TL: Etude
"Hey, you've misunderstood Master Chen. He bought this TV; I can vouch for that."
One middle-aged woman stood up, waving her arms and shouting.
"Bought?"
"Why buy a TV?"
The woman continued, "That's right. Master Chen bought this TV from Sister Sun who lives on Qianjin Road. I was chatting with Sister Sun yesterday, and she told me Master Chen paid forty bucks for this broken TV!"
"If you don't believe me, go ask her yourself!"
Well, that cleared things up.
"I've said it before, Meng Lao Si is no good. You can't trust what he says!"
"Meng Lao Si just lazes around all day. Such a person is a waste of air when alive, and a waste of land when dead."
Nobody admitted to having misunderstood Chen Jianghai. Instead, they shifted the blame onto Meng Lao Si.
Hearing the crowd's comments, Meng Lao Si was dumbfounded.
When did Chen become so wealthy? Spending forty bucks on a broken TV?
Chen Jianghai looked at Meng Lao Si coldly, "Are you going to move?"
Seeing Chen Jianghai's stern expression, Meng Lao Si quickly let go and scurried away.
As for the spectators, seeing that the show was over, they dispersed.
...
Back at home, Chen Jianghai immediately took the TV apart without saying a word.
Upon careful inspection, apart from an aged cathode-ray tube, all other components were fine.
That meant the TV would work fine as long as the cathode-ray tube was fixed.
Although, theoretically, it sounded simple, fixing an aged cathode-ray tube was not so easy.
But for Chen Jianghai, it was just a minor inconvenience.
Lin Wanqiu, who returned home from work, saw the TV on the table and curiously asked, "Where did this come from?"
"Obviously, I bought it," Chen Jianghai answered with a smile.
He knew his wife would ask this question.
Upon hearing Chen Jianghai's response, Lin Wanqiu hesitated briefly and quickly asked, "How much did it cost?"
"Not much, forty bucks," said Chen Jianghai.
Lin Wanqiu, hearing the amount, was a bit reluctant and pressed on, "So, does it work?"
Chen Jianghai laughed, "Wanqiu, you're overthinking. If it worked, it wouldn't be just forty bucks."
"Then why did you bring home a broken one?" Lin Wanqiu frowned, puzzled.
Chen Jianghai patted his chest, "Don't forget, I can repair electronics."
"You can fix TVs too?" Lin Wanqiu was amazed. A touch of admiration appeared in her eyes.
Chen Jianghai's smile brightened, "Of course, I never said I could only fix radios!"
"Can I watch you fix it?" Lin Wanqiu's eyes were filled with curiosity.
Chen Jianghai nodded, "Sure, but you might find it boring."
"No way! I definitely won't!"
After saying this, Lin Wanqiu quickly cleared the table and stepped out.
"Shall we start now?" Lin Wanqiu asked eagerly.
Chen Jianghai nodded, "It's a bit complicated to fix. Don't you want to rest?"
"No worries, it's still early!" Lin Wanqiu hastily said.
Seeing her enthusiasm, Chen Jianghai could guess what she was thinking and refocused on the TV.
For fixing an aged cathode-ray tube, there were mainly three methods.
However, which method worked best could only be determined through trial and error.
The first method was to eliminate the negative grid voltage to increase brightness.
Chen Jianghai rummaged through his toolbox and found a large resistor.
Lin Wanqiu, like a curious child, couldn't help but ask, "What's that?"
"It's a resistor," Chen Jianghai patiently explained.
Lin Wanqiu looked closely and found it hard to believe, "This thing can fix the TV?"
As Chen Jianghai turned the disassembled TV and located the positive pole of the cathode-ray tube's filament power source, he explained, "When the cathode-ray tube ages, the grid voltage turns negative. Adding this component will absorb the negative charge, thus enhancing the brightness of the tube."
"So just adding this will fix it?"
Lin Wanqiu listened with utter confusion; she simply did not understand the technical terms that Chen Jianghai had just used.
But all that was unimportant; what she cared about most was whether the TV could be fixed.
Chen Jianghai shook his head, "It's not that easy; this is just the first step. Let's see what happens."
As he spoke, Chen Jianghai had already installed the resistor. Now it was time to see the result.
He connected the power supply and pressed the TV's power button. With a 'snap,' the TV turned on.
But the outcome was far from satisfactory.
The TV's brightness remained low, leaving the screen almost entirely black and unseeable.
Lin Wanqiu spoke with a hint of disappointment, "Does this mean it can't be fixed?"
Chen Jianghai was not particularly surprised and calmly said, "Don't worry; there's another way."
Having said that, he prepared to implement a second plan: converting the focusing electrode power supply to an accelerating electrode power supply.
Though the task was intricate, for an experienced old hand like Chen Jianghai, it presented no difficulty at all. He quickly accomplished it.
Lin Wanqiu leaned in and asked with curiosity, "Jianghai, did it work?"
Chen Jianghai pointed to the TV's power button, "You press it!"
Lin Wanqiu furrowed her brow, looking somewhat hesitant.
Chen Jianghai encouraged her with a nod, "Don't worry; you're my lucky charm. You can do it!"
Hearing him say that, Lin Wanqiu felt an inexplicable stirring in her heart. Why did his words now so easily move her?
With a 'snap,' the TV turned on again, this time displaying only static snowflakes on the screen.
Lin Wanqiu was taken aback, "What...what's going on?"
"Ah, we don't have a closed-circuit signal in our home," Chen Jianghai suddenly remembered this critical detail.
Lin Wanqiu finally understood, "Oh, so we need to connect to a closed-circuit signal to receive channels, right?"
"Exactly, right now it's just snowflakes," Chen Jianghai confirmed with a nod.
Even if they wanted to rig a temporary antenna, they didn't have a bamboo pole.
Though they couldn't watch TV yet, Lin Wanqiu was still visibly excited.
Their forty-dollar TV had been fixed. This meant she could also sit at home and watch TV. She'd heard from her colleagues that the show "Snowy Mountain Fox" was very good.
"I'll connect the closed-circuit signal tomorrow, so you can watch TV at home in the evening," Chen Jianghai promptly said.
Lin Wanqiu thought for a moment and then hesitated, "The subscription is quite expensive; it costs several tens a month!"
"It doesn't matter how much it costs. As long as you're happy, that's what matters!" Chen Jianghai declared, waving his hand in finality.
Overcome with emotion, Lin Wanqiu spontaneously lunged into Chen Jianghai's arms, giving him an intimate hug. She murmured, "Jianghai, you're so good!"
Gently stroking Lin Wanqiu's hair, Chen Jianghai said tenderly, "Wanqiu, you've suffered in the past. Trust me, from now on, I'll make your life better and better."
"Mm, I trust you," Lin Wanqiu nodded, as docile as a kitten.
In that moment, any distance that had existed between the couple seemed to have melted away, like the first thaw of ice and snow. Their modest little room was filled with warmth and sweetness.