“I believe what he said is true. It is said that there are still 600 million people in China with a monthly income of less than 100 euros. This is their own statistical result. In that case, it is easy to understand why poor people would spend 0.5 euros to buy a pancake.”
"Are the 300 million students in school and the 200 million elderly and disabled people without the ability to work included in this list?"
"It should be included, otherwise how could it be that 1.1 billion people have a monthly income of less than 100 euros!"
"Wait a minute, I just went to China visa-free last week, and these kinds of street stalls are considered local delicacies there; even wealthy people love eating them!"
Foreign netizens watching the interview with the French journalist curiously typed their comments as they gazed at the sizzling, glistening scallion pancakes on the griddle.
While marveling at the low prices in China, they were also curious whether what their reporter said was true.
Some foreign netizens who had visited China immediately transformed into champions of justice, refuting the claims in the live chat.
The more you debate, the clearer the truth becomes.
Many foreign netizens who had visited China also stepped forward to provide information.
The topics of discussion gradually slipped out of my control.
Eric quickly gestured for the camera to be focused on the elderly woman inside who was wearing an apron and making pancakes, trying to divert everyone's attention through an interview.
He then asked in somewhat broken Mandarin, "Hello, may I ask where you live in this city, Auntie?"
"It's nearby, so it's convenient to set up a stall. I just changed my clothes and came."
An older woman who had seen many foreigners near the TV station said with a smile as she made pancakes.
"Are you renting an apartment? Is the rent here very expensive?"
Reporter Eric continued to entice him with questions.
"No, no, no, I don't rent a place. I'm the one who rents out places."
The aunt looked up at the foreign reporter and waved her hands repeatedly.
"..."
The woman's tongue twister nearly made the AFP reporter's brain shut down.
"You mean you live in your own house?"
Unwilling to give up, Eric continued to ask.
"Yes, my family owns three houses, which is considered a small number in this area."
“I live in one apartment, give one to my son, and rent out the other one.”
“My son also opened a pancake shop, and he bought two houses in Shashi by selling pancakes.”
The woman said with a smile, her tone revealing undisguised pride.
"Bought two houses by selling pancakes? Are they those rural thatched huts?"
Eric, who was determined to smear Eric, was somewhat confused by what he was being said.
"What thatched hut? It's just an apartment building like this. See? It's not big, about 100 square meters per unit. Now that housing prices have dropped, one unit can only sell for two or three million."
“My son is smart and knows how to choose locations; his business is much better than mine.”
“I only earn about 10,000 to 20,000 yuan a month through hard work, while he earns several times more by hiring people.”
Upon hearing the other party refer to the house her son bought as a thatched hut, the woman immediately became displeased and corrected them with a stern face.
"Well……"
"I bought two houses by selling pancakes, and my monthly salary is ten to twenty thousand..."
The old lady's few words immediately silenced the reporter with the high nose.
I was just saying that these pancake vendors can't afford to live in apartment buildings and are living in cheap government-subsidized public housing.
As a result, everyone owns two houses and earns tens of thousands of yuan a month, which is more than their own salary!
If this segment were translated into English or French and broadcast...
The local people probably think they're propaganda reporters sent by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism!
"What's going on? Why isn't Eric saying anything?"
"Can anyone understand Mandarin? Please translate this quickly."
"Hahaha, Eric has run into the line of fire this time."
"He wanted to ask the middle-aged woman if she was renting a low-rent apartment in a slum, but it turned out she owned three apartments."
"Moreover, the monthly income from selling burritos is between 10,000 and 20,000 euros, which is equivalent to 1,000 to 2,000 euros."
"This woman's child also runs a pancake shop, earning tens of thousands of euros a month, and has also bought two houses worth a total of more than 400,000 euros..."
"God, what do they need so many houses for? Don't they need to pay property taxes?"
"Ten thousand euros?? Didn't they just say that 600 million low-income Chinese earn less than one hundred euros a month?!"
"Shouldn't the question be, how can a poor person selling pancakes have such a high income and savings?"
"What do you know? In China, these street vendors are the hidden wealthy class!"
"My God, I'm increasingly eager to visit this magical land of the Dragon Kingdom!"
"How did they do it?"...
An interview with ill intentions backfired, causing AFP reporter Eric to suffer another humiliating defeat.
Helpless, he had no choice but to quickly end the interview with the woman.
With an embarrassed expression, he picked up the pancakes he had just bought and prepared to slink away.
However, at that moment...
Reporter Eric's gaze then fell upon a passerby who had just bought a pancake and was sitting on a nearby bench, quietly eating it.
The passerby was wearing a large black suit, a red tie, and a black bowler hat.
At first glance, his appearance resembles that of a member of the American Black Organization from the last century.
Spirulina-like long hair below the brim covered both sides of her face, and a pair of large round sunglasses covered half of her face.
Her long hair framed a thin, pale face, as if covered with a thick layer of foundation.
It's hard to tell whether it's a man or a woman.
Even more outrageous was the extremely short black suit trousers, as if they had shrunk after washing, revealing a section of white socks above the black leather shoes.
This was the first time Eric, who had been stationed in China for a long time, had ever seen a passerby dressed like this on the street.
"This guy looks really strange, he doesn't seem to be from China."
"Could he be mentally ill? How could someone dress like that?"
"Perhaps a homeless person?"
"He looks more like a performance artist."
"Watching him eat the pancake so deliciously made my mouth water."...
In the AFP live broadcast room overseas.
Many foreign netizens also noticed the strange man sitting on a roadside bench eating a pancake and immediately started discussing it with curiosity.
"interesting……"
Reporter Eric was also drawn to this peculiar figure.
Subconsciously, I mistook this mysterious passerby eating a pancake for a homeless person with mental problems or a drug addict.
Thinking that since I couldn't meet with my target interviewee, Wang Yueheng...
We might be able to uncover some interesting news from this passerby.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we can see a mysterious passerby enjoying this delicious food."
"Why don't we interview some real 'corporate slaves' in China? At least that's what young people call themselves."
"To be honest, I'm a little worried. What if he suddenly attacks me..."
Having spotted his new target, Eric immediately gestured for the cameraman to come with him.
They approached the dangerous individual with extreme caution.
"Hi, hello, I'm a reporter from AFP. May I have two minutes to do a brief interview?"
Eric then forced a friendly smile and asked the oddly dressed passerby in broken Mandarin.
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