Xing'Er (杏儿)

Today, I finally did something I've always wanted to do—go out barefoot. To be honest, my heart was pounding really fast when I first went downstairs. I felt like I was doing something “shameful,” so nervous that my steps were a bit stiff. I hesitated at the entrance of the mall, but in the end, I mustered the courage and went in. The escalator was slowly moving upward. The moment I stepped on, the cold metal under my feet felt ticklish, and my heart was instantly gripped. I couldn't help but sneak glances around, wondering if everyone was staring at me. But the reality was, almost no one paid me any attention. People just occasionally looked down for an extra second or two, then went back to chatting or scrolling on their phones. In that moment, I suddenly relaxed. It turned out I was the only one making such a big deal out of it. Inside the supermarket, walking barefoot on the tiles, the cool, slippery sensation was transmitted upward, feeling particularly clear. With every step, I could feel the texture of the ground, as if even the most ordinary tile was speaking to me. I pushed the shopping cart, casually grabbing a few bottles of water, pretending to be natural while feeling very excited inside. After finishing shopping, I didn't rush home. Instead, I walked a lap around the outside of the mall. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and the soles of my feet stepped on the rough stone pavement, completely different from the supermarket floor earlier. That feeling of being directly connected to the world made my whole body loosen up. I looked down and realized my soles were already black. I thought it was cool, a real sense of achievement. I'd never seen my feet like this before.