Chapter 570: Two more big guys
Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.
During lunch, a man came up to Hu Weiwu and called out, "Hey, Wei Ge."
Hu Weiwu turned his head and scolded with a smile: "Bian Bo, I have told you so many times to call me by my full name. If you call me Wei Ge again, I will call you Xiao Bian."
Bian Bo sat down next to Hu Weiwu with a smile: "Don't I look friendly? Oh, by the way, have you read the news in recent days? The richest man Lu is going to develop chips in Zhonghai. Wow, the first phase will invest tens of billions. It's really inhumane."
Both of them are experts in Xiaguo's computer field, and naturally know that an investment of this scale will have a huge driving force on the establishment of the semiconductor industry.
To be frank, the government's investment in the semiconductor field may not even be one-tenth of Lu Yiming's.
Of course, this doesn't mean that Lu Yiming is now rich enough to rival a country, but Xia Country has a vast territory, too many places to build, and too many fields to research. It is impossible to invest all the country's strength in the semiconductor field.
After all, Xia is not an island country. If it gambles on its national destiny at every turn, it will certainly be able to take off quickly if it wins, but if it loses, it will really explode on the spot.
Hu Weiwu glanced at Bian Bo and teased him, "Why? You want to go to Mr. Lu, too? I heard that the worst people who can be favored by Mr. Lu are offered an annual salary of 100,000 yuan and a house, while the best ones can get an annual salary of 1 million yuan and a villa. If there are any results, Mr. Lu will be responsible for industrialization and share the profits. To be honest, the temptation is quite great."
Bian Bo looked around, leaned close to Hu Weiwu's ear and whispered, "So, how about we change jobs? With your ability, if you go to Fuda Microelectronics, you will definitely get a million-dollar annual salary, and you may even be able to live in a big villa."
Hu Weiwu shook his head slightly, smiling as he ate the big steamed bun in his hand peacefully. He smiled nonchalantly and said, "You know, I don't do scientific research to become rich."
Bian Bo looked helpless and said, "I know you are doing this to serve the country."
Bian Bo felt that Hu Weiwu was inflexible, but he admired him more. After all, some people often talk about patriotism but never take any real action.
But Hu Weiwu is different. Several foreign companies have offered him ten times the salary to poach him, and are even willing to help him arrange immigration, but he remains unmoved. Just for this reason, Bian Bo feels that he cannot do it.
As for an annual salary of one million and a big villa, Hu Weiwu really doesn't have much idea.
He just won the title of the Fifth Outstanding Youth of the Xia Academy of Sciences this year, and also won the Yingke Outstanding Young Scholar Award of the Xia Academy of Sciences. His mind is full of contributions to the country and shining in the field in which he is good at.
What's more, the treatment at the Institute of Computing Technology of the Academy of Sciences is not bad. Although his salary as a researcher is not high, this is after all the first academic institution in Xia Country that specializes in comprehensive research on computer science and technology. Not only can he access the latest and most comprehensive computer technology and knowledge, but he will also have the opportunity to participate in some large-scale state-owned scientific research projects in the future, and maybe even leave his name in history.
Compared to this, money really means nothing.
Bian Bo was somewhat unwilling to give up. He knew Hu Weiwu's talent and ability very well. If he could successfully persuade him to change jobs with him and go to FuDa Microelectronics, would he be afraid of not having the opportunity to be "rewarded according to his merits"?
With Lu Yiming's generosity and magnanimity, maybe I can live in a big villa by then?
So Bian Bo continued to persuade him, "Old Hu, Jia Jia is almost five years old now, right? Mr. Lu is planning to build a high-end community in Zhonghai, which will not only have a hospital but also a school. I heard that they will hire famous teachers. Are you not tempted by these conditions? Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider your family, right?"
Hu Jiajia is Hu Weiwu's daughter, and he has always regarded her as the apple of his eye. He even named the virtual shared storage system he developed after his daughter, JIAJIA. So far, it is still used by more than 100 scientific research institutions in more than 20 countries and regions, and is often cited in academic papers.
His reputation as a "daughter slave" has long spread in the workplace.
After listening to Bian Bo's words, Hu Weiwu's heart was indeed shaken a little.
No matter what, people always live in the present. It is already the 21st century and times have changed. It would be asking for trouble to bring out the same things from 30 or 50 years ago to preach.
It is true that hard work, endurance and selfless dedication are excellent qualities. It is also understandable that people advocated sacrificing one's own family for the sake of the public at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China when materials were scarce and everything was in ruins. But if anyone still says this now, he or she must have never been beaten by society, or he or she is a vested interest group that wants to exploit surplus value.
As colleagues for many years, how could Hu Weiwu hide his emotional fluctuations from Bian Bo?
He tried harder to persuade her, "I know you are devoted to the country, but Mr. Lu wants to make our own chips for the Xia people. This can be regarded as serving the country in another sense, right? We are also contributing to the motherland by going there. You can't be so narrow-minded. Working for a state-owned unit is serving the country. Can't private enterprises serve the country? In my opinion, private enterprises focus on profits and can industrialize experimental results faster than state-owned units!"
Hu Weiwu frowned, because in recent years, materialism has prevailed in the country. He was very unhappy with some social trends, so much so that he had a bad impression of private enterprises and private capital.
Especially after the Liu-Ni dispute, he has no good feelings towards these so-called businessmen in the country.
Therefore, Hu Weiwu was a little hesitant about Bian Bo's proposal. After all, this kind of thing, once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Once you run out, it will be difficult to get back in - that's fine, but if you run out and then run back in, you will be criticized in the spine.
He thought for a moment and said, "I heard that the Computer Institute of our Academy of Sciences is preparing a new research group, also on chip manufacturing?"
Bian Bo lowered his voice and said, "I've heard about it, too. It's the Loongson Project. But there's still controversy about this matter in the institute. Many people think that the money shouldn't be wasted, and the higher-ups are also hesitating."
Then Bian Bo's tone was even a little disdainful: "What's more, even if the country is willing to pay for this project, how much can it take out according to past management? One hundred million or two hundred million? We are all knowledgeable. It's a joke to use this little money to make chips, isn't it?"
Hu Weiwu remained silent. After all, what Bian Bo said was the truth.
In fact, Xia Guo’s investment in the Loongson project was indeed limited. In the ten years from 2001 to 2010, the total investment was only 400 million yuan.
Even the 400 million yuan was not received all at once, but was divided into many installments, millions and tens of millions, and money was invested step by step like squeezing toothpaste.
There was no other way. At that moment, Xia Kingdom had too many places where it needed to spend money, and it was impossible for it to gamble everything on a project that had a high probability of failure.
Bian Bo looked at Hu Weiwu and said, "Old Hu, a good cook cannot cook without rice. What can we do with this little money? Instead of staying here and wasting our lives, we might as well go to Zhonghai and join Fuda Microelectronics. Mr. Lu has even gambled his life and property with a full 10 billion investment, which is enough to build rockets. He is obviously determined to fight to the death with chips. I think it is better to go to Fuda Microelectronics than to stay here and wait for the rice to cook. Think about it, with this little funding, we have to work for a day and rest for a week. How long will it take to make the chip?"
Hu Weiwu is a typical science and engineering man, the kind of person who is truly "not interested in money". He thinks that a salary sufficient for living is enough. But he had to think carefully about what Bian Bo said. If he wanted to serve the country, he had to get moving. If he couldn't get moving at Xia Ke Institute, why not consider Fuda Microelectronics?
What's more, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to go down in history by independently developing chips, a great achievement that was destined to make his name.
If he stayed at the Academy of Sciences, even if he could participate in the research and development of CPU, the initial funding would definitely not exceed one million. This amount of money was not enough to even run the machine, let alone produce any results.
If they went to Zhonghai, the situation would be very different. With 2 billion yuan in funding, the cost of venues, equipment, and even things like tape-outs would no longer be a problem. The research team was relieved of all worries and only needed to focus on technical breakthroughs. The speed of research and development was greatly accelerated, and even the speed of industrialization was greatly accelerated. Isn't this also a reimbursement to the country?
After all, Fuda Microelectronics still has the prefix of Fuda University, so it is better than ordinary private companies anyway.
It has to be said that Hu Weiwu's mood has become very complicated now.
On the one hand, traditional ideas make him think that staying in the Xia Ke Institute is the right choice. After all, it is a state-owned unit. If you work in such a unit, your relatives and friends will look up to you. Moreover, it is a stable job, and you will get a pension from the state after you retire.
On the other hand, the Institute of Computing Technology of the Xia Institute of Science and Technology is now a poor unit. Not to mention the oil and water, even the normal research and development funds cannot be approved, and the entire unit is basically in a state of suspension. In this state, everyone has the illusion of wasting time and life.
What the hell do I study every day at work? I have no money to do experiments and no place to do research.
A cup of tea, a pack of cigarettes and a stack of newspapers to read all day.
In the evening, with mixed feelings, Hu Weiwu dragged his tired body back home.
Just after opening the security door, his wife Qi Qiulan was helping Jiajia with her homework in the living room. Seeing Hu Weiwu enter the room, Qi Qiulan greeted him gently, "Dear, you're back."
When Jia Jia saw Hu Weiwu, she dropped the pencil in her hand, ran towards him, hugged his thighs, and called in a baby voice: "Dad... Dad..."
"Oh, Jiajia."
Hu Weiwu bent down, picked up his daughter, and touched Jia Jia's forehead with his head, making Jia Jia giggle.
Hearing his daughter's laughter, Hu Weiwu felt his mood calmed down a lot.
However, he suddenly remembered what Bian Bo said about living in a villa so that Jia Jia could receive a good education.
Jia Jia took out a folded little red flower and showed it to Hu Weiwu proudly: "Dad, the teacher praised me today and gave me a little red flower."
Hu Weiwu praised: "Jia Jia is so good! Why did the teacher give Jia Jia a red flower today?"
Jia Jia said: "Because, because I took a nap at noon! I also finished my meal! And, I said hello to the teacher!"
Hu Weiwu's heart melted when he heard his grandmother's voice.
Qi Qiulan came over, took Jiajia off Hu Weiwu, and said, "Jiajia, be good, let's do our homework first. Daddy must have been working hard all day, let him have a rest."
Hu Weiwu put his briefcase on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa.
Jia Jia took the opportunity to jump onto the sofa and said, "Dad is tired, I want to give him a back massage!"
Hu Weiwu smiled and put his arm around his daughter's delicate face, saying: Daddy is not tired.
He has a very good relationship with his daughter. After taking the bus home every day, he helps his wife cook. After dinner, he lies on a recliner, watching the news while his wife coaxes the child to eat.
I even have plenty of time to tell my daughter stories, teach her to recite the Three Character Classic, and go hiking in Xiangshan Mountain on Sundays.
Basically, Hu Weiwu would not bring his work troubles back home, but today was different. Bian Bo's words kept echoing in his mind, making him unable to calm down.
Qi Qiulan was extremely helpless and said to Jia Jia with a stern face: "Come here and do your homework!"
Seeing Qi Qiulan getting angry, Jia Jia's little face suddenly fell, her mouth pouted, and she jumped off the sofa reluctantly and lay on the coffee table to do her homework.
Then, Qi Qiulan asked, "What's wrong? You seem a little absent-minded."
After all, they had been sleeping together for so many years, and Qi Qiulan could guess Hu Weiwu's mood at a glance. After all, Hu Weiwu was not in this state when he went home.
Facing his wife, Hu Weiwu certainly did not choose to hide the truth, but told Qi Qiulan everything he had discussed with Bian Bo this afternoon.
What Hu Weiwu didn't expect was that Qi Qiulan said almost as soon as he finished speaking: "Why hesitate? Of course I will go."
Hu Weiwu was stunned and muttered, "But I am in public office now..."
As a staff member with a fixed position, he was well aware that a place like the Academy of Sciences was not one where everyone could enter, nor could one come and go as one pleased.
Qi Qiulan said confidently: "I won't talk about the salary and benefits. Haven't you always wanted to make chips? Now the news says that the richest man Lu has invested 10 billion to build our own semiconductor industry in Xia Country. If you miss such a big project, won't you regret it in the future?"
As his partner, she knew very well that neither a million-dollar annual salary nor a luxurious villa could impress Hu Weiwu.
But Hu Weiwu's dream is to create chips belonging to Xia Country, so only by using this as an excuse can he persuade this "savage bull" in front of him.
Hu Weiwu sighed and said, "What you said does make sense. I am in a national research institute that studies chips, but I have no way to study chips. If I want to study chips, I have to go to private enterprises. What do you think?"
Of course, although he complained, he knew in his heart that the current situation was not caused by anyone, but had deep historical reasons.
Qi Qiulan smiled and said, "Okay, don't think too much. You help Jiajia with her homework. I'm going to cook."
The next day at work, Hu Weiwu found Bian Bo and said to him, "I have thought it through."
Bian Bo raised his eyebrows and said expectantly, "How is it?"
Hu Weiwu said: "Call Lu Yiming and tell him we want to go there. If he agrees, we will resign."
"I've been waiting for you to say this!"
Bian Bo clapped his hands suddenly, and his face smiled as brightly as a chrysanthemum.
"I'll find the number and it's ready!"
On the other side of the phone, Lu Yiming, who was far away in Zhonghai, had just finished eating steamed buns when he suddenly received a call from an unfamiliar person who claimed to be Hu Weiwu's colleague. He was immediately excited.
Hu Weiwu, Chairman of Loongson Technology.
A real expert indeed!
"Ah, welcome, welcome. You are so welcome. So, call me after you finish the formalities and I will send my private plane to pick you up, okay? Oh, okay. Yes, we both have the same dream. Okay, bye."
After the call, Bian Bo said to Hu Weiwu, "It's done. He said he will send a private plane to pick us up after we finish the formalities."
Without any worries, Hu Weiwu finally made up his mind and said, "Will you come with me? If you do, we'll go and hand in our resignations."
Bian Bo said: "I have already written my resignation letter, what do you think?"
At FuDa Microelectronics, the minimum annual salary for researchers is RMB 100,000, and they are also given an apartment. Isn't this treatment much better than at the Computer Institute?
Hu Weiwu laughed and scolded, "Boy, you've been planning to go there for a long time, and you're trying to drag me down with you. Tell me the truth, did that Lu Yiming ask you to come and turn me against me?"
Bian Bo said helplessly: "It would have been better if I had been recruited by Lu Yiming a long time ago."
In the afternoon, Hu Weiwu and Bian Bo came to the office of Director Sun Ninghui with their resignation letters.
Sun Ninghui felt terrible when he saw the resignation letters submitted by Hu Weiwu and Bian Bo. These two people were both scientific research backbones in the computer field.
Hu Weiwu, in particular, is placed with high hopes. Many people even think that he will be able to and lead everyone to break new ground in the semiconductor field.
Sun Ninghui looked at Hu Weiwu and said excitedly, "Old Hu, what's going on? Why are you resigning out of the blue? Have you been wronged? Tell me and I'll make the decision for you."
