Chapter 11: The Pager

Chapter 11: The Pager

Strike while the iron is hot.

Chen Jianghai quickly stood up, cupped his hands slightly toward the crowd, and said earnestly, “I, Chen Jianghai, want to thank everyone in advance. If any of you have old, unused electrical appliances, I’m willing to buy them. I promise the prices will be fair.”

After spending the whole day together, Chen Jianghai knew he had made a good impression on this group, so he took the opportunity to state his request.

“Broken appliances? Those things aren’t worth anything. Why would you want to buy that?”

“Yeah, isn’t that just trash?”

Some people asked with slight surprise.

Chen Jianghai smiled faintly, half-serious and half-joking, “Do you think I honed my skills out of thin air? It’s by taking apart broken appliances just like these.”

Hearing his explanation, the crowd looked enlightened.

“Oh, that explains it! So that’s how Master Chen practices his craft!”

“My kid often takes things apart, and I’ve scolded him a few times. Didn’t expect that Master Chen’s way is actually a good way to learn a skill.”

“Can your kid really compare to Master Chen? Is your kid as smart as him?”

Two older sisters, usually not on the best of terms, immediately started bickering after a couple of words, neither willing to concede.

Chen Jianghai watched them with some bewilderment at their persistence.

“Ladies, do either of you have any broken appliances?”

He tried to change the subject.

One of the plump older sisters, surnamed Sun, said, “My husband had an old broken radio. Do you want it?”

“Sure, bring it over and let me take a look. I’ll buy anything suitable. Since it’s my first day in business, I’ll try to give you a good price,” Chen Jianghai nodded.

Someone spoke up, and after Chen Jianghai made that promise, others eagerly chimed in, mostly asking about prices.

Chen Jianghai waved his hand, “Everyone, don’t rush. If you want to sell, bring your items to me and I’ll give you a quote. Since it’s the opening day, prices will definitely be fair. Of course, if you think it’s suitable, you can sell to me; if not, no worries. How does that sound?”

Hearing this, many went home to look for broken appliances.

Soon, Sister Sun returned carrying a radio.

“Little Chen, do you want this? I’m your first customer!”

Chen Jianghai understood her meaning and smiled, nodding, “Don’t worry, Sister Sun. I’ll give you a price you’ll be happy with once I check it.”

He inspected the radio inside and out. Though it looked old, it hadn’t been tampered with. Most likely, the internal components were still usable.

“No problem, I’ll take it for three yuan,” Chen Jianghai offered immediately.

Sister Sun’s face lit up; she felt Chen Jianghai had indeed given her a good price.

Such an item would fetch only a few dimes as scrap, but three yuan was worth two pounds of pork!

“Okay, it’s yours,” she said eagerly.

Without hesitation, Chen Jianghai handed her two banknotes.

“Sister Chen, do you buy TVs? How much would you pay?” Sister Sun asked expectantly.

Someone nearby chuckled, teasing, “Sister Sun, sounds like you have a TV to sell.”

Annoyed, Sister Sun glared and snapped, “What’s wrong? We don’t have a TV? Well, my sister’s house has one! They have all kinds of appliances!”

Hearing this, no one dared to say more.

Chen Jianghai smiled and said, “Sister Sun, if you bring someone else’s stuff, I can’t buy it!”

“I swear on a hundred and eighty,” Sister Sun assured. “My sister replaced her old color TV last year. The old black-and-white one doesn’t work anymore, so I figured she might as well sell it for some money.”

So that was the plan…

Chen Jianghai nodded, “No problem. Like I said, as long as the price is right, I’ll buy it. I guarantee fairness.”

“Little Chen, why don’t you just tell me the price first?” Sister Sun asked shyly.

Chen Jianghai thought for a moment. “Sister Sun, TVs have to be checked in person, but since you asked, I’ll give a rough estimate. If the exterior is fine but it’s just old, it should be around 30 to 50 yuan.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll go to my sister’s now.”

Upon learning the price, Sister Sun rushed off.

Others also brought their old appliances, mostly radios, with one exception—a pager.

Chen Jianghai glanced at it; it was a Motorola, but quite old and heavily worn.

At this time, pagers were all the rage; the brick-like big brother cell phones costing tens of thousands were beyond the reach of ordinary people. But in a few years, as mobile phones gradually became widespread, pagers would be phased out.

Chen Jianghai happened to want a pager for easier customer contact—it was like a pillow delivered just when he was sleepy.

After all the arrangements, he accepted everything except a radio that was completely broken inside and out.

In the end, all the money Chen Jianghai earned today went out, exchanged for a pile of broken radios and a pager.

To others, Master Chen’s craftsmanship was admirable, but it was costly to learn.

Since he collected quite a lot today, Chen Jianghai didn’t plan to visit other streets. He wanted to take everything home first.

Pushing his bicycle and sweating profusely, Chen Jianghai returned home, washed his face with cold water, then eagerly began dismantling the old appliances, salvaging all usable parts.

He spent the entire afternoon taking everything apart, sorting the functional components neatly into boxes.

Looking around at the room filled with parts, Chen Jianghai frowned slightly—the space was still too small.

For now, he’d have to manage, but once he saved enough, he’d open a storefront.

Alright, time to cook dinner for my wife!

After work in the evening, Lin Wanqiu saw the piles of cardboard boxes inside and asked in surprise, “Jianghai, what’s all this?”

Chen Jianghai served her a bowl of rice with a smile, “Oh, these are parts from the radios I dismantled.”

“Where did you get them?” Lin Wanqiu asked curiously.

“Collected them!” Chen Jianghai pointed to the radio shells piled near the wall. “See? Those are the discarded shells. I was busy on Qianjin Street most of the day. We’ll have to find a new spot soon.”

Lin Wanqiu frowned slightly. “Collected? Weren’t you going to repair appliances? How come you’re collecting stuff now?”

“Heh, these are very useful. You’ll see in a few days. Come on, eat!”

Chen Jianghai didn’t say much more and handed her the chopsticks.

While eating, Lin Wanqiu couldn’t help but ask, “How was business today?”

“Today? I made a fair amount, but it all went out,” Chen Jianghai replied, picking up a piece of meat for her.

Of the hundred-plus yuan he made yesterday, Chen Jianghai gave Lin Wanqiu fifty and kept the rest as backup.

Though funds were tight, for now this small-scale operation was enough.

(End of chapter)