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墨書 Inktalez
Early the next morning, as dawn broke, Shen Weidong, clutching the more than seven dollars he earned yesterday and filled with hopes for the future, arrived early at his "base" in the corner of the market.
To his surprise, before he could even stabilize his rickety wooden sign against the wall, three or four people were already waiting at his stall!
"Young Master, you finally made it!" An elderly woman carrying an old-fashioned clock was the first to approach him. "I heard from Old Li yesterday that your skills are incredible. My clock has been running inaccurately for a long time, and Red Star said it would cost a fortune to replace the movement! Can you take a look?"
"Master Jiang, my bicycle brake pads are worn out. Can you replace them?" A young man quickly chimed in.
"And I have this..."
Seeing the eager customers in front of him, Shen Weidong felt overjoyed. It seemed that Old Man's booming voice as a "living advertisement" had worked wonders! He quickly set down his tool kit and put on a professional smile. "Everyone, please be patient. One at a time; let me first check this lady's clock."
He took the heavy old clock and focused his mental energy, activating his diagnostic ability. Instantly, a complex diagram of the clock's internal gears appeared in his mind. He noticed that several gear joints were clogged with grease and fine metal shavings, causing sluggish movement. Additionally, a small gear was slightly deformed, leading to jamming.
"Ma'am, it's not a big issue. It's mainly dirty inside, and one small gear is a bit deformed. I can clean and maintain it for you; there's no need to replace the movement," Shen Weidong said.
He pulled out a set of precision screwdrivers and tweezers he had salvaged from the secondhand market and carefully opened the back cover of the clock. Under the curious gaze of onlookers, he skillfully cleaned out the grease and applied his own lubricant to key areas. Then, focusing intently on the deformed small gear, he guided a faint stream of spatial energy to reshape and calibrate it. This process was extremely taxing on his mind, causing beads of sweat to form on Shen Weidong's forehead.
A few minutes later, he reassembled the clock and gently moved the hands before winding it up. The crisp and steady ticking sound immediately filled the air!
"Oh my! It's working perfectly! Amazing!" The elderly woman clapped her hands excitedly. "Young Master, how much do I owe you?"
"For cleaning and maintenance, since it took some effort, just one dollar will do," Shen Weidong replied with a smile.
"One dollar? Red Star charges five just for inspection! Here’s two dollars! No change needed!" The woman cheerfully handed him the money and left happily with her repaired clock, praising Shen Weidong's skills as she walked away.
With this successful start, business flowed in continuously afterward. For those needing bicycle brake pads replaced, Shen Weidong used an old set he had found nearby when he closed up yesterday and refurbished them with his ability; they were quickly fixed. For those whose electric irons weren't heating due to poor internal connections, he resolved their issues with just a few soldering fixes. Not to mention adjusting watches—simple calibrations that could easily be handled. Shen Weidong was busy and delighted as a crowd gathered around his stall. His reputation as a "master craftsman" spread rapidly through word of mouth.
However, as more items came in for repair, an issue he had previously overlooked became apparent—parts.
"Young Master, my fan runs but lacks power and makes a loud buzzing noise; can you take a look?" A man wearing a straw hat placed an old Luo Tuo brand electric fan on the stall.
Shen Weidong took it over and plugged it into an extension cord borrowed from a nearby shop to test it out. He then concentrated his mental energy for diagnosis. In his mind's eye appeared an image: the electric motor coils were slightly aged but still functional; they could be revitalized with energy. However, crucially, the starting capacitor's capacity had severely diminished and needed replacement.
"Sir, your fan's electric motor is fine; it's mainly the starting capacitor that's faulty—it needs to be replaced," Shen Weidong explained.
"The capacitor? Do you have one?" The man asked hopefully.
Shen Weidong spread his hands apologetically: "Unfortunately not; I don't have that capacitor on hand right now. You'll need to check at the supply store or Red Star."
"I've already checked at the supply store; they don’t have that model. Red Star? Hmph! It’s pointless to go there; either they say they're out of stock or you'll have to wait ages!" The man looked disappointed. "So... what can we do?"
"For now, there's nothing I can do; I'll let you know when I get parts in later," Shen Weidong said apologetically.
The man sighed and took his fan back with him.
Soon after, an aunt approached with a silent red radio. "Little Master, just like Old Li's radio yesterday, it won't make a sound."
Shen Weidong took it and examined it with his ability. This time, it wasn't a loose speaker wire; instead, a common carbon film resistor inside had burned out. "Auntie, it's not the wire this time. A small part inside called a resistor has burned out and needs to be replaced."
"Resistor? Do you have one?"
Shen Weidong shook his head helplessly again. "Auntie, unfortunately, I don't have a spare resistor either."
Sighing, the aunt walked away disappointed.
Having two customers leave without repairs due to missing parts weighed heavily on Shen Weidong's heart. He realized that while his ability was remarkable and allowed him to excel in repairs and optimizations, he could not conjure nonexistent parts out of thin air, especially electronic components. In this era where parts were scarce and supply channels were not smooth, without a stable source of components, even his skilled hands could do nothing.
He encountered several similar situations afterward. Although he had some old parts from previous disassemblies in his workspace, the models were mixed up, and very few matched what was needed.
Originally bustling with business, his stall had to turn away a small portion of customers due to the parts issue. Watching the disappointed figures of customers leaving made Shen Weidong furrow his brow.
"This won't do! I must solve the parts problem!" He resolved firmly. "Red Star and the supply cooperative are unreliable; it seems... I'll have to try my luck at the Scrap Station and Secondhand Market!"
With that thought in mind, he glanced at the setting sun and began to pack up his stall. Although he had earned about twelve or thirteen yuan today—more than yesterday—he felt an added sense of urgency. He needed to find a stable source for parts quickly!
"Scrap Station and Secondhand Market, here I come!" A glint flashed in Shen Weidong's eyes as he slung his canvas tool bag over his shoulder and headed in the opposite direction of home—he decided to try his luck right away!
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