Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  It was fall. Nighttime arrived sooner and sooner.

  “BBQ skewers! Come get some! Warm and yummy skewers!”


  When people get old, they tend to get cold easily. Aunt Li and her husband already started wearing thin jackets.

  Their jackets were their son’s old jackets. Busy grilling all day, they would get dirty from cooking all the time. They never bought new clothes because it would be a waste, not because they were trying to save money – at least that’s what they told people when they were asked.

  Grilling in the cool autumn wind wasn’t an easy job. A burning fire dancing in front of them and a cold wind blowing at their backs, it wasn’t fun. However, they got used to working with it. They had to.

  Aunt Li looked up at the sky and said to her husband, “Honey, it is getting dark. Let’s go home.”


  Full of confusion, her husband looked at his old-style phone and said, “It is getting dark, but the night is still young. It is only seven o’clock. We usually go home at nine.”


  Aunt Li and her husband had a street food cart across from the Amazing Fate Pet Shop. They sold breakfast in the morning and BBQ skewers at night. The couple worked extremely hard to support the family. Their son was in high school. Watching their son grow up day after day was the most joyful thing in the world.

  Now it was a little past seven, so the peak time for working people returning home had passed. Most students had gone home by now as well. A few pedestrians were left on the sidewalk. Some would stop for a few skewers to take home or to eat right there.

  They could get some more business if they went home later.

  Full of worry, Aunt Li looked over at the Amazing Fate Pet Shop, winked at her husband and whispered, “Look, it has been uneasy these days. We’d better go home early.”


  The pet store was still open. They could see the young owner and a few others from the glass door. She was worried about Zhang Zian, who didn’t listen to her, and wished he would close the store for a bit. He might get hurt by those crazy men.

  Her husband didn’t agree. Pointing at the meat skewers and fish skewers, he said, “We still have more food, which will go bad overnight. There are not many left. Let’s sell them all and then go home. It is still early.”


  Aunt Li’s eyelids kept twitching. She felt even more uneasy. Something really bad might happen tonight.

  “No. Let’s go! I want to go!” Aunt Li firmly shook her head, “Something bad might happen!”


  Her husband pointed at the pet store and said, “I don’t understand why you are so worried. Look, he doesn’t even care. Honestly, it is none of our business.”


  At this time, a customer on a bicycle stopped to ask about the skewers. Her husband put a big smile on his face and got busy with the customer.

  Up to the ceiling, Aunt Li raised her voice, “What do you mean it is none of our business? Don’t you remember how our store was ruined?”


  Seeing that the owners were having a fight, the customer left on his bicycle

  That heartbreaking moment was unforgettable. Her husband opened his eyes. “How could I forget?”


  He suddenly pulled up his sleeve, displaying a dark red scar about 3 inches long on his left arm.

  “Ask if he forgot about it!”


  The scar was a souvenir from that scary night.

  At the time, her husband was young and impulsive. Seeing the people trying to break into their store, he picked up his meat cleaver to fight the intruders. In the end, he couldn’t stop them and was beaten up.

  How could someone forget such a bloody lesson?

  Aunt Li’s eyes turned red when she looked at the long scar. Sitting down on a chair that was meant for the customers, she started crying, “You said you didn’t forget, but I don’t think that’s true. Can’t you tell what is going on? The owner must have offended someone without knowing and who knows what’s going to happen…”


  The husband remained silent.

  “I know,” he said sadly.

  Aunt Li kept pushing, “You know. Then why are we still here? What if they come out and break our cart as well…”


  “I know, so I can’t leave,” the husband said.

  “You…” Aunt Li was in shock.

  “Our store was ruined and you can watch others go through the same thing?” He was extremely mad and veins showed on his forehead. He was angry about the people who broke their store, not at Aunt Li.

  Aunt Li was shaking. She pointed at his nose and said, “You… what are you going to do? Tell me. Don’t bother! Last time they were trying to break your arm. What if they stab your belly this time? How would I and our kid live if anything happened to you…”


  The husband sighed. The fire in his eyes faded.

  “I know. I am past the age to fight against these young kids,” he said. “I could not leave. If I stay, I could at least help him by calling the police or an ambulance.”


  Aunt Li could not believe what she just heard. She turned her astonishment into admiration. Since she married him a long time ago, she had a lot of feelings toward this man, the most important man in her life: bashfulness, anger, complaints, regret… For the first time ever, she looked at him with admiration.

  All she worried about was her family’s well being. She thought she tried her best by warning Zhang Zian. He would get his lesson by not listening to her. Her husband, a person who seldom talked, at this time looked like a real hero.

  People admire heroes, even though he was only an undistinguished one.

  The husband was embarrassed by the way she looked at him. He turned around and said, “Why don’t you go home first. I will stay until nine. You go home to take care of the kid and I will pick up here.”


  Aunt Li didn’t say much. She picked up the rolling pin and hid it under her jacket. Her jacket was her sons so it was large for her. She could hide several rolling pins without a problem.

  She showed her point.

  The husband looked at her and nodded. He knew it didn’t help even if he explained more.

  “BBQ skewers! Come get some! Warm and yummy skewers! One yuan a piece!”


  They were trying to get the passerby’s attention.

  They were hoping if they could get more people to stay, they might scare the gang away.

  Time passed quickly, and so did the skewers. The couple began to relax.

  There were less and less people in the pet store as well. Only the owner and one customer were left in the store. He should be closing the store soon.

  Today should be a peaceful day?

  Poor people counted their lives day by day.

  At 7:45, there was a sharp breaking noise accompanied by a van without a license plate stopping across the street. The couple got nervous immediately.