Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 448 The Great Hermit in the City! Zhao Ruilong's Leisurely Time!

"Holy crap! That's fucking awesome!"

"Eat one, sleep, and you'll be fully recharged!"

Zhao Ruilong couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Lift the covers and start with a set of Kegel exercises for intensive training.

Then, with a somersault, he got up from the bed and performed a set of military boxing exercises he had learned from the guard.

After washing my hair and taking a shower, I felt refreshed and invigorated, completely shaking off yesterday's fatigue and exhaustion.

I drew back the curtains, and outside, the sun was already shining brightly.

In 2002, Beijing did not yet have rows of high-rise buildings.

Even outside of rush hour, the streets are not bustling with traffic.

There weren't many cars on the street, but quite a few people were riding bicycles.

A red taxi sped by, and not a single person at the bus stop was looking down at their phone.

"After transmigrating to this world, it seems like I haven't had a proper chance to stroll around the streets and experience life on my own yet."

"Since I've already decided not to go back to Jingzhou today, why don't I enjoy the blissful time of being single?"

Zhao Ruilong made up his mind to give himself a good vacation and relax for a day.

Since none of the guards came, I could completely let loose.

Lock the backpack containing the laptop in the safe.

Zhao Ruilong put on a sun hat, put on his wallet and phone, and went out.

I was a little nervous when I first went out.

She was afraid that if she were recognized by the people from the Handong Liaison Office in Beijing, she wouldn't be able to go out shopping alone.

Fortunately, no one noticed me hurrying down the stairs and out of the building.

When I arrived at the street, there happened to be an empty taxi that had dropped off its passengers.

"Driver, Xidan Shopping Mall!"

"Alright, hold on tight!"

The driver, speaking with a strong Beijing accent, laughed heartily.

With practiced gear shifting, clutch release, and throttle input, the red Xiali taxi started smoothly.

Zhao Ruilong subconsciously glanced back to make sure no one had followed him out.

"Are you from Handong, brother? Are you here in Yanjing on a business trip?"

"Yeah, it's the weekend, so I'm planning to go shopping by myself."

"Then you'd better be careful when you go to Xidan. It's super crowded on weekends. If you're not careful, hey, guess what? Your bag, your phone, everything will be stolen."

Are the pickpockets there really that skilled?

"Hey, you don't believe me? Just yesterday I picked up a passenger who was carrying his bag while we were shopping, but when he came out, he found that someone had already slashed his hand."

Did he call the police?

"Oh dear, why bother calling the police? There are so many people coming and going in the mall, you don't even know when you've been robbed. You can only accept your bad luck! What else can you do?"

Zhao Ruilong nodded silently and turned to look out the window.

"Hey bro, aren't you from Handong? I heard your area has really good public security, with a lot of places having security cameras installed. There shouldn't be many pickpockets there, right?"

"There have been fewer cases of theft and robbery, but we still need to be more careful in crowded places, as there will inevitably be pickpockets."

"Of course, especially mobile phones and MP3 players, those are the things thieves love to steal. But what are you planning to buy when you go to Xidan?"

"Just browsing around, I'll buy a couple of outfits if I like them. Autumn is here, and the weather is getting cooler."

……

Chatting along the way.

Zhao Ruilong discovered that even though the world and times are different, taxi drivers generally love to chat.

Moreover, in the era before ride-hailing services, taxi drivers were a high-paying profession that many people envied.

The old man driving the car was probably a native of Beijing, without much financial pressure, and he spoke like a comedian.

We chatted all the way until we arrived at Xidan Shopping Mall.

"Here we are, bro. Eight dollars and fifty cents."

"Okay, could you please give me the invoice?"

Zhao Ruilong handed over a hundred-yuan bill.

There's nothing I can do; it's been a long time since I've paid for my own meals.

The money I kept in my backpack for emergencies consisted of 100-yuan bills.

The driver took the money, shook it, and then took out a wad of change from his waist bag to make change.

He then pulled the long string of invoices off the printing machine and turned to hand them to Zhao Ruilong.

"Take it all, bro. If you're going to get reimbursed by your company, just pick a big one, and you'll have your breakfast money saved up, right?"

"Okay, thank you, Master."

Zhao Ruilong thanked him and got out of the car.

I had only taken two steps when a woman with a handbag came up to me.

"Cellphone, MP3 player, SIM card, do you want them?"

Zhao Ruilong shook his head and walked away, but every few steps he took, he encountered a vendor trying to sell his wares.

Perhaps because they see themselves as young people, the vendors mainly sell electronic products.

One of them, in particular, was a computer salesman who followed me around the whole time, trying to sell me his products and services.

He said he has assembled PCs at all price points, and also sells various second-hand brand-name PCs.

Buy now and get free accessories such as a webcam, keyboard, headphones, and optical drive.

Zhao Ruilong, who finally had a day of leisure, certainly didn't want to see the computer again.

Besides, he hadn't even had breakfast, so he politely declined.

I found a popular little shop and ordered some delicious snacks.

While enjoying the delicious food, watching the passersby and busy vendors outside, you really get a sense of being a hidden gem in the city.

Here, no one knows their own name or surname, and naturally, no one knows that they can easily buy the entire shopping mall.

He concealed the aura of the young master of Handong and did not reveal his identity as the behind-the-scenes boss of Huilong Group.

Experience the everyday life amidst the hustle and bustle of city life from the perspective of ordinary people...

In a daze, Zhao Ruilong seemed to have returned to the time before he traveled through time.

It's like going back to when I first entered society and was struggling to make a living.

The restaurant was bustling with activity, with a constant stream of diners.

Zhao Ruilong observed for a while.

I didn't see anyone using their phone while waiting for or eating their food.

I guess it's because most mobile phones these days don't offer much fun.

The 3G Huilong mobile phone, which features multiple entertainment functions and internet access, is priced at over two thousand yuan.

Even in a big city like Beijing, it's equivalent to more than a month's salary for an average person.

However, I did see some young people wearing wired headphones and listening to music on MP3 players.

There is no WiFi in the store, nor is there any QR code ordering or payment.

Naturally, you wouldn't see delivery drivers coming and going.

People pay for their meals, still using cash.

After spending more than twenty yuan, Zhao Ruilong was stuffed.

After leaving the store, I wandered around. In this era before online shopping, the shopping mall was incredibly lively on the weekend.

Looking around, people's clothing and appearance were not so colorful or individualistic; most people were dressed quite casually and simply.

But perhaps it's because internet cafes, represented by Huilong Chain, have already sprung up everywhere, coupled with the popularity of social software QQ and various online games.

Therefore, Zhao Ruilong discovered that some young people who went shopping were already dyeing their hair in various colors and wearing earrings and nose rings, which were considered "non-mainstream" or "shamate" styles.

Besides his striking and unconventional clothing, his side-swept bangs almost covered half of his face, which reminded Zhao Ruilong of the "Funeral Love Family" and Martian script, among other things.

As Zhao Ruilong strolled into the electronics section, the large color TVs playing various television programs caught his attention.

In 2002, black and white televisions were still likely to be found in rural areas of China, but they had been largely phased out in cities.

These days, the best-selling items are these large, bulky-looking color TVs with big backs.

They use classic CRT technology, and their quality and performance are already very mature.

Add a DVD player, and you have a small home theater system.

There are also more high-end models than color TVs.

There are large rear-projection TVs, almost like a big cabinet, as well as plasma TVs and LCD TVs.

The 65-inch rear-projection TV, priced at over 20,000 yuan, is manufactured by Sakura Dongzi. Next to it are plasma TVs from companies such as Sonix and Matsushita.

Although LCD technology had already been around for a long time, Sakura's companies were still particularly committed to developing plasma display technology in the early 21st century.

Under Zhao Ruilong's influence and stimulated by numerous computer monitor orders, China's LCD industry has developed rapidly, producing LCD TVs that are in no way inferior to plasma TVs.

However, the high price of several thousand yuan meant that LCD TVs were not as popular as older color TVs.

"The LCD display industry needs to accelerate its development!"

"Otherwise, without cost-effectiveness, even plasma TVs won't be able to be phased out!"

"As for large color TVs that can be bought for a few hundred yuan, they are even harder to replace!"

With a sigh, Zhao Ruilong continued looking at other home appliances.

It has everything: refrigerator, air conditioner, washing machine, rice cooker, etc.

However, the home appliances that customers inquire about purchasing are mainly those with high cost-performance ratios.

For example, a semi-automatic washing machine with washing on the left and spin-drying on the right is obviously more attractive.

Automatic washing machines do exist, but their price tag of one or two thousand yuan is clearly unaffordable for ordinary people.

However, Zhao Ruilong made an unexpected discovery in the small appliance section.

High-speed hair dryers, which are a bit pricey, are surprisingly popular.

Because drones are expensive, and there are regulatory gaps in China's relevant laws and regulations.

Therefore, Zhao Ruilong did not produce or sell drones as civilian electronic products.

However, drones are one of the projects for the integrated development of military and civilian sectors.

The product itself is currently only sold to the military and police for training, reconnaissance, patrol, and so on.

However, related lightweight materials and high-speed brushless motors have been applied to other fields.

For example, there's a high-speed hair dryer that customers are currently experiencing.

With its super-fast airflow and intelligent temperature control, it dries hair faster than traditional hair dryers and is more protective of hair quality.

"What is industrial upgrading? This is it!"

"It's still a hair dryer, but it uses a more stylish design and more advanced materials and components."

"The user experience is significantly better, and even though it's twice as expensive as a traditional hair dryer, people will still buy it!"

"Before I traveled through time, high-speed hair dryers only became popular around 2016. But in this world, they were already on the market in 2002, which can be considered as a high-end domestic product in the small appliance category!"

Turning his head and seeing the discount and promotion section, Zhao Ruilong couldn't help but laugh.

The radios, CD players, DVD players, and other items on the shelves all look brand new, some even being imported, but they give off a sense of a long history.

With the popularization of the Internet, MP3 music players, and home computers, these bulky, clumsy, and inconvenient "old gadgets" are no longer popular among young people, and even discounts and promotions fail to attract customers.

When we arrived at the area selling communication and entertainment electronic products, there was a noticeable increase in young people.

Huilong Electronics' counter naturally occupies the prime location, attracting many people to experience and try out various electronic products.

Seeing many counterfeit MP3 players and 2G mobile phones, Zhao Ruilong was not surprised at all.

Shenzhen has a highly developed electronics industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people.