Chapter 627: Watching TV Is a Big Deal

Goldie Thorne placed the television on a cabinet in the living room. He had specifically asked Adrian Hawthorne to teach him how to operate it. The most important part was the antenna; without one, it couldn’t receive a signal. Although the TV came with its own pair of rabbit ears, Millstone Peak was so remote that the reception was terrible, so it needed an external antenna.

"Jim, take this upstairs and mount it. The higher, the better."

Goldie Thorne tied a coil of wire, wound tight like a resistor, to a wooden frame. He then connected a cable from it to the television’s rabbit ears. Jim Thorne excitedly ran upstairs, while Patrick Thorne went into the yard to help coordinate, as Goldie needed to tune the channels.

He flicked the power switch, and the screen filled with hissing static. Goldie Thorne turned the channel dial—CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. The sound of the knob twisting so forcefully made Byron Thorne’s chest tighten, and he couldn’t stop himself from yelling, "Be gentle with that thing!"

’This thing cost over a thousand yuan! I feel like I should be putting it on an altar and worshiping it. That damn spendthrift third son of mine... I’m going to kill him one of these days.’

"Dad, it’s supposed to be turned! That’s how you change the channel. You wouldn’t understand!" Goldie Thorne said, continuing to twist the dial. The screen remained a field of static.

Goldie Thorne twisted it a few more times, but still, there was only static. Growing impatient, he smacked the top of the television a couple of times—THWACK, THWACK. ’Adrian Hawthorne told me to give it a few knocks if the signal was bad,’ he thought. ’This thing is like a bratty kid—always acting up. Sometimes a good smack is all it takes to make it behave.’

"What are you hitting it for?! If you break it, I’ll break your hands!" Raina couldn’t sit still any longer. ’Smacking that precious thing that cost over a thousand yuan... he might as well just hit me instead! That little rascal... he just wait. I have to find him a formidable wife to straighten him out, otherwise, he’ll get completely out of control.’

Tang Xiaonan covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. ’I can already predict what a miserable life Uncle Goldie is going to have,’ she thought. ’Grandpa and Grandma nagged him for half a year over a can of Coke that cost two-fifty. For a TV that costs over a thousand, they’re probably going to skin him alive.’

Goldie Thorne was still basking in the glory of showing off. Even though he could feel the death glares from his parents, he wasn’t scared. ’Once Mom and Dad see what’s on TV, they’re going to fall in love with it,’ he thought.

"Patrick, tell Jim to hold it higher!" Goldie Thorne roared.

Patrick Thorne yelled the message from outside, and Jim Thorne obediently held the antenna higher. Goldie Thorne twisted the dial a few more times, and finally, a blurry human figure appeared on one of the channels. The villagers erupted with excitement. The small living room was crammed with people, and many more were craning their necks to see from the yard, packing the area so tightly that you couldn’t get through.

Although Byron Thorne and Raina’s hearts still ached over the thousand-plus yuan, they couldn’t help but feel a little smug seeing the villagers crowding around them. ’Even when our eldest son bought a bicycle, it didn’t cause this much of a sensation,’ they thought. ’This TV is the first in the entire township! It’s just... a little too expensive.’

"There’s a person on the screen, but it’s too blurry to see."

"Goldie’s not done tuning it yet, just wait a bit. I wonder if this box was made by immortals. How else could there be little people inside it!"

"I wonder what the little people for our Millstone Peak will look like. Are they good-looking? I want to watch an opera, *Tiger Warren Snatches a Bride*."

"What’s so good about Tiger Warren? If we’re watching something, it should be *The Story of Yu Tangchun*. Buena’s performance is the best."

"I prefer Wendy Ward."

...

The television wasn’t even working properly yet, but the villagers had already launched into a discussion about theater. People in those days didn’t have much interest in movies or television; what they really loved was Yue Opera. The older folks, in particular, never tired of it, and most could even hum a few tunes.

After a few more adjustments, the image finally grew a little clearer, but it was still blurry. Goldie Thorne was so anxious his forehead was beaded with sweat. ’It was perfectly clear when Adrian Hawthorne tuned it,’ he fretted. ’Why won’t it work for me?’