TL: Etude
Excellent Craftsmanship
Equipped with his tools and a cardboard sign hanging from his bicycle, Chen Jianghai rode his classic roadster out the door.
"Appliance repair! Fixing all kinds of household appliances!"
Along the way, many people looked at the vociferous Chen Jianghai, their eyes filled with curiosity.
In this era, there were plenty of people who collected junk, but someone going around the streets offering to repair appliances was truly a first.
A person with such skills was a rarity in a small county town like this and would never lack for work.
"Young man, can you fix radios?"
A middle-aged woman heard the commotion and rushed out of her house, stopping Chen Jianghai and asking with some skepticism.
After all, Chen Jianghai looked far too young.
Chen Jianghai pointed to the sign on his handlebars with a wide smile and said, "Ma'am (Big Sis), did you see? If I can't fix it, I won't charge you."
For Chen Jianghai, these old-fashioned appliances were extremely simple to fix.
It was like a college student solving elementary school problems—easy as pie.
The woman, probably in her early forties, initially froze when she heard Chen Jianghai, a young man in his early twenties, call her "Ma'am." But then she grinned, nodding and waving her hand.
"Alright, wait a moment; I'll go get the radio."
With business coming to his doorstep, Chen Jianghai naturally wouldn't refuse.
His recent 'Ma'am (Big Sis)' had been a tactic to close the social distance, and it seemed to have worked perfectly.
"Okay, Ma'am, I'll wait for you here."
After parking his bicycle, Chen Jianghai looked around and noticed a gathering crowd. It seemed that if he could fix this woman's radio, more business would soon follow.
In no time, the woman returned with the radio, and the crowd quickly closed in, filling the air with incessant chatter.
"Jin'e, your radio broke down?"
Is this young repairman reliable?"
"Jin'e, you better test him first. If he's good, I'll bring mine too. My radio keeps making this buzzing noise, it's so annoying."
Everyone was buzzing, all waiting for Chen Jianghai to display his skills.
Faced with such an audience, Chen Jianghai, an experienced craftsman, showed no sign of nervousness. He took the radio and started examining it expertly.
"Ma'am, will you have it fixed for three bucks?" Having assessed the situation, Chen Jianghai confidently quoted his price.
The woman was clearly delighted to be addressed so respectfully by Chen Jianghai, but the moment she heard "three bucks," her face contorted in pain. "Isn't that a bit steep?"
"You get what you pay for!" Chen Jianghai explained with a bright smile. "As my sign clearly says, if I can't fix it, not only is it free, but I'll also compensate you!"
The woman seemed to agree with his logic. She nodded and gritted her teeth. "Alright, then go ahead and fix it. I'll pay you when you're done."
"No problem, Ma'am."
With the price agreed upon and in front of a gathering of neighbors, Chen Jianghai began his repair work.
For him, the technology behind modern radios was far too basic.
In no time, he had it fixed.
Listening to the radio broadcast, the woman's face lit up, and she gave Chen Jianghai an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Young craftsman, your skills are truly remarkable!"
The crowd, having witnessed this, finally confirmed Chen Jianghai's skill level.
"He fixed it so quickly! I should bring my radio over to try!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Now that I remember, my TV has this snowflake pattern often; I might as well bring it over too!"
...
When Chen Jianghai saw the situation, he couldn't help but feel excited, even though he had already guessed the outcome.
All the effort he had put in was not in vain; it had indeed produced results.
He quickly said, "Ladies and gentlemen, don't worry. I can repair radios, televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines. If any of your appliances have problems, you can come to me. My name is Chen Jianghai, and I live on Qianjin Road. Feel free to contact me whenever you need help."
Chen Jianghai certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to advertise himself.
Next, it was Chen Jianghai's time to shine.
In the 1990s, household appliances had gradually become common among ordinary people.
However, there was essentially no after-sales service at that time. If you wanted to repair a broken appliance, you had to go to a professional repair shop in the city.
The journey to and from the shop, along with the repair costs, added up to a significant expense.
The critical issue was that there were not many repair shops, and they were often busy; sometimes you might have to wait for a week.
In an era when the average wage was only two hundred, people would endure minor issues with their appliances as long as they continued to function.
The appearance of Chen Jianghai changed this situation.
For just a few bucks, you could have your problematic appliances fixed, which was undoubtedly a good deal.
In just one afternoon, Chen Jianghai was so busy that he didn't even have time to drink water.
People in the neighborhood, hearing about this skilled repairman, had him come to their homes one after another.
Not only was Chen Jianghai skilled, but he was also very honest; he did not intentionally waste time or exaggerate problems.
A broken appliance handed to him could be fixed in just a few minutes, or at most half an hour if the issue was a bit complicated.
Of course, for some appliances that needed part replacements, Chen Jianghai could do nothing until he had purchased the corresponding parts, promising the owners to return the next day for the repair.
Taking advantage of this enthusiasm, Chen Jianghai practically covered several streets in the neighborhood in one go, effortlessly making a good amount of money.
"Today's earnings... are over a hundred already."
Chen Jianghai counted the bills, which were in denominations of one, two, and five, and found he had made just over a hundred.
He wasn't particularly surprised.
After all, he had been busy the whole afternoon, hardly having a moment to catch his breath.
However, if others knew about this, they would be green with envy.
The money Chen Jianghai made in one day was equivalent to half a month's income for others.
Moreover, there were still many homes in the area that needed repairs, and some jobs involving part replacements could yield even higher profits.
The only thing that disappointed Chen Jianghai was that he didn't receive any old appliances that day.
For him, that was currently the most profitable business.
After buying groceries, Chen Jianghai returned home. He put everything in his room and then headed to the kitchen to get busy.
Just as he had reached the halfway point in cooking, Lin Wanqiu returned home.
Seeing Chen Jianghai busy in the kitchen, a glint of light flashed in Lin Wanqiu's eyes, as if she had seen hope.
She watched quietly for a moment, wiping away a teardrop from the corner of her eye, her face breaking into a smile of happiness.
This man had truly changed.
However, Chen Jianghai was so busy cooking in the kitchen that he didn't notice Lin Wanqiu had returned.
"Chen Jianghai! Chen Jianghai!"
Suddenly, Lin Wanqiu's slightly anxious voice came from the room.
Hearing this while cooking, Chen Jianghai immediately left his frying pan on the coal stove and rushed into the room.
------
For announcements or to report mistakes, please join my Discord: https://discord.gg/2sZy2YcYSB