...
The customers gradually left.
They also bought a large amount of beer and instant food. For many, tonight will be a sleepless night.
The old man was the last one in the family to leave. Before going out, he took two more packs of cigarettes.
"Why not hang out with your friends?" he asked.
"Now?" Chen Xuan shook his head with a smile, "I still have to look after the store."
"You're quite a strange one, having such patience," the old man said with emotion. "After today, I'm afraid the world will change drastically. It reminds me of the time when we entered the world stage and hosted the Olympics, it was just as lively."
"And did the world change after that?"
"It did. You don't notice because you were born into this era of change. But for our generation, those events marked a clear dividing line; things were very different before and after."
Chen Xuan didn't respond because he saw a touch of wistfulness in the old man's eyes.
