Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 13 Reciprocity

"You actually fixed this radio?"

Hearing the classic lines playing on the radio, Ji Yongyue exclaimed in surprise and looked at Wang Chengpeng in astonishment.

He then realized that he had underestimated the seemingly naive young man in front of him, who had actually managed to fix the radio that countless experienced repairmen had been unable to repair.

For Wang Chengpeng, who possesses such skills, spending fifteen yuan to buy a brand-new radio is indeed a bargain.

Instead of showing any joy, Ji Yongyue looked at Wang Chengpeng with great difficulty and said:
"Young man, I admit I was wrong, but I still can't sell you this radio."

"Considering you've already fixed the radio, how about I give you five dollars for the repair?"

Everything from that era has a traceable origin, especially large items like radios.

Selling the radio to Wang Chengpeng seemed like a bargain for Ji Yongyue, who made a profit of fifteen yuan.

However, if he is found out to have sold items privately, he will be in deep trouble.

That's why Ji Yongyue was willing to give five yuan as a reward for Wang Chengpeng's help in repairing the radio.

Although it cost money, it was still a sure-fire way for Ji Yongyue to make a profit.

As a worker at the Hetian scrap metal recycling station, he had a hundred ways to snatch the radio and he would only earn more than Wang Chengpeng.

Before Wang Chengpeng could even speak, Wang Meiyan's childish voice rang out beside him:
"Comrade, how can you go back on your word?"

"We agreed on fifteen yuan for this radio, how can you go back on your word?"

Looking at Wang Meiyan's posture as she stood up and argued vehemently, there was no trace of the way she had previously advised Wang Chengpeng not to buy the radio and become a sucker.

Silently giving Wang Meiyan a thumbs-up in his heart, Wang Chengpeng said with a troubled expression:
"Comrade, you really haven't been very kind in this matter."

"If you had said you weren't selling earlier, I wouldn't have wasted so much time here."

"I don't want five dollars, I just want to spend fifteen dollars to buy this radio."

After saying that, Wang Chengpeng took out the fifteen yuan he had prepared in advance from his pocket and placed it in front of Ji Yongyue.

Ji Yongyue now felt like slapping himself twice. If he had explained things properly before and simply said he wouldn't sell, he wouldn't be in such a troublesome situation now.

With a long sigh, Ji Yongyue said, "I'm sorry, I admit I made some mistakes in this matter."

"However, I can't make a fundamental mistake and take advantage of public funds."

"How about this, I'll give you this comic book as a gift to apologize to you."

Looking at the comic book titled "The Story of Lei Feng" in front of her, Wang Meiyan's eyes lit up, and she wished she could snatch it and start reading immediately.

In this era of scarcity, even if this copy of "The Story of Lei Feng" has been read to pieces, it is still an absolute rarity.

However, Wang Meiyan did not take any action; she was still waiting for Wang Chengpeng to make a decision.

Just accept it as soon as you see fit.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Wang Chengpeng didn't dare to push Ji Yongyue too far, otherwise, if the other party was determined to renege on his promise, he really wouldn't have any way to deal with it.

Thinking of this, Wang Chengpeng said with a serious expression:

"Although it took me more than an hour to fix this radio and I was so tired that my back ached, I couldn't let my comrade make a mistake."

"How about this, I don't need the money to repair the radio, I just need some books to read."

"knowledge is power!"

"If I had learned more, it might not have taken so long to repair this radio, especially since I failed once."

With this in mind, Wang Chengpeng looked longingly into the depths of the Hetian scrap metal recycling station. There, some newspapers and other miscellaneous items were piled up, and some books could be vaguely seen among them. This was Wang Chengpeng's real target for this trip.

If you directly ask for or try to buy these textbooks, Ji Yongyue probably won't sell them at all.
However, by using the radio as a starting point to subtly bring up the desire to buy some textbooks, the other party is more likely to agree to your terms.

Textbooks? Looking into Wang Chengpeng's eyes, which were filled with a thirst for knowledge, Ji Yongyue's eyes were full of approval as he said:

"That's right, knowledge is power."

"Comrade, it is truly commendable that you are able to realize this."

"If you just want some textbooks, I can give you some."

"You should keep the five yuan. It's the fruit of your labor, the power you gained through knowledge. I shouldn't take it from you."

From a little kid to a young man, and then to a comrade, Ji Yongyue's attitude towards Wang Chengpeng underwent a complete transformation.

After saying that, Ji Yongyue got up and went deep into the Hetian scrap metal recycling station without waiting for Wang Chengpeng to refuse.

Before long, Ji Yongyue came to Wang Chengpeng carrying a large stack of textbooks and said:

"Comrade, here are these textbooks for you as a token of my gratitude for your understanding."

Since the college entrance examination had not yet been reinstated, textbooks were not as valuable at that time, which is why Ji Yongyue was able to be so generous.

Once the announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination is issued, these textbooks will become highly sought-after items, and it won't be so easy to get them from Ji Yongyue.

Faced with these textbooks he had earned through his own hard work, Wang Chengpeng accepted them without hesitation and expressed his gratitude:

"Comrade, thank you so much."

"With your help, I feel so close to knowledge for the first time."

"I won't thank you enough. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask, and I will do my best to help."

The other party was giving him books and money, but Wang Chengpeng didn't think they were some kind of great person.

In order to make it easier for himself to obtain textbooks from here in the future, it was also time for Wang Chengpeng to return the favor.

As expected, after hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Ji Yongyue smiled and pulled out a slightly worn radio from behind him, saying:
"Comrade, I do have something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"This radio was just bought by my family, and it broke down before we even had a chance to use it for long."

"I've taken it to the repair shop before, but they haven't been able to fix it. If you have time, please take a look. It would be even better if you could fix it."

Without questioning the radio's origins, Wang Chengpeng accepted it with a smile, saying:

"If my comrade is in trouble, I will naturally help him."

"But as you know, comrade, my repair skills are only self-taught based on some book knowledge, so I may not be able to fix this radio."

"Especially when it comes to parts, it's impossible for me to conjure up the relevant parts out of thin air to make a replacement."

Wang Chengpeng was naturally willing to help, but he had to make the unpleasant points clear beforehand, lest Ji Yongyue have too high expectations of him and be greatly disappointed.

In the end, not only will you not remember the favor, but you will also become an enemy, which would truly be a loss.

He slapped his forehead and realized that he had been taking things too seriously.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally compromised in the face of the considerable benefits that Wang Chengpeng could bring, and took out three second-hand radios from elsewhere and handed them to Wang Chengpeng, saying:
"Comrade, you just need to do your best. Repairing one radio is one radio."

"It's okay if it can't be fixed. Just return these radios next time you come."

"Oh, right, I remember there are a lot of textbooks in the warehouse. You can take them with you when you return the radio."

(End of this chapter)