Chapter 18: It’s Impossible to Work Part-time

TL: Etude

Chen Jianghai cracked a smile and said, "Mr. Jin, why don't we try it and see if it works?"

Ah, that made sense!

Mr. Jin didn't say much more, quickly grabbing the remote control to turn on the air conditioner.

Before long, the temperature in the room dropped, and there was no more leaking water.

Walking over to the air conditioner, Mr. Jin inspected it closely and scratched his head, asking, "Is it really fixed?"

Chen Jianghai nodded. "Mr. Jin, rest assured. If it leaks again this summer, I'll fix it for you for free."

"Alright, thank you. Let me pay you."

As Mr. Jin spoke, he took out his wallet and handed over a fifty-yuan bill.

Without standing on ceremony, Chen Jianghai took the money and casually stuffed it into his trouser pocket.

"By the way, what's your name, young man? Where did you learn this skill?" Mr. Jin inquired further.

"Oh, my surname is Chen. Just call me Little Chen," Chen Jianghai revealed his name and once again used the same excuse he had used on several other people before.

"As for the skill, I bought a few books and taught myself. It's purely self-taught."

Mr. Jin chuckled. "Whether it's the orthodox way or the self-taught way, as long as you can make money, it's the right way. Don't you agree?"

Chen Jianghai nodded in agreement, "You're right, Mr. Jin. The essence is indeed the same. Whether a cat is black or white, if it catches mice, it's a good cat!"

Mr. Jin suddenly added, "Going from street to street like this isn't a long-term solution. Have you considered renting a storefront? That way, you have a fixed location and don't have to work so hard."

Chen Jianghai didn't expect Mr. Jin, whom he had just met and barely spoken to, to offer such a suggestion.

"Mr. Jin, to be honest, I've already thought about it. But now is not the time," Chen Jianghai responded with a smile.

"Oh?" Mr. Jin became interested. "Why isn't it the time? In Linghai County, there aren't many people who can repair appliances, especially with skills as good as yours. Otherwise, my air conditioner wouldn't have been leaking for so long."

Chen Jianghai shrugged and candidly replied, "Mr. Jin, I don't have much of a reputation yet. There's no need to rush into opening a shop. I can wait until I've built up some good word of mouth. Of course, there's another important reason."

"What's that?" Mr. Jin asked curiously.

"I currently don't have enough money to open a shop."

Upon hearing this reason, Mr. Jin was momentarily speechless.

He truly hadn't considered the factor of money.

"So you're saying you've just started in this line of work?" Mr. Jin astutely picked up on the information from Chen Jianghai's words.

Chen Jianghai didn't deny it. "Yes, I started just a few days ago."

Mr. Jin blinked and then suggested, "How about this? I'll invest the money, and you provide the skills. We could partner up to open an appliance repair shop. What do you think?"

Chen Jianghai honestly didn't expect the casually acquainted Mr. Jin to offer such a proposal.

As for why Mr. Jin would say such a thing, it mainly boiled down to Chen Jianghai's skills. After their brief interaction, Mr. Jin felt that this young man was someone worth partnering with—youthful yet not brash, confident but not arrogant, with a maturity in his demeanor.

Mr. Jin had met countless people over his years of traveling and considered those who exhibited these qualities to be talents.

Even if Chen Jianghai was down on his luck at the moment, he undoubtedly had potential.

With this mentality, Mr. Jin was inclined to invest in Chen Jianghai. Especially given that appliance repair is a skill-based industry that is sure to turn a profit, this seemed like a win-win situation.

Without a second thought, Chen Jianghai shook his head and said, "Mr. Jin, thank you for your kind offer, but no thanks."

This time, it was Mr. Jin's turn to be somewhat astonished.

He hadn't expected Chen Jianghai to decline without even asking for details.

"Why don't you ask about how we can collaborate? Or how much salary I would offer you?" He couldn't help but ask.

Chen Jianghai gave a slight smile. "Mr. Jin, I'm not doing this to work for someone else."

Hearing this, Mr. Jin immediately understood.

The Chen Jianghai standing before him was extraordinarily proud.

But then again, it made sense.

What young man with such a demeanor and abilities wouldn't be haughty and proud?

Though he thought this, Mr. Jin wasn't willing to give up so easily.

"Young man, don't aim too high and shoot too far. On this street, my shop is at least in the top three! If you work with me, you're sure to make money."

Although Mr. Jin's words carried a hint of bragging, he didn't mean to look down upon Chen Jianghai; it was more like a probe.

The smile on Chen Jianghai's face remained unchanged. "Mr. Jin, I'd like to try it out on my own."

Mr. Jin continued to persuade, "Young man, when an opportunity comes, grab it. If you miss it, I'm afraid you might regret it later."

"When I, Chen Jianghai, decide to do something, I won't regret it, no matter the outcome," Chen Jianghai said with resolute conviction.

After all, he was someone who had been reborn. How could he settle for working under someone?

He intended to be his own boss. His future should be limitless.

Upon hearing Chen Jianghai's response, Mr. Jin no longer insisted. He nodded, "Then I wish you good luck."

After expressing his thanks, Chen Jianghai packed up his things, left the shop, and continued to promote his appliance repair business.

After eating two plain steamed buns and drinking a pot of water at noon, Chen Jianghai prepared to head back home.

Before he left, though, he had one more thing to do: pick up a television from Sister Sun's house.

If he had gone to fetch it in the morning, carrying a TV around would have made it inconvenient to conduct business.

Now was the perfect time to take the TV home. Once repaired, it would be a nice surprise for Wanqiu, and they would have something to watch after dinner.

As he turned familiar corners and approached the entrance to the alley, he heard bursts of laughter coming from Sister Sun's yard.

Chen Jianghai got off his bike and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Sister Sun's voice came from inside.

"Sister Sun, it's me, Little Chen!"

"I'm here to pick up the TV," Chen Jianghai loudly replied.

The door to the yard swung open, and a smiling Sister Sun walked out.

"Oh, Master Little Chen, you're here!"

Sister Sun greeted warmly, "Come in, come in. I've placed the TV inside, just waiting for you to pick it up."

"Thank you, Sister Sun."

"What's there to thank? It's a simple thing."

Upon entering the yard, Chen Jianghai noticed several middle-aged women there, some holding sweaters, some picking vegetables, all engrossed in casual conversation.

"Isn't this Master Little Chen?" someone greeted him with a smile.

"Good afternoon, ladies. You all seem to be enjoying yourselves!" Chen Jianghai promptly responded.

"Look at what Master Little Chen is saying; we don't have your skills, so we can only stay home and take care of the house," one woman said.

"Yeah, we'd also like to earn some money, perhaps buy some new clothes!"

Hearing these words, Chen Jianghai waved his hands, "You can't say it like that. The saying goes, 'Women hold up half the sky.' If anyone says you're not capable, they're simply ignorant."

This statement delighted the women present, who complimented Chen Jianghai on his eloquence.

Sister Sun intervened, "Master Little Chen is here to pick up the TV. Let's not keep him."

"Sure, sure. Go ahead, Master Little Chen."

"Do you need help?" an enthusiastic sister asked.

Chen Jianghai shook his head repeatedly, "No need to trouble yourselves, I can manage."

After securing the TV on his bike with ropes, Chen Jianghai bid Sister Sun goodbye and slowly cycled home.

On the way, someone suddenly darted out from a corner, almost colliding with him head-on.