Chapter 007: Tenfold Compensation, Five Thousand

A glimmer of delight flashed in the sister-in-law’s eyes. “Alright then, I trust you. I’ll let you repair it.”

Qin Hongfei’s lips curved slightly as she took the radio and examined it. It was just an ordinary radio, barely worth more than a hundred yuan. She didn’t mention this, but after a brief inspection, she pinpointed the issue. “Your radio is indeed broken—it won’t play anymore.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“This is our family heirloom, you must fix it,” the sister-in-law said with a show of distress. “No matter how much it costs, it’s fine.”

“The repair fee is five hundred,” Qin Hongfei replied without hesitation.

“What?” The sister-in-law stared, thinking she’d misheard. “Five—five hundred? That’s daylight robbery! My radio is only…” She caught herself and quickly stopped.

Qin Hongfei acted as though she hadn’t noticed, focusing on the radio. “Sister-in-law, listen to yourself. Five hundred is a bit steep, but you said it’s a branded item worth thousands. Isn’t a five-hundred-yuan repair perfectly reasonable?”

“If you’re willing, I guarantee it’ll be fixed.”

“You really can fix it? You better not be lying—if you break it, you’ll have to compensate me,” the sister-in-law said, her eyes shifting craftily.

“If I break it, I’ll pay you ten times the value,” Qin Hongfei replied calmly. “We can write up an agreement, get witnesses, make it legally binding—no tricks.”

“Fine, let’s write an agreement…” The sister-in-law agreed hastily but, still uneasy, went to fetch neighbors from the adjacent shops as witnesses. The owner of the neighboring repair shop was also pulled over to bear witness.

Qin Hongfei was unfazed and leisurely drafted the agreement. Once both parties were satisfied, they signed.

If the radio was repaired, the sister-in-law would pay five hundred. If it was ruined, Qin Hongfei would pay five thousand.

Qin Hongfei said, “Sister-in-law, go get the money now. Once you bring it, I’ll start the repair. If I break it, I’ll pay you five thousand on the spot.” The latter part of her remark caught the sister-in-law’s attention, and she agreed readily, hurrying home to fetch the money.

She knew perfectly well this radio couldn’t possibly be fixed—it was thoroughly broken, and she’d sabotaged it herself.

Qin Hongfei remained calm as she waited for the five hundred yuan to be brought over. Once the money was placed down, she offered the sister-in-law a stool. “Please wait half an hour. I’ll start the repair now.”

In high spirits, convinced she was about to pocket five thousand, the sister-in-law replied cheerfully, “No rush, take your time.” Then she began chatting with the others.

The owner of the neighboring repair shop shot Qin Hongfei a mocking look. Others might not know what was going on, but as the next-door shopkeeper, he was well aware. The sister-in-law was from a notorious family of local troublemakers, famous for taking advantage of others, large or small, and her radio was beyond repair. Today, Qin Hongfei was sure to lose this money. Well, the more she owed, the sooner the shop could be taken over.

Her technique was quite deft, though.

But then, Old Qin had worked in this field, and the child had grown up around it—it was only natural.

Qin Hongfei paid no mind to their thoughts. She picked up both Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, opened the radio, and immediately saw the problem. It was an old model, over a decade old; the battery was dead, the tape contacts were faulty, and the voltage and current were all off—essentially, it was ready for the scrap heap.

Anyone else might have been at a loss, but Qin Hongfei had spent more than twenty years in her previous life studying advanced technology. Although she’d never repaired a radio, the things she’d worked on were exponentially more complex. Knowing the principles, she naturally understood what to do next. These minor faults were as easy as changing a lightbulb for her. Taking up the soldering iron, she began to tinker.