31: Chapter 31 Wang Lei's Freezer Crisis

The early morning in the Old neighborhood was always wrapped in a complex atmosphere—the scent of braised meat drifting from Wang Leis Braised Food Stall mingled with the smoky aroma of Grandma Zhang's coal stove, while the pungent smell of someone stir-frying chili peppers in the hallway seeped out through window cracks, intertwining with the scent of motor oil from the repair stall at the alley entrance, feeling more grounding than the mountain mist.

As Chen Jie stepped on the fallen phoenix tree leaves while walking toward the stall, he heard Wang Lei sighing at that chipped freezer; the metal casing was scorched hot by the sun, and the buzzing sound of the compressor was laced with a burnt smell.

"Jie-zi, you finally came!" As soon as Wang Lei saw Chen Jie, he greeted him with a face full of joy, as if he had seen a savior.

However, the ladle he was holding dropped into the bucket with a "clang" because he was too excited, and the splashed sauce fell like raindrops onto his blue cloth apron, instantly soaking into a dark brown stain.

Wang Lei seemed completely unconcerned about the stain on his apron; he rubbed his hands together and anxiously circled the freezer twice.

His gaze fell on the rusted-through side panel of the freezer, and his heart skipped a beat: this broken freezer had been with him for three whole years, and although it always had issues with refrigerant leaks and rust, it was at least still usable.

But if he really had to replace it with a new one, it would cost at least nearly two thousand yuan!

This was not a small sum, enough for him to purchase ten jin of pork knuckles.

Thinking of this, Wang Lei's heart became increasingly panicked.

He couldn't help but steal a glance at Chen Jie's canvas backpack, secretly praying: last time, the jade stone in this backpack helped him stabilize the souring pork knuckles, this time... it should work too, right?

Chen Jie didn't notice his little movements; he crouched down, unzipped the backpack, and laid out a wrench, screwdriver, and multimeter on the ground.

He first took out a piece of chamois leather to wipe the dust off his hands, then pressed his fingertips onto the freezer's compressor—the scorching touch reminded him of the searing temperature when the jade stone heated up by the pool at Suiyu Slope.

"The terminal is burnt." He used needle-nose pliers to pick up the loosest wire end, the insulation layer already as hard as a cracker, "Need to strip the wire again."

Seeing this, Wang Lei hurriedly handed over new electrical tape, yet his gaze, as if attracted by a magnet, remained fixed on every move Chen Jie made.

He saw Chen Jie skillfully pinch the wire end and carefully wrap it around the terminal.

His fingers were nimble and agile, as if performing an exquisite dance, his fingertips fluttering lightly across the scorching metal surface.

When he reached the third wrap, Chen Jie suddenly, as if performing a magic trick, quickly grabbed a rag soaked in cold water from the side and slapped it onto the connection without hesitation.

In an instant, a wisp of white smoke rose with a "hiss," like a startled white snake twisting its body in the air.

This wisp of white smoke not only carried a hint of heat but was also mixed with a faint aroma of braised food, drifting leisurely toward the alley entrance like a wisp of light smoke.

Wang Lei's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but recall the scene when Chen Jie repaired the freezer last time.

Back then, Chen Jie used the same method, yet in the end, failed to fix the freezer.

Wang Lei's hand subconsciously reached into his pocket, touching the five hundred yuan he had just taken out.

This was all the money he had scraped together!

If Chen Jie still couldn't fix it this time, he would probably have to grit his teeth and go buy a new freezer.

"The refrigerant leak needs to be patched." Chen Jie suddenly spoke, pulling a piece of rubber from his toolkit, "I said last time the condenser pipe rusted through, but you wouldn't believe me."

He smeared some motor oil on the pipe and was just about to secure it with a wrench when the jade stone in the backpack rolled out, landing on the bottom of the freezer with a "thud."

Wang Lei's heart felt as if it were tightly gripped by an invisible hand, suddenly jumping to his throat—if this jade stone performed a miracle again, he could save the money on the freezer repair; but what if it didn't...

He dared not continue thinking, only watching wide-eyed as Chen Jie picked up the jade stone and carefully placed it next to the leaking crack.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment; Wang Lei was so nervous he dared not even breathe, staring fixedly at that crack, afraid of missing any subtle change.

Suddenly, a miracle really happened!

He saw a thin layer of ice slowly forming at the crack where white vapor had been gushing out, as if something had blocked the leak.

Seeing this, Chen Jie immediately seized the opportunity, quickly picked up the wrench, and tightly fastened the rubber patch onto the freezer.

His movements were as fast as lightning, as if performing a spectacular stunt.

In the blink of an eye, the rubber patch was firmly secured.

"It's done!" Chen Jie straightened up, patted the freezer lid with satisfaction, and then turned to Wang Lei and said, "Try the cooling."

Wang Lei tremblingly reached out his hand and slowly opened the freezer door.

A biting chill rushed toward his face, and he couldn't help but shiver.

Looking at the thermometer again, the red column was dropping wildly like it was on a slide.

"Hahahaha..." Wang Lei suddenly burst into loud laughter, his laughter echoing in the small shop, as if it were about to break through the roof.

His eye wrinkles were filled with the glow of joy; so this jade stone really could be a huge help!

Now, not only had he saved the money for the freezer repair, but he could also buy two more pig ears!

When closing the stall in the evening, he could even buy his wife the grapes she had been talking about for so long.

Thinking of this, Wang Lei joyfully fished a freshly braised pork knuckle out of the pot; the knuckle was shiny and glistening, with a few fragrant sesame seeds stuck to the skin.

He walked to Chen Jie in two or three steps, shoved the pork knuckle into his hand, and said, "Take it! This is a thank-you gift!"

Chen Jie took a bite of the pork knuckle, squinting his eyes in delight.

Looking at the edge of the jade stone peeking out from his backpack, Wang Lei suddenly felt that life in this Old neighborhood was just like his braised food—looking ordinary, but the warmth and longing hidden inside could only be truly appreciated when savored slowly.

The wind blew through the phoenix tree leaves, carrying the buzzing of the freezer and the laughter of the two men into the distance, and Old Li from the repair stall at the alley entrance poked his head out and shouted, "Wang Lei, why is your freezer suddenly working?"

Wang Lei laughed even more happily, pouted toward Chen Jie's backpack: "Secret!"

But in his heart, he was thinking: Tomorrow I must find a piece of red cloth to wrap this jade stone in; it's even more effective than worshipping the God of Wealth.