Mobile payment is ubiquitous these days, even in the countryside. You do not have to lug any cash or a bankcard around on your shopping trips. Cash is rife with germs and easy to lose; bankcards require a password. In contrast, your smartphone alone will meet all your shopping needs. A simple scan of QR codes is all it takes for a transaction. I feel we Chinese live in a cashless society.

Mother uses her phone to pay for her shopping, too. These days, however, she carries some coins and banknotes in her purse. Every evening after school, Mother comes and picks me up. On the way home, we often come across some old farmers peddling fresh vegetables, most of whom do not use a smartphone trading. Mother’s cash will come to her rescue when she buys vegetables from these elderly veg sellers.

My grandma runs a grocery store back in our home village, selling farm produce and daily necessities. About 70 years old, Grandma is not tech savvy. Mobile payment is daunting for her. As a result, her retail business has suffered a lot in the past few years.

To better care for me in the city, Mother left Grandma behind in the village. Seeing the veg sellers on the road must have evoked Mother’s memories of Grandma. Grandma’s difficulty with tech arouses Mother’s empathy with the elderly veg pedlars, who are struggling with smart gadgets. I bet that’s the reason why cash finds a place in Mother’s purse these days.