A few days ago, a neighbor posted in our WeChat group about a minor issue — his computer was showing a USB port power surge warning. I replied that it might be a motherboard problem, but he didn’t respond. I figured he’d found someone else to fix it and didn’t think much more of it.

Two days later, the neighbor suddenly said he’d confirmed the motherboard was damaged by a lightning strike and needed replacement. I agreed to check it out on Sunday. If it was really a motherboard issue, I’d recommend he buy a new one on JD.com along with some thermal paste, and help him install it. When I got to his place on Sunday, I was stunned — he’d bought a used motherboard off Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace)! I told him that was risky, but he said the seller claimed the motherboard was still under warranty.

Before starting the replacement, I told him: “Just so you know, I can’t be responsible if something goes wrong after the swap.” After I put it all together, the screen wouldn’t turn on no matter what. After two hours of troubleshooting — reseating the GPU and RAM, resetting the BIOS — I finally got it to boot. I verified everything was working, and the neighbor sent me a WeChat red envelope. I politely declined a couple times, then took it.

When I opened the envelope at home, it was only 66 RMB. I was dumbfounded. Honestly, a cleaning lady earns 80 RMB for two hours of work. This job involved both risk and mental effort, and it paid less than housekeeping.

Lessons learned:

1. Next time someone asks me to fix their computer, I’ll clearly explain the potential risks upfront
2. Agree on a price beforehand, and only start working after they accept
3. Used parts are a liability — if something breaks during installation, you can’t prove it wasn’t your fault

Consider it a lesson learned — making a friend. After all, I didn’t settle on a price beforehand.