The train driver in the courtyard

Those newspapers were for sales.

Those movie stars are doing it for media coverage.

Those members of Xiaomei's family who participated in the discussion were just there to watch the drama unfold.

Suddenly, across the ocean, the Kung Fu Panda craze swept across the ocean, growing stronger and stronger without anyone noticing.

Even Disney, which had planned to retreat for a while, was caught up in this storm.

When the boss, Walter, received the interview invitation from the reporter, his mind immediately started buzzing.

"Aren't these people from the East just causing trouble?"

By this time, Disney had already produced classic animated films such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Cinderella," and "Sleeping Beauty."

They also built several Disney theme parks across the United States.

It was a colossal behemoth.

However, the film "Sleeping Beauty," released last year, lost $70, resulting in the company's first financial loss in ten years. Disney is restructuring its animation division and plans to lay off a large number of employees.

Layoffs always cause trouble.

Especially five years ago, Disney's wage and treatment issues caused a worker riot.

The workers shouted the slogan "Are we rats or humans?", dressed up as Pinocchio, and blocked the entrance to Disneyland.

To resolve this matter.

The shrewd Walter played a couple of tricks.

They hired local gang members and used gang thugs to deal with the workers.

On the other hand, they complained to the congressmen in Xiaomei's family that the workers' riot was instigated, led, and planned by those color-coded individuals, which put pressure on the federal government and led to the arrest of several ringleaders.

The whole thing finally calmed down.

This is standard practice; Xiao Mei's family of big capitalists has done it quite often.

If we only focus on this, it's fine.

However, the shrewd Walter was indeed shrewd.

Disney at that time had the potential to have the strongest legal team. After the incident subsided, Walt filed a complaint against the workers involved in the riot with the Un-American Activities Committee.

“Some of my staff and artists came to me and said that Mr. Herbert Sorel was trying to turn them against him,” Disney said, adding that Sorel and his associates “are hostile.”

Many active artists became victims of the Hollywood blacklist era—many film industry professionals were blacklisted by film companies due to crackdowns.

As for Sorel, he was accused of sympathizing with the enemy and ultimately suffered a disgraceful end.

Now that layoffs are imminent, Walter is afraid that the events of the past will repeat themselves, so he has been keeping a very low profile lately.

“Boss, how about I send them away?” the blonde, blue-eyed secretary suggested.

"Get them out of here." Walter hadn't originally planned to receive the reporters, but after seeing the information about Red Star Entertainment Film Company, he changed his mind.

"Wait a minute. Red Star Entertainment Film and Television Company is a company based in Hong Kong?"

“The other party is registered in Hong Kong. According to our investigation, they have deep ties with Hextech and have connections with Dongda Iron.” The blonde, blue-eyed secretary was clearly not a brainless woman; she had done thorough preparation before giving the report.

Hua lit his pipe, frowned, and pondered for a moment: "Invite all the reporters to the conference room. I want to give interviews myself."

Upon hearing this decision, the blond-haired, blue-eyed man was taken aback at first, but then he understood Walter's intention.

Disney is currently facing internal and external troubles, and its image with America is also not good, so it urgently needs to shift the blame elsewhere.

Whom it's attributed to is naturally Red Star Entertainment Film & Television.

"Poor little company, you've only just been established and Walter has already set his sights on you. Your good luck is over." The blond-haired, blue-eyed man knew Walter's methods all too well and couldn't help but feel sorry for Kung Fu Panda.

Things turned out exactly as she had predicted.

Walter gave a wise response to the nosy reporters.

"In my opinion, apart from Disney animation, no other animation in the world has any artistic element."

"Animation requires an artistic flair, and I don't think people over there even know what art is."

"Sleeping Beauty represents our culture, while pandas belong to the other side. We must be vigilant and reject pandas!"

"If necessary, we will send our legal team to file a lawsuit against Kung Fu Panda."

If the first few points were all for self-promotion, then it would be quite reasonable.

The next one is really baffling.

Reporter Smith firmly occupied the center position, taking notes while asking, "Did Kung Fu Panda infringe on your copyright?"

Walter straightened his collar and replied casually, "That's true."

Smith was confused: "But it hasn't been released yet, we haven't even seen the finished film."

Walter laughed: "Believe me, dear reporter, they definitely have a problem if we want to."

Upon hearing this, and recalling the things Walter had done in previous years, the reporters knew perfectly well that he was about to pull another dirty trick, and they all stared wide-eyed with excitement.

This is big news!

Smith even came up with a headline: Disney is going to take down Kung Fu Panda.

Disney's involvement was like pouring oil into a hot pan, making the discussion about "Kung Fu Panda" even more heated.

The person who started this whole thing is Li Aiguo.

At this moment, however, he was stuck in the studio, tinkering with a product called pepper spray.

In the studio, there was a large pot piled high with chili peppers. The "wild car expert," wearing a mask, was stir-frying them while muttering to himself:
"I don't know if people in Europe and America are crazy, why would they buy this thing?"

This story begins with the release of the Great Wall SUV.

To ensure the safety of vehicle owners, the SUV comes standard with some safety tools, such as baseball bats and entrenching tools.

However, some female customers complained that the baseball bats were too heavy to lift and the entrenching tools were too sharp, posing a risk of injury.

For Li Aiguo, customers are not gods.

However, since each vehicle could earn tens of thousands of dollars, Li Aiguo was still happy to help customers solve this small problem, and thus the pepper spray was born.

This thing is mainly a metal high-pressure spray bottle, which is mixed with pepper spray, biogas and alcohol. The cost is only a few cents, but it can be sold for a high price of ten dollars.

Pepper sprayers were originally just a little gadget I made on a whim, but they ended up selling like hotcakes in Europe and America.

In just one month, the original production of more than 5,000 bottles was sold out.

Customers also commented that this thing works well, but it's too weak; they need something more powerful.

As soon as Li Aiguo finished drawing all the blueprints for the engineering geological exploration drilling rig, he began to fulfill the customer's wishes.

Hearing the wild car expert's rambling, Li Aiguo smiled and said, "This thing is obviously for self-defense."

"Aren't there guns over there, almost everyone has one? If they encounter bad guys, they can just shoot, shoot, shoot. Why do they need pepper spray?" the wild car expert wondered.

Li Aiguo lit a cigarette and said, "Having guns doesn't mean you can use them."

It's well-known that Xiaomei's family doesn't ban guns.

Many people get excited as soon as they see the clause "the right to keep and bear arms shall not be violated" and think that having a gun makes them especially safe.

Unbeknownst to them, the Supreme Court ruled that FBL has no specific liability under the public duty regulations for any civilian.

In other words, the FBL only has the responsibility to uphold the regulations, not the obligation to protect civilians.

For example, if you are facing a life-threatening situation, the FBL can choose to save you or not; the decision to save you or not is up to them.

However, if you are assaulted or killed by a criminal, the FBL is obligated to arrest the criminal.

But the FBL arrests criminals not to avenge you, but simply because the criminals violated regulations.

In this context, it has become common practice for civilians to carry self-defense weapons, such as guns.

The FBL not only offers no protection, but also imposes various restrictions on the carrying and use of firearms.

For example, it is generally prohibited to carry such items in public places such as theaters and sports fields, it is prohibited to carry them during activities, it is prohibited to carry them concealed, and it is required to carry them openly.
If you encounter trouble and take out your gun, you might get shot dead by the FBL before you even fire.

For example, if you want to protest that your salary is too low, the capitalists call in the FBL (Financial Bureau), and you pull out a gun in front of the FBL.

Sorry, FBL can rightfully kill you, while the capitalists stand by and laugh.

This is also why many people who own guns dare not use them easily.

Pepper spray eliminates this problem.

It's easy to carry and has instantaneous lethality; how could it not sell well?

This thing does make money, but the smell is too strong. Li Aiguo assembled more than a dozen and went outside for some fresh air.

Section Chief Xing rushed over from outside carrying several newspapers.

"Aiguo, your Kung Fu Panda has caused quite a stir over there. The cultural department just called."

Li Aiguo took the newspaper and glanced at it: "The bigger the commotion, the better."

Li Aiguo didn't care about the situation there, but seeing Walter's interview suddenly reminded him of something.

It seems Disney is planning layoffs. If Red Star Entertainment can take this opportunity to poach all the artists, they will basically have completed their talent pool.

Disney's legal department is notoriously difficult to deal with; we'll have to wait for a good opportunity.

"Are you stir-frying chili peppers?" Section Chief Xing also smelled the chili peppers.

Li Aiguo recounted the story of the pepper sprayer. Although Section Chief Xing didn't understand why a few peppers could fetch such a high price, he offered an idea.

"You can delegate this task to the employees' families. You just need to collect the stir-fried dried chilies." Section Chief Xing felt that Li Aiguo was wasting his talents by stir-frying chilies.

"That's a good idea. Assembly can be handled by the workers in the motorcycle workshop."

After seeing Section Chief Xing off, Li Aiguo went to the instant noodle factory. When the factory manager heard that the workshop needed help, he immediately called all the workers into the workshop for a short meeting.

"The chili peppers need to be washed, dried, and then chopped."

"When stir-frying chili peppers, you must pay attention to the heat."

The workers here are all family members of employees. They are responsible for cooking at home on weekdays, and stir-frying chili peppers is no problem for them at all.

Now that they'd heard they could earn two cents for every pound of stir-fried chili peppers, everyone was incredibly enthusiastic. "Old Liu, could you keep an eye on this?" Li Aiguo took out five hundred yuan and handed it to Factory Director Liu, so the instant noodle factory could be responsible for purchasing the chili peppers and distributing the wages.

"The chili peppers must be a high-spicy dried chili pepper variety, such as bird's eye chili or small red chili peppers."

"Bring to a boil over high heat for 10-15 minutes, then simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes."

"Old Liu, since your factory is also responsible for the extraction, you can add a small amount of alcohol to help extract the capsaicin."

"Don't worry, I guarantee I'll handle this perfectly for you," Director Liu assured him, patting his chest.

The employees' families received chili peppers from the instant noodle factory, and when they returned home that evening, the pungent smell filled every household.

"Why is it so spicy?" At nine o'clock in the evening, Master Zhou returned carrying the iron kidney-shaped lunchbox.

"Old Zhou, why are you so late today? Now that Li Dache has come up with some new gadgets, are you working overtime again?" Aunt Zhou asked Zhou Er to take the spatula, poured tea for Master Zhou, and handed it to him.

Master Zhou took two sips: "I didn't work overtime. After work, I went to the driving team to practice driving."

Four-cylinder motorcycles haven't been developed yet, but training has already begun. Master Zhou is a member of the Red Star Motorcycle Team. In order to prepare for tomorrow's Isle of Man TT race, he has to take time out every week to practice motorcycles.

"What's wrong with these chili peppers?"

"The work the studio gives us pays 2 cents per pound."

Hearing this, Master Zhou smiled and said, "We'll save this money for Zhou Yi's schooling."

"Are you really planning to send her to university?" Aunt Zhou asked in surprise.

Mr. Zhou used to think that it was useless for girls to study. After listening to the suggestions of some neighbors, he always wanted Zhou Yi to start working after graduating from junior high school.

"Only by acquiring knowledge can we make great contributions to the country. Look at Li Dache's workshop; all the chief engineers and technicians there are college graduates." Master Zhou recalled the past and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Go take a shower quickly. I'll finish cooking this; we need to hand it in tomorrow." Aunt Zhou was very happy. She gave Chef Zhou a push and turned to go into the house.

The next day, the instant noodle factory delivered the capsaicin to the workshop. After inspecting the quality, Li Aiguo planned to send it to the motorcycle workshop for assembly.

Yang Jizong called again: "The Burbank 4S store in California has received an order from a customer to produce a batch of powerful pepper sprayers."

Burbank. Isn't that where Disney's headquarters are located? It seems history hasn't changed; Disney is preparing for massive layoffs.

Li Aiguo immediately perked up: "Who are those customers?"

"According to the message from Burbank, it seems to be a group of painters. Wait a minute, why would these people need pepper spray?" Yang Jizong was unaware of the Disney layoffs and naturally couldn't figure it out.

Li Aiguo, however, understood perfectly and nodded, saying, "Leave this to me. Also, our 4S store should hold some events to promote the Tyrannosaurus Rex off-road vehicle."

"Activity?"

"I suggest holding a raffle to give away powerful pepper spray at the Berkeley 4S store and several surrounding 4S stores. Anyone who visits the store will be eligible to enter the raffle, and the winning rate is 100%."

"Are you planning to give it away for free?" Although Yang Jizong was unaware of Li Aiguo's plan, he still notified the Burbank 4S store.

After hanging up the phone, Li Aiguo rubbed his hands together. He never expected that even across the ocean, he could support the workers' resistance against the capitalists.

As for the powerful pepper spray, Li Aiguo turned his head to look at the corner, where several unfinished fire extinguishers were placed.

Extinguishing the arrogance of capitalists can be considered putting out a fire!
Two days later, a large number of pepper sprayers and pepper fire extinguishers were delivered to the train bound for the port city.

As the release date drew closer, promotional efforts for "Kung Fu Panda" began in China.

Renren Daily and other major newspapers have reported on "Kung Fu Panda".

That evening, Wan Ming and several technicians appeared on the television news. The host introduced the situation of "Kung Fu Panda," emphasizing that it was the first domestically produced animated film to be officially released overseas.

The weather is neither too hot nor too cold, making it the perfect time for everyone to gather and watch TV. The television set had already been set up in front of the Li family's house.

The families of Uncle San, Nan Yi, and Xu Damao—each household with their children—were drinking tea and watching television, the air thick with the warmth of daily life.

"Is Kung Fu Panda going to be released this weekend?"

"No tickets available. I heard that movie tickets are in short supply this time."

"That can't be right. All the cinemas in Beijing have posted notices saying they're showing the film all day long. How could there be no tickets?"

"There are too many people; even the workshop foreman can't get a ticket."

"I heard that advance ticket sales start tomorrow, and the theater is releasing several hundred tickets every day. I'll go queue up at two o'clock tomorrow morning."

"I am coming too!"

Kung Fu Panda is a rare action movie (animal action movie) these days, and the residents are very enthusiastic about it.

The ticket price of 25 cents in China is not too expensive for the average working-class family.

Considering that some families could not afford to buy tickets, the Ministry of Railways specially contacted local authorities to provide a batch of free tickets to various street offices, specifically for families in need.

Li Aiguo distributed the free tickets to the Zhang and Wang families in the compound early on.

Jia Dongxu wasn't interested in watching movies at first, since it would cost two yuan and fifty cents, but now that he saw Xu Damao and Yan Jiecheng going to the movies, he was tempted.

If you haven't even seen the most popular movies, these guys will definitely look down on you in the future.

After the TV show ended, Jia Dongxu found the Zhang family and said with a smile, "Uncle Zhang, you can't read a single word, what are you watching? Just sell me your ticket, and I'll give you two pounds of cornmeal. How about I let you get a good deal?"

Uncle Zhang emptied the bedpan for his bedridden wife and said, "Dongxu, I can let go of other things, but these movie tickets were distributed by the neighborhood committee, and they were provided by Aiguo. I can't let you have them no matter what. I'm sorry."

Jia Dongxu tried to persuade him for a while, but seeing that Uncle Zhang still disagreed, he could only leave angrily.

"You poor wretch, you really don't know what's good for you! Two pounds of cornmeal!"

He took a couple of steps, then suddenly looked in the direction of the Li family's house, as if he had thought of something. He turned around and went to Yi Zhonghai's house.

"Master, have you heard about Kung Fu Panda?"

“I’m not interested in cartoons.” Yi Zhonghai yawned, feeling that Jia Dongxu was deliberately bringing up a sore spot.

"This animated film was made by Li Aiguo. He definitely has tickets he's not giving to us; he's just looking down on us residents. Sir, you're an elder, you must fight against this kind of unhealthy trend!" Jia Dongxu seized the opportunity to stir up trouble.

In the past, Yi Zhonghai might have actually agreed, but now he has to keep a low profile.

"Dongxu, Liu Haizhong is keeping an eye on things. You were even punished by having to clean the toilets. Let's let Li Aiguo off this time. When the opportunity arises, your master will definitely help you."

"Yes"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Yi Zhonghai and didn't dare to cause trouble, Jia Dongxu had no choice but to go back.

"Dad, I want to watch 'Kung Fu Panda'! Nan Xiaoying and the others all want to watch it, and I want to watch it too." Banggeng grabbed his thigh.

Jia Dongxu said irritably, "I'll beat you into a panda."

Stick stalk: "."

Qin Huairu felt sorry for her child and finally decided to take some of the money she had saved up to buy a children's ticket so that Banggeng could go to the movies.

Xiao Dang felt that Qin Huairu was biased and made a fuss for most of the night before finally managing to coax her to sleep.

Qin Huairu sat by the window, looking in the direction of the Li family's house.

I heard that Li Aiguo is going to the Capital Theatre to attend the premiere.

Qin Huairu didn't know what a premiere was, but she was sure she didn't have to pay for tickets.

If she hadn't changed her mind back then, she could have watched the movie for free this time.

Qin Huairu felt she regretted it.

That night, Chen Xueru lay in bed and brought up the matter of buying tickets.

"My eldest brother's family and my second brother's family have already given me the money. I'll set an alarm so I can go queue up early tomorrow."

"No need, here are some tickets. Let's call our older brothers and go to the movies together." Li Aiguo remembered the tickets issued by the department, got out of bed naked, and took them out of the canvas bag.

"There are also Aunt Liu's and Yushui's here. You can send them over tomorrow."

"It's still the front row movie ticket." Chen Xueru's eyes widened instantly when she saw the movie ticket, and she couldn't help but give Li Aiguo a kiss on the cheek.

"Is that all? Honey, you're getting more and more perfunctory." Li Aiguo lay sprawled out on his back.

Chen Xueru understood the rough man's thoughts and whispered, "The doctor said that since I'm newly pregnant, I can't do anything bad."

"Have you heard the story of the cunning rabbit having three burrows?" Li Aiguo sat up and lit a cigarette.

"A cunning rabbit has three burrows." Chen Xueru was taken aback at first, then her face quickly turned red with embarrassment.

The night was quiet.

****
The popularity of "Kung Fu Panda" in China far exceeded Li Aiguo's expectations.

Besides the tickets sent out by various organizations, factories, and schools.

Long queues formed at the ticket windows of major cinemas in Beijing, with advance tickets already sold out for a week in advance.

The same scene has occurred in cinemas across the country, including those in Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, and Guangzhou.

Upon seeing the data reported back from various regions, the leaders of the Ministry of Railways' Publicity Department immediately reported the good news to the Ministry.

"Kung Fu Panda is very likely to break domestic sales records."

Leader Teng was very pleased and personally called the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to congratulate Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo was not worried about the situation in China, but instead turned his attention to the other side of the ocean.

At Xiaomei's home, the discussion about "Kung Fu Panda" has not faded away over time, but has instead become even more heated.

There are many disturbances from the outside world.

The fire burned brighter and brighter.

With Disney's involvement, the head of Universal Pictures also had to give interviews, stating that "Spartacus," like Disney's works, also represents Western culture.

Compared to previous box office battles, this upgraded version of the two-film competition also involves a clash between Eastern and Western cultures, making it a rare and unique product of our time, which adds a special dimension to the matter.

And in the expectations of countless people.

The bells finally rang on December 1st.

A movie called "Kung Fu Panda" has been officially released in cinemas around the world.

The storm is rising!

(End of this chapter)