TL: Etude
Seeing the situation, Chen Jianghai quickly took a heater from his trouser pocket and deftly replaced the old one in the fridge. As soon as he plugged it in, a humming sound emanated and the refrigerator's temperature swiftly decreased.
"Hey, young man, not bad!" Old Hu felt the now-cool air and said with a look of pleasant surprise.
"See? Didn't I tell you? He's the one who fixed my radio," Old Jiang chimed in, looking as if he were the one who had repaired the refrigerator.
Old Hu gave a heartfelt thumbs-up, exclaiming, "So skilled at such a young age; you'll certainly become a great master in the future!"
"Mr. Hu, now that the fridge is fixed, about the payment..."
What Chen Jianghai cared about was not the praise; he needed money.
If the old man dared to go back on his word, he was confident he could dismantle the fridge so no one else could fix it.
"Alright, no problem. Fifty it is!"
They had already agreed on the price earlier, and Old Hu promptly handed over the money.
Compared to successfully holding his son's wedding feast, fifty yuan was insignificant.
Chen Jianghai's rate was already quite reasonable. If one were to take it to a repair shop, it would cost over a hundred yuan, not to mention the round-trip transportation costs, which could reach up to two hundred yuan.
The real concern was that if the seafood spoiled, the loss would be even greater.
Upon receiving a moss-green fifty-yuan note, a smile appeared on Chen Jianghai's face.
Now he was rolling in it.
Minus the cost of the gifts and the heating element, he had netted forty-five yuan.
"Mr. Hu, if you have friends who need electrical repairs in the future, they can find me. I'm usually around this area."
An impulse to buy a pager suddenly arose within Chen Jianghai.
Without any way to be contacted, it was incredibly frustrating!
...
Riding home in high spirits and humming a tune, Chen Jianghai passed by a newly opened clothing store and couldn't help but stop.
Looking at the dazzling outfit on a plastic mannequin in the store window, something suddenly crossed his mind.
Wanqiu hadn't bought any new clothes for a long time.
Since Lin Wanqiu had married him, he hadn't given her a single good day.
They had been married for over a year, and he had never purchased new clothing for her. Everything she wore had been brought over from her parent's home.
Not only were the clothes outdated, but they were also worn out.
It was only because of Lin Wanqiu's good looks and figure that she could pull off wearing anything. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't even be able to go out in public.
A bitter guilt twisted around Chen Jianghai's heart.
Perhaps he should buy her a new outfit to cheer her up!
Gripping the fifty-yuan note in his pocket, Chen Jianghai stepped into the store.
A salesperson immediately greeted him with a beaming smile, "Welcome, come on in and have a look!"
Chen Jianghai was slightly surprised.
Few stores these days greeted customers so warmly upon entering.
Especially with such clear articulation in a small county town saturated with local dialects.
Although Linghai was still a small place, and its economic development was average, it had already benefitted from the winds of reform. However, the prevailing mindset had yet to change and remained rather backward.
"Do you have new women's fashion here?" Chen Jianghai directly asked.
Upon hearing this, the salesperson's eyes lit up.
When customers asked this way, it was clearly for buying women's clothing.
Men might be stingy when spending on themselves, but they were usually generous when spending on women.
"Yes, yes, we have them right here!" The salesperson energetically explained.
Chen Jianghai took a look; these padded-shoulder styles had long vanished in future generations, but they were in fashion at that moment.
"You see, these are the latest styles imported from Shanghai, very trendy. We also have stirrup pants, which are popular in big cities. How about a pair?"
Each era has its own distinctive style.
For example, distressed jeans are popular today.
In the 1990s, leggings were all the rage.
Wearing a pair of leggings, along with high-heeled leather shoes, would instantly elevate even the most ordinary of women.
Precisely because leggings could fully showcase a woman's beauty, those born with beautiful legs wouldn't hesitate to wear them, capturing envious or admiring glances as they moved through crowds.
No girl doesn't like to dress up, and Lin Wanqiu was no exception.
Lin Wanqiu had long wished for a pair of leggings.
However, constrained by financial difficulties, she had to keep this desire buried deep within her heart.
After some browsing, Chen Jianghai bought a floral dress and a pair of black leggings. Over twenty dollars had already been spent.
Since he had already bought clothes and pants, he decided to complete the ensemble by buying a pair of shoes.
By the time all the purchases were made, only twenty dollars remained from his earnings from fixing refrigerators.
When Chen Jianghai returned home with his bags of purchases, he found that Lin Wanqiu was already home.
She sat silently in a chair, staring out of the window, lost in thought, as if her soul had left her body.
"Eh, Wanqiu, you got off work early today?" Chen Jianghai asked with a smile.
Lin Wanqiu lowered her head, her voice tinged with melancholy, "I came back at noon. I haven't seen you all day."
"Oh, I went out to work today, made some money. Wait a moment, I bought your favorite ribs, I'll go cook them for you now."
Chen Jianghai hurriedly put down his things and headed for the kitchen with the groceries.
Lin Wanqiu looked up and saw the bags on the table. She could no longer suppress the grievances and frustrations welling within her, and said mournfully, "Chen Jianghai, what on earth are you trying to do?"
"I...I'm going to cook for you. What's wrong?"
Chen Jianghai was taken aback, speaking in disbelief.
Tears spilled from Lin Wanqiu's eyes as she choked on her words, "What...what have you done, don't you know?"
Chen Jianghai immediately tensed up; he couldn't bear to see Lin Wanqiu upset. He hurriedly approached and asked, "Wanqiu, don't cry. What's going on? Tell me!"
"Don't you know what's going on at home? I checked, you didn't even report for work! Why can't you just hold down a regular job? Why are you doing business on the side? Why are you making random purchases?"
Lin Wanqiu, her face etched with disappointment, pushed Chen Jianghai away and sat down dejectedly on the bed, tears flowing freely.
Despair enveloped her once more.
"Wanqiu, I really can fix appliances. I didn't go to work because fixing appliances makes more money. Look, I fixed that radio; this afternoon, I even repaired a refrigerator for someone and earned fifty dollars!" Chen Jianghai had no choice but to tell the truth.
"Really?"
Lin Wanqiu turned her head, her eyes complex as she looked at Chen Jianghai, uncertain what to say.
They had been married for quite some time, and she had never seen Chen Jianghai's skills at fixing appliances.
But she did remember that radio.
When Chen Jianghai had brought it home the day before, it was just a piece of junk that no one wanted.
Now it had been repaired, which spoke volumes.
He really could fix appliances.
Seeing that Lin Wanqiu had stopped crying, Chen Jianghai breathed a sigh of relief.
"Of course it's true. I swear I'll never lie to you again. If I break this promise, may heaven strike me with five thunderbolts..."
Before Chen Jianghai could finish, Lin Wanqiu interrupted him, "Why say such things out of the blue?"
"Wanqiu, I'm really not lying to you. Here, this is the money I made today. From now on, all the money I earn will be yours."
Saying this, Chen Jianghai took the remaining twenty dollars from his pocket and placed it into Lin Wanqiu's hand.
Hearing Chen Jianghai say this, Lin Wanqiu, who had previously stopped crying, suddenly burst back into tears.