There was dew under the eaves in the early morning. Disturbed by the waving hand of the breakfast stall owner, a fly fell into a freshly filled bowl of doufunao (tofu pudding). The owner’s hands were quick. The spoon, which had just been used for white sugar, deftly scooped the fly out and flicked it onto the sidewalk. She then smoothly pushed the bowl toward an old man who had just paid. The old man, usually quiet, was not the least bit muddled. “Why are you giving me the one with the fly?” “This one isn’t for you. Take the one next to it.” The owner moved the “cleaned” bowl of tofu pudding to the side of the bucket, leaving it for the next customer who paid.
Lin Song bought a bowl of hot dry noodles, added two spoonfuls of fragrant vinegar, mixed it, and ate as he walked. After crossing the traffic light at the entrance of the Central Hospital, Lin Song felt someone gently pat his shoulder. The street-facing shopping mall wasn’t open for business yet, which surprised Lin Song; he couldn’t figure out what was going on. “Boss, let me ask you something.” A woman’s voice, with an out-of-town accent, came from behind. It was early morning. The street was full of people rushing to work or heading to the hospital for appointments. What kind of question would someone ask a man walking while holding a bowl of hot dry noodles? Whatever she needed to know, Lin Song figured he couldn’t possibly be the one with the answer. Lin Song couldn’t even be bothered to wonder if it was a scam. Without turning his head or stopping his steps, he continued walking. The woman asking the question did not follow; she sullenly moved on to pat someone else’s shoulder, posing her leading question. In all one’s life, the world is already this complicated. If you have a question, you should first ask a search engine, not rashly tap a strange man on the shoulder.
After confirming the client would still be at the office at noon, Lin Song decided to hurry and deliver the order, saving himself a second trip in the afternoon. In the midday elevator, it was packed with delivery men. Heavy, precise instruments were piled on flatbed trolleys. The men, wearing blue helmets, each held a takeout meal. The workers, holed up in their office cubicles, were waiting to sign for the deliveries. A phone loudly played the affected, exaggerated dialogue of a woman from a short drama, irritating the auditory nerves of everyone in the elevator.
Lin Song went to RT-Mart (Da Run Fa) and bought a box of discounted croissants. The price was 19.88, but he only paid 11.88. Lin Song never bought bread that wasn’t on sale. He carried the box of croissants to the breakfast stall at the intersection, asked the owner for a cup of plain boiled water, sat down, and ate three. Lunch was thus solved.
According to a BBC report this week, BBC Director-General Tim Davie resigned because the BBC’s Panorama documentary was criticized for misleading viewers in its editing of a speech by US President Trump. It seems the BBC reports on everything, including, but not limited to, the BBC’s own troubles.
It’s the time of year again when ginkgo leaves scatter across the ground. The world is already completely different.
While taking Liu Meili to the train station, Lin Song was asked, “What were bars like in your time?” “Bars look more or less the same as they do now. It’s just the people who go to them who are completely different.” Lin Song mused that his parents had never been to a bar in their entire lives. He had also never seen his father drunk.
Children just inexplicably grow into adults. Before anyone has time to teach them how to understand this inexplicable world, they must embark on the journey of growing up all by themselves.
Forty years ago, in cities or in the countryside, when you arrived at a new place, it was completely different from any place you had been before. Each place, shaped by its unique environment and through hundreds of years of slow development, forged a style entirely its own. Now, even if you travel to the ends of the earth, what you see and sense is almost identical. Whenever a new form gains favor, that style is instantly replicated in every other place it can be. Instantly created, not slowly polished.
By the time he returned from the hospital, Lin Song’s weight had dropped from 74 kg to 68 kg. Even wearing an abdominal binder, his clothes felt loose. When tailoring clothes, if they are thin, being form-fitting is a key metric. If it’s heavy clothing, a proper fit truly shows the tailor’s skill.
Lin Song was sitting in his chair scrolling through his phone when a clip from Once a Thief popped up. In the wind and rain, Leslie Cheung pulls Cherie Chung onto the plane. “Where’s Ah Hai? Where is he? Jim, answer me, what happened?” “We’re in trouble!” “I’m going to find him.” “No! He was killed in the explosion.” The wind continues to blow, and the music swells… “I try to tell you to go home, but you say you don’t want to leave, you just tell me to hold you tight.” Recalling those blood-pumping, passionate scenes, Lin Song couldn’t help but feel weary of the lifeless music playing on the radio these days. He lifted the piano lid and slammed his hands violently on the keys. After playing the E melodic minor scale, he had finished practicing all the major and minor scales. Lin Song could now move on to the next exercise. It was only after watching a phone video of himself playing the piano that Lin Song realized he was hunched over the keyboard, as if whispering secrets to it.
Redeeming (praying for) one’s ancestors is important. Only by maintaining this tradition will descendants be there to redeem you after you pass away. Giving up all effort is not a cowardly compromise.