Chapter 66: This feeling is wonderful!

"I wouldn't go that far. Let me take a look at the problem first."

Chen Jianghai waved his hand and said.

Xu Damao welcomed the two into the house. "Come, come inside."

Chen Jianghai nodded without saying much. As soon as he stepped through the door, he saw the television set placed right in the center of the room.

This certainly fit Qiu Jinfeng's style.

This woman was deeply envious, harsh-tongued, and loved to show off. She usually liked to keep her front door wide open, terrified that others might miss the fact that her family owned a television.

Her household had been among the first in the neighborhood to get a TV, which gave Qiu Jinfeng an immense sense of superiority. That was why she couldn't stand Chen Jianghai having both a television and a gas stove.

Gas stoves were something neither her family nor many others in the neighborhood possessed, primarily because gas fees were too high, making burning coal much more economical.

"I don't know what's wrong with this TV. Every now and then, a few white lines appear. It's so annoying!" Xu Damao hurried over to explain the issue.

Chen Jianghai turned on the television to check. At first, it seemed completely normal, but after a short while, several white lines indeed appeared on the screen, rolling from top to bottom.

Xu Damao asked eagerly, "Well? Can it be fixed?"

With just a single glance, Chen Jianghai identified the root cause and smiled slightly. "No problem at all. I'll run back and grab some tools."

"Then I'll have to trouble you!" Xu Damao said politely.

Chen Jianghai waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing. A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor; it's only right!"

Before long, he returned carrying a screwdriver and other tools and began to dismantle the television. Xu Damao asked from the side, "Jianghai, do you need any help?"

Chen Jianghai shook his head. "No need. It's a minor issue. I can handle it by myself."

For televisions of this era, the appearance of white lines was a very common problem, usually caused by nothing more than loose solder joints inside.

Chen Jianghai took out his soldering iron, resoldered all the relevant joints inside, and then plugged the power cord back in.

Seeing this, Xu Damao couldn't help asking, "Jianghai, is it fixed already?"

Qiu Jinfeng also wore a skeptical look, clearly finding it a bit hard to believe. Even Lin Wanqiu, standing nearby, looked somewhat surprised. The entire process had looked far too simple.

In truth, this was simply a case of "things are easy once you know how, and hard when you don't."

Chen Jianghai couldn't be bothered to explain it to them. He simply pointed at the television. "Whether it's fixed or not, just look and you'll see."

The television was turned on while Chen Jianghai casually packed up his tools.

A few minutes passed, and the previous white lines did not reappear. Seeing this, even though Xu Damao and Qiu Jinfeng knew nothing about electronics, they knew for sure that it had been repaired.

"Jianghai, your skills are truly beyond reproach!" Xu Damao praised, giving him a thumbs-up.

Qiu Jinfeng echoed, "Jianghai, you really do have genuine talent to be able to make big money!"

Faced with their compliments, Chen Jianghai merely smiled and said nothing. To him, such a minor problem was hardly any high-end technology at all.

Lin Wanqiu remained silent beside him, but judging by her radiant smile, it was clear that she was in a very good mood.

Xu Damao stepped forward and patted Chen Jianghai on the shoulder. "Jianghai, you've really proven the old saying: 'One must look at a scholar with new eyes after three days apart'!"

"Brother Xu is flattering me. My skills are just barely enough to scrape by," Chen Jianghai laughed.

Xu Damao shook his head. "You can't say it like that. Both my wife and I saw your skills with our own eyes. They are absolute top-notch!"

Qiu Jinfeng glanced at Lin Wanqiu, then asked in a low voice, "Jianghai, how much is the repair fee?"

"Hey!"

Chen Jianghai waved his hand dismissively. "We're all neighbors. Talking about money over such a small matter hurts our relationship!"

Hearing Chen Jianghai say this, Qiu Jinfeng's face instantly lit up with joy. Saving money was always the best option! Not to mention getting it done for free—it was simply too good to be true.

However, Qiu Jinfeng quickly caught herself, realizing her reaction had been a bit too obvious.

Xu Damao gave Qiu Jinfeng a sideways glance before saying, "Jianghai, friendship is friendship, but since you put in the labor, it's only right that we pay you. Just name a price."

Chen Jianghai shook his head. "Brother Xu, there's really no need. We didn't even have to replace any parts; there's no material cost."

Qiu Jinfeng tentatively asked, "Jianghai, why don't you just throw out a number? Otherwise, we feel too embarrassed."

Chen Jianghai pretended to be displeased. "Brother Xu, Sister Qiu, we've been old neighbors for so long. Helping out with a little task like this, if I asked for money, what would people outside say about me?"

Since things had reached this point, Xu Damao and his wife stopped pressing the matter of money.

Lin Wanqiu, however, found it a bit difficult to understand. Why wasn't Chen Jianghai charging them?

That woman Qiu Jinfeng was extremely harsh and had frequently belittled Chen Jianghai in the past, dismissing him as completely worthless. Instead of expecting her help, just praying she wouldn't cause trouble was already a blessing.

Still, Lin Wanqiu knew this wasn't the time for her to speak up. After all, with her husband outside, a wife had to grant him enough face.

Xu Damao chimed in, "Jianghai, if you ever need anything in the future, just say the word. If I can help, I won't hesitate for a second."

"Alright, then let me thank Brother Xu in advance. We'll be heading out now so we don't disturb your television time." With that, Chen Jianghai led Lin Wanqiu outside.

Xu Damao and his wife escorted Chen Jianghai to the doorway before turning back inside.

On the way home, Lin Wanqiu finally couldn't hold it in any longer and asked, "Jianghai, why didn't you charge them?"

"It's just a matter of a few yuan. There's no need," Chen Jianghai said with a smile.

Lin Wanqiu bit her lower lip, then said, "That Qiu Jinfeng said such nasty things before. Why did you help her for free?"

"Huh?"

Hearing this question, Chen Jianghai looked at Lin Wanqiu with a hint of surprise.

Lin Wanqiu shrank her neck, blushing as she stammered, "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

At this point, Chen Jianghai naturally understood what was on Lin Wanqiu's mind.

Although Qiu Jinfeng had a sharp tongue, her appearance was anything but harsh. While her looks couldn't compare to Lin Wanqiu's, her figure was quite voluptuous. Whenever she walked, her curves swayed noticeably, which was especially striking in the summer heat.

The girl was clearly feeling a bit jealous.

Chen Jianghai looked at Lin Wanqiu with a smile. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't mean anything. I was just asking..."

Halfway through her sentence, seeing Chen Jianghai looking at her with a smile, Lin Wanqiu's face flushed red, and she trailed off.

Chen Jianghai pulled Lin Wanqiu into his arms and said soothingly, "Wanqiu, maintaining good relationships with people is never a bad idea. Didn't Master Confucius say, 'Of all people, girls and servants are the most difficult to deal with'?"

"Since someone like Qiu Jinfeng is so mean-spirited, we deliberately toss her a bit of sweetness. We don't expect her to help us with anything, but at least she won't continue bad-mouthing us behind our backs. Am I right?"

"Even though I don't care, hearing it would definitely upset you, and that would ruin your mood!"

"Mm, I know," Lin Wanqiu replied in a soft voice, her face burning red.

This man, when all was said and done, was still doing it for her sake.

This feeling—it was truly wonderful!