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

Mr. Zhao's taillights disappeared at the entrance of the Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway.

A lingering smell of diesel fuel remained.

Xu An stood on the curb by the roadside, tightened his drafty military overcoat, and held the birdcage covered with a black cloth in his arms.

The wind was a bit strong, making his messy short hair look like a bird's nest.

"They're... leaving already?"

Xu An sniffed, feeling a void in his heart.

Having gotten used to Zhao Dapao's rough protection these past few days, suddenly becoming a person again, that social anxiety instinct ingrained in my bones started to climb up my spine like ivy.

He instinctively tucked his hands into his sleeves and hunched his shoulders, trying to minimize his presence.

But he forgot that he is now the most popular "messenger" on the entire internet.

And he was carrying a restless fellow in his hand.

"Stingy! Stingy! Give me my money back!"

The myna bird "Ertuzi" in the cage seemed to realize that no familiar people were around, and suddenly let out a loud howl in its hoarse voice.

The sound was sharp and bright, with extremely strong penetrating power.

Several students carrying backpacks and an elderly woman carrying a shopping basket all turned to look at the passersby.

Xu An's face instantly turned red to the roots of his ears.

He quickly reached out and patted the cage, pleading in a low voice, "Ancestor, can you please stop talking? We're not even out of Tianjin yet, if you keep yelling I'll be robbed."

"Great! Great! Awesome!"

Er Tuzi learned to mimic speech very quickly; he could rattle off these few phrases in Henan dialect without hesitation.

In the live stream, the online viewers almost laughed themselves silly.

[ID: Fugitive Audience Member of Deyun Club]: Hahahaha! This bird is a spirit! Did it mix Henan dialect and Tianjin dialect?

[ID: Uncle Xujiacun]: This bird is great! It follows its roots! People like us from the Xu family never suffer losses!

[ID Social Anxiety Patient]: I feel suffocated for Anzi even through the screen. This feeling of being watched is too intense.

Xu An dared not stand in the street any longer.

His only thought now was to quickly find a car, leave this troublesome place, and find a secluded corner to stew the bird—oh no, to settle it down properly.

He reached out and stiffly flagged down a yellow taxi with its "For hire" light on.

The car window rolled down.

He revealed a round face with sunglasses, a buzz cut, and a comically pleasing appearance.

The man pulled his sunglasses down and looked Xu An up and down with his small eyes.

My gaze finally settled on the birdcage.

"Huh! What does this mean? Young master, are you carrying a birdcage, getting ready to go to the teahouse to listen to storytelling?"

The moment the chef opened his mouth, the authentic flavor of Tianjin oysters wafted over.

Xu An swallowed hard, opened the car door, and jumped in, moving as fast as if he were running for his life.

"Master...go,go..."

Xu An got stuck.

He then realized that he hadn't even decided where to go.

Apart from the few undelivered letters he had, he knew nothing about the city.

"Where to? Haven't decided yet?"

The driver was delighted and stepped on the gas to merge the car into the main road with remarkable ease.

"It's alright! Once we're in Tianjin, we're home! Looking at your outfit and that bird, if you didn't tell me you were a tourist, I'd think you were some prince traveling incognito!"

Xu An huddled in the corner of the back seat and weakly replied, "Driver, just drive as you see fit... find a place with few people and a good view."

"Fewer people? Good view?"

The driver glanced at Xu An through the rearview mirror and grinned.

"You're putting me in a difficult position! Tianjin is crowded everywhere! How about we... go check out the Lion Grove Bridge? It's really popular there lately, the old men have become a tourist attraction!"

Xu Angang wanted to reject the option of "too many people".

Suddenly, the bald man in the cage chimed in, "Look at the view! Look at the view! Pay up!"

Upon hearing this, the master slapped his thigh with delight: "My goodness! This bird is amazing! It's brought the straight man too! Alright, let's listen to the bird master and go to Lion Grove Bridge!"

The car weaves through the traffic.

Xu An thought that as long as he didn't speak, his master would quiet down.

But he clearly underestimated the value of Tianjin taxi drivers.

"Young man, judging from your accent, you're from Henan, right? This coat is quite old. I'm not saying this to be rude, but while retro style is popular now, yours is truly vintage!"

"How many years have you had this bird? It looks familiar, kind of like that bald guy from Ma Dazui's place..."

Xu An was still pretending to be dead.

Upon hearing the words "Ma Dazui," he suddenly looked up.

"You...know Grandpa Ma?"

The driver burst into laughter, his hearty laughter making the roof of the car vibrate.

"What do you mean 'know'? Who in half of Wuqing District doesn't know Ma Dazui? He never holds a grudge!"

"You came out of that alley just now, right? You look familiar!"

The driver suddenly slammed on the brakes at the red light, turned around, took off his sunglasses, and his eyes flashed with a shrewdness that knew better than to say it.

"You're that...that Xu An, right?"

"The one who delivered the message to Lao Linzi, the one who got besieged by Xiao Jindou in Harbin?"

Xu An now had nowhere to hide.

He could only nod awkwardly, "Yes...it's me."

Upon hearing this, the driver immediately perked up, pulled a handful of White Rabbit milk candies from his pocket, and tossed them to the back seat.

"Oh my! I knew the magpies were chirping all morning! Turns out they've brought along a living god of wealth!"

"Have some candy! Have some candy! Don't be shy! My daughter bought this for me; it has the same name as the candy in your cafeteria!"

Holding a few milk candies in his hands, Xu An's nervousness was surprisingly lessened by this overly friendly enthusiasm.

This is different from what I experienced in Harbin.

Harbin's hospitality is the kind that's so intense, it's like they'd give you their whole heart.

The warmth of Tianjin is the kind of friendliness that treats you like the silly boy next door, with a relaxed and down-to-earth atmosphere.

"Master, you...aren't you watching the live stream?" Xu An asked cautiously.

"Why are you watching the live stream?! I'm driving all day, I don't have time to stare at my phone!"

The driver waved his hand, the light turned green, and the car sped off again.

"But I listen to the radio! The traffic station talks about you every day, saying there's a silly young man who traveled all over half of China for a few letters."

The master's voice suddenly lowered, no longer as talkative as before.

"It's good to be a little silly... There are too many smart people these days, and none of them are happy."

"Take Ma Dazui, for example. He's been smart his whole life, but he's spent thirty years obsessing over a valve stem. What do you think he's after?"

"Just trying to be reasonable."

Xu An lowered his head, peeled open a milk candy, and popped it into his mouth.

The milky flavor melts on the tongue, so sweet it makes you want to squint.

"That's right! It's all about reason!"

The driver slapped the steering wheel. "We're here! Shizilin Bridge! Young man, get out and see what the spirit of Tianjin is all about!"

The car was parked by the Haihe River.

Although it was winter, a lot of people had gathered by the river.

Xu An paid the money and wanted to give more as a tip, but the master insisted on stopping him.

"What kind of talk is this! They want money from Xu An? If word gets out, how am I supposed to stay in the taxi driver industry?"

The driver sped off, leaving Xu An with a trail of exhaust fumes.

Xu An stood at the head of the bridge, holding a birdcage.

The river water is clear, reflecting the tall buildings on both banks.

On the bridge railing stood several elderly men in swimming trunks, each with a muscular physique. Although their skin was loose, their energy and spirit were even more abundant than that of young men.

A group of young people holding up their phones surrounded them, cheering and making a fuss.

"Uncle! Let's do one! A back somersault with three and a half twists!"

"This is nothing! Watch closely! One minute of survival, sixty seconds of happiness!"

An elderly man with gray hair stood on the edge of the bridge, shouting slogans to the crowd below.

The wind was biting cold.

Xu An felt cold even after wrapping himself in his coat.

But this old man, shirtless, had a genuine smile on his face.

That is the purest love for life, and the most disdainful counterattack against aging.

"Thump!"

The old man leaped into the air, drawing a not-so-perfect, but definitely graceful arc.

Water splashed everywhere.

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the shore.

Xu An stood on the outermost edge of the crowd, looking through the shoulders of the young people at the old man who popped his head out of the water, wiped his face, and made a "V" sign to the shore.

He suddenly felt that his 23 years of social anxiety seemed so insignificant in front of this group of old men.

He's seventy years old, yet he dares to jump into the river in winter and show off his imperfect physique in front of hundreds of people.

What about yourself?

Even greeting someone requires a lot of mental preparation.

"Hey Baldy, look at that old man, isn't he even fiercer than you?"

Xu An muttered softly to the bird in the cage.

Baldy tilted his head, staring at the water, and suddenly said:

"Dumplings in the pot! Dumplings in the pot! They smell so good!"

The live stream chat was instantly flooded with comments.

[ID Tianjin Wei Da Yi]: Hahahaha! This bird is definitely a Tianjin native! It even knows the phrase "dumplings being cooked in boiling water"!

[ID Xujiacun]: Anzi, do you see? This is the outside world, and everyone is trying their best to live.

[ID Recovering from Depression]: Looking at these old men, I suddenly realized that I'm not so desperate after all. Even when I'm old, I can still be this handsome.

Xu An took a deep breath, and the cold wind carrying the fishy smell of the river entered his lungs, making him much more awake.

He didn't squeeze in to join the fun.

I just stood there and watched for a long time, until the old man came ashore, put on a towel, and happily took photos with the people around him.

Xu An raised his phone and took a picture of that figure from behind.

No filters, no retouching.

Only that wet, steaming figure in the sunlight, and the bright, smiling faces around him.

Xu An has already decided on a name for the photo.

Let's call it "Survive for one minute, be happy for sixty seconds".

He turned and left the crowd, walking slowly along the Haihe River.

This distance—where he could feel unnoticed yet still experience the liveliness—made him feel very comfortable.

"Gurgle..."

My stomach started growling again, much to my dismay.

The three-egg jianbing I had this morning has long since been devoured in this cold wind.