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

Chapter 79 Magnetic Tape
Unfortunately, Wang Chengpeng's gains ended there.

Although they found a few more cassette tapes in the junkyard, they couldn't find the cassette tapes or reels.

Or perhaps these fragile little things have either been crushed or already salvaged because they were intact, so it's not Wang Chengpeng's turn to pick them up.

Looking at Wang Chengpeng, who had "gotten nothing," Ji Yongyue smiled and said:
"Brother Wang, don't be discouraged. I'll just give you a cassette tape to use for testing."

"Which type of tape do you prefer, folk songs, opera, or revolutionary songs?"

"Even if it's just me supporting you to use one volume as a research tool, you absolutely mustn't refuse."

Ji Yongyue is 100% supportive of Wang Chengpeng's research on tape recorders. If Wang Chengpeng can really master the research, then the money will keep flowing in.

Unfortunately, tape recorders are a luxury item, and I hadn't paid attention to collecting them before, so after searching for a long time, I only found four broken radios.

Just by looking at their appearance, each one is uniquely broken, making it extremely difficult to repair.

However, if it's just for research purposes, that's enough. If it's confirmed that Wang Chengpeng has this ability, he can still find some goods from other regions.

As for why the cassette tape was sent, it was obviously to deepen Wang Chengpeng's research interest. He didn't believe that Wang Chengpeng would be indifferent to the joy of being able to play a cassette tape.

Wang Chengpeng did not reject Ji Yongyue's research support, saying:

"Then thank you for your support, Brother Ji. I will definitely make progress in my research as soon as possible."

"Let's go with folk music, since someone in the family happens to like it."

"By the way, Brother Ji, if you receive any other tape parts, please keep them for me, especially the magnetic strips. They might still be usable if you fix them."

Looking at the magnetic strip in Wang Chengpeng's hand that resembled duct tape, Ji Yongyue's face clearly said, "Are you kidding me?"

He found it hard to believe that these scattered tapes were still usable.

Wang Chengpeng did not explain this, since not everyone understands the principles of tape playback and recording, and it is easy to have such a misunderstanding.

Instead, he took the initiative to inquire about Shi Ren and He Quan's situation, saying:
"Let's put the tape recorder and tapes aside for now. Brother Ji, have Shi Ren and He Quan agreed? I'll take care of them while I'm in town."

In response to Wang Chengpeng's question, Ji Yongyue said in a deep voice, "It's their good fortune that you called them over. Do you expect them to agree?"

"They either need to come immediately, or they shouldn't come at all."

"I'm not saying this to be mean, but Brother Wang, you have too good a temper. As a master, how can you keep these guys in check if you don't show your authority?"

"Be careful not to be too easy to talk to, or you might be betrayed and have your ancestors destroyed."

Ji Yongyue's reminder was not without reason, but little did he know that the seemingly important repair business was just a hobby for Wang Chengpeng, and he didn't take it seriously at all.

Although he will teach with his heart, how much skill the two of them can learn is up to them.

If they treat me with respect, I might have a chance to help them in the future.

They lack self-awareness; Wang Chengpeng and they are just strangers, there's no need for him to care too much.

So Wang Chengpeng just smiled indifferently and said, "How could I not trust the person introduced by Brother Ji?"

"Moreover, we are not master and apprentice, and we can't even talk about cooperation. It's just a pretty good deal."

Hearing Wang Chengpeng say that, Ji Yongyue was speechless.

Sometimes he felt that Wang Chengpeng was a bit too mature, like an old man who had experienced many great things.

Sometimes I feel that he is too young and doesn't pay attention to even the most basic things, which could easily lead to him suffering a great loss.

He has already given the necessary reminders, and it's not appropriate to interfere too much; we can only respect Wang Chengpeng's fate.

At most, I'll try my best to help and keep an eye on the two of them for this naive younger brother. Coincidentally, the two of them had just started discussing Shi Ren and He Quan when they saw the two of them rushing over.

Although the repair department usually doesn't close until 5 or 6 pm, the closing time is quite flexible when there's less work, which is one of the advantages of living in a town.

Conversely, because there is less work in the maintenance department, the wages of apprentices are not high, and their benefits are also average.

This is why the two chose to join Ji Yongyue's team, not only to learn excellent repair skills, but also to earn extra income.

The two not only came, but also brought a radio, which was the homework Wang Chengpeng had given them yesterday.

There are no shortcuts to learning repair skills; it requires accumulating experience through countless repairs. Only experienced mechanics can quickly pinpoint the approximate location of a fault.

This kind of experience cannot be taught intuitively; it can only be accumulated through repeated repairs.

Wang Chengpeng is not one to pay attention to formalities. After saying a few simple words, he began today's repair lesson, using the students' homework as teaching material.

Wang Chengpeng expertly disassembled the first radio, and subconsciously frowned.

Although the radio showed signs of having been disassembled, there were no signs of recent repairs.

It was obvious that its owner didn't pay much attention to it.

Wang Chengpeng shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that He Quan didn't seem to care about the homework he had assigned.
When he looked up, he indeed saw He Quan's slightly evasive eyes.

He might have felt that he wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, or perhaps something else had come up, so it's hard to say for sure.

Instead of directly pointing out the truth, Wang Chengpeng simply used the radio as teaching material.

However, since they haven't personally experienced the specifics of these two radios, how much they can learn depends entirely on their talent.

The second radio was completely different, showing obvious signs of repair.

Although some of these repairs were actually counterproductive, making the problem worse, it at least shows that Shi Ren had tried very hard to repair the radio.

Without hesitation, Wang Chengpeng began his explanation, especially focusing on Shi Ren's several incorrect operations, pointing out the reasons why he made these mistakes and how he should have done them.

Perhaps because he empathized with him, unlike He Quan's blank expression, Shi Ren nodded frequently as he listened, showing considerable insight.

As Wang Chengpeng uttered the last word, a look of regret appeared on his face.
I felt that the radio wasn't completely broken yet, so I couldn't let my master explain it for a little longer.

After a moment's thought, Wang Chengpeng ultimately only gave 5% of the repair cost for the two radios, meaning that each person would only receive one cent.

This amount of money was barely enough to cover their expenses, but considering the two men's meager repair progress, they naturally had no objections or complaints.

Especially Shi Ren, after Wang Chengpeng's explanation, even felt that Wang Chengpeng had given too much of a 5% repair progress.

Through his reverse efforts, the radio, which originally only required ten points of effort to repair, took Wang Chengpeng thirteen points of effort to fix, which was a disgrace to Wang Chengpeng.

With his right fist clenched, Shi Ren vowed to work hard and make Wang Chengpeng look at him with new eyes.

However, that's for next time. Amidst the regretful looks of the two, Wang Chengpeng declined Ji Yongyue's invitation to stay for dinner and set off on his bicycle to return home.

Whether it's the tape recorder or the magnetic strip, these are things he'll need to study for quite some time; tonight is destined to be a busy night.

Unlike when he arrived with empty pockets, Wang Chengpeng left with a full 110 yuan in his pocket, which was his reward for helping Ji Yongyue with the repairs.

No one could have imagined that in just half a month, Wang Chengpeng would earn more than 400 yuan from Ji Yongyue, a money-making speed that would make even the robbers feel ashamed.

Perhaps it was because they left in a hurry, or perhaps it was because the goods piled up in the car basket obscured part of their vision.

Wang Chengpeng was completely unaware that as he left Hetian Town, a malicious gaze had already been fixed on him.

(End of this chapter)