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

But something is better than nothing. The current business of disposable plastic cups, plus straws, disposable bowls, transparent anti-saliva-splash masks, disposable plastic gloves, plastic packaging bags, semi-automatic milk tea capping machines, etc... as well as the business of his "Yu Fan Plastic Factory" itself, at least keeps the factory alive, it's just a matter of how much profit it makes.

However, in this situation, he would not be able to repay Zhang Dabiao by the end of the year, so he would occasionally urge Zhang Dabiao (Zhang Yaoyang) to come up with a solution.

His arm is fully healed, although it's not as flexible as his other hand, but at least it's saved.

Qu Wu's arm was ultimately not reattached, but he was unharmed, and Lou Yufan arranged for him to work oversee other businesses within the family.

When it comes to making money together, the feud with Zhang Dabiao is negotiable. Moreover, their enmity is open and they are wary of each other, which is more straightforward than a relationship where someone stabs you in the back. In fact, it's much more direct.

Furthermore, since the Lou family is located in mainland China, Lou Yufan really didn't dare to make a move against Zhang Dabiao (Zhang Yaoyang).

Lou Yufan asked Zhang Dabiao whether they should open a Mixue Ice Cream shop in Mong Kok, Causeway Bay, or Yau Ma Tei, because they had previously partnered with a catering supplies company, and the three shops they invested in were located in those three places.

Once Mixue Ice Cream goes out into the world, its plastic cups, with their drool-filled contents, can also go out into the world. Only when consumers develop a habit of buying its products will they actually buy them.

Zhang Dabiao thought about it and decided to wait until after the exams, around July or August, to decide. Opening a few branches wasn't out of the question, but in a place like Hong Kong with its complex relationships, he felt it wasn't a safe bet.

Why not go for franchising, or perhaps—go for Xiangpiaopiao?

Is this safe?

But HK$10 isn't enough to start a factory, is it?

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

In Qinjiatun, at Lao Zhang's house, at Lao Jin's house who helps appraise antiques, and at the teahouse in Lishuiqiao Village, everything was normal. It felt like after 61, although life was getting harder and harder, everyone had calmed down and couldn't cause any more trouble.

However, I've been collecting more and more antique and collectible items like small yellow croakers in the past few months.

Zhang Dabiao directly purchased grain in Hong Kong and brought it back to exchange for goods. Each time, the amount was not large, only a few thousand kilograms, and it was scattered in several places, so it was safe.

Zhang Dabiao's "Hongmen Iron Wire Palm" is still at a minor level. This kind of thing requires years of practice. He is just strong and has good physical fitness, but he is not a genius.

He's only just started learning the "Wind Chaser" technique. Anyway, he's taken off the 40-pound weight. He can run 100 meters in about 12 seconds. His explosive power is actually average, and he hasn't had any systematic professional training. But his long-distance running endurance is excellent. He even wondered if he had trained incorrectly and went back to his master, Qin Dingsong, to confirm.

结果才明白，59年全运会100米男子纪录11.6秒、世界纪录11.2秒，60年全国纪录10.3秒，世界纪录10.0秒。

What more do you want, Zhang Dabiao?

Are you going to fly?

Zhang Dabiao stroked his chin, thinking, "It seems... he's pretty awesome, huh?"

Even his master, Qin Dingsong, asked him if he wanted to apply to a sports college.

I won't do it.

I want to pursue art, and I want to make money.

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

In fact, Zhang Dabiao and Mu Wanqing had been busy since May.

At that time, the professional examinations for art colleges were organized by each school itself, rather than a national unified college entrance examination.

The exams are scheduled at different times, so theoretically, multiple exams are possible, with varying levels of difficulty. Some schools even conduct the exams in a perfunctory manner.

Zhang Dabiao and Mu Wanqing could use this "time difference" to move between multiple schools.

In principle, art colleges (undergraduate): applicants may apply to no more than 3 colleges at the same time (the upper limit stipulated by the Ministry of Education), and they must be colleges of the same type (such as Sijiu City Art College, Central Academy of Drama, and Central Conservatory of Music). Applicants may not apply to colleges of different disciplines (such as applying to art colleges and regular colleges at the same time).

Application process: Each school requires separate application and professional examination. The college entrance examination scores can be used for the general education subjects (score reports need to be provided to each school).

Admission rules: You can only be admitted to one school. If you are admitted to multiple schools at the same time, you must comply with the unified allocation by the Ministry of Education and be given priority to be assigned to "majors urgently needed by the country".

So without hesitation, he chose the Sijiu City Arts and Crafts School - Decoration (Commercial Art), the Central Academy of Fine Arts Affiliated High School - Arts and Crafts Design, and the Sijiu City Textile Engineering College Affiliated Secondary Vocational School - Textile Art Design.

The Sijiu City Arts and Crafts Academy was founded in 1956 and is a higher education institution (undergraduate). In 1958, the Sijiu City Arts and Crafts School was established as an affiliated secondary vocational school.

Moreover, it's easier to take the college entrance exam after attending a vocational high school.

However, considering the graduation time of vocational school, Zhang Dabiao felt that it was probably hopeless.

The professional exams cover sketching, color, quick sketching, and pattern design, which is no problem for Zhang Dabiao!

Sketching—a heretical technique!

Color – a haphazard fusion of oil painting, watercolor, and traditional Chinese painting techniques, using whatever is most convenient!

Sketching—I draw comics! I'll show you how to draw comics with a calligraphy brush!

Pattern design—four-way repeating is a piece of cake, I can even do seamless texture mapping, not to mention I can draw 20 different cloud patterns for you without repeating them!

Because most of the people around him were junior high school students, a bunch of little kids! To them, Zhang Dabiao's drawing skills, speed, and foundation were simply a game-changer!

Even the proctor was stunned.

To put it simply, it's like a modern game concept artist who has been working in a professional team for 24 years, and then takes the entrance exam for a vocational art high school, not the kind of art college entrance exam (the art college entrance exam style might not even match).

Zhang Dabiao is in this situation now, and this is 61. One of the proctors exclaimed, "His level is high enough to be a teacher at their college!"

Passed immediately, professionalism is the top priority, no problem!

Then, several schools came to the courtyard to recruit Zhang Dabiao, not because his skills were exceptionally good, nor because he was a top scholar (he hadn't even taken the academic exams yet). It was because…

Of these three schools, two were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, and one was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Textile Industry...

Zhang Dabiao was registered with the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and three signs hung outside his "studio":

Research and development studios under the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Research and development studios under the Ministry of Light Industry, Research and development studios under the Ministry of Food and Sanitation...

Upon hearing that Zhang Dabiao was taking the entrance exam for a vocational school, specifically an arts-related one, Director Zhao from the Ministry of Foreign Trade came to visit him, bringing along several school principals and leaders from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Textile Industry.

"Da Biao, you should have said so earlier!"

"If you had told us earlier that you wanted to study at a vocational school, and an arts-related one at that, we would have arranged it for you directly."

"Why take any exams? We'll admit you directly without any tests!"

Zhang Dabiao was still in the yard reading his Russian textbook, eating a rolled pancake while reading the difficult Russian, when this group of people came looking for him.

Zhang Dabiao was completely bewildered—[What does that mean?]

"Director Zhao, admission without examination? Is that appropriate?"

"Isn't this using connections?"

Zhang Dabiao has already moved to Bengbu. I didn't mean to make it that exaggerated.

Why can't I just quietly take the entrance exam for a vocational school?