Chapter 70: Radio Technology

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Radio Technology

The young middleman carefully savored the words. Different concepts were separated by larger headings, mapping out a clear and logical structure. The explanations were so accessible that even an academic underachiever like him could understand them.

After the resumption of the college entrance examination was announced, the middleman had bought a set of textbooks to read through. Ultimately, he accepted that he wasn’t cut out for studying and gave up.

But even he knew that these seven books could only have been compiled by a genius. If he sold them, they would easily double his current savings.

In this era, the college entrance examination required every candidate to test in politics, Chinese, and mathematics. Liberal arts students were also tested on history and geography, while science students took physics and chemistry.

As it happened, Deng Yuyuan was an exceptional student who excelled in every single subject.

Back then, she had relied on her photographic memory and unparalleled comprehension to get into a top university, graduating in the top ten for both her GPA and comprehensive assessment. If it hadn’t been for certain incidents later on, she would have pursued further studies instead of working at a major tech company.

"Well? Pretty good, isn’t it?" Deng Yuyuan asked the silent middleman with a smile.

"How do you plan to sell them?" the middleman asked, his voice low and hoarse.

"For this kind of book that you can easily find a way to print, I naturally won’t sell it to you per copy. I want a commission. For every copy you sell, I want thirty percent of the profit. That shouldn’t be too much to ask, right? However, it’s best to limit their distribution to the town. I’ve already given a copy to my juniors in the countryside," Deng Yuyuan said.

"Not at all." The middleman carefully gathered the seven books and wrapped them back in the cloth. "What if I buy the rights outright?"

"Outright?" Deng Yuyuan paused, her soft gaze turning sharp. "Give me a reason."

"These seven books are enough for aimless candidates to properly prepare." The middleman seemed to find it hard to speak. "I have my own selfish motives, too. If they aren’t distributed, then only the few candidates who possess them will have a major advantage."

Deng Yuyuan understood. "You have family members taking the exam too? The impact these seven books can have is limited. They can help a candidate bump up their level slightly, but what’s more important is self-discipline and intelligence."

"Just see if you can name a buyout price." The middleman completely sidestepped her question. "I can accept a high price."

"Five thousand," Deng Yuyuan said, gesturing with her hand, which was still clad in a cotton glove.

She and the middleman went way back. They had made a lot of money together, and their disguises had evolved from wearing homemade cloth mittens to proper gloves. Five thousand was a very reasonable price, though in this era, it sounded excessively expensive.

"Alright, deal." The middleman agreed without hesitation, handing the seven books back to her. "I’ll bring the money to you at this time tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding." Even if Deng Yuyuan hadn’t wanted to sell them outright, he would have still done business with her.

"It’s nothing, we’re all here to make money," Deng Yuyuan reassured him. "An outright buyout makes things easier for me, too." With a commission model, she would have no way of verifying the middleman’s sales figures; it would rely entirely on his conscience.

"Have you ever thought about working in a bigger place?" Deng Yuyuan suddenly asked. She posed this question not from the perspective of a business partner, but as a friend. "The policies are relaxing now. There’s no need to keep playing small here. I can tell you have a solid foundation of connections."

"Actually, I’ve already gotten a truck driver’s license. I plan to start transporting goods first and see where things go from there," the middleman confessed his plans to this older middle-aged woman. "If I said my goal was Beijing, would you think I was dreaming the impossible?"

"I have a lot of faith in you. In the future, when I go to Beijing to visit my juniors in college, I can even bring you some local specialties from our hometown," Deng Yuyuan joked.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." The middleman laughed heartily, almost dropping his disguised voice in the process. He coughed lightly and went back to being silent.

Deng Yuyuan headed back the way she came, carrying the seven books on her back as she scaled wall after wall.

The middleman’s mouth twitched. No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn’t help but marvel at how agile this peasant woman was. To be able to produce these seven books, she really wasn’t just an ordinary peasant woman. She might even be some retired big shot!

The resonant sound of reading aloud drifted from the Knowledge Youth Institute, where the youths were gathered in groups of two or three to study.

After the village chief learned of the rusticated youths’ needs, he had reassigned them to easier tasks. Furthermore, three youths were allowed to stay behind at the Knowledge Youth Institute each day, and their work hours were adjusted to start and end earlier. Although they earned fewer work points, their two years of savings were enough to tide them over during this period.

Seeing Deng Yuyuan return, they immediately rushed over with their books to ask her questions. The difficult problems that had left several of them arguing until they were blue in the face were effortlessly solved the moment Deng Yuyuan explained them.

"Oh my god, Xiao Yuan, you’re definitely going to get into a university this time. Which one are you applying for?" Tian Tian asked her.

"Jinghua University," Deng Yuyuan replied.

"That might be difficult, but you can definitely do it. I heard that university admissions are a blind application process this time. The rest of us all chose regular universities close to home. We aren’t as bold as you, so do your best!" Tian Tian patted her on the shoulder.

The other rusticated youths breathed a huge sigh of relief. Since Deng Yuyuan wasn’t choosing the same universities as them, she wouldn’t be a competitor. This was fantastic! Otherwise, having such an outstanding youth aiming for the same goal would have put them under a massive amount of pressure.

Deng Yuyuan, meanwhile, returned to her room to study. She was reading up on research regarding signals and mobile phone chips. Having transmigrated, how could she not have any ambitions? She was going to build China’s first mobile phone.

The world’s first mobile phone had already been invented, but it wouldn’t be put into production until the 1980s and would be exorbitantly expensive. The nation was surely aware of the news about mobile phones. If she could independently produce one in the 80s and secure a patent, it would not only guarantee her wealth and prosperity for the rest of her life, but it also wouldn’t draw too much unwanted attention.

Deng Yuyuan didn’t want to be a great scientist living a life of anonymity; she just wanted to live a good, quiet life with Tuantuan. Before the popularization of touchscreen smartphones, the mobile phone industry—much like the current real estate industry—was in a state where people underestimated its utility, making it the perfect avenue to quietly make a fortune. In the future, when the new wave overtook the old in the mobile phone industry, she could even switch to her favorite field—the gaming industry—and continue designing and publishing indie games.

Deng Yuyuan used her AI smart customer service to check the current university majors and zeroed in on radio technology. In her previous life, she had majored in computer science, so switching to radio technology in this life wouldn’t be a bad move.

It was the major most closely and directly related to communication technology at the time. A mobile phone consisted of two main cores: the "radio frequency" for transmitting and receiving wireless signals, and the "baseband" for signal processing. This fell perfectly within the research scope of the major, which would provide the perfect cover to rationalize her research into mobile phones.

Deng Yuyuan buried herself in her studies until it started getting late. She then got up and headed to Zhang Guolin’s house to pick up Tuantuan and Gou Ya.

In just one short day, Tuantuan had an absolute blast at Uncle Zhang’s house, and even Gou Ya had warmed up to everyone considerably.