C14 Talent(1)

The next day, Yang Chenxi was set to guard the entrance. Yang Chenxuan mentioned to his parents that he planned to put up a sign. Yang Xiuyuan wasn't too concerned about the sign. In his view, once the business was established and had a good reputation, word of mouth would naturally spread. Spending money on a sign seemed unnecessary to him; a simple wooden board with a few words would do the trick, much like many other shops.

However, the success of the business so far was entirely due to Yang Chenxuan's ideas. Without him, the business wouldn't have reached its current scale. Yang Xiuyuan never imagined that making money could be this straightforward without the business thriving as it did today.

Overall, Yang Chenxuan's decisions had been spot-on so far, so Yang Xiuyuan only mildly objected before agreeing. Yang Chenxuan took $200, borrowed a bike from the village, and rode to town. The town was only about 10 to 12 miles away, but with no paved roads, cycling was quite tiring.

The town had few shops, resembling a large market with everything crammed onto one street. Everyday items were available, and there was even a store selling TVs and radios, but no one offered welding services. When he asked at a hardware store, the owner couldn't help either.

No choice but to ask around.

"Hey there, do you know if there's anyone in town who does welding?" Yang Chenxuan asked a shopkeeper casually.

"Not sure, you might want to ask someone else!"

Yang Chenxuan went from shop to shop, asking a dozen owners. Some said they didn't know, others said no, and a few didn't even know what welding was.

With no luck, he figured he might have to head to the county if it came to that.

After picking up some everyday items, Yang Chenxuan hopped on his bike, humming a tune, ready to head home.

As he reached the end of the street, he suddenly noticed a small bike repair shop with a wooden sign out front. In red paint, it read: "Bicycle Repair, Tricycle Repair, Welding, Grinding, Wiring, Motor Repair, TV Repair, Tape Recorder Repair, Shoe Repair, Umbrella Repair, Key Cutting!"

Seeing the sign, Yang Chenxuan stopped.

He glanced at the shop, which looked a bit cluttered, but there was an old TV inside with a "For Sale" sign hanging on it.

The shirtless owner was watching an ad, sanding a pair of rain boots in his hands.

Probably fixing a leak in the boots.

The sign listed quite a few services. Back in 2019, there were likely plenty of folks who could handle these tasks.

But nowadays, even knowing one or two of these skills makes you a technician! Especially welding, motor repair, TV repair, and tape recorder repair—those are some high-tech skills.

If this is true, the owner is definitely a talented person!

"Hey, boss!" Chenxuan called out as he walked up to the shop entrance.

The owner looked up at Chenxuan and warmly said, "Hey there, young man! Need something fixed? I can handle some appliance repairs too."

Chenxuan took a good look around the small shop. It wasn't very spacious, but it was packed with stuff. The bicycle repair tools were right at the front, clearly showing that bike repairs were his main source of income.

In front of the owner was a shoe repair stand, and at his feet were tools for fixing shoes and umbrellas. Next to the TV, there was a rack with some equipment and a few keys hanging, probably for key duplication.

Further inside, there were some items Chenxuan couldn't quite identify.

"Do you know how to weld?" Chenxuan asked.

The owner paused for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, I learned it on the job."

"Can you make signs?" Chenxuan continued, "I'm looking for one about 15 to 20 feet tall, welded from steel pipes."

The owner looked at Chenxuan in surprise. A sign that tall would cost quite a bit. Chenxuan seemed young, yet he was bringing in a big job. The owner felt somewhat confident but didn't want to overpromise. "I've never made a sign before, but I did welding work outside. It shouldn't be a problem."

Hearing that the owner had welding experience piqued Chenxuan's interest even more. He pulled out a cigarette and offered one to the owner. "What's your name, boss?"

The boss took the cigarette, and when others asked for his name, he wasn't as polite, but he smiled and said, "I'm Shiming Huang."

"What kind of welding did you do before, Mr. Huang?" Chenxuan Yang asked with a smile.

Shiming Huang took a drag from his cigarette and replied, "I used to do welding at a car factory. There was an accident, and I got injured, so I came back."

As he spoke, Shiming Huang stood up and took a couple of steps. It was then that Chenxuan Yang noticed that Shiming Huang's right foot had been injured, causing him to walk with a slight limp.

But the fact that Shiming Huang could weld cars speaks volumes about his excellent welding skills.