted down the factory's name and phone number, planning to visit it the next day using the bus.

Upon returning home that evening, although Chen Qiang and Lin Hui didn't say anything, Chen Xiao could sense the tension in the atmosphere.

After dinner, Chen Xiao retreated to his dormitory and unintentionally overheard his parents' conversation.

Chen Qiang was currently suspended from work, and he had nothing to do until the machine was repaired. The thought of not being able to earn money while his child was about to go to college weighed heavily on Chen Qiang, causing his hair to turn gray from worry.

Chen Xiao truly wished that his parents could relax at home and not worry about work. He believed that he could earn a substantial amount of money in a short time.

However, considering his father's pride, Chen Xiao understood that it needed to be a gradual process.

Once he entered college, gained independence, and had his own space, he could start a business or make money. Only then would his father be able to enjoy a comfortable life.

For now, the most important thing was to help Chen Qiang regain his confidence and self-esteem.

Early the next morning, Chen Xiao left for the city library, claiming that he was going out at six o'clock.

The bus fare was 50 cents, and the bumpy journey took an hour and a half before Chen Xiao arrived in Jiangzhou.

More than ten years later, a high-speed rail line connecting Jiangcheng and Jiangzhou would be established, reducing the travel time to less than ten minutes.

Jiangzhou Delong Technology Co., Ltd. was a local enterprise in Jiangzhou. The owner, a native of Jiangzhou, had worked in a Taiwanese-owned company in the past before venturing into his own business. The company primarily focused on manufacturing integrated circuits.

Delong's main operation involved producing motherboards for various domestic VCD and DVD manufacturers.

In 1999, the official VCD market had reached its peak, while the DVD market was rising in popularity. The competition within the VCD market resembled the saturated mobile phone market, with an abundance of participants.

Notably, Aiduo had achieved an output value of 200 million in 1996, which grew to 1.6 billion in 1997. It then secured a deal with CCTV worth 210 million, solidifying its position as a market leader. These figures highlighted the profitability and allure of the market.

However, neither Aiduo, Xianke, nor Malata foresaw that it wouldn't be other VCD or DVD brands that would bring about the demise of VCD and DVD, but rather computers, tablets, set-top boxes, and smart TVs. These new technologies would deal a fatal blow to the market.

Upon disembarking from the bus, Chen Xiao took a two-yuan tricycle ride, eventually arriving at the Delong factory.

As he took a few steps forward, he was halted by a security guard who barked, "What are you doing? This is a factory, you can't just enter!"