"Beep beep!"
A car drove past on the road. Chang Sheng stood at the pedestrian crossing and stared blankly at the scene in front of him. Although it was not the first time he had seen such high-tech equipment, he still muttered in his heart. This place was really no different from a real city.
The white-collar workers were on the phone as they sped past. A group of children were running around the streets with balloons flying in the sky. The noisy atmosphere of delivery and takeout made this place seem very human.
Then, Chang Sheng's gaze suddenly turned around and saw an old man slowly crossing the zebra crossing. This old man looked familiar to Chang Sheng.
Wait! Wasn't this Chang Sheng himself? An old version of himself?
The old man was wearing a pair of ordinary sports shoes, black sports pants, and a gray shirt. He was slightly hunched, but he was in good spirits.
The old Chang Sheng walked further and further away, and then he found that he could fly again! They floated in the sky, following the old man and watching his every move.
First, he went to the park to play chess for two hours. Perhaps he was a little uncomfortable after sitting for a long time, but Old Chang even hammered his back.
Then, Old Chang took out his old phone and looked at the time. It was already 11:30 pm. He went to the market to buy some vegetables. Chang Sheng was a little skeptical when he saw this. Would he really be so stingy when he was old?
"How much is a catty of tomatoes?"
The stall owner even knew Old Chang. He smiled and said,"Uncle Chang, these tomatoes just arrived today. They're very fresh. I'll give you 2.40 yuan per catty.”
"So expensive? I'm not buying, I'm not buying."
"Uncle Chang! The price of tomatoes had increased! You haven't even looked at the coriander. It's already 17 yuan per catty. There's nothing we can do about it.”
"Then, then get me two smaller ones. It's enough for a plate. Also, get me two yuan worth of wood ears. Also, get me five yuan worth of eggs.”
"Eggs are now 4.50 yuan.”
"Let me see your eggs. Why are your eggs so expensive? They don't look fresh anymore. Let's make it cheaper. It's four yuan per catty."
Chang Sheng looked at his old self and his cheeks twitched. He suddenly remembered a passage he had read before.
"If I become like this when I'm old, please kill me.”
Although Old Chang wasn't at the point where he was going to be beaten to death, he was indeed too indebted. He had bought less than 10 yuan worth of vegetables and even took a handful of green onions from the stall owner. Seeing the helpless expression of the stall owner, Chang Sheng really wanted to cry but had no tears.
He returned home with a bag of vegetables. His house was an old building, and there was no elevator yet. Old Chang lived on the fourth floor. After all, he was old, and climbing the stairs was really tiring. He grabbed the railing and climbed up with all his might. By the time he reached home, he was already tired and sweaty.
Damn it, I'm in such good health now. Do I even have to go upstairs when I'm old? The broken system must have malfunctioned.
He took off his old clothes, revealing the white hurdle vest he was wearing. He turned on the radio and listened to storytelling. He sat in the rocking chair and fanned himself.
Looking at the black-and-white photo hanging on the wall, Chang Sheng also knew that Old Chang's wife had passed away. Looking at the strange woman in the photo, Chang Sheng suddenly felt a sense of fear. Would he really become an empty nester in his old age?
After the storytelling was over, he turned off the radio, turned on the TV, and dialed CCTV12. The opera channel was playing Beijing opera. Old Chang got up and cut the tomatoes, beat the eggs into a bowl, cut some spring onions, and made a plate of tomato scrambled eggs. It was accompanied by rice that seemed to have been steamed in the morning or yesterday. He sat on the coffee table in the living room and ate silently.
After eating, he immediately washed the dishes. Chang Sheng chuckled and felt that this old man was quite diligent.
His children also called at night. They seemed to be quite filial. Other than not going home, everything was fine. Old Chang answered the call with a smile and even listened to his grandson's conversation.
In the evening, Old Chang went downstairs for a walk after dinner. He greeted the old men and women he knew. The old men in the park were playing with spinning tops. Unfortunately, Old Chang did not have one.
It was past seven o'clock at night when he returned home from his walk. He picked up three plastic bottles from the trash can by the roadside. After he got home, he washed up a little and turned on the lamp to read the already yellowed Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Everything was so dull and natural, but also so lonely and lonely. This was the old age of an ordinary empty nester.
Chang Sheng felt a little upset, but he couldn't tell why he was unhappy.
Chang Sheng knew that he wasn't him, and that the era was obviously not right. However, looking at this face that was exactly the same as his, other than the fact that it was old, he felt that it was especially strange and full of sympathy.
Living like this for a day was comfortable, two days was comfortable, but how about a year or two? It would really drive people crazy.
Before going to bed, Old Chang offered incense to his deceased wife, then went to bed to rest. He closed his eyes and hummed an unknown tune.
At this point, the 12-hour observation was over. The space in Old Chang's house turned dark again.
" Observation ended. The score for this learning phase is 87 points. You have passed.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。