Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The name "Xiao Yao" has been quietly omitted from official statements; all formal documents, notices, and meeting minutes must not mention this person or team.

Several senior professors, having stayed up all night, finally succumbed and went home to catch up on sleep. But as soon as the afternoon arrived, they reappeared at the door of their research lab, full of energy.

When Xiao Yao's team learned of the successful cellular network deployment, they did not celebrate with high fives or loud cheers. Two mountains still stood in their way: the miniaturization and high-performance integration of microcellular chips, and the construction of an end-to-end encrypted communication system.

Everyone immediately threw themselves back into the data model. Some optimized the RF parameters, some rewrote the underlying drivers, and another group went into the clean room to repeatedly fabricate and test a more compact chip prototype—the goal was clear: smaller size, stronger performance, and lower power consumption.

When China's network technology was still in its infancy, wireless communication could not even be considered to have "taken off" if it had not broken through its limitations. This leap forward is not only a technological breakthrough, but also an acceleration of the country's development pace.

Upon learning that Xiao Yao's team's technological approach had substantially surpassed that of overseas counterparts, the top leader immediately convened relevant departments and worked overnight to deploy a new strategy for the communications industry.

Previously, they were still negotiating cooperation plans to introduce foreign communication technologies, which would cost hundreds of millions of foreign exchange and take several years to work out; now, this plan has come to an end—when your own stove is burning brightly, who would want to waste money on a cold stove?

The funds originally intended for investment in overseas telecommunications companies were also simultaneously halted.

When the old leader heard "Our direction goes further than theirs," the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and a long-lost light appeared in his eyes.

"Xiao Yao needs to be hidden away—he's like a newly polished star, single-handedly pushing our country's scientific research progress forward by ten years! I'm not worried about his personal safety, but those people abroad would love for our budding talents to be nipped in the bud. If something happens to him, it's not just the loss of one person, it's cutting off a path to the future. He's only in his early twenties, with wings that haven't yet spread."

The old leader lowered his voice and said to the old leader, "Xiao Yao's name can't even be mentioned in the meeting minutes. We have to keep it a secret."

"Don't worry, I've already set up a plan: He's in the station, and the security is on a three-shift, all-encompassing basis; as soon as he steps out the door, the undercover agents will automatically follow, like a shadow. The scope of knowledge has been minimized, and all those involved have signed a lifetime confidentiality agreement. Even his family members are not allowed to ask a single question."

The old leader spoke calmly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

The old leader nodded and said nothing more.

……

"Chunming, what are you muttering about while holding that black box?"

Second Sister Han Chunyan was stunned when she pushed open the door—Xiao Wuzi was holding a small, shiny black square to his ear, muttering something under his breath.

"This is our first generation of domestically made mobile phones, 680 yuan a unit! He spent his entire month's salary on it, and even bought one for me—what a spendthrift!"

As Han's mother scolded him, her eyes curved into crescents, and her fingers unconsciously twirled the hem of her apron.

"Mom, let me see! Everyone in our department is talking about it. I lined up until 3 a.m. on the day of the department store shopping frenzy, but the counters were already empty, and I didn't even get to see what it looked like."

Han Chunyan snatched the phone and examined it closely: it had a matte black casing, with a gray-blue LCD screen on one side and densely packed buttons on the other, and it was as thin as a pocket notebook.

"Mom, can I borrow this phone for now? I'll deposit 500 yuan and pay the rest in installments—I'll deduct 100 yuan from my salary every month!" She clutched the phone tightly, reluctant to let go, her fingertips repeatedly rubbing the cold plastic frame.

"Give the money to Chunming, I don't need it. The telephone line has already been run into the main room, and we're not going far. What would I need a 'noisy brick' for?" Han's mother waved her hand, her heart softening at the sight of her daughter's shining eyes.

"By the way, Mom, what's the number? I heard it's a five-yuan monthly fee, and they don't charge extra for making calls," Han Chunyan pressed.

"Look, it's right here—Chunming wrote it very clearly, I'm afraid I'll forget it."

Han's mother pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from under the sewing basket and handed it over.

"And this too!" She shoved a small, silver-gray box at me. "It's called a universal charger—you have to feed your phone when it's hungry, just like a kitten needs food. I don't understand all this stuff, but anyway, paying bills and charging it is more exhausting than raising a child!"

Han Chunming had just hung up the phone with Su Meng when he turned to his second sister with a smile: "What a coincidence! The trade market approved a quota of 500 units, and I snagged four—one for Su Meng, one for Mom, and one for Xiao Yao. I haven't seen him for quite some time. I went to the school to ask, but they said he graduated a long time ago and we haven't heard from him since. Leaving him a cell phone number means at least I can call him once."

"Hey Wu, is there any left in the market? Several of my colleagues in the department aren't buying 'three turns and one sound' (a traditional Chinese wedding accessory) for their weddings; they're just glued to their phones—they'd rather spend an extra fifty yuan to buy one!"

"They're all gone today! But the second batch will arrive next month. The Huayu factory is operating 24/7 now, with sparks flying off the assembly line. I heard the blueprints for the branch factory are all finished. Once the machines are moved in, these little things will be everywhere in a year."

Han Chunming spoke with certainty. His group of cadres had just visited the Huayu factory; on recruitment day, it was packed with people, the registration forms alone piled up like a small mountain. Right now, the phones were only available in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, but once the branch factory opened, who would worry about not being able to buy one? Surely not everyone could carry three phones, right?

Once this thing hit the market, people walked with their backs straight – foreigners carrying half-pound "big brother" phones would have their batteries fail after just two calls; our phones, on a single charge, could last all day.

"See that? Those foreigners change their crappy batteries more often than they wipe their sweat!" Xiao Zhang at the reception desk waved a brand-new Mandarin-enabled phone in his hand. "Ours is the real deal!"

"Where did you find it? I've searched all over Kyoto, and I couldn't even find a trace of it at the counter!"

"The trade market! They have three times more slots than the department store. Hurry up and head to the foreign trade center after get off work—we just got a thousand units back, maybe we can still snag one!"

As early as when the civilian mobile phone project was first initiated, the World Federation of Industry and Commerce officially recognized the patent rights for Chinese-language mobile phones. A team of experts from Lianhe Guo disassembled, tested, and verified the technology on-site, ultimately stamping it as exclusively Chinese. In terms of battery life and size alone, it is a full twenty years ahead of the latest European models—its battery technology is far superior.

Several powerful nations are now eager to establish diplomatic relations, proactively offering rare earth elements, high-purity silicon crystals, and aerospace-grade titanium alloys in exchange for communications cooperation. Long queues form outside the reception office for foreign guests; solar power plants and mobile phones, these two trump cards, have truly placed China at the center of the world's technological arena.

John Bull even offered to trade two capital ships for patent licensing, but this was immediately rejected by senior management. However, they agreed to help them build cellular base stations in the UK—on the condition that the annual patent fees be paid in full. Currently, the two sides are negotiating this fee intensely.

Meanwhile, in the US, the conference room at the headquarters of a mobile phone giant was filled with smoke. The boss slammed his coffee cup down: "The EU market must be exclusively ours! At all costs!"

Tom slumped in his leather chair, a wry smile on his face—he knew this wave of Chinese influence was unstoppable. But at least he had to hold onto the EU gate; after all, who wants to make a phone call with a brick? Without comparison, where does the shock come from?

Tom accompanied the president on his visit to China, carrying the crucial mission that the US must forge strategic cooperation between the two countries. At the World Expo, several cutting-edge scientific research achievements from China made their debut, shattering the West's old illusions about the sleeping giant of the East—since the rise of China cannot be stopped, it's better to shake hands and move forward together. The emergence of lithium batteries directly shattered the long-held dream of established industrial powers monopolizing the energy lifeline: people finally saw clearly that the Eastern lion had not only awakened, but was striding forward with solid technological steps. What truly shocked the world was not the new smartphones, but lithium batteries and electric bicycles—they demonstrated to the world for the first time that energy does not have to be exhausted all at once, but can be completely recycled. Oil will eventually run out, but electric-powered transportation can be inexhaustible.

Electric bicycles and pure electric cars are the twin engines of green mobility that Xiao Yao's team has been working hard to create. With renewable energy, zero emissions, and low maintenance, although they have not yet fully crossed the threshold of mass production, they are already impressive enough to make a stunning appearance at the world's top scientific research conferences.

In terms of appearance, these electric vehicles are not much different from current gasoline vehicles, but they have completely gotten rid of the fuel tank and exhaust pipe; Xiao Yao's team is making every effort to break through the nanoscale solid battery barrier - once the breakthrough is achieved, the range will increase by three to five times, truly saying goodbye to "range anxiety".

Several international automakers have repeatedly approached the company, hoping to collaborate on an electric bicycle project, but have consistently encountered obstacles. Currently, the product is only available in China, and production capacity is insufficient to support overseas markets; in contrast, smartphones have already entered the international market.

After all, mobile phones are updated in years, while cars are updated in decades. Xiao Yao's insistence on "mobile phones going overseas first" is based on a precise judgment of this reality.

……

The old leader has been all smiles lately. With the unveiling of several impressive achievements, the distorted claims made by the US against China have been completely refuted, and the world has truly felt the openness, enthusiasm, and willingness to share the fruits of this Eastern country's labor—even patent licensing and complete machine exports are clearly priced and conducted with integrity.

Many countries went through multiple rounds of communication to establish diplomatic relations with China as soon as possible, seeking mutual benefit and win-win results. At the negotiating table, China took the initiative for the first time, and its long-cherished wish was finally realized.

As for Xiao Yao's insistence on not exporting electric bicycles for the time being, the old leader knew perfectly well: in the end, it was still the basic industrial capacity that was holding them back—currently, even domestic demand was in short supply, so how could they have the spare capacity to take care of overseas markets?

However, the situation will be very different a year from now. This negotiation is of great significance: a large number of advanced industrial equipment will be prioritized for China, along with a full-cycle after-sales guarantee of up to ten years. It is hoped that China will give priority to China in its future procurement of new products.

When the old leader stepped into Xiao Yao's laboratory, no one noticed. It wasn't until he walked through the clean corridor and approached the lab bench that everyone suddenly realized who this uninvited guest was.