TL: Etude
Chen Jianghai took out the other device he had repaired last time and placed it on the table. "For now, we only have two."
"Two?"
Fang Aiguo raised an eyebrow and asked, "How much can we make with these two?"
Looking at him, Chen Jianghai couldn't help but think of his past self, filled with a sense of melancholy.
People generally have similar thoughts; they always want to get rich quickly.
Regrettably, he himself had been even more reckless and stubborn, leading to an outcome that caused much lamentation.
Chen Jianghai curled his lip and spoke irritably, "Which business doesn't start small? We have only two now, but there will certainly be more in the future."
"Brother Hai, you sound exactly like my dad when you say that. That's not your usual style, you know!"
Fang Aiguo blinked, suddenly throwing out this comment.
Chen Jianghai waved it off, "Enough of that useless talk. Are you taking this job or not?"
"Definitely," Fang Aiguo immediately wiped the smile off his face and spoke earnestly, "Since you have this skill, working with you will surely make money."
Hearing these words warmed Chen Jianghai's heart.
Friends may be plentiful in one's lifetime, but a brother like Fang Aiguo is hard to come by.
He, Chen Jianghai, was truly fortunate!
He patted Fang Aiguo on the shoulder and said, word by word, "Don't worry, brother. Stick with me and by next year, you'll be a ten-thousand-yuan man."
"A ten-thousand-yuan man? Really?"
Fang Aiguo looked utterly incredulous.
Even though being a 'ten-thousand-yuan man' wasn't particularly stylish anymore, it remained something many aspired to become.
As a second-generation wealthy individual, Fang Aiguo had always yearned to make a fortune and had set it as his life's first goal.
Chen Jianghai smiled and counter-questioned, "When have I ever lied to you?"
"Well, Brother Hai, you've tricked me quite a few times,"
Fang Aiguo paused, and then timidly added.
Chen Jianghai was momentarily at a loss for words. He hastily shoved the two radios into Fang Aiguo's hands, waving him off, "Enough talk, go sell these quickly. Remember, the higher the price you get, the better. You have a stake in this, too!"
Holding the tangible radios in his hands, Fang Aiguo no longer dwelled on the issue and nodded, "Alright, I'll go now."
With that, he left with the radios.
Once Fang Aiguo was gone, Chen Jianghai took out the pager he had received yesterday.
After inspecting it, he discovered that water had likely gotten inside, causing the circuitry to oxidize and become unusable.
He took out all the components, checked the circuits carefully, and re-soldered the oxidized spots. He then reassembled it.
"It works now,"
Inserting new batteries, Chen Jianghai looked at the string of numbers on the screen and smiled.
For him, fixing such small devices was a walk in the park.
Sometimes, a man's joy is just that simple.
The pager was fixed, but it still wasn't usable.
To activate it, he'd have to pay a subscription fee.
For a digital pager, the yearly fee was 180 yuan.
For a Chinese character pager, it was much higher—a yearly fee of 600 yuan!
That was equivalent to three months of a common worker's salary. Most people couldn't afford it.
At this stage, any young person who had a pager clipped to their belt would certainly attract a lot of attention.
Of course, if one had a mobile phone, they were definitely a big boss.
Chen Jianghai muttered to himself, "Once I earn a bit more, I'll get a subscription. That would be convenient."
Storing the pager in a drawer, Chen Jianghai tidied up and went out to work.
He had pretty much finished the repair jobs on Qianjin Street yesterday, so he planned to go to Lingyuan Road today, which was not far from Qianjin Street.
Upon arriving, Chen Jianghai pushed his cart and began shouting loudly, attracting quite a few residents before long.
The situation here was similar to Qianjin Road. Moreover, his reputation had already spread. Coupled with his persuasive talking, people soon came with their broken appliances. He then plunged into a busy work schedule.
Meanwhile, Fang Aiguo, holding the two radios, arrived at the Workers' Cultural Palace in the county town.
The building had four floors and was situated not far from Renmin (People's) Stereo Cinema, essentially making it a town center.
The first floor was rented out as an arcade, filled with arcade machines. It was always crowded with young people and children during evenings and weekends.
The second floor housed a billiards room, a game particularly popular among young people.
The third floor was a video hall. In those days, video players were a rarity; most people would either go to a cinema or come here to watch videos.
The fourth floor was a library, primarily renting out martial arts novels, and it always had good business.
Fang Aiguo headed straight to the second floor. He had a friend named Wang Changlin who had leased the billiards room. In those days, those who could afford to play billiards usually had some spare cash.
"Hey, Aiguo's here. Come over and play a couple of rounds," called out Wang Changlin, who was smoking at the door with his hair curled.
"I'm not here to play pool, Linzi. I've got two radios here, second-hand. Anyone interested?" Fang Aiguo took out a polished radio from his bag and inquired.
"Where did you get these, Aiguo?" Wang Changlin blinked and asked.
"What are you thinking? They're all obtained legitimately, of course!" Fang Aiguo rolled his eyes and responded irritably.
"Do they work well?"
"Are you kidding? Would I trick people with broken stuff? Of course, they're in good quality. Here, have a look!" While speaking, Fang Aiguo turned on one of the radios. Clear broadcast voices came through; it was playing storytelling.
"Hold on, let me ask around for you!" Wang Changlin shouted as he darted towards the pool tables.
"Hey, a buddy of mine has second-hand radios for sale. Anyone interested?"
"How much for one? If it's cheap, I'll buy one for my grandfather to play with," someone immediately asked.
"Fifty!" Fang Aiguo held up an open palm.
"That's too expensive. How about thirty?" The other person haggled.
"Man, you go to a regular store to buy a new one, you won't get it for less than a hundred. This is almost new and half the price, plus it comes with a warranty. You won't get a better deal elsewhere," Fang Aiguo said all in one breath.
"Oh, it comes with a warranty?"
"That's right. Any minor issues with the radio you buy from me will be fixed," Fang Aiguo slapped his chest and assured. This was the sales strategy that Chen Jianghai had initially advised him on.
"Alright, I'll take one. Consider it compensation for my recent losing streak at pool."
"What are you talking about, trying to provoke me, huh?" A corner of Fang Aiguo's mouth curled up in a smile. The first radio was successfully sold!
...
In the following days, Chen Jianghai worked tirelessly from dawn to dusk, traversing half of Linghai County. Not only did he get tanned, but he was also nearly worn out.
His hard work paid off pleasingly; in less than a week, he had earned five to six hundred in cash.
Moreover, he had collected a pile of old radios. A rough estimate told him that with some dismantling and repairing, he could reassemble at least a dozen radios.
If he could sell all of these, it would be a tidy sum.
Seeing that Chen Jianghai was indeed busily engaged in repairing household appliances and not fooling around, Lin Wanqiu felt reassured, and her smile brightened.
Especially how he treated her now compared to before, it was like night and day. Not only did he no longer require her to cook and do chores, he even wished to do all the mending himself. It felt like they were living in bliss.
That afternoon, after finishing his work, Chen Jianghai put away his tools, rode his bike to the market, and planned to buy some good vegetables to take home.
For the past two years, all household expenses had been shouldered by Lin Wanqiu alone. She had gone through much hardship and exhaustion!
Perhaps it was precisely these two years of toil that had led to her ill health.
Chen Jianghai would never allow such a thing to happen again; he was determined to ensure that Lin Wanqiu ate well and rested well, her health could not afford any more problems.
Upon reaching the market, even before he had fully entered, he spotted a stall not far away and immediately quickened his steps.
He remembered that Lin Wanqiu enjoyed beef quite a bit!
But it had been a long time since she'd had any due to their tight budget.
Beef these days cost at least 7 yuan a pound, which was not affordable for the average person.
Without another word, he promptly bought two pounds of beef shank and joyfully returned home.
Just as he reached the entrance of his home, he heard a "clatter" from inside.
Soon after, Lin Wanqiu's scream echoed out.
Hearing Lin Wanqiu's cry, Chen Jianghai's face instantly changed. Without a second thought, he dropped his bike and rushed into the house.