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

Chapter 78 Expanding Business
Without the influence of outsiders and without needing to take care of the apprentices' learning, Wang Chengpeng's repair speed was incredibly fast.

The seemingly diverse range of machines were quickly repaired in his hands, ultimately turning into valuable items that could be exchanged for money.

After wrapping the repaired small appliances in newspaper and tying them tightly to the back of his bicycle with rope, Wang Chengpeng left a note and set off for town.

It was still early, so he could stay in town a little longer and teach his two newly taken-over apprentices.

Riding the spring breeze, Wang Chengpeng reached the limit of the bicycle's speed and sped forward.

"Something just went by. I think I only felt a gust of wind and saw a blur?"

With his right hand severely injured, Shen Wei had nothing to do but sit at his doorstep and keep watch all day.

Especially after learning that Wang Chengpeng might have serious problems, he became even more diligent in his surveillance.

He never considered that even if he could see Wang Chengpeng leave the village, he would never be able to keep up with Wang Chengpeng's speed. The so-called tailing was just a joke.

All Shen Wei could do was watch helplessly as Wang Chengpeng disappeared from his sight, getting further and further away from him.

Depend on!
Undeterred, Shen Wei called on Sheng Guangping and Zhang Yong, asking them to take him to town by bicycle. He refused to believe he couldn't find Wang Chengpeng.

If he can find evidence of Wang Chengpeng's infidelity, he will be able to kick Wang Chengpeng to the curb and win the heart of the beauty.

Not long after, another bicycle set off from Wangjia Village for Hetian Town.

Perhaps because of the extremely large number of three people crammed in, the bicycle was really slow, less than a third the speed of Wang Chengpeng, and it didn't even have the right to follow behind and get left in the dust.

……

Ji Yongyue was absolutely delighted by Wang Chengpeng's arrival, as this was arguably the most frequent visit Wang Chengpeng had ever made.

However, thinking back to the miraculous scene he witnessed yesterday, Ji Yongyue felt relieved.

Someone as capable as Brother Wang could easily fix a few broken radios and electric fans.
Although they had reached a cooperation agreement with the scrap metal recycling station, Shi Ren and He Quan were not usually there.

They were apprentices at the repair shop, working there during the day and only having time at night to complete the repair tasks assigned by Ji Yongyue.

Despite the promising future of the repair business, it's still quite difficult to persuade them to give up their apprenticeships, as those are highly sought-after and secure jobs.

However, I believe that after spending some more time at the scrap yard and enjoying its benefits, they will understand what choices they should make.

Since he had no plans to buy anything today, Wang Chengpeng didn't go out. Instead, he spent his time looking around the scrap metal recycling station.

In other words, it was Wang Chengpeng who did this. If it had been someone else, Ji Yongyue would definitely have called the police and had them arrested.

Public property is never something that can be easily coveted.

After Wang Chengpeng's ruthless sweep, radios and electric fans were basically nowhere to be seen, but some other small appliances remained.

Before long, Wang Chengpeng pulled a tape recorder out of the mountain of scrap.

Judging from its dusty appearance, it has obviously been abandoned for a long time, and in some places you can even see some stubborn rust.

Seeing Wang Chengpeng's actions, Ji Yongyue, who was counting the spoils nearby, exclaimed in surprise:

"Brother Wang, you've got your eye on the tape recorder repair business?"

"I must say, Brother Wang, you really have a good eye. Just looking at the unit price, this is much more cost-effective than repairing a radio."

In those days, tape recorders were an absolute luxury; not only were the recorders themselves expensive, but the tapes were also incredibly pricey.

Even a blank cassette tape costs several yuan, not to mention cassette tapes with songs on them, which can cost ten or twenty yuan.

Even so, Wang Chengpeng still planned to get a box, not for Liu Yanran, but for his mother Liu Chunhua.

While working, Liu Chunhua would hum folk songs from time to time, clearly a folk music enthusiast. If I could give my mother a cassette tape of folk songs as a birthday gift, she would be very happy.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "I'm just a little interested, I can study it."

"However, I've never seen a tape recorder before, so I can't guarantee that I'll be able to achieve anything from this research."

Research it? You think I'd believe your nonsense?
I vividly recall that the last time, this overly young-looking boy also seemed quite insecure, saying he wanted to take the electric fan back to study it.
And the result? They figured out how to make an electric fan after just one study. That's an amazing research ability.

Thinking this way, Ji Yongyue said, "A single tape recorder is probably not enough for research."

"I'll help you look again. It would be best to take seven or eight tape recorders back with you. We'll be able to figure something out."

After saying that, Ji Yongyue helped Wang Chengpeng rummage through the junk pile, and soon found a tape recorder in slightly better condition.

Ji Yongyue handed the tape recorder to Wang Chengpeng and said with a smile:
"How about this tape recorder? How confident are you that you can fix it?"

Wang Chengpeng could only smile wryly and say frankly, "I'm not confident."

"After all, this is the first time I've ever seen a real tape recorder, so I can only study it with some difficulty."

"Oh right, we also need to find some cassette tapes, since buying them outside is quite an expense."

Keep pretending, let's see how long you can keep it up.

Ji Yongyue didn't believe a word Wang Chengpeng said, but he still said:

"Yes, you're absolutely right."

"However, if we can study it, we can always find something out."

"As for the tapes, you'll have to find out for yourself if you can find any usable tapes."

"After all, although there are many things here, they have been selected, and what remains are basically useless junk."

Wang Chengpeng was prepared for this; the real good stuff wouldn't stay here, it had already been snatched up by the scrap metal yard staff.

But the amazing thing about places like scrap yards is that you can always find what you're looking for.
Each search is like drawing a lottery ticket, yielding unexpected surprises.

Before long, Wang Chengpeng found his target in the scrap heap: a large pile of scattered plastic strips that looked like black tape.

Twisted and tangled, what else could it be but the magnetic stripe in a magnetic tape?
Judging from their scattered and messy appearance, it's obvious that these magnetic strips were definitely the work of some naughty child.

He didn't know the value of the cassette tapes; he just thought the magnetic strips were fun, or perhaps he was curious about how these black things produced sound, so he pulled out the magnetic strips to play with them.

Pull, pull, tug, maybe once or twice you can carefully roll it back up.

Sometimes, however, they might be a bit too violent, pulling the magnetic strips until they're twisted and deformed, and finally, in desperation, tearing them all out to use as toys.

This not only brings fleeting pleasure but also a good beating, making it a double win, a truly overwhelming victory.

Although the magnetic strips in front of him were messy, their quality was not bad, so Wang Chengpeng simply found a wooden stick and rolled them up.

Before long, the wooden stick in Wang Chengpeng's hand rolled into a small, bloated black lump, which looked like some kind of fun toy.

Unfortunately, all he found were the magnetic strips; he couldn't find any other accessories like the cassette tape or reel, making it difficult to recreate the tape.

But it doesn't matter. In fact, these tapes are the main body, and the tape cassettes and reels are just auxiliary tools.

With a little effort, Wang Chengpeng could still manage to produce a simplified version of the cassette tape.

(End of this chapter)