Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

"No way, this thing, this thing was made by us?" Li Huaide hadn't figured it out yet.

"Do you have a patent? Can't he just change the design? Do you have copyright? Does our country have any way to stop foreign companies from copying it?"

"Have we joined the W... tariffs, trade... agreements, etc.?" Zhang Dabiao almost blurted out WTO, but it doesn't exist these days.

What was this at that time... the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)? For various reasons, our country first "re-entered the GATT" and then "joined the WTO". Anyway, the process was very complicated and took more than ten years.

Li Huaide was stunned for a moment, then thought about it carefully...

Zhang Dabiao is right. It's impossible to stop foreign imitations. Not to mention foreign imitations, it's not even possible to stop domestic imitations.

There are no laws to regulate it.

"So this factory, this batch of orders..."

"Once it's done, that's it. If I were one of those foreign capitalists, they would either redesign and repackage it for relaunch, or come back to you after there are imitations on the market and cut the price in half."

"Anyway, whoever becomes the factory manager will have a tough time."

Exactly! In the first year, or rather the first quarter, you make a fortune in foreign exchange, but in the next quarter, there are no orders, or the other party lowers the price, selling for less than the cost. So, would you do it?

Li Huaide was suddenly terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. If what Zhang Dabiao said was true...

Wouldn't that mean we're doomed?

"No, I have to go back and tell my father-in-law that this factory can't be built!"

Zhang Dabiao immediately pressed him down again.

"You're trying to stop the factory from being built at this crucial point? Can you really stop it?"

"Fine, let whoever wants to build it build it, and let whoever wants to be the factory manager go."

"They didn't even consult me, the designer, before arranging it; why would they care about your opinion?"

Li Huaide finally nodded helplessly. The higher-ups were blinded by orders from foreign guests and businessmen, who all felt that the invention had significant symbolic value, but they didn't pay attention to the inventor...

In such a situation, it's easy to lose your head, and anyone who tries to stop you is committing a "crime"!

"Then, could you do more product design work? Give me some support?" Li Huaide was still a little unwilling to give up, hoping to be promoted directly to factory manager!

Zhang Dabiao shook his head: "Don't mention it, I'm a very lazy person. If whipping cream wasn't so laborious, I wouldn't have invented this thing."

"Besides, the higher-ups don't value me, and I still have the nerve to do designs for them. Aren't I being pathetic?"

"Besides, those designers and researchers aren't convinced either. I'm only 16, in third grade. What's my status? What's their status? There'll be a lot of trouble later."

So whoever wants to go can go.

Li Huaide looked at him and shook his head, not knowing what to say.

Others might see Zhang Dabiao as just a kid, but he doesn't see it that way. How could a kid like him uncover such a large group of people behind a loan sharking scheme?

He solved a problem that even the staff in the Security Department couldn't solve. Do you still think he's just an ordinary kid?

Li Huaide chatted casually for a while before heading back.

He needs to discuss this with his father-in-law; it's not something he can decide on his own.

If what Zhang Dabiao said is true, then this competition for resources and positions is completely meaningless. It would be better to withdraw early or exchange resources with other factions.

However, before leaving, he reminded Zhang Dabiao, "Don't tell anyone about your judgment."

You only cared about the design, and that's how you came up with this thing on a whim; you knew nothing else.

Zhang Dabiao nodded, a reminder not to let it slip. If you, the inventor, knew this thing would be copied, why didn't you say so when you were building the factory?

If huge losses are incurred, someone has to take the blame, right?

Someone was bound to notice, but the ministry was very excited and confident in controlling quality and increasing production, but—

This world isn't something you can control just because you think you can.

Zhang Dabiao understood the implied meaning in Li Huaide's words, damn it—

I'm a sixteen-year-old idiot who's only in the third grade of elementary school. Why should I take the blame?

Can I carry myself?

I might as well pretend I know nothing.

------------

The next day, the street officials came running again with drums and gongs. Several secretaries from various departments, along with Factory Director Yang, Secretary Nie, Li Huaide, and others, came to No. 95 Courtyard for a very official meeting.

Zhang Dabiao was awarded a certificate that read "Little Inventor"...

Zhang Dabiao's face darkened—[I'm not young, really not young! You're the one who's young, your whole family is young!]

Imagine, when you're seventy or eighty years old, you'll be showing off your youthful achievements to your grandchildren—a little inventor?

Damn it, even if you write it as "Folk Scientist" or "Folk Inventor," I'll still accept it even if you write it as "Handmade Master"!

Zhang Dabiao accepted the certificate and the 200 yuan bonus with a forced smile. He also took photos with the leaders' secretaries, the factory director and secretary, his face extremely stiff.

Have you ever seen a little boy who fakes a smile?

That's how it is.

However, Director Yang and his colleagues thought it was quite reasonable; this was the behavior of a sixteen-year-old third-grade elementary school kid who was flattered.

Then, following procedure, Director Yang and his colleagues gave Zhang Dabiao a perfunctory "encouragement" before leaving.

They thought that treating Zhang Dabiao this way was already giving him plenty of face, and that Zhang Dabiao should be grateful and contribute more to the factory.

I'm not even one of your factory's employees.

The certificate didn't suit my taste, and 200 yuan is nothing.

And you fucking put on airs in front of me, making me cooperate with your charade and staged photos...

They never asked me once whether I was willing to "send" this design to my superiors.

Of course, Zhang Dabiao wouldn't dare say no, but you have to ask, right?

To be honest, Zhang Dabiao was really disappointed in these "officials".

Then, after the department and factory officials left, the street office held a commendation meeting for Zhang Dabiao in the courtyard, and everyone cheered him on! Moreover, they heard that the street office might have some quotas for this factory construction, and everyone's eyes lit up.

Zhang Dabiao made great contributions to the country, the factory, and the neighborhood!

So the neighborhood committee gave Zhang Dabiao some receipts as a reward, and Zhang Dabiao could only continue to fake a smile.

Tired.

Just when everyone thought it was over, Zhang Dabiao was arrested by the school again the next day...

He gave a speech on the podium, but he didn't even know what he was talking about. He just remembered that the principal spoke for more than half an hour.

Zhang Dabiao was also awarded a "Three Good Student" certificate...

No, you can give me this after I skip a grade. I'm sixteen now and in the third grade of elementary school. Do you think I deserve the title of "Three Good Student" right now?

And immediately put a red scarf on Zhang Dabiao; he is now a proud third-grade Young Pioneer...

Zhang Dabiao's face was frozen from smiling.

But the students in the audience envied him, especially Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiefang.

Then I got the joining of the Youth League sorted out. First I joined the Young Pioneers, then I joined the Youth League. It all went smoothly.

On the third day, a reporter from the daily newspaper arrived...