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墨書 Inktalez
After swallowing the steaming wontons, Shen Weidong felt that the coldness that had frozen him all morning finally began to dissipate, and even his mood, spoiled by Ma Guoqiang's sour face, improved considerably. He patted the pocket containing what was probably less than fifteen yuan in "severance pay," and his mind began to race.
"Not much money; if I save it, it might last me ten days or half a month. A letter of introduction? That thing is too stiff to wipe with; relying on it to find a job is out of the question. It looks like I'll have to rely on my old profession."
He glanced around; this was near the busiest free market in the city, bustling with people—mothers carrying vegetable baskets, workers riding their bicycles, and many others lugging various items—radios, fans, watches, and even someone pushing a broken bicycle with a chain hanging loose.
"There’s definitely demand!" Shen Weidong's eyes lit up. The old men at the Red Star Repair Department wouldn’t serve him, which gave him just the opportunity he needed. With his "intuition" and hand speed far exceeding that of ordinary people after his enhancement, how could he possibly go hungry?
Without further ado, Shen Weidong didn't return to his cramped single dormitory but instead wandered around the market looking for a spot to set up a stall. Good locations were either taken or required him to "grease the palms" of market management—his little bit of money couldn't withstand that kind of hassle. After wandering for half a day, he finally found an inconspicuous corner in the market where there was an empty space next to a garbage heap. The smell was a bit overwhelming, but it was free and no one would bother him.
"Alright then, heroes don’t ask about their origins; after all, even our founding father surrounded cities from the countryside!" Shen Weidong comforted himself as he pulled out a few handy tools from his canvas bag—all items he had secretly "repaired" during his apprenticeship. He found a piece of scrap wood and wrote in crooked chalk: "Jiang's Quick Repair - Electrical Appliances, Bicycles, Watches - Troubleshooting," propping it against the wall as if he were officially open for business.
At first, no one paid him any mind. Passersby would glance curiously at him but would shake their heads and walk away upon seeing his youth and shabby stall. A kind-hearted lady selling sunflower seeds advised him, "Young man, fixing things isn’t child’s play; if you don’t have some real skills, don’t waste your time here."
Shen Weidong merely smiled back: "Auntie, let me give it a try; who knows? Someone might believe in me."
"Believe? Once they see my skills, they'll be lining up to ask for my help!" he muttered to himself as he picked up his old Shanghai watch and focused intently on it—sure enough, he noticed signs of wear on the small gears inside. He attempted to use his Mental Power to "smooth out" that wear and felt a slight heaviness in his head as if there was indeed some effect. "Looks like this ability can also be used for maintenance? Not bad; I should 'maintain' all my belongings later."
The morning passed without a single inquiry about prices. Shen Weidong remained undeterred, sitting on a small stool while observing the ebb and flow of people around him to familiarize himself with the market environment.
Finally, in the afternoon, a breakthrough arrived. An old man walked by holding a radio while cursing loudly: "Those scoundrels! They said it can't be repaired and told me to buy a new one! I just bought this over a year ago! Bah!"
As he continued grumbling, his eyes fell on Shen Weidong's shabby wooden sign, particularly drawn to the words "troubleshooting." Skeptically, he approached: "Young man, can you really fix radios?"
Shen Weidong took one look and guessed it was probably an issue with the speaker wires. He stood up with a confident smile: "Grandpa, let me take a look; it won’t cost you anything."
The old man hesitated but handed over the radio: "It just doesn’t make any sound; those guys at Red Star didn’t even look at it before declaring it junk."
Shen Weidong took the radio in hand; it felt slightly heavy. He concentrated as images of its internal structure filled his mind—the red dot at the speaker connection stood out glaringly. "Just as I thought." He felt fatigue from using his Mental Power.
"Grandpa, it's not a big deal; it's just poor contact," Shen Weidong said as he quickly retrieved a small screwdriver from his tool kit and removed the back cover with ease. Pointing at a broken wire inside, he explained, "See here? It's cold soldered."
He pulled out a small electric soldering iron that he had optimized using spatial energy—it heated up quickly. Touching it lightly against the broken point while guiding energy through his intent made the solder joint instantly smooth and secure. The entire process flowed seamlessly before the old man's astonished eyes.
With a click, he closed the back cover and turned on the switch; immediately clear and bright broadcasting filled the air: "...promote revolution and production..."
"It works! It really works!" The old man’s excitement made his beard stand on end as he grabbed Shen Weidong's hand tightly. "Amazing! Young master, you’re truly amazing! How much do I owe you?"
"Hehe, it's not worth much; just a bit of effort," Shen Weidong replied modestly despite feeling pleased inside. "The parts didn’t cost anything; just give me... fifty cents for labor."
"Fifty cents? That's too little! Too little!" The old man fished out a crumpled one-yuan bill from his pocket and shoved it into Shen Weidong's hand forcefully. "Take it! You must take it! Compared to those scoundrels at Red Star, you’re like a living Buddha! Neighbors! Come quick! This young master fixed my radio that Red Star said couldn’t be repaired in just minutes! And only for one yuan!"
The old man's shout instantly attracted quite a crowd around them. People gathered closer to see both the radio still playing broadcasts and young Shen Weidong while listening to the old man's vivid recounting of Red Star Repair Department's "misdeeds," leading to an uproar of discussions.
"Is that true? So fast?"
"The people at Red Star are becoming more and more unreasonable!"
"The young master looks inexperienced, but his skills are impressive!"
Immediately, a few people in the crowd started to take notice.
"Young master, my watch has stopped. Can you take a look?"
"My Fan has a broken motor; can it be repaired?"
"My bicycle brakes aren't working well..."
Business suddenly picked up!
Shen Weidong quickly called out, "Everyone, please don't rush; one at a time!"
He focused intently, using his diagnostic skills to quickly assess the problems, then enhanced the repair efficiency and quality with spatial energy. For poor connections, he soldered them; for loose parts, he tightened them; for stuck components needing lubrication, he cleaned them and applied high-quality lubricant from his spatial storage. If small parts needed replacement and he had them on hand, he would swap them out quickly, charging only for the cost of the parts plus a small labor fee.
By the end of the afternoon, Shen Weidong was so busy he hardly had time to breathe. He had repaired a watch, three Fans, an electric iron, and adjusted the brakes and chains on two bicycles.
As dusk approached, Shen Weidong finally sent off his last customer. He rubbed his aching temples and counted his earnings for the day—six dollars and eighty-five cents!
That was more than what he earned in half a month at the Red Star Repair Department!
Though exhausted, the feeling of earning money through his own skills was incredibly satisfying!
He packed up his stall, carefully storing away his tools and leftover cash. Looking at the gradually quieting market, Shen Weidong felt invigorated.
"This is just the first day; business will definitely get better from here. Once I've saved enough money, I'll rent a storefront and start refurbishing old appliances too... Ma Guoqiang, Master Qian, just you wait! One day, I will make sure Red Star closes its doors for good!"
He recalled the bicycle that he had tampered with belonging to Director Ma.
"I wonder how that chain and flywheel are doing now? Heh heh..."
With a mischievous grin from his successful prank and dreams of the future ahead, Shen Weidong slung his Canvas Tool Bag over his shoulder and disappeared into the twilight.
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