RNP Chapter 33 Bicycles
Chapter 33 Bicycles
(Just one question: Have you topped up your account? Why haven't I heard anything?)
"Oh, this is great! Now I won't be afraid of the dark when I walk at night. Look, look, the light is so clear and it can see quite far!" The little girl chattered excitedly. Because she was riding slowly, she twisted her body to maintain her balance while talking excitedly. She would occasionally look back at Xiao Wei standing by the roadside, busy and happy.
Xiao Wei stood by the roadside, raising his hands to support himself, and said, "Be careful, be careful, don't look around, look ahead, look ahead."
The bicycle wobbled and turned a corner, stopping in front of Xiaowei. Xiaohong, steadying herself with one foot on the ground, said, "Brother Guizi, why does it light up when I pedal?"
Xiao Wei said, "It's an electric grinder. Didn't you see that metal lump on the wheel? If you turn it over, it will stick to the wheel. When the wheel turns, it turns, and that's how it generates electricity."
Xiao Hong, holding onto the handlebars, leaned down and looked at the front wheel. After looking at it from side to side for a while, she said, "It really is there! Oh, it really does move when you turn it. It's so well designed. Why don't bicycles in China have this thing? It's so convenient. When I was a kid, my dad had to hold a stun gun in one hand while riding his bike at night."
Xiao Wei rubbed his hands together and said, "It's getting a bit chilly. I don't know, I guess it's too expensive, or maybe they just can't make it."
Xiao Hong blinked and thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Hmm, it should be quite expensive, or maybe it's because of a patent that can't be bypassed. The principle behind this thing is very simple, and it's not difficult to make. I should be able to make it myself."
With a deafening roar, Chen Hui rode his Happiness 250 motorcycle, looking incredibly cool, from afar. Xiao Wei and Xiao Hong both turned to look, and almost everyone nearby did the same. That thing was really loud!
The Happiness 250 had already lost its former status and prestige by the early 90s, but it was still quite popular. Back then, a motorcycle cost several years' wages for a typical factory worker, and it wasn't a mass-market consumer product. The most popular motorcycles on the market in the early 90s were almost entirely Japanese, or Sino-Japanese joint ventures like Honda, Wuyang, Hongdu, Yamaha, and Jialing Honda. Honda and Wuyang were priced at 19800 yuan in 90, while Hongdu was 22500 yuan.
The so-called domestic motorcycles are basically just starting out at this time, and their reputation among the public can be summed up in one word: bad, but they still cost four to six thousand yuan to buy one.
This is an era of exorbitant profits across all industries.
Chen Hui pulled out the key, leaped gracefully off the 250, and said to Xiao Wei, "What are you doing?"
Xiao Wei glanced at Chen Hui and asked Xiao Hong, "What's a patent? How do you work around it?"
Chen Hui didn't seem to mind Xiao Wei ignoring him. He walked over to Xiao Wei and said, "A patent is just an exclusive right. Once you get a patent certificate, it's yours alone. Nobody else can touch it; if they do, they'll have to pay you. It's protected by law, and it's recognized worldwide. What's up? Are you applying for a patent?"
Xiao Wei turned to look at Chen Hui and asked, "What kind of patent can be applied for?"
Chen Hui took out a cigarette, offered one to Xiao Wei, took one for himself, lit it, blew a smoke ring, and said, "Anything will do, as long as you can prove that your thing is unique. Things like technology, craftsmanship, design, formula—overseas, even ideas can be registered. Once you successfully register it, you can sit at home and wait to collect the money."
Xiao Hong got off her bicycle, propped it up, and said, "Not all patents can be turned into money; the key is market demand."
Chen Hui smiled at Xiao Hong and said, "Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Chen Hui. I live on the fifth floor and I check the electricity meter. You study at the engineering college? That's amazing! Remember me when you become a cadre in the future!"
Xiao Hong glanced at Xiao Wei and said with a smile, "That's not necessarily true. I don't even know where I'll be after graduation myself, so I have to listen to him."
Chen Hui glanced at the bicycle propped up to the side and said, "Are you guys practicing? This bike is nice; a new one would cost over a thousand. Biaozi only has one like this, so you got a good deal. Have you ridden it yet? It's lightweight and not much worse than a mountain bike."
Xiao Wei asked, "What's a mountain bike?"
Chen Hui said, "It's a bicycle. The handlebars are straight, and it has gears, so it's easier to ride. You switch to low speed uphill and high speed on flat ground. The tires are also wider than those of a regular bicycle. It's said to be specially designed for mountain riding, so it's called a mountain bike. But I think it's not much different from a regular bike except that it's a bit more expensive."
Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "I've never seen it before, and I don't usually pay attention to it."
Chen Hui said, "Go to the Cultural Palace tomorrow and look for the parking lot. There's a special area for mountain bikes and racing bikes, but it costs a lot more than regular bikes, usually three cents a day."
Xiaohong said, "Yes, that's right. There are some in our school. Other ordinary bicycles are not allowed to be parked there. The school doesn't charge me for riding my bike, but they charge for that bike. I didn't ask how much it costs."
Xiao Wei opened his eyes wide and asked, "Three cents a day? Does anyone stop running it?"
Chen Hui said, "Why is no one parking here? People who can afford such expensive cars don't care about parking fees. If they get their cars stolen, they'll have nowhere to cry."
Mountain bikes, road racing bikes, and BMX bikes started appearing in China around 1989, with prices all above 1,000 yuan, and even reaching 3,000 yuan at one point. Back then, bicycles were still the main mode of transportation for ordinary people in China. Men, women, young and old all relied on them. No matter how fashionable they were, they were still riding bikes among a group of migrant workers. The feeling of riding a good bicycle was definitely more awesome than driving a good car now.
Back then, the bike lanes on the roads were much wider than the motor vehicle lanes.
Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Even the most expensive ones aren't as awesome as yours. You can hear the sound every few kilometers, and it's fast and saves you energy."
Chen Hui looked at his 250cc motorcycle and said with a long face, "Forget it, this thing is outdated. Look around, how many people ride this on the street? Now everyone rides Wuyang, Jialing, Yamaha, and the cool ones ride Kawasaki or Yoshino. I have no choice, my old man won't buy me one, and I'll have to wait ten or twenty years with my own salary."
Xiao Wei said, "The salaries in the power industry aren't low either, you can save up enough."
Chen Hui rolled his eyes and said, "Not spending money? Doesn't smoking cost money? Doesn't drinking cost money? Dance halls, video arcades, billiards, what doesn't cost money? I don't even have a girlfriend yet. Once I do, I'll be lucky if I don't have to ask my family for money every month. How am I going to save any money?"
Xiao Wei looked at Chen Hui for a while, sighed, and said, "Your life is really extravagant. You want to spend money and buy nice things; there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
Chen Hui took a drag of his cigarette and asked in a low voice, "Hey, you don't just stay home all day besides going to work and do absolutely nothing, do you?"
Xiao Wei nodded, watching Xiao Hong ride her bike wobbly, and said, "Yeah, so what? You're still doing pretty well. What's the point of all that? You'll just suffer if you lose the money. No, I need to keep the money in my own pocket, that way I'll feel at ease. I still need to buy a house after Xiao Hong graduates."
Chen Hui licked his lips and pondered for a while, then nodded and said, "It really is useless. It felt good at the time, but it's all for nothing. The money's gone. Okay, I'll learn from you tomorrow and start saving money." He spat and added, "Hey, Xiao Wei, have you ever been to karaoke?"
Xiao Wei was taken aback for a moment, then said, "What song? Where can't we sing that? Where are we going?"
Chen Hui gave him a disdainful look and said, "Karaoke, huh? There's accompaniment, you can drink some wine or coffee, listen to others sing, or sing yourself. It's not the same as just shouting randomly. You're just a country bumpkin. I'll take you to see it sometime."
Xiao Wei glanced at him and said, "Weren't we supposed to be saving money?"
Chen Hui's face twitched. After thinking for a long time, he said hesitantly, "How about I save less and spend less here? I can't just stay at home doing nothing, can I?"