A large department store in the city had just opened, launching a "Spend 200, Get 100" promotional campaign, and I was browsing the store with great interest. On the second floor, at the small appliances counter, I noticed two fair-haired, blue-eyed, high-nosed foreigners who seemed to be having some trouble. "I know, but, but..." the salesgirl was flustered, her face red, repeatedly muttering this junior-high-level English phrase. The foreigners, holding gift vouchers in their hands, kept pointing at an electric shaver behind the glass case and mumbling unclear English. It turned out they had their eyes on a shaver priced at 95 yuan and wanted to use their two 50-yuan vouchers to cover the cost. However, clearly displayed on the counter was a sign stating: "Only one voucher per purchase."
"The voucher can only be used once. You still need to pay 45 yuan," the salesgirl finally gave up on her broken English and loudly explained in Mandarin, repeating it twice. "Why?" the foreigners asked seriously, refusing to let it go. The salesgirl handed them the sign, pointing at the relevant clause with her lips. "No, no, no!" the foreigners pushed the sign away. The taller one pointed to the store's "Spend 200, Get 100" promotional banner and shook his head firmly at the salesgirl.
By now, a crowd of onlookers had gradually gathered, many of them quietly laughing. The salesgirl was at a loss, extremely anxious. Someone stepped in to mediate: "Just sell it to the foreigners. Don't damage our soft environment for investment attraction." Many nodded in agreement. The salesgirl hesitated, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She grabbed the walkie-talkie and stammered out a request to consult the general manager. In a flash, the general manager rushed over. Seeing the foreigners, he looked as if he had done something wrong and quickly apologized sincerely: "Sorry, sorry." The tall foreigner gave the manager a thumbs-up, pointed at the shaver, then at his heart. The manager got the message and promptly instructed the salesgirl: "Make an exception today. Sell it to our honored guest using the vouchers." The foreigners seemed to understand this sentence. They dropped their two 50-yuan vouchers, grabbed the shaver, and headed downstairs. A few shoppers clapped.
I followed them down the stairs. Before I even reached the exit, the two foreigners suddenly burst into laughter. I heard one of them say: "If we had spoken Chinese, we'd have had to pay!"