For 30 consecutive days, the maximum temperature in Wuhan has exceeded 38°C (100.4°F). For a month, the high temperatures have had perfect attendance, never absent, never late.
In the sweltering heat of July, some chose to escape to southeastern Hubei. But who would have known that deep in the Dabie Mountains, it was just as historically hot as Wuhan? During the day, swirling clouds of mist felt like a steamer; at night, air conditioning was a must. The teachers who went to the mountains to escape the heat this summer all felt they had escaped for nothing. Since they had to use air conditioning anyway, wasn’t it better to be back in Wuhan, sprawled on their own couches, eating watermelon and scrolling through their phones, free and at ease?
An orange high-temperature alert had become the default text message Lin Song saw every morning after unplugging his phone.
“Wuhan Meteorological Observatory issued a red high-temperature alert at 07:05: It is expected that the maximum temperature in most parts of our city will rise to 39-40°C (102.2-104°F) today, with some streets (towns) reaching over 41°C (105.8°F). Please take special precautions.”
It seemed the observatory could no longer afford to be subtle, skipping the 38°C warning line to announce a truth everyone knew even without a forecast: some areas would exceed 41°C.
If you dare to make history, I dare to witness it.
Lin Song’s attitude toward the heatwave has become exceptionally calm. The Earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit, sometimes closer, sometimes farther, so the weather will naturally have its cold and hot spells. When faced with extreme heat or cold, hiding is more important than anything else.
Tian Meili always carries an umbrella when she goes out, regardless of whether it’s raining. Shielding herself from the ubiquitous UVA and UVB rays is far more critical than blocking the rain.
She often goes to the mall to cool off. After breakfast, she wanders around for a couple of hours, then heads to the supermarket to buy some fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, while enjoying the mall’s air conditioning, a wave of anxiety hits her: Did I turn off the AC at home before I left?
Throughout the afternoon, Lin Song was in a daze, debating whether to cook dinner. He scrolled through his phone, pondering: “Are there any leftovers in the fridge?” “Two dishes from yesterday. A tomato and egg stir-fry would be enough.” “Oh, wait, we agreed to go to Cha Gang for shrimp dumplings tonight.” “Should we drive to dinner then?” “If we’re not drinking, of course, we’ll drive.” “Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I had a drink.” “If we drive, Cha Gang probably doesn’t offer parking validation. Better not to drive.” “We could park on the street by the mall entrance tonight; no one should be giving out tickets.”
As children, we all played cops and robbers. Whether you were a cop or a robber, you always needed some cover, either hiding in the park’s bushes or behind a classroom door.
As we slowly grew up, to cope with exams and career promotions, we developed a survival skill: constantly finding things to put in front of ourselves as a shield. Prioritizing the self, the goal is that in a complex environment, “I can see you, but you can’t fully see me.”
We pretend to be hardworking, pretend to be happy, pretend to care, thinking we can do it without a trace. However, most of the time, the people watching your performance are just pretending not to know. By concealing yourself, you inevitably blur your own view of the world.
No matter how slow a person’s reaction is, they can understand the sharpness of a paper cutter. Once you’ve been cut by a sharp blade, you remember it forever.
In everyone’s childhood memories, there are a few incidents: bumping your head on the corner of a table, or knocking over a cup of hot water in your father’s hand. These painful memories often last a long time. As the saying goes, “once bitten by a snake, ten years shy of a rope,” we constantly waver between self-doubt and blind confidence. The longer you live, the faster you hide when trouble arises.
Choosing to pay for hot dry noodles with your Alipay balance in the morning doesn’t mean you don’t like to buy a bowl of beef noodle soup with Huabei (a credit feature). It’s just like the advertisement on the mall wall: “Yesterday’s ‘satisfaction’ could be today’s ‘disappointment’.”
The fearless will always choose to be running on the road. What magnificent transformations must the world undergo to satisfy their fascination with the kaleidoscope? Three mirrors enclose colorful scraps of paper; as long as it keeps spinning, the changing colors are endless.
Although it is difficult for a blind person to cross the street, when they stand at one end of a crosswalk, even if they cannot see the traffic lights, they can judge whether it is safe to cross by the frequency of the “tick-tock” signal.
A teddy bear is a child’s toy. No one would be foolish enough to keep a brown bear at home, because everyone understands that a real bear is dangerous to be with.
Stop playing hide-and-seek with the world. Is there really anything left to hide behind? The most effective way to avoid being found is to not participate in the game at all.