Midnight Sweetness and Bitterness

These days, even sleep has become a luxury.

You see, those white-collar workers in suits and ties tap on keyboards in the glass curtain walls of the CBD during the day, and when they return to their rental houses at night, they still have to fight with algorithms, studying how to earn more traffic in short videos.

And what about those plainly dressed workers? They sweat on the assembly line during the day, and at night, they may also have to search for extra income on the streets late at night.

Look, even Mixue Bingcheng has started operating 24 hours a day.

At two o'clock in the morning, I sat in Mixue Bingcheng and looked at the young man opposite me. His name is Xiao Wang, and he is the night shift employee of this store.

Xiao Wang is in his early twenties and still has a bit of childishness on his face. He skillfully prepares drinks, moving as fast as a machine.

"How's business?" I asked him.

"It's okay." Xiao Wang didn't even raise his head. "There are always some people who can't sleep at night."

He handed me a glass of iced lemonade, with double the ice. I took a big sip, and the cold liquid slid down my throat, as if cooling down this sweltering city.

"Aren't you sleepy?" I looked at the bloodshot eyes.

Xiao Wang smiled, revealing a row of white teeth: "Sleepy, of course I'm sleepy. But I have to work even if I'm sleepy."

He said that he still delivers food during the day and works part-time here at night.

"Why work so hard?"

"I want to save money to buy a house in my hometown." Xiao Wang's voice revealed a hint of fatigue, but also a trace of hope.

I looked at him and suddenly felt that this glass of iced lemonade was both sweet and bitter.

The sweetness is that in this city, there are always some places that keep the lights on for you 24 hours a day, providing a cheap comfort.

The bitterness is that under these lights, there are young people like Xiao Wang who are rushing around for a living.

They are the screws of this era, silently operating and pushing this huge machine forward.

They are also the footnotes of this era, writing the prosperity and hardship of this era with their own sweat.

I looked out the window, the city's neon lights were still flickering, and the traffic was endless.

I know that there are many people like Xiao Wang in this city. They may be busy in convenience stores, shuttling in taxis, or on duty in hospitals...

They are the night guardians of this city, and also the strivers of this era.

And what about us? Should we, who enjoy their services, also think about what we can do for them?

At the very least, we can give them more respect, more understanding, and more care.

After all, in this era, we are all in the same boat.

We are all working hard for a better life, and we are all striving for the dreams in our hearts.

And this, perhaps, is the most real and touching picture of this era.

The economic situation has not been good in recent years, and many people have lost their jobs. In the past, everyone wanted to move to big cities. Now, many people choose to go back to develop.

Is this a regression? Maybe.

But it is also a helpless and realistic choice, a new possibility.

We are always told to look forward, but sometimes, looking back may also find a new way out. Just like Mixue Bingcheng late at night, it is not only a milk tea shop, but also a microcosm of the times, a window to observe society. It allows us to see the neglected corners and hear the faint voices. This, perhaps, is the place that needs our attention the most in this era.