Tonight, with nothing to do, I walked into Zhao Yiming Snacks on a whim.

After wandering around for a few minutes, I still couldn’t bring myself to want anything to eat, so I picked up a bottle of cola and headed to the front desk to pay.
Seeing a few kids in fourth or fifth grade, they were chattering and discussing, “Let’s put this spicy strip back—the money isn’t enough.”
“Or we could buy that one and share it together”—my heart suddenly trembled.
As someone on the Zhongdeng level, in that moment I suddenly felt like being generous, so I told them, “Pick whatever you like—I’ll treat you.” After a few rounds of polite refusals, the little kids still took it, bashfully.
In total, it was less than 50, and I suddenly felt a little dazed—like that 50 was meant for my 10-year-old self.
Maybe this is what it’s like: wanting to buy osmanthus and go on with wine in the same carriage, but in the end, it’s never quite like being a carefree youth.