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墨書 Inktalez
Carrying the heavy sack, Shen Weidong walked briskly back to his small room in the courtyard he rented. The sky had completely darkened, and the yard was quiet; most of the neighbors had already finished dinner, either watching the flickering black-and-white television or had gone to bed early.
He locked the door behind him and, without bothering to wash up, excitedly dumped the "spoils" from the sack onto the old plywood table under the dim light of a 15-watt bulb.
A mix of rust, oil, and an indescribable stale odor immediately filled the air, but to Shen Weidong, it smelled better than any delicacy! This was money, these were parts—his means of survival!
Rubbing his hands together, he began to sort and test them carefully. Picking up a capacitor that looked decent, he focused his mental energy, and images of its internal structure along with energy feedback representing its status appeared in his mind—“Green Dot, capacity normal!” He nodded in satisfaction and categorized it as usable. Next, he picked up a resistor and tested it in the same manner—“Resistance accurate, usable!” Then he grabbed a small motor—“Coil intact, slight wear on the bearings; can be repaired for use!”
He meticulously "diagnosed" each part he had salvaged from the scrap station like a patient old doctor checking a pulse. His ability was now quite proficient; although prolonged concentration still brought fatigue, his efficiency was remarkably high. In less than an hour, he had sorted the pile of "junk" into three categories: one for confirmed good or easily cleanable high-quality parts; another for items with some damage that could be repaired or disassembled into useful components; and finally, a category for completely useless true garbage.
He carefully wiped down the usable high-quality parts and then mentally categorized them into his maintenance space. The space wasn’t large—about one cubic meter—but it was more than sufficient for storing these assorted small components and very convenient for retrieval. As for the aluminum lunch box containing rare electronic tubes, he placed it solemnly in the innermost part of the space.
After finishing all this, Shen Weidong felt as if he had fought a great battle and was utterly exhausted. He quickly washed up and collapsed onto his creaky wooden bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, dreaming of tinkering with those parts.
The next morning, Shen Weidong was awakened by the crowing of a rooster from the neighboring yard. He stretched lazily, feeling revitalized; last night’s fatigue had vanished completely. It seemed that after using his ability, any mental energy consumed could be fully restored with a good night’s sleep.
With renewed confidence, he headed to his stall at the corner of the market. With last night’s inventory of parts organized, he felt ready to take on anything.
Sure enough, not long after the market opened, yesterday's Straw Hat Uncle—the one who had left disappointed because his fan lacked a starting capacitor—was the first to approach him.
“Master Xiao Jiang! You’re here! Yesterday you said you needed… a capacitor? I wonder if you have one today?” The uncle asked eagerly.
Shen Weidong chuckled inwardly but put on an appropriately surprised expression. “Uncle, you’re just in time! Last night I went through some old parts I had saved up and guess what? I found a capacitor that’s pretty much compatible with your fan model!”
Feigning a search through his tool kit, he actually summoned a tested old capacitor from his maintenance space. “How about this one? I guarantee it works!”
The uncle took the capacitor; although it looked a bit worn out, hearing Shen Weidong’s assurance made him beam with joy. “Perfect! That’s great! Master Xiao Jiang, you’re truly my savior! Let’s get it swapped out!”
Shen Weidong quickly disassembled the fan with practiced ease and replaced the capacitor while reconnecting the wires. Once plugged in, the fan whirred to life immediately with strong airflow and significantly reduced noise.
“Wow! This works even better than before!” The uncle exclaimed in delight.
“I also cleaned out some dust and added a bit of oil,” Shen Weidong explained with a smile. “This capacitor costs you thirty cents; labor is fifty cents; that makes eighty cents in total.”
“Worth it! Totally worth it!” The uncle paid happily and took his repaired fan away while praising Shen Weidong to everyone he met for not only being skilled but also able to source parts.
Next came an aunt whose radio had a broken resistor. Shen Weidong similarly “luckily” found an appropriate resistor from his tool kit and quickly fixed it for just fifty cents.
With this influx of parts, Shen Weidong’s repair range expanded significantly. Most issues that had previously been unsolvable due to missing components could now be addressed. Throughout the morning, he hardly took a break as customers surrounded his stall continuously. His reputation grew from “fast repairs at low prices” to now include “can find parts!” In an era where parts were scarce, this made him seem almost like a miracle worker!
However, success attracted envy. As Shen Weidong's business thrived, Director Ma and Master Qian from Red Star Repair Department became increasingly anxious and consumed by jealousy. Especially when they heard more customers complaining that “Red Star has nothing; they have to go find that little Jiang at the market,” their frustration boiled over.
“This can’t go on! We can’t let that kid get too proud!” Director Ma growled at Master Qian in their office. “If we let him continue like this, our repair department will really close down! Where is he getting those parts? They must be illicit! We need to find a way to crush him completely!”
Master Qian’s eyes shifted as he leaned closer to Director Ma's ear and said ominously, “Director, just reporting won’t work; that kid is slippery. I think we need something tougher! I know two guys who can handle things on the street; let them go give that kid a ‘warning’ so he knows who’s boss! And while we’re at it, let’s ‘confiscate’ those ‘illicit’ parts of his too!”
Director Ma's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea! Let's do it! You go find someone; money is not an issue! But make sure it's done cleanly, without leaving any traces!"
"Hehe, don't worry, Director!" Master Qian replied as he took his leave.
That afternoon, Shen Weidong was focused on fixing a sewing machine for an elderly woman when he suddenly sensed something was off in the atmosphere around him. Looking up, he saw Master Qian standing not far away, arms crossed and wearing a cold smirk. A chill ran down Shen Weidong's spine; he knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, Master Qian didn't linger. He shot Shen Weidong a meaningful glance before turning to leave.
A few minutes later, two scruffy young men swaggered over. Shen Weidong recognized them as the same two who had accompanied Master Qian during the last ruckus. This time, they were carrying items—one was a radio with its casing smashed to pieces and the speaker hanging out, while the other was a twisted electric fan with a severely dented motor casing.
"Hey, Jiang Master, business is good, huh?" one of the young men with yellow hair said in a mocking tone.
The other, a stocky youth, tossed the "junk" onto Shen Weidong's stall with a loud crash that drew the attention of nearby customers. "Our stuff accidentally broke. I heard you have 'magical hands' and can fix anything? Let’s see what you can do!"
Looking at the two clearly damaged items on the ground and then at the fierce expressions of the two men, along with their idle companions lurking nearby, Shen Weidong realized they were serious about confronting him this time. He slowly set down his tools, stood up, and though his face remained expressionless, his eyes sharpened.
"Is that how it is? If soft tactics don't work, you come at me hard? Do you think I'm still that easy-to-manipulate apprentice from back then?" Shen Weidong thought to himself with a cold sneer as he flexed his wrists.
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