Life 1984

When Gong Jie saw the number on the tag, which was actually US$5.6, she was so frightened that she almost threw away the clothes in her hand and said repeatedly to Li Yunhai: "It's too expensive, I don't want to buy it. No matter how beautiful it is, I won't buy it." "

Li Yunhai reached out to take the skirt and smiled helplessly.

In Gong Jie's opinion, it is definitely impossible for the clothes here to cost 56 US dollars, but 560 US dollars is enough, right? $5600 is a sky-high price!
Who knew poverty really limited her imagination.

No wonder the black pearl salesman just left when he saw that they were from China and stopped accepting them.

Prices in the United States are divided into several extremes. Electrical appliances are much cheaper than in my country, but the prices of other things are relatively high. The other extreme is luxury goods.

Western developed countries and regions have many wealthy people because of hundreds of years of industrialization.But because it is a country of immigrants, there are too many people at the bottom.

Rich people only buy expensive things, and expensive things are right for them.

Some people cost hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to customize a suit. When driving, they only buy custom-made suits with added bulletproof, weight, and functions, and some even have gold plating.

This is also the reason why people from China will be greatly impacted in their thinking after coming to the United States.

Upper decision decided by the economic background.In China, you break a penny in half and spend it, but when you go to the United States, you find that people here spend money like water and alcohol.Why not let people subvert their three views and reshape their thinking?

US$5.6 is an astronomical figure to Chinese people, but to wealthy Americans, it may be just the cost of gas for a day on a private cruise.

Clothes at this price belong to designer brands and can be considered privately customized products.Each style is unique and will not look like any other when worn.

Big stars especially need this kind of clothes. They attend various award shows and press conferences. If they don't have clothes that support the scene, they will be looked down upon.

But for ordinary people, there is really no need to buy such expensive clothes.

Not to mention people from China, even Americans would generally not enter a store like this.

Li Yunhai smiled: "Buy it! You look good in it."

Gong Jie looked at the prices of other clothes, ranging from several thousand dollars to ten thousand dollars. The most expensive one was this skirt. She looked at the description on the tag and discovered the "glass beads" on the skirt. It turns out to be a diamond!

"I thought these were glass beads, but I didn't expect them to be diamonds!" Gong Jie said with a smile, "No wonder it's so expensive. You said that the designer has nothing to do, so how can he hang diamonds on clothes? Such clothes, How can I wash it? If I accidentally wash off a diamond, it will be a big loss! I don’t want it, and I won’t wear it even if it’s given to me. I can’t wash it after wearing it.”

She probably didn't know that some of the clothes she bought were only worn once or twice when attending important ceremonies, so there was no need to wash them.It was poverty that limited her imagination.

And she can be considered a relatively knowledgeable and wealthy person in China.There are more people who are not even as good as her, so naturally it is difficult to imagine how luxurious this rich man's life is.

The beautiful woman who came in just now walked over from there. She also fell in love with the skirt in Gong Jie's hand, but because the skirt was in Li Yunhai's hand, she was embarrassed to take it.

Gong Jie was very generous. After seeing the other party's needs, she took the skirt from Li Yunhai and handed it to him.

The beauty said thank you.

She is so tall, she should be about 183 centimeters. Standing in front of Li Yunhai, she is almost tall.

Li Yunhai asked Gong Jie: "Did you buy all these items? I'll give them to you. Don't be polite."

Gong Jie smiled brightly: "I know you are rich, but I think the clothes here are still too expensive. Even if I buy them, I don't seem to have any occasion to wear them."

"Wouldn't it be useful when you go on stage to receive awards in the future, such as the Golden Rooster Award and the Hundred Flowers Award? Besides, if you buy the clothes, you will wear them, so what occasion does it matter?"

The beautiful woman changed her skirt and came out.

The skirt looked even shorter when she wore it, like a short skirt. Her slender and straight legs were particularly charming. Several sales assistants praised her and praised her to the sky, but in fact she also deserved to be praised like this. boast.

Li Yunhai wanted to help Gong Jie pay the bill, but he couldn't find anyone. Everyone in the store was crowding around the beauty.

The beauty also liked this skirt very much and asked about the price. After hearing that it cost 5.6 US dollars, she couldn't help but be silent for a moment and said I'll take a look again, and then entered the fitting room.

Li Yunhai took the clothes to the front desk to pay.

The cashier comes to collect the money.

A set of clothes and a skirt, a total of 2 US dollars.

Gong Jie still thought it was expensive and said not to buy something so expensive. Don’t buy it.

Li Yunhai finally swiped the card for her.

Banks here in the United States have been using bank cards as early as the 50s, and credit cards have become popular.The United States is also the country with the most developed credit cards.

After the United States, the United Kingdom was the second country to issue credit cards, but it did not issue them until 1966.

my country's first bank cards and credit cards were not issued until 1985.

Li Yunhai swiped his card, and the expressions of the store staff instantly became extremely respectful.

Black Pearl immediately ran over and said that this was a customer she received, which meant that the commission would be counted in her name.

The cashier told Li Yunhai that he could become a member if he spent more than US$2 in their store, and asked him if he wanted to apply?

Li Yunhai asked what is the use of membership?Can I get a discount?
The cashier said I could get a [-]% discount.

Li Yunhai thought to himself, it's just a [-]% discount, which is better than nothing. The next time he comes here to buy clothes, he doesn't know how long it will be.

Gong Jie said, "Just get one, it's free anyway. Next time you bring Lin Zhi to visit the United States, you can also take her here to buy clothes."

Li Yunhai thought about it and bought a membership card.

The card was beautifully made, pure black and grainy, more exquisite than the black cards issued by banks.

The beautiful white woman came out after trying on some clothes, said she wouldn't buy it now and would look at it later, and then walked out.

Several sales assistants looked at the beauty's back and started talking: "She has been on the cover of Time before! I didn't expect to be so poor now. I can't even afford a skirt worth tens of thousands of dollars. Those custom-made styles by masters that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. She can’t even afford it.”

"I heard that she stopped making movies. I wonder what she did? Anyway, I haven't seen any reports about her in the past two years."

"She seems to be in college, right? I've seen reports about her before."

"I wonder how her relationship with Michael is going? Michael likes her so much."

"Michael and her are just brother and sister! Don't talk nonsense."

Li Yunhai heard their chatter and thought that foreign women are also such gossips!
He and Gong Jie walked out of the store.

Gong Jie held the bag and smiled sweetly: "Mr. Li, I spent a lot of money on you! Thank you! Hey, if I had known that I spent so much money on clothes, I would have bought something better!"

Li Yunhai laughed and said, "Whatever you want, just buy it and I'll give it to you."

"That won't work. I can't ask for your gifts without restraint. Over time, I will become dependent on you. I can't live without you. Hey, you like her, right?"

"Who?"

"That American woman just now!"

"She is indeed beautiful. But the flowering period of foreign women is too short. Once they are over 30 years old, their appearance will immediately drop off a cliff."

"Is it so scary?"

"Don't believe it? Look at these women on the street. As long as they are a little older, their figures are out of shape, and the skin pores on their faces have become rough."

"I feel this way. Why is this?"

"Then I don't know the reason. I still like girls like you, who are classically beautiful and elegant. I think you will still be so beautiful even if you are 80 years old!"

"Really? You said you like me again! I will remember the number of times you said you like me and see when you will honor it!"

"How else can I cash in if I like it?"

"I don't know either! You can figure it out."

"Uh--"

The two smiled at each other.

Tired from shopping, they came to a Chinese restaurant.

The Chinese restaurant is run by people from Xiangjiang. Even though they speak Cantonese, it feels very friendly.

After dinner, Gong Jie said, let’s go watch an American movie?
Li Yunhai also wanted to watch the movies here, so he took Gong Jie to the cinema.

The film industry in the United States is very developed. After the reform and opening up, many films were introduced to my country for broadcast.One of the earliest films was probably "Superman". In the 80s, cinemas in many cities had movie posters of Superman.

Gong Jie pointed to a poster, took Li Yunhai's hand and said, "Mr. Li, watch this movie! The female stars in it are from our country."

""Taipan", I haven't seen this movie."

"This is a new movie, and it was made by Americans. Of course you haven't seen it!"

"Oh, the actress you are talking about is from our country. I have watched her previous starring roles in "Youth" and "Little Flower". I think I also saw her in last year's Spring Festival Gala."

"Yes, she became famous all over the world for starring in "Little Flower" when she was 18 years old, and then she came to the United States. Her life in the United States was not satisfactory, but she said that washing toilets in the United States was a pleasure. This attracted many people in the country. She was disgusted. Last year when she was invited back to China to participate in the Spring Festival Gala, she made another mistake, saying that next year would be her birth year, and according to your Chinese customs, she still had to wear a red belt. This sentence annoyed the audience and also It hurt the director who invited him to return to China."

"This shows that she has long regarded herself as an American. If you don't come back to China with me, will you be assimilated into American culture like her?"

"Isn't that true? I am already so old. I have my own opinions and my thoughts are mature. Unlike her, she went abroad when she was only 18 years old, so she must not be sensible. Let's see the movies she stars in?"

"it is good."

The two bought tickets and entered.

The film tells the story of the late Qing Dynasty in 1870, when the Qing government was forced to open ports for trade. At that time, our country was prosperous and colorful, but full of treachery and corruption.British businessman Shudike, known as Taipan, later became the president of the foreign business association in Huacheng and Xiangjiang.He led the fleet to trade with our country and exchanged the pieces for tea, silk and jade. However, he was banned by the Manchu and Qing court.Taipan then led the fleet south to occupy Xiangjiang and opened it as a commercial port. In order to consolidate his position of power, he started a intrigue competition with other merchants.

The female star surnamed Chen can only speak some nonsensical babble in the film, which makes people goosebumps. She is probably dubbing.

The film's narrative is very chaotic, with many threads and a loose rhythm.The only bright spot in this movie is the female star's fairly good breasts.

When Gong Jie saw this scene, she couldn't help but be stunned and said, "Why would she take on such a scene?"

Li Yunhai, on the other hand, had a clear-eyed look on the world: "She doesn't take pictures, but others do. Think about it, how many female celebrities from our country have come to the United States over the years? Even you want to come! An Asian female character, how many It's a human competition, just show off, it's better than cleaning the toilet, right?"

"If it were me, I'd rather clean the toilet!"

"Then you will never have a chance to get ahead. The atmosphere here in the United States is so open. If you are reluctant to show off and pay, then you will not succeed. Do you know who the beautiful woman we just saw is?"

"Who is it? I don't know him. Do you know him?"

"I have heard her story before, but I never thought it was her. Her name is Xiaosi, she is a child star. She was sent by her mother to film a movie when she was 13 years old. It was a very revealing movie, and she played a gorgeous girl. Girl, she works in a red light area. Do you understand?"

"Huh? No, right? You're so young, just filming that kind of scene?"

"The United States is capitalist. They only want box office, regardless of your age."

"Oh my god! It's unbelievable! If you ask me to shoot this kind of scene, I will definitely not be able to act. I would rather not act."

"American movies are all commercial films with only one purpose, which is to attract people to the cinema and make money from box office sales. They don't care about morality."

"I definitely can't accept it. Fortunately, I returned to China."

After watching the movie, the two walked out of the theater together.

It was completely dark.

Gong Jie looked at the prosperous streets of New York and smiled sweetly: "Mr. Li, I'm so lucky to have met you. Without you, where would I be right now?"

"Well, let me think about it, you should find a man in the United States, fall in love, get married, and have children! Because of your personality, you will not accept film offers from the United States. You can only be a housewife."

"Ah? Really? Will I live a peaceful life like that? But it's not bad to think about it. The premise is that you have to meet someone you really like."

"The male master's student from last time?"

"No! I don't like him. It's just that he is pursuing me. I haven't contacted him in the past few months."

"You are a grown-up too, so you should find a man to get married to."

"Oh! Are you just looking for me? You need to find someone you can talk to, right? I need him to be nice to me."

"Of course, when you find your other half, it's better to be less than reckless."

The two took a taxi and returned to the Plaza Hotel.

Li Yunhai sent Gong Jie into the room, handed her the bag, and said, "You can rest, I'll go talk to Professor Ni."

Gong Jie held the bag and gestured to him: "Thank you for the gift! This is the most expensive piece of clothing I have ever worn!"

"You are a big star and you deserve such clothes."

"I'll wash it first and show it to you another day."

"OK!"

Li Yunhai turned around and looked for Professor Ni.

Professor Ni was reading in the room. When he saw Li Yunhai coming back, he asked, "Have fun?"

Li Yunhai waved his hand: "That's it, I watched a bad movie! It lasted more than an hour, and it was really sad."

"Are you still sad when you are with a beautiful woman? I don't believe it. According to the theory of relativity, time is also relative. When you are with an ugly woman, time will pass very slowly, but when you are with a beautiful woman, time will pass very fast."

"Haha, Professor Ni, it turns out you also have such a fun and humorous side!"

"Just kidding. Mr. Li, I contacted my friend in Dongyang, but because of the time difference, he won't be able to reply to me until tomorrow."

"Okay, then we'll wait one more day in New York."

"Mr. Li, my friend said it's not a big problem. Nikon's machines are sold globally."

Li Yunhai thought to himself that the relationship between our country and Japan has been good in recent years, and the idea of ​​friendship between the two countries has dominated the mainstream.The theory that mountains and rivers are in different places but the wind and moon are in the same sky has also been accepted by some scholars in the two countries.

No matter what the reason is, in short, the trade between Japan and our country is very close.

If Li Yunhai wants to buy Nikon's production line, the other party will definitely sell it, and maybe the price will be cheaper than that of Americans.

Professor Ni took out some components he purchased in the United States and said, "Mr. Li, come and see what this is?"

Li Yunhai took a look and said, "This is the component inside the copier!"

"As expected of Mr. Li, you really understand technology! Mr. Li, our company's main business is computers, copiers, and printers. Now we can produce our own printers. Don't you want to no longer produce Sihai computers and Sihai copiers? "

"Haha, I have this idea! But it's very difficult! We also have domestic computers, but they are very backward! Domestic copiers cannot compare with foreign products in terms of technology and functions."

"Actually, it's not very relevant. It's just that domestically produced machines don't pay attention to brand building. Do you know how many copier factories there are in China? Do you know how many computer companies there are in China?"

"As for computers, I know about Great Wall Computer and Donghai Computer. There is also Founder Company, which was only established this year. As for copier factories, there are actually many, such as Seoul Copier Factory, Yanzhong Copier Factory, Shanghai Copier Factory, etc."

"Yes, you see, our product line is actually very rich, and the supply chain and production chain are almost complete. But our domestic brands are not familiar to the world. Because everyone does not advertise, they all rely on planning to allocate production . Look at Ricoh’s advertisements everywhere when they came in! When Coca-Cola entered our country, the advertising fee they spent in the first year was their total revenue that year!”

"Well, that makes sense."

"Whether it's a photolithography machine, a copier, or a computer, we can localize it, but we just can't sell it!"

"Hey, Professor Ni, it's not that you can't sell it, it's that you can't buy it. You should know that Great Wall Computer is only sold domestically and not exported. To buy their computers, you must have a ticket and an approval slip. You said, even if I want to sell their computers, but how can I get the goods? If this continues, it won’t be long before foreign brands will occupy the entire market in our country. Once the market is lost, it will be difficult for domestic brands to stand up. Products without a market are useless. It will be viable.”

"So, I suggest that our company should start producing its own copiers and computers as soon as possible! With sales talents like Mr. Li here, our domestically produced machines will definitely be able to achieve great success!"

"Professor Ni, you think too highly of me."

"No, no, no, you are even more powerful than I thought! Really, the luckiest thing in my life is meeting you. These components I bought can be disassembled and studied after I get home. We will do this this year Be sure to take out the first prototype!”

Li Yunhai looked at this technology geek and thought that if our country had more scientific researchers like this, our country's semiconductor industry would not lag too far behind in the future.

After the two chatted, Li Yunhai returned to the room to rest.

He looked at the time and called Lin Zhi.

The two complained to each other.

Lin Zhi asked him how the negotiations went?

Li Yunhai said that the first negotiation failed and he was waiting for the next negotiation. He also said that we have contacted Toyo Nikon Company and are waiting for the other party's reply.

Sihai Group has also been very busy recently, processing orders from the Canton Fair.

Lin Zhi and Li Yunhai chatted for a few minutes and then hung up the phone.

Li Yunhai was lying on the bed, but couldn't fall asleep.

His biological clock was always on time, but because of the jet lag, it was completely messed up!He didn't force himself to sleep, got up and went downstairs to the bar of the Plaza Hotel.

He dared not drink coffee at night.

People who drink coffee occasionally will have more impact on their sleep.

But drinking is different.

If people are drunk, they will naturally fall asleep.

In the middle of the hotel lobby is the famous "Palm Room", with palm trees matching marble columns, crystal lamps refracted through layers of mirrors, and gold-inlaid silverware placed on white cloth tables.Celebrities such as legendary actresses Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor have all stayed here.

Li Yunhai walked through the Palm Hall and came to the bar.

It was late at night and there were quite a few people in the bar.

How much Americans love to drink can be inferred from the fact that there are as many bars on the streets as fast food restaurants.

They like to drink cocktails, which are also labeled American.

Li Yunhai sat down at the bar, looked at the liquor license, and ordered a cocktail.

The bartender quickly brought out a glass of wine and placed it in front of him.

It's made with brandy and juice, and the rim of the glass is decorated with a slice of lemon.

Li Yunhai held the wine glass, raised his head and took a sip.

Suddenly a gust of fragrant wind swept by.

A tall and beautiful woman with waterfall-like hair and a graceful figure sat down on the seat next to Li Yunhai.

"Have a margarita," she said to the bartender.

The Margarita is known as the "Queen of Cocktails" and is one of the most well-known traditional cocktails in the world besides the Martini.

The bartender took a wine glass, put the lemon slice close to the edge of the glass, and turned it around to wet the edge.Then put the wine glass upside down on the small dish with salt and turn it around to make a snowflake border.Put the ice cubes into the shaker, then pour in the tequila, Cointreau, and lemon juice in sequence, shake vigorously, and pour evenly into the wine glass.Finally, insert another slice of lemon on the rim of the cup for decoration.

The woman took the wine glass, turned around and looked at Li Yunhai: "Have we met? Today in Times Square."

"Oh, yes, miss." Li Yunhai nodded.

"Then buy me a drink!" After the woman said that, regardless of whether Li Yunhai agreed or not, she drank the wine in one gulp. (End of chapter)