Chapter 42: Encounter with Foreign Guests

On this side, Lin Siqiao got on the bus quickly after finishing the call. After looking at the house yesterday afternoon, she asked about the address of the black market. (This is the only paragraph in the full text, no sales.)

It is called a black market, but in fact it is just a few alleys with a wider view, and there are special people watching at every entrance of the alley.

No matter whether you buy or sell, you have to pay a five-cent entrance fee.

Lin Siqiao spent five cents to buy peace of mind. After entering, he didn't dare to go deeper. He found an alley and guarded it directly.

These days bicycle tickets are a major benefit for companies, and most people are reluctant to sell them.

Lin Siqiao bought daily industrial product purchase coupons, also known as industrial coupons.

Industrial coupons in Shanghai are issued according to the proportion of wage income, with an average of one coupon for every 20 yuan of wages.

The policies in each place are different, and the number of industrial coupons required to purchase large items is also different.

In the Shanghai Stock Exchange, you need 15 industrial coupons to buy a bicycle, 12 for a sewing machine, 10 for a watch, and 1 for an enamel washbasin.

The prices of industrial vouchers on the black market vary. To put it bluntly, it depends on what the seller thinks. Those who are in a hurry to use the money will naturally sell them at a lower price.

Lin Siqiao waited for more than an hour, bought more than 30 industrial coupons at prices ranging from 2.5 to 3 yuan each, and immediately left the black market without looking back.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Lin Siqiao arrived at the First Department Store on Nanjing Road, which was the first state-owned department store retail enterprise after the founding of the People's Republic of China and the largest department store in the Far East.

Today is the weekend, and there are a lot of people in the mall!

In fact, a big part of the reason why City Department Store has so many customers is that it has two belt-type escalators that can go directly from the first floor to the third floor.

There are only a few elevators in the whole country at that time, so whether you are an outsider or a local, as long as you come to Nanjing Road, you must come here to join in the fun.

"Si Qiao, this way, this way."

Lin Siqiao saw Lu Yunshu waving at him from a distance.

"What's the matter? Why are you so anxious?!"

"Come on, let's go up to the third floor."

The third floor is where big items are sold. If you go too late, there will be too many customers queuing to look at the items, and it will take a lot of time just to squeeze in.

Looking at the sea of ​​heads on the escalator, the two decided to climb the stairs obediently.

Once you go up to the third floor, you will understand why the No. 1 Department Store has become the biggest brand in Shanghai.

There are several bicycle counters here. Those with better conditions can choose from the three brands of Phoenix, Forever, and Fei Ge.

The price of these single-channel ones is generally around 150 yuan, while the price of double-channel ones is slightly more expensive at 180 yuan.

Among them, Phoenix bicycles are divided into Feifeng and Qifeng. The difference between the two is not very big, mainly the logo on the front of the bicycle is different.

In addition to these, there are also brands such as Hongmian, Wuyang, Xiangjiang, etc. to choose from, and the price is around 120 yuan.

Lin Siqiao looked around and felt that the Phoenix brand was more in line with his aesthetic taste.

"Hello, is there a slash model of this car?"

Although Lin Siqiao is about 1.7 meters tall, she doesn't want to ride a bicycle with her thighs spread out and straddle it from behind.

"Yes, yes. They are in the warehouse at the back. Please wait a moment. I will get them to you."

A salesperson comes into contact with at least 800 customers a day, and has long since developed a pair of sharp eyes.

They only need to take a glance to tell who is just there to watch the fun and who really wants to buy and can afford it.

After a while, the salesperson came out from behind the counter pushing a brand new bicycle.

"This one has a 26-and-a-half-inch chain. You girls should buy this one. If there is a problem with the chain in the future, it will be convenient to replace it."

"You can try it out. The seat of this bike is made of three-spring cowhide. It won't hurt your butt at all."

Lin Siqiao thought it looked okay, as most bicycles these days were pretty much the same.

"What do you think?"

Lu Yunshu couldn't find any fault with it, "Then let's go with this one, we'll both buy the same one."

When the salesperson heard this, his smile became even more enthusiastic.

"This car costs 158 yuan plus a bicycle ticket. If you don't have a bicycle ticket, 15 industrial coupons will do."

"Do you want it? If you do, I'll give you a ticket right now."

“Yes.”

When the salesperson was issuing the bill, Lu Yunshu took the lead and handed it over.

When she was leaving, Lu's mother stuffed several hundred yuan into her pocket. It was Grandma Lu who specifically instructed that the money for the car must be paid by the Lu family.

However, Lin Siqiao did not agree. She had already accepted such an expensive bracelet from Grandma Lu and now lived in the Lu family's small Western-style building.

If she had to spend the Lu family's money to buy a bicycle, she really didn't know how to get along with the Lu family in the future.

Seeing that she was particularly persistent, Lu Yunshu had no choice but to give up, and in the end they each paid their own money.

There were too many people in the mall, and neither of them knew how to ride a bike, so they could only push one each out of the department store.

"Let's go, let's go get the license plate first."

It was only after the salesperson reminded Lin Siqiao that he realized that before a bicycle can be used on the road these days, one must first take the invoice to the police station to get a license plate, a license, and finally have it stamped.

It's quite troublesome.

The two pushed their bicycles, trying to avoid pedestrians as much as possible, and walked and talked and laughed along the way.

Suddenly a large group of people appeared in their sight, completely blocking their way.

"What's going on up ahead? Why are there so many people?"

Lu Yunshu was barely over 1.6 meters tall, and even when he stood on tiptoe he could only see the back of other people's heads.

Lin Siqiao looked up and saw a group of people standing at the entrance of the Friendship Store in the distance, seemingly arguing about something.

The man in the lead was wearing a well-tailored suit and was chattering away in foreign languages.

The shop assistants nearby, who were wearing uniform work clothes, all lowered their heads.

What language does this person speak? It's like English but not quite.

The person in charge of the Friendship Store kept wiping the sweat from his forehead. He had received a notice from the Municipal Party Committee before, saying that an international friend would come to their Friendship Store to shop recently.

This is a reserved item for many foreign politicians before leaving China, and it is also the most direct way to earn foreign exchange.

For this purpose, Friendship Store made special preparations and invited teachers from the Foreign Languages ​​Department of Fudan University to serve as accompanying translators for this trip.

Unexpectedly, this foreign guest arrived in Shanghai a day in advance, catching them off guard.

The person in charge quickly gave a brief explanation in English.

"I'm so sorry, please wait a moment, the translator will be here soon."

"I don't want to hear your apology. You guys are so disrespectful to me!"

"I came here to spend money, but you guys don't understand what I'm saying."

"You are seriously discriminating against me! I will lodge a solemn protest with the relevant departments!!"

The foreign guest waved his fist and spoke a long string of words in one breath. When Lin Siqiao heard this, he realized that the foreign guest could obviously understand English, and he also replied in English.

But his English has a strong Southeast Asian accent, mixed with a few words of their local dialect from time to time.

The staff at the Friendship Store only spoke a mediocre level of foreign language, so naturally they could hardly understand.

"Yun Shu, please help me look after the car."