A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

The song reached its forty-eighth mark, but the expected comeback did not materialize.

On the contrary, the more you listen to it, the more emo it becomes.

It wasn't sadness, but rather a feeling of powerlessness that was hard to describe.

Every "what should I do?" question seems to linger in my mind.

There was no answer, but I had to keep asking.

Then, I got older.

I'm fifty-eight years old and my hair has long since turned white.

Many places have become disobedient.

What should I do?

The younger children are often away from home.

The elderly mother could not remember anything.

What should I do?

What should I do if I'm worried that the gathering will end and then break up again?

……

At fifty-eight, the twilight of life has begun to descend.

When you're young, you're afraid of getting old, afraid of being called "uncle" or "auntie".

By the time I reached fifty-eight, I was no longer afraid.

It's not that I've come to terms with it, it's that I don't have the energy to be afraid anymore.

The first thing I think about when I open my eyes every day isn't what to wear.

Instead, it's about where it hurts today.

My knees creak when I go up and down the stairs.

When you get up in the morning, you need to hold onto the edge of the bed and slowly sit up.

My eyes are tired, so I have to turn the font size up to the maximum when looking at my phone.

My body is like a machine that's been used for most of its life; one part after another breaks down, and it can't be repaired or replaced.

What should I do?

There are no answers, only patience.

When Lao Li from the band first saw these lyrics, he couldn't hold back his emotions.

Because he is already over fifty years old.

She even shed tears several times during rehearsals.

At this very moment, as he accompanied this piece, he was still somewhat overwhelmed with emotion.

He thought of his children.

The younger children live in other places all year round.

The child is not small; he is always small in his heart.

My child went to the south after graduating from university and only comes back once or twice a year, and each time it's a rushed trip.

Old Li looks forward to his return and will start cleaning the house, buying groceries, and making soup several days in advance.

He's back, and Old Li is eager to cook all the dishes he loved to eat when he was a child.

He took a few bites and said, "I'm full."

Old Li said, "It's okay, if you can't eat, then don't."

But I felt empty inside.

When he left, Old Li saw him off at the station. Watching him disappear through the ticket gate, he turned around and tears streamed down his face.

Old Li dared not cry in front of his child, for fear of distracting him and making him feel that the family was a burden.

On his way back, Old Li sat alone in the last row of the bus, watching the city rushing past the window, swallowing back his tears.

Besides his children who live away from home, Lao Li also has an elderly mother.

My mother has Alzheimer's disease and can't remember many things.

Old Li often points to the family photo hanging on the wall, to his mother when she was young, to his father next to her, and to himself with his hair parted in a side part.

Sometimes, the mother would gaze at him for a long time, then suddenly say, "This is my son."

The singing continued.

I am sixty-eight years old and my mother has passed away.

My second child is divorced and I'm taking care of the baby.

What should I do?

He said he should take advantage of his youth and try something new.

Perhaps a different scene will appear when I return.

I only wish for his safety.

What should I do if I keep repeating the same mistakes?

……

What would you do if your mother passed away one day?

As long as your mother is alive, you will always be a child.

No matter how old you are, whether you are twenty or sixty.

In her eyes, you will always be the child who needs to be taken care of, needs to be reminded, and needs to be cared for.

She will ask you if you have eaten.

They'll urge you to wear long johns when it gets cold.

She'll nag on the phone not to stay up late and to go to bed early.

But when she's really gone, you realize that those nagging words were the warmest voice in the world.

Those words of advice provide a sense of security that no one else can offer.

The person who always treated you like a child is gone.

You suddenly became the oldest member of the family.

No one calls you by your nickname anymore.

The name that has been with you since you were born.

That name that only family members call me.

That name you thought was old-fashioned when you were a child, but now you want to hear it again and again.

No one called anymore.

You've become an uncle, grandfather, maternal uncle, and grandfather...

Hearing these titles, you feel unfamiliar and it feels unreal.

You don't think you're that old yet, but you are already old.

Because at your age, no elders will call you by your nickname anymore.

You are an elder now; you are an old person in other people's eyes.

You have become a pillar of the family.

You need to take care of the children.

You need to take care of your younger siblings.

It was only then that I suddenly realized that my parents were the same way back then.

They will shoulder the burden when faced with problems.

He carried it on and on, and ended up carrying it on for his entire life.

This is how it has been done generation after generation.

Children complain that their parents are nagging, so parents wait until their children are old enough to understand.

By the time children are old enough to understand, their parents are already old.

Children only learn how to be parents after their parents are gone.

The song continues.

"I was seventy-eight years old when I suddenly collapsed."

Time seemed to drag on as I lay in the hospital bed.

What should I do?

Facing that unknown, helpless like a child

He pretended to be at ease in front of his wife.

Saying this is just a minor hurdle

What should we do when the flame of life flickers in the wind?

……

It is rare for someone to live to seventy.

At this age, you might find yourself on an ordinary morning, eating fried dough sticks and standing up, when suddenly everything goes black and you know nothing more.

When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital.

You turn your head and see your spouse sitting on the edge of the bed, their eyes red, clearly having cried.

You pretend to be very relaxed, even smiling and saying to her, "It's nothing, just a small hurdle, you'll be fine after a few days of rest."

The song continued to be sung.

Some people, upon hearing this, have already given up any hope of a comeback.

"I am eighty-eight years old and walking in the fields"

I saw a little child crying in the wind.

Spring is in full bloom

Past obsessions are like fleeting clouds.

There are too many landscapes that no one can see clearly.

How can things be perfect if you can't let go?

……

If I really reach the age of eighty-eight, one day I'll be walking on the ridges of the fields in my hometown and see a child crying.

Do you ever think back to when you were six years old, and you were in the same situation?

Past obsessions are like fleeting clouds.

Things I used to be unable to let go of, I can't remember at all now.

I've traveled many roads, met many people, and experienced many things.

However, there were too many sights I didn't get to see clearly.

Life is too long, so long that even when you think you've seen through it all, you're still in the fog.

Life is too short, so short that before you can even see it clearly, it's already over.

The song ends with a duet by Cui Zhan and Su Fan.

If life is just a grand dream

What would you do?

If life is just a grand dream

What would you do?

……

The first question you should ask yourself is, "What would you do?"

The second question, "What would you do?", was asked to everyone.

There is no answer, nor is an answer needed.

Because the answer is hidden in the question.

Life is but a grand dream, and you are already in that dream.

What will you do?

You can only keep dreaming.

Dream it all, dream it well, dream it so you won't regret it.

You can only live, love, feel pain, laugh, cry, walk, stop, gather, and scatter within this grand dream...

Until the day I wake up from the dream.

If life is destined to be a grand dream, then let that dream be free, wonderful, courageous, and optimistic.

Don't be afraid that the dream is too long; be afraid that you don't dare to finish the dream.

(Let me clarify first, I'm really not padding the word count. This song made me feel emo, so I wrote down my feelings. Let's see how many people dare to listen to this song on repeat.)