Zhao Qiang readily agreed, "Okay, but Mr. Wang, the warranty for future business can only be one week at most. Otherwise, as business increases, there will be more and more people needing repairs, and then we'll be doing all the work without making any money."
Wang Yidong said, "Don't worry about that, I know what I'm doing. When we were playing cards this afternoon, those two bosses agreed to optimize their computers. The two factories together have about fifteen machines. I'll contact them tomorrow."
Zhao Qiang returned to Shunfeng Repair Shop before dark, carrying several boxes containing an induction cooker, a rice cooker, an electric heater, and an electric fan. It wasn't that Zhao Qiang wanted to show off because he had money; he had to get some high-powered appliances, otherwise he couldn't explain the several thousand yuan electricity bill he had incurred. He couldn't very well say that he was just idly touching the power switches and wasting electricity.
Qi Lai chuckled and left. He thought Zhao Qiang was planning to stay here permanently, even bringing his cook. However, cooking was not allowed in the finance department, as the fumes would damage the interior decorations. At most, Zhao Qiang would just cook a bowl of instant noodles.
Zhao Qiang earned over a thousand yuan in a single day, something he never dared to imagine before. Moreover, this kind of business would come frequently in the future, unlike selling videos to Hu Xiaojiang. So Zhao Qiang generously plugged in Xiao Wei and said, "Sis, don't worry about charging. I earned over a thousand yuan today, and I'll earn even more in the future. We can afford this electricity bill!"
Xiao Wei excitedly scrolled across the screen a few times, "Really, brother? That's great! I have so many experiments to do!"
Zhao Qiang hummed a little tune as he prepared to cook dinner. Of course, following Qi Lai's instructions, Zhao Qiang dared not stir-fry any vegetables. He placed a stainless steel pot on the induction cooker, poured in water, and started boiling it. After a while, he added two packets of instant noodles and a bag of pickled vegetables from the supermarket. This was much more flavorful than eating steamed buns every day, and the key was that there was soup to drink.
*Snap* The induction cooker shut off after only a few minutes of use. Zhao Qiang grinned and said, "No way, I just bought it today, it's such junk."
Suddenly, Xiaowei on the computer said, "Brother, my power is out. Can you check if it's a problem with the wiring?"
The induction cooker and the computer were plugged into the same cord. Zhao Qiang went to the outer room and turned on the light bulb. It was lit. It seemed to be a wiring problem. The current must have been too high when he was modifying the glasses yesterday, which burned out the wiring. Today, the two high-powered appliances were used together and finally couldn't handle it.
Zhao Qiang went to the repair shop and found a regular screwdriver. He opened the junction box on the wall and found that it was indeed smeared inside. The junction box had to be replaced, but Zhao Qiang didn't have a spare. He could only plug Xiao Wei's power cord into another junction box not far away. As for the induction cooker, Zhao Qiang simply moved it to the outer room to cook instant noodles. Before leaving the bedroom, Zhao Qiang casually placed the screwdriver on the box of slimming tea on the computer desk, next to the glasses and black box that he hadn't completely modified last night.
After eating a bowl of instant noodles and drinking the remaining soup, Zhao Qiang was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open because he had stayed up almost all night. He chatted with Xiao Wei for a bit, added a one-click backup function to the "Big Fool Optimization Software" to save the trouble of installing "One-Click Restore Wizard," and then went to bed to rest. Nothing more was said that night.
"Brother, brother, it's time to wake up." Xiao Wei called out through the laptop's speakers, and Zhao Qiang jumped up. "What's wrong?"
Xiaowei said, "You should go to work now, or you'll be too late."
Zhao Qiang reluctantly got out of bed. The temperature was just right during the National Day holiday, and he slept very comfortably. Zhao Qiang lazily picked up his toothbrush cup and prepared to go to the washroom. At this moment, Xiao Wei said, "Brother, I have good news for you. The glasses have been completely modified."
Zhao Qiang stopped in his tracks, then turned around abruptly, grabbed the glasses from the table, and touched the switch on the right temple. At this moment, when he looked at the air conditioner on the ceiling, both eyes finally looked exactly the same! The air conditioner became transparent layer by layer as the scanning depth increased.
Xiao Wei said, "Brother, put the glasses on the ground and stomp on them again."
Zhao Qiang said with some reluctance, "Won't it get damaged?"
Xiao Wei's cat face showed some displeasure: "Brother, don't you believe in my abilities?"
Zhao Qiang threw his glasses on the ground and stomped on them hard: "Believe it!"
With a crack, Zhao Qiang's heart leaped into his throat. Looking down, he saw that the glasses were intact, but they had actually splattered a mark on the floor! Ugh, he wondered if Qi Lai would make him pay for them if he saw this. Zhao Qiang quickly picked up the glasses and carefully wiped away the dust. Sure enough, the modification was successful; not only could both lenses see through, but the frame's sturdiness had also reached an alarming level.
"Thank you, Xiaowei. With these glasses, can I go play mahjong and gamble? I can see through the plastic tiles, so I can see everyone's cards clearly now, right?"
Xiao Wei said unhappily, "Brother, our goal is repair, how can you take repair tools to gamble?"
Zhao Qiang chuckled and said, "I was just saying it casually. Even if you agree, my parents won't."
Xiao Wei was relieved, and then said, "Oh, right, brother, there's another good news. Look at the screwdriver on the table."
Zhao Qiang picked it up. He had just grabbed one from the repair shop yesterday to open the junction box. He decided to return it early, otherwise Qi Lai would feel resentful towards him if he found something was missing.
"I'll return it right away. This is what they call 'a good loan returned is a good loan, and it's easy to borrow again.'" Zhao Qiang picked up the screwdriver and was about to leave.
Xiao Wei hurriedly called out to him, "Brother, wait! This screwdriver isn't the same one as before!"
(Regarding updates for the next few days this week, it's not that I don't want to work harder, but the new book ranking has a 200,000-word limit. I haven't even made it onto the ranking yet, and I'm already approaching 120,000 words. To prepare for next week's ranking push, there will only be two chapters this week for the next few days. I'll continue with more updates next Monday. Please understand.)
(Note: This chapter is an extra chapter for receiving 250 recommendation votes.)
Volume 1 [041] The Abnormal Screwdriver
Zhao Qiang turned around and asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"
Xiao Wei said, "I've already modified it. Now it's a freak screwdriver!"
"A crazy screwdriver!?" Zhao Qiang was first shocked, then amused. "Xiao Wei, the word 'crazy' is usually used to describe people. What's so crazy about a screwdriver?"
Xiao Wei said, "Brother, try sending a mental command to the screwdriver."
Zhao Qiang didn't quite understand: "What is a mind command?"
Xiaowei explained, "It's like you think in your head and then imagine the command issued by your brain being sent through your arm to the screwdriver in your palm."
Zhao Qiang said, "Why would I order this screwdriver to do anything? It can't do anything but tighten screws. It needs someone to operate it."
Xiao Wei was furious at Zhao Qiang's stupidity: "Brother, couldn't you make it longer or shorter, thinner or thicker, or even change its shape!"
Zhao Qiang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "Fine, fine, I'll make it grow. I'm probably the first person in the world to command a screwdriver to grow longer by itself. Do you think this is Sun Wukong's golden cudgel? What, what's going on? It really grew?"
As soon as Zhao Qiang finished speaking, he noticed the screwdriver in his hand extending! It wasn't an extension forced by external force; the screwdriver was changing on its own! In his shock, Zhao Qiang forgot to give the command to lengthen further, and the screwdriver stopped. Zhao Qiang thought he was seeing things, so he carefully touched it again. It had indeed lengthened; it used to be at most thirty centimeters, but now it was probably more than fifty centimeters!
"Get thicker!" Zhao Qiang tried giving the second command, and the screwdriver began to expand like foam, becoming as thick as a little finger in just a few seconds. Zhao Qiang shouted in his mind, "Stop!" and the screwdriver stopped changing.
Zhao Qiang excitedly said to Xiao Wei, "Sis, it really works! How is this possible? How can a person command a screwdriver? Is it still a screwdriver? I'm terrified."
Xiao Wei proudly strutted around the screen: "The so-called 'abnormal screwdriver' means a screwdriver that can change shape. It's a high-tech product designed specifically for repair personnel. I just recovered from my remaining memories. Last night, I saw the ordinary screwdriver you had on the table, so I modified it."
"Can it bend?" Zhao Qiang asked while giving the instruction. Sure enough, the screwdriver began to bend according to Zhao Qiang's imagination. Then Zhao Qiang straightened it and made it extend forward for a full five meters! It even reached the south window. As the screwdriver extended, its diameter also became thinner. It seemed that it could not go on indefinitely.
Xiaowei continued to explain: "Brother, you can command it to make any shape. Of course, the length and diameter are limited because the expansion and contraction of this metal molecule are limited, but it is enough for your repair use. With this screwdriver, you don't need flathead, Phillips, hex, or other similar tools. With this one tool in hand, disassembly is no problem."
Zhao Qiang brandished the long screwdriver, then gave the transformation command in his brain. The tip of the screwdriver bent into a hook. Zhao Qiang asked, "How is the load-bearing capacity? It should be fine to use it to climb a wall or go down a ditch, right?"
Xiao Wei said, "Of course, no problem. It can bear at least one ton. Brother, what are you going to use it to climb the wall? You're not thinking of doing something bad again, are you?"
Zhao Qiang laughed and said, "I just wanted to test if I could become Superman. Well, I can't return this screwdriver to Uncle Qi no matter what. I'll buy an identical one and return it to him as soon as possible. By the way, how much electricity did you use to modify this?"
Xiao Wei said, "Including the modification of the X-ray glasses, it probably cost about 20,000 yuan in electricity last night... Brother, you have to know that there is absolutely no such thing as this kind of deformable metal on Earth. It took me more than three hours to modify them. Also, the mind-receiving chip on the screwdriver handle, this kind of biotechnology chip, also took me three hours. It almost used up all the materials in the black box. In addition, with the modification of the glasses, I didn't sleep a wink all night."
Zhao Qiang collapsed onto the bed, touching the glasses that could see through plastic and metal, then the bizarre screwdriver. Zhao Qiang's heart was bleeding. God, each one was worth ten thousand! Of course, if these two products, which were beyond the reach of current technology, were to be sold, either one would be worth tens of millions. However, Zhao Qiang dared not let anyone know, let alone sell them.
Xiaowei noticed Zhao Qiang's distress and asked in confusion, "Brother, didn't you tell me last night that I could use electricity freely? If my data hadn't been incompletely recovered, I was planning to make a few more tools."
Zhao Qiang got out of bed and looked closely at Xiao Wei on the computer screen. To be honest, the more he looked at the cat's face last night, the more it resembled a human. Logically speaking, Xiao Wei is just a program. If it wanted to use a human to represent its image, it shouldn't be a problem, right? Could it only change its appearance slowly as it understands emotions?
"Sis, look, I now have X-ray glasses, a crazy screwdriver, and a watch that lets me communicate with you. How about we take a break for a while? You'll get tired from not sleeping all night, and I can't bear to see you so overworked." Zhao Qiang knew that the things Xiao Wei had modified were unique in the world, but he didn't have enough money to pay the electricity bill. Although he had earned over a thousand yuan yesterday, the electricity bill had been twenty thousand yuan in one night. Zhao Qiang couldn't afford that level of spending.
Xiao Wei said, "Alright then, with these two tools I believe you can handle most repairs."
The first thing Zhao Qiang did after breakfast was to go outside and buy a screwdriver. He rushed to deliver it to the repair shop before Qi Lai took over his shift, so that the monstrous screwdriver would be completely his. He tried to shrink the screwdriver and then bend it into a hook to attach to his key ring. Zhao Qiang then went to Home Inn Computer Company triumphantly.
From afar, he could see that there seemed to be quite a few people inside the company. Could it be that yesterday's optimization had been so effective that a large number of customers had come today? Zhao Qiangxing hurriedly opened the shop door, but was somewhat disappointed and surprised when he saw the people inside.
Wang Yidong, Zhang Chunjiang, and Ma Xiaohua are all company employees; they just arrived earlier today. There's another person, surprisingly, the class monitor, Xu Xiaoya. Zhao Qiang knows why she's here—to persuade him to pursue a master's degree. But Zhao Qiang has no interest, and he's afraid Professor Gu will see through his cheating, so he won't agree.
"Zhao Qiang, you're here." Xu Xiaoya greeted him with a smile.
Not wanting to embarrass his class monitor, Zhao Qiang replied, "Good morning, class monitor. What are you doing here?"
Xu Xiaoya smiled but did not answer. Instead, Wang Yidong said, "Xiao Zhao, so you two know each other. This is Xiao Xu, a new employee of our company. She came to me for a job last night. I thought she was smart and eager to learn, so I agreed. From now on, she will be your apprentice. Since you are from the same school and she is your class monitor, you must teach her well."
Zhao Qiang couldn't believe his ears. He rummaged around and asked, "Squad leader, you're here to work instead of going to school?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Go for it! You're also working while studying, so why can't I?"
Zhao Qiang was speechless. Xu Xiaoya had a car, so why would her family be short of money? It was obvious to everyone that she had ulterior motives, but Zhao Qiang didn't want to point it out. He picked up a mop to start cleaning, and Xu Xiaoya immediately followed. Ma Xiaohua started wiping the sample machine.
Wang Yidong said to Zhang Chunjiang, "Xiao Zhang, look how enthusiastic everyone is. You should try to follow their example. The company's development depends on everyone's hard work, not on the lax attitude we used to have. Don't you agree?"
Zhang Chunjiang didn't speak, but his eyes revealed his disdain for everything around him. Asking him to clean up was not in line with his usual habits. It was really beneath him to stay here as a small, run-down private company with a registered capital of only a few hundred thousand yuan!
Wang Yidong sighed and said to Zhao Qiang, "Xiao Zhao, I'm going to contact some business. I'll call you if I get it sorted out. You'll have to help me with company matters from now on." After saying that, Wang Yidong gave Zhang Chunjiang a disgusted look, opened the shop door, got on his electric scooter, and left.
Volume 1 [042] Mad Dog Zhang Chunjiang
Wang Yidong's attitude displeased Zhang Chunjiang. He believed that all of this was caused by Zhao Qiang's arrival. Zhang Chunjiang snorted and said to Zhao Qiang, who was mopping the floor, "You're something else. You've learned to steal my job, haven't you? You've taught your apprentice to starve yourself."
Zhao Qiang was embarrassed. He had no intention of taking Zhang Chunjiang's job. Home Inn Computer Company was just a temporary place for him. Once he had more repair experience, he would definitely go solo. "Engineer Zhang, I think you misunderstood me. There are too many things I don't know right now. I still need to learn from you."
Zhang Chunjiang said sarcastically, "What are you pretending for? I should be the one learning from you, shouldn't I, Engineer Zhao?"
Zhao Qiang didn't know how to answer. This Zhang Chunjiang was too petty. Just a few days ago, they were drinking together, but now he was bullying him. Besides, things had developed to this point because of his own slacking off. What boss likes employees who work hard for three days and rest for two? Instead of looking for his own reasons, he blamed Zhao Qiang. This guy has really low character.
Ma Xiaohua looked down on him and sarcastically remarked to Zhang Chunjiang, "Engineer Zhang, after not working for so many days, do you still remember how to fix a computer? Boss Wang isn't just hiring a repairman, he's practically inviting an ancestor to his home to worship."
Zhang Chunjiang angrily rushed forward and shouted, "What did you say! Ma Xiaohua, watch your mouth!"
Ma Xiaohua was no pushover either, and she straightened her neck: "What's wrong with me? Am I wrong?"
Zhang Chunjiang raised his fist to hit Ma Xiaohua, but Zhao Qiang rushed forward and grabbed his wrist: "Zhang Chunjiang, what do you think you're doing!"
Xu Xiaoya encountered internal strife at Home Inns Computer Company as soon as she arrived, and she was almost in tears: "Everyone, stop arguing, people are coming from outside."
With a creak, the shop door opened, and a man in his forties carrying a laptop bag walked in. Zhao Qiang had no choice but to let go of Zhang Chunjiang's hand. Although Ma Xiaohua's face was flushed with anger, she had to hold back for the time being and try her best to smile and greet the customer, "Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
The man placed his laptop on the table and said, "My laptop isn't displaying any images, but I can still hear the system startup sound when I turn it on. Can you guys take a look?"
Ma Xiaohua glanced at Zhang Chunjiang and said, "Engineer Zhang, can you fix it? You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Zhang Chunjiang said coldly, "Isn't Zhao Qiang still here? He's very capable. Let him fix it."
Ma Xiaohua knew that Zhao Qiang wasn't good at repairing laptops, and besides, she was still holding a grudge, so she said to Zhang Chunjiang, "No, Zhao Qiang is still an apprentice, you do the repair."
Zhang Chunjiang cursed, "Who do you think you are? You have no right to order me around. I'm not bragging, but the company can't function without me! Zhao Qiang, who do you think you are? When I was learning to repair computers, you were still a baby! Showing off in front of me? You're not up to the task!"
Zhao Qiang's hands trembled with anger, but with the customer in front of him, he couldn't lose his temper. He couldn't ignore Zhang Chunjiang's shamelessness, and Wang Yidong had always treated him well. He couldn't tarnish the company's image in front of outsiders. So Zhao Qiang lowered his voice and said, "Engineer Zhang, hurry up and fix it. Don't delay the customer's use. We can talk about our business later."
The man looked at everyone strangely. He sensed something was amiss, stood up, picked up his laptop, and said, "Maybe I should take it to another repair shop."
Zhao Qiang quickly stopped him, saying, "No, sir, don't rush off. My colleagues and I were just joking around. Let our engineer Zhang take a look. It shouldn't be a big problem; it should be fixed in no time."
The man had probably tried several repair shops, but not many knew how to fix laptops. After Zhao Qiang's persuasion, he sat down again, took out his laptop from the back of his laptop bag, and said, "Take a look at the situation and give me a definite answer."
Zhang Chunjiang was still a repairman at Home Inns Computer Company. He had to take the laptop to check the fault. After pressing the power button, he could hear the hard drive working. After a while, he could hear the system startup music coming from the laptop speakers. Zhang Chunjiang shook the screen a few times and said, "The screen is broken. The LCD screen needs to be replaced."
The male customer said in surprise, "No way, I heard that the probability of the screen breaking is very low. It's usually because the connecting cable is broken or detached. Why don't you take it apart and take a look? Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. Are you trying to rip me off?"
Zhang Chunjiang said impatiently, "Are you going to fix it or am I going to fix it? Do you know more than me? I said the screen is broken, so it's broken. Are you going to replace it or not? If you don't replace the screen, then all my hard work in taking it apart will be for nothing, unless you give me money separately for taking it apart."
The man snatched the laptop from Zhang Chunjiang's hand: "What kind of attitude is this? Are you planning to keep me here if I don't get the screen replaced?"
Xu Xiaoya and Ma Xiaohua quickly stepped forward to comfort him: "Sir, don't worry, our Mr. Zhang is in a bad mood today."
The man retorted angrily, "What does his bad mood have to do with me!"
Zhang Chunjiang sat down in a chair and said, "Fine, according to you, whether your computer is good or not is none of my business. Anyway, it's not my computer. If you don't want to fix it, then leave. Don't stay here and get in the way."
The man slammed his hand on the table: "Hey kid, you're pretty arrogant. I don't believe it, this computer is going to be fixed right here today!"
Zhang Chunjiang crossed his legs smugly and said, "If I were to fix it, it would be replacing the screen. Are you willing to do it or not?"