The night was serene and quiet. A faint, enticing aroma of grilling, carried by the breeze, drifted wantfully on the air.
Having just stepped out of the public comm booth, Bai Hao took a light breath. He couldn't help but swallow, his mouth watering as he turned his head towards the source of the fragrance. A few hundred meters away was a night market barbecue stall.
Perhaps because it was so late, business at the stall was desolate. Only one table was occupied by two people; the other dozen or so stood empty. The proprietor, a man around fifty, sat to the side looking utterly bored.
As Bai Hao slowly approached, the details of the stall became clearer.
Seeing Bai Hao with his suitcase, the stall owner's sleepy eyes immediately lit up, as if injected with a stimulant. He quickly called out, "Hey, young man, how about some skewers? Charcoal-grilled by hand, delicious and cheap!"
Bai Hao's steps slowed. After a brief internal struggle, he walked over to the stallfront.
"What'll it be?" the boss asked with a hearty chuckle.
The selection on the racks was plentiful. However, after Bai Hao inquired about the prices, his heart sank again. The skewers were genuinely expensive, at least three times the price on B5 Mining Planet. But now that he was at the stall, it felt awkward to order nothing. Besides, his mouth was still watering. So, he ordered about ten of the cheaper skewers.
"Just these, boss," Bai Hao said, having mentally calculated the cost to be around seventy or eighty Star Luo credits.
"Coming right up! Have a seat, it'll be ready in a moment." The boss deftly placed the skewers on the grill and began roasting them with practiced ease.
Bai Hao dragged his suitcase to a table near the roadside and sat down.
Soon, the boss brought over the skewers, smiling as he set them down. "Young man, want a bottle of beer? Skewers with beer, absolutely perfect."
"How much?" Bai Hao was slightly tempted. He wasn't much of a drinker, but it seemed fitting at the moment.
"Ten."
"Forget it, I don't really like alcohol," Bai Hao declined, shaking his head. Ten credits was no small sum for him. The skewers were already a luxury; the beer was an unnecessary extravagance.
Looking disappointed, the boss walked back to his stall.
Bai Hao ate his skewers, savoring them while appreciating the slumbering city of Baoli, a faint smile on his lips.
The night grew deeper.
The skewers on the table before Bai Hao had all found their way into his stomach. He was now considering whether to find a public bench to sleep on.
"Young man, first time in Baoli City?" Suddenly, the barbecue stall owner sat down beside Bai Hao.
Bai Hao hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded.
"No wonder. Where you from?"
"B5."
"Western Sector? B5 Mining Planet?"
A trace of surprise crossed Bai Hao's face. "You know B5, uncle?"
The boss's face broke into a wide grin. "Ha! Know it? I'm from B5 myself! But that was over twenty years ago. That godforsaken rock where you can't even see the sun is no place for people."
Bai Hao gave a slight smile. "So, you're from B5 too, uncle."
"Yep! Looks like we're fated to meet, little brother. In all my years here in the Central Star Cluster, I haven't met many from B5." The boss was visibly excited.
…
The two of them chatted, one line after another, finding much in common. The stall owner even brought over two bottles of beer and a few more skewers. They ate and talked for a good half hour.
The stall owner was named Wu Jin. He had left B5 over two decades ago, drifted around, and only settled in Baoli City a few years back. Being older, finding decent work was hard, so he'd taken up this roadside barbecue business, barely scraping a living.
"Young man, I've got a small storage room. With a bit of tidying, a person could sleep there. If you don't mind the place, you're welcome to stay with your uncle. Beats sleeping on the street, right?" Having gleaned some of Bai Hao's situation, Wu Jin made the offer straightforwardly.
"Uncle Jin, that's too much trouble," Bai Hao refused.
"Trouble, my foot! You looking down on your uncle or something?" Wu Jin's tone shifted to one of mock sternness.
"Uncle Jin, that's not what I meant at all," Bai Hao said, breaking into a cold sweat, and hurried to explain.
"Well then, that settles it. Listen to me, you're coming to my place."
Bai Hao ultimately couldn't withstand the enthusiastic man's insistence and finally agreed, his heart brimming with warmth. He never imagined that upon arriving in Baoli City, he would run into a fellow townsman.
At three in the morning, Bai Hao helped Wu Jin pack up the stall. Then, following Wu Jin's rickety tricycle, he disappeared down the brightly lit streets.
Wu Jin lived in a basement apartment, dimly lit.
"Dad, you're so late! I was worried sick." As Bai Hao and Wu Jin passed by a door, the light inside suddenly switched on, and a pleasant voice came from within.
The door opened, and a girl stepped out.
The girl had a delicate, oval face and a fresh, clean beauty. She was seventeen or eighteen, dressed in slightly thin sleepwear, with faint red streaks in her eyes.
"Ni'er, why aren't you asleep yet?" Wu Jin asked, his voice full of affection.
The girl, however, frowned slightly. "Dad, you've been drinking again? You promised me you'd stop."
Wu Jin looked a bit embarrassed. "Just a tiny bit. Bai Hao here can vouch for me. Oh, let me introduce you. This is Bai Hao, from B5. A fellow townsman! Bai Hao, this is my daughter."
"Oh." The girl glanced at Bai Hao and nodded.
Bai Hao offered a slight smile.
Wu Jin continued, "Bai Hao just arrived on S3, doesn't know anyone. I thought he could stay in our storage room for now. Otherwise, he'd really be sleeping on the street. It's late, you should get back to bed."
"Alright. Dad, you mustn't drink anymore, not even a little bit." The girl's tone held a note of firmness.
Wu Jin chuckled and nodded.
Afterward, Bai Hao followed Wu Jin to the small storage room, about ten square meters, indeed cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends.
Half an hour later, the room was roughly organized. In the center was a somewhat worn single bed, now made up with bedding.
"Uncle Jin, this is perfect. You should go get some sleep," Bai Hao said, full of gratitude.
Wu Jin glanced around. "It'll have to do for now. Make do for one night, and I'll tidy it up properly for you tomorrow."
"No need, this is great. Thank you, Uncle Jin."
"Alright, I'm going to bed."
Watching Wu Jin leave, Bai Hao felt an indescribable warmth in his heart. He hadn't expected to find a warm place to sleep.
The night was like tepid water, carrying a gentle warmth.
Early the next morning, Bai Hao got up, neatly folded the blankets, and stepped out of the room.
"Morning."
A clear, pleasant voice greeted him. It was Wu Jin's daughter, Ye Xiangyi. Dressed in simple grayish-white clothes with an apron tied around her waist, she was carrying a pot of congee out of the tiny kitchen.
Bai Hao smiled. "Good morning."
"Bai Hao, go wash up. Breakfast is almost ready," Wu Jin said with a beaming smile.
Breakfast was congee and pickled vegetables. It tasted wonderful.
Bai Hao drank three full bowls before reluctantly stopping, his appetite satisfied.
"Good, huh? My Ni'er's cooking isn't bad, is it?" Wu Jin said, looking at Bai Hao.
Bai Hao nodded in praise. "Delicious."
"Dad…" Ye Xiangyi seemed a little embarrassed.
Wu Jin laughed. "Heh. So, Bai Hao, what are your plans now?"
Bai Hao replied, "Uncle Jin, actually, I already had a job lined up before coming to Baoli City."
"Oh?" Wu Jin looked surprised and curious. "What kind of job?"
"I don't know the specifics yet. They'll assign me once I get to the company. But my reporting date isn't for another nine days."
"I see. Well, you can stay here those few days then."
"Thank you, Uncle Jin."
"Don't mention it. I haven't finished. Staying here isn't for free, you know. For these few days, you can give me a hand at the stall, help out. How's that sound?"
"Of course."
"Good, it's settled then."
…
That morning, Bai Hao started helping. He rode on Wu Jin's rickety tricycle to the wholesale market and the vegetable market, doubling as a laborer. They mainly bought raw materials for the skewers.
In the afternoon, Bai Hao, Ye Xiangyi, and Wu Jin began the preliminary processing of the ingredients: chopping vegetables, marinating meat, skewering...
"Bai Hao, you're cutting those pieces too big! Trying to bankrupt me? Make them smaller, more uniform."
"Yes, Uncle Jin."
"Bai Hao, stir harder! The seasoning needs to get into every piece of meat."
"Yes, Uncle Jin."
"Bai Hao-gege, not like that. You skewer it like this."
"Yes, Xiangyi-meimei."
…
Bai Hao had thought preparing skewers would be easy work. He hadn't realized it was such a laborious and meticulous task. Yet, he was happy. Although he'd known Wu Jin and his daughter for less than a day, a subconscious feeling of home had already taken root. Wu Jin was like a kind father, Ye Xiangyi like a pure, lovely little sister. Even though they kept him busy, he felt a long-lost domestic warmth.
At nine in the evening, Bai Hao followed the heavily laden, decrepit tricycle to the night market spot. They began unloading item by item. It took Bai Hao and Wu Jin a full half hour to get everything set up properly, and the barbecue stall was officially open for business.
Business was fairly good. Shortly after opening, the dozen or so tables were nearly full, and many customers took their orders to go. Bai Hao busied himself as an assistant. It was his first time doing this, and it was a bit chaotic, but thankfully Wu Jin guided him now and then. The final grilling process, however, was handled by Wu Jin himself. Bai Hao had wanted to try, but Wu Jin wasn't about to let him ruin the business.
It wasn't until around midnight that the stall's business gradually quieted down, and Bai Hao finally had a moment to relax.
"So, the barbecue business is quite a craft too," Bai Hao mused softly, watching Wu Jin meticulously brush oil and various seasonings onto the skewers, over and over.
"Of course it is. What, you want to learn?" Wu Jin chuckled.
"I do."
"Good. When there are no customers, I'll teach you properly. But you'll have to eat whatever you grill yourself."
"Okay."
…