The Late Arrival of the New Year‘s Vibe

After retiring, Old Wang's only joy was setting off fireworks during the New Year. This year, the policy loosened, with "many places changing from bans to limits," allowing the lighting of fireworks. Old Wang was as happy as a child, and he asked someone to bring him several boxes of "sky rockets" from the countryside. He neatly stacked the fireworks in the living room, touching them several times a day, as if caressing his precious treasures.

On New Year's Eve, Old Wang put on a brand-new Tang suit and excitedly rushed downstairs, ready to put on a show. In the open space downstairs, some people were already setting off fireworks here and there. Some lit "star clusters," and some lit "little bees," the crackling sounds sporadic, but it always felt like something was missing. Old Wang took out a "sky rocket," carefully placed it on the ground, and lit the fuse. With a "whoosh," the firework shot straight into the sky, exploding with a "bang," the colorful light illuminating the night sky and the wrinkles on Old Wang's face.

"Awesome!" the children watching clapped and cheered. Old Wang was overjoyed. He felt several years younger, as if he had returned to the carefree days of his childhood. He set off one after another, as if to blow all the year's misfortunes to smithereens. The light from the fireworks reflected on him, flickering, like a dancing flame.

It wasn't until midnight that Old Wang returned home, satisfied. He turned on the TV, and the clamor of the Spring Festival Gala filled the room, but Old Wang found it a bit noisy. He went to the balcony, watching the gradually thinning fireworks outside the window, and suddenly felt something was wrong.

He always felt that something was missing.

He tried hard to recall that during the New Year when he was a child, there were deafening firecracker sounds everywhere, and the air was filled with the strong smell of gunpowder. Back then, after dark, neighbors would gather together to set off firecrackers, children would run around with matches, and adults would watch and laugh. Now, even though it was allowed, only a few families lit them, and everyone was cautious, afraid of violating some rule.

Old Wang opened his phone and browsed his friend circle. Some were sharing photos of food, some of travel, and some of red envelopes, but very few were sharing fireworks. He flipped to the video he had just taken of the fireworks, hesitated for a moment, and decided not to post it. He felt like an old fossil, still yearning for the past.

At this moment, a message came in the WeChat group: "Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, the community will organize a unified fireworks display, please be on time." Old Wang was stunned. Unified display? And on time? It reminded him of meetings at work, when to start, when to end, no early departures, no tardiness.

Old Wang turned off his phone, went to the living room, and looked at the remaining boxes of fireworks. He suddenly lost interest. He moved the fireworks to the balcony, piled them in a corner, and covered them with an old cloth.

The next morning at 7:50, Old Wang went downstairs anyway. Many people had already gathered in the open space of the community, holding fireworks in their hands, standing neatly like schoolchildren in line. A property staff member wearing a red vest held a loudspeaker and directed, "Attention everyone, unified display, begin!"

"Bang bang bang..." various fireworks rose into the sky simultaneously, the colorful light instantly illuminating the sky and the numb expressions on people's faces. Old Wang looked around; everyone was recording with their phones, but no one was smiling. He suddenly felt that this was not the New Year at all, but rather a unified performance.

After the display ended, everyone dispersed. Old Wang also slowly walked home. Passing the garbage bin at the entrance of the community, he saw a pile of opened firework boxes. They were crumpled into balls, like discarded toys.

Old Wang suddenly understood why he felt something was missing last night. What was missing was the freedom from the constraints of rules, the joy that came from the bottom of one's heart, and the New Year's vibe that could make people forget their troubles. This unified, arranged happiness was like canned food, losing its original flavor.

He sighed, feeling that he was old and could no longer keep up with the times. He walked into the elevator and pressed his floor button. The elevator door slowly closed, swallowing Old Wang's figure into the cold, metal space. Through the mirror on the elevator door, Old Wang saw his face full of fatigue and helplessness. He suddenly smiled and whispered to himself, "Perhaps, my fireworks were set off in the wrong place..."

The next day, Old Wang uncovered the old cloth on the balcony, took out a few sky rockets, and tied them to the lightning rod on the roof of the community building, lighting the fuses. "Whoosh! Bang!" Several loud noises echoed throughout the community. Everyone looked up to see several colorful fireworks, particularly dazzling, in the gray sky.