"Comrade, how can you go back on your word? I came to you last month, and you said you had no stock, no stock, and told me to wait a month. You said you'd reserve a watch for me when the goods arrived. I waited, and now a month has passed, the goods have arrived, and you said they'd all been sold."
What am I supposed to do? I'm counting on buying him a watch as a betrothal gift; how can I get married without it!
On the first floor of the department store, a man angrily pounded on the glass counter, wishing he could smash it to pieces. The counter that used to display watches was now completely empty; all the merchandise had been sold out.
The saleswoman looked helpless and shrugged.
"Out of stock, that's it. What can I do? I told you I'd reserve one for you, but you didn't come. Others are in a hurry to get theirs too. If they see there's stock but haven't sold it, what will they say about me? If you're so anxious for the watch, why didn't you come to pick it up sooner? Anyway, there's nothing I can do. All the watches have been sold out. The next batch will probably take about half a month. If you can wait, then wait; if not, then forget it. It's none of my business."
The saleswoman isn't taking the blame for this; she did reserve one for him. But he didn't come to pick it up for several days, and other people who wanted to buy watches were upset because there was clearly one left but she wasn't selling it to them. Yesterday, he practically confronted her, trying to reason with her, and said he'd complain if she didn't sell it to him.
Although she wasn't afraid of complaints, she didn't want to get scolded, so she sold it. It was just bad luck for her.
The man was so angry after hearing this that he became incoherent.
"Why didn't I come sooner? I, I, I used to come every day! You son of a bitch, you..."
The man was so angry he was about to swear. Seeing the saleswoman's nonchalant attitude, his head throbbed with rage, and he wished he could just faint. But he wasn't that weak, so he glared at the saleswoman and stormed off in a huff.
If only he hadn't tried to save that little bit of money and kept waiting for the department store's stock. If he had searched the black market, wouldn't he have been able to find a watch in a month? But now there are only two days left until the engagement ceremony. Even if he went to the black market in two days, he might not be able to find one unless he got incredibly lucky and happened to run into someone selling watches.
This is fucking ridiculous. I wonder if the woman will even agree to make it up to her later. The man thought to himself, feeling frustrated.
As soon as he stepped out of the department store, someone caught up with him, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a calm, low voice.
"Comrade, would you like a watch?"
Xu Zi was half a head taller than the man. He leaned down slightly to shorten the height difference between them, but his height was still very imposing. The man unconsciously took a step back, thinking that Xu Zi was there to cause trouble, but when he heard Xu Zi mention the watch, he couldn't help but ask.
"What watch? You have a watch?"
"right."
Xu Zi nodded, then pulled a brand-new watch from his pocket. The strap was so shiny it reflected a person's image. It was a Shanghai brand watch, exactly the same as the ones sold in department stores, and in the color most favored by men. His eyes lit up immediately.
"Comrade, how much do you want for this watch?"
Xu Zijiang raised an eyebrow and said with a faint smile.
"Let's talk in private."
"Okay, okay."
The man immediately nodded and went to a corner with Xu Zijiang. It was like a godsend. This watch was his savior! The man was very excited. He went straight to the point and asked Xu Zijiang how much it cost. He thought to himself that he would take it no matter the price. He couldn't let his wife break up with him over a watch.
Xu Zijiang didn't hesitate and immediately made a offer.
Two hundred yuan.
"Deal! Wait, what did you say? 200 yuan! That's too expensive! It only sells for 120 yuan in department stores, and even on the black market, it's only 150 yuan at most! You, you're being way too greedy!"
The man was incredulous. How dare he quote such a high price? His eyes widened in anger, burning with fury. Although he was in a hurry to get the money, he wasn't stupid or a sucker. Fifty dollars, plus a little more, could buy him a watch from a lesser-known brand.
That merchant is unscrupulous, cunning, and utterly cunning!
The man lost his temper and continued to curse, but Xu Zijiang was not angry. He calmly said something.
"Let me explain first. Is 200 yuan really that expensive? First of all, I don't need the ticket. A ticket for a watch costs at least ten or twenty yuan, right? And even then, you might not be able to buy it. The normal price for this watch on the black market is 150 to 160 yuan. Adding the 20 yuan ticket, it'll be 180 yuan."
Besides, theirs doesn't even have my color; they're usually black. Silver is a rare color, so raising the price a bit isn't unreasonable. You urgently need a watch, and mine perfectly fills that gap. If you raise the price a little more, it'll be 200, right? Is that expensive? If you really think that price is too high and can't accept it, then forget it and find someone else to buy from.”
Xu Zijiang didn't haggle with him, giving off an "take it or leave it" attitude. He was about to leave, knowing his watches were easy to sell anyway. He didn't try to take advantage of the situation; he usually sold them for 180 or 190 yuan, so he only charged him ten yuan more.
The man was initially very angry, but after listening to Xu Zijiang's analysis, he felt that it made a lot of sense and was worthwhile.
If he sold the watch voucher for 200 yuan, he could get a pair of shoes worth ten or twenty yuan, which would be roughly equivalent to 180 yuan. Although this watch was much more expensive than the one in the department store, it wasn't much more expensive than the normal price on the black market. The main thing was that the watch could solve his immediate problem, so the higher price seemed worthwhile.
But this costs 200 yuan, a full 80 yuan more expensive than in the department store! That's 80 yuan! The man's heart was bleeding.
"Wait, wait! Come back first, I'll think about it some more."
The man was reluctant to let the watch go so easily, so he had to call Xu Zijiang back first. Xu Zijiang stopped when he heard this and looked at the man with a calm expression, waiting for him to make a choice. The man kept pacing back and forth, his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking about which choice would be most beneficial to him. He hesitated for five minutes, and Xu Zijiang was getting impatient.
"Are you going to buy it or not? If you're not going to, I'm leaving. My wife is waiting for me at the department store!"
Xu Zijiang couldn't help but urge him on; he was genuinely worried about letting Yu Jiu out of his sight for too long. The man was actually inclined to buy it anyway, but he was reluctant to part with the two hundred yuan. Xu Zijiang's urging made him even more flustered, and he nodded hastily.
"Buy, buy, buy, I'll buy, okay?"
"You're making it sound like I'm forcing you to buy it. You'd better think it through. No returns or exchanges. Once you buy it, I won't give you a chance to back out."
"No, I didn't say you forced me. I'm just reluctant to spend the money."
Seeing that Xu Zijiang was a little unhappy, the man quickly smiled and coaxed him a couple of times.
“Since I’ve already bought it, I don’t plan to return it. But I only have 150 yuan on me right now. Wait a minute, I’ll go home and get the money, okay? Please don’t sell this watch to anyone else. I’m really waiting for this watch to get married.”
The man emphasized.
"Okay, but let me leave this form with you. I need to collect a 20 yuan deposit. If you don't want to buy it, the 20 yuan won't be refunded; it will be your fee for canceling the order."
Every decision he made was in his own interest. It wasn't that no one had ever asked him to hold onto the goods, only to change their minds in the end. He had wasted half a day waiting there, which was both inconvenient and unlucky.
"Twenty yuan? You're not going to just run off with my money and watch, are you?"
The man also distrusted him somewhat.
"Why would I run away? I still need to go shopping with my wife at the department store. I won't run away, I have to keep this 20 yuan."
Xu Zi said firmly.
"Oh well."
The man hesitated for a moment, then took out 20 yuan and stared at Xu Zijiang before leaving, giving him some instructions.
"Please don't lie to me! I'll be right back!"
"Um."
Xu Zijiang gave an impatient reply, and the man hurriedly ran home. His home wasn't far from here; if he ran fast, it would only take about ten minutes round trip.
"You're back. How did it go? Did you sell it?"
On the other side, twenty minutes later, seeing Xu Zijiang approaching, Yu Jiu waved to him with a smile, and then lowered her voice to ask as he got closer.
“It’s sold! You’ve got 200 yuan. Buy whatever you want. Your man has plenty of money to support you!”
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