Reborn in 1982: I Became the Richest Man by Repairing Cars

As the Crown's personal driver, Zhang Wuchao knew the car's temperament inside and out.

He started the car and slowly drove around the entrance of Yonghe Temple twice. The accelerator pedal was smooth, and the engine no longer made that muffled noise. He felt relieved – the car had really been repaired!

"Master Jiang, your skills are absolutely amazing!"

"You got it all done so quickly!"

After parking the car, Zhang Wuchao opened the car door, took a few steps to Jiang Hui, and warmly extended his hand to shake hands with him firmly.

Jiang Hui waved his hand, pointed to the front of the car, and explained, "This generation of Crown uses a paper dry filter element for its air filter. The filtration accuracy is limited and the dust holding capacity is small. The fiber pores are easily clogged by fine dust."

"Furthermore, the air intake is located near the lower part of the engine compartment, making it easy to suck in road dust and mud while driving, especially on dirt roads, where the dust adsorption speed is greatly accelerated."

"If you clean the filter every few days and replace it regularly, you should be able to avoid this problem."

"Although I put the filter back in, I still recommend getting it replaced."

"Or you could go back and have your repair team blow it out with a high-pressure air gun before putting it back in."

Jiang Hui was afraid that others would think he was being naive, so he made sure to explain things clearly.

"Hey, Xiao Jiang, you're really something! You're a true expert at car repair!"

"Master Jiang is amazing! He can even repair imported cars!"

While Jiang Hui was repairing the crown, a crowd of onlookers had already gathered, mostly old neighbors from Wudaoying Hutong.

At first, everyone was wondering if this young man was going to make a mistake, and they were all waiting to see how he would handle it.

Unexpectedly, the situation took a dramatic turn, leaving onlookers amazed.

"Thank you, Master Jiang. I'll go change the filter right away!"

For drivers of this era, learning car repair knowledge is a must when taking a driver's license test.

Zhang Wuchao, who understands basic car repair operations, naturally knows where to buy auto parts.

"By the way, Mr. Jiang, how much will the repairs cost?"

There's no reason not to pay when you hire someone to repair your car. Zhang Wuchao had no intention of renege on his debt; after all, it was public money he was paying for.

He drives for the boss, so this small expense is no problem to get reimbursed. Besides, there's foreman Li from the maintenance team there to witness it!

"Uncle Zhang, ten yuan will do!"

"What? Ten dollars? You're robbing me!"

Before Zhang Wuchao could say anything, Master Li next to him got angry.

In his view, Jiang Hui simply pried open the four metal clips between the air filter box cover and the base, took out the air filter element, and put the cover back on to finish the repair.

The whole process takes no more than five minutes. Let alone ten yuan, even one yuan would be too expensive.

He's a foreman in a car repair shop, and he only makes a little over thirty yuan a month.

Jiang Hui earned ten yuan in less than five minutes; that's practically robbery.

In his eyes, Jiang Hui simply pried open the four metal clips on the top cover and base of the air filter box, took out the filter element, cleaned it a couple of times, and then put it back on.

It took less than five minutes in total. Forget ten yuan, even one yuan would be too expensive!

He's a maintenance team leader, and his monthly salary is only thirty-odd yuan. Jiang Hui earns ten yuan in just a few minutes. What is this if not robbery?

Zhang Wuchao didn't speak, but stared intently at Jiang Hui, waiting for him to give an explanation.

"Dear uncles and neighbors, my car repair business looks simple, but the difficulty lies in 'knowing how to repair it'."

Jiang Hui said loudly, "Of this ten yuan, one mao is for the labor cost of disassembling and assembling the filter, and the remaining nine yuan and ninety cents is for my technical expertise in 'knowing where the root of the problem is'!"

"From now on, if anyone tells me clearly that their car's air filter is clogged and asks me to disassemble and clean it, I'll only charge one cent!"

Jiang Hui didn't want to leave people with the impression of being helpful and selfless.

He opened his car repair stall just to make money.

If you only charge a few cents today, it will be very difficult to charge a higher price in the future.

Although the number of cars in Beijing is not high at this time, there are still very few car repair shops!

For common malfunctions, people would have already asked someone they know to fix them. The ones that come to you are probably the toughest ones that others can't handle.

When dealing with such difficult problems, especially those involving imported cars, you have to be firm about your fees!

"Master Jiang is right! Ten yuan is well worth it!"

Without further hesitation, Zhang Wuchao pulled out a brand-new "Big Unity" bill from his pocket and handed it directly to Jiang Hui.

For him, the problem that no one else could fix was solved by Jiang Hui in no time, so the ten yuan was well spent!

Even if it costs a hundred or two hundred yuan today, he'll accept it—the boss's car has too many secrets, and he can't afford to delay it!

How could someone who drives for a leader not be quick-witted?

Zhang Wuchao knew exactly what was going on.

"Uncle Zhang is so generous!"

Jiang Hui didn't stand on ceremony, took the money, put it in his pocket, patted his chest, and said loudly, "From now on, everyone, if you encounter a car that no one else can fix, just come to me!"

"I'm not bragging, but in the entire city of Beijing, there's no car I can't fix; the only problem is finding the right parts!"

"If I can't fix it, I'll cover all the lost wages and gas costs!"

Jiang Hui couldn't possibly miss such a great publicity opportunity.

The driver circle is only so big, and they like to get together and chat when they have free time. He is certain that today's Crown repair incident, and his saying of "one cent for labor, nine dollars and ninety cents for technical skills", will definitely spread throughout the circle.

These days, life is monotonous, what we lack is fun and topics of conversation, and his way of speaking is exactly the best way to make a living.

"Okay! I'll definitely come to you if I ever encounter something I can't handle!"

Zhang Wuchao smiled and agreed, but kept his thoughts to himself.

Jiang Hui's skills today were indeed impressive, but we'll have to wait and see how capable he really is.

After Zhang Wuchao drove off in his Crown, Jiang Hui picked up his heavy toolbox, waved to the old neighbors who were watching the commotion, said goodbye, and then turned to walk back.

"Xiao Jiang, you're done already?"

Old Wu was squatting under the big poplar tree smoking when he saw Jiang Hui leisurely return and plop down on the toolbox to rest. He couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm!" Jiang Hui looked up, grinned, and said, "It's fixed, so I'll be back soon."

"Fixed?" Old Wu's curiosity was immediately piqued, his eyes widening. "Don't try to fool me! That's an imported car, and you fixed it in less than fifteen minutes?"

He heard it clearly; the car was an imported Crown. He thought Jiang Hui was going to be in trouble, but who would have thought it would be over so quickly?

"It's just a minor problem; others simply haven't found the root cause. With my help, it'll be a piece of cake!"

Jiang Hui was telling the truth, but Lao Wu just scoffed and didn't believe him at all.

He figured the kid must not have fixed it properly, but was too embarrassed to admit it, which was why he said that.

However, Old Wu didn't bring it up directly. Instead, he changed the subject, winking and leaning closer: "By the way, are you and Xiao Lin from our compound dating? I've been seeing you two together a lot lately!"

"Not yet."

Jiang Hui didn't intend to hide anything; things that happen in the alley can't be kept from the eyes of the neighbors.

"That girl, Kobayashi, is a good person! She's hardworking and kind-hearted, it's just that..."

Old Wu stopped mid-sentence, sighed, and didn't continue.

Who doesn't know the Lin family's difficulties?

With an elderly mother who is bedridden year-round and an older brother who is lame in one leg and blind in one eye, the entire burden of the family rests on the shoulders of Xiaolin, a young girl.

Old Wu clicked his tongue, feeling that no matter how he said it, it was inappropriate, so he simply shut his mouth, squatted on the ground, and started puffing away in silence.