Chapter 5

Before leaving home, Zhang Chen didn’t wear his school uniform. Instead, he put on a slightly mature-looking jacket and a pair of khaki休闲 pants, and wore a pair of leather shoes that belonged to Zhang Guoqiang. Although he still looked young, after shaving off the fuzz on his upper lip, he could pass for being eighteen or nineteen without being questioned.

When Zhang Chen arrived at the Qinghe Electronics Market, it was only around 8:10. The market opened at 9:00, and most of the vendors didn’t start their business until 9:30 or 10:00. Therefore, Zhang Chen first went to a newsstand to buy a copy of Computer Weekly and a pack of Hongmei cigarettes. He then walked to a small hair salon that had just opened to get a haircut.

In the 1990s, hair salons didn’t have the fancy decorations of later times, and this one was no exception. The cramped room had two swivel chairs, with half-length mirrors in front of them and a small table below, where hairdressing tools like clippers, scissors, and a hairdryer were placed.

Posters of female celebrities and trendy hairstyles cut out from magazines like SH Fashion were hung on the walls.

"Get a haircut," Zhang Chen said to the salon owner as he entered.

"What kind of haircut?" The salon owner, holding a cigarette, asked Zhang Chen casually from his chair.

"A buzz cut," Zhang Chen replied, lighting a cigarette himself.

"A buzz cut?" The salon owner looked up at Zhang Chen, "I’ve never heard of it. I only do regular crew cuts and high and tight cuts."

"..." Zhang Chen had forgotten that the buzz cut wasn’t popular yet. He said helplessly to the owner, "Alright, just give me a regular crew cut, and I’ll tell you how to do it halfway through."

"If it goes wrong, don’t blame me," the salon owner said suspiciously, looking at Zhang Chen. "Three yuan for the haircut," he added.

"Got it, just start with the crew cut," Zhang Chen said, sitting down confidently.

At that time, haircuts didn’t include washing the hair. The salon owner used a small spray bottle to wet Zhang Chen’s hair and then started cutting with the clippers.

While getting his haircut, Zhang Chen read the Computer Weekly to familiarize himself with the hardware configurations of the era. As the haircut neared completion, Zhang Chen instructed the owner to cut the hair on the sides of his head as short as possible and to use the thinning shears to cut the hair on top more frequently. This way, the haircut wouldn’t have the harsh lines of a traditional crew cut and would look softer.

After finishing, the owner kept saying, "The most popular style now is the high and tight. Your hairstyle doesn’t look good at all; girls won’t like it."

Zhang Chen shrugged, took out three yuan, and threw it to the owner. He then asked the owner to get a basin of hot water to wash his hair, but he didn’t use the styling gel the owner recommended.

After getting his haircut, Zhang Chen returned to the electronics market. By then, the market had opened, and the vendors were gradually starting their business. Zhang Chen went to each stall according to his memory, inquiring about prices at different stands.

Stopping at stall B-132, Zhang Chen saw a fat man sitting inside, playing the game Command & Conquer, which had just come out last year, with the volume turned up loud. The stall was filled with boxes of computer components.

The fat man was named Liu Ming, one of Zhang Chen’s partners in the computer assembly business in his previous life and a well-informed person in the market. He knew all the channels for purchasing components and could get relatively low prices.

Most importantly, he was a good person and didn’t cheat customers.

"Boss, do you have a configuration list? Give me one," Zhang Chen said as he approached the stall.

"Hey, wait a moment," Liu Ming paused the game, looked at Zhang Chen, and saw that he was just a kid, immediately losing interest. Kids visiting the electronics market weren’t uncommon, but no one would buy a computer just for a kid, and the ones who paid were the parents. So Liu Ming casually threw a configuration list to Zhang Chen and continued playing the game.

Zhang Chen smiled, took the list, and read it carefully.

In early 1996, Intel’s Pentium processors had already taken a significant share of the market, and traditional 486 computers were gradually becoming obsolete. The pre-built compatible machines on Liu Ming’s list were mainly based on Pentium processors.

After reading for a while, Zhang Chen said to Liu Ming, "Boss, your prices are way too high. Stop playing and listen to me."

Liu Ming, who didn’t want to deal with Zhang Chen, was annoyed by his constant nagging and paused the game again. He said unhappily, "How are they too high? Do you even understand? Kid, if you’re not buying, don’t mess around."

Zhang Chen smiled, "Look, your main model uses a Pentium 100 processor, a Gigabyte motherboard, which doesn’t support PCI and only has ISA slots. The graphics card is the lowest-end S3, with no 3D capabilities, 8MB of EDO memory, a 320MB hard drive, and a 14-inch AOC monitor with a maximum resolution of 640x480. It has no upgrade potential and will be outdated in a year. You’re still pricing it at 8888 yuan. Isn’t that cheating?" Zhang Chen said in one breath. "Also, in Command & Conquer, you don’t build tanks, just a bunch of armored cars. No wonder you’re having trouble beating the computer." Zhang Chen looked at Liu Ming with disdain.

Liu Ming was stunned by the criticism, "Damn, you really know your stuff?" He immediately became very friendly, "Little brother, you know the prices on the list are just for negotiation. Since you’re in the know, give me a price."

Zhang Chen’s tirade didn’t completely intimidate Liu Ming, but it made him realize that Zhang Chen was knowledgeable and likely had a computer at home, which he studied frequently.

In 1996, having a home computer was rare, and those who did were considered wealthy. Liu Ming couldn’t help but look at Zhang Chen with more respect.

Zhang Chen shrugged, "Don’t act so big. You’re not much older than me; I just look young." He showed Liu Ming his Bincheng University student ID.

"I’m 19, just started at Bincheng University last year. It’s almost the start of the semester, so I’m checking out the nearby computer market to see if I should buy a new computer," Zhang Chen lied confidently. "With the configuration you recommended, I can buy the components myself and build it for no more than 5500 yuan."

"You really look young, must be a late bloomer," Liu Ming laughed awkwardly at Zhang Chen. "5500 is impossible. I need to make a profit, and building a computer is a skill. Even if you know the hardware, you still need to come to me to assemble it. How about this, I’ll charge you 500 yuan for assembly, and I’ll give you this configuration for 6000 yuan."

Zhang Chen looked at Liu Ming disdainfully, "I wouldn’t take it even if you gave it to me. Intel is launching the next-generation CPU next month, with a new architecture. The current motherboards won’t be compatible. What’s the point of spending over 6000 yuan on this?"

Liu Ming was surprised, "How do you know Intel is launching the next-generation CPU next month? It’s not in the newspapers."

In an era without the internet, even receiving electronic information required reading newspapers. For the 3C industry, the main sources of information were Computer Weekly and Popular Software. Computer Weekly focused on hardware and industry development, while Popular Software was more game-oriented.

Zhang Chen said proudly, "The internet. Intel’s official website announced it. They’re launching the next-generation CPU next month, codenamed Pentium MMX, also known as the Multimedia Pentium. It has integrated multimedia instructions and runs twice as fast as the current Pentium."

"Wow," Liu Ming was truly impressed. In those days, few people in China knew about the internet, and even fewer could access it for information. Although China joined the internet in 1994, it wasn’t until the second half of 1995 that the first internet service provider, Yinghaiwei, began operations. It wasn’t until 1997 that China Telecom launched 163 dial-up internet, after which the internet developed rapidly in China.

But in early 1996, those who could access the internet were undoubtedly the elite of the elite.

"Once the Pentium MMX is launched next month, all your stock will become junk," Zhang Chen said, shrugging. "If you haven’t stocked up, you’re fine. If you have, sell it quickly. In two months, the prices of these items will drop by half."