Yes. I am that fool who was publicly humiliated when I went home for the New Year.

At the classmates' gathering, in a private room, a whole house full of classmates who grew up in my hometown, girls carrying LV bags, guys driving BBA cars. I took out a pack of Furongwang and handed them out one by one, but the seat host, Long Ge, waved his hand to stop me.
In front of the whole table, he took out a box of Lotus and handed me a cigarette. He said one sentence that I remember to this day: "People coming back from big cities, why are they still smoking this."
He dropped out of middle school, opened six chess and card rooms in the county. The classmates surrounded him to toast, calling him Long Ge. I hosted the banquet, he paid the bill for me. We pushed and shoved for three rounds, and I lost.
After going back, I felt more and more frustrated. I found a distant cousin in the local system to review the situation. He filled my glass and gave me a lesson. He asked me, what is the most sold cigarette in the county? I said I don’t know.
He said, a pack costs a hundred yuan. Buyers never open it, take it out from the armrest box and slap it on the table. After saying that, he poured me a glass of wine and added another remark: I can buy three packs with my daily salary.
He asked me again, do you know why so many people in the county’s chess rooms? I said I don’t know.
He said, in recent years, the towns and villages have been requisitioning land for photovoltaic and logistics parks. Those who tear down houses hold tens of thousands in their hands. They can’t go to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, so they buy houses and cars in the county seat. What do they do with the remaining money? Only eat out, buy luxury goods, and hang out in chess rooms.
He threw the key to his eight-year-old Jetta on the table. He said, I bought this car on the second-hand market; the original owner was a photovoltaic land requisition household. When he sold the car to me, it had only been driven for two years.
Finally, he asked me, do you dare to spend the money you earn in Beijing? Are you worried about your company’s layoffs last time?
I didn’t drink anymore. I put the wine bottle under the table, changed to a glass of plain water. After the banquet ended, I stood alone at the hotel entrance, watching the neon lights of the entire street’s chess rooms light up one by one.
At 1 a.m. in the county town, Mercedes and electric bikes stop at the same traffic light. When the green light comes on, the Mercedes rushes out first, followed by the electric bike. After a while, both cars stop at the next intersection, waiting for the same red light.
I finished the last Furongwang cigarette, recalling what Long Ge said. I put out the cigarette butt in the trash can. I thought to myself, damn, the next pack must also be Lotus. But as soon as this thought arose, I dismissed it myself.
I returned to Beijing, continued driving my second-hand Jetta. The Furongwang was left on the passenger seat, half a pack remaining.