Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

In the 90s, amplifiers were sold in most hardware stores, production material stores, and home appliance stores.

For households with televisions, an amplifier is basically a must-have.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, if you lived near a relay station or in a city or county town, the signal quality was okay. There might be some static, but at least you could still watch TV.

For families living in remote areas, if they rely on just one TV pole, the TV signal is usually very poor.

Not only was the screen full of static, but the image was also extremely distorted, with horizontal or vertical lines and curves filling the screen, making it impossible to see what was being shown on TV.

Unfortunately, amplifiers don't exist yet!

Wang An could foresee that if he didn't make an amplifier, the two color TVs he had bought, including the ones Wang Li and Mu Xue had left home, would definitely not be satisfactory when watching them.

Fortunately, Wang An had assembled radios and amplifiers quite a bit when he was working as a laborer in his previous life, so he knew these things very well.

The only drawback is that there are no readily available integrated circuit boards, so Wang Ande used a method of fixing copper wires onto wooden boards as a substitute.

Wang Li and Mu Xueli had no idea what Wang An had bought, so Wang Li asked with a face full of curiosity:

"Fourth Brother, what are you doing? All these things you bought seem to me to be for radios."

Wang An casually remarked:

"The aluminum plates are used to make TV stands, and the rest are used to make amplifiers."

Mu Xueli, with a strong thirst for knowledge, asked:
"I know about the TV stand, you told us about it, but what's the amplifier for?"

Wang An didn't hold back either, explaining as follows:

"Our place is too remote, the signal from the county's relay station is definitely not good. We'll have to use an amplifier to boost the signal so that our big color TV won't be a waste of money."

In this way, Wang An briefly explained the function of the amplifier to the two of them.

After Wang An finished speaking, Wang Li, with wide eyes, counted on his fingers and asked with great curiosity:

"Fourth Brother, I've discovered you know everything and can do everything! You can sew, you can be a carpenter, you can drive any car, you can fix a radio, you can draw blueprints, and you're a good shot too."

After talking for a while, Wang Li suddenly stopped, then his eyes widened in surprise, and he asked:
"Fourth Brother, I remember you used to be a hapless egg-beater, right? When did you learn to beat eggs?"

Upon hearing this, Wang An paused for a moment, then raised his big foot and kicked Wang Li.

Not satisfied with just one kick, Wang An casually threw the amplifier components on the ground, then with a swift, forceful slam, knocked Wang Li to the ground, kicking him while cursing:

"You good-for-nothing! Who are you calling a good-for-nothing scoundrel? Huh? How did I become a good-for-nothing scoundrel? Little Wang Li, I haven't kicked you for days. Today I'll kick you to death."

The phrase "打蛋儿二溜子" in the local dialect describes a scoundrel who doesn't live a decent life, is unfilial to his parents, spends his days boasting and shirking work, and indulges in all sorts of vices, including drinking, gambling, prostitution, smoking, cheating, stealing, and fighting.

In short, if you want to describe someone as extremely awful, use the phrase "a complete idiot," and others will immediately know what kind of person they are.

Wang Li realized that he had blurted out his true feelings, so he quickly begged for forgiveness:

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, I was wrong, I was wrong! I'm Da Dan Er Liu Zi, I'm Da Dan Er Liu Zi!"

However, Wang An completely ignored Wang Li's pleas for mercy and continued to swing his big feet, specifically targeting Wang Li's buttocks.

There was no other way; only his buttocks could withstand the most kicks. Mainly, when Wang An wasn't using his full strength, Wang Li could only feel the pain, but he definitely wouldn't get hurt.

And so, Wang An gave Wang Li a good beating, finally feeling relieved. The main reason was that although Wang An had been involved in the underworld before, he never considered himself a nobody. With his past connections in the underworld, he was a genuine "big shot."

"Big Liuzi" and "Dandaner Erliuzi" are completely different concepts!
Not to brag, but in the entire county, who dares to boss Wang An around?
So if Wang Li dared to say such things about Wang An, how could Wang An possibly let Wang Li off the hook?
Wang Li got kicked, and Mu Xueli laughed beside him, spitting out at Wang Li as she laughed:
"Serves you right, hahaha. Serves you right for being so cocky. I knew you weren't one to show off, hahahaha."

After Wang An finished kicking him, Wang Li scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting around, rubbing his buttocks and muttering to himself:
"Hey, Fourth Brother, give me some face. Can't we go home and kick them?"

Wang An pointed at Wang Li's nose and said with a look of annoyance:
"Give you face? You have no face whatsoever. If you dare to talk nonsense to us again, I'll kick you."

Ignoring Wang Li, Wang An walked towards the car, while Mu Xueli, while brushing the shoe prints off Wang Li's clothes, said gloatingly:

"How was it? Still looking good? Not so cocky this time, huh? Hahahaha!"

Wang Li didn't dare to provoke Wang An, but he was anything but lenient with Mu Xueli. Hearing Mu Xueli's words, Wang Li rolled his eyes at her and said:

"Get the hell out of here, and stop gloating."

After a while, Wang An looked at the four wooden boxes on the cart and said to Wang Li and Mu Xueli:

"Should we stay here for the night, or head back tonight?"

Mu Xueli glanced at her watch and said:

"It's past 4 a.m. now, why don't we go back tonight?"

Wang An then looked at Wang Li, who seemed to have forgotten about being kicked earlier, and said:
"If you ask me, we should go back. Staying here for one night will cost a lot of money."

Wang An nodded and said:

"Alright, since you two are driving, you're in charge. Let's hurry up and buy some New Year's goods, otherwise the supply and marketing cooperatives and such will have to close down soon."

Upon entering the mall, Wang An and his two companions immediately embarked on a shopping spree.

It must be said that the clothes in the shopping malls of Harbin look much better than those in the supply and marketing cooperatives and tailor shops in the county town. The only drawback is that there are still not many styles.

Wang An was not stingy with money at all; he bought each member of his family a set of clothes and a pair of shoes.

Even Shen Wei and her sister Xiao Lai, as well as Huang Li and her brother, bought clothes. After thinking about it, they also bought a set of clothes for Zhao Cuiyun.

Over the past six months, Zhao Cuiyun has performed very well, working diligently and efficiently without slacking off.

Although Zhao Cuiyun did this because she was afraid of losing her job, Wang An's family still noticed her behavior. Besides, the clothes didn't cost much to Wang An, so he just bought them.

Of course, Wang An bought a lot, as did Wang Li and Mu Xueli. However, Wang An helped them choose the clothes for their family members because they couldn't tell what size clothes would suit them.

After buying clothes and shoes, I also bought a lot of food, liquor, and firecrackers. I originally wanted to buy some beer, but the temperature is just too low right now.

Even if there were straw mats and tattered cotton in the car to wrap the beer, it would probably only last for an hour or two at most. But the journey back would take at least four hours, and the beer would inevitably freeze and crack.

After shopping, the three of them didn't linger. Wang An drove out of the city and handed the steering wheel to Mu Xueli.

On the way, Wang Li, munching on instant noodles, said to Wang An with some surprise:

"Fourth Brother, instant noodles are actually quite delicious. This is the first time I've ever eaten this stuff in my life. When do you think we can buy instant noodles in our county?"

Wang An thought for a moment and said:
"It should be around after the New Year, right? Ice City already has it, I think ours will be soon too." (End of Chapter)