There’s no need to rush to the bustling market. The old items market in the evening holds the gentle essence of time. Meeting at the alley at six o’clock, he was holding an old canvas bag in his hand. Seeing you arrive, he took out a polished enamel cup from the bag: “You said you liked old items last time. I specially saved it for you.”
First, he went into the booth filled with old vinyl records. The records were piled on the wooden shelves, their covers glowing with the yellow hue of the past. He crouched down to search through them. You picked up a record by Deng Lijun beside him and just placed it to your ear when you heard him say, “My family used to have this one too.” The vendor smiled and handed over the record player. The familiar melody flowed out, and naturally, he took your hand and gently swayed along with the rhythm, while the surrounding noise became the background sound.
You walked to the corner where old books were sold. The yellowed pages were piled up high. You crouched down to flip through a picture-filled fairy tale book. He picked up an old poetry collection nearby and began reciting the lines: “‘You came like the wind and left, leaving the stars all over the sky.’” You looked up at him. The setting sun shone through the tent gaps onto his face, and even his eyelashes were bathed in warm light. Finally, you chose two small books and he carefully placed them in the canvas bag, saying, “Take them home and read them slowly.”
Just as the market was about to close, he was drawn to a stall selling old toys. The tin frogs would jump when strung up, and the plastic soldiers lined up in a row. He picked up a tin frog, strung it up, and placed it in your palm. At the moment the frog jumped, you burst out laughing. He laughed along and said, “Isn’t this more fun than the time you played with it in the mall last time?”
When he walked out of the market, it was just getting dark. He stuffed the enamel cup into your hand and said, “Next time, take you to hunt for old cameras.” Holding the warm cup, which still contained the freshly bought orange soda with bubbles gurgling on the cup wall, you felt a little joy in your heart, just like at this moment. The best date is to be with the right person and pick up the little beautiful things that belong to each other in the old times