Chapter 9: Making Money

“Can you fix computers?” the chubby boss sized up Yi Feng with disbelief.

A middle school student joining the fray?

Nonsense!

“Hehe, boss, I’ve specifically learned to repair computers. How would you know if I can or not without giving me a try?” Yi Feng was composed and smiled slightly, showing no signs of nervousness.

“Really? Can you really fix it?” the young student asked doubtfully.

“I’ll know if I can fix it once I’ve had a look,” Yi Feng confidently stated.

The young student saw confidence in his eyes and felt somewhat persuaded.

He didn’t want to send his computer back to the factory for repairs; that would take too long.

At best, it would take 20 days, and at worst, more than a month, which was normal, but he couldn’t wait even a day.

Not playing games for a day made him uncomfortable.

“Then give it a try!” the young student decided.

The chubby boss widened his eyes in astonishment, “How can this be okay? What if he breaks the computer?”

“No, that won’t do!”

The young student raised his eyebrows and glanced at him, “It’s my computer. If I say fix it, then fix it. If it breaks, I’ll just buy a new one!”

Now the chubby boss had nothing to say, “Alright, it’s your thing, not mine. Just remember, if you break any parts, my store won’t cover the warranty for you!”

Wang Tie whispered from behind, “Brother Feng, can you really fix computers?”

“Did I ever say I couldn’t?” Yi Feng chuckled.

After all, he was a distinguished graduate in computer science from a prestigious university. Fixing computers was a piece of cake for him.

Yi Feng approached the computer to start it up and see what the problem was.

After pressing the power button, the system began to load.

However, after loading successfully, it didn’t enter the desktop but showed a blue screen.

A classic blue screen indeed.

The system loaded successfully but couldn’t enter the desktop, indicating the graphics card might be the issue.

“How is it? Can you tell what the problem is?”

“I’ve tried over and over again, always a blue screen, I can’t get in!” the young student anxiously asked.

The chubby boss shook his head with a smile, “I guess it’s a hardware issue, not software. There’s no other way but to send it back to the factory for repairs.”

“Don’t bother anymore, lest you break the computer.”

A high school student fixing a computer? Ridiculous!

He had no faith that Yi Feng could repair the computer.

Yi Feng was confident, however, and smiled, “It’s not a big problem, no need to send it back for repairs. I already know what’s wrong.”

“Really?! What’s the issue?” the young student asked eagerly.

Yi Feng pointed at the main unit, “The graphics card is faulty, I’ll know once I open it up.”

“Boss, may I borrow a screwdriver and some tools?”

The chubby boss looked puzzled but still obediently handed over a set of tools.

Yi Feng skillfully unscrewed the computer case, revealing the hardware inside.

The graphics card was a discrete model, not integrated, and could be removed.

He detached the graphics card from his motherboard to check its model.

The card was a Leadtek S320, a high-end model at the time. He had seen advertisements from shops selling it for 2500 yuan each.

He examined the card closely and then smiled slightly.

“So, that’s it.”

“Ah? What? Where’s the fault?” The young student was also curious but couldn’t tell what was wrong.

Yi Feng used the screwdriver to point out, “Look, here are two sets of pins that have come loose, pairs 1 and 2. If they’re loose, the card can’t read the data.”

The young student leaned in closer and saw indeed two pins almost breaking off, different from the intact ones.

“Ah! It really is!” The young student was astonished.

He hadn’t expected Yi Feng to find the issue.

The chubby boss was dumbfounded.

A high school student could inspect a graphics card?

Damn! Did he really know how to repair computers?

“Bro, can you really fix it?” the young student asked nervously.

Yi Feng pondered for a moment, then said in a drawn-out voice, “It can be fixed, but… it’s a bit labor-intensive.”

Meaning, as long as there’s payment, it could be fixed.

“If you can fix it, I’ll give you 500 yuan as a repair fee!” the young student offered generously.

“Deal! You’re straightforward, what’s your name?”

“Yang Jian.”

“Yi Feng.”

They shook hands, sealing the repair deal.

Yi Feng initially thought 50 yuan would be sufficient, but the offer of 500 yuan was immediately accepted without hesitation.

To not take the money would be foolish!

500 yuan was almost the monthly salary of a regular worker.

Unexpectedly, this guy was so wealthy!

But in this era, anyone who could afford such a high-end machine definitely wasn’t short on money.

Such a configuration would cost at least 28,000 yuan, maybe even 30,000 yuan.

Being able to spend so much on a computer, 500 yuan was probably just a small matter to him.

“Boss, may I use your workbench?” Yi Feng turned to the chubby boss.

“Uh, sure, go ahead.” The chubby boss nodded dumbly, feeling a bit sour.

500 yuan for a repair fee was no small amount.

Yi Feng went behind the counter, sat at the assembly workbench, and began to carefully clean the dust off the graphics card.

Time ticked away, and an hour passed in a blink.

Yang Jian waited anxiously.

“How is it, not fixed yet?”

“Is it very difficult to repair?”

Yi Feng rubbed his eyes and nodded seriously, “Yes, don’t underestimate it; repairing pins is quite troublesome.”

“But don’t worry, just a few more steps and it’ll be fixed.”

In fact, the mission wasn’t difficult; in fact, it was quite simple, just soldering the pins back in place.

Usually, such an operation would take just over ten minutes, incredibly straightforward.

He had deliberately dragged out the time.

Because, in consumer psychology, this is called perceived value.

When customers feel your effort and professionalism, they believe you’re worth the price.

If the problem is solved too easily, they naturally think your service and expertise aren’t worth the price, leading to bargaining next time.

Like some traditional Chinese medicine clinics that treat lumbar issues, an average old doctor might charge a hundred yuan for a few minutes of simple massage to relieve discomfort.

But some high-end clinics would go through a dozen procedures, including acupuncture and cupping, taking several hours to achieve the same relief but charging thousands of yuan, and the clients still think it’s worth the money.

If the clinic raises prices, clients feel they’ve got a bargain; if the old doctor raises his, they’d turn hostile on the spot.

This is the difference in perceived value.

After grinding a few more minutes, Yi Feng stood up, “Done, it’s fixed. Just need to install it back.”

“Great!” Yang Jian exclaimed excitedly.

He closely watched Yi Feng install the card and then boot the computer to test it.

Sure enough, the monitor quickly entered the Windows 98 desktop without issues.

“Hey, it worked! Success! Ha ha!”

“Thank you so much! That was a lot of work!” Yang Jian excitedly shook Yi Feng’s hands.

“It was a bit of trouble, but not too much,” Yi Feng said nonchalantly.

Yang Jian earnestly said, “Bro, I really didn’t see it coming that you had such skills. We’re both from the same school, and you can fix computers, which is totally beyond my expectations.”

“Not having to send it back for repairs and getting it fixed in an hour, my money is well spent!”

Yang Jian immediately took out his wallet, and Yi Feng saw a stack of bills inside, at least two to three thousand yuan.

Wow, a high school student this rich!

Yang Jian counted out 600 yuan and handed it to Yi Feng, “500 yuan might be a bit too little. Here’s an extra 100 for your trouble.”

“Haha, boss Yang is generous.” Yi Feng was overjoyed, barely containing his excitement and happiness.

Made money, made money!

That was 600 yuan!

Almost the monthly salary of an ordinary worker!

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