TL: Etude
Only after the TV drama had reached its conclusion did Mo Xinmei notice Chen Jianghai, who was busily occupied with something on his own.
"What are you up to, Jianghai?" she asked with a glance, her curiosity piqued.
Before Chen Jianghai could answer, Lin Wanqiu spoke up: "Sister Mei, hasn't Jianghai been doing repairs recently? He takes on jobs outside and brings back whatever he can't fix on-site."
It must be said that Lin Wanqiu was rather astute, not hastily divulging that Chen Jianghai was involved in assembling things on his own.
Chen Jianghai smiled at Mo Xinmei, which served as his response.
The tacit understanding between husband and wife seemed to reach new heights in that moment.
"Sister-in-law, is the repair business really that profitable?" Mo Xinmei asked, her eyes spinning with thought.
"It's okay, it just about covers the household expenses," Lin Wanqiu replied noncommittally.
Hearing this, Chen Jianghai inwardly gave his wife a thumbs-up.
"Jianghai, do you need help with this? Fu Qiang can come over and help you." Mo Xinmei suddenly posed the question.
Chen Jianghai paused, then glanced at Fu Qiang, noticing his hopeful gaze.
"Sister Mei, the repair business is not that easy to get into," Chen Jianghai said leisurely.
The reason why Mo Xinmei asked this was simple: Fu Qiang was about to be laid off and was eager to find a fallback plan.
"It's okay, he used to do repairs in the factory; he can learn," Mo Xinmei quickly said.
"If I remember correctly, wasn't Brother Qiang previously working on lathe repairs?" Chen JiangBrother Haistured dismissively.
"It's almost the same, all repairs, right? As long as you're willing to teach, it's up to you!" Mo Xinmei quickly gave Fu Qiang a look, urging him, "Isn't that right, Old Fu?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Fu Qiang agreed hurriedly.
Chen Jianghai knew that it was futile to reason in such a situation; if he quashed their hopes forcibly, he might end up being bad-mouthed by Mo Xinmei.
"Alright, there's no problem with following me to learn, but are you sure you've thought this through?" Chen Jianghai asked seriously.
At Chen Jianghai's words, Mo Xinmei's face lit up with joy as she quickly nodded with Fu Qiang: "Of course, we're serious, right, Old Fu?"
Lin Wanqiu's expression subtly changed; she hadn't expected Chen Jianghai to agree so quickly—it seemed rather rash.
"There's one thing I want to make clear first." Chen Jianghai noted the change in Lin Wanqiu's expression and continued with a nod.
"What is it?" Mo Xinmei asked eagerly, "Just say it; there will be no issues with Old Fu."
Chen Jianghai pointed to the components on the table: "Sister Mei, do you know how long it took me to learn these repair skills?"
"How long?" Mo Xinmei asked, puzzled.
"I spent the past few years at home learning this. Even though Brother Qiang has some basic repair skills, it would still take three to four years to become proficient," Chen Jianghai explained with a gesture.
Hearing it would take three to four years to see results changed Mo Xinmei's expression dramatically.
"Is it going to take that long? Haven't you only started learning recently?" she muttered to herself.
Chen Jianghai laughed, "Sister Mei, you're oversimplifying it. If it were that easy, I would have made a fortune by now."
This left Mo Xinmei and Fu Qiang completely taken aback.
Chen Jianghai continued: "These three to four years aren't especially long or short, it will pass quickly."
"How about giving it a try?" Fu Qiang couldn't help but interject.
"Try what?"
Mo Xinmei glared at him fiercely and said discontentedly, "With the way you are, who knows how many years you'll need to learn! It's simply a waste of time."
Having said that, Mo Xinmei turned to Chen Jianghai with a smile and said, "Jianghai, let's just forget about this matter! My husband here is a bit slow-witted; he definitely won't be able to learn. Better not to waste that effort."
"Don't say that!"
Chen Jianghai raised his eyebrows and suggested, "I've been looking for an apprentice recently to help me out with some tasks, why not let Fu Da-ge (Big bro Fu) start working for now?"
Mo Xinmei's expression changed slightly, and she quickly pulled Fu Qiang away while hurriedly saying, "Never mind, it's not necessary. We have things to take care of at home, we'll be going now, and won't disturb you watching TV."
Without waiting for Chen Jianghai to respond, Mo Xinmei pulled Fu Qiang and they rushed away.
Watching the two figures disappear outside the door, Lin Wanqiu couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"You are really something…"
Lin Wanqiu thought for a while but couldn't find the right adjective.
Chen Jianghai, however, said earnestly, "It's nine o'clock, you know what you should do now, right?"
Lin Wanqiu reluctantly turned off the television, picked up the washbasin, and obediently went to wash up.
...
Two days later, Fang Aiguo arrived, his face glowing with happiness.
"Brother Hai, I've sold everything, here's all the money, 750 yuan. Count it."
Fang Aiguo took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket and slapped it onto the table with a thud.
Chen Jianghai pulled out one hundred and fifty from the stack and handed it to Fang Aiguo, saying, "Here, as we agreed beforehand, this is your sales commission."
"Thank you, Brother Hai!"
Fang Aiguo accepted the money with a smile on his face.
"Was it easy to sell the stuff?" Chen Jianghai casually asked.
Fang Aiguo's spirits immediately lifted, and he nodded vigorously, excitedly saying, "Of course it was easy to sell! A new radio on the market costs at least a hundred or more, but now one can buy an eighty percent new one for just fifty, plus the after-sales service you mentioned, even a fool knows what to choose. Now people are even coming to me directly to buy."
The concept of after-sales service was something Chen Jianghai had talked about with Fang Aiguo last time.
In the current era, there was no such concept as after-sales service.
Moreover, technicians who understood how to repair were rare at this time, often leaving people clueless when their appliances malfunctioned.
Naturally, if household appliances could be guaranteed repair, more people would buy them.
Chen Jianghai smiled and said, "As long as it sells well. Once we increase the volume, we brothers will make a fortune."
"You're right, Brother Hai, we brothers will definitely make a fortune," Fang Aiguo hastily nodded and agreed, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Chen Jianghai suddenly remembered something and continued to ask, "When you were selling the radios, did you encounter anyone wanting to sell their old and broken electronics?"
"Old and broken electronics?" Fang Aiguo looked surprised.
Chen Jianghai smiled and nodded, "Yes, the ones that are broken and not working, but look fine on the outside. Do you have those kinds of electronics?"
"There definitely are!"
Fang Aiguo immediately said, "There's even a broken black-and-white TV at my place! These things are not worth much as scrap, but no one wants to throw them away; they just sit at home collecting dust."
Hearing this, Chen Jianghai's spirits lifted.
This was pure profit!
"Aiguo, next time you get these things, collect them for me, I can use them," Chen Jianghai quickly instructed Fang Aiguo.
Fang Aiguo was startled for a moment, scratched his head, and with a puzzled face asked, "Brother Hai, what do you want with all this junk?"
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