Chapter 6: Misunderstanding

Seeing this, Chen Jianghai pulled the heating element from his trouser pocket and skillfully installed it. Once plugged in, a low hum filled the air, and the refrigerator’s temperature quickly dropped.

"Hey, young man, not bad at all!" Old Hu felt the cold air emanating from the unit and exclaimed with delight.

"What do you think, Old Hu? I told you, he’s the one who fixed my radio," Old Jiang said, looking equally smug, as if he were the one who had repaired the fridge himself.

Old Hu gave a thumbs-up, offering sincere praise: "To have such skills at such a young age, you’ll definitely become a master technician in the future!"

"Uncle Hu, now that the fridge is fixed, about the payment..."

Chen Jianghai wasn't interested in the praise; he needed the money. If the old man dared to go back on his word, he was confident he could dismantle the fridge in a way that no one else could fix.

"Right, no problem. Fifty it is!"

The price had already been agreed upon, and Uncle Hu paid up readily. Compared to the success of his son's upcoming wedding banquet, a mere fifty yuan was nothing. Chen Jianghai’s price was already a bargain; if the fridge had been sent to a repair shop, it wouldn't have cost a penny less than a hundred. Adding in the travel expenses back and forth, it could have easily hit two hundred. More importantly, if the seafood had spoiled, the losses would have been even greater.

As he pocketed the crisp, dark green 1980-series fifty-yuan note, a smile tugged at the corners of Chen Jianghai’s mouth. This was a good start. After deducting the costs of the gift and the heating element, he had cleared a net profit of forty-five yuan.

"Uncle Hu, if any of your friends need appliances repaired in the future, send them my way. I’m usually wandering around this neighborhood."

Chen Jianghai suddenly felt an urge to buy a pager. Not having a way for people to contact him was frustrating.

***

Riding his bike home, Chen Jianghai was in high spirits, humming a tune. As he passed a newly opened clothing store, he couldn't help but stop. Looking at the bright, fashionable clothes on the plastic mannequins in the window, he suddenly remembered something: it had been a long time since Wanqiu had bought any new clothes.

Ever since Lin Wanqiu married him, he hadn't given her a single day of comfort. They had been married for over a year, and she hadn't purchased a single new garment; everything she wore had been brought over from her parents' home. Not only were they out of style, but they were also worn thin. It was only because of Lin Wanqiu’s natural beauty and figure that she looked good in anything at all; otherwise, the clothes would have been unwearable.

A pang of guilt and bitterness welled up in Chen Jianghai’s heart.

Should he buy her some clothes to cheer her up? Clutching the fifty-yuan note in his pocket, Chen Jianghai walked into the store. The clerk immediately approached him with a beaming smile: "Welcome! Come on in and take a look!"

Chen Jianghai was slightly surprised. There weren't many shops back then that greeted customers with a "Welcome." The pronunciation was crisp and clear, a rarity in this small, dialect-heavy county town. At the time, Linghai was still a small place with modest economic development; while it had felt the first breeze of reform and opening up, social concepts had yet to truly shift and remained relatively backward.

"Do you have any new styles of women's clothing?" Chen Jianghai asked directly.

The clerk’s eyes lit up. If a man asked like that, he was clearly buying for a woman. Men might be stingy with their own money, but they were never tight-fisted when spending on a woman.

"Yes, yes, the women's clothes are all right here!" the clerk said, putting in a lot of effort to make a sale.

Chen Jianghai looked over the items. Styles with shoulder pads were long gone in the future, but they were all the rage at the moment.

"Look, these are the latest styles, brought in from Shanghai. Very trendy! We also have these stirrup leggings—they’re popular in the big cities. Why not get a pair?"

Every era has its distinct hallmarks. In the 1990s, stirrup leggings were the height of fashion. Wearing a pair of leggings with high-heeled leather shoes could make even an ordinary woman look three times more attractive. Because they showcased a woman's beauty so well, those naturally blessed with shapely legs would wear them without hesitation, walking through the crowds to greet the envious or admiring gazes of passersby.

No girl doesn't love to dress up, and Lin Wanqiu was no exception. She had long wanted a pair of leggings, but due to their financial struggles and the burden of daily survival, she had kept that desire hidden in her heart.

Chen Jianghai picked out a floral dress and a pair of black leggings; twenty-some yuan vanished instantly. Since he was already buying clothes, he decided to buy a pair of shoes as well to complete the outfit. By the time he was finished, only twenty yuan remained from his repair earnings.

When Chen Jianghai arrived home with his bags, he found Lin Wanqiu already there. She was sitting in a chair, gazing blankly out the window, looking lost and despondent.

"Oh, Wanqiu, home early today?" Chen Jianghai asked with a smile.

Lin Wanqiu kept her head down, her voice low. "I came back at noon, but I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Oh, I went out to work today and made some money. Wait here—I bought the pork ribs you love, and I'll go cook for you right now."

Chen Jianghai hurriedly set his things down and headed for the kitchen. Lin Wanqiu looked up and spotted the bags on the table. Unable to contain her grievances and anger any longer, she cried out, "Chen Jianghai, what exactly do you think you’re doing?"

"I... I'm going to make you dinner. What's the matter?" Chen Jianghai asked, stunned.

Tears streamed down Lin Wanqiu’s face, her voice choking with sobs. "You... you know what you've done, don't you?"

Chen Jianghai immediately grew anxious; he couldn't stand seeing Lin Wanqiu so heartbroken. He rushed over and asked urgently, "Wanqiu, don't cry. Tell me, what happened?"

"Do you have any idea what the situation is at home? I went to check—you never showed up to report for work! You’re not working! Why can't you just hold down a proper job? Why must you insist on doing business, and why are you wasting money on things like this?"

Full of disappointment, she pushed him away and slumped onto the bed, tears flowing freely. The feeling of hopelessness returned to her heart.

"Wanqiu, I really can repair appliances. I didn't go to that job because repairing appliances pays more. Look, that radio? I’m the one who fixed it. And this afternoon, I helped someone fix their refrigerator and earned fifty yuan!" Chen Jianghai had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Really?"

Lin Wanqiu turned her head, looking at him with a complex expression. She didn't know what to say. They had been married for so long, and she had never seen him use such skills before. But she remembered that radio; when he brought it home yesterday, it was nothing but useless junk. Now that it was working, it proved his point. He truly could repair appliances.

Seeing that she had stopped crying, Chen Jianghai breathed a sigh of relief.

"Of course it's true. I swear, I will never lie to you again. If I break my word, may the heavens—"

Before he could finish, Lin Wanqiu interrupted, "Why would you say such things for no reason?"

"Wanqiu, I'm not lying to you. Here, this is the money I earned today. Take it. From now on, all the money I earn will be yours."

As he spoke, Chen Jianghai pulled the remaining twenty yuan from his pocket and pressed it into her hand. For some reason, hearing him say that, Lin Wanqiu, who had just stopped crying, burst into tears all over again.