In 1990s Shanghai—and not just Shanghai—even after the harsh crackdowns of the 1980s, a few years were enough for certain evils to breed anew.
Wang Yan had been running his little barbecue stall on Yellow River Road for five days. He sold three hundred skewers on the first day, then five hundred, six hundred, until he peaked at one thousand.
He could not make any more than that. A thousand skewers took Wang Yan, Jinbao's mother, and Teacher Ge half a day to thread between the three of them. Then it took another three hours to grill and sell them all. This was not the limit of Wang Yan's stall, but he had already grown impatient.
Even selling one thousand skewers earned him a net profit of seven hundred yuan a day. After covering meals and drinks for the three adults and the little chubby kid, as well as his own cigarettes and alcohol, he could still pocket six hundred yuan. But he had no desire to do more. The chirping waitresses lining up for their skewers, along with the endlessly repetitive grilling, did not sit well with him.
"President Wang, you're here." Jing Xiu greeted Wang Yan warmly and took the initiative to help unload the cart. "How many skewers did you bring today?"
"Still a thousand. My manpower is limited, so that's all there is."
"That's really a shame. Forget one thousand skewers—even two thousand wouldn't be enough to satisfy Yellow River Road."
Wang Yan smiled. "Anyone asking about the seasonings?"
"How could there not be? Every restaurant owner's wife on Yellow River Road sent people over. I told them the truth." Jing Xiu looked at the crowd in line and leaned closer. "But I think trouble will be finding you soon. Today is the sixth day. Everyone