Chapter 13: Promising Results

Chapter 13: Encouraging Results

Chen Jianghai brought out the radio he had repaired last time and placed it on the table. “For now, there are only two units.”

“Two units?” Fang Aiguo raised an eyebrow. “How much profit can these two bring?”

Seeing his expression, Chen Jianghai couldn’t help but recall his past self and sighed inwardly.

Everyone’s thoughts were similar, all wanting to get rich overnight.

Unfortunately, he had been even more radical and stubborn, leading to a regrettable ending.

Chen Jianghai pursed his lips and said irritably, “Which business doesn’t start small? We only have two now, but there will definitely be more later.”

“Brother Hai, when you say things like that, you sound just like my dad. That’s not like you at all!” Fang Aiguo blinked, suddenly making that remark.

Chen Jianghai waved him off. “Enough of this nonsense. Just tell me—will you take this job or not?”

“I’m in!” Fang Aiguo immediately straightened up and said seriously, “Of course! Brother Hai, since you have the skills, working with you will definitely make money.”

Hearing this warmed Chen Jianghai’s heart.

In life, you may have many friends, but a brother like Fang Aiguo is rare.

Chen Jianghai felt incredibly fortunate.

Patting Fang Aiguo on the shoulder, Chen Jianghai spoke deliberately, “Don’t worry, brother. Work with me, and I guarantee by next year you’ll be a millionaire.”

“A… a millionaire? Really?” Fang Aiguo looked incredulous.

Although “millionaire” was no longer a fashionable term in this era, becoming one was still a dream for many.

As a wealthy second-generation, Fang Aiguo had always yearned to make big money and had set it as his first life goal.

Chen Jianghai smiled and asked, “When have I ever lied to you?”

“Well... Brother Hai, it seems you’ve lied to me quite a few times.” Fang Aiguo was momentarily stunned, then muttered weakly.

Can we have a proper conversation?

Chen Jianghai didn’t know how to respond and simply shoved both radios into Fang Aiguo’s hands. Waving him off, he said, “Stop wasting time. Go sell these. And remember, sell them for a good price—there’s a share for you in here!”

With the radios in hand, Fang Aiguo no longer worried about the question. He nodded, “Alright, I’m off now.”

After speaking, he left with the radios.

Once Fang Aiguo had gone, Chen Jianghai took out the pager he had received yesterday.

After examining it for a while, Chen Jianghai discovered the pager had probably been water-damaged, causing the circuit to oxidize and stop working.

He decided to remove all the components, carefully inspect the circuit, and re-solder the oxidized parts before reassembling it.

“It works now.”

Replacing the batteries with fresh double-deer No. 7 cells, Chen Jianghai smiled as he watched the string of numbers on the screen.

For Master Chen, such small gadgets were child's play.

Sometimes, a man’s happiness really was that simple.

The pager was repaired but still unusable.

To use it, one had to pay the network fee first.

For a digital device, the yearly fee was 180 yuan.

For a Chinese character pager, the cost was higher—600 yuan per year!

That was equivalent to three months' wages for an ordinary worker, something most people couldn’t afford.

At this stage, if any young person carried a pager on the street, they'd definitely attract attention.

Of course, having a “big brother” mobile phone meant you were definitely a big boss.

Chen Jianghai murmured, “Once I earn a bit more, I’ll get the network subscription. That’ll be convenient.”

He put the pager in the drawer, tidied up, and headed out to work.

Yesterday, repairs near Qianjin Street were nearly done, so today he moved to Linyuan Road, not far from Qianjin Street.

Pushing his bicycle and shouting loudly, he soon gathered a crowd of residents.

The situation here was similar to Qianjin Street, and since the houses were close, Chen Jianghai’s reputation had spread. Coupled with his eloquence, many came bringing broken appliances, and soon he was busy repairing.

Meanwhile, Fang Aiguo, carrying two radios, went to the Workers’ Cultural Palace in the county town.

It was a four-story building in a good location, not far from the People’s Stereo Cinema, near the town center.

The first floor was rented out as a game arcade, filled with arcade machines. Evenings and weekends were packed with young people and children.

The second floor housed a billiard room, popular among youngsters who enjoyed games like scoring and color-ball variants.

The third floor was a video room. At this time, video players were rare, so most people either went to the cinema or came here to watch tapes.

The fourth floor was a library, mainly renting out martial arts novels, always busy.

Fang Aiguo headed straight to the second floor to see his friend Wang Changlin, who managed the billiard room. In those days, people who came to play billiards had some disposable income.

“Hey, Aiguo’s here! Come play a couple of rounds,” Wang Changlin, standing at the door smoking and sporting curly hair, waved and called out.

“I’m not here to play, Linzi. I’ve got two second-hand radios. Anyone interested?” Fang Aiguo took the polished radios out of his bag.

“Where did you get these?” Wang Changlin blinked.

“What do you think? Of course, from legit sources!” Fang Aiguo rolled his eyes and replied with a hint of annoyance.

“Do they work well?”

“Of course. Why would I sell defective ones? Quality is guaranteed. Take a listen!”

He turned on one radio, and clear broadcasting came through—an audiobook was playing.

“Wait here, I’ll ask around!” Wang Changlin shouted toward the billiard tables.

“Hey, folks! A buddy of mine has some second-hand radios for sale. Anyone interested?”

“How much each? If cheap, I’ll buy one for my old man to listen to.”

Questions came immediately.

“Fifty!” Fang Aiguo held up his hand.

“That’s expensive! Can you go down to thirty?” someone bargained.

“Buddy, go to Zhongbai Store One and buy a new one for over a hundred yuan. These are about eighty percent new and cost half that, plus warranty. This is a great deal. Once it’s gone, there won’t be another,” Fang Aiguo explained in one breath.

“Oh, there’s warranty?”

“Yes, as long as you buy from me, any minor issues will be fixed,” Fang Aiguo assured, patting his chest—a sales tactic Chen Jianghai had advised.

“Alright, I’ll take one. Consider it as losing money on billiards these days.”

“You kid, trying to provoke us!” Fang Aiguo smiled. The first radio was sold smoothly!

In the following days, Chen Jianghai worked from dawn till dusk, covering nearly half of Linghai County. Not only did he get tanned, but he was also exhausted to the bone.

The hard work paid off handsomely. Within a week, Chen Jianghai earned five or six hundred yuan in cash.

Besides that, he collected a bunch of old radios.

A rough estimate showed that after some repairs and assembly, he could make at least a dozen radios from the old parts.

If all sold, that would be a considerable sum.

Seeing Chen Jianghai genuinely busy with his appliance repair business and not fooling around, Lin Wanqiu was comforted and smiled more.

Especially given how differently he treated her now—no longer expecting her to wash clothes, cook, or serve tea. He even wanted to take on sewing and mending himself. Life felt as sweet as honey!

That afternoon, after finishing his work and packing up his tools, Chen Jianghai rode his bike to the market to buy some good food.

For the past two years, Lin Wanqiu had been the sole breadwinner, enduring hardship and toil.

Perhaps it was these years of hard work that led to her health issues.

Chen Jianghai was determined not to let that happen again. She must eat well and rest well, never fall ill again.

At the market, before stepping inside, Chen Jianghai spotted a stall nearby and brightened instantly.

He quickly walked over.

He remembered Lin Wanqiu liked beef, but since being with him, she hadn’t had it for a long time.

Beef now cost at least seven yuan per jin, unaffordable for most.

Without hesitation, Chen Jianghai bought two jin of beef shanks, heart full of joy as he headed home.

Just as he reached the doorway, a loud “clang” came from inside.

Then Lin Wanqiu’s scream rang out.

Hearing her scream, Chen Jianghai’s face changed drastically. Without hesitation, he dropped his bike and rushed inside immediately.

(End of chapter)