"Let's buy this one!" Fan Rui couldn't help but exclaim from the side. There was no other way; the appearance was simply too cool.
Fan's mother also nodded with rare satisfaction. Only Fan's father sighed, muttering, "Alas, it's impossible to buy!"
Whether she heard her husband's words or not, Fan's mother raised an eyebrow and then said domineeringly, "I'm buying this phone."
To showcase her decisiveness, Fan's mother added, "Where do I pay?"
"You can pay right here at my counter!" the proprietress said with a slight smile. "Since you're so straightforward, sister, I won't play any games. I'll give you the most reasonable price: 8,000 yuan, and it's yours!"
"..." Fan's mother's wrist trembled involuntarily, and she looked at her counterpart in disbelief. "How much? How much did you say?"
"8,000 yuan!" the proprietress said indifferently. She really liked this kind of expression.
"Isn't this a domestic phone? How can it cost 8,000 yuan? Even imported phones aren't this expensive. Are you crazy?" Fan's mother exclaimed.
"Indeed, but the problem is that this domestic phone is just that expensive. The price is the same all over China, and it's hard to find. There are only three units in the entire market right now. If you don't want it, then forget it. You can look at the other phones here; they're mostly under 1,000 yuan, which would be very suitable for your needs!" As the proprietress spoke, she put the phone away.
"You're talking nonsense..." Fan's mother wanted to argue further, but Fan's father quickly pulled his wife and whispered, "Stop arguing. This is a Tianxing phone, and they're just this expensive. He's not lying to you!"
"..." Fan's mother glared fiercely at Fan's father. Fan's husband could only lower his head helplessly. Then Fan Rui said, "Mom, I think we should just buy this Mi phone. I think it looks quite nice!"
Fan Rui stepped forward to ease the situation, thinking they should just buy the phone quickly and leave. Quite a few people nearby were already secretly observing them.
"A phone that only costs 500 yuan is too cheap. There are no good phones here. Let's go to the first floor to buy imported phones!" Fan's mother said, pulling her son and husband away from the basement with an imposing demeanor.
"Hey, you say it's too cheap, but I have an 8,000 yuan phone here! No one upstairs has a phone this expensive. Why don't you come and buy it?" the proprietress shouted after them, drawing a burst of laughter from the scene and making the Fan family of three quicken their pace.
"If we're going to buy, we'll buy the biggest global brand, Nokia!" Back on the first floor, Fan's mother said rather loudly, as if to cover up the humiliation she had just suffered downstairs.
"Okay!" Fan Rui and Fan's husband nodded repeatedly in agreement. At this moment, it was absolutely impossible to anger their resident tigress further; it could be fatal.
So, the three of them went directly to the Nokia counter. After a period of browsing, they decided to purchase a phone costing around 1,700 yuan.
This was the third cheapest phone from the bottom at the Nokia counter. Fan's mother would definitely not buy the cheapest Nokia phone, as that would clearly indicate to others that she only pursued brands but had no money.
Nor would she buy the second cheapest phone, because that would clearly tell people that she was a poor person who only pursued brands but had no money, but still wanted to patch things up, deceive herself, and pretend she wasn't a poor person, puffing herself up.
Therefore, she bought the third cheapest phone from the bottom, making it less obvious. This was the perfect plan, the kind of wisdom only a housewife could possess!
Paid, and off they went.
On the way home, Fan Rui tightly clutched the phone in his arms, feeling as though the day had been somewhat surreal.
First, in the morning, he checked his exam results and was pleasantly surprised to discover he had narrowly passed and gotten into a good university.
Then, at noon, there was a huge explosion, and he watched his mother descend into a state of breakdown.
And now, today, he actually owned a phone he had never even dreamed of, and he had it before his parents.
He had to admit, life's wonders were truly profound.
Upon returning home, Fan's mother told Fan Rui to unbox the phone and check its contents. They would use the phone properly that evening to see if it had any hidden flaws, as the return and exchange policy was valid within seven days.
Fan Rui complied willingly. Under his parents' expectant gazes, he quickly unboxed the phone, took out the device, which was currently at its peak of aesthetic appeal, and then opened the back cover. As he was inserting one of the two battery packs, Fan's mother suddenly stopped him.
"Wait!" Fan's mother called out in a state of panic. "Why does this phone also have that logo on it?"
It turned out that Fan's mother had discovered that inside this very Nokia phone, there were several logo stickers, one of which was quite familiar – it was the lightning bolt logo of the China Electronic Technology Industry Development Alliance.
However, the stamp-like logo was absent.
"Doesn't this logo only appear on domestic phones? Did we buy a fake? Is this Nokia phone not imported at all, but domestic!"
"No, we're going back right now to return this phone immediately. This is too embarrassing!" Fan's mother said, preparing to take her husband and son to return the phone and then buy a genuine imported one.
"That's enough. I reckon you won't find a phone without this logo even if you searched the entire store, unless you're willing to buy old stock produced six months ago!" Fan's father finally couldn't help but say. "And don't worry, this is a genuine Nokia phone, no problem at all!"
"How do you know?" Fan's mother questioned.
"Because I read the newspapers and watched the news. I follow related reports every day!" Fan's father gave up pretending and confessed. "The reason these Nokia phones have the lightning bolt logo of the Electronic Development Industry Alliance is because Nokia, as well as Motorola, Samsung, and other major foreign phone brands, formally passed a resolution at the beginning of this year and joined the China Electronic Technology Industry Development Alliance as foreign members."
"And according to the alliance's regulations, any member who joins the alliance and uses related technologies and products from the alliance must affix the alliance's lightning bolt logo to their products; otherwise, they will have to pay a hefty penalty for breach of contract."
"As for the stamp-like logo representing alliance certification, since it's not a mandatory requirement for all alliance members to undergo verification, and foreign phone brands do not need to go through alliance inspection to prove their product quality, they did not affix that stamp-like logo."
"In summary, even foreign phone brands will inevitably have the alliance's lightning bolt logo on their latest manufactured phones." Fan's father said.
Fan's father's words left Fan's mother in a daze; she couldn't quite accept or understand it even after he explained it several times. Meanwhile, Fan Rui pursed his lips tightly, as if he had realized something.
"This shouldn't be happening. Shouldn't foreign companies be leading us in technology and productivity? Why would these companies join the China Electronic Technology Industry Alliance? The name itself clearly indicates it's an alliance run by us Chinese. Do these foreign companies need China's technology? How embarrassing!"
"Otherwise, why would I have been laid off back then?" Fan's mother asked, after Fan's father had explained it two or three times and she finally understood what he meant.
"Alas, it's not 10 years ago anymore!" Fan's father took a deep breath. "Now, China truly possesses several technologies that foreigners do not have. Moreover, China's electronic technology has developed very rapidly over the years, especially after the establishment of the industry alliance. Under the leadership of Jiangnan, members within the alliance share technologies, mutually benefit from patents, and develop collaboratively, with speeds several times faster than before. It is said that a complete mobile phone industrial chain has already been formed. Except for a very small number of parts that cannot be produced independently, all others have been localized!"
"This isn't just something I'm saying without basis; many foreign companies admit it. Otherwise, why would they have joined the alliance collectively last year and become foreign members?"
"Has China's technology become so advanced that foreigners are forced to join the alliance?" Fan's mother asked incredulously.
"I can't say for sure, but I think there must be a few technologies that foreigners don't have. And according to newspaper analyses, the reason these foreign companies join the alliance isn't for the technology itself, but for the procurement prices within the alliance!"
"Because the industry alliance stipulates that the procurement prices for alliance members must be lower than those for non-alliance companies. Although the price difference isn't much, every little bit counts. For large enterprises, procurement is in the millions and tens of millions. Even smaller figures in this magnitude will become a considerable cost. To save costs, these foreign companies inevitably have to join the alliance."
"And after joining the alliance, they must authorize the use of some of their technologies to manufacturers within the alliance, while also lowering their supply prices for alliance members. This will form a perfect virtuous cycle."
"Jiangnan Group's methods are indeed impressive. If this alliance can continue to develop smoothly, China might become a strong nation in the electronics industry, and the lives of Chinese people will be much better!" Fan's father lamented.
"So, does this Jiangnan also have merit for the country?" Fan's mother asked irritably.
"Whether they have merit or not isn't for me to say; I'm just telling you the facts!" Fan's father said indifferently.
"Really?" Fan's mother's eyes widened, and she grabbed her husband's ear. "Come on, tell me, why do you look at so many phone-related things every day? Have you saved some private money and plan to secretly buy a phone behind my back?" xxs1
"No! Absolutely not!" Fan's father exclaimed in panic. However, Fan's mother gave him no chance. Immediately, a family emotional and ethical drama began.