Back to the prime of life

Chapter 153: Lu Changge, who was not favored
After dinner, Lu Changge and a few of them went to the garage to work for a while. In the past, entrepreneurs would emphasize how difficult their environment was to show how difficult it was to start a business.

However, Lu Changge felt that their conditions were okay. At least the food was good, and the garage was equipped with air conditioning, so it was very cool inside in the hot summer.

It’s just that the environment is not high-end enough, but at this stage, no one cares about this aspect.

So the atmosphere here was relatively good throughout the night, and with the realistic task before us, people sometimes forget everything around them once they get deeply involved.

There is a saying that goes, difficulties are not the most frightening thing, but the fear of not daring to start.

When they started writing the iOS client program, all their thoughts were on the task itself. Fortunately, they all knew how to do this. As they typed line by line of code, the basic functions of the design gradually revealed their mysterious veil.

This high-intensity development state lasted for many days. Chi Yongsheng had said before that if necessary, he would quit his job as a university teacher, but he himself knew the risks involved, so he attached great importance to the summer vacation in July and August, which was a very critical window period for him.

He also designed the development rhythm to be within 8 weeks, because the sooner the dawn of success appeared, the easier it would be for him to make subsequent decisions.

So he hardly cared whether he had any rest time.

Hui Chuankun also worked very hard. Sometimes they would finish at 10 o'clock in the evening, but this guy would still continue on his own.

His goal is not just OC language and simple development tools, he is also very interested in other technical goals.

Later, Yin Anyan went to see them twice, and once she happened to see them discussing something. As an outsider, she really couldn't understand the technical terms, and could only understand the words "save data."

This is a technology that Lu Changge and Zhou Shuang mentioned before and that needs to be tackled.

If the traffic is not controlled well, there is nothing to talk about.

Lu Changge also remembered that early morning text chatting did not consume data traffic. Software developed by other manufacturers could do it, but they couldn't. This was too fatal.

He was very concerned about this, and today he brought it up again with them, saying, "Did you see the test results? Each of our messages takes an average of 218 bytes, and it takes three seconds to send on the EDGE network. That's too slow."

Hui Chuankun pushed his glasses up. "I've been concerned about this ever since you brought it up on the first day. I've taken a closer look. The timestamp field alone takes up 15 bytes. The XML tags are too redundant. I suggest we use a binary protocol instead."

Yu Na frowned, a little worried. "But the XMPP standard stipulates the use of XML for transmission. Will changing the protocol affect compatibility?"

"It's easy to bypass it... The outer layer maintains the XML structure to pass GFW inspection, and the inner message body is triple-compressed. UTF-8 is converted into a custom GBK subset, and then high-frequency words are encoded using Huffman. I tested it, and the Chinese character '你好' originally took up 6 bytes, but it was compressed to 3 bytes using the GBK subset. Unfortunately, the effect on English is poor, and the word 'Hello' can only be compressed from 5 to 4 bytes."

Lu Changge knew that Hui Chuankun must have increased his workload, otherwise this honest man would not dare to say it.

Zhou Shuang also looked at him deeply and asked, "The English effect is poor. Is there any solution?"

Hui Chuankun became nervous again under everyone's gaze. "I... I've thought about binding the keyboard layout. In the nine-square grid input method, each number corresponds to multiple letters. For example, pressing the 2 key might select a/b/c. When transmitting, we only transmit the numeric code... Then we can create a dynamic dictionary, calculate the high-frequency words in the user's first 100 messages, generate a dedicated word library, and send it to the local computer when the user logs in for the first time."

"Great idea! We can actually implement it in stages. Version 1.0 will first use a static dictionary to compress it to 120 bytes, and then enable the dynamic algorithm once the user base exceeds one million. We just need to write the compression component..."

The five people in the garage were not sitting in a circle. Some were standing, and some were sitting in front of iMac computers. The inspiration that burst out from time to time might be the hope of solving the problem.

Yin Anyan listened for more than ten minutes but didn't understand at all. In the end, he gave up and just focused on delivering the fruit.

She knew she couldn't help, but she could still do some logistical work.

People like Chi Yongsheng would smoke when he stayed up late, and when his throat was dry, he really had to eat a pear to moisten it.

But after returning home at night, she would ask: "How long will you continue this morning-to-night, no-dawn, no-night rhythm?"

Lu Changge replied, "The development phase is eight weeks. It's hard to say what happens after that. If there are fewer bugs, it's easier. If there are constant bugs, I'll have to get up in the middle of the night to work on it. That's what a programmer does."

“I see, it’s really hard work.”

She asked Lu Changge to lie down, and then she sat beside him and patted his back. Lu Changge was young and didn't feel tired, but Yin's father was an office worker and had a serious lumbar disc herniation, so Yin Anyan was more concerned about it.

"I'm not the hardest-working one. Look at Hui Chuankun. He's been sleeping less than five hours a day for a week."

Yin Anyan said, "I noticed too. There's a dark circle around his eyes. Why is that?"

Lu Changge smiled slightly, lost in reminiscence, and said, "I asked him about this question, and he said that his family conditions are not good, and his girlfriend's family conditions are similar. To put it bluntly, he will have four elderly people, a wife, and one or two children who will all depend on him in the future."

"There's no need to be so anxious now, right?"

Really? But if you don’t make changes now, graduation from your senior year will be just around the corner.

Lu Changge muttered to himself, but continued, "He's just like that. You ask him to enjoy himself, but he can't do it. But they all have this kind of energy. It makes even a millionaire like me struggle like Cheng."

Yin Anyan added, "Over at the Taobao store, they're still asking when you'll be free to come over."

Lu Changge sighed. He had originally planned to put more effort into it, but plans couldn't keep up with changes. "I'll try my best. Are there any difficulties now? I don't think so. We're just renting a place to open a store. We don't produce anything, and there aren't any technical difficulties like here that need to be tackled."

"That's true, but it's mainly because we're all inexperienced. You see, if you didn't explain everything clearly, everyone would get confused and start messing around."

"Take your time, you'll understand once you've experienced it. Anyway, in two weeks at most, the product must be online."

As for him, he won't go there for the time being. He can still clearly distinguish which part of the work is the big boss and which part is the small boss. Anyway, Yin Anyan will tell him about it when he comes back in the evening.

For example, when product photos are taken and the store decoration style is decided, Lu Changge just takes a look and raises any opinions if he has any, and forgets it if he doesn't.

Zuo Shuya, on the other hand, managed the swimming pool relatively smoothly, and there was basically no major issue to worry about. However, since he went there less frequently, some documents would accumulate waiting for his signature.

At the end of July, Lin Xiaowei couldn't wait for him any longer, so she came to him on her own initiative, carrying a bag full of documents. At the garage door, she tiptoed to take a look inside. There were rows of densely packed letters on the five iMacs.

The table inside was piled with other things. Seeing that there was no place to put them, Lu Changge did not let her in. Instead, he got into the car and listened to her brief report.

If you want to sign, just find a file box to put on your legs to make it flat enough.

Lin Xiaowei sat in the passenger seat. She glanced at her boss from the side and thought to herself, he's such a career-oriented person. His dedication from head to toe is something few men can match. She thought back to the boys she met in college: they were all either preoccupied with playing games or busy with romance. "...Are you having any problems lately?"

Lin Xiaowei replied, "No, our summer classes are very popular. Although the annual pass sales are a little low, Mr. Zuo said it's not a big deal. We are also preparing to welcome the national team member in August. Mr. Lu,

"Ok?"

“Is this another entrepreneurial project of yours?”

Lu Changge smiled mysteriously and said, "You'll know when you get out."

Well, nothing was asked.

After returning, Lin Xiaowei and Zuo Shuya exaggerated the situation, saying that President Lu was working on a very technological project.

Zuo Shuya didn't say much. She had a special feeling for Lu Changge, and maybe because she was a few years older than him, she understood that at times like this, everything in Hailan Bay had to run well.

In addition to these people, friends who do not work with Lu Changge have gradually learned that Boss Lu has been busy recently and has been staying at home. Those who don’t know might think he is depressed.

Wang Hongcheng made several phone calls, but all his invitations to drink and sing were rejected.

Even after Xu Weiguo contacted him several times, he learned that he was working on another project. He was so embarrassed that he asked, "Wasn't the swimming pool just starting to show some signs of improvement? Why is he working on something else now?"

Lu Changge remained silent, because the best answer to this kind of question is not a clever explanation, but the final result.

Including Jiangwai's principal Chen Xiaohe. She learned from Zuo Shuya that Lu Changge was very busy recently, so she postponed all the previously scheduled meetings.

But it was also her own fault for speaking too quickly. She had called her second cousin and said she wanted to introduce a boyfriend to her daughter Xiaoruan. That was a month ago, but now a month has passed and there is still no movement. How could that be possible?

Her second cousin was concerned about her daughter's lifelong affairs, and when she saw that she didn't move, she turned around and stared at her.

In desperation, Chen Xiaohe had no choice but to call Lu Changge. However, she was rather articulate in her approach, simply asking him to bring someone along. "So he wanted to meet more people?" Since Principal Chen was helping him expand his social circle, Lu Changge couldn't say anything. He wasn't socially anxious, so he could just meet him.

The meeting place was agreed to be a rather stylish teahouse, which was simple and elegant. Outside the window was the old moat of Jiangzhou. In summer, the lush willow trees along the river and the shimmering lake made for a nice view.

He was thinking about stealing someone else's girl, so when Chen Xiaohe asked him out, he still made time to come out.

The agreed time was 3 p.m. He was five minutes early, but Chen Xiaohe was very punctual. When he was trying to figure out why Chen Xiaohe wanted to bring someone with her, he found that the person was a thin, fair-skinned girl, which made him feel uneasy.

The key point is that it would be fine if there was really something serious, but Chen Xiaohe only said that they were just acquaintances. Based on his experience, he had actually guessed most of it.

However, the little girl didn't seem to have that intention. She had been sitting next to Chen Xiaohe with a stern face since she came in. She occasionally looked up but there was no fluctuation in her eyes. She was also very frugal with words and didn't say a word.

Chen Xiaohe seemed to think this was normal, so in the end it was still a conversation between her and Lu Changge.

Later, Lu Changge simply ignored the girl called "Xiaoruan" by Chen Xiaohe and pretended that she didn't exist.

"You gave me the ticket. I wanted to treat you earlier, but Mr. Zuo said you were busy. Mr. Lu, do you have another plan to make a fortune?"

"Has this matter reached you, Principal Chen?"

Chen Xiaohe shook her head and said, "We're not deliberately spreading this. I just didn't see you after going to Hailan Bay a few times, so I talked to Mr. Zuo about it. So what are you doing?"

Lu Changge said vaguely, "I'm studying computer science, and I'm working with others on a software."

"Hey? So you and Xiaoruan have something in common, Xiaoruan, aren't you studying information engineering?"

This crude way of changing the subject... Lu Changge couldn't stand it anymore.

The girl with twin pigtails across from her didn't give her much face. She raised her voice and said, "How are they the same? Information engineering focuses on signal processing and communication principles, while software engineering is programming. One is hardware, the other is software. There's a huge difference."

This,
Chen Xiaohe is a management leader, and she doesn't understand such professional technical language.

But in fact, Lu Changge knew that although there were differences between the two, the boundary between them was not very clear, and there were many cases of overlap.

He probably guessed that the child was not so willing to come.

"Hey, how would I know? It's all related to computers anyway." Principal Chen continued to play dumb. Fortunately, with her intelligence, she only did it this time, and she knew not to try it again.

Lu Changge didn't care. He continued to talk about another event in Hailan Bay, and joked with her that he would invite her over.

After we parted ways.

Chen Xiaohe said to her cousin, "What's wrong? He's a nice guy, clean and honest, and generous. Why are you so dissatisfied with him?"

"It's not that I don't like him. Auntie, think about it, I have to find something in him when I'm looking for a partner. He's not handsome to the point of being breathtaking. He only goes to Jiangzhou Polytechnic University, and his family conditions are average, right? If you think about it carefully, he seems okay in every aspect, but in fact, he's just so-so."

Chen Xiaohe stretched out her finger and pressed her forehead. "He's already started his own business and become a boss at such a young age. Can you do it?"

"It's just a swimming pool. I don't think it will be worth a fortune."

"Even so, please give me some face and sit down for an hour. Do you even smile?"

"I don't know him well, and it would be so awkward if he laughed for no reason."

The tone was high, and Chen Xiaohe had no choice. It was true that her second cousin's family ran a small business and had no shortage of money. Or maybe her mother was anxious. It was difficult to find a match in this situation. She wouldn't even look at ordinary people, and if she was extraordinary, she would have to be liked by others.

But there are ordinary people everywhere on the street, and only a few are extraordinary.

Chen Xiaohe couldn't say anything to her, luckily she didn't tell Lu Changge about it beforehand.

(End of this chapter)