The Wuhan Meteorological Observatory upgraded its high-temperature warning to a red alert, with some streets reaching over 41°C (106°F). Lin Song felt like a frog being boiled in water; after being cooked for so long, he had learned to swim in it.
On days when the sun beat down, Lin Song would go out wearing a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and a hat, after smearing a layer of sunscreen on his face and the back of his neck. He kept a bottle of sunscreen spray in his car year-round—a waterproof, sport-type spray that felt greasy on his arms and reflected the sunlight.
The snack shop in the mall started selling coffee after the Spring Festival. Lin Song had never patronized the snack shop’s coffee. He scoffed at the coffee from bubble tea shops, so how could he possibly give his business to a sundry store?
The “1 Yuan Deals” of the past few days gave Lin Song a little thrill. He had once cooperated with platforms on similar loss-leader promotions. When the orders flooded in, it was impossible to fulfill them within the designated time by following the standard procedure. Of course, Lin Song was a veteran in the industry; there was no problem he couldn’t solve. He would prepare all the necessary ingredients in advance instead of waiting for the orders to come in. How much of a difference did this make? After adding a large amount of ice, almost none.
The snack shop had placed an advertising board next to the freezer by its entrance: “Buy any item, add a coffee for 6 yuan.”
Lin Song really didn’t feel like hand-grinding coffee beans today. He opened a WeChat mini program on his phone and browsed through the available coffees. The cheapest one, from a bubble tea shop, would still cost him 9 yuan. For a guy like him who needed two cups a day, the system was dead set on not giving him any more discounts.
Well, the sundry store’s coffee was worth a try. Lin Song gave himself a chance to compromise. He went to the loose biscuits counter, picked up a scallion-flavored cracker, and had the clerk weigh it. “This cracker is twenty cents.” “And I’ll have a coffee.” “Oh, sir, it’s the weekend. You can get two cups for 9 yuan.” “Ah? So, do I still need to buy the cracker?” “No need. It’s just 9 yuan for two cups of coffee directly.” “In that case, I don’t want the cracker. I’ll take two coffees.” “Will you be drinking them here or taking them to go?” “Um, I’ll take one with me and save one to pick up this afternoon, is that okay?” “Oh, sure. I get off work at four in the afternoon.” “I’ll probably be back to get it around three.” “Would you like them iced or hot?” “Iced, thank you!”
The still-open mini program rained down countless coupons from the heavens. Lin Song began to cash in on the deals. A dozen bottles of drinking water for 1 yuan, two boxes of croissants at 1 yuan each, two cans of 1-liter lemon tea for 4 yuan. Before midnight, he had to use up the best coupons. Otherwise, if he didn’t take full advantage of today’s bargains, he wouldn’t even be able to sleep soundly.
In the community garden, gardeners in straw hats were connecting hoses to a fire hydrant to water the trees. Walking under the sun, it felt as if Wuhan were experiencing a thousand-year drought.
At Entrance 2 of the mall, the small seafood noodle shop, which had been closed for over half a year after dragging on, was finally sealed off by construction barriers. At the intersection, the “Shoddy Cake Shop” that had opened just last month was having its sign taken down.
What’s cheaper than cheap?
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, what was lower than a “commoner” was the “lower nine ranks.” Their status was hereditary, they could not change their fate through the imperial examinations, and it was nearly impossible to escape society’s discrimination against them.
He went to pick up the drinking water he’d ordered online, left his hand trolley temporarily at a convenience store, and then headed to the second floor of the mall, where there was a piano anyone could play. Playing the piano in the mall meant he didn’t have to run the air conditioner at home.
On the escalator, Lin Song could already hear the piano. The usually vacant piano bench was occupied by an elderly woman. She had her phone propped up on the music stand, plinking out, note by note, “Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient road…”
It must have been nearly a month since he last sprayed the electric fan with WD lubricant. To perfectly adapt to the brutal summer, he had to keep adding lubricant to the fan. In the past, his father was the one who applied grease to the fan’s motor. A small can of grease was still tucked away on the bottom shelf of the utility rack.
The air conditioner had been running all night. By noon, Lin Song would let it rest. His apartment faced northeast, so after the morning, it was no longer exposed to the baking sun. With a gentle fan whirring, it was quite comfortable to take a short nap in his Kermit chair.
When he napped, Lin Song would set an alarm. With age, he didn’t dare to sleep too long during the day. Otherwise, waking up intermittently in the middle of the night, tossing and turning in bed—that was a truly indescribable misery.
After twenty-some minutes, the crisp alarm rang. Lin Song rarely hit the snooze button. He wouldn’t give himself a few extra minutes to collect his thoughts, which would only make the process of waking up more difficult and prolonged.
A female colleague of his middle school classmate had started posting notices on her WeChat Moments: this year’s young cockerels were now on sale.
Lin Song clicked on the online shop. A handsome, slender young rooster was priced at 75 yuan, with a 5-yuan discount on purchases over 100. A cockerel, just over three months old, that had not yet begun to crow. In a bowl of chicken soup on the details page, a chicken head was artfully arranged, its eyes wide open as if it had died with a grievance. It looked like the merchant had done it on purpose. What a sin.
Today, Boss Qian’s Golden Retriever was given a euthanasia shot. It passed away peacefully. It had been Boss Qian’s companion for fourteen years, walked five times a day, and fed whatever it wanted. He wondered if he could leave a mark on it, so they might find each other again in the next life, if fate allowed.