Insights

Lin Song believes he is the most ill-tempered man in all of Hankou. But living in Wuhan, what can you do? The winter is cold enough to freeze your scalp; the summer is hot enough to agitate you from the inside out. As for flying into these nameless rages, Lin Song feels it’s completely beyond his control. He remembers Wu Meili once telling him: “I’m not the kind of person who is nice to others for no reason. You are good to me first, and then I will be good to you. If you want me to be good to you first, there’s no way.” ...

In 2023, a 45-year-old Brazilian businessman named Hugo Farias set a Guinness World Record by completing 366 marathons in a row. Yes, he did it on purpose—one more than the 365 days in a year. “I gave up a stable career to pursue a completely unknown goal,” he said. From the news, it’s clear that Hugo is a successful businessman. But in Lin Song’s view, successful businessmen don’t pursue completely unknown goals. As the saying goes, “Success comes from preparation; failure comes from lack thereof.” ...

Just three hours ago, Christian Horner resigned from his position as Team Principal and CEO of the Oracle Red Bull Racing team, effective immediately, exiting the F1 team. Twenty years, 405 races, 141 championship titles—eight drivers’ championships, six constructors’ championships. He was the longest-serving team principal in Red Bull’s history. An era has completely ended. Last year, Verstappen secured the drivers’ championship for Red Bull, but the constructors’ title was snatched by McLaren. The Thai and Austrian sides of Red Bull have been in constant dispute over control of the F1 team. ...

You think it’s customer loyalty, but in reality, everyone is just fleecing you. The printer rattles off orders from Ele.me, and the ice machine is completely empty. To keep up with the pace of the iced water promotion, the only option is to buy another thirty liters of ice cubes from Meituan. In this fiery July, as JD.com joins the slaughterhouse of food delivery platforms, iced water truly flows like a river. ...

Lin Song had absolutely no intention of going out. Even in the morning, the coolest part of the day, the glaring sunlight outside his curtains made him feel an invisible wave of heat. Summer is like that. You never feel hungry. Even if your empty stomach rumbles, you have no desire to eat. A couple of sips of water make you feel better. But not wanting to eat is just an illusion created by the sweltering heat. Lin Song rationally reminded himself that it was almost noon, and the task of combining two meals into one still needed to be done. ...

They say today is the end of the world. And so, the 39-degree heat of Wuhan’s summer arrived especially early. The weather in Wuhan today: 39 degrees Celsius. Don’t ask. Wuhan’s weather is only ever allowed to be 39 degrees. Even if the sun in the sky were to fall on your face, the temperature would still only be permitted to be 39 degrees. At a time like this, if you dared to go out under the sun and lick a utility pole by the road, you’d hear a sizzle, and your tongue would be seared. ...

Lin Song took out his phone and found his instructor, Mr. Zhou, on WeChat. The map showed the location of the coffee shop he had recommended. It was over 700 meters from the bus stop, an eight-minute walk. His interview with the coffee shop owner was scheduled for 10:30 AM; he should be on time. This past Tuesday, he had finished his barista course at the training school. After the exam next Friday, he would receive his graduation certificate. Learning to make bread and coffee, he thought, was far more interesting than preparing for the Gaokao. The funny thing was, even the instructors sometimes messed up, and you could actually laugh in class—something that was never allowed back in his high school. ...

The sky this summer was exceptionally blue. In this often-gray city, there are always a few days in the year perfect for looking up at the sky. As the sun set, a crescent moon would appear simultaneously in the southern sky. It looked white and tender, with a kind of delicate posture that Lin Song found endearing. Lin Song had always loved summer vacation. The break was long enough, a full two months. At the beginning of every summer, he would set a small goal for himself: to finish all his summer homework within two weeks. ...

The two Qilin have been crouching at the entrance of the shopping mall for twenty-four years. I don’t know what material they’re coated with, but they are entirely jet-black and haven’t shown a speck of rust all these years. At first, Manager Wang from the property management department told Lin Song that the two statues at the main entrance were Qilin. So, Lin Song called them Qilin. In any case, Lin Song had never seen a living Qilin, and Manager Wang was always exceptionally serious and responsible in his work. His words were worthy of Lin Song’s trust. ...

“Hurry, hurry, it’s green.” The words had barely left his lips when the pedestrian light turned red. Lin Song had a good, long sleep, a full ten hours of it. It was only after waking that he felt a chill on his back; the blanket had been bunched up under his stomach at some point. The air conditioner had been running all night, which let him sleep soundly—perhaps because he had been so exhausted the day before. He ran a hand through his thinning hair and comforted himself that sleeping an extra two hours once in a while wasn’t an extravagance. He was at an age where sleep was supposed to get shorter, so sleeping in this late felt more satisfying than eating a plate of braised pork ribs. ...