Chapter 4

Zhao Jianguo squatted under the Wall Base behind the sink; when his fingertip brushed the faucet, his ring gave a slight tremor. He kept a neutral face, acting as if his sleeve had snagged a brick joint, but he knew—this thing was reminding him again.

The heat from yesterday was still swirling in his mind, three problems: Electric Wire joint loose, door hinge lacking oil, faucet rusted dead. He had already figured out yesterday that if these three were fixed neatly, the system might grant something new. Now looking, indeed, the ring quivered, as if urging death.

He stood up and returned to the house, casually pulling a Cloth Bundle from the spatial ring; opening it revealed pliers, wire, a half sheet of sandpaper, and several thin iron sheets, all hidden there two days ago. These items looked shabby, but they were sufficient for him.

A faucet, as long as there are people, gets turned daily; once rusted it drips and leaks, an annoying sound and waste of water. Zhao Jianguo unscrewed it and saw the inner gasket had turned to mush; he used a piece of wire to clean out the rot. He took a piece of white iron sheet from the Cloth Bundle, cut it into a ring, sanded the edge, slipped it in and tightened, sealing it tightly.

He opened the faucet again; water rushed out noisily, with not a single drop leaking.

He curled the corner of his mouth, said nothing, packed the tools back into the Cloth Bundle, and casually tossed the old gasket into the nearby Garbage Rule pile. The thing was black and coal‑ash like, useless to keep.

Just as he stood, Footsteps came from outside. He looked up and saw Yanbugui shuffling in through the Courtyard Gate, clutching an abacus, pulling and pushing it as he walked.

"Hey? Little Zhao, what are you squatting here for?" Yanbugui glanced at the pliers still in his hand, his brows instantly furrowing into a deep V, "That faucet… you touched it?"

Zhao Jianguo didn't flinch, slipped the pliers behind him, and said evenly, "I didn't touch it, just looked."

"Just look?" Yanbugui sneered, "You think I'm blind? The faucet was dripping a moment ago, now it's dry—if you didn't fix it, who did? It's public property; you dare tamper with it? If something goes wrong later, who'll be responsible?"

Zhao Jianguo finally stood up slowly and said, "San Daye, you cursed three times last night before sleep, 'so noisy it hurts the brain,' remember? It was because the door hinge squeaked all night, and you couldn't sleep."

Yanbugui was taken aback, his face a bit unsettled, "I was scolding myself, you fixing yours? Two different matters."

"But I can't sleep either?" Zhao Jianguo pointed to the East Wing Room, "The walls are thin; when you shout, I hear everything. This morning I thought, since I'm idle, might as well fix it."

Speaking, he pulled a small oil flask—actually a repurposed empty ink bottle—filled with a bit of waste machine oil, crouched and poured it onto the door hinge. Two clicks, pushing the door back and forth twice, and the harsh "squeak" vanished.

Meal Ticket - Rice

The He family's daughter‑in‑law, who was hanging laundry, heard the noise and poked her head out: "Hey, the door isn't making a sound anymore?"

"Exactly," Zhao Jianguo clapped his hands, "Just a minor issue; a little oil fixes it."

Yanbugui stood there, opened his mouth, but could only manage, "…you kid, you do find excuses," then turned and left.

Zhao Jianguo didn't chase after an explanation, packed away the tools, and felt pleased inside. He knew this hurdle was cleared. In a Siheyuan, they don't fear you acting, they fear you act without leaving a way out for others. His move "eliminating noise for the people" neither grabbed the spotlight nor cost anything, and no one could find a fault with it.

Spatial Ring - Space Ring

The old Electric Wire on the back wall of the Kitchen had its sheath cracked, the joint bound with hemp rope, swaying in the wind as if about to fall. Zhao Jianguo fetched a small stool, stepped onto it, and Li Xiaohua burst out of the room, pulling aside the curtain.

"What are you doing? Get down!" Her voice rose immediately, "If you fall, what then? Who will treat you?"

"Mom, just two minutes." Zhao Jianguo steadied himself, "If that wire is left unattended, one day it could short and we'll all have to sleep outside."

Upon hearing "short", Li Xiaohua's legs went weak, but she still stared fixedly: "Then hurry up! Don't show off!"

Zhao Jianguo nodded, pulled out a roll of insulating tape from the ring—this was something he had casually stored during his last sign-in, never used. He quickly rewrapped the joint, added two extra turns for reinforcement, and as he came down he kicked the stool back to the wall base with his foot.

Just then, the ring suddenly grew hot (the ring had become the system's carrier).

【Ding! Cumulative completion of three basic maintenance tasks】

【System judgment: technical application meets standard】

【Reward issued: 《Intermediate Maintenance Manual》 (electronic version already infused into consciousness)】

A warm current slowly flowed into his mind. Zhao Jianguo's vision went black, he swayed before steadying himself.

After that force passed, he noticed something extra in his mind—not text, not an image, more like… a "feeling". For example, upon seeing a ladle, he could instantly figure out where to save effort; seeing a door lock, he knew how to modify it to be more convenient.

He lowered his head to look at his hand; it seemed unchanged, yet somehow different.

After returning home, Zhao Erniu was sitting at the small table looking at drawings; hearing the movement, he glanced up and asked, "You just fixed the electric wire?"

Zhao Jianguo gave an "uh" and said no more.

"Who taught you?" Zhao Erniu frowned, "No one in our family knows this."

"I learned by watching you fix machines." Zhao Jianguo casually picked up a piece of scrap iron from beside the stove, "You always say effort should be saved through cleverness; I was thinking tools can be improved too."

Speaking, he picked up scissors, snipped a ladle shape with a few click-clicks, bent the handle slightly, then welded on an iron hook. When finished, he lifted it to demonstrate: "Try it—when lifting water, hook the hook onto your finger, saving half the effort."

Zhao Erniu took it, weighed it in his hand, his brows slowly relaxed: "This… really is handy."

"Look here," Zhao Jianguo pointed at the ladle's bottom, "I added an extra layer, so it's not easy to crack. I rolled the edge, so it won't cut your hand."

Li Xiaohua also came over to look: "This ladle… how many years can it last?"

"I wouldn't dare say ten years, but five or six is fine." Zhao Jianguo smiled, "The iron is thick, the welds solid; if it wears out I'll just make a new one."

Zhao Erniu stared at the ladle for a while, then suddenly asked, "You… really never learned this before?"

"No." Zhao Jianguo shook his head, "I just like to tinker."

Zhao Erniu didn't ask further, but his gaze changed. Before, he saw his son as an honest kid who could endure hardship but wasn't outstanding. Now looking again, he always felt something was off—this kid seemed to have gained an invisible ruler overnight, measuring everything accurately.

Early the next morning, Zhao Jianguo was busy in the courtyard again. This time he improved the faucet washer. He made a double-layered one, adding a bit of soft cloth in the middle; after tightening it, the water flow became steadier and the switch lighter. He deliberately tested it in the courtyard, his movements not fast but each step neat.

As Sha Zhu passed by, holding a bowl of congee, he saw him squatting there fiddling with parts and couldn't help stopping: "Hey, little Zhao, what are you tinkering with again?"

"Just improving the washer." Zhao Jianguo didn't look up, "The old one's too hard, it doesn't seal tight."

"You still know how to do this?" Sha Zhu squatted to look, "The stove in our cafeteria keeps leaking air; I've fixed it three times with no luck. Why don't… you go take a look sometime?"

"Sure." Zhao Jianguo installed the new washer, tightened it, turned on the water, "Listen, does it still drip?"

The water flowed thin and steady, not a single drop leaked.

Sha Zhu slapped his thigh: "Oh! Your hands are more skillful than the factory repairmen! Your dad is a Seventh-Level Fitter—you're practically heading for Eighth Level!"

Zhao Jianguo smiled, didn't respond, just shoved the tools into the cloth bundle: "Just a small job, nothing much."

Sha Zhu watched him pack up the tools, then suddenly asked, "Your bundle… doesn't it hold a lot? Why does it seem like you can never pull everything out?"

Zhao Jianguo paused, looked up: "It's the old tool bag San Daye gave me, with a hidden layer sewn in."

"Oh…" Sha Zhu nodded, but his eyes lingered two extra times.

Zhao Jianguo didn't mind, picked up the bundle and went back inside. Just as he entered, the ring warmed slightly again, as if reminding him of something.

He stood by the table, opened the 《Intermediate Maintenance Manual》—not a real book, but pages of content automatically surfacing in his mind. He stared at it for a moment, then noticed a vague hint on the last page:

"Technical contribution points are accumulating; the next stage unlock is pending."

He closed the "book" and walked to the window.

In the courtyard, Sha Zhu had already walked away, still holding his bowl of congee. The faucet made a drip-drop sound, the new washer holding it steady, leaving only a thin thread of water.

Zhao Jianguo stared at that water line, slowly raising his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the ring.

The next second, he suddenly crouched down, pulling out a loose thread from the sole of his shoe.

This shoe needs mending.