Era: Craftsmen in the Siheyuan

Chapter 7

In the 50s, rock radios became very popular.

Tube radios were produced in limited quantities and were very expensive, and even ordinary working-class families could not afford them.

At the beginning of liberation, there were only more than 300 radios in Beijing, and no more than 100 million in the country. This shows how precious radios are!

Next year, the largest electronic tube factory in Asia at the time, the Jingcheng Electronic Tube Factory (the predecessor of BOE), will begin construction. After it is put into production, the 60s will be the spring of domestic radios, gradually entering thousands of households in the city.

When Xu Deyong returned to Siheyuan Hutong, it was not yet twelve o'clock.

Xu Nan was holding something in both hands and chatting with the old ladies and women in the neighborhood at the entrance of the alley.

Seeing Xu Deyong come back, a little surprise flashed in his eyes, which made him stop, and smiled and said to everyone: "My grandson is back. Everyone, look, my grandson looks good. Now he is making money by riding a three-wheeler. He bought ten pounds of it the day before yesterday. Noodles, I cut a pound of meat yesterday, and I was told to pay [-] cents a day from now on, so that I could save it for my wife."

"Then your grandson earns a lot a month!" someone sighed.

"No!" Xu Nan said proudly: "In the past, the old man rode a tricycle and it was more than enough to support the three of us. Since his grandfather left, the child has become sensible and willing to work. As long as he has this tricycle, the family will not have to worry about food and drink. There is still a balance every day. If you have a suitable girl, don’t forget to introduce it to my grandson.”

Xu Deyong was a little speechless, co-authoring Grandma was asking others to introduce someone to her, and she was selling melons to Mrs. Wang, and bragging about herself.

Everyone looked at Xu Deyong. They all knew or heard about what kind of person Xu Deyong was. It didn't mean anything if he got better for a while.

Even if he is introduced, he still needs to be observed for a period of time. Xu Deyong has no parents, no mother, no brothers and sisters, and no one to take care of him. This is also a shortcoming!

Besides, only those with formal jobs are popular nowadays. It is not easy for people like Xu Deyong to find someone with good looks and good conditions in the city.

At this time, Xu Nanshi saw the things in Xu Deyong's tricycle.

He looked at it carefully and said in surprise: "The clock can move! Deyong, has it been repaired? How much did it cost?"

Everyone gathered around to take a look. After all, a clock is a big item. It costs dozens or even hundreds to buy a new one, and many families don’t have one.

"Hey, you can really move!"

"what time is it now?"

……

The crowd was chattering.

"It's [-]:[-]," someone said.

Xu Deyong glanced at the old lady's questioning gaze.

Yes, you should give the old lady some face!
He said with a 'satisfied' look on his face: "The problem with this clock is not big. I spent [-] cents to buy some watch oil and parts, and I borrowed other people's tools and repaired it myself."

Xu Nanshi raised her voice and said in surprise: "Did you cultivate it yourself? Really?"

Xu Deyong raised his head and said, "Of course, I also repaired one for others, and they gave me the tools to offset the repair fee."

If he said he bought it for five yuan, the old lady would be heartbroken!
Xu Nanshi picked up the small sack and looked at it, only to see many clinking tools.

"Oh, these things cost several dollars." The aunt took a look and said.

Xu Nanshi was a little convinced, because Xu Deyong didn't have so much money to buy it.

"Oh, my grandson knows how to repair clocks. You said I didn't even know that. He spends all day learning messy things outside." Xu Nanshi sighed, but her face was full of excitement.

"De Yong is talented, he can also repair tricycles and clocks." The aunt said with a smile as her eyes moved.

"Really?" Some people didn't believe it.

The eldest mother said: "Yong Yong had to practice the third wheel yesterday morning. Many people in our courtyard saw it. They will know it as soon as they ask."

"It turns out that Deyong is hiding his secrets. He has so many skills at such a young age. It's amazing."

"Deyong repaired a clock for someone and got something worth several yuan. With this skill, why would he ride a three-wheeler? If he set up a stall and opened a shop, he could earn more."

……

Everyone praised it, and some families who had problems with their clocks and were reluctant to spend too much money to repair them started to think about it.

If we don't turn around and let Xu Deyong fix it, we can't move it anyway. How can the neighbors charge more?

Under the compliments of everyone, Xu Nan's face blossomed with smiles, and her grandson made her look happy.

Xu Deyong stood aside, looking like a handsome handsome man, ready to continue.

Sure enough, Xu Nan discovered the red box again and asked curiously: "What is this?"

Xu Deyong said: "Ore radio."

"Radio!" Xu Nan's voice was loud again. It was surprising how the things this grandson brought were different from each other.

After hearing this, everyone's attention shifted again. After all, the influence of radio is much greater than that of clocks.

"Oh, this is the opera box. I saw so and so listening to it at home with headphones. There are people singing opera in it. It's amazing." An old lady said.

“And I heard it doesn’t use electricity.”

……

Good guy, there is a lot of chatter in the ears, and everyone is very enthusiastic.

Xu Nanshi asked: "Can this person listen to people singing?"

Xu Deyong nodded and said: "Yes, but it's a bad one, and it was given as a gift by the person who repaired the clock."

"It's bad." Disappointment flashed across Xu Nan's face.

"I'm giving this as a gift. It's such a waste. I can't just listen to it and look good in the living room!" someone said.

"Deyong met a rich family. There must be hundreds of radios at home that can directly play the sound. Naturally, they don't care about such old and broken ones." You know.

……

After everyone finished speaking, Xu Deyong continued: "However, if you change the earphones, replace the broken parts inside, and make an antenna, you should still be able to hear."

"Can it be repaired?" Xu Nanshi's eyes lit up, and then she said: "Then it will cost a lot of money to buy headphones." Xu Deyong said: "It's about two or three yuan."

After hearing that it cost two or three yuan, Xu Nan was reluctant to part with it.

An old lady next to me said: "Two or three yuan is not a small amount of money."

Another woman said: "If I can buy a opera box for two or three dollars, I'm willing to spend it."

Yes, after all, this is a theater box where you can listen to operas.

"Grandma Deyong, if Deyong is repaired later, let me listen to it. I haven't heard of it yet." An old lady said.

Others also echoed, praising Xu Deyong, saying good words are free anyway.

Originally, Xu Nan didn't want to spend the money, but after hearing everyone talking about it, he gritted his teeth and said, "Deyong, are you sure you can fix it?"

Xu Deyong nodded and said: "It's almost the same."

It is just an ore radio with a simple structure, including an ore detector, coil, capacitor, splitter, binding post, earphone and other parts.

If the parts inside are broken, just buy parts and replace them.

"Okay." Xu Nan made up her mind and said, "Grandma will give you three yuan when you go home. You go buy something and repair the play box."

Everyone was even more enthusiastic when they heard that Xu Nanshi was willing to pay for repairs. Who didn't want to hear something new?

Jia Zhang was also in the crowd, keeping a cold face and saying nothing. Apparently she was unhappy seeing Xu Nan and Xu Deyong being in the limelight.

After all, she and Xu Nan often bickered in the courtyard.

"If this opera box is repaired, including the clock and the tricycle, you will have three big items in your house." A thoughtful person said.

When everyone thought about it, it was not the case.

Not to mention how Xu Deyong is, if you say you have these three things at home when you are talking about getting married, you will definitely be looked down upon.

At this time, the "three turns and one ring" method was not yet popular for marriage. After all, most families didn't have it, so there was no chance of it.

Wedding fashion is simply called "Four Ones": a double bed, a thermos, an enamel basin and a spittoon.

If there are "24 legs", it will be a good house, such as a large standing cabinet (four legs), a high and low cabinet (four legs), a dressing table (four legs), a dining table (four legs), and two chairs (eight legs).

Looking at the happy grandma surrounded by him, Xu Deyong quietly retired with success and fame!

Xu Nan couldn't hold back the smile on her face. This was the happiest day for her in more than ten years.

"I have to go home and cook for my grandson. After dinner, my grandson has to make money. I'll see you all later."

Xu Nan smiled and got rid of everyone and followed her grandson home.

Xu Deyong parked the tricycle, holding the box, clock, and a small sack containing tools in his hand.

Xu Nanshi smiled and complained: "You just do lazy work and come back to pick it up again. What if you fall down along the way?"

Xu Deyong said: "Your grandson is very strong, but this little thing is just drizzle."

After returning home, Xu Deyong put the clock back on the cabinet. The "tick-tick-tick" sound of the bell was extremely pleasant.

Xu Nanshi looked at it with a smile and said, "Move a little further to the left and straighten it out, otherwise it won't look good."

After Xu Deyong corrected himself, it was exactly twelve o'clock.

"Dang, Dang, Dang..."

The melodious bell rang, and finally another voice sounded in the two small rooms.

Xu Nanshi was entranced while listening, her body motionless, as if she was afraid that the bell would stop ringing if she moved.

Until the twelve rings are finished!
Xu Deyong turned around and saw that his grandma was already in tears.

He quickly went over and put his arms around the old lady's shoulders and said, "Grandma, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"

Xu Nanshi choked and wiped her tears and said, "I was thinking of that damn old man. I would be so happy if he didn't die... Hmm...!"

Xu Deyong was also a little sentimental. He patted the old lady's back gently and said, "Grandpa's spirit in heaven will definitely be able to hear it, and he will listen to it every day from now on!"

Xu Nanshi's emotions came and went quickly. She seemed a little embarrassed. She wiped away her tears and said, "I'll cook for you."

Seeing the old lady getting busy with a smile on her face, Xu Deyong shrugged, put the ore radio on the table and started tinkering.

This is a Yamei brand ore radio produced in Shanghai. It is unclear when it was produced.

Open the box cover to reveal a simple rotary button and mineral detector. There are two earphones and terminals for connecting the ground and bottom lines on both sides.

In short, the structure is very simple!
With the spread of radio knowledge and the development of industry, in the 60s, many young people from well-off families considered making their own mineral radios a very interesting thing.

These teenagers in my courtyard obviously do not belong to this category, and they don’t have much pocket money!

Remove the wooden panel containing the parts, and you can see the damage to the circuit at a glance. The quality of the parts must be carefully observed and judged, otherwise you will have to spend money in vain.

Fortunately, his eyesight has also improved, and it is definitely up to five point zero.

While checking, he muttered: "The ore detector should be broken, the coil is also aged, the variable capacitor... seems to be still working..."

Xu Nanshi glanced at Xu Deyong from time to time. She was curious about how her grandson cultivated.

However, after looking at it for a while, I felt that I had no intention of looking back. As long as I could listen to him, I didn't care how to fix it.

But when she thought about spending three yuan, she felt her heart ached.

This money has just been received and it’s not warm yet!

……

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(End of this chapter)