Wen Ci tilted her head and thought seriously for a moment before saying, “It’s not entirely impossible. After all, once we go to the Northern Shaanxi Military District, we won’t have any contact with Su Wanqing.”
“Should I ask then?”
Wen Ci shook her head.
Even though she said it was possible, Su Wanqing probably wouldn’t agree to teach someone how to use a computer. Besides, it was still unknown whether Wen Yaozu had any talent for learning computers.
If he was too slow, teaching him would be extremely troublesome.
Wen Ci said earnestly, “It’s better to hire a professor from Tsinghua or Peking University to teach him. Educators, especially professors, usually have the patience to teach students.”
Suddenly, Wen Yaozu thought of something and spoke hesitantly, “What if I can’t learn how to use the computer? Wouldn’t that be a waste of money?”
“You haven’t even started learning yet, how do you know you won’t be able to?”
…
In the afternoon, staff from the telecommunications company came to the house to install the internet line. Wen Ci took the opportunity to ask, “Comrade, I’d like to ask, can mobile phones be used normally in places like the remote northwest?”
Huo Jingyuan’s eyelids lowered slightly. “You want to buy a mobile phone?”
Wen Ci explained, “Yesterday, Yaozu and I went to the mall to shop and discuss business. We found the mall was running a promotion—buy a mobile phone and get a pager for free.”
As she spoke, the corners of her mouth turned up. “The free pager is even last year’s new model.”
The telecommunications worker asked, “It depends on the specific location in the northwest. In places like deep mountains, old forests, or uninhabited deserts, it won’t work.”
Wen Ci’s heart sank.
It seemed it wouldn’t work out. The Northwest Military District was far away, and the uninhabited desert was the only route to get there.
Huo Jingyuan said calmly, “It should be usable in military districts, right?”
No matter how remote the Northwest Military District was, it still had a communications unit, which meant signals could be received within its area.
“Even the most remote military districts have signals.”
Wen Ci couldn’t suppress the joy at the corner of her eyes.
“But!” The telecommunications worker’s tone suddenly changed. “To use a mobile phone within the military district, you first need permission to access the military district’s signal.”
Wen Ci asked, “File a request?”
“Yes.”
Wen Ci: “…”
It was better not to have mentioned it. Filing a request with higher-ups would be necessary. In the Northwest Military District, Huo Jingyuan was just one of many regiment commanders.
If his wife used a mobile phone worth tens of thousands, it would definitely affect his chances of promotion.
The telecommunications worker continued installing the line while saying, “A mobile phone requires at least three thousand yuan in network fees annually. It’s not recommended for the northwest. You could consider getting a landline instead.”
The house assigned to Huo Jingyuan in the northwest was equipped with a landline.
After listening to the telecommunications worker’s advice, Wen Ci decided against buying a mobile phone for now. In a few years, button phones would likely become available.
Two hours later.
A desk had been added to the living room, with a large computer monitor sitting on it. Wen Yaozu looked left and right, then asked, “Uncle, can I touch it?”
It was his first time seeing such a novel device.
There weren’t even pictures in books showing what a computer looked like.
“Not yet. We have to wait for the internet connection to be successfully established.”
“Okay!”
Wen Yaozu nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining as he stared fixedly at the LCD screen. “This looks a bit like a television.”
“This is called a monitor. Its principle is similar to that of a television.”
“Is it also operated with a remote control?”
“No, with a keyboard and mouse.”
Wen Yaozu tilted his head. “What are those?”
He had only heard his teacher mention computers but had never heard about keyboards and mice.
Leave a Reply