I'm back in 1990

Chapter 169: Technological advancements will change people's lives

After helping Jiang Bixing move the soda, Huang Xiaochuan planned to leave.

Seeing that Huang Xiaochuan was about to leave, Jiang Bixing called out, "Hey, hey, aren't you alright? Then don't go."

Huang Xiaochuan, thinking Jiang Bixing was going to order him around again, immediately expressed his dissatisfaction: "Hey senior, you can't just keep ordering me around like this, can you?"

"I don't have any work for you. I mean, you're not really busy, right? How about we have a drink here tonight and celebrate Motherland's birthday together? I have two bottles of ten-year-old Gujinggong liquor that I've been saving for a while. Let's each have one tonight."

When Huang Xiaochuan heard that Jiang Bixing was inviting him to dinner, he figured he didn't have anything else to do that evening, so he agreed.

"Senior, you should have said so earlier! I thought you were going to treat me like Yang Bailao (a character from a Chinese folktale known for his poverty)! But I can't hold my liquor as well as you, so I'll drink as much as I can."

However, after glancing around, Huang Xiaochuan asked, "You only have wine, where's the food?"

Jiang Bixing pointed to the things in the warehouse: "Aren't peanuts and sausages enough?"

Huang Xiaochuan waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, alright, you can keep these things and sell them for money. I'll go out and buy some cooked dishes. You provide the wine, and I'll provide the food."

After saying that, Huang Xiaochuan rode his bicycle to the market to buy cooked vegetables. It was the perfect time, as the cooked vegetable stalls had just opened.

Huang Xiaochuan bought some cooked dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables, and also had a small restaurant near the school gate deliver a few stir-fried dishes. When Huang Xiaochuan arrived at Jiang Bixing's warehouse, Jiang had already set up a folding table, laid out bowls and chopsticks, brought out the wine, and opened a bag of spiced peanuts, just waiting for Huang Xiaochuan's food.

The folding table wasn't big, but it was filled with dishes. Jiang Bixing found two small bowls from somewhere, wiped them with the hem of his clothes, and started pouring wine.

Huang Xiaochuan protested, "Can't you at least find some water to wash yourself?"

Jiang Bixing poured the wine into his glass and said, "Why all the fuss? Wine is for disinfection. It's been a long time since I've drunk with you. Let's have a drink first."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed the small bowl of wine in one gulp.

Fortunately, the bowl wasn't big, and the wine in it was only about 1.5 ounces. Huang Xiaochuan was from a wine-producing region, so he couldn't lose in terms of momentum, right?

He also took a big gulp and drank the wine in the small bowl in one go.

The wine is truly excellent; it goes down smoothly and leaves a long, lingering aftertaste.

Huang Xiaochuan divided the two braised pig's trotters among themselves, and without even using chopsticks, they grabbed them with their hands and started gnawing on them. They were so damn delicious!

Before long, two bowls of wine were downed. That's men for you! After a few rounds of drinks and a few dishes, they start talking more.

Jiang Bixing is a senior now, and he'll be graduating and being assigned a job next year. Huang Xiaochuan asked him, "Senior, we won't have a chance to drink together this time next year. You should be working by then. I wonder where you'll be assigned?"

Jiang Bixing rubbed the peanut skins between his fingers, then casually tossed the peanut into his mouth, chewed it, swallowed it, and then spoke.

"Who knows! Job assignments after graduation are like hitting the jackpot. Someone like me, who usually gets by with preferential treatment in exams, can forget about staying at the university. Besides, the academic requirements for staying at the university are high now. I probably won't get into a big city either. I'll probably be assigned to a small county town, which isn't bad! A cup of tea and a newspaper to pass the day, simple and peaceful is always the best!"

Huang Xiaochuan sensed the resentment in Jiang Bixing's voice, but there was nothing Huang Xiaochuan could do to help. How could Huang Xiaochuan possibly interfere with matters like job assignments after graduation?

Huang Xiaochuan clinked his bowl against Jiang Bixing's: "Nine out of a billion people are business people, and the remaining one hundred million are dancing. If you really can't stand it, why don't you take a leave of absence without pay?"

In the 1990s, society shifted from a craze for diplomas to a craze for business. To encourage their employees to go into business, government agencies and enterprises at all levels formulated a policy of unpaid leave. The unit would retain your position but stop paying your salary, allowing you to freely try your luck in the business world. Whether you could make money depended on your luck and ability. However, most people who went into business failed, and only a very few made a name for themselves and made money.

Fortunately, they can still go back to work, but those who used to hold positions will become ordinary soldiers, although their salaries and benefits will remain the same.

This method inspired many people in enterprises, institutions, and government agencies to take the plunge into the business world. A newspaper even published a report about a deputy mayor of a prefecture-level city who took a leave of absence without pay to start his own business. What happened to him afterward is unknown.

If government agencies and enterprises were like this, then there were even more ordinary people who wanted to do business. So during this period, there were a lot of companies affiliated with large collectives, and a lot of people applied for individual business licenses. This doesn't even include the vendors who didn't have any licenses. For example, the famous Wenzhou glasses merchant used to walk the streets with just a wooden box.

After clinking bowls with Huang Xiaochuan, Jiang Bixing took a big gulp of water and said, "We'll see about that later!"

"Xiao Chuan, at the economic seminar a few days ago, you mentioned that people's shopping habits might change with the development of technology. You only mentioned it briefly, and then you didn't go into details. Could you tell me more about it?"

Huang Xiaochuan was busy eating smoked fish when Jiang Bixing asked him this question. He put down the fish and said, "Actually, this is a phenomenon that arises after productivity increases. I read an article in the library that mentioned people abroad using television for shopping. Before the invention of television, who would have thought that television could be used for shopping?"

Jiang Bixing was taken aback; it was the first time he had ever heard of a television being used to buy things.

Seeing that Jiang Bixing was somewhat puzzled, Huang Xiaochuan patiently explained: "In 1984, there was an old lady in England who sat in her chair at home and placed an order on the TV using her TV remote. She bought jam, corn chips, and eggs, and soon after, someone delivered these goods to the old lady's home."

"The author of that article said that this service was invented to care for the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled. It's a closed computer network, similar to closed-circuit television in our schools. What does this invention show? It shows that technology can change lives and people's lifestyles."

"Senior, have you ever imagined shopping from the comfort of your home?"

Jiang Bixing shook his head: "How could you have imagined that? Many families in our country don't even have a television, let alone TV shopping?"

"Hahaha! Senior, televisions will be in every household soon, just you wait and see!"

Jiang Bixing still didn't believe it, but Huang Xiaochuan was unwilling to say anything more. There were some things that were not convenient to talk about right now, and saying too much might not be a good thing.

Televisions are not yet widespread in China, let alone computers or the internet. Until China's infrastructure for the internet and logistics reaches a certain scale, these things are just a pipe dream.

Besides, Huang Xiaochuan had no intention of personally getting into e-commerce. There are plenty of other ways to make money. He might be willing to invest, but he didn't think he had the ability to personally manage it.

"In short, with the development of technology, people's lifestyles will be changed. In ancient times, it would take at least a month to travel from Shanghai to Beijing, right? Now? It only takes about twenty hours by train, and even faster by plane. Did the ancients ever imagine this would happen?"

"Senior, you need to broaden your thinking. Didn't you read any science fiction novels or stories about the future when you were in elementary or middle school?"

"How could I not have seen it? I remember there was a comic book that said that in the future, an apple could grow as big as a football, every family would have robots to do housework, and cars would be self-driving and wouldn't have wheels."

"That's right, it seems to be called 'Little Smarty's Journey to the Future'."