标签： 上海耍耍网

In 2022, Harbin community group buying showed explosive growth, and the "heads of state" also gradually grew stronger in the business war that could not see the smoke of gunpowder. Some of them withdrew from the store franchise group buying, some united community merchants online coupons offline drainage, and some opened group buying live broadcasts in the community –

With the rapid development of the group buying platform, as an important port in the group buying process of the entire community, the "heads" have experienced the survival of the fittest in just one and a half years. In order to not rely solely on one or two e-commerce platforms, the "heads" of the "winners" have constantly broken the old thinking, adapted to the new situation, and changed their business thinking.

"What I’m doing now is trying to convert user resources into commercial value for my use," said Wang Bingshuo, the "head of community group buying" in Songbei District, Harbin. In order to establish a firm foothold in the tide of community group buying and make it a "serious business" that can settle down, they keep exploring. Some of them operate online and cooperate with community business assistants offline, some start to rub the popularity of live broadcast, and some position themselves as a "community channel" that can organize everything…

Group buying and delivery ↑

According to Tianyancha data, there are currently more than 300 group buying enterprises in the country, most of which are located in the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions. Community group buying platforms include dozens of big brands all over the country such as Meituan Preferred and Duoduo Shopping, as well as local group buying platforms such as Jiubai Street and Dailuobo.

Light asset "head", redeem the supermarket franchise group buying

Songbei Evergrande Oasis Community Meituan "Leader" Wang Bingshuo rose from the lowest level of "Leader" to the highest level of five "Leader" in just one week. "At the beginning, there were many people in our community who were’Leaders’, but most of them didn’t make it. In the end, I and another’Leader ‘persisted." Wang Bingshuo said, "In the past year, my average daily order volume has been around two or three hundred orders, with a total of three user groups and a total customer volume of about 300 people."

Wang Bingshuo first ran a supermarket in the community, receiving and delivering goods in the supermarket every day, and then notifying the group members to pick up the goods. After operating for a period of time, Wang Bingshuo found that the group buying business came up, but the supermarket business came down. The reason is very simple, buying things online is cheaper than in brick and mortar stores, of course, I bought them online. After thinking about it, Wang Bingshuo decisively gave up the supermarket operation and specialized in community group buying.

Every afternoon, after receiving a call from the delivery staff, Wang Bingshuo will drive a pickup truck to the gate of the community to pick up the goods. "After receiving the goods, immediately notify the group members to pick them up. If some people are not at home or cannot pick them up temporarily, I usually deliver them to the door or keep them until the group members go home to pick them up," Wang Bingshuo said.

After getting rid of the burden of rent, Wang Bingshuo made it easier to start a business with light assets. "In order to retain the members of the group, I invested the saved rent in giving back to the customers." Wang Bingshuo said that the first idea was to send red envelopes in the group buying group, giving away drinks, eggs and other physical objects. This year, I adopted offline interaction and other methods to retain and expand customers, trying to extend the user’s business resources horizontally.

Integrate group buying resources from online to offline

E-vouchers are one of Mr. Wang’s methods. "As long as it is my customer, no matter how much he spends on things, as long as he repurchases a certain number of times, I will send him a 5 yuan or 10 yuan electronic voucher, and he can go to a designated merchant near the community to offset the cash use," Wang Bingshuo said.

Giveaways for group buying members ↑

Offline consumption coupons presented to group members ↑

Wang Bingshuo’s electronic vouchers are all negotiated by one of his stores near the community. "For example, I went to the Malatang shop at the entrance of the community and told the owner that I issued the electronic voucher, and the consumer showed the electronic voucher, which can directly offset the consumption amount." Wang Bingshuo said, "For every purchase, I am regularly responsible for verifying the cash back, which can not only attract money to the merchant, but also stimulate my members to spend online. Moreover, when my consumers go to the brick and mortar store to consume and show the electronic voucher, it is also very likely to bring me more new customers. This is a win-win situation, so offline merchants are basically very welcome. Malatang, burger shop, pharmacy, barbecue shop are all my cooperative merchants. At present, there are three or four merchants that I have cooperated with, and I don’t want to expand too many merchants. The main reason is that my customer base is not enough at present, so what I need to do now is to expand more customers. I want to let the merchants I cooperate with benefit, so that my customers can benefit. My role is to build this bridge of mutual benefit and win-win results, and to get the fees I win from it. "

"The reason for doing this is to better develop customer resources and use them for me. This will achieve cross-border drainage from online to offline." Wang Bingshuo said that this idea was developed by himself. Since 2022, about 200 members have taken e-coupons to the brick and mortar store to spend. Wang Bingshuo’s average monthly income is around 6,000 yuan, which is also in the top 10 among the "head of the group" in Songbei District. "Last year, more than 30,000 of what I earned was basically invested in the group members, and I didn’t leave anything behind. I don’t think about how much money I made in the present, but to make more money in the future," Wang Bingshuo said.

Group buying suddenly stopped, transitioning from community group to community group

On April 16, Harbin online community group buying stopped. According to incomplete statistics, only Meituan group buying one, there will be about two or three hundred community groups in the city to suspend business.

"Post-90s" Xiao Lu joined the army of "head of the group" as early as the rise of Meituan community group buying. Like most other "head of the group", Xiao Lu runs a supermarket in the Daoli Engineering Community. "I am familiar with the Internet and have mastered all kinds of winds. After a period of observation, I feel that traditional supermarkets must transform online compared with community group buying, so while running supermarkets, I also do community group buying of several brands." Xiao Lu said that in more than two years, the customer base is basically fixed at about 200 people.

"Running a group buying group is actually very sophisticated. Many people think that they just need to spend a little bit of time every day to receive the goods and notify the group members to pick them up. In fact, this is not the case," Xiao Lu said. "Whenever a group member comes to pick up the food, I will recommend them to join the community group I set up. In the group, I will send some special product information from time to time, and sometimes I will send some red envelopes to give back to the group members."

Because of the suspension of online group buying, Xiao Lu’s community group has become active. "Many members in the group always ask when the delivery will resume," Xiao Lu said. "They all ask me if I can organize everyone’s group buying some milk, bread, vegetables or something. I run a supermarket myself and know some suppliers, so I help you buy some daily necessities, and the price is also the lowest. During that time, there were about a dozen orders per day on average, which not only made it convenient for community residents, but also allowed me to accumulate my own customer resources. This makes me more optimistic about the model of community group buying. Regardless of whether there is platform support or not, as long as you do it with your heart, you can do it well."

From local group buying to "community live"

"The local farmers’ ****** eggs are 80 cents a piece, and the soybean oil is also freshly squeezed soybean oil. Consumers can eat things like this with confidence." Wang Shilin, general manager of Jiubai Street, a local group buying brand in Daqing, said that the main reason for being favored by local citizens is the high quality and low price. We entered the community group buying track in April 2019. "The original intention of the establishment is to give full play to the advantages of community group buying close to the people, while avoiding the drawbacks of numerous categories." Wang Shilin said that many large group buying platforms have many suppliers, and there are more products in the same category. In our words, there are many imitations, and fresh products are lost due to long-distance transportation, so the consumer experience is different, which quite affects the reputation of the platform. So we choose high-quality fresh fruits and ve***ables produced in Heilongjiang as products, focusing on cooperation with local farmers, local ve***able wholesale markets and general agents of various commodities, the cost is relatively low. With the Dongfeng of national community group buying e-commerce, it has become a local head community group buying platform serving 200,000 families.

Daqing Jiubai Street Pickup Point ↑

Jiubai Street delivery warehouse and logistics vehicle ↑

"Dear, we will kill in the live stream at 10:00 am, don’t miss it." Right now, community group buying has also rubbed the heat of live streaming and goods, and they have turned to short video platforms.

"If the community group buying is the 1.0 of group buying, then live + group buying is the 2.0 era of group buying upgrade." Harbin Douyin live streaming host "Sister Le" said that in the live stream, seckill is carried out by sharing the QR code to Moments, and linking to Moments will bring more intra-city traffic. After the traffic enters the community, it is re-promoted and diffused by sharing the live stream link. This private domain traffic dissemination matrix is very amazing, especially in small counties and other relatively concentrated areas. Because the relationship between people is closer, the communication effect based on trust will be better.

A while ago, Daqing Jiubai Street community opened a group buying live broadcast. In the nearly 5-hour live broadcast, 585,000 people entered the live broadcast room and placed an order of 61004 orders. A total of 35 tons of rice, 2 tons of beans, 14 tons of Russian flour, 6 tons of eggplant, 3 tons of grapes, 3.5 tons of soybean oil, 3 tons of Baijiu, and the total order amount is nearly 900,000 yuan. And such a special live broadcast will be carried out twice a month.

"This year is a bonus year for Douyin’s group buying live broadcast in the same city." Sister Le said that it’s not that the business is not easy to do now, but the method is useless. Drawing customers to buy group buying goods through live broadcast will bring double traffic and income. A few days ago, we did a group buying live broadcast for a pet store in Harbin, which directly brought 3 times the income to the store.

From the beginning of 2022, Harbin community group buying has clearly shown explosive growth. On the one hand, more people choose this contactless home delivery model, and on the other hand, the scale effect of community group buying has begun to appear. After the accumulation of last year, the popularity of community group buying of major brands has become more and more prosperous, the network has become more and more extensive, and the sales volume has increased. What is more gratifying is that the group members who have settled down also more recognize this model, and the repurchase rate is very high. "Due to the repeated epidemics across the country, consumers who cooperate with prevention and control measures at home have an increasing demand for online fresh purchasing, and various new methods and gameplay will be extended in the future," Wang Bingshuo said.

"If the’head of the group ‘wants to do well, he has to understand his own development direction and have his own plans." Wang Bingshuo said, "I have a bolder idea that has not been realized. When the number of merchants and customers has accumulated to a certain extent, customers can be converted into each other. If a customer sends Moments for three days in a row, then his neighbors and friends will basically know about my consumption channel. Consumers will compare. If he finds that my group is more favorable than other groups, then he is likely to jump directly from other groups to my group. At present, my customer resources are not very large. My goal is not to integrate the customer resources of a nearby community, but to integrate the customer resources of more nearby communities, and even the group buying customer base of the entire Songbei District." In order to realize this plan, Wang Bingshuo plans to use this year’s "head of delegation" income to attract more members. (Harbin Daily reporter, Wan Jia)

Although Chengdu is a plain city, its land area of 14,335 square kilometers also includes Miaojiling with an altitude of 5,353 meters and the banks of the Tuojiang River with an altitude of only 359 meters. The huge vertical drop not only makes Chengdu’s climate changeable, but also makes it a "test drive resort" to test the performance of a car. Today, "Car One Circle" came to Chengdu and participated in the test drive of BYD Han DM (parameter picture) exploration tour in chengdu railway station.

Appearance: elegant and elegant.

As the flagship model of BYD Dynasty series, the appearance of BYD Han DM is very atmospheric. Based on Dragon Face design language, the front face adopts a large-size polygonal air intake grille, and the middle net adopts a dense dot matrix layout, which has great visual impact. A bright silver decorative strip on the top connects the angular headlights on both sides, which is quite classy.

Its body length, width and height are 4960/1910/1495 mm, and its wheelbase is 2920 mm. This size can not only bring flexible space experience, but also make BYD Han DM look very slender. The outline lines of the car body are smooth and natural, and the tough waistline interacts with large-size wheels and hidden door handles, making it look elegant and dynamic.

The biggest highlight of the tail is the penetrating taillight with water steering effect, which further enhances the recognition of BYD Han DM. This advanced aesthetic design is very attractive to young consumers.

Interior: magnificent, low-key and luxurious

When you open the car door and enter the car, the interior inspired by the "Forbidden City Building Complex" has a magnificent trend with the same style as the royal palace. The interior is made with simple methods, and every corner and curve are carefully calculated, supplemented by high-grade decorative panels and Long Lin-shaped two-way stitches, so that the interior naturally exudes a low-key luxury connotation.

The three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel has an excellent grip, which complements the overall temperament of the interior. Soft materials are wrapped at your fingertips, which is very soft and skin-friendly. The seat is wrapped in Nappa leather, and the ergonomic design brings good support. The filler with moderate hardness and softness is perfectly matched with the first layer of cowhide, which has sufficient toughness and breathability and brings a pleasant ride experience.

Configuration: comprehensive ecological enjoyment of intelligence

As the first batch of "big screen players" in China, BYD has equipped Han DM with a 15.6-inch touch-sensitive LCD screen. The built-in DiLink 3.0 system has extremely fast response speed, and the UI design is extremely user-friendly and very easy to use.

Based on OTA remote upgrade function, the system can realize remote self-upgrade, so that the owner can experience the latest car machine function for the first time. At the same time, BYD DiLink 3.0 system has a fairly open intelligent ecology, and you can find the content that best suits your habits and preferences like using a smart phone, such as Tik Tok, QQ music, Iqiyi, KTV, Meitu Xiu Xiu and the glory of the king, etc. The entertainment experience can be further sublimated with the Nordic Dirac hi-fi speakers.

The intelligent voice assistant "Xiao Di" can realize the verbal control of the window, navigation, panoramic sunroof, air conditioning, music playing/pausing and other functions, and can be awakened by "Hello, Xiao Di" or the shortcut key on the steering wheel. At the same time, it can understand the dialect. During the test drive, Circle Brother talked with it in Chongqing dialect, and its free response made Circle Brother feel that this conversation object was not like AI at all, just like the central control of every BYD Han DM.

In addition, BYD Han DM is also equipped with DiPilot intelligent driving assistance system, including CSC curve speed control system, FCW forward collision warning system and many other advanced intelligent driving assistance functions, which can ensure that the vehicle is always in the safest state during the use of the car.

Power: Strong performance brings the ultimate experience.

For the China market, BYD Han is definitely a meaningful product. The data shows that the cumulative sales volume of BYD Han series products has exceeded 110,000, among which, in August 2021, the monthly sales volume reached 9,035, while the sales volume of Han EV was 6,198 and that of Han DM was 2,837.

As a China brand car with a starting price of over 200,000 yuan, it can have such sales, which shows that the existence of BYD Han has broken the upper limit of consumers’ cognition of domestic models, and the root cause lies in the breakthrough and strong product strength of BYD Han series, in which the acceleration time of the flagship performance version of Han EV from 0-100km/h is only 3.9 seconds, and as a hybrid model, the performance of BYD Han DM is equally excellent.

It is equipped with a combination of a 2.0T turbocharged engine and a rear motor. The comprehensive maximum power of the system can reach 321kW and the comprehensive peak torque can reach 650Nm. This amazing power parameter is enough to make most competing models pale. From zero to 100, BYD Han DM only takes 4.7 seconds. And this test drive trip in Chengdu really made the circle brother experience how strong BYD Han DM performance is.

In order to let us have a more comprehensive understanding of BYD Han DM’s performance in different road conditions and environments, the route planned in this test drive process starts from Howard Johnson Hotel in Chengdu, travels for more than 30 kilometers, and finally reaches Intercontinental Hotel in Sanchahu Paradise Long Island. Along the way, we have basically experienced the driving environment that our daily car faces, such as urban traffic jams, expressways, Panshan Highway, etc., but the superior driving quality brought by its strong power reserve almost runs through the whole test drive process.

As one of the core cities in western China, Chengdu has a huge population base, and its car ownership is second only to that of Beijing. Its traffic planning has become more and more complicated in recent years, and the arrangement of traffic lights is also very dense. Under this background, traffic jams occur from time to time. Therefore, when driving in cities, we choose a more energy-saving pure electric mode.

BYD Han DM is equipped with a ternary lithium battery with a capacity of 15.2 kWh, and has a pure battery life of 81 kilometers, which is completely enough for office workers to commute daily. In the pure electric mode, the vehicle is completely driven by a motor. The motor carried by BYD Han DM has a maximum power of 180 kW and a peak torque of 330 Nm. It is also very capable of being "pulled out" alone.

In the pure electric mode, BYD Han DM has become a rear-wheel drive, and the moment when the accelerator is stepped on, the torque erupts instantly, and the power is like a beast that has been accumulating for a long time, bringing a very light start and acceleration feeling. The linear braking can make you easily control the braking distance, and you can easily shuttle through the urban roads with dense traffic. In the face of the red light that appears from time to time, the passengers on the car will not feel uncomfortable because of frequent braking, which is very friendly to the circle friends who are prone to carsickness.

When driving at high speed, if you want to get the best driving experience, you can choose the parallel mode of engine and motor working together. In this mode, the performance of BYD Han DM will be released to the extreme, and the power seems endless. When you want to overtake, you step on the accelerator deeply, and the strong feeling of pushing your back seems to make people’s mind out of control in an instant, and adrenaline will soar immediately. The sympathetic nerves that are excited instantly will give people a faster response speed, which is the charm of high-performance models.

Byd Han DM is very steady in adjusting the chassis, and there will be no obvious sense of roll when cornering sharply, and it also filters the bumps on the road very well, which ensures the driving comfort. Coupled with the excellent NVH performance of BYD Han DM in the whole test drive, it can be said that the driving quality of its Han DM is not lost to some luxury cars with higher prices.

The most important thing is that the fuel consumption of BYD Han DM is really beyond the expectation of the circle brother. I thought that as a behemoth weighing two tons, even if BYD Han DM is a hybrid model, its comprehensive fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is only about 6.2 liters when the circle brother didn’t deliberately save fuel and turn on the HEV mode. In the face of such a medium-sized and large car with strong performance and low fuel consumption, it can only be described as superior, and the daily car is really fuel-efficient and worry-free.

View of "Car Circle": As a flagship model, BYD Han DM is largely an integrator of BYD’s cutting-edge technology, and it is also a pillar product of BYD’s brand, which shows high product value in design, intelligence, performance and other aspects. According to the data released by the Association, in August, 2021, BYD achieved a substantial increase of 88.1% compared with the same period of last year with the sales volume of 66,622 vehicles, and surpassed many joint venture brands in one fell swoop to rank in the top ten of the manufacturers’ sales list, most of which were contributed by new energy vehicles. As the leading brand of new energy vehicles in China, BYD occupied a place for the China brand in the future, which was destined to be fully new energy-oriented.

Source: new york Times Magazine

During the epidemic, new york Times Magazine invited 29 authors to write short stories inspired by the epidemic and set up THE DECAMERON column, which was inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio’s collection of realistic novels "decameron" and set in Florence, which was ravaged by the plague in the 14th century.

Decameron, painted by sandro botticelli in 1487.

We selected five novels from this column, including aliens who participated in the galactic aid program, lonely souls wandering in isolated cells, a "charitable" robber, mutual watch under a conceptual device and a clinical record full of family love. These novels show people’s desperate desire for hope and love during the epidemic period in a humorous or calm or warm style. As far as the genre of fiction is concerned, since there will be great and important real news all the time, why do we need imaginary stories instead?

"When reality becomes surreal, only novels can make it meaningful." Source: new york Times Magazine

"Art is to make life more interesting than art itself," Robert Filliou, a French surf painter, wrote in one of his works. Life is often very deceptive, and it is easy for us to ignore some established and profound facts, even if they are laid out before our eyes. There is a word in Italian: novelle, which refers not only to simple fictional stories, but also to non-fictional social reality. The fascinating stories in decameron are the real life of Florence. When the reality becomes surreal, reading novels is not only a way to understand and perceive the times, but also a force that supports us in difficulties.

1. You Chaokai: Systems

Charles Yu is a Chinese-American writer. His Guide to the Survival of the Science Fiction Universe was selected as the best book of the year by The New York Times and Time magazine. As a screenwriter, he participated in the compilation of some episodes of HBO series "westworld" and was nominated for two American Writers Association Awards. His novels and nonfiction works have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal for many times.

They need each other, like each other and miss each other.

Source: new york Times Magazine

In this story, the author describes a device, or rather, it is the materialization of modern society. Everyone has a different box. The box follows the rotation of the earth and the natural laws of the sun rising and the moon setting. They communicate and collide through the box. Although the world in the box is so similar to the well-known world, one day they will come out of the box and stand in the sun, because the eternal thing is that they need real contact, they need each other, like each other and miss each other.

(The following is a fragment of the novel)

They need each other, like each other and miss each other.

They will ask themselves:

Will cats get depressed?

They search:

Food bank donation. The food bank near me.

What is an epidemic outbreak? What is the rest period? How to ensure the safety of children? How to ensure the safety of the elderly? How old is old? Am I old enough?

Numbers, rising numbers of infections.

How long will the symptoms of coronavirus appear? Do you have a coronavirus vaccine? How to avoid virus infection? How did the coronavirus start? Is the virus getting worse? What is mental health? How to judge whether I am depressed or not? Which is the safest takeaway?

They search:

The telephone number of the unemployment office.

When can we reopen the bowling alley?

……

They search:

The cat is still depressed.

We are in a bear market.

What is a bear market?

What is payroll tax reduction?

What is martial law?

How to take refuge in situ?

Safest city life?

Symptoms of fever, symptoms of dry cough ……

How to make hand sanitizer? How to sew a mask? What is N95? How to lower body temperature? Living alone, what if I am alone?

Some people are radical. Some people are confused. Some people forget. Some people follow the rules They share the device: the air, information and ideas in the device.

Some people enjoy breathing as their right to live. Some people cannot breathe.

……

They will move on, coming out of one box after another and walking into the sun. The circulation and operation of the system are restored. They will still send messages to each other. Some people will be confused. Some people will share food. Some people will die. Some people will starve. And some people will still be alone

The device is still that device. But change is inevitable-rebuilding or looking for a new model. They will fly into the air again and gather in the hub by thousands. They will push each other’s air and make hahaha or other sounds produced by real communication-in order to convey invisible emotional signals. Because there are always things that are eternal-they need each other, like each other and miss each other.

2. david mitchell: If Dreams Are Horses.

David Mitchell, an English novelist and screenwriter, whose work Cloud Map was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The title of this short story is taken from the Scottish proverb-If wishes are horses, beggars can ride. The moral is that if hope can make things come true, even people who have nothing will have everything they want.

I stood up and found that Zam’s bed was empty, with no sheets and nothing.

Source: new york Times Magazine

Thirty years later, the epidemic is still not over. My former cellmate was infected, so I had to move to a single isolation cell. Although it is a single room, an asymptomatic infected person has checked into this isolation cabin before me. His name is Zam. Dirty windows, breakfast and lunch once a day, the company of mice, and boring cabin life. Fortunately, Zam accompanied me. He cared about me and chatted with me. He said that survival is a superpower when eating less, and left all the food to me. On the third day of my stay, I began to have symptoms of infection. The doctor is from China, surnamed Wang. I noticed that when Zam was chatting with Dr. Wang, Zam’s voice suddenly became very strange, as if it were coming from a distant place. Zam also said that he would supervise me to take medicine until I recovered. After a few days, my condition improved greatly.

(The following is a fragment of the novel)

"It’s thanks to my exclusive nurse, Zam," I said to Dr. Wang.

"Good. Who’s Zam?"

"Zam", I pointed to my upper bunk.

"What are you talking about … the superior? Or the warden? "

We were all puzzled. "No, Zam, my roommate, doctor. You saw him last time."

Dr. Wang looked at a loss. "We won’t allow two prisoners to be held in an isolation cell."

"I’m afraid you people really allow it."

"If there is a third person in such a small place, I won’t miss it."

I shouted to the upper berth, "Zam, answer."

My cellmate didn’t make a sound. Is he asleep?

Dr. Wang looked at my condition and was very worried. He went on to say, "Have you taken any hallucinogenic drugs? I won’t report it to the warden, but as your doctor, I must know."

"It’s not funny, Zam." I stood up and found Zam’s bed was empty, with no sheets and nothing.

3. Mia Cotto: "An Obliging Robber"

Mia Couto, a famous Mozambican writer, is an influential African writer in Portuguese literature. She won the cames Prize in 2013, the most important Portuguese literature prize, and the Neustadt International Literature Prize in 2014.

People wearing masks have friendly expressions and speak softly, but I don’t let myself be fooled.

Source: new york Times Magazine

The robber in front of him shouted "Keep your distance" to me. He barged in like this, holding a pistol, even though he said it was a thermometer and he was from the Ministry of Health. But I won’t be fooled. My wife died of tuberculosis, I was almost killed by smallpox, and malaria took our only son, but no one wants to know. I live far from the hospital, and I am poor. The liar and robber continued to lie. He said I might be asymptomatic. I don’t understand. I hardly go out. He said that he would come again next week after leaving a hygiene brochure, soap and a small bottle of alcohol. I see, the disease he said should be called "indifference".

(The following is a fragment of the novel)

I didn’t listen to his instructions to keep my distance, so I walked up to him and hugged him. The robber resisted vigorously, broke free from my arm and returned to the car. He took off his clothes in a hurry, just like taking off the coat of the plague, and the name of this plague is poverty.

I smiled and waved goodbye to him. After so many years of torture, I have been able to reconcile with human nature. I think this is a clumsy robber, but he is a good man. Next time he comes, I’ll let him steal the old TV in my bedroom.

4. Margaret Atwood: Impatient Griselda.

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, essayist and poet. She is also a feminist and social activist. She is the winner of Booker Award and Arthur Clark Award. Her works have been shortlisted for the Governor-General Award of Canada for seven times and won two awards. She is one of the most respected novelists in the contemporary era. Her Handmaid’s Tale was adapted into a series of dramas of the same name, which aroused strong social repercussions.

Sir and madam, I also hope that the plague will pass soon, so that I can return to my normal life.

Source: new york Times Magazine

The octopus-like aliens took part in the galactic crisis assistance program to help people on earth survive the plague. In order to appease the earthlings and help them pass the time, the alien told a story to the earthlings: on an ancient planet, there were a pair of twin sisters, who were inferior species with "false feet"-patient Griselda (sister) and impatient Griselda (sister). There was a violent duke who induced his sister to marry him on the grounds of promoting her status through marriage. My sister, worried about her safety, disguised herself as a dishwasher and went to the back kitchen of the Duke’s house. She learned that the duke treated his new wife very badly and was rude to her in public, even punching her. Angry sister asked out her younger sister and exchanged identities with her, intending to kill the duke. In the garden at night, my sister cut the duke’s throat, and then the two sisters ate up the duke’s bones, brocade robes and everything on him.

(The following is a fragment of the novel, and the narrator is an "octopus" alien)

What? What is WTF? Sorry, I don’t understand.

Yes, sir and madam, I admit that this is a cross-cultural moment. I simply said the choice I would make if I were in their situation. But storytelling does help us to understand each other across social, historical and even evolutionary gaps, doesn’t it?

Later, the twin sisters married two other beautiful "false feet" of the same kind and they lived happily in the palace. Several relatives of the duke became suspicious. They came to inquire about the news and were eaten by their sisters.

End of story.

You don’t like this ending? Not a regular ending? So which is your favorite ending? Oh no, the ending you imagine will be completely another story. I’m not interested in that story, and I can’t tell it well. But you have to admit, I did tell this story very well, didn’t I? You see, you even forgot to sniffle. Sniffing is very annoying. On my planet, only people who are treated as snacks will sniffle.

I have to go now. There are several other quarantine groups on my appeasement list, and my job is to help them pass the time, just like I did for you. Yes, madam, sir, the difficulties will pass anyway, but not so soon.

Now I’m going to slide out from the bottom of the door. No skeleton helped me a lot. Yes, sir and madam. I also hope that the plague will pass soon. So I can get back to my normal life.

5. Liz Moore: Clinical Notes

Liz Moore, an American writer, won the Rome Prize for Literature in 2014, and her works include The Invisible World.

Clinical record of a high fever in infants.

Source: new york Times Magazine

In this story, Liz recorded the psychological changes from the symptoms of the baby to the parents in the form of a clinical report, and the author described a warm little family story with the calm brushwork of a bystander. At the end, the baby who succeeded in getting out of danger went to sleep quietly. Under the dim light, the mother looked at the shadow of the baby’s face and the undulating breathing. She thought of her grandmother who always had candy in her pocket, her mother who accompanied her to watch The Sound of Music when she was sick, and many grandparents who held their children with the same tenderness. She repeatedly touched the baby’s skin, "warm but not hot, warm but not hot", she repeated, was it a chant or a prayer …

We regard this article as the final one of this selection, because it is a novel that can bring love and hope to readers, just like bathing in the long-lost sun after a plum rain. Just as at the end of decameron, the young people didn’t leave their Florence forever. Two weeks later, they decided to return-not because the plague was over, but because after laughing, crying and imagining the new rules of living together, they could finally see the present again and think about the future. The stories told in those days when they left their homes made their world, at least temporarily, lively again. It is very important and meaningful to remember that we will eventually die, because we often forget it in our lives. At the same time, we must live in the present and try our best to remember what life is like now-this is the message conveyed by decameron.

Attachment: the complete catalogue of THE DECAMERON PROJECT

1. Title of the article: Systems (Device)

Author: Charles Yu

2. article title: "if wishes are horses" (if dreams are horses)

Author: David Mitchell

3. Title of the article: "An Obliging Robber" (kind robber)

Author: Mia Couto

4. Title of the article: Impassional Griselda (Impatient Griselda)

Author: Margaret Atwood

5. Title: Clinical Notes (Clinical Report)

Author: Liz Moore

6. One Thing (a little thing)

Author: Edwidge Danticat

7. The Team

Author: Tommy Orange

8. Line 19 Woodstock/Glisan (Bus No.19)

Author: Karen Russell

9. Tales from the L.A. River (a legend from the Los Angeles River)

Author: Colm Toibin

10. "recognition" (recognition)

Author: Victor Lavalle

11.《Sleep (falling asleep)

Author: Uzodinma Iweala

12.《Outside (outdoor)

Author: Etgar Keret

13.《The Perfect Travel Buddy (Best Travel Companion)

By Paolo Giordano

14. "a blue sky like this" (the sky is so blue)

Author: Mona Awad

15.《The Rock (Rock)

Author: Leila Slimani

16.《Keepsakes (souvenir)

By Andrew O’Hagan

17. The Girl with the Big Red Suitcase (a girl with a big red suitcase)

By Rachel Kushner

18.《The Walk (Walking)

Author: Kamila Shamsie

19.《The Morningside (Morning Life)

Author: Téa Obreht

20.《Screen Time (screen time)

Author: Alejandro Zambra

21.《How We Used to Play (how we used to play)

Author: Dinaw Mengestu

22.《Prudent Girls (cautious girl)

Author: Rivers Solomon

23. "Under the Magnolia" (under the magnolia tree)

Author: Yiyun Li

24.《The Cellar (cellar)

Author: Dina Nayeri

25. "To the Wall" (desperate)

Author: Esi Edugyan

26. that time at my brother’s wedding (at that time, at my brother’s wedding)

Author: Laila Lalami

27. "A time of death, the death of time" (the time of death and the death of time)

Author: Julián Fuks

28 28.《Barcelona:Open City (Barcelona: Open City)

Author: John Wray

29.《Origin Story (Origin Story)

Author: Matthew Baker

This article is compiled and arranged exclusively for Phoenix Net Culture, and may not be reproduced without permission.

Editor | Dabao

Editor | Wei Bingxin

Photo | new york Times Magazine

Original title: Novelists and Novels under Epidemic Situation: Modern decameron Created by Atwood and Other Writers.

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