At 5:30 in the morning, the morning market outside Beijing's South Third Ring Road is already bustling.
Sister Wang opened the plastic sheet and unloaded the muddy carrots from the tricycle. The white breath coming out of her mouth mixed with the heat generated by selling tofu.
Several young people in pajamas squatted down in front of the stall, picking strawberries, and playing short videos on their mobile phones, with their magical laughter playing out.
Scenes like this are now common in every city.
Twenty years ago, when you went to the vegetable market, you had to dress up neatly, just like going to visit relatives. But now, you only need to wear slippers to walk around here, and you can buy vegetables by the way.
Time passes more and more casually, and at the same time, people pay more and more attention to details - not the kind of pretentious attention, but the reality of integrating beauty into daily food and daily life.
Decoration is the best way to see changes
During the renovation ten years ago, every house had a "luxury TV background wall" with carved dragons and phoenixes on marble. Cleaning the crystal lamps made my waist hurt.
Now if you look again, younger people are more likely to spend money to buy smart toilets, install central air conditioning, and implement whole-house water purification operations.
Xiao Li and his wife purchased an old and dilapidated small house in Huilongguan. They opened up the living room and balcony, laid tiles with wood grain patterns, and placed several pots of Monstera deliciosa.
The young couple waved their hands and asked "TV wall?" and then said, "The entire wall is made of storage cabinets, and all the sundries are stuffed in. It looks refreshing than anything else." After this, many people began to understand that home is not a model room for others to see, but a comfortable nest for themselves.
For the men who do morning exercises in the community, the standard accessory is no longer the big cattail leaf fan with a white vest.
Mr. Zhao was wearing the quick-drying clothes purchased by his daughter and a sports bracelet with heart rate detection function on his wrist, practicing Baduanjin with the coach in the mobile app.
"This is called scientific fitness, and the data is all stored in it." The speaker said, and the speakers of the square dancing team next to him changed from heavy speakers to portable Bluetooth speakers. Aunts would also post co-produced videos on Douyin, with the text reading "Living beautifully has nothing to do with age."
When I put it on, I no longer have that "serious energy"
The best-selling items in shopping malls are casual models that can be used both at work and for shopping.
Linda, who works at Guomao, wears high heels for five days during the week. On weekends, she will change into yoga pants and a sweatshirt, and go to Hema to buy groceries with a plain face.
She said it's called "switching back into life mode."
Even those retired aunts don’t just wear elderly clothes, silk scarves, and bags with ethnic embroidery. They choose to match them however they feel comfortable. After all, being happy is the most important thing.
This change is hidden in the details of the fireworks.
The delivery boy has an insulated box with a two-dimensional sticker on it, the old man has a power bank rental point next to the shoe repair stall, and the pancake stall supports ordering by scanning the QR code. The requirements for thin, soft or crispy, the number of eggs to be added, and the notes are clearly displayed.
Lao Chen, who drives an online ride-hailing service, has tissues, mineral water and even charging cables in his car.
Being in the service industry, I have to try to think of aspects that you can't think of. If a passenger gives a good review, then the whole day will be full of joy.
In terms of food, it’s even more dramatic.
In supermarkets, organic vegetables are more expensive than ordinary vegetables, but more people buy them.
Young people began to study the ingredient list. Sugar should be substituted for sugar, and olive oil should be used for oil.
However, it is also quite strange. There are still long queues in front of those time-honored pastries, such as Daoxiang Village’s beef tongue cake and Jinfang’s Yuanxiao. What you hold in your hands turns out to be something that is in your heart.
Crayfish and milk tea are still hard currencies in social circles, but milk tea needs to be 30% sweet and has crispy pops. Crayfish must be started live and "eat" before you can taste it.
The changes in the neighborhood are more specific.
Near the smart express cabinet, there are often older women wondering how to pick up packages; people who take their dogs out for a walk are clutching plastic bags for wiping their hands and holding waste; beside the trash cans stands a staff member in charge of garbage sorting guidance, tirelessly instructing kitchen waste to break the bags before throwing them out.
These tiny bits of daily life spell out a map of ordinary people’s lives.
In the final analysis, your life is your own, and comfort is the most important thing
Young people no longer have a superstitious attitude towards big brands, but are willing to pay for niche styles of design; middle-aged people are now starting to pick up the hobbies they had when they were young, such as fishing, camping, and even shooting vlogs; older people have already learned to use smartphones and will send articles that are helpful for health among family groups. Occasionally, they will also purchase strange and weird items through the Internet.
What everyone pursues is no longer "better than others", but "my own comfort."
This change is not a vigorous revolution, but a silent infiltration that moistens things.
Just like the song goes: "Flowers can bloom even in ordinary days." Once aesthetics are no longer the paintings hanging on the wall, but transform into the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and the light in your home, then time will have a different meaning.
At ten o'clock in the evening, the barbecue stalls in the night market are still filled with mist, and young people are touching beer glasses and exchanging topics about work; the office building is working overtime, and the delivery boy is delivering the last order of food to the front desk; beside the bench above the chairs in the community, the aunt who has just finished dancing is packing up the stereo and preparing to go home.
These pictures have no filter, but they are the most real life.
In these hot days, the values that we live by can be seen everywhere. However, we ordinary people are unwilling to discuss various major principles on the topic of beauty or not.
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