"Good!" Pingfan Ruwo agreed readily, because if the group owner refused to refund, he would have no recourse. In fact, Pingfan Ruwo felt a little ashamed, as he had learned quite a bit from the other person, who was somewhat of a mentor. Yet, he was now asking for his money back, which felt quite shameless.
But Pingfan Ruwo had no choice; he was short on cash.
"Here's the question, take a look yourself!" He Tianlong didn't beat around the bush, directly throwing a large block of text to Pingfan Ruwo.
Pingfan Ruwo quickly read through it and said, "This question seems a bit off. This isn't programming; it's designing chip architecture!"
"This is the simplest chip architecture!" He Tianlong lied through his teeth. "I admit your programming foundation is already very strong, and these things won't be difficult for you. But I can't give you a more challenging programming question; that wouldn't be fair to you!"
"After much thought, I've devised this question for you. Although it's a problem in chip architecture, it's at the most basic level. Moreover, chip architecture and programming are intrinsically linked. If you master chip architecture, then programming will be a piece of cake for you!"
"Oh, and considering this question is indeed beyond the scope, I'll also give you a foundational book titled 'What is a Computer Chip?' Once you've mastered the content within this book, you'll be able to answer this question!"
"Furthermore, I won't set a time limit. Whether it takes a month, a year, or even 100 years, as long as you can solve this problem, I'll refund you 20 yuan!" He Tianlong's words caused Pingfan Ruwo to fall silent again. After a while, he typed "Okay" and went offline.
"Phew, I finally managed to fool that pervert. I bet he'll be immersed in this question for his entire life… Hmm, perhaps he'll give up within two days. This is a problem worth a hundred million dollars!" He Tianlong muttered. To prevent Pingfan Ruwo from causing trouble later, he decided to kick him out directly, create a new group, and transfer all the members to the new group. This way, Pingfan Ruwo wouldn't be able to find their whereabouts, preventing him from harming his business.
He Tianlong thought his plan was flawless and happily continued his teaching, completely unaware of the earth-shattering, awe-inspiring deed Pingfan Ruwo was about to embark upon.
***
Meanwhile, in Lucheng, not far from the Jiangnan Leather Factory, which started its business with Huang He, in a dilapidated, pitch-black urban village with a small house at the entrance piled high with various garbage, there was a sign hanging that read "Dacheng Garbage Recycling Station."
The operator of this recycling station was an aged man named Zuo Muli, who was 76 years old.
This person was not inherently bad, just extremely ugly. In his youth, he had suffered an accident that cost him his left eye. Sometimes, he didn't bother wearing an eyepatch, revealing an empty socket.
Naturally, such a person couldn't find a wife and remained a bachelor all his life.
However, Zuo Muli had a son, who was 16 years old.
Of course, this son wasn't born to him; Zuo Muli had picked him up from a pile of garbage.
When Zuo Muli was just sixty, he discovered a baby, wrapped up tightly, in a garbage heap near a disused factory.
There was nothing on the baby to identify it, only a small slip of paper with a birth date written on it.
Zuo Muli naturally took this as a gift from heaven, named the baby Zuo Sicheng, then processed the adoption papers, making him his son.
Zuo Muli was not a bad person, but he had a bad temper and often quarreled with the nearby residents, sometimes getting beaten black and blue.
But considering Zuo Muli was disabled, the residents didn't truly drive him away, though Zuo Muli's business fluctuated.
People who started collecting scrap and recycling garbage in the 1990s, if they had even a little sense and emotional intelligence, generally became millionaires. But Zuo Muli had spent over 20 years guarding this dilapidated house, living a life of mediocrity.
And with Zuo Sicheng, a burdensome addition, life became even more difficult.
Zuo Muli didn't have the same mindset as other adoptive parents who would sell everything to send their child to school. His idea was simple: he could sell everything to raise the child, but selling everything to send the child to school was a waste of money. It would be better to find a way to apprentice him later, so he could learn a trade and make a living.
With this thought, Zuo Sicheng never attended a single day of school. The neighborhood committee tried to persuade him a few times but couldn't change his mind, so they gave up and let the unfortunate child grow up as he did.
"This child's life is ruined, following a jinxed adoptive father!" Many residents nearby lamented, while also warning their own children not to play with such "garbage kids." They stayed in garbage heaps, covered in germs, and were very dangerous.
Moreover, he hadn't attended school and was a complete wild child. Such people would corrupt their own children.
Therefore, Zuo Sicheng had the most miserable childhood, eating meager food, with an unreliable adoptive father, and no friends around. He was practically worse off than any protagonist in a typical origin story.
In fact, Zuo Sicheng was practically ruined. Due to his living environment and the alienation from those around him, Zuo Sicheng gradually developed the habit of communicating with his fists.
Additionally, Zuo Sicheng had talent. Although the food he ate was poor, lacking nutrition and hygiene, with much of it being food his adoptive father found in garbage dumps, Zuo Sicheng seemed to possess extraordinary talent. His growth and development went against the norm. Despite being only 16 years old, his height had reached 1.98 meters, almost breaking two meters.
His physique was also extremely sturdy, covered in muscles, giving him an incredibly fierce appearance. He was also brave and fond of fighting, becoming a notorious local hoodlum, even a "big brother," extorting students on a street and engaging in petty theft. He lived a flashy life for a few years.
By 1999, Zuo Sicheng, only 13 years old, heard that stealing manhole covers was profitable. Coupled with his family's scrap metal business, which provided channels for fencing stolen goods, Zuo Sicheng stole all the manhole covers on an entire street overnight. He earned over a hundred yuan and was quite pleased with himself for a while.
However, misfortune followed success. Zuo Sicheng's theft of manhole covers caused a very sensational uproar. It was said that his actions led to someone falling into a well, nearly costing two lives.
Then came an investigation. The police found the stolen manhole covers, followed the trail, located the Dacheng Recycling Station, and successfully identified Zuo Sicheng as a suspect.
Zuo Sicheng was not scared at all, as he was a minor. At most, he would be lectured by the police and then released.
This was indeed the case. He was soon released, as stealing manhole covers was not a major crime, just petty theft.
However, Zuo Sicheng suffered an unexpected blow. One day, he was cornered by another group of hoodlums. Although Zuo Sicheng was broad and strong, two fists are no match for four hands, and he was severely beaten.
How severe?
Zuo Sicheng was beaten into a vegetative state, suffering severe brain damage.
The attackers vanished without a trace. Fortunately, the attackers' family seemed to be wealthy and offered to pay for all medical expenses as compensation, requesting Zuo Muli to sign a letter of understanding.
Zuo Muli tearfully agreed. He had no other choice, as Zuo Sicheng's annual treatment costs were astronomical. A one-time compensation was not enough to cover lifelong medical expenses.
So Zuo Sicheng lay in bed for two years. Then came the devastating news: the attackers' family had run out of money and refused to pay for medical expenses anymore, even fleeing overnight. Zuo Muli, using all his savings, struggled to support his adoptive son for more than half a year. In the end, he was unable to save his adoptive son's life and had to sign a do-not-resuscitate order, deciding to let the unfortunate child leave in peace.
Then, a miracle happened. Zuo Muli's account suddenly received the overdue medical expenses for eight months, transferred from the same family's account.
Zuo Muli wanted to check on that family's situation, but they hadn't returned, and he couldn't contact them. However, the monthly medical fees were still being paid.
Zuo Muli guessed that the family had become wealthy again during these months and therefore paid off the outstanding treatment costs.
"What a good family!" Zuo Muli exclaimed. He understood that the family was also very pitiful. Their son committed a mistake and fled without a trace, causing his family to bear exorbitant monthly medical expenses.
It was likely that the family had been financially ruined by these treatment costs. And now, although they had fled, they had returned the owed money, which left Zuo Muli with nothing but admiration for their character.
After this ordeal, the situation gradually improved. Zuo Sicheng, who had been lying in bed with no reaction, showed signs of response after enduring this trial and almost being taken off treatment. His fingers could move, and his neural functions gradually recovered.
Six months later, Zuo Sicheng opened his eyes for the first time, let out a whimper, and three days later, could call his father and engage in simple communication with those around him. He was hailed as a miracle by all the doctors at the hospital.
And this miracle continued to be a miracle. In August 2003, Zuo Sicheng was discharged from the hospital, his body's functions fully restored. He could walk, speak, think, and was virtually indistinguishable from a normal person.
This was a miracle of miracles, as most people who emerged from a vegetative state required ten or even decades of recovery to return to normal levels, and would never fully recover.
But Zuo Sicheng recovered in just two years, which was truly a miracle!
Zuo Sicheng even discovered that he was a genius!