"It's very expensive…"
Zhang Yuan's Uncle: ?!
All of a sudden, he heard a gentle melody. He opened his mouth so wide in shock that even a pear could fit in. He originally had something to say, but he quickly swallowed back his words
He did not expect Zhang Yuan to successfully repair his radio. Moreover, he had fixed it in a very simple way!
After he stood rooted for several seconds, Zhang Yuan's Uncle hastily walked forward and carefully checked the device. Every single screw was tightly screwed in and there were no parts left unused.
"How did you manage to fix it?" he asked.
After the radio had cooled down, he started it up again. He repeated that step several times and the radio played without the initial loud burst of noise on every single try. It was hard to hide the smile on his face when he tested the radio.
"You know how to repair a radio?"
The radio had risen in value as the flawed antique had now become a radio in perfect condition. His previous doubts about Zhang Yuan's ability had been thrown out the window as he acted as if nothing had happened earlier.
Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and answered in all honesty, "I've never learned it before, but I have seen related information on the internet in the past. After thinking for a while, I managed to locate the root of the problem."
He then recounted his logical train of thoughts to his Uncle.
"…and so, I guessed that the former owner of this radio might have taken apart the vacuum tubes for dust removal, but he had placed them in the wrong order, causing that loud burst of noise at the start."
His Uncle seemed to have understood his explanation as he felt that Zhang Yuan's conjecture was rather reasonable.
That was to say, his nephew had only thought about the problem for a short while before he acted on his guess. In the end, he had managed to repair the radio successfully.
He had thought about it for a short while…
Even though it sounded simple, in fact, it was not as easy as it seemed.
He repressed his desire to brag to his friends and said with a smile, "Based on the skills you've displayed, it's not a problem for you to open an antique repair shop and earn dozens of grand a year!"
"How can that be… In fact, I'm a newbie in repairing antiques."
"I speak only the truth!"
In reality, the most important aspect was not his repairing skills, but his ability to pinpoint the problem based on the symptoms shown.
It was easy to explain the principle, but how many could have thought of that in the first place?
"Qing'er, it's still better for you to study hard. If you don't even know the basic principle before you attempt to repair it, it is impossible for you to fix it."
Ye Qingqing, who was spectating on one side, blinked her eyes as she realized that she had been lectured once again.
How infuriating! To think her cousin had managed to fix the radio.
As expected, a neighbor's kid was a rival that was hard to win against!
Terminologies like 'vacuum tube' and 'radio frequency transmission line' sounded very profound, giving off the feeling that the speaker was very knowledgeable and persuasive when one was to hear those words. It made her feel powerless as she did not have the opportunity to even interrupt.
It was to the extent… that she had a faint sense of worship towards her cousin.
As for what was contained inside her brain, 50% of her energy was used to long for love, such as the campus beau, class beau, and the appearance of the popular idol, Cai Xukun. 30% of it was used to ponder over what to wear, eat, and if she would have acne anytime soon. The remaining 20% of her energy was divided into other activities which included reading novels, watching dramas, and… her studies.
It would be weird if she could get good grades with such an attitude.
In the end, she could not help but lower her head in defeat.
Zhang Yuan's Uncle was aggressively thanking him. He even wanted to pay him the repair fees, causing him to feel awkward.
"Based on the market rate, 2000-3000 for the repair is considered little…"
"Uncle, how can I accept your money… In fact, right now, I have no use for money," Zhang Yuan said awkwardly.
Ye Qingqing snickered at a corner as she witnessed the scene. All of a sudden, she felt that having a smart cousin was pretty good. At the very least, she could brag about him to her close friends.
Moreover, she felt that could lessen the distance between them and directly say that Zhang Yuan was her brother. After all, they had grown up together so there was nothing wrong with her calling him brother. His identity as an astronaut was also very valuable in the aspect of bragging…
When she imagined those envious and jealous looks from her close friends, the more Ye Qingqing felt that it was a very good idea!
...
When Zhang Yuan left his Aunt's house, it was already three in the afternoon.
Before he left, his Aunt had even forcefully given him a red packet that contained ten thousand federal dollars!
In reality, Zhang Yuan did not lack money. To him, money was not of much use.
However, since it was his relative's show of sincerity, he had ultimately accepted it. The main reason was also because he did not manage to refuse the red packet. In terms of declining the red packet which would result in a back and forth tussle, he could not beat his persistent elders.
As he walked through the bustling pedestrian street, Zhang Yuan recalled his previous performance of repairing the radio.
'I'll give myself 99 points and the remaining 1 point is deducted lest I become too proud of myself!'
It was an antique radio that gave off loud noises, and he had never even seen such a device in his life. If he did not take that enhancer, he would most probably be completely baffled by the problem.
The sense of accomplishment was like a thick coffee that left a rich aftertaste.
Without a doubt, his reasoning and thinking ability had greatly improved!
In the past, he might not necessarily be capable of deducing such relevant conclusions even if he had the knowledge in his brain, nor was he capable of drawing inferences about other cases from one instance.
Possessing knowledge and using it was on two different difficulty levels.
"But it's all different now…. Hahaha!"
Zhang Yuan was overjoyed with his increased intelligence.
Other than that, he seems to have regained the curiosity of a child, resulting in him having a great thirst of desire to explore any and everything.
The curiosity and imagination of humans were the strongest during their childhood. However, with the increase of age along with the education they received, their curiosity and imagination could only decline—that was the price to pay for growing up.
A child could play with a boring toy for long periods and have an endless desire to explore the world. But as they grew up, they would be weary of doing a single thing repeatedly, which included disliking to study and using their brains.
In other words, he had regained the pure mind of a child once again!
To be blunt… it just meant that he wanted to study. Be it mathematics or physics, he would have a great sense of achievement when he explored the world.
Subjects that appeared extremely boring had become very interesting.
'I really wish that I can return and continue studying… Could it be that I've transformed into an abnormal science fanatic?'
Zhang Yuan was rather curious about the composition of that strange enhancer. It could actually change a person's way of thinking and their interest.
'Is there really such magical technology on Earth? Intelligence enhancers?'
He casually browsed through his phone and got the shock of his life. There was actually relevant information on the internet?!
???
Some western medicines for nerve stimulation such as Ritalin and Modafinil were called 'intelligence enhancers'. Many university students and managers consumed medicine similar to stimulants to enhance their temporary memory and increase the activity levels of their brains.
However, these types of medicine were a type of stimulant that would cause a certain level of addiction. Long-term usage would also result in dependence and there might even be certain side effects such as insomnia.
Zhang Yuan calmed himself down and thought, 'Oh gosh, I was excited for a moment… These medicines are only stimulants and they require daily consumption. Moreover, it could not possibly result in such strong effects.'
'Dad can't have possibly given me an item with side effects. In that case, what was that small bottle of liquid?'