How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

A winter morning.

The fog over the Taihang Mountains has not yet dissipated.

The rooster's voice must have been damaged by the rock music last night; it was crowing weakly.

Xu An woke up.

A biological clock is more accurate than an alarm clock.

He groggily crawled out of bed.

He casually draped the military overcoat he used to press down his feet over his shoulders.

This is muscle memory etched into your bones.

Even if he was a millionaire internet celebrity last night, even if he was a "saint" who just rejected five million.

It's 6:30 in the morning.

He was just a villager from Xujia Village who could afford to feed pigs.

Xu An was wearing cotton shoes.

She had a head of messy, bird's nest-like hair.

He was carrying a tin bucket for mixing pig feed.

He skillfully added cornmeal and bran, and even chopped up two large cabbages.

"Hmph—"

Xu An imitated the sound of calling a pig.

Carrying the heavy bucket, I swayed and staggered to the backyard.

"Have you eaten?"

"I've given you guys an extra treat today, the leftover fried dough sticks from last night..."

Xu An poured the bucket into the pig trough.

"Splash—"

The pig feed was poured in.

Steaming hot.

The aroma is tangy.

then.

Xu An was stunned.

The hand holding the bucket froze in mid-air.

Those black pigs should have been rooting around in their troughs, making a deafening noise long ago.

Missed.

There were only empty pigsties.

There were also a few bloodstains in the corner that hadn't dried completely.

as well as.

The cap of a Dior 999 lipstick lay on the ground, half of it crushed by someone.

wind.

The wind blew past the pigsty.

He rolled up a few dry straws.

Xu An blinked.

Blinked again.

At this moment, the CPU finally completed its difficult reboot.

Memories flooded back like a tide.

Rock and roll.

Suona.

Thousands of mouths.

And then there was the big pot of stew, the soup of which was all eaten clean by dipping steamed buns in it.

"Clatter".

The tin bucket in Xu An's hand fell to the ground.

It made a crisp sound.

"Holy crap..."

Xu An held his head and squatted down at the entrance of the pigsty.

A profound sadness, known as "not having meat to eat during the Lunar New Year," instantly enveloped him.

"That's all."

"It's all gone."

"The second brother, who originally had the thickest head of fat, is gone too."

"Those are reserved for frying crispy pork and making blood sausage!"

Xu An wanted to cry but had no tears.

For the sake of so-called face.

For the sake of so-called prestige.

They wiped out their family's pig line.

it's good now.

There are still twenty days until the Chinese New Year.

The most famous pig farmer in Xujia Village.

We need to go to the supermarket in town to buy meat for the Chinese New Year.

If this gets out...

Do you even care about your reputation?

This is an utter disgrace to the pig farming industry.

Xu An squatted for a full five minutes.

Until my legs went numb.

Only then did they have to accept this cruel reality.

He sighed.

I picked up the pig feed bucket and rinsed it with some cold water.

Life goes on.

The pig is gone.

People still need to brush their teeth and wash their face.

Xu An was holding a large tea mug that read, "Although it's hard work, we still have to save money."

He had a toothbrush in his mouth.

He mumbled indistinctly:

"What a tragedy..."

He walked to the front yard.

The heavy wooden door was tightly shut.

Those luxury cars should have all left yesterday, right?

Those crazy fans should have dispersed by now, right?

Xu An thought to himself.

I felt a little relieved.

He stretched out his hand.

Pull the latch.

"Squeak—"

The wooden door let out an old groan.

The first rays of morning sunlight peeked in through the crack in the door.

It was a bit too bright.

Xu An squinted.

He held the teacup in his left hand and gripped the door frame with his right.

There was still a clump of white foam clinging to the toothbrush in his mouth.

He was about to spit the mouthwash into the drain outside the door.

then.

He saw people.

Not one.

It's a group.

On the stone-paved road outside the door.

There were at least thirty or forty people standing there.

There were hikers carrying backpacks.

There were photographers carrying long lenses and tripods.

There were also a few young ladies dressed in Hanfu.

They weren't as noisy as they were yesterday.

There was no blocking of the door.

He just stood there quietly.

Like waiting for the sunrise, we wait for this door to open.

The moment the door opened.

Dozens of pairs of eyes.

Instant focus.

The air freezes.

Xu An remained in the position of preparing to spit out water.

The foam at the corner of his mouth was about to fall off.

His eyes were empty and vacant.

It's like a groundhog that has just poked its head out of its hole and found itself surrounded by a pack of wolves.

"Gulp."

Xu An subconsciously swallowed the mouthwash in his mouth.

It's a bit salty.

It also has a hint of mint flavor.

Among the crowd outside the door.

Someone, I don't know, gently pressed the shutter.

"Click."

The sound was like a starting pistol.

The previously quiet crowd instantly became agitated.

"It's out! It's out!"

"Is this the legendary 'no-makeup look attack'?"

"Oh my god! He looks so cute brushing his teeth!"

"Quick, take a picture! This is definitely exclusive material!"

"Good morning, Teacher Xu!"

The warm greetings came like waves crashing over us.

Xu An's pupils dilated instantly.

Social anxiety instincts kicked in.

The brain issues the highest level of red alert.

【retreat! 】

Retreat immediately!

Without any hesitation.

Xu An moved at a speed that defied the laws of physics.

Step back.

Stop.

close the door.

Lock the bolt.

The entire set of movements was fluid and seamless, performed in one go.

It takes no more than 0.5 seconds.

"Bang!"

The gate was closed again.

It completely shut out that noisy world.

Outside.

They weren't angry at being turned away.

Instead, a suppressed laugh erupted.

"Hahaha! Did you guys capture that expression on your face just now?"

"I got it! I got it! Absolutely amazing!"

"That clear, pure terror is simply a work of art!"

"Quick, quick! Send it to me! I want to make memes!"

"I've already come up with the copy: When I want to go to work, I realize it's Monday."

Or: When I fart in bed, I realize the blanket isn't covering me properly.

Just five minutes.

A photograph titled "Xu An's Morning Gaze".

It has already gone viral in various WeChat groups, Moments, and Weibo supertopics.

In the photo.

Xu An was wearing that pilling military overcoat.

Her hair was a mess, like a bird's nest.

There was white foam at the corner of his mouth.

The confusion in his eyes was like, "Who am I? Where am I? What are you going to do?"

It struck a chord with countless working people.

The comment section was peaceful:

[ID: Reality of Humanity]: Isn't this just me when I first woke up?

[ID wants to go to Xujia Village]: The moment he closed the door, I felt his deep disgust for this world.

[ID Psychology PhD]: This is a self-protection mechanism. He is telling us in this way to stay away from his life, even if it's just a door away.

[ID Xu An's Toothbrush]: Am I the only one who noticed that he swallowed the mouthwash? He's a werewolf.

Inside the door.

Xu An leaned against the gate.

It slid down slowly.

Finally, he collapsed onto the doorstep.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

"It's over."

"My image is completely ruined."

"The extraordinary master got it for free."

Xu An covered her face.

That's good now.

There's no way out now.

Let alone going to town to buy meat.

Even something as simple as going to the door to pour water for washing your face requires careful consideration.

Is this the price of fame?

Isn't that too high a price to pay?