Suppose shopping centers could think. While they are certainly likely capable of imagining hoards of cash, malls all over China in recent days must be contemplating whether this year is the final Noel, with not one stocking filled, not one carol sung.
假设购物中心能够思考。虽然他们肯定有能力想象大量现金，但最近几天，中国各地的商场必须考虑今年是否是最后的诺埃尔，没有一只袜子装满，没有一首颂歌。
As a means to quantify the scale of the “stay home” this festive season, The Nanjinger yesterday, 22 December, popped down to Kingmo in our city’s Jiangning District around lunchtime.
为了量化这个节日期间“宅在家里”的规模，《南京人》昨天（12月22日）午餐时间来到我市江宁区金模。
Normally, this mecca to consumerism is busy from opening to closing, but as we made a beeline for the lift from the underground car park, there was an omen this was not going to be the case today; the interminable wait for the lift had become a thing of the past.
通常情况下，这个消费主义圣地从开门到关门都很繁忙，但当我们从地下停车场直奔电梯时，有一个预兆，今天的情况不会如此；无休止的等待电梯已经成为过去。
A lone lad with short hair dyed white was spotted as the sole employee present in Sephora. Elsewhere in the mall, with no customers, other staff had emerged from their shops to chat with security guards.
一名留着短发、染成白色的孤独小伙子被发现是丝芙兰唯一的员工。商场的其他地方没有顾客，其他工作人员也从商店里出来与保安聊天。
Outside, the new Baker & Spice now occupying the spot vacated by bankrupt Element Fresh, together with Blue Frog, had decided it wasn’t even worth opening their doors.
外面，新成立的 Baker & Spice 餐厅现在占据了破产的 Element Fresh 腾出的位置，与 Blue Frog 一起决定甚至不值得开门营业。
Finally, though, there was life. Organic life. On B1, a respectably-sized crowd jostled and queued for an enticing promotion being run by the Modern China Tea Shop.
不过，终于有了生命。有机生活。在B1层，一大群人挤在一起排队等待现代中国茶店举办的诱人促销活动。
But everywhere else, as a cover version of Wham!’s perennial festive favourite boomed out from the mall’s public address system, the overriding sense was that this could indeed be the Last Christmas.
但在其他地方，当购物中心的公共广播系统中传出 Wham! 经典节日歌曲的翻唱版本时，最重要的感觉是，这确实可能是最后一个圣诞节。
