Xing Baohua was getting a headache from the noise. He'd been in such a rush that he'd forgotten to change the batteries.

Section Chief Shen didn't seem to care, and instead looked curiously at the rough bare boards such as the circuit boards.

"That's it. What was it talking about inside?" Shen Jie asked, pointing to the bare calculator.

"1+1=2 (English pronunciation)," Xing Baohua replied.

"It can even talk! That's incredible! If this were produced, it would be a sure thing for the provincial science and technology progress award, and we could even try for the national one. By the way, Xiao Xing, what did you want to see me about?" Section Chief Shen then remembered that Xing Baohua hadn't asked him to show this, but rather to report something to him.

"Well, it's like this, the calculator's display is consuming too much power, which is affecting battery life. The sound you just heard was because the battery was low. Do you have any new batteries here? Try replacing them and listen again," Xing Baohua said.

Section Chief Shen called for someone to find batteries, to replace the old ones with new ones. He then picked up the phone and called the factory manager to ask if he had time to go over with Xing Baohua to report on the work.

Factory Director Li told them to go up in ten minutes.

Section Chief Shen took the small iron bar from Xing Baohua. There was a thin copper wire on the iron bar, which was connected to the motherboard power supply.

Touching the copper ring of the motherboard button with a small iron bar will display numbers on the screen, complete with electronic voice announcements.

Even the worldly-wise Section Chief Shen felt that this thing was high-tech.

If Xing Baohua knew that this product was touted as high-tech, he would scoff, "High-tech my foot! It's just a bunch of digital gadgets, nothing special."

Why not study the junk version that Liu Haibo brought back? You can take it apart and sell it even if you don't need it.

In those days, the country was poor and even high-tech products were only purchased out of necessity, and what we did use were often disassembled parts or copied.

These pieces of junk were only banned from entering the country when the nation truly rose to prominence.

Xing Baohua still remembers when he was playing with BlackBerrys, those things were bought at rock-bottom prices and sold as second-hand phones. Don't be fooled by selling them as second-hand phones, the profit margin was quite considerable.

Because of environmental regulations or something similar in other countries, such electronic waste cannot be processed domestically, so it is exported for processing.

What can be done if there's an extra cost for garbage disposal?

Not only can it save money, but it also prevents unethical people from drilling holes in the motherboard, which means making a hole in the main circuit board so that you can't use it.

You can painstakingly disassemble the parts, but you can't use the whole sheet.

Do you think this will stump the Chinese?

In a matter of seconds, a few copper wires can be used to make it fly up. It's about using thin copper wires to connect the broken wires that were drilled.

When I bought a used Blackberry back then, the first thing I checked was whether it was a fake. Actually, there wasn't much to worry about. The price was what it was, and it was generally fine to use. The only concern was that it might get damaged from being dropped a few times and become unsoldered, causing the machine to malfunction.

Xing Baohua's calculator is currently considered high-end, but in two or three years it will become more common, the price will drop, and its halo effect will diminish.

After fiddling with it for a while, Section Chief Shen said to Xing Baohua, "Regarding the display board issue, I'll contact them again. What do you think about using a two-stage LED?"

Xing Baohua said, "At first, I also thought that this kind of low-power device would be very cheap to use in the domestic version. But it would not be suitable for the export version. Look at the Japanese, they know how to use it better than us. Many calculators use LCD display panels."

Section Chief Shen nodded.

Xing Baohua continued, "If we use diode backlighting, it will lower the quality. When you order the display board, you must strictly require the supplier to control the voltage between 1.5V and 3V."

"Alright, it's almost time. Take your things and let's report to the factory manager. Let's make him happy too."

When Director Li heard the ear-piercing sound of addition and subtraction calculations in his office, he burst into laughter with delight.

In a moment of joy, they would give Xing Baohua an award for personal progress. The bonus was paid along with his salary, and Xing Baohua estimated it to be around thirty or forty yuan.

Factory Director Li also instructed the purchasing department to actively cooperate with Xing Baohua's work, to quickly resolve any problems found, and to strive to produce samples as soon as possible.

Xing Baohua took the opportunity to start scavenging; he didn't dare to take the big ones, but he could casually take the small ones.

Taking this opportunity, Section Chief Shen also brought up the core issue, meaning he wanted Xing Baohua to make a statement here.

"I will follow the factory's arrangements," Xing Baohua quickly stated. He didn't want to cause trouble in this matter. Although it was his hard work, if it might earn him a promise from the factory director, it would be worth it.

“Alright, then we’ll do as Lao Shen says. You develop the equipment too. In Lao Shen’s words, he’ll help you sell it. I’ll give you double the bonus then.” Factory Director Li said, seemingly unusually generous.

Xing Baohua thought to himself, "You won't pay me the patent fee, but you should at least give me some commission. It took you so much effort to get double the bonus. What a huge favor."

If this guy were to say those words out loud, Director Li would slam his fist on the table. The factory's design department, chief engineer, senior engineers, and many research and technical personnel all need commissions. How can the factory make any money then? Their motivation for high efficiency comes from those small bonuses.

That's dedication! That's selflessness. How can you, a mere kid, compare?

If Xing Baohua really dared to speak his mind, Director Li would really dare to send him to the Party headquarters for a few months of "study." He'd rather not make any money than fail to change Xing Baohua's thinking.

"Factory manager, look how far I've come in with my research and development. Could you please help me find a solution for my production line?" Xing Baohua asked cautiously.

It was actually a test.

Factory Director Li waved to Section Chief Shen, telling him to leave first.

The factory manager handed Xing Baohua a cigarette, and after Section Chief Shen left, he said, "Look, Factory No. 4 has been acting up for a few more days because of your idea. I cut off their electricity and water, and forced them to this point, but they still haven't gritted their teeth and started production."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!