Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  In the end, that spoonful of chili sauce became her simplest way to vent her frustration.

  At that time, the store owner did not know the real reason behind her tears and, reckoning that it was due to the soup’s pungency, advised her to cut down on the spiciness. “Don’t take too much chili! It’s bad for your tummy.”


  The lady gave a smile in return despite her heart being burdened then.

  Those were bittersweet memories. Life was tough at that time, but at least she could now enjoy recounting them to her brother. She had led a challenging but interesting life.

  One could be trained to endure spicy heat. It was just like how a person could grow to become a mature being after learning to overcome challenges in life.

  She pulled herself back from her reminiscing and looked at her brother. “Xiao Jie, I used to frequent this street. It’s a big district with lots of fun stuff!”


  “Oh, really? Give me some examples.”


  “Wait. Let me count how much we have left for our entertainment.” She opened her wallet and checked the remaining cash inside. There was a hundred yuan at first. After deducting 10 yuan for the parking fee and 28 yuan for the soup, she still had 62 yuan.

  Her lips pulled a smile and she threw him a glance full of mischief. Blinking her eyes secretively at him, she asked, “How about bringing you to play a game that Youyou used to enjoy when he was much younger?”


  The man was disdainful at her suggestion and refused arrogantly. “Nope. It’s too childish.”


  “Hmph! You may not be competent in winning this game, you know.”


  This kind of reverse-psychology never failed to work on him.

  He immediately retorted with much indignance. “There’s nothing that he can do that I can’t.”


  She took his hand with a cheeky grin and led him through the crowd to a row of stalls.

  There were four stalls lined side by side and all were owned by the same operator.

  The owner was a middle-aged uncle and seemed to be well-acquainted with the woman. She used to bring her boy to play games here when the child was much younger.

  She could not help reminiscing about her younger son’s past again!

  Meanwhile, her brother could not understand her hype about this place.

  There were four different game items in each of the stalls.

  She brought him to one of the stalls with a shooting machine. Inside the small enclosure, a portable hoop was mounted on a machine which would move from side to side at a considerable speed. With the hoop extended high above and the position constantly shifting, even a man standing at 1.8 meters could not enjoy an advantage.

  “Can you shoot a basketball?”


  “Yes.”


  After she paid for a game, the machine-operated hoop was activated.

  She explained while picking up a ball, “It cost 5 yuan per game where you get ten balls to shoot. The grand prize is a giant plushie for the person who can get all ten balls through the hoop.” She then pointed to the plushy sitting on the prize table not far from them.

  He glanced at it and dipped his head with a raised brow. “Do you like that plushy?”


  “Of course! I’ve never succeeded in getting all the balls through the hoop, though.”


  The man gave a devilish smile. He walked up to the shooting machine with a look of resolution, held up a ball, and aimed at the hoop.

  The ball went in!

  His sister was dumbfounded.

  She had once witnessed a boy in a basketball uniform who got six of those balls through the hoop.

  Now, her brother, with one hand tucked lazily inside his pants’ pocket, was shooting the basketballs with a hand. Every ball was accurate and swift in getting through the hoop.

  Soon, passersby started to gather around the stall in astonishment and watched this lanky man perform his stunt.