After the greetings, Shopkeeper Wang hunched over and made an inviting gesture, his movements so standard they were no worse than those of a professional waiter.
From this alone, it was clear that Shopkeeper Wang was a hands-on person—these habits came from years of personal experience.
In truth, Zhang Yuanlin also analyzed and observed people when interacting with them. With his technical skills, he certainly had the right to be selective.
He could engage more with those of good character, but if someone had poor qualities, he’d simply bid them farewell. Sijiucheng was vast, and there were plenty of small business owners—he was never short of people to deal with.
“Hehe, please come inside, all of you. Is this your first time here?”
“Hey, my shop doesn’t have anything particularly fancy, just these snacks and treats. Friends of Master Zhang are friends of Wang here—help yourselves freely!”
With a smile, he ushered them in and instructed the shop assistant to increase the portions and add other varieties.
Shopkeeper Wang didn’t mind the expense because the visitor was Zhang Yuanlin, who could accomplish what others couldn’t. That made him worth the special treatment.
Then, Zhang Yuanlin and the three others followed Shopkeeper Wang to the back room, entering a spacious living area where the furniture exuded an air of wealth.
“Please, have a seat. Make yourselves at home!”
After politely addressing the three members of the Qin family, Shopkeeper Wang approached Zhang Yuanlin, who had already taken a seat on his own—clearly not his first visit.
“Master Zhang, I’ve been looking forward to your visit every day! If you hadn’t told me not to disturb you, I would have come to find you myself. Remember that old pocket watch I showed you last time? The one my father brought back from Shanghai almost twenty years ago? It suddenly stopped working!”
Hearing Shopkeeper Wang’s words, Zhang Yuanlin wore an expression of having expected this all along and said unhurriedly:
“Shopkeeper Wang, when you asked me to inspect it that day, I already mentioned that a small part needed replacing. You didn’t believe me then. Now, see what happened? Waiting until it breaks on its own might have affected other components. Do you understand the logic?”
As he spoke, Zhang Yuanlin picked up a freshly served pastry, tasted it, and showed an approving expression.
“Not bad—a family recipe, truly exceptional!”
But Shopkeeper Wang had no mind to care about how the new snacks tasted. As a filial son, he was anxious to repair the pocket watch for his elderly father.
“Master Zhang, you know my mother passed away early. This pocket watch is a token of my parents’ meeting, his most cherished possession, and his solace. If it stops working, I’m truly worried he might lose the will to carry on.”
Shopkeeper Wang spoke earnestly and sincerely, almost on the verge of bowing to Zhang Yuanlin.
Zhang Yuanlin looked at Shopkeeper Wang and suddenly chuckled.
Then, he rummaged through the cloth bag always slung across his shoulder and pulled out a small wooden box.
Under Shopkeeper Wang’s puzzled gaze, Zhang Yuanlin opened the lid and took out several tiny parts that could only be handled with tweezers.
“What are these?”
Shopkeeper Wang was taken aback, not quite understanding.
Zhang Yuanlin gestured with his hand and said:
“Shopkeeper Wang, bring me your pocket watch.”
At that moment, Shopkeeper Wang seemed to realize something. He hurried off at a jog and quickly returned with the pocket watch.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the four people in the room, Zhang Yuanlin skillfully used his tools to open the watch case and began tinkering.
A few minutes later, the case was closed again, and everything was restored to its original state.
“Take a look. Adjust the time yourself.”
Zhang Yuanlin returned the pocket watch and packed up his tools.
Shopkeeper Wang excitedly took the pocket watch and examined it, his face lighting up with delight.
“Hey, it’s fixed—it’s running again!”
Zhang Yuanlin remained calm and composed, leisurely enjoying some pastries as if he had merely done something trivial.
In reality, however, the entire repair process had taken about an hour and a half, with the extra time, of course, stolen from the Still World.
Just kidding! At present, there weren’t even machines in Sijiucheng capable of producing such high-precision parts!
So, some of these parts were sourced from the Still World, while others were machined using a CNC milling machine. Once the program was set and the tools adjusted, they were finished quickly.
As for the few parts he had initially brought out—those were completely unsuitable, serving purely as props for Zhang Yuanlin to show off in front of others.
After his excitement subsided, Shopkeeper Wang carefully put away the pocket watch and clasped his hands respectfully toward Zhang Yuanlin.
“Master Zhang, your skill is truly miraculous! I’ve consulted several other masters before, and they all said it would take at least two months to repair. Some even suggested sending it abroad. I never expected that after your inspection last time, you’d have the corresponding parts ready in just a week. I’m impressed, truly impressed!”
Zhang Yuanlin smiled modestly and exchanged a few polite words. After two years, he had become quite adept at using the Still World—this was just routine for him.
“Ah, I really don’t know how to thank you. Name your price—as long as it’s reasonable, I won’t hesitate and will pay you on the spot!”
Shopkeeper Wang felt that having the pocket watch repaired might extend his father’s life by a couple of years—something money couldn’t buy. Mere words of gratitude felt insufficient, so he wanted to offer payment.
Ahem, the common ailment of the wealthy—always thinking money is the solution.
Sorry, but the scale of your fortune is nothing, not even comparable to a bacterium, when measured against my Still World!
“Shopkeeper Wang, you’re being unreasonable. Since this is your father’s memory and keepsake, given our friendship, how could I not take it seriously? Now, if you ask me to name a price, are we still friends?”
Zhang Yuanlin feigned anger.
He had intended to use this as a minor social exercise to practice his conversational skills, but he hadn’t expected Shopkeeper Wang to be so intense—the man immediately lightly slapped his own lips.
“Oh, look at me, my mouth, my brain—how embarrassing!”
“Brother, it’s my fault. Wait for me!”
With that, Shopkeeper Wang hurried off and returned with two exquisitely crafted boxes.
This time, it was Zhang Yuanlin’s turn to be puzzled.
Shopkeeper Wang then opened both boxes, revealing a piece of jade and a string of pearls.
“Master Zhang, Brother Zhang! I’ve made our relationship feel distant. From now on, I promise not to mention money again, but I can’t let you work for nothing.”
“This jade was also a gift from a friend. It’s not priceless, but it’s a piece I particularly like—the pattern and texture are excellent. Here, feel it.”
After saying this, Shopkeeper Wang presented the string of pearls to Qin Huairu.
“Young lady, I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you. Your partner and I are old friends, close brothers. Today, I got carried away and misspoke. Here, consider this a gift for our first meeting. From now on, make sure your partner visits my shop often!”
At these words, Qin Huairu’s face flushed crimson, the redness spreading all the way down to her neck.
Qin’s father and mother, seeing such a large pearl necklace, couldn’t remain seated any longer. They completely lost their composure and sprang to their feet in an instant.
Zhang Yuanlin, on the other hand, chuckled wryly and shook his head, saying:
“Brother Wang, you’ve misunderstood. She really is just my friend.”
But Shopkeeper Wang frowned skeptically and insisted:
“How could that be? I see you two as a perfect match—a talented scholar and a beautiful lady, made for each other!”
“Besides, since I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you bring a young lady here. Your Brother Wang may be getting on in years, but I’m not senile yet!”
Zhang Yuanlin pretended to be embarrassed and scratched his head, though inwardly he was giving Shopkeeper Wang silent applause.
Well done! You’ve earned a point as my wingman. I’ll definitely come back next week to freeload off you again and give you plenty of face!
This incident brought his relationship with Shopkeeper Wang to another level, transforming them from friends to brothers, adding another light to Zhang Yuanlin’s future business expansion plans.
It also subtly shortened the distance between him and Qin Huairu, as could be seen from the reactions of the three Qin family members.
Sometimes, to foster a romance, the main couple doesn’t need to put in all the effort—as long as the wingman’s skills are up to par, that’s enough.
And so, Zhang Yuanlin and the three Qin family members all left the shop with plates of complimentary pastries, with two of them having received luxury items valued at at least three hundred yuan in this era.
After stepping out of the shop and bidding farewell to Shopkeeper Wang, the three Qin family members stood on the bustling street, their expressions still somewhat stiff, as if they hadn’t fully recovered from the shock.
Zhang Yuanlin hung his satchel on his bicycle and said apologetically:
“I’m sorry, Sister Qin. My old friend here is a good person, he just loves to joke around. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“Uncle, Auntie, I didn’t expect Brother Wang to say that, nor did I anticipate his misunderstanding. That was rather presumptuous of him.”
At the same time, he couldn’t help but reflect inwardly.
I’m truly sorry—I didn’t expect this act to exceed expectations, nor did I think I’d end up freeloading such valuable items. I must have really startled you all!