Yellow Flowers in the Corner and the Takeout

The sun slanted westward, casting a diagonal light into the narrow alley, dyeing the nameless yellow flowers in the corner a golden hue. Li Sijiu, a native Beijinger, was pushing his electric scooter, ready to start his day's "battle."

"Hey, Sijiu, what's new today?" Aunt Wang from the grocery store poked her head out, still clutching a handful of sunflower seeds.

"What could be new? It's the same old people in and out of those buildings, with nothing better to do." Li Sijiu curled his lip, started his scooter, and said, "I'm off!"

Li Sijiu is a deliveryman. He's been running around this area for three years, and he's seen all kinds of families and all kinds of food. It's strange, but there are some takeouts he wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

"You know, this fried chicken, burgers, they're so greasy and have a weird smell. Why are young people so fond of them?" Li Sijiu muttered to himself as he parked his scooter in front of a newly opened "internet celebrity" fried chicken shop.

"Number 36! Your takeout!" The shop assistant was a heavily made-up young girl, her voice so shrill it seemed to pierce the eardrums.

Li Sijiu took the takeout, and a strong smell of artificial flavoring assaulted his nostrils. He frowned, shaking his head inwardly: How can this stuff be good for you if you eat too much of it?

The next order was from a "health porridge" shop. Li Sijiu thought: Nowadays, more and more people are paying attention to their health.

"Hello, your takeout." Li Sijiu knocked on the door, and a middle-aged woman poked her head out, her face sallow, with dark circles under her eyes.

"Thank you, sir." The woman took the porridge, her voice hoarse.

Li Sijiu took another look at her. Is this woman sick? Can this porridge really be healthy?

After delivering this order, Li Sijiu felt a little heavy-hearted. He thought of his own daughter, who had just started college, also ordering takeout all the time and staying up late watching dramas.

"These kids, they really are a handful!" Li Sijiu sighed.

Passing by a high-end residential complex, Li Sijiu stopped his scooter and lit a cigarette. He looked at the luxury cars going in and out, and a pang of bitterness welled up in his heart.

"They eat delicacies, and what about us? We just barely make ends meet." Li Sijiu took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.

"Hey! What are you thinking? Still dreaming of becoming 'someone'?" A voice sounded behind Li Sijiu, with a hint of mockery.

Li Sijiu turned around and saw Lao Zhang, a fellow deliveryman. Lao Zhang had a thin, pointed face with shifty eyes that revealed a cunning shrewdness.

"Lao Zhang, you don't know anything!" Li Sijiu said irritably.

"I don't know? I know more than you do!" Lao Zhang chuckled. "Let me tell you, this takeout is like a mirror, reflecting the hearts of people in this world!"

"A mirror?" Li Sijiu was stunned.

"That's right! Those takeouts that people never touch, there are stories behind them!" Lao Zhang lowered his voice. "For example, that 'Mala Tang' shop, do you know what kind of oil they use? And that 'Seafood Platter' shop, the shrimps in it are all dead!"

Li Sijiu was shocked. He realized that what he was delivering every day was not just food, but also the complexity of humanity and the cruelty of society.

"This world..." Li Sijiu murmured, his voice so low it seemed to be squeezed from his chest.

"This world, it's just like this!" Lao Zhang patted Li Sijiu's shoulder. "We're just pawns on this chessboard, destined to be manipulated!"

Li Sijiu didn't speak again. He silently mounted his electric scooter and disappeared into the afterglow of the setting sun. The few yellow flowers in the corner swayed gently in the breeze, as if whispering something.

This world is like a play, and everyone is playing their own role. And those takeouts are like props on the stage, reflecting the various aspects of life and hiding secrets that are unknown to others. These secrets, more intriguing than the food itself, also leave people with a suffocating feeling of being trapped, like a giant net, covering everyone, every corner.