Take a book to the United States

Author: Lin Mei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The concept of denominations in U.S. dollars is similar to that of Chinese yuan, ranging from one hundred dollars to one-cent coins. The difference is that the U.S. dollar has a denomination absent in the Chinese yuan: the quarter dollar, which is two and a half yuan and is called a Quarter (or "" in Chinese). Due to my limited knowledge, before coming to the U.S., I only recognized one hundred-dollar and ten-dollar bills and had no idea about Quarters. Upon arriving in the U.S., I learned that such money existed, and more importantly, Quarters played a significant role in daily American life. Americans are accustomed to using credit cards and rarely carry cash. They settle all financial transactions with credit cards, which are so widely that even buying a piece of gum at a small store near home requires a credit card. As a result, most Americans carry only a few Quarters and almost no cash. The reason for carrying Quarters is for the convenience of making phone calls, as public phones in the U.S. still use coins. In China, the use of credit cards has not yet become widespread, so Chinese people are not accustomed to them. They tend to carry cash when traveling and use it for all transactions. Although credit cards are available, reports suggest that using them can be troublesome—requiring ID verification and sometimes failing to connect with bank networks, rendering the cards unusable. Therefore, most Chinese people still rely on cash as the primary medium of exchange.
I belong to the majority of Chinese people who are accustomed to using cash. Every time I go out, I check my wallet to ensure it contains a few "old heads" (100 yuan bills), which brings me peace of mind. Without them, I feel anxious. I carried this tradition of using cash with me to the U.S. and continued it for several days.
Not long after arriving in the U.S., I went to a supermarket to buy groceries. There were so many delicious items that I couldn’t resist and ended up buying a large quantity. When it was time to pay, the cashier rang up the total—$80. Okay, I immediately reached into my wallet and pulled out a one hundred-dollar bill, handing it over. However, the cashier froze when receiving my money. Unaware that Americans are not as accustomed to large cash payments, I was surprised when the cashier stared blankly at the one hundred-dollar bill for a few seconds. After glancing around at me, they seemed to realize I was a foreigner and then showed a look of understanding, finally accepting the money.
At that moment, I heard whispers nearby and noticed the customers in line behind me exchanging curious glances. I realized that my behavior was unusual in their eyes, as they were all accustomed to using cards and rarely handled such large denominations of cash. Otherwise, why would they not conceal their curiosity and stare openly?
From then on, I deposited the large bills in the bank and joined the ranks of credit card users. I started spending money by card, just like Americans, and kept a few Quarters in my pocket for emergencies. Living in the U.S. for a while, I discovered that Quarters had other uses besides making phone calls.
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