Chapter 033: First Negotiations

"To open an internet café now, the computers don't need to be top-notch—just good enough to run something like Legend of Mir. That's sufficient for the time being. After all, technology evolves quickly; when the current setup can't keep up, we can invest in new machines. If we look carefully at Bai Nao Hui, assembled machines should cost around three thousand each. Fifty of them would be about one hundred fifty thousand, but with some bargaining, one hundred twenty to one hundred thirty thousand should do," Zhang Tan said in a calm tone.

But to Tan Mingxia, this sounded like a thunderclap out of nowhere. "How much? One hundred twenty or thirty thousand? That would bankrupt us! Even if we sold our old house, it wouldn't cover a fraction of it!"

Zhang Quanshun also couldn't sit still. "No, no, opening an internet café isn't a good idea."

"Dad, Mom, it sounds like a lot, but it's all for hardware. The value is right there; we won't lose much. As long as we open the café, the money will flood in. Even if we don't make a profit, we can resell the computers and at most lose a few thousand, which the café license will make back in no time. Trust me, opening an internet café is a sure win."

"No, no, the computers are just too expensive."

"They really aren't. In fact, this year is the perfect time. Computers used to be extremely pricey, but this year, prices have plummeted. Hardware costs are a fraction of what they were."

Zhang Tan had done his homework; he wanted the family to open an internet café and had looked into everything carefully. This year, the hardware market had collapsed. Brand-name machines that used to cost over ten thousand were now going for just over four thousand. Assembled machines were even cheaper. Flat-screen monitors had dropped by more than a thousand. Memory had crashed in price too—SDRAM that sold for 385 in January was now down to seventy or eighty. Intel’s P4 bundle—4GHz boxed CPU, D850GB original motherboard, and 128 MB RDRAM—used to sell for 8,100 in January, now just 2,500.

The productivity of domestic copycat factories was beyond imagination, and with the price wars raging, computers had gone from being luxury goods to common household appliances practically overnight.

Now was the time to get into the business: catch the wave before internet café licenses were banned and ride the hardware price drop. It was the perfect opportunity.

But Tan Mingxia shook her head firmly. "Yangyang, maybe opening an internet café is profitable, but the risk is just too high. Buying the computers alone is one hundred twenty or thirty thousand, then there's rent, licenses, connections—all together it’s at least one hundred fifty thousand. If we lose, our family is finished."

Zhang Quanshun nodded in agreement.

Zhang Tan had nothing to say. His parents didn't have his knowledge of the future; the thought of spending one hundred fifty thousand killed any ambition they might have had.

After some thought, Zhang Tan lowered his expectations. "Dad, Mom, if you think that's too much, we can start small. Just buy twenty machines, and with seventy or eighty thousand, we can get the café up and running. How about that? Dad's severance from being laid off is thirty thousand, and now the government has small rural credit loans. We could borrow another fifty thousand..."

"We can't borrow from the bank," Zhang Quanshun shook his head immediately.

"Isn't the bank's microloan program meant for farmers? That's what the government wants," Zhang Tan said.

Zhang Quanshun and Tan Mingxia exchanged a glance and still shook their heads. "It's not possible. If we lose and can't repay, they'll seize the house."

"That's not how it works," Zhang Tan said, now growing a little frustrated. He hadn't expected his father, a former soldier, to have so little courage. His mother, who usually seemed assertive, became timid when it came to big decisions. Maybe this was just the limitation of rural mindsets—few dared to take real risks.

Zhang Tan didn't complain. Everyone had different aspirations. Perhaps for his parents, living a steady life and putting their two children through university was success enough. If he didn't have memories of the future, he too would be timid.

In his past life, he dreamed of being a writer, but drifted through each day aimlessly.

Such was the limitation of perspective.

...

Though Zhang Tan understood his parents' caution, he still couldn't give up this chance to change his family's quality of life. Writing novels could make money, but his harvest was yet to come. Besides, his parents were still young; he couldn't expect them to retire now. They needed something to do. Rather than toil away at exhausting jobs, it would be better to run an internet café and earn money with less effort.

After some thought, Zhang Tan suggested, "Dad, Mom, if you think it's too much, we can bring in relatives as partners. Fourth Aunt and Second Sister-in-law are about to be laid off from the cannery. They'll need something new too. If the three families pool their severance, that's just about enough to cover the startup costs."

With this, his parents began to waver. They weren't blind to the potential profits, but their old-fashioned thinking made them averse to borrowing money. If they didn't have to borrow, and could partner with relatives, the idea became much more appealing.

Once they started to waver, the rest was easy. With Zhang Tan's persistent persuasion, his parents finally agreed to open an internet café and decided to visit Fourth Aunt and Second Sister-in-law that evening to discuss the partnership.

But before that, Tan Mingxia hadn't forgotten something important—showing off.

First, they went to Grandfather's house. Since Grandmother had passed away, Grandfather lived alone, but his meals were provided by his sons in turn. He had four sons and one daughter. The daughter had married far away, and the four sons still lived nearby. Each son took a week to feed him, then it was the next one's turn.

Other than meals, Grandfather needed nothing from his children. As a retired cadre from the commune, his pension alone was around one or two thousand a month, and there were rumors the government planned to raise pensions for retired officials. Occasionally, he would help his children financially and was very generous to his grandchildren, often giving them pocket money.

When Zhang Tan was in school, Grandfather gave him eighty yuan...

When Zhang Tan handed over the tonic and the set of scholar's tools, Grandfather's face was filled with astonishment. He opened Stories of Today and Ancient Times, pondered for a while, then said, "Yangyang is truly talented. I should never have named you Zhang Tan, but Zhang Feiyang—like the wind rising and the clouds flying high. Yangyang is the treasure tree of our family!"

In the Eastern Jin, the Xie family had a treasure tree; now, the old Zhang family has one too.

Having praised Zhang Tan's abilities, Grandfather gladly accepted the gifts and, feeling excited, had Zhang Tan help him grind the ink and write a large calligraphy piece.

"Set your sights high."

"Early in the year of Xin Si, gifted to my grandson Zhang Tan."

"Zhang Henong's inscription."

After putting down the brush, Grandfather Zhang Henong smiled and asked, "Can you understand it?"

Since Grandfather was in high spirits, Zhang Tan played along. He recited, "One should set lofty ambitions and emulate the sages, shun stagnation, let aspirations be clear, feel deeply, endure hardship, discard trivialities, seek counsel widely, and avoid pettiness. Even if there are delays, what harm is there to noble pursuits? What fear is there of failure?"

These words come from Zhuge Liang's Admonition to His Nephew, encouraging his nephew Zhuge Ke.

From then on, "set your sights high" became the most common phrase elders used to inspire their juniors.

Satisfied with Zhang Tan's answer, Zhang Henong asked, "What about the inscription?"

"Xin Si year—according to the heavenly stems and earthly branches, 'Si' is the Snake; this is the Year of the Snake. Chu Shang means the seventh lunar month."

Under Grandfather's influence, Zhang Tan had studied calligraphy for a while. In ancient China, when inscribing calligraphy or paintings, people loved to use poetic or obscure terms for months instead of simply writing 'July.' If you didn't study calligraphy, you wouldn't know which term referred to which month.

Even more obscure were the cyclical years—Xin Si year could also be called Chongguang or Dahuangluo, ancient names where the Jupiter cycle is in Xin (Chongguang) or Si (Dahuangluo).

As for why the seventh month is called Chu Shang, Zhang Tan mused that in ancient times, 'Shang' was a star name, referring to the Heart Mansion of the Twenty-Eight Mansions; the "fire" in the phrase "the fire star flows in July and clothes are bestowed in September" refers to one of the bright stars in the Heart Mansion, not Mars.

As this star moves across the sky, the months are named accordingly: Chu Shang for July, Zhong Shang for August, Mu Shang for September.

"Good, your skills have improved."

After testing Zhang Tan, Grandfather Zhang Henong was very pleased. Once the ink dried, he rolled up the calligraphy and gifted it to Zhang Tan, finally letting Zhang Tan and his mother leave.

Mother and son, their next stop, continued on to show off at the uncles’ homes.

...