Fate always likes to play jokes on middle-aged men; otherwise, there wouldn't be the so-called midlife crisis. When the Land of the Cherry Blossoms announced the postponement of that sporting event for a year, our hearts sank, feeling like they had fallen into an ice cave. We even comforted ourselves late at night: Thankfully, they didn't change the logo; it's still 2020.
At this time, my wife had no idea I had taken such a massive fall. She always thought I was the type who couldn't sleep from excitement over landing a few hundred-thousand-yuan order. If I remember correctly, my son had just started kindergarten, but their campus life was pretty bleak too. Due to the pandemic, they often couldn't return to school. Even their graduation photo was photoshopped. During that period, I smoked a lot. I liked standing on the balcony. Every time I stood there, my son would anxiously call out, "Daddy, come inside! Daddy, come inside!"
I spent almost every day trying to understand the situation in the Land of the Cherry Blossoms through various methods. The whole world seemed to be in chaos. A few good friends called, suggesting we make masks together, but I just couldn't get my head around it; it felt somewhat like profiteering from a national crisis.
Meanwhile, all the retail counters domestically and in the Land of the Cherry Blossoms were silently declining. Distributors stopped placing orders. Watching the reports daily was like having my main artery cut, bleeding nonstop.
To be continued…