TL: Etude
"Xiao Chen, I'm going to get my bike; please wait for me, okay?"
Director Qi glanced at Chen Jianghai's bicycle and said.
"No problem, Director Qi, I'll be right here."
Chen Jianghai nodded in response.
Soon, Director Qi came out riding the bike, bringing Chen Jianghai towards Qingnian Road.
The two of them didn't talk much along the way.
Twenty minutes later, Director Qi in front stopped and pointed to a new house by the roadside.
"Here we are, this is the place."
Chen Jianghai nodded and took a glance.
It seemed that Director Qi's living conditions were quite good; the new house even had air conditioning.
A truly well-off household!
At the moment, even if the average person could afford to buy such a device, they couldn't afford to use it.
After all, compared to wages, the electricity cost was genuinely expensive.
Especially given the current technological limitations, air conditioners consumed a lot of power.
Having one on for a month, the electricity bill wouldn't be a small amount.
After parking his bicycle, Chen Jianghai followed Director Qi into the house and realized he had underestimated the latter's family wealth.
Director Qi's home had all the electrical appliances available on the market, some of which were even imported.
Chen Jianghai couldn't help but say, "Director Qi, you have all the household appliances you need!"
"Haha!"
Director Qi didn't mind and laughed heartily, "They're all bought by my son and daughter; we haven't seen these things before!"
"Director Qi, you're blessed! To have such capable and filial children," Chen Jianghai complimented with a smile.
Director Qi appeared very happy, waving his hand, "I don't know about being blessed, but I do know that if these things break down, they are too troublesome to fix. That's why I need your help."
"It's no trouble at all, Director Qi. If there's any problem with the appliances at home, just tell my wife, and I'll take care of the repairs."
To make things easier for his wife at work, Chen Jianghai immediately made his position clear.
Director Qi's gaze towards Chen Jianghai became even more satisfied, and he said with a smile, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
"No problem. Where's the air conditioner?" Chen Jianghai asked directly.
Director Qi pointed to a room on the second floor, "Right there."
Afterwards, Director Qi led Chen Jianghai up to the second floor and opened the room.
The room was relatively tidy, and the air conditioner's indoor unit was hung above the head of the bed.
Chen Jianghai frowned slightly at this sight.
Seeing his reaction, Director Qi asked, "What's the matter, Xiao Chen?"
"Director Qi, the placement of this air conditioner is a bit inappropriate," Chen Jianghai said frankly.
Director Qi paused, then asked, "Is there a particular way to do this?"
"Of course," Chen Jianghai explained calmly. "Firstly, installing it here, the condensation water could leak onto the bed. Secondly, blowing directly at someone can easily cause air conditioning-related illnesses."
"Thirdly, hanging it above the bed isn't safe; what if it isn't installed properly and falls down on someone? Fourthly, the noise is quite loud, which affects sleep. As for the last point, well, it relates to me."
At the end, Chen Jianghai smiled and pointed at himself.
Director Qi had been listening seriously at first and found Chen Jianghai's points very reasonable.
But when he heard the last point, he suddenly felt that something was amiss and looked at Chen Jianghai with furrowed brows, asking with a hint of confusion, "What does it have to do with you?"
"It's naturally inconvenient for repairs!" Chen Jianghai replied with a smile.
Director Qi was initially startled, then nodded in agreement, "You're right, it indeed is a bit troublesome. No wonder my son has been catching colds frequently lately; it seems to be caused by this."
Chen Jianghai nodded, "So it's better to change the direction; so that it doesn't blow directly at people."
"Then I'll have to trouble you to help change it later!" Director Qi agreed.
"That's easy! By the way, after all this time, I still don't know what's wrong with the air conditioner?"
"I don't know; it just stopped working."
Director Qi shook his head in response.
Chen Jianghai looked around and asked, "Director Qi, do you have a ladder at home?"
"Of course, of course, it's downstairs," Director Qi quickly replied.
After bringing the ladder, Chen Jianghai carefully examined it and found no issues with the indoor unit. Then he checked the outdoor unit outside and found no faults there either.
That left only one possibility—the connection between the indoor and outdoor units was the problem.
Chen Jianghai followed the line and, sure enough, found the expected issue right there.
The wires connecting the indoor and outdoor units were supposed to be wrapped with waterproof insulating tape, but this was just ordinary tape.
Over time, battered by wind and rain, this tape had aged and come loose, which was why the air conditioner was not operating normally.
Chen Jianghai carefully checked the wiring again and, finding no other issues, he rewrapped it with waterproof insulating tape.
Back in the room, Chen Jianghai connected the power supply, picked up the remote, and with a ding, the air conditioner buzzed to life and started working normally again.
"Xiao Chen, you're amazing, fixing it so quickly," Director Qi said with a thumbs-up, delighted.
"Hey, it wasn't a big problem. As long as you find the issue, it's not troublesome to fix."
Chen Jianghai smiled.
"How much do I owe you?"
Director Qi thought Chen Jianghai was just being modest and didn't dwell on the topic, asking straightforwardly.
Chen Jianghai waved his hand, "No need, no need, it was just wrapping some tape."
"That won't do!"
Director Qi's smile faded as he insisted seriously, "Xiao Chen, we can't let you work for nothing. If you don't take money, then I'd feel embarrassed to ask you for help again!"
Seeing Director Qi so insistent, Chen Jianghai casually said, "Okay then, two yuan."
"Isn't that too little?" Director Qi couldn't help asking.
Chen Jianghai shook his head, "Director Qi, I already said it was a minor issue. You saw it yourself, I just reconnected a wire."
Hearing this, Director Qi had nothing more to say and handed over the money promptly.
"Thank you for this time, Master Xiao Chen." Director Qi escorted Chen Jianghai to the door and said politely.
"Director Qi, if there's a problem with the appliances at home in the future, have Wanqiu tell me, and I will definitely come over the next day."
Chen Jianghai said again.
"Then thank you very much, Master Xiao Chen!"
Director Qi expressed his gratitude.
"No problem, you are Wanqiu's leader, and you've taken good care of her, so it's what I should do."
Director Qi clearly understood the implication behind Chen Jianghai's words and nodded, "Rest assured, I will definitely take good care of Comrade Wanqiu at the factory and won't let her suffer any loss."
Chen Jianghai gave a knowing smile.
That was precisely the assurance he wanted from Director Qi.
"Then let me thank Director Qi in advance." Chen Jianghai said gratefully.
Director Qi generously waved his hand, "It's nothing."
"Well then, Director Qi, I'll be leaving now."
"Okay, take care!"
Leaving Director Qi's home, Chen Jianghai took a stroll on the street. Seeing that it was nearly noon, he headed straight for Lin Wanqiu's factory.
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