Chapter 279 White Deer Mall
"Ozawa-kun, do you want to go to MOYI for a drink?"
"No, I have to go to Bailu Mall to buy some things later."
"Bailu Mall? I'll go there tomorrow. See you then."
"Goodbye~"
Ozawa, who had just come out of the apartment, ran into his colleague, Kimura, in the workshop.
As for his desire to go to MOYI for a drink, Ozawa also smiled knowingly.
It was a newly opened bar in the town. When my colleagues had nothing to do after get off work, they liked to go there for a drink.
The most important thing is that there are a lot of girls there, so MOYI has become the favorite place for young people.
The same goes for Ozawa, but he has other things to do today, so he'll ask Kimura to join him next time.
Both he and Kimura are from Aomori and work in the same workshop, so they have a very good relationship.
And now they are one step closer, as they moved into the same apartment just last month.
That’s right, Ozawa and Kimura are both employees of the Shirakawa Electric Headphone Factory in Kazuo City.
As the first batch of veteran employees who joined the factory when it was founded, Ozawa and Kimura were also lucky enough to move into the newly built Shirakawa Hanawa Apartment near the factory.
Having spent the previous twenty years in the countryside of Aomori, they had never seen a modern apartment with such complete facilities.
Although he has moved in for a month, every time he stands at the door of the apartment after get off work, Ozawa's heart is still filled with happiness.
There is a separate bathroom, bedroom, and a small kitchen. Although the place is not big, everything is new and it is more than enough for one person.
Not to mention that there is air conditioning here. Xiaoze has never lived in a house with air conditioning in his life.
In the past, during the winter in Aomori, he, who came from the countryside, mostly used kotatsu or electric blankets to keep warm in his hometown.
Air conditioners are still very rare in Northeast China. In 1975, the air conditioning penetration rate in Japan was just 17%.
The penetration rate only rose to 64% in the 1990s, so just a few years later, the air-conditioning penetration rate in Japan is definitely no more than half.
Therefore, when Ozawa lived in an air-conditioned house for the first time in a very cold winter, he was so happy that he almost cried.
He only has a high school diploma, and he never thought he could live in a house like this.
Fortunately, when he was in Aomori, he heard that there was a factory in Akita that was recruiting workers. He had nothing to do, so he casually signed up. Unexpectedly, he was accepted in the end.
When he arrived at Lujiao and saw the newly built factories, Ozawa thought that it might be a good idea to work here in the future.
Afterwards, he was glad for his decision countless times.
Ozawa has never been to Tokyo, but he feels that with his ability, even if he goes there, that's about as good as it can get.
He has a first-class apartment in the Northeast and a monthly salary of more than 100,000 yen. What else could he be dissatisfied with?
After coming out of the apartment and saying hello to his co-workers who were playing basketball on the court, Ozawa went straight to Bailu Shopping Mall 500 meters away.
For him, he can go to MOYI at any time, but he must go to the Bailu Shopping Mall which opened near the end of the year.
In order to celebrate the opening and the New Year, many stores in the mall are holding promotional activities these days.
The discounts are huge and the prices are very attractive.
However, the goods are limited in quantity, so Xiaoze couldn't wait to go to Bailu Mall to buy some.
The holiday will start in one day, and Ozawa has never seen many of the new things in the mall.
So he decided to take advantage of the sales to stock up on New Year's goods before returning to Aomori, and then bring them directly back to his hometown in Aomori.
Anyway, Aomori is just north of Shikaku, so it’s very close and can be reached in less than an hour’s drive.
Walking out of the apartment and onto the street, there was a constant stream of pedestrians.
Various quaint shops such as restaurants, teahouses, izakayas, ramen shops, kimono shops, and Daifuku confectionery shops are scattered on both sides of the street.
Of course, there is no shortage of trendy bars and dance halls like MOYI, as well as various home furnishing stores, convenience stores and small independent companies.
Ozawa clearly felt that there were more and more people on the streets of Kazuo City.
When he first came here at the beginning of the year, there were shops on the street, but they were definitely not as prosperous as they are now.
Come to think of it, there are so many people working at Shirakawa Electric alone. Every time after work, this street is crowded with people.
Because of the good salary and benefits, employees with plenty of cash in their hands also urgently need to spend to satisfy their purchasing desires.
So in just less than a year, shops here popped up like mushrooms after a rain.
Beauty salons, dance halls, game halls, and pachinko parlors that were only found in big cities are also gradually starting to appear in Lujiao.
However, Ozawa does not reject this. He likes the hustle and bustle, the feeling of being crowded on the streets, and the lively atmosphere in every store.
Whenever he has time, he will visit every store here, which is also one of his pleasures.
But let’s put aside bars, game halls and other places for now.
The three-story White Deer Shopping Mall is already in sight not far away, especially the white deer sculpture in front of the square which is extremely eye-catching.
The white deer's agile figure leaping up, its sturdy four hooves, and its finely detailed hair make it look lifelike.
At this moment, the sculpture is surrounded by playful children and adults who have come from far away to visit.
However, the most eye-catching thing is of course the Bailu Shopping Mall behind the square.
Although it only has three floors, it covers a very large area.
If you walk, it may take more than 20 minutes to go around the circle.
Ozawa had been to the AEON Mall in Aomori City, which was the largest shopping mall he had ever seen.
But Bailu Mall is even bigger than that. Standing outside, Xiaoze can even see that there is an entire area planned as a children's playground.
It’s amazing! The flow of people gradually became dense before we even entered the mall.
After all, it is the largest shopping mall in the nearby cities. As the New Year approaches, many people come here after hearing the news.
Following the crowd into the shopping mall surrounded by glass curtain walls, the clean and bright floor and the wide and tall hall made the crowd seem much smaller.
There were so many different shops that Ozawa was a little dazzled, but he knew what he should do first.
Without hesitation, Ozawa squeezed out of the crowd and finally, following the sign, arrived at the ATM machine not far from the hall.
There are ATMs of all major banks including Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Akita, etc.
However, Ozawa's target was the one closest to the aisle and the most eye-catching, the Kitato Bank.
There is no doubt that in Lujiao, the bank with the most branches and ATMs is Beidu.
Not only Shirakawa Electric employees, but also local residents and government officials are using Kitato Bank's bank cards.
Are you kidding? This is Akita, the headquarters of the Hokuto Bank.
Especially since this year, the development has been very rapid, and it has blossomed almost everywhere in Akita.
If we ignore assets and only consider scale, Kitato Bank is comparable to Akita Bank.
Because so many people use it, there are even queues at the ATM machines of Kitato Bank.
Fortunately, there is more than one AMT machine in the mall for cash withdrawal.
Ozawa quickly completed the withdrawal, and the next step was to go shopping.
Looking around, Ozawa was dazzled by the various stores, including the affordable store Uniqlo, the outdoor cold-protection brand THE NORTH FACE, the home furnishing store IKEA, the fashion brand BEAMS, the confectionery workshop, the coffee shop, the souvenir boutique, etc.
He had never heard of many brands, from home furnishings and clothing to food and snacks, as well as daily necessities, everything is available here.
But for Ozawa, he doesn't need clothes, cosmetics, etc.
However, it was the many electrical appliances in Bic Camera that attracted his attention. This is the largest digital store in Bailu Mall.
From large household appliances to small cameras, watches and game consoles, every one of the dazzling array of goods was waving at him.
"I heard there's a really good bakery called Maosong on the third floor. Bring some back when you go back."
“Okay, but there are too many people here now, let’s go buy some clothes for Xiaoyou first.
In the blink of an eye, I’m almost going to middle school, and my old clothes are no longer wearable.
Yesterday, Mrs. Watanabe told me that Uniqlo is having a sale. Children's clothing is even 40% off, so I'll buy more during the New Year."
A young couple next to Ozawa followed the crowd, walking and chatting.
Hmm~ Should I buy some clothes for my sister? This girl is going to middle school this year. I’m sure she will scream with excitement when she sees the clothing stores here.
Ozawa smiled and decided to go to Uniqlo after shopping at Bic Camera.
Today's annuity is very generous, which is a lot of money for him who comes from the countryside.
There are a lot of things in the mall, including clothing, luggage, and daily necessities stores on the first floor.
The second floor has home furnishings, digital stores, and toy and peripheral stores, and the third floor is basically various restaurants, snacks, and bread and fruit shops.
There are also specialty stores of various Akita beer and sake brands. After all, it is a major specialty of Akita, and many people like to patronize it.
This is just the area where Ozawa is currently located. Further away there are children's playgrounds, beauty salons, barber shops and even movie theaters.
But for Ozawa, his favorite place is still the digital store, where he finds the "Bic Camera" sign with red letters on a white background.
I took a look inside and saw that, as expected, most of those who like digital products are young people.
"Brother, are you here to see electronic products as well?"
Just as Ozawa was about to enter the store, a young man next to him greeted him in a very familiar manner.
"Hey" Ozawa stopped and looked at the young man who was a little too handsome in surprise.
"Hayi, you too?"
Hmm, judging from his accent, he seems to be a native of Akita.
It’s just that the other young man behind him was too taciturn. When Ozawa nodded to him, the other party didn’t even smile.
"Coincidentally, me too."
Baichuan Feng stepped forward with a smile, "I heard that a new shopping mall opened here, so I came to take a look."
"Although your accent suggests you are from Akita, you should have just returned from abroad, right?"
Ozawa was infected by the other person's enthusiasm and started chatting with him enthusiastically.
"Hey, how did you know?" Baichuan Feng looked at the young man in front of him in surprise.
Is there such a big flaw in himself? He even changed his dialect to his hometown dialect.
"As for Bailu Mall, we started promoting it half a year ago, and people in Akita have known about it for a long time."
For local people in Akita, the name of Hakushika Mall is not unfamiliar. It has been a hot topic since it was planned.
Although the person in front of me is also from Akita, he just heard about the opening of the mall, so he must have just returned from another place.
