Chapter 63: Bills and Circuits

00:15. Dormitory. Lower bunk. Wooden plank. Hard. Cold. Covered with old newspapers. Against damp. Lin Chen. Sat upright. Canvas bag. Spread open. Ledger. Graph paper. Fountain pen. Ink. Blue-black. Dried out. He. Dipped it in water. The nib. Scratched through. The paper.

Calculation. Rebuilt.

Assets. One hundred seventy-one yuan. Five jiao.

Gap. One hundred seven yuan. Three jiao.

Window. Sixteen hours.

Paths. Three.

One. Repair. Old instruments. Paid. By piece.

Two. Ghostwrite. Lab reports. Settled. Per report.

Three. Work-study. Offset. Advance pay.

He. Crossed out. Two. Three. Not enough. Time. No established. Reputation. The only. Viable one. One.

He. Got up. Dressed. Moved. Lightly. Without touching. The bed frame. Left foot. Tested. The floor. The scab. Split open. Pain. Sharp. He. Paused. Breathed. Shifted. His weight. To the right. Put on shoes. Tightened the laces. Tight. Canvas bag. Heavy. But. Steady. Went out.

00:30. Old equipment storeroom. Side door. Iron lock. Rusted. Key. Turned. Stiffly. Old Zhao. On duty. Cotton coat. Cuffs. Glossy with oil. Eyeglasses. Fogged. White breath. “Back. Again.” Lin Chen. Handed over. A list. “Multimeters. Power supplies. Oscilloscope. Probes. Faulty. Units. Batch. Repair.”

Old Zhao. Looked. At the list. Frowned. “Storeroom. Backlog. Teaching. Scrap. Thirty units. Fix one. Three yuan. Five. Break one. Money deducted. Tools. Your own. Parts. Find them yourself. Deadline. Tomorrow morning. Six o’clock. Delivery. Late. Void.”

Lin Chen. Nodded. Went in. The light. Dim yellow. Forty-watt. Incandescent bulb. The filament. Trembled faintly. In the air. Thick dust. Musty smell. Mixed with. Rosin. Old paper. Acid.

He. Squatted down. Sifted through. Wooden crates. Mixed spare parts. He. Picked out. Eight. MF47 multimeters. Meter movements. Sticking. Range. Switches. Oxidized. He. Picked out. Six. DC regulated power supplies. Filter capacitors. Bulging. Rectifier bridges. Burned out. He. Picked out. Four. Oscilloscope probes. Shielding cable. Broken. BNC sockets. Loose. He. Found. Three rolls. Insulating tape. One block. Rosin. Half a spool. Solder wire. Two sheets. Sandpaper. Half a bottle. Alcohol. One packet. Cotton swabs.

00:45. Back to the dorm. Desk surface. Cleared. He. Spread. Insulating paper. Set down. The first. Multimeter. Removed. The back cover. Screws. Rusted. Hard. To turn. He. Added force. Steadily. No slipping. The casing. Opened. Dust. Thick. Circuit board. Yellowed. Solder joints. Oxidized. Blackened. He. Tested. The meter movement. Coil resistance. Normal. The hairspring. Stuck together. He. Took. Alcohol. Cotton swabs. Wiped it clean. Contacts. Dry. Reassembled. Turned. Freely. He. Tested. The range switch. Oxidized. He. Removed. The contacts. Polished them. With sandpaper. Bright. Cleaned them. With alcohol. Dry. Reassembled. Contact. Good. He. Calibrated. Zero. The knob damping. Stiff. He. Applied force. Evenly. Without stripping. The pointer. Returned to zero. Accurately.

Time. One hour. Twenty minutes. First unit. Finished. He. Tested. Accuracy. Compared it. Against. Standard resistors. Error. Less than. Two percent. Passed. He. Recorded. Unit number. One. Fault. Description. Repair. Steps. Test. Data. The paper. Flat. Handwriting. Neat.

Second unit. Third unit. Fourth unit. The process. Repeated. The movements. Mechanical. But. Precise. No skipped. Steps. No omitted. Stages. Every time. He finished one. He tested. Accuracy. Recorded. Data. Filed it.

02:10. Left foot. Throbbing pain. Worse. The gauze. Bloodstained. Dried. Stuck fast. He. Put down the pen. Took off. His shoe. Tore open. The sock. The scab. Split. Deep. Edges. Whitish. No pus. He. Took. Iodophor. Cotton swab. Dabbed it on. The sting. Sharp. He. Bit his lip. Made no sound. Waited. For it to dry. Changed. The gauze. Wrapped it. Tight. Not too tight. The bleeding. Stopped. He. Put on his shoe. Tightened the laces. Tight. Shifted. His weight. To the right. Kept. Repairing.

Power supply. The sixth. Filter capacitor. Bulging. Leaking. He. Removed. The old part. Cut the leads. Cleaned. The pads. Rosin. Smoking. Pungent. He. Looked for. A replacement. In the storeroom. No exact match. He. Stopped. Looked. At the specs. Voltage rating. Fifty volts. Capacitance. One thousand microfarads. He. Found. Two capacitors. Rated. Sixty-three volts. Four hundred seventy microfarads. In parallel. Equivalent capacitance. Nine hundred forty microfarads. Voltage rating. Sixty-three volts. Enough margin. He. Calculated. Ripple current. Current sharing. Equalization resistors. In parallel. To balance. Leakage current. He. Drew. A wiring diagram. On paper. Specs. Marked clearly. He. Soldered. Bent the leads. Fixed them in place. Soldering iron. Heat applied. Solder fed. Withdrawn. The solder joints. Full. No burrs. No cold joints. He. Measured. Output. Voltage. Twelve volts. Stable. Ripple. Less than. Fifty millivolts. Passed.

04:30. All thirty units. Fully repaired. He. Spot-checked. Three. Accuracy. Within standard. Output. Stable. Probe continuity. Normal. He. Tidied. The desktop. No clutter. Wire ends. Straightened. Tools. Put back. Scrap parts. Bagged. Marked. He. Rolled up. The repair records. The pages. Flat. Handwriting. Neat. Thirty-one pages. No corrections.

04:50. Old equipment storeroom. Side door. Iron lock. Rusted. Key. Turned. Stiffly. Old Zhao. On duty. Cotton coat. Cuffs. Glossy with oil. Eyeglasses. Fogged. White breath. “Done. Already.” Lin Chen. Handed over. The list. And. The records.

Old Zhao. Looked. At the list. Frowned. Flipped through. The records. Page after page. Thirty-one. Dense data. No corrections. He. Spot-checked. Three units. Powered them on. Tested them. Pointer. Returned to zero. Voltage. Stable. Probe continuity. Normal. He. Looked up. At Lin Chen. Dark circles under his eyes. Lips. Cracked dry. Chilblains. Purplish. But his hands. Steady. Not shaking. In the cracks of his fingernails. Rosin. And copper rust.

“All right. Thirty-five units. Three yuan. Five. One hundred twenty-two yuan. Five. Cash. On the spot.” He. Took out. The money. The bills. Old. But. Flat. Handed them over.

Lin Chen. Took it. Slipped it into. The inner pocket. His fingers. Touched. The edge. Of the ledger. Curled. The paper. Rough. Rubbing. Against skin.

Old Zhao. “Tomorrow morning. Seven o’clock. Academic Affairs Office. Submit. The provincial competition. Registration form. Bring. Cash. Settle on the spot. Late. They won’t wait.”

“Understood.”

Lin Chen. Slung. The canvas bag. On his back. Went out. The corridor. Empty. Footsteps. Fell on the terrazzo floor. Echoes. Short. Cold.

05:00. Dormitory. Lower bunk. Wooden plank. Hard. Cold. Lin Chen. Sat down. The canvas bag. On his knees. Zipper. Opened. Metal sound. Cold. He. Took out. Graph paper. Drafting pencil. Eraser. Ruler. Arranged them. On the desk. Old. Paint flaking. Wood grain split. He. Pulled out a sheet. Smoothed it flat. Held it down with the ruler. Drew. A table. Horizontal axis. Item. Vertical axis. Amount. Marked the scale. Registration fee. One hundred twenty. Deposit. Fifty. Train fare. Eighteen. Lodging. Sixty. Meals. Thirty. Total. Two hundred seventy-eight yuan. Eight jiao.

Assets. One hundred seventy-one yuan. Five jiao. Plus. One hundred twenty-two yuan. Five jiao. Total. Two hundred ninety-three yuan. Five jiao.

Margin. Fourteen yuan. Seven jiao.

He. Stopped writing. Looked. Out the window. The sky. Gray-white. Wind. Lifted dead leaves. Scraped. Across. The window glass. A dry rustle. He. Did not panic. Path. Switched. Detailed budget. Compilation. Began.

He. Wrote. Source statement.

One. Library. Part-time. Stipend. Forty-five yuan. Attached. Copy. Of duty sign-in sheet.

Two. Old instrument. Repair labor. One hundred twenty-two yuan. Five jiao. Attached. Storeroom acceptance form. And. Old Zhao’s signature.

Three. Provincial competition. Advanced group. Practical test. First place. Reward. Four yuan. Attached. Copy. Of lab assessment transcript.

Four. Personal. Savings. Remaining balance. One hundred twenty-two yuan. Attached. Copy. Of ledger transaction pages.

Total. Two hundred ninety-three yuan. Five jiao. Covers. Budget. Of two hundred seventy-eight yuan. Eight jiao. Margin. Fourteen yuan. Seven jiao. For. Emergency. Medicine. And. Spare consumables.

He. Checked. The numbers. Three times. No errors. He. Fastened. The attachments. With paper clips. Pages. Flat. No creases. He. Put them. Into. A transparent document sleeve. Sealed it. Stuck on. A label. Provincial Competition. Budget. And Source Statement. Lin Chen. Student number. Date.

05:40. Cold water. Washed his face. Bitterly cold. He. Dried it off. Changed the dressing. Iodophor. Cotton swab. The edge. Of the scab. Whitish. No seepage. Wrapped it. Tight. Put on shoes. Tightened the laces. Canvas bag. Heavy. But. Steady. Went out.

06:00. Academic Affairs Office. Duty room. Door. Not open yet. He. Sat. On the corridor bench. Wooden plank. Hard. Cold. The air. Congealed. Breath. White mist. Drifted apart. He. Closed his eyes. In his head. No curves. Only. Numbers. Routes. Time. Window. Physical limit. Three lines. Crossing. In the dark. Not colliding. Not tangling. Each. Moving forward.

06:30. Door. Opened. The duty teacher. Pushed it open. Came out. Looked at his watch. “Submitting. What.” Lin Chen. Stood up. Handed over. The document sleeve. And. The cash envelope. Sealed shut. With a strip. The teacher. Took it. Opened. The envelope. Counted. The money. Bills. Old. But. Flat. Coins. New. No rust. Total. Two hundred seventy-eight yuan. Eight jiao. Correct. He. Opened. The document sleeve. Looked. At the budget form. Checked. The figures. Looked. At the source statement. Checked. The attachments. Sign-in sheet. Acceptance form. Transcript. Ledger transaction pages. Copies. Clear. No corrections. The logic. Closed-loop. Traceable.

“All right. Received. By four this afternoon. Submit. The formal. Budget form. For the Academic Affairs Office stamp. Late. They won’t wait.”

“Understood.”

Lin Chen. Turned. Went back to the dorm. Wind. Passed through. The corridor. A low howl.

08:00. Laboratory. Iron door. Open. Heating. Not on. Room temperature. Below zero. Old Li. Pushed in. Military coat. Collar. Turned up. Chalk dust. On his shoulders. He. Knocked. On the blackboard. Three times. Chalk. Snapped. White dust. Drifted down.

“Provincial competition. Roster. Posted. Advanced group. Nine people. All. Selected. Grouping. To be decided. By drawing lots. Tomorrow. The results. Will be posted. Training outline. This afternoon. Distributed. Bring. A loaded. Test system. Must provide. Your own. High-frequency probe. And. Shielded box. Specifications. See attachment. If you can’t make it. Eliminated.”

He. Paused. His gaze. Swept over. Lin Chen. “Lin Chen. Stay. There’s work.”

The students. Stood up. Packed up. Left. Footsteps. Mixed. Door opened. Door shut. Wind. Poured in. Cold.

In the lab. Only two people. Left. Old Li. Walked to. Lin Chen’s desk. Set down. A document. Thick paper. Printed. Clear text. Provincial Electronic Design Competition. Regional Technical Specification. V2.0.

“High-frequency probe. Bandwidth. One hundred megahertz. Impedance. Ten megaohms. Compensation capacitance. Adjustable. Shielded box. Aluminum. Lined inside with. Conductive foam. Ground terminal. M4. Fixed spec. Fixed parameters. The storeroom. Has none. Must be self-made. Or purchased. Purchase channels. Attached at the back. Price. Starts at three hundred twenty. Self-made. Requires. Drawings. And process description. Deadline. Tomorrow. Twelve noon. Submit. A plan. Only after. Approval. Can you compete.”

Lin Chen. Looked. At the document. Reached out. Touched. The paper. Cold. But. Weighty. He. Did not hesitate. Opened his bag. Took out. The ledger. Its edges. Curled. The paper. Rough. Rubbing. Against skin. He. Turned. The pages. Dense numbers. No corrections.

Assets. Margin. Fourteen yuan. Seven jiao.

Purchase. Three hundred twenty. Gap. Three hundred five yuan. Three jiao.

Self-made. Material cost. About. Eighty yuan. Time window. Thirty-six hours. Process difficulty. High. Requires. Precision machining. And. High-frequency tuning.

He. Stopped writing. Looked. Out the window. The sky. Dark. No stars. Wind. Passed through. The window cracks. A low howl. He. Did not panic. Path. Switched. Alternative plan. Began.

Old Li. “Budget. And source statement. The Academic Affairs Office. Already took them. Stamped copy. This afternoon. Four o’clock. Pick it up. File it.”

“Understood.”

Lin Chen. Slung. The canvas bag. On his back. Went out. The corridor. Empty. Footsteps. Fell on the terrazzo floor. Echoes. Short. Cold.

He. Touched. His pocket. The edge. Of the ledger. Curled. The paper. Rough. Rubbing. Against skin.

He. Felt. Neither joy. Nor grief. In his head. Only. Equations. Routes. Countermeasures. Time. Window. Physical limit. Three lines. Crossing. In the dark. Not colliding. Not tangling. Each. Moving forward.

He. Walked. Stride length. Thirty centimeters. Without stepping. On the frost line.

Ahead. The bulletin board. Posted. A new notice. White paper. Black characters. Provincial competition. Grouping. Draw results. Posted. Lin Chen. And. Chen Hao. Same group. Technical report. Requires. Both signatures. Deadline. Tomorrow. Eighteen hundred hours.

He. Stopped. Looked. Same group. With Chen Hao. Dual signature. He. Took note. Of the parameter. Requirements. Route.

He. Turned around. Went back to the dorm. Wind. Passed through. The corridor. A low howl.

He. Closed his eyes. In his head. No curves. Only. Solder joints. Temperature. Time. Molten solder. Solidifying. Three lines. Crossing. In the dark. Not colliding. Not tangling. Each. Moving forward.

He. Opened his eyes. Stride length. Thirty centimeters. Without stepping. On the frost line.

Forward.