Chapter 645: Chapter 603: Feces Fork! (3)
"Get lost! You can’t afford it. That’s not a Feces Fork, that’s an iPhone-X! It’s nearly nine thousand yuan a unit. You could farm for a year and still not earn enough for one phone! Go on, get out, don’t make a scene!"
Upon hearing the old man ask to take a look at one, the saleswoman immediately turned hostile, scolding him without any regard for his dignity.
Could an old man like this really have eight or nine thousand yuan? The saleswoman didn’t think so.
"Bing Jie, don’t talk like that!" another sales associate said from beside the haughty woman.
"Fine. I can’t be bothered to waste my breath on him. Xiao Fan, you’re the nice one. You talk to him." Although she wasn’t offended by her colleague’s words, the saleswoman named Bing Jie still waved her hand dismissively and walked over to another counter.
Listening to these increasingly harsh words, the old man couldn’t help but rub his gnarled hands together. They were covered in thick calluses and cracks. Though long accustomed to being treated with disdain, the look of inferiority and timidity in his eyes only grew more intense.
"Sir, you want to buy an iPhone-X, right?" Seeing the expression in the old man’s eyes, the saleswoman named Xiao Fan couldn’t help but purse her lips before offering a gentle smile.
"Yes, yes, yes, the Feces Fork! Miss, I don’t know much about these things. Could you take one out for me to see? I want to buy it," the old man said quickly, his spirits lifting at the mention of the phone.
"Sir, who are you buying this for? This phone is very expensive. Perhaps we could look at a cheaper one? The less expensive models are quite practical, too! Shall I show you some others?" Given the old man’s shabby clothes and appearance, Xiao Fan couldn’t bear to see him fixated on the iPhone-X. After all, it wasn’t eight or nine hundred, but eight or nine thousand—a sum that would likely cost this struggling old man several months’ wages. It also went without saying that he definitely wasn’t buying it for himself.
"No, no, no, I don’t want any other! I want the iPhone-X! My son said all his classmates use this. I bought him one for a thousand or two before, but he smashed it. I can’t waste money like that again; he has to have the Feces Fork! Miss, can you take one out for me to see?" the elder said urgently, shaking his head. By the end, his tone had become pleading.
"Sir, this iPhone-X costs nine thousand yuan. Are you sure you want to buy it?" Although she asked, Xiao Fan still followed basic sales procedure, reaching into the display case to take out an iPhone-X. She dared not, however, comment on the old man’s family matters.
The withered hand reaching for the phone on the counter froze. "Nine thousand yuan?" the elder’s voice trembled.
As everyone in the store watched, he began to fumble in the inner pocket of his trousers with shaky hands. He pulled out bills of one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten, and five yuan, and even one-yuan notes and fifty-cent coins. It was a large pile on the counter, but it was clearly far short of nine thousand.
"Miss, could you wait for me to count it?" the old man asked weakly, his eyes pleading with Xiao Fan.
Count? Even if he does, it’s nowhere near nine thousand! But Xiao Fan didn’t dare say this out loud, for fear of crushing the old man’s spirit. Swallowing the lump of pity in her throat, she sniffled and said, "Yes, sir. Go ahead and count."
"Xiao Fan, why are you wasting time on him? When the boss gets here, you’ll get an earful!" the saleswoman named Bing Jie couldn’t help but scold from the other side of the store.
"It’s fine. Let him scold me. Let the gentleman finish counting first," Xiao Fan said, shaking her head. She knew the old man wouldn’t be able to rest until he’d counted the money. Just kicking him out and making him count it on the street would be too cruel; she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
"Seven hundred and eighty!"
"Nine hundred and sixty!"
"One thousand, two hundred and twenty!"
"Two thousand, four hundred and thirty!"
"Three thousand, five hundred and eighty!"
"Four thousand, seven hundred and ten!"
The further he counted, the more his voice trembled. After reaching 4,710, the old man’s hands and his voice fell silent. A pile of crumpled bills still lay on the counter, but he didn’t continue counting. The remaining notes were all just small denominations of one yuan and fifty cents.
Could this possibly add up to four thousand? Even if he wanted to, the old man couldn’t deceive himself.
At that moment, his old eyes began to brim with tears. He looked at Xiao Fan and stammered, "Miss, I—I—" His voice broke as he gazed at the phone on the counter. A hand instinctively reached for it, only to be pulled back a moment later.
Faced with the old man’s choked sob, Xiao Fan bit her lip hard. I want to help, but the difference is just too much. I’m powerless. Silence is the best response. What could I possibly say?
Without another word, the old man’s trembling hands slowly gathered the money from the counter and stuffed it back into the inner pocket of his trousers. Each handful gripped by those dry, cracked hands was a portrait of helpless sorrow and piercing heartache. However, most of the onlookers simply sneered in derision.
An iPhone-X? Did he really think just anyone could afford one of those?
Just as the old man had put all his money away and was about to turn and leave, his body bent with a forlorn, world-weary air, Qin Fan, who had witnessed the entire scene, spoke up. "Sir, is it worth it for such an ungrateful son? That’s your blood, sweat, and tears! Are you really going to throw away your coffin money just to satisfy a child like that?"
Hearing this sudden voice directed at him, tears began to stream down the old man’s wrinkled face. He wiped his eyes and said, "No matter how wayward he is, he’s still my child! I had him late in life, so it wasn’t easy. I’m not a capable man, and he’s never had a good life with me. His mother passed away early, and I was so busy working from dawn till dusk just to support the family and pay for his schooling that I never disciplined him properly. These are all my failings as a father! But he’s a good boy; he worked hard. This year, he was accepted into Jinling University. He has brought honor to our Zhou family! My own suffering doesn’t matter, as long as my child has a future!"
A student at Jinling University? A top student from Jinling is treating his own father like this? He doesn’t have enough self-awareness about his family’s situation to stop comparing himself to others? He lets his poor father spend his blood, sweat, and tears on an iPhone-X for him? He smashed a cheaper one? Damn it, how did scum like that ever get into a university?!
Rage flashed in Xiao Fan’s eyes, but her anger was just that—anger. She didn’t dare voice these thoughts. After all, she was just a salesgirl in a phone store. What right did she have to comment on someone else’s family affairs?
Just as the old man finished speaking, his body trembling as he prepared to leave, Qin Fan suddenly reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sir, don’t rush off. I’ll buy this phone for you."
With that, he guided the old man back toward the counter. He looked at Xiao Fan and said, "Give me four iPhone-Xs. I’ll use my card." As he spoke, he pulled a bank card from his pocket.
The entire store was left dumbfounded.
What the heck?! Is this some kind of soap opera?
Xiao Fan stood frozen, staring blankly at Qin Fan as if she hadn’t heard him. It wasn’t until Qin Fan smiled and tapped on the counter that she finally snapped out of it.
"Yes, of course!" she replied hurriedly. Xiao Fan quickly crouched down and took out four brand-new, unopened phones. Then, biting her lip, she said, "I’ll give you a two percent discount. That’s my commission, but I’ll waive it. It’s the least I can do to help the gentleman! You’re a good person. I’m waiving my commission on all four phones!"
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