novelraw Chapter 152: Lass, Coming Back Tomorrow?
Chapter 152: Lass, Coming Back Tomorrow?
She could only keep searching. After walking for another fifteen minutes, she unexpectedly ran into Victoria Koenig.
And so, poor, unlucky Victoria Koenig found himself being pestered by her.
"Victoria, where are you planning to perform? I can be your backup dancer! I’m pretty good at folk dancing."
Victoria Koenig: ’I was just wandering around, looking for a good spot to busk. How did I get so unlucky as to run into Holly Summers?’
"I’m not planning to perform during the day. There’s hardly anyone on the streets right now. We’ll see about tonight."
Holly Summers said, her voice filled with frustration, "Victoria, I’m not trying to nag you, but how can you be so unambitious? We need to make money tonight, but we can’t waste the daytime either. Let’s go, let’s go, we need to find a good spot to perform, and fast."
Victoria Koenig: ’...Honestly, I really don’t want to.’ But Holly was dragging him along, and he was powerless to resist.
So, he resigned himself to his fate.
He did whatever Holly Summers told him to, just trying to keep his distance. Unfortunately, Holly herself wasn’t the most reliable person. The two of them, a pair of commanders with no army, just stood there and failed to attract a single soul. Forget making money—they didn’t even earn a passing glance.
...
When Riley Perry and Master Quenton returned to the small garden, the elderly lady who had gone to get her rice cooker was already back.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, ma’am."
"No, no, not at all. I saw your van was still here, so I knew you’d be back."
Riley Perry took the rice cooker from the lady. "This isn’t a cheap rice cooker, you know. And this model makes rice where every grain is perfectly separate. It’s a good one."
When the lady heard that, she could tell the girl knew her stuff, and her face crinkled into a smile. "It is! My son bought it in Japan. Converted to RMB, it cost over 2,400 yuan."
Riley Perry chuckled at that, picked up a screwdriver, and started removing the screws.
"So? Can it be fixed?"
"It can be," Riley said. "The thermal fuse is blown, and luckily, Master Quenton has a spare." She turned to him. "Master Quenton, how much to replace a thermal fuse?"
Master Quenton replied, "Let’s say one hundred. I hate fixing rice cookers. They’re a pain and don’t pay well."
Only then did Riley Perry turn back to the old lady. "It’s one hundred yuan. Do you still want to replace it?"
The old lady said, "Yes, yes, yes, of course I’ll replace it! It’s just... after you fix it, it’s not going to break again in a couple of days, is it?"
"Of course not! Once it’s replaced, it’ll be good as new. As long as you don’t intentionally try to break it, it’ll definitely last a long time."
As Riley Perry spoke, she rummaged through Master Quenton’s toolbox, found a new 10A thermal fuse, and installed it. After reassembling the rice cooker, she said, "Take it back, plug it in, and try boiling some water. If there are no problems, you can pay me then."
The old lady replied, "No need for all that trouble. I’ll go plug it in at the security booth by the gate to test it. I’ll be right back."
With that, the old lady hugged the rice cooker and scurried off on her short legs.
About ten minutes later, the old lady returned. "Young lady, it’s really fixed! The water got hot in no time. I even waited a bit, and it didn’t trip the breaker or shut off. It’s definitely fixed! Here, here, let me give you the money."
Soon enough, another 100 yuan was in their hands.
Master Quenton glanced at Riley Perry. As was their custom, they split it fifty-fifty.
Live Comments: [Who knew, appliance repair is such a lucrative business. That tiny little part probably costs less than ten yuan, and they made a hundred in the blink of an eye.]
[Hah, easy for you to say! Sure, the part is only worth ten yuan, maybe not even that. But knowing how to diagnose the problem is worth the other ninety, or even more.]
[If that was my rice cooker, I’d gladly pay a hundred yuan to get it fixed.]
While the live comments were buzzing, several elderly residents emerged from the complex, all carrying various items and heading toward the small garden. They had all seen the message Mr. Lee posted in the homeowners’ group chat. Master Quenton took one look and thought, ’Good news: we’ve got customers!’
’Bad news: they’re all small appliances! Either things he couldn’t fix or things he didn’t want to fix.’
Riley Perry saw the look on his face and quickly reassured him, "Master, you take a break. I’ll handle this."
"Young lady, Old Lee said you know how to fix electronics. I have a tablet here. I want to play some Buddhist scriptures on it. Can you help me set it up? Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to help for free. I’ll pay you."
"And my vacuum cleaner! My daughter bought it for me, and it broke right after the warranty expired. Could you take a look and see why it’s not working?"
"The light on my electric griddle won’t turn on, and it won’t heat up either. Can you see if it’s fixable?"
A dozen or so people immediately swarmed around Riley Perry.
Riley Perry took them on one by one. She fixed everything that was worth repairing and clearly explained why if something couldn’t be fixed. She was quick and nimble, fast with her repairs, and had a great attitude. Before long, a small crowd had gathered, and more and more people showed up wanting their appliances fixed.
Master Quenton, who had originally just been watching the spectacle, didn’t stay idle for long. He took on the large appliances that couldn’t be easily moved. The two of them were busy until nightfall, when they could finally stop and catch their breath.
"Master Quenton, I collected a total of 1,328 yuan. I’ll take half, and the rest is for you."
Master Quenton frantically waved his hands. "No, no, I can’t take it. Thanks to you, I fixed three refrigerators and two air conditioners this afternoon, plus a few small items. I’ve made more today than any other day. I can’t take this."
For large appliances like refrigerators and color TVs, just opening them up and replacing a part could easily earn him three hundred yuan.
Riley Perry insisted, shoving half the money into Master Quenton’s hands. "Consider this rent for using your tools. Thank you. Between this and what we made earlier, I’ve earned over seven hundred yuan. That’s more than enough for me."
Master Quenton’s face was beaming. Who wouldn’t be happy earning more money?
"Kiddo, are you coming back tomorrow? If you do, how about we split everything fifty-fifty after covering the cost of parts?"
Riley Perry: ’...Unfortunately, I really can’t.’
In the end, Master Quenton insisted on treating Riley Perry to a local specialty boxed meal.
Twenty yuan for your pick of thirty dishes, all you can eat.
They had everything from large pork bones and "Four-Joy" meatballs to braised pork belly, fried beltfish, and braised ribs. And if you wanted more rice, refills were free.
And you know, the food wasn’t bad at all. Definitely worth the price.
[Ugh, watching this is making me hungry. Why don’t we have boxed meals this cheap where I live?]
[We have even cheaper ones here. Eight yuan a box, three veggie dishes and one meat. Free rice refills, too. Definitely fills you up.]
[Can something that cheap even be sanitary? I wouldn’t eat something that cheap, anyway.]
[Then piss off, no one’s forcing you to eat it. You can say something like that because you have a choice. The laborers at the bottom would treasure a twenty-yuan boxed meal. Talk is cheap, but they have to be able to afford it first.]
[I just looked it up. Given the local wages and cost of living—cleaners only make 1,200 to 1,500 a month, and servers make 2,000 to 3,000—a twenty-yuan boxed meal is a luxury for them.]
[The camera just panned past. Next to this place is an all-you-can-eat dumpling shop for 19.9 yuan per person. At first, I thought it was a typo, but comparing it to the price of this boxed meal, it seems to be real.]