Just how bad is the economy? I often pass by this rice noodle shop. I’ve walked past it time and time again and never once seen anyone eating there. Later, it was renovated, but still nobody came. There were three people inside, sitting around playing on their phones all day. It was around six o’clock, right at dinnertime. This wasn’t just for a day or two—the renovation had been finished for over two months, and I passed by every day without seeing a single customer. Of course, other shops had customers, but the busiest ones were the fast-food places.