“Current purchase: 19 yuan, card balance: 81 yuan. Hope you enjoy shopping at the Asia Department Store!”
Zhuo Na turned up the TV volume and leaned back on the sofa, finding herself intrigued by the advertisement. Tonight, Asia Department Store’s commercial aired for the fourth time, and this particular line had a mesmerizing effect, leaving a deep impression on her.
After the fourth viewing, Zhuo Na turned to shout at her sister Zhuo Weiping:
“Sis, the Asia Department Store is stirring things up. Do you think these shopping cards are as convenient as they show in the ad?”
Zhuo Weiping couldn’t answer.
As a police officer, she didn’t usually deal with this kind of technology and wasn’t sure if the advertisement was exaggerating. If other department stores had launched such shopping cards, she might have been skeptical, but coming from Asia Department Store, she instinctively believed it.
“I’m off work tomorrow. Since Asia Department Store is offering cashback on card top-ups, I’ll go get one. You can use it to buy whatever you need.”
Zhuo Weiping told her sister.
She had been working for several years, while her sister Zhuo Na, after graduating from the Commercial University’s Fine Arts Department, had chosen to pursue graduate studies and was still a student without income, constantly complaining about not having enough money.
The Zhuo family was quite well-off. Zhuo Weiping had chosen to start from the grassroots, and now she wasn’t just a small-time police officer at the local station but worked at the city bureau.
With such an outstanding elder daughter, the family inevitably spoiled their younger daughter, letting Zhuo Na study art and pursue graduate studies, allowing her to comfortably remain dependent on her parents.
The family regularly provided Zhuo Na with living expenses, and now Zhuo Weiping wanted to get her a shopping card using her salary to supplement Zhuo Na’s spending.
Zhuo Weiping didn’t mind. After all, she was still unmarried and didn’t care much for dressing up, so her salary usually went unspent. Spending some money on her blood sister wasn’t a big deal.
Zhuo Na quickly thanked her sister:
“Although I know you’re doing this to support Asia Department Store, I’m the one benefiting, and I’m grateful!”
Zhuo Weiping shot her a glance, but Zhuo Na wasn’t intimidated, continuing to laugh: “Isn’t it true? Asia Department Store is run by Xia Xiaolan. She’s amazing – a few years ago she was just borrowing books at Commercial University, and now she’s a big boss!”
One should never compare oneself to others – this was Zhuo Na’s most painful realization.
The year Xia Xiaolan took the college entrance exam, Zhuo Na was already a sophomore at Commercial University.
Xia Xiaolan had gotten a library card to borrow books from the university library, and because of her ‘Blue Phoenix’ business, she wanted to find art students to design posters.
The job initially came to Zhuo Na, but she thought poster work was too trivial, unbefitting her future status as a great artist. She didn’t want to accept Xia Xiaolan’s commission but couldn’t refuse her sister Zhuo Weiping’s face, so she recommended her financially struggling senior Gong Yang to Xia Xiaolan… Who knew that a simple poster commission would completely change Gong Yang’s life trajectory?
Through designing posters, Gong Yang got to know Xia Xiaolan and was gradually won over by her. He started working for her during university, and upon graduation, he even declined his school-assigned job to join Xia Xiaolan’s uncle’s small renovation company.
At the time, many at school couldn’t understand Gong Yang’s choice, but Zhuo Na knew some of the reasons.
Senior Gong’s family conditions weren’t good, and he wanted to earn money quickly to help improve his family’s situation. He was attracted by Xia Xiaolan’s offer of high wages.
Though the income was high, it was still a private small renovation company. What if it went bankrupt? What would Senior Gong do then?
Zhuo Na admitted she was curious, and perhaps for other reasons too, she had kept track of Gong Yang these years. After joining the renovation company called ‘Yuan Hui,’ not only did he not lose his job, but as Yuan Hui developed better and better, Gong Yang rose with it, becoming Yuan Hui’s chief interior designer.
Last year, Gong Yang even returned to their alma mater as Yuan Hui’s representative to recruit, asking Zhuo Na to recommend two reliable art students!
Zhuo Na could hardly recognize Gong Yang anymore.
The senior who often couldn’t afford even steamed buns while saving money for art supplies in school had completely transformed.
Money was truly a good thing – it freed Senior Gong from counting every penny for living expenses, and without those constraints, he became confident and spirited.
Art students all dream of becoming painters.
But what if, for various reasons, one couldn’t become a painter?
Senior Gong’s choice represented another path.
As a chief interior designer, he had many successful cases, no less impressive than being a painter.
Thanks to Senior Gong’s hard work, even his family’s living conditions had reportedly changed.
Just for Senior Gong’s sake, supporting Xia Xiaolan’s department store seemed worthwhile! In the past two months, Asia Department Store had lost its grand opening glory. Even Zhuo Na, who wasn’t in business, could guess that as Asia Department Store’s manager, Xia Xiaolan must be facing quite difficult times.
Her eyes twinkled:
“Sis, this Xia Xiaolan still has a conscience, she hasn’t forgotten her roots after becoming successful. I remember she invited you out for dinner last month, right? So it’s right for us to support her store. Get me a 200-yuan shopping card!”
Zhuo Weiping was speechless.
Getting a shopping card was certainly a way to support Xia Xiaolan, but her sister’s generosity with someone else’s money left Zhuo Weiping at a loss for words.
The Zhuo family wasn’t alone in seeing the TV advertisement. ‘Shopping cards’ were something new, and the people of Commercial City found them fresh and interesting. Could a small card replace a wallet?
Just swipe it on some machine, hear a beep, and pay?
What a novelty! Whether they would buy the shopping cards or not, since it was the weekend, people were eager to go to the Asia Department Store to check out this new thing.
“Asia Department Store always comes up with novel ideas!”
“Yeah, the honor guard, elevator ladies – when it first opened, I loved shopping there. I looked forward to the honor guard’s performance every morning.”
For a while, everyone talked about Asia Department Store in their daily greetings.
When did people start discussing Asia Department Store less?
It was in late September when Commercial City’s department stores began taking turns with crazy discount promotions. Today this store had a sale, tomorrow that store – it made everyone restless, thinking only about “discounts” and rushing to buy discounted goods. You couldn’t blame people for being attracted to bargains – money was hard-earned, saved penny by penny, and with the imprint of past material scarcity, people wanted to stock up on discounted items, fearing they might need them later and not be able to buy them!
“Big discounts” replaced “Asia Department Store” in popularity, and gradually, people mentioned Asia Department Store less.
Thinking about it, the service at the Asia Department Store was really good.
“Why don’t they do discount promotions like Purple Mountain Department Store and others? If they had promotions, I’d go to Asia Department Store!”
“Me too! Shopping at Asia Department Store makes you feel pampered – you don’t get that feeling anywhere else.”
“Wait, this shopping card gives 5 yuan back for every 10 yuan spent, 10 yuan back for 20… up to 150 yuan back for 200 yuan. Isn’t this the same as a discount?”