249 In the Dead Center
The department store had five floors. At the entrance of the first floor, a sign showed the main products of each floor. The first floor was filled with various electrical appliances and industrial products. The second, third, and fourth floors were filled with clothes and shoes. The fifth floor was filled with toys and various miscellaneous items.
The department store was very lively at night. Most of the people came here to shop after dinner.
As soon as she entered, Yu Bing went to the counter to look at watches. S City’s watches were very famous. Most of the watches on the counter were domestic. The only imported watches were all from well-known brands. After a few decades, they had become luxury goods, so they weren’t cheap now.
In the end, Yu Bing hesitated over three watches. Two of them were from a famous domestic brand from S City, and the other one was from a foreign brand. “How much are these watches?”
The salesperson played with her nails as she glanced at them and said “The Plum Brand one costs 120 yuan, while the Peonie Brand one costs 180 yuan, and the WM Brand one costs 280 yuan.”
The salesperson at the counter watched the two of them look at the watches for more than ten minutes. With the watches on the counter, she couldn’t go anywhere, so she was a little impatient. “I’ll put the watches back inside the counter first. You guys can take your time choosing until closing time.”
When Yu Bing saw the salesperson’s attitude, she felt angry, but she endured it.
At this time, there were no private enterprises and all enterprises were state-owned, so it was impossible for these salespeople to feel the need to provide good service. This was the advantage of having a monopoly. Even if Yu Bing changed to another department store, she would receive the same service.
When Xiao Sheng saw that Yu Bing couldn’t make up her mind, he pointed at the Peonie Brand and said, “Choose this one.”
The Peonie Brand watch had a round watch shell that was small and exquisite. The dial was simple and elegant. The three-dimensional scale and needle were also golden in color, but there were black edges. It looked very sophisticated and easy to read. The silver-white chain strap was low-key but tasteful.
Then, Xiao Sheng analyzed it for Yu Bing. “Although the style of Plum Brand watch is classic, it’s more suitable for women over the age of 30. The WM Brand watch’s design is very creative and unique. But if it appears in the village, I guarantee that you will immediately become the latest topic of conversation in the village.”
When Yu Bing thought of the gossipy villagers that rivaled the paparazzi of the modern era, she burst out laughing. She looked at the salesperson, who had already run to chat with her colleagues, and shouted, “I want this Peony Brand watch.”
Only then did the salesperson slowly walk over and take out the watch from the counter again. Then, she picked up the receipt beside her and started writing. “180 yuan, one watch stamp, one industrial stamp each.”
After Yu Bing handed over the money and stamps, she picked up her watch happily. After the two of them left the counter, Yu Bing said to Xiao Sheng, “If jobs are no longer so secure in the future, I think the first person to be fired will be that salesperson from just now.”
Xiao Sheng smiled and said, “How is that possible? How can a state-owned enterprise go bankrupt? It’s not like collective industries, or private companies overseas, which can go bankrupt at the drop of a hat.”
Indeed, it was impossible for people of this era to imagine the monumental economic reform that would happen a few years later. Yu Bing couldn’t reveal too much, so she could only whisper with a mysterious expression, “Young man, you’re still young. How can there be anything in this world that remains the same forever?”
After Xiao Sheng thought about it with a frown, he felt that Yu Bing’s words did make sense. Then, he looked at Yu Bing and said curiously, “You always have so many outlandish ideas in your mind. Moreover, you’re very bold!”
When Xiao Sheng said she was bold, other than referring to the fact that Yu Bing, a girl, dared to get involved in the black market, he was also referring to the fact that she seemed to have an inexplicable optimism about the future. However, this optimism was unrelated to anything they had experienced now, such as buying books to prepare for the college entrance examination, or Yu Bing’s inadvertent revelation that she was optimistic about the future economic situation.
Of course, if Yu Bing had not been reborn, she probably would have had the same conservative view of the future as Xiao Sheng. However, she knew the future. If she didn’t do anything about it, she would feel that she had let down the opportunity the heavens had given her!
Because she knew that Xiao Sheng was trustworthy, sometimes, Yu Bing couldn’t help but let things slip. When she heard Xiao Sheng’s question, she only smiled and gave an ambiguous answer. “Fullness for the bold, famine for the timid. I’m in the dead center and barely get by.”
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This is the end of Part One, and