Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 273 - 273 270 Ma Zhengs Gift

Chapter 273: Chapter 270 Ma Zheng’s Gift Chapter 273: Chapter 270 Ma Zheng’s Gift Two days later, Dai Lei excitedly told Jiang Yan, “Xiaotie is catching on. His English recitation has gotten quite fluent over the past couple of days, and he’s even started writing down words on his own initiative, increasing from twenty a day to thirty. At this rate, I’ll be able to have him start focusing on practice tests next month. How did you manage it?”

Jiang Yan was silent for a moment before replying, “I didn’t do anything, it was Jiajia who gave him a talk.”

“No wonder she’s the top student in the physics department. She’s also good with words—I always thought she didn’t like to talk because she’s usually so quiet.”

Jiang Yan wanted to say that she indeed didn’t like to talk, and besides, a talk wasn’t necessarily just done with words. Sometimes holding something in your hand could be effective too.

When Saturday came, Jiang Yan went to Xinyu Computer Repairs. As usual, the fluffy three-wheeled cart was parked in front of the store, still loaded with a few heads of cabbage and a basket of eggs.

He furrowed his brows and walked into the store to see that it was indeed Mao Mao clearing the cardboard boxes and other trash from the floor.

“Mao Mao, didn’t your sister tell you to focus on preparing for your exam and not sell vegetables anymore?”

By now, Mao Mao finally knew that his surname was Jiang, not Tie [Iron].

She scratched her head awkwardly and said quietly, “Grandma said it’s a waste if we don’t sell the cabbages at home. I’m afraid she’d go out to sell them herself if I don’t do it. Don’t worry big brother, I only sell on weekends, and I’m definitely focused on school during the week.”

Mu Chenyan had wanted to sponsor Mao Mao, but Xu Qian didn’t agree; her adoptive parents’ business had been doing well in recent years and they were willing to provide Mao Mao with a monthly living allowance.

Mu Chenyan didn’t insist, but she often bought some clothes and daily necessities for Mao Mao and sent them to her.

Pointing at the tricycle outside, Mao Mao said, “I’ve saved some cabbages and eggs for Auntie Mu. Big brother, could you help me take them to her?”

“Why don’t you deliver them yourself?”

Mao Mao didn’t make a sound.

After a while, she finished tidying up the cardboard and took it outside. She turned to look at Jiang Yan, who was looking down searching for parts, and quietly took the eggs and cabbage down to the entrance. Then she pushed the tricycle and ran off, shouting, “Brother Tie, I’m off!”

Jiang Yan shook his head helplessly. Lao Er [Second Brother] walked in from outside and said to Jiang Yan, “She is embarrassed to go to Auntie Mu’s place herself. Just take them with you when you go back.”

Pausing, Lao Er pointed to the small computer in Jiang Yan’s hand and asked, “Who is that small computer for? Or is it a sample for the electronics factory?”

The small computer wasn’t exceptionally small—it was a bit larger than the ten-inch tablets that would come out later, but it certainly was much smaller compared to current notebooks. The cleverly assembled keyboard and main unit were all new parts he got from the electronics factory. He still had to assemble a sample for them later.

But this computer… he was planning to give it to Ma Zheng.

He hadn’t visited since the surgery, but according to Yu Feng, Ma Zheng was recovering not too badly, although since it involved the brain, his speech rhythm was a bit slow nowadays, sometimes even uncontrollable. That is, even when he meant to answer a question, what came out of his mouth was a repetition of the question itself.

Yu Feng said Ma Zheng had a very good temperament. Even in such a situation, he wasn’t irritable and spoke word by word as he intended.

Thinking about the kid made Jiang Yan’s feelings quite complex.

Because of Shu Wan, he used to find him annoying. They hadn’t met often, and whenever they did, he would act as if he wasn’t there. But the kid clearly didn’t feel the same way.

He remembered when he was fifteen and went to visit Shu Wan, the kid brought out all his snacks and placed them in front of him, showing him his childish toys.

That was his third visit to their house, and the kid seemed to be around five years old then. The first two times he was younger, always clinging to Shu Wan and looking at him with a pair of innocent, curious eyes…

“Bro, bro?”

Lao Er’s calling snapped Jiang Yan out of his reverie. He turned to look over.

Lao Er said, “What’s got you so engrossed? I see Auntie Cheng coming over there, talking to someone, and Uncle Zhang is with her. Weren’t you planning on handing over his company’s computer maintenance to Li Rang? Do you want to talk to him about it now?”

Uncle Zhang was Auntie Cheng’s husband. The computer maintenance for his small company used to be managed by Jiang Yan, but now that the electronics factory was getting busier, and with the university curriculum getting harder and more intense from this semester on, he wouldn’t have much time left.

So, after discussing it with Li Rang, he planned to let him take over.

“I’ll go find him,” said Jiang Yan, as he stood up and walked outside.

Zhang Guotang waved at Jiang Yan from afar as soon as he saw him. When Jiang Yan approached, he smiled and said, “I was just thinking about stopping by your place, and here you come. How’s it going? Have you been tinkering with any new gadgets lately?”

Initially, Zhang Guotang had hired Jiang Yan because of Cheng Huan; after all, Xiaotie was keeping an eye on her grandfather, saving them quite a bit of trouble.

He hadn’t planned on relying solely on Jiang Yan, considering he was just a first-year university student who might be more capable than most kids, but that could only go so far. As such, he was prepared to find another experienced adult in computing. However, to his surprise, Jiang Yan managed everything with exceptional smoothness.

He only visited three or four times a week; each time he found and swiftly resolved problems. Computers that were lagging ran smoothly after he disassembled and reassembled them, prompting others to ask for the same service.

He even got his office desktop replaced with one of the notebooks from Jiang Yan’s workshop. Once he took it home for work, his son laid eyes on it and insisted on having it.

Eventually, he had Jiang Yan build him another one.

That was when he truly realized this young man was extraordinary. Zhang Guotang was well aware of the caliber of students at Beijing University’s Computer Science Department; to reach Jiang Yan’s level in just the first year was indeed a first!

“There’s a new notebook, but it wouldn’t suit you.”

Jiang Yan exchanged pleasantries with Zhang Guotang for a bit, then steered the conversation back on track.

“Who’s the electronics factory you’re collaborating with?”

Zhang Guotang wasn’t surprised by Jiang Yan’s departure. After all, an eagle like Jiang Yan was never going to stay at a part-time job in a small company like his, which didn’t even focus on computers.

But considering how young Jiang Yan was, Zhang Guotang was worried he might be taken advantage of. He cautioned, “I’m not trying to pry into your work, it’s just that I’m afraid someone might set traps for you, bait you into a contract pitfall that could have you struggling for years. I have legal advisors I collaborate with, and you can ask me about anything you don’t understand. Be sure to think carefully before signing any contract.”

“Thank you, Uncle Zhang, I will,” Jiang Yan replied.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “Doesn’t your company do exports? You could try importing too. The electronics factory imports many components from abroad; I know almost all the key suppliers. Why not give it a try?”

Zhang Guotang was taken aback before asking in return, “Does the electronics factory export their finished products?”

“Of course, they do. Even though the target market is domestic, our lower costs make the products attractive at trade shows. Foreign clients will surely take interest, and most importantly, the market in Southeast Asia hasn’t developed yet…”