电子支付

Xiaoyue: Hello everyone, welcome to "Plain Chinese". I'm Xiaoyue.

Leo: Hello everyone, I'm Leo. Nice to see you all again.

Xiaoyue: Leo, today we're going to talk about a very interesting topic, which is "money".

Leo: Talk about money? I like this topic, but right now I don't have a single cent in my pocket.

Xiaoyue: Really? When was the last time you used cash?

Leo: Let me think, that should be a long time ago.

Xiaoyue: When you were in London, UK, didn't you use cash either?

Leo: When I was in London, I often used credit cards, and occasionally a little bit of cash.

Xiaoyue: But after you came to Hangzhou, do you feel it's completely different?

Leo: Exactly, in Hangzhou, I often think: what is cash? I really don't need it.

Xiaoyue: Haha, you've already become a Hangzhou person who doesn't need a wallet.

Leo: Yes, my wallet is now at home, I don't even know which room it's in.

Xiaoyue: Because now you only need to use your phone to buy everything, right?

Leo: Yes, as long as I have my phone in my hand, I feel very secure.

Xiaoyue: Then can you introduce to our listeners what people use to pay in China?

Leo: Mainly two apps, one is Alipay, the other is WeChat.

Xiaoyue: That's right, these two apps are like bank cards installed in your phone.

Leo: They are very smart, as long as you bind a bank card, you can use them anywhere.

Xiaoyue: Leo, have you already installed these two apps on your phone?

Leo: I do! I installed them soon after I came to China.

Xiaoyue: Looks like you've prepared very well. So now which one do you think is better to use?

Leo: Both are very good. When you go to stores or restaurants, they can both scan QR codes.

Xiaoyue: Then let's try it now and see how to pay with a phone.

Leo: Okay, now you're the shop assistant, and I'm the customer.

Xiaoyue: No problem. What do you want to buy from me?

Leo: I want to buy a bottle of cold water, because it's a bit hot today.

Xiaoyue: Okay, this bottle of water is two yuan. May I ask if you have brought your phone?

Leo: I have it. Look, I first open the "scan" function on my phone.

Xiaoyue: Right, then you just need to scan the QR code on my counter.

Leo: With a "beep", I've scanned it, and now I enter the password.

Xiaoyue: Okay, my phone shows that the money has been received. Here's your water.

Leo: Wow, the whole process probably took less than ten seconds.

Xiaoyue: It's indeed very fast. What do you think is the difference between this and buying things with cash?

Leo: If you use cash, it might take two minutes.

Xiaoyue: Two minutes? Is it because getting change is troublesome?

Leo: Yes, you have to find your wallet first, then count the money, and finally the shop assistant has to give you a lot of coins as change.

Xiaoyue: It does sound slow, and coins are heavy in your pocket, aren't they?

Leo: Exactly, I really don't like coins, but in China I don't have this problem at all.

Xiaoyue: In Hangzhou, besides buying water, where else do you use QR code scanning?

Leo: Too many places. When I go to a milk tea shop to buy milk tea, I need to scan.

Xiaoyue: That's right, young people nowadays drink a cup of milk tea every day.

Leo: Also when I buy desserts, or when I go to the vegetable market to buy fruit.

Xiaoyue: Even if you only buy one apple, you can directly scan and pay.

Leo: Yes, the auntie never refuses to let me scan just because the amount is small.

Xiaoyue: Besides being fast, what other benefits do you think electronic payment has?

Leo: I think the biggest benefit is not having to carry a wallet when going out.

Xiaoyue: Yes, in the past when going out you had to check for keys, wallet, and phone.

Leo: Now when going out you only need to check your phone, and you don't even need keys because they're all electronic locks.

Xiaoyue: Also, have you noticed that electronic payment is very safe?

Leo: Do you mean we don't have to worry about receiving fake money?

Xiaoyue: Exactly, in the past when using cash, sometimes you would receive fake banknotes.

Leo: That's terrible, but when paying with a phone, the numbers can't go wrong.

Xiaoyue: But I also have a concern: what if you lose your phone?

Leo: That's a good question. If I lose my phone, will my money be spent by someone else?

Xiaoyue: Actually don't worry, because paying requires a password or face scanning.

Leo: Oh, I see. Without my face, others can't use my money.

Xiaoyue: Right, and you can freeze your account immediately.

Leo: Then I'm relieved. It seems electronic payment is even safer than I thought.

Xiaoyue: You've been in Hangzhou for so long, have you seen elderly people paying with their phones?

Leo: I've seen it many times. I often see elderly grandmas scanning QR codes in supermarkets.

Xiaoyue: Many foreigners think that elderly people probably can't use this kind of high technology.

Leo: I used to think so too, but now I think China's grandparents are very capable.

Xiaoyue: Once they learn, they also find it really convenient not to have to count money.

Leo: Exactly, technology makes everyone's life simpler.

Xiaoyue: Speaking of this, have you ever encountered any interesting stories about paying?

Leo: There's one story I must tell. It was my first week in Hangzhou.

Xiaoyue: Tell us quickly.

Leo: That day I was walking on the street and saw a beggar asking passersby for money.

Xiaoyue: A beggar? Then what did you do? Did you give him money?

Leo: At that time I felt my pockets and found that I really didn't have any cash.

Xiaoyue: Then did you feel very embarrassed and want to walk away quickly?

Leo: As it turned out, he pointed to the QR code hanging around his neck.

Xiaoyue: Haha, did he say, "It's okay, you can scan and give it to me"?

Leo: Exactly! I was really shocked at that time. Even a beggar had a QR code.

Xiaoyue: This shows that in China, even beggars know that electronic payment is the most convenient.

Leo: From that day on, I knew that in China you really don't need to carry cash.

Xiaoyue: That story is hilarious, but I've also encountered an embarrassed customer.

Xiaoyue: Did it happen in your dessert shop? What happened to that customer?

Xiaoyue: One day a customer picked a strawberry cake and a few breads, ready to pay.

Leo: And then? Did he, like me, find out his phone was dead?

Xiaoyue: Worse than dead battery. He got to the counter and only then realized he hadn't brought his phone at all.

Leo: He must have been very anxious then.

Xiaoyue: Yes, he searched all his pockets and finally asked me if I could wait for him.

Leo: Was he going to go home to get cash to pay you?

Xiaoyue: No, he said he would bike home to get his phone and then come back to scan.

Leo: Haha, he would rather run home to get his phone than borrow money?

Xiaoyue: Mainly because now everyone is used to scanning, and finding cash is actually harder.

Leo: Indeed, now if I don't have my phone with me, I don't even dare to go out.

Xiaoyue: It feels like phones have now become a part of our bodies.

Leo: Yes, it's not only a phone, but also a wallet, a map, and a translator.

Xiaoyue: However, paying with a phone also makes you spend money faster, don't you think?

Leo: I completely agree, because when scanning, I don't feel the money decreasing.

Xiaoyue: When paying with cash, you see a big banknote turn into a few small coins.

Leo: Exactly, that feeling hurts, but scanning just changes a number.

Xiaoyue: So is your monthly bill very long now?

Leo: Yes, I look at my Alipay bill every day and then get a shock.

Xiaoyue: Haha, looks like you need to buy less milk tea in the future.

Leo: I'll try, but Hangzhou really has too much delicious milk tea.

Xiaoyue: Speaking of which, do you think electronic payment is good for the environment?

Leo: Of course it's good, because we don't have to print so much paper money.

Xiaoyue: Exactly, reducing paper waste is also a way to protect the Earth.

Leo: And receipts for purchases can also be electronic, without being printed out.

Xiaoyue: Right, electronic receipts are sent directly to your phone and are very easy to find.

Leo: This lifestyle is really modern, I like it very much.

Xiaoyue: If you go back to London in the future, will you miss this feeling of scanning?

Leo: I will definitely miss it. I might wave my phone at the shop owners in London.

Xiaoyue: Haha, the shop owners in London might think you're very strange.

Leo: They might ask me, "What are you doing? Please give me your credit card."

Xiaoyue: It seems you'll need to spend some time to get used to using cash again.

Leo: Or I can convince them to start using QR codes to pay too.

Xiaoyue: That might be a big project, requiring many people's efforts.

Leo: It's okay. Useful things will eventually become popular all over the world.

Xiaoyue: Well said, just like our show now.

Leo: Haha, are you saying our show will also become popular worldwide?

Xiaoyue: As long as everyone enjoys listening, we will keep on talking.

Leo: Xiaoyue, do you think we will still pay with phones in the future?