The Shadow of Numbers
· 7 min read
Shi Lei felt like a firefly in this vast cavern, tiny, yet compelled to glow—though his light merely illuminated a small cracker smeared with foie gras or strawberry jam. The membership warehouse club where he worked, named 'Giant Warehouse' (Ju Cang), resembled a mountain range built of steel and concrete, piled high with a dazzling array of goods cascading from ceiling to floor, forming colorful cliffs. People pushed enormous shopping carts, like vessels on a river, navigating the canyons of this mountain range, their faces wearing a mixture of curiosity and possessiveness.