Jiang Ran understood.
“That isn’t really anything difficult, it’s just…”
He scratched his head.
It was just that… wasn’t this wish a little too small?
He couldn’t shake the feeling that using it on such a minor thing was truly a bit unfair to Qin Feng.
After all, his previous wish had been to bring his father back to life. Yet now, after compromising and settling for less, it had shrunk down into buying a circuit control board…
All because of guilt.
Jiang Ran kept wanting Qin Feng to make some grand, meaningful wish.
“Qin Feng, this is official club business~”
Cheng Mengxue’s mind worked quickly.
“Modifying the Yang Electron Cannon should count as our club’s official business.”
“Since it’s official business, we shouldn’t use up your personal wish opportunity for it… right?”
She cast a look at Jiang Ran.
“Right, right, right.”
Jiang Ran caught on and smiled faintly.
“Qin Feng, Xiaoxue is right. This wish counts as the club’s, not your own. We’ll handle it separately later.”
“Think about it some more. Is there any personal wish that belongs to you alone? This kind of chance is rare… you should get some benefit for yourself.”
However…
Qin Feng shrugged.
“I really can’t think of anything on the spot. I’ve always had very little desire for material things.”
But he also didn’t want to dampen the mood.
“How about this?”
He looked left and right at Jiang Ran and Cheng Mengxue.
“Why don’t… you give me another two days to think about it?”
“After all, if you suddenly ask me to come up with something, I honestly can’t. Why not give me a little more time to consider it?”
“Two days from now, if I can think of a better wish, I’ll use the better wish. If I really can’t think of anything, then how about I still use the wish for the control board?”
Jiang Ran gave a hum of agreement.
“Sure.”
What Qin Feng said made sense.
The space-time text message could be sent a bit later. Let him think about it some more.
…
That evening.
Because the School of Arts had a performance, Cheng Mengxue went to the venue for rehearsal.
Only Jiang Ran and Qin Feng were left in the activity room.
Qin Feng was still fiddling with the Yang Electron Cannon, while Jiang Ran sat on the sofa reading.
After a long while, he finished the book.
Jiang Ran placed the book on the coffee table and looked at Qin Feng.
“What have you been tinkering with this whole time?”
He was somewhat puzzled.
“The Yang Electron Cannon is already very perfect now. What are you still busy with?”
“Perfect?”
Qin Feng chuckled.
“Far from it.”
He straightened up and stretched.
“Did you forget? Right now, the Yang Electron Cannon can only run for 0.7 seconds. With such a short time, we can only barely send one text message, which is seventy characters.”
“And every time it runs, the capacitor bursts and burns out. Replacing it is extremely inconvenient.”
“I’m trying to see if there’s any way to solve this problem. Either make it run for a few more seconds and increase the margin for error, or simply add a self-protection function that forcibly cuts the power before the capacitor bursts, saving us some trouble.”
“All right.”
Jiang Ran leaned back against the sofa.
It was right to prepare for a rainy day.
At present, a limit of seventy characters per text message was more than enough. It could basically solve any problem.
But if…
In the future, they truly needed to use a longer word count…
Then they would have to make the Yang Electron Cannon last a little longer, so they could send two text messages in succession, or even multiple messages.
In short, something like covering fire could go unused, but it couldn’t be absent.
“But it’s too hard.”
Qin Feng put down the tool in his hand.
“I don’t dare take apart the picture tube in the core section. Just messing around with the external circuitry… I can’t really accomplish anything.”
“To be honest, I’m about ready to give up too. After all, this is a leftover issue with the internal structure. You can’t make up for it through external operations alone.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
“If it really won’t work, then forget it. The Chinese language is vast and profound. Seventy characters are completely enough.”
“Don’t get any crooked ideas about taking apart the core component, all right? That thing looks like a picture tube, but who the hell knows what its actual structure is… once you take it apart, there’s absolutely no fixing it. If that happens, we’ll lose the big picture over a small detail.”
“I’m not stupid.”
Qin Feng snorted.
“There’s only this one thing in the whole world, an accidental product cobbled together from bits and pieces. Of course we have to protect it well.”
“Otherwise… I definitely wouldn’t have been able to resist taking it apart long ago.”
The clock ticked away, nearing ten o’clock.
The lights in the club activity building gradually went out, and the two of them also prepared to leave.
After packing up their things,
Qin Feng suddenly turned back and looked at Jiang Ran.
“Want to go drink some beer?”
“Now?” Jiang Ran was a little surprised.
“Yeah. Xiaoxue isn’t here anyway, and the weather’s getting hot. How about we go have some late-night barbecue like we haven’t in ages?”
It had to be said,
the idea was extremely tempting.
What man could refuse a meal of barbecue and two bottles of beer in cool weather?
“Let’s go.”
With a grand wave of his hand, Jiang Ran left the club activity building with him and headed toward the school gate.
“Should we call Wang Hao?”
Jiang Ran suggested.
“The barbecue place is really close to his school. It’s been a long time since the three of us ate together too.”
“Sure.”
Qin Feng agreed without hesitation.
“Call him. We can catch up.”
…
Wang Hao was the class monitor of their high school class. Not long ago, he had even posted a notice about a class reunion in the WeChat group.
In the two years since they came to Donghai for school, Jiang Ran, Qin Feng, and Wang Hao had often made plans to have a little barbecue together. They were on very good terms in daily life.
Come to think of it,
Jiang Ran had known Wang Hao even earlier than he’d known Qin Feng.
The two of them had attended the same middle school. Jiang Ran was in Class 1, Wang Hao was in Class 3, and by coincidence, Cheng Mengxue was also in Class 3.
Wang Hao had been a “social butterfly” since childhood. He called everyone his brother and had excellent popularity. He knew half the boys in Jiang Ran’s class and always liked running over to play during breaks.
So through that connection, back and forth, Jiang Ran and Wang Hao also became friends.
“Don’t worry. Wang Hao is the kind of guy who ranks first when it comes to eating and drinking. If you call him out for a meal, he’ll definitely be more enthusiastic than anyone.”
Jiang Ran laughed as he picked up his phone and called Wang Hao.
“No problem! Hell yeah! I’ll be there right away!”
Wang Hao agreed at once.
“I’ve been too broke lately, so I’ll take the bus over. I’ll get there a little later than you guys.”
“When you two get there, start drinking first. Save the booze for me! I’ll make up for it when I arrive!”
Just as expected.
Wang Hao was exactly that kind of gluttonous drinking fool.
Call him and he’d come. Once he drank, he’d drink too much.
After hanging up, Qin Feng reached out to hail a taxi, and they set off.
…
The journey took twenty minutes.
The taxi arrived at the night market street. Jiang Ran and Qin Feng went to the restaurant they often visited, ordered alcohol, and had the dishes brought out.
After a few cups went down, as cups clinked and toasts were exchanged, many heartfelt words came spilling out.
“I hope you don’t hate me.”
Jiang Ran set down his glass.
“I know you’ve always been magnanimous, and I know I keep bringing this matter up over and over, which makes me seem a bit nagging and fussy.”
“But Qin Feng… I still want to say that I hope you won’t dislike me because of this. I know what I did was really dishonorable, but—”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Qin Feng interrupted him and chuckled softly.
“How could I possibly hate you? You’re my lifelong good friend. I will never hate you.”
He picked up his beer glass, drained it in one go, and set it down on the table with a thud.
“Jiang Ran.”
His voice was low.
“Do you still remember… how we started hanging out together?”