Bench Cinema

　　Old Wang, carrying his rusty little stool, skillfully squeezed into the only cinema still operating in the county. He wasn't there to collect recyclables, nor was he there to join the crowd; he was there to watch a movie. Since the cinema introduced "seatless tickets," he had already come three times.

　　A piece of red paper was posted at the cinema entrance, with thick black characters stating: "Movie Viewing Notice: In response to the national call to conserve resources, this cinema now offers seatless tickets. Please bring your own bench." The handwriting was crooked, like a primary school student's casual scrawl. Old Wang thought the writing was much like the "No Peeing" sign posted in front of his house – meant for people to see, yet not really meant for them.

　　The girl at the ticket window was already used to it. Every day, someone would ask, "Are there any requirements for the bench?" To which she would numbly reply, "As long as you can sit on it." Someone would ask, "Can I use my foot-washing basin?" To which she would say, "Whatever makes you happy."

　　Today's showing was a major highlight of the Spring Festival season, reportedly costing several hundred million yuan with explosive special effects. Old Wang looked at the ticket in his hand, which had a large character for "no" printed on it, followed by a stamp. The ticket price was half off, and he thought to himself, these capitalists are really going all out to make money.

　　Walking into the theater, it was already dark and crowded, with people jostling and benches scattered haphazardly like a patch of uneven mushrooms. Some people were sitting on small stools, some were perched on folding chairs, and some had simply brought plastic chairs from home. There was even a young man who had lugged in a child's rocking horse, which he was merrily rocking in an attempt to find the best viewing angle.

　　Old Wang found a relatively open spot, put down his stool, and settled into a comfortable position. He looked around and noticed that everyone seemed calm, as if they were accustomed to this absurd way of watching movies. He recalled the last time he came, he saw a man sitting on the ground with an old tire, and he asked the man, "Doesn't that tire hurt your bottom?" The man just chuckled, "No, it's quite warm."

　　The movie started. The dazzling special effects, the intense fights, and the actors' heart-wrenching performances were all drowned out by the constant "creak creak" of the benches in the audience. People were adjusting their positions, shifting locations, and some were even standing up to stretch. Old Wang felt like watching a movie was like attending a performance art show.

　　During the climax of the movie, a child suddenly burst into tears after falling off their bench. The mother quickly picked them up, scolding them while comforting them, "It's all your fault for insisting on bringing your Peppa Pig bench, now look what happened!" Old Wang looked at the pink Peppa Pig printed on the bench and couldn't help but smile.

　　When the movie ended, everyone was carrying their benches out. Someone accidentally tripped, and their bench broke into three pieces. They sighed helplessly, but then cheerfully picked up the remains. As Old Wang watched everyone, he suddenly realized that this wasn't a movie screening, it was a bench beauty pageant.

　　Old Wang walked home, the streetlights casting long shadows. He carried his worn-out stool in his hand and suddenly felt that it was more than just a stool, it was a symbol of an era.

　　The next day, the red paper at the cinema entrance was replaced with another one, stating, "To celebrate the success of our seatless tickets, we are launching the 'Crazy for Benches' event. Please bring your beloved bench to participate in the competition and win generous prizes." Below it was a large drawing of a bench with a small red flower attached to it. Old Wang looked at it, sighed, and decided that he would bring his foot-washing basin today; perhaps, he could even win a prize.