CNY = dirty coats

I took a couple sweaters and our wool coats (smelling of smoke + pollution + miscellaneous unknowns) to the cleaners yesterday, and after going through the marking of extra dirty spots, the taking of my information, and the informing of total price, cleaner guy says:
okay you can come pick them up on the 28th.
me: Um, that's 20 days from now.
guy: Yeah, we go on vacation starting tomorrow.
me (in my head): (Are you kidding me? You're closed for 20 days?)
me: Okay...can I have them back?

The slowdown for Chinese New Year has officially begun. People have been clearing out of our part of Beijing and heading home. The cashier girl at melon mart downstairs has been gone for almost a week, meaning I actually have to look up the weather instead of having her tell me if it's going to snow, or be extra cold. Our favorite fruit & veggie sellers downstairs have gone home meaning we've been banana-less for three days and are quickly running out of apples. Good thing we're going on vacation on Monday, we (okay I) might not survive without fruit. :)