The School Uniform Spring Festival

Old man Li was carrying a bucket of freshly fried fritters, walking slowly through the alley. On both sides of the alley, lanterns were hung, and the red glow illuminated the smiling faces of every household. Today was Lunar New Year's Eve, and the air was filled with the scent of the New Year.

But this year's festive atmosphere seemed a little different.

This year, the children of every household weren't wearing new clothes, but rather a uniform array of school uniforms. Blue, white, green, and various strange spliced designs, all sorts of colors. From a distance, it looked like a large-scale return to school day.

This matter started a month ago. No one knows who it was, but someone posted online, saying that the comparison culture during the New Year was too prevalent, that children's new clothes were getting more and more expensive, putting a lot of pressure on parents. Rather than that, it would be better to wear school uniforms uniformly, which would both save money and avoid unnecessary comparisons. Once the post was out, it actually attracted countless parents to give it thumbs-up, saying that it was a really good idea. Then, this trend took off, starting with a few neighborhoods, then the whole street, and finally, it became a city-wide phenomenon.

Old man Li sighed. His grandson, Xiaobao, was ten years old this year, and was also wearing an old school uniform, the sleeves of which were too short and the pants too tight, which looked uncomfortable. Old man Li originally wanted to buy Xiaobao a new set of clothes, but his old wife said, "Everyone else is wearing school uniforms, so why should your family be special? It would be a laughing stock!" He couldn't persuade his old wife, so he had to give up.

He arrived at Xiaobao's door, and Xiaobao was squatting on the ground, drawing something on the cement floor with chalk.

"Xiaobao, what are you drawing?" Old man Li put down the fritters.

"Grandpa, I'm drawing new clothes." Xiaobao didn't raise his head, focusing intently on his drawing. "These are the new clothes from my dream, they're so pretty, they have stars, the moon, and a little tiger."

Old man Li smiled, bent down, and picked up a fritter, handing it to Xiaobao. "When will you be able to wear these new clothes?"

Xiaobao took the fritter, took a bite, and mumbled, "When school starts, grandpa, only school lets us wear new clothes."

Old man Li was stunned. These words were like an awl, piercing his heart. He looked at Xiaobao's wrinkled old school uniform and suddenly felt that this New Year's spirit had turned a bit bitter.

At dinner, the whole family sat together. The table was filled with lavish dishes, but the atmosphere was a little dull.

"Next year's New Year, we must buy Xiaobao a new set of clothes." Old man Li broke the silence.

"Dad, here you go again, didn't we agree to wear school uniforms?" his old wife said, scolding him.

"But..." Old man Li was about to say something, but his old wife interrupted him.

"Oh, it's great to wear school uniforms this year, saving money and trouble," his old wife said. "Look, in the neighborhood, which child isn't wearing a school uniform? It's so neat!"

Xiaobao lowered his head, scooping rice from his bowl, not saying a word.

After dinner, Old man Li sat alone in the yard. He looked at the moon in the sky and remembered the joy of wearing new clothes during the New Year when he was a child. It was a feeling of satisfaction from head to toe, a kind of anticipation for the New Year. But now, the children could only wear old school uniforms for the New Year, what was this?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong. This wasn't about saving money, it was clearly another form of competition. Competing to see who has the oldest school uniform, who has the most tattered school uniform.

He suddenly stood up, ran into the house, rummaged through the cabinets, and found the military coat he wore when he was young. He draped the coat over himself and put on the military hat he wore when he was young.

"Old man, what are you doing?" his old wife asked, surprised to see Old man Li's appearance.

"I'm going to take Xiaobao for a walk in the street." Old man Li said, "I want to show him what the real New Year is."

Old man Li took Xiaobao's hand and walked out the door. The streets were still bustling with activity, and children wore various styles of school uniforms, some setting off firecrackers, some playing. Old man Li led Xiaobao, weaving through the crowd like an anomaly.

Suddenly, a little boy wearing a brand new school uniform pointed at Old man Li and Xiaobao and burst into laughter, "Look, they're wearing such old clothes, haha, they must be the poorest family!"

Old man Li stopped. He wasn't angry, he just smiled gently. He picked up Xiaobao, let Xiaobao look at his military hat, and his military coat.

"Xiaobao, look, is grandpa's clothes beautiful?"

"Beautiful!" Xiaobao's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly.

"Remember, Xiaobao, clothes are not for comparing. Clothes are to be worn happily." Old man Li patted Xiaobao's head and then walked towards the end of the street.

At this moment, a notice suddenly came from the neighborhood broadcast, "Dear parents, dear students, in order to respond to the call of the higher authorities, and to help students develop the habit of hard work and frugality, starting next semester, students of our school will be wearing uniformly self-made simple clothes, the specific plan is as follows..."

Old man Li listened to the broadcast and chuckled. He looked down at Xiaobao, and Xiaobao was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and they could both see the helplessness and bewilderment in each other's eyes. This was truly an absurd Spring Festival.