Courtyard House: From Bloodsucking Jia Zhangshi to Industrial Giant

Chapter 39 Director Yang Invites You!

Old Tai put his glasses back on and gestured with his chin toward Zhang Chengfei, who was sipping tea: "I didn't invent the electric kettle, Zhang Chengfei did."

Old Ma was stunned. He knew that the electric heating cup was made by several people in the micro-tiller research group, but he always thought that the inventor was Old Tai.

Unexpectedly, it was Zhang Chengfei again.

"You're something else! You know a lot of things!" He slapped Zhang Chengfei on the shoulder hard.

Zhang Chengfei choked on his tea as soon as he took a sip, coughing fitfully. He looked at Lao Ma with a pitiful expression: "What are you doing? Ouch..."

Old Ma apologized slightly, then sniffed the air and said, "What kind of tea is this? It smells so good! Can I have some tea leaves...?"

"This is a gift from my chubby niece, specially brought to me by an eighth-grade fitter." Zhang Chengfei didn't want to give it to her, but Old Ma rummaged through his drawer without saying a word, found a packet of tea, and took half of it.

Zhang Chengfei dared not speak out in anger, while Xiao Ke laughed heartily on the side.

Serves you right for showing off your tea; you've fallen into a ditch!

Old Ma happily stuffed the tea leaves into his pocket and then told Zhang Chengfei and the others that Old Feng had already ridden his bicycle to the Ministry of Machine Building to report on his work.

"If all goes well, our factory will soon be able to add an electric kettle production line."

Now it was Zhang Chengfei and his two companions' turn to be surprised. They exclaimed in unison, "Are we going to make our own electric kettles?"

They all assumed the factory would report the new invention to the Ministry of Machine Building, and then outsource its production to another factory. After all, their factory manufactured agricultural machinery, which wasn't their area of ​​expertise…

Old Ma laughed: "Are you kidding me? Why should we hand over the credit for our research and development to others?"

These days, factories are also divided into different classes. In an era where earning foreign exchange is done at all costs, the factory manager of a factory that can earn foreign exchange, regardless of its size, stands taller than the factory managers of other factories.

He told the three that he and Lao Feng had discussed it and decided to fight for the production rights of the electric kettle.

"Didn't your team leader say that this electric heating cup is not technically difficult, and its production does not require complicated steps, let alone large machine tools or lathes?"

"Once Fatty Feng gets a hold of things at the Ministry of Machine Building, we can build our own production line, and that'll be settled!"

He slapped his thigh suddenly: "You guys have really done a great job this time. Once the production line is up and running, the factory will definitely give you a big credit rating!!"

Xiao Ke immediately became smug: "Could you give each of us a fifty-yuan reward, plus a certificate?"

Old Ma: "I don't think there's a big problem."

Xiao Ke waved his hand grandly, exclaiming with boundless generosity, "Once we get the money, I'll treat everyone to grilled meat!"

Zhang Chengfei suddenly spoke up: "Section Chief, should we apply for a patent in advance?"

"Patent? The kind of patent for rice ditching machines that you apply for in a small notebook?" Old Ma's eyes narrowed, and he remembered something bad.

"That's right." Zhang Chengfei analyzed with him that the electric kettle technology is not difficult, and if others want to imitate it, it is very easy.

"Only by applying for a patent can we firmly control the production rights of electric kettles in our own hands."

Old Ma's eyes lit up, but the next moment, Old Tai poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

"The core framework of international patents is the BL Convention concluded in 1883. This convention established the principle of 'national treatment.' A national of any member state shall enjoy the same treatment as nationals of that country when applying for a patent in the territory of another member state."

"Our country is not a member state, so we are not qualified to apply for patents internationally. In other words, other countries have no legal obligation to recognize our country's patent applications."

One sentence silenced both Zhang Chengfei and Lao Ma.

Xiao Ke was initially angry, but then suddenly remembered something. He furtively closed the door and ran back: "I heard that the steel rolling mill had some kind of invention five or six years ago, and it successfully applied for an international patent."

The group looked over, and Xiao Ke, still trying to keep them in suspense, was glared at by Lao Ma and obediently said, "Back then, the steel rolling mill was a joint state-private enterprise. It's said that their Chairman Lou arranged the overseas channels for it."

Lou Zhenhua? Zhang Chengfei lowered his eyelids. This was not surprising. This man was known as Lou the Half-City, and he had a wide network of connections.

In the original drama, even when everyone was on edge and seeing threats everywhere, he was still able to escape unscathed, go to Hong Kong, and thrive there, which shows how powerful his background was.

He looked at Old Ma, who scratched his chin: "I don't know that capitalist Lou Zhenhua, but I know Director Yang of the steel rolling mill..."

As he was about to get up, Lao Tai stopped him, saying, "Why don't we wait for the factory manager to come back so we can get up together?"

"No need. Yang Gangtie and I were both soldiers and have military experience. I'll feel more comfortable going to him myself than taking Fatty Feng with me." With that, he strode away.

A few minutes after he came out, Zhang Chengfei suddenly stood up as well: "I have a few words to say to the section chief."

After saying that, he ran away.

As he reached the factory gate, he caught up with Old Ma: "Section Chief, could you have someone investigate the situation of the engineer who saved Old Tian back then?"

Old Ma frowned: "Why are you investigating him? Isn't he dead?"

Zhang Chengfei: "Old Ma only said he couldn't find him, he didn't say he was dead. And when I saw Old Tian drinking that day, the way he gritted his teeth while holding up the notebook didn't seem like he was faking it."

It's contradictory and hard to understand why someone who hates Japan would sell out his country's technology to Japan and even imitate Japan's eating habits.

Zhang Chengfei thought about it for two days and felt that the key to the problem was likely with that engineer.

Old Ma thought for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I'll have someone investigate in a bit."

Zhang Chengfei instructed, "This matter, and the patent matter, must be handled well."

Old Ma nodded at first, then realized what he meant: "Who's the boss between us? You've got some nerve, kid? Daring to order me around?"

He lightly kicked Zhang Chengfei, muttering, "I'm from the security department. I just pretend to be important in your technical section. But as soon as you show up, you give me endless work."

"Damn it, sometimes I feel like I've really become the head of the technical department."

Zhang Chengfei: "Isn't this great? When you succeed, you can say it was a valuable experience as an undercover agent..."

"You smooth talker, go back to drawing your pictures!"

That evening, near the end of the workday, Lao Ma told Zhang Chengfei that Lao Tai shouldn't leave after get off work; Director Yang wanted to invite him to a private room in the steel rolling mill's canteen.

Xiao Ke was indignant, feeling that out of the three people, Yang Gangtie had singled him out, perhaps because he looked down on him.

Old Ma told him not to overthink it; it wasn't a possibility, Yang Gangtie definitely looked down on him.

Old Ma was merciless: "Old Tai is an eighth-level engineer. There are only three people in the steel rolling mill, a large factory with tens of thousands of employees, plus two branch factories. Zhang Chengfei is the inventor of the electric kettle. You're just an assistant in the team, so of course he looks down on you."

Xiao Ke was so angry he almost vomited blood.

Old Ma then changed the subject: "Tonight's drinking party might not be so simple. Lao Tai, Cheng Fei, you two should talk less and observe more."

The two nodded to indicate that they understood.

At seven o'clock in the evening, in the canteen kitchen,

Silly Zhu sat on the stool, legs crossed, drinking tea and humming a little tune. While supervising Ma Hua's work, he was also thinking about which dishes he should set aside and pack into lunchboxes to take away.

Is it braised pork? Or twice-cooked pork? Or chicken stew with mushrooms? Thinking of chicken stew with mushrooms, he looked a little disappointed.

Sister Qin loves this dish the most... no, I should say that Bang Geng and that old hag Zhang Er Ya love this dish the most.

Whenever she brought this dish home, Sister Qin would come up and ask for it.

Then I can talk to her a bit more. Sister Qin, her smile is so beautiful...