boyutpedia Chapter 17, First Cellphone
Chapter 17, First Cellphone
Normally, considering the high cost of internet access—four yuan per hour, which would be eight yuan for both of them—the two would only play for an hour or two before leaving.
But today, Jin Liang was "rich and powerful," and he enjoyed the game so much that he played for more than three hours straight.
When it was time to pay the bill after disembarking, Jin Liang pulled a crisp 100-yuan bill from his pocket and slammed it on the counter with a loud "thud!": "Boss, check please!"
His demeanor exuded an air of "I'm not short of money."
Stepping out of the internet cafe, the afternoon sun at three o'clock was still scorching, and the heat wave, carrying the dust of the street, hit me in the face.
Chen Zhiyuan squinted, fanned himself with his hand, and casually said, "This weather is so hot. If I could have an ice-cold cola right now, that would be perfect."
Just now, Jin Liang was feeling great in the game, following Chen Zhiyuan's lead and dominating the battlefield. His spirits were still high, and upon hearing this, he immediately patted his chest and declared:
"It's on! It has to be on! What can I do? I'm broke today! My dad gave me a whole hundred, I've never felt so generous in my life!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyuan couldn't help but laugh, his hand unconsciously pressing on his pocket—inside his wallet lay a thousand yuan in cash.
Jinliang, Jinliang, you call having a hundred dollars "unprecedented extravagance"? Then what about my thousand dollars?
Jin Liang, of course, had no idea about the "huge sum" in Chen Zhiyuan's pocket. He had already run to the nearby convenience store, bought two bottles of cold-cold glass Coke, and handed one to Chen Zhiyuan.
He unscrewed the bottle cap himself, tilted his head back, and gulped down most of the bottle. The icy liquid went down his throat, and he exhaled a refreshing breath of cold air.
"Awesome!" Jin Liang wiped his mouth and exclaimed, "Zhiyuan, you really need money. If you don't have money, you can only drink tap water on a day like this. How can you enjoy the taste of iced cola?"
Chen Zhiyuan smiled again, unscrewed his bottle, took two sips, and then waved his hand: "Come on, come with me to buy something."
"Buy something?" Jin Liang's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed, "Buy what?"
"Buy a cell phone." Chen Zhiyuan said casually, "I'm going to university soon, it'll be easier to stay in touch with someone if I have a cell phone."
"What?!"
Jin Liang abruptly stopped, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he stared at Chen Zhiyuan in disbelief: "You want to buy a phone? Really?!"
"Of course, I have my ID card with me." Chen Zhiyuan patted his pocket. "Let's go to the telecommunications building, it's only a ten-minute walk."
Jin Liang was completely stunned, his mind was buzzing.
Chen Zhiyuan felt like he was on top of the world just because he had a hundred yuan, but he actually wanted to buy a cell phone?
That thing must cost at least a thousand or two! His family doesn't seem to be particularly well-off...
He followed Chen Zhiyuan in a daze until they entered the spacious and bright business hall of the telecommunications building. When he saw Chen Zhiyuan walk straight to the mobile phone counter and start looking down at the various models displayed in the glass window, he suddenly came to his senses and quickly jogged over to catch up.
In 1999, China Mobile had not yet separated from China Telecom, and you had to go to a China Telecom business hall to buy a mobile phone and apply for a SIM card.
In fact, telecommunications has only been separated from the postal system for a few years.
Chen Zhiyuan's eyes quickly settled on a classic model - the Nokia 3210.
Its square shape, blue screen, and reputation for durability made it his first mobile phone in his previous life.
The price is a bit eye-catching: the label clearly states 3280 yuan, and judging from that, there's probably not much room for negotiation.
Although it hurt a little, the thought that I still had tens of thousands of words of manuscript in hand and that the newspaper's royalties would continue to come in made the pain lessen.
Of course, there were also domestically produced phones priced over a thousand yuan in the counter, but their quality and brand couldn't compare to Nokia's.
"Comrade, can you give me a discount on this phone?" Chen Zhiyuan asked the saleswoman behind the counter, pointing to the Nokia 3210.
The sales clerk came over at the sound, a professional smile on her face, but a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes—it was quite rare to see such a young man buying a phone, especially such an expensive one.
These days, having a pager on your belt is considered stylish, and those who can afford to spend over three thousand on a mobile phone are mostly successful middle-aged people.
"Young man, are you really going to buy this?" the salesperson asked instinctively to confirm.
"Yes, I'm sure." Chen Zhiyuan nodded, his tone calm and his expression composed, unlike ordinary high school students who might easily show timidity in unfamiliar situations.
"These are fixed prices, we can't offer discounts," the salesperson explained, then changed the subject, "But we have a promotion right now, if you buy this phone you can get 200 yuan in free talk time."
There's no discount, but saving 200 yuan in phone credit is pretty good.
Without further hesitation, Chen Zhiyuan took out his ID card, selected a number starting with 131, then went to the bank next door to withdraw money and completed the transaction.
When the brand-new Nokia 3210, along with its box and charger, was handed to him, a subtle sense of reassurance welled up inside him.
He examined it carefully, tested the feel of the buttons, and then put it in his pocket with satisfaction.
Stepping out of the telecommunications hall, the hot wind outside made Jin Liang unable to contain himself any longer. He grabbed Chen Zhiyuan, his eyes wide with surprise:
"Zhiyuan! Quick! Let me see! I've never touched such an expensive phone before!"
Chen Zhiyuan smiled and generously took out his phone and handed it to him.
Jin Liang accepted it with both hands, his movements careful, as if he were holding not a phone, but a fragile, rare treasure.
He examined it from all angles, stroking the smooth casing and pressing the sturdy buttons, his eyes shining with astonishing light, muttering to himself, "Holy crap... the real thing... Nokia... over three thousand..."
Seeing his excited and curious expression, like "Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden," Chen Zhiyuan initially wanted to laugh.
Then it dawned on me—this was 1999, twenty years later, when not everyone could easily own a mobile phone.
Jin Liang's reaction is a true reflection of the majority of young people in this era.
Several minutes passed before Jin Liang reluctantly handed the phone back to Chen Zhiyuan, his eyes filled with envy, admiration, and bewilderment.
"Zhiyuan," he lowered his voice, leaning closer to ask, "Where did you get so much money? Did your family really give it to you?"
He really couldn't understand why Chen Zhiyuan, whose family was of average means, would suddenly give him such a large sum of money to buy a mobile phone.
Chen Zhiyuan shook his head: "It wasn't given to me by my family, I earned it myself."
"You earned it yourself?!"
Jin Liang was startled again, his eyes widening even further.
Coming to his senses, his desire for money was instantly ignited, and he looked at Chen Zhiyuan with eager anticipation and anticipation:
"Brother, Brother Yuan! What connections do you have? Can you help us get rich? I want to make money too!"
The longing in his eyes was almost palpable.