TL: Etude
"Trash? Do you think those radios you sell came from nowhere?"
Chen Jianghai shook his head and retorted.
Fang Aiguo's eyes widened with realization and he exclaimed with surprise, "Brother Hai, could it be that those radios are..."
"That's enough, knowing is good, there's no need to say it out loud."
Chen Jianghai cut off Fang Aiguo's forthcoming words, nodded, and smiled as a reminder.
"Alright, I understand, I get it, I won't blab, not a word."
Fang Aiguo grinned ear to ear, assuring earnestly.
If that was the case, then this money was too easy to make.
You have to know, a broken radio, sold as scrap, only brings in a few dimes to a dollar, but if you can offer a few dollars, you're certain to acquire it.
Once repaired and resold, it can fetch fifty, which means there's a tenfold profit!
Although the profit margin on TVs isn't as exaggerated, the high price compensates for that!
Even if it's bought for a few dozen yuan, a second-hand one could be sold for at least two to three hundred.
Tsk, tsk!
Just thinking about it feels thrilling.
Following this rate of earning money, becoming a household with ten thousand yuan, as Chen Jianghai mentioned, seemed not too far-fetched.
As the saying goes, don't employ doubtful people, but if you do, don't doubt them. Chen Jianghai pushed the money on the table towards Fang Aiguo: "Aiguo, take this money and go buy some appliances. Get as much as you can. No problem, right?"
"Brother Hai, rest assured, I'll handle this beautifully."
Fang Aiguo picked up the money, straightened his back, and thumped his chest as he spoke.
Chen Jianghai nodded, encouraging Fang Aiguo: "Work hard, earning money isn't difficult as long as you're on the right path."
"It's indeed easy to make money following you, Brother Hai."
Fang Aiguo looked at the bills in his hand and nodded in deep agreement.
...
In the following days, Chen Jianghai was around Pozijie Street, and although he didn't receive much business, he didn't earn any less money.
Because he often got to work on big-ticket items like air conditioners and refrigerators.
These items were considered luxuries during this era, each with significant value, and the repair fees were accordingly higher.
After a busy day, Chen Jianghai counted his recent income, which was close to eight hundred.
And that didn't include the five hundred given to Fang Aiguo for collecting discarded appliances.
In just one week, earning a thousand yuan was unbelievable to most people.
However, in this era, having a skill meant making money was not an empty phrase.
Chen Jianghai organized the large bills, planning to hand them over to Lin Wanqiu for safekeeping in the evening.
He hoped to thoroughly reassure his wife while gradually changing some of her perspectives.
His wife had previously worked so hard, suffering for his sake, which eventually led to her early demise due to illness.
Now, having been given a second chance at life, he must ensure she could live a leisurely and comfortable life first and foremost.
Otherwise, given Lin Wanqiu's character, she would never be willing to stop working and live idly at home.
Before long, Lin Wanqiu returned, carrying a box in her hand.
"Wanqiu, what's that you're holding?" Chen Jianghai, carrying a plate of food, asked casually.
Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "I finished work today and happened upon a shoe store having a promotion, so I bought you a pair of new leather shoes. Try them on to see if they fit."
Hearing Lin Wanqiu say this, Chen Jianghai's face beamed with happiness, and his heart swelled with contentment.
"Darling, you're the best!"
Lin Wanqiu's face turned red all at once; she bowed her head, saying shyly, "I told you, didn't I? You can't call me that anymore!"
"What's wrong?"
Chen Jianghai plopped down next to Lin Wanqiu, his hand snaking around her slender waist, leaning in close to her ear, "A husband calling his wife, isn't that perfectly natural?"
Lin Wanqiu's body instantly stiffened, her heartbeat racing—not only her face, but her entire body seemed to be on fire.
Chen Jianghai, however, didn't notice these signs and just tenderly held her in his arms, speaking for his own sake, "I always call you 'baby'; shouldn't you call me 'dear' at least once?"
Having said this, Chen Jianghai glanced at Lin Wanqiu and saw her head nearly buried in her chest.
Seeing her like this, Chen Jianghai didn't continue to speak.
He was afraid that if he went on, Lin Wanqiu might lose her appetite for dinner.
"Alright, alright, let's eat!" Chen Jianghai let go of Lin Wanqiu in due course and served her a large bowl of rice.
During dinner, Lin Wanqiu seemed to have forgotten to watch TV, her head down, focusing on eating, not daring to glance at Chen Jianghai even once.
At this moment, she was very conflicted internally, silently pondering: Does Chen Jianghai want her?
Then... to give or not to give?
Following the husband like a chicken or a dog, she thought, just give it to him!
After all, he has changed a lot now, no longer the underachieving, arrogant man he used to be. Now, there was something to look forward to in their days!
Finally, Lin Wanqiu made a secret decision.
After washing the dishes, Chen Jianghai went inside and found Lin Wanqiu hadn't watched her TV dramas but had already gone to bed.
"Wanqiu, why are you sleeping so early today? Are you not feeling well?"
Chen Jianghai approached the bed, touched her forehead, and asked with concern.
Lin Wanqiu shook her head, her voice a bit shaky, "No, I just wanted to sleep earlier, you... you should sleep early too."
The last sentence took all of Lin Wanqiu's courage to say out loud.
Chen Jianghai nodded, "These days have indeed been quite tiring, I'll go to sleep too."
Hearing Chen Jianghai say this, Lin Wanqiu hurriedly closed her eyes, her nervousness making her tremble uncontrollably.
With a click, the light in the room went out.
Lin Wanqiu felt her heart pounding chaotically, as if it were about to leap out of her chest.
But after a while, Lin Wanqiu slowly opened her eyes and saw that Chen Jianghai was lying on the opposite bed, already asleep.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her heart unsure whether to feel happy or melancholic.
...
On Friday, Fang Aiguo arrived sweating profusely, huffing and puffing as he pulled a tricycle loaded with a whole load of scrap appliances to Chen Jianghai's house.
"Wow, Aiguo, did you collect all this?"
Chen Jianghai was a bit surprised to see the mountain-like pile of old appliances.
Fang Aiguo nodded, wiping the sweat beads from his forehead with his sleeve, his face—now darker from the sun—filled with a smile: "Brother Hai, I definitely had to do a good job with the task you gave me."
Chen Jianghai surveyed the lot, which consisted mostly of black and white TVs besides a few radios.
If these items were dismantled and reassembled into second-hand goods, and then refurbished, they could certainly sell for a good sum of money.
As China's economy continued to grow, with production technology and standards improving, the output of various appliances had greatly increased.
Although the prices of household appliances like televisions had fallen, second-hand appliances, coupled with good after-sales service, could still sell for a couple of hundred each in this small county without a problem.
Even the relatively wealthy farmers in the surrounding rural areas would likely opt to buy.
After all, if they could work the same, they naturally preferred to save half the money.
Compared to the few to several tens of yuan earned from repairs, the speed of making money this way was much faster.
"Good job, well done, how much did it all cost?"
Chen Jianghai followed up with his question.