Around nine p.m. at night, it was time for Star Dreams to close shop for the day.

Gan Qing washed off the makeup on her face and removed the light-coloured contact lenses, blinking furiously a couple of times. She stuck five fingers into her hair and took off the waterfall-like wig, revealing a mass of hair that was neither long nor short. It fell to her chin, messy and sticking out at odd angles after being pressed down by the wig.

Then, she kicked off her stilettos and stuffed them under the counter. Her feet bare, she fished out a pair of plastic slippers and slipped them on. She took off her long skirt; inside, she was wearing a basketball jersey and a pair of long shorts. She stretched, feeling like her body had been set free once again.

From a bohemian-style "astrologer," she had been set free to become a very down-to-earth village girl.

The village girl picked up the teapot and poured the remaining tea into a flower pot. She refilled it with cold water, drank two gulps directly from the spout, then poked her head out in the direction of the next door Tianyi Crayfish and hollered, "Uncle Meng, is there anything to eat?"

The boss of Tianyi Crayfish, Meng Tianyi, answered, "What do you want to eat? Help yourself to the rice and I'll cook a dish for you."

"I want to eat grilled chicken hearts!"

"Hey, can skewers be a proper meal?"

"But I want to eat grilled chicken hearts." Gan Qing switched off the lights and locked the door. "I've been thinking of it for an entire afternoon. I even accidentally messed up my lines when a customer came. Give me a kilogram of mala crayfish too."

Right now, even her voice and accent had changed completely. It was no longer floaty and it didn't feel distant—it sounded lazy.

"Greedy thing. You don't eat proper meals and only eat snacks." Meng Tianyi sighed. "All right, wait a bit."

At this hour, there weren't so many people on the streets. The hot and humid night wind bundled up the oil and smoke from the large wok, blasting her right in the face. Gan Qing inhaled and felt very content. The corners of her mouth automatically revealed a hint of a smile.

Other than when she was pretending to be mysterious to deceive others, she was always smiling. When there was someone around, she would smile at them. When there was no one around, she would be happy with herself for no reason.

There was a sudden gust of wind in the stifling hot night in the peak of summer. The oil sizzling out from the hefty skewers, the stars gradually rising in the heavy canopy of the night, the crooked and twisted dirty little alleys… In her eyes, these magnificent views of the living world were all incomparably beautiful, and were worth pausing a while to savour.

The skewers and the crayfish were ready very quickly. Boss Meng was afraid that the food would be too heaty and also mixed a cold dish for her. Gan Qing found a table to sit and sprinkled chili powder on the food herself. She seemed a little clumsy; her hand trembled and too much powder poured out. But she didn't care. A careless flick and she bit into the food while breathing through her mouth from the heat. All her focus was on chewing, her eating posture making it seem like she was eating at a Michelin 3-star.

Meng Tianyi took care of the last batch of customers, then wiped his hands clean on his apron and brought two bottles of ice-cold beer over.

Gan Qing took a bottle and clinked it against his, then drank directly from the bottle. She downed almost half the bottle in one gulp. The sweat from the spicy food nearly all dissipated and she burped a mouthful of cold air in satisfaction. "Mm, there's a sweet aftertaste. It's good."

Meng Tianyi watched her eat and drink, and his own gluttony was nearly drawn out. He couldn't help taking a large gulp but when the beer was in his mouth and he carefully savoured the taste, it was still the horse piss taste of cheap beer. It hadn't turned into the nectar of the gods. "Gan'er, don't sell those lousy necklaces tomorrow. Come and advertise for me. You just need to sit here and drink, and I can sell three times more beer."

"You call the shots." Gan Qing's eyes curved into a smile which she directed at him. "Anyway, they're both your own businesses."

The small shop Star Dreams was actually opened by Meng Tianyi's relative. The storefront also belonged to the family. The boss opened an astrologer account online for the purpose of marketing, posted some mysterious and long-winded posts, and sold things like protection charms and fortune-changing beads on Taobao. Later on, they realised that it was better to do business online, so they focused on becoming an Internet celebrity. They didn't have time to manage the shop and were pretty indifferent to the shop's business, and had hired Gan Qing to take care of it.

Every one or two months, Gan Qing would follow the boss's instructions and go to the wholesale market for small merchandise to replenish the stock. She would fill a bag with small accessories that cost just over ten yuan for half a kilogram. When she came back, she would select the prettier ones to put in the display cases, use the spotlights to make them look dazzling, and wait for foolish big spenders to come and buy.

Every day, she opened the shop and did business from ten in the morning. She put on the wig and coloured lenses, changed into her "work uniform," and began her performance for the day. At night, after the sky had turned dark, she closed the shop according to her mood. Meng Tianyi took care of her meals. She was satisfied with this job because Uncle Meng's culinary skills were good and he even let her pick the dishes.

"I took a look at your accounts yesterday. The business for this month is not bad. You should ask your boss to give you a bonus," Meng Tianyi said.

"Summer is good for business. Winter will probably be bad." Gan Qing pinched the tiny claws on one of the crayfish and used them to give Uncle Meng a bow with clasped hands. "If you say there will be a bonus, I'll believe you. I'm short of money. Recently, I heard that my rent is going to be increased and I've been on tenterhooks for half a month."

"How much is your rent?" Meng Tianyi asked.

"Six hundred a month." Gan Qing's crayfish peeling technique was very polished. She gave it a couple of cracking squeezes, then with a pull and a tug, the whole piece of crayfish meat left its shell perfectly. She pinched the swaying crayfish meat and dragged it through the sesame sauce in the saucer. Fragrant with the mala flavour and the freshness of the meat, the one kilogram of crayfish was downed with beer, and in just a short while, the bottom of the plate could be seen. It was evident that she was a veteran glutton.

"One apartment?"

Gan Qing huffed a laugh. "Would it be so cheap? It's one bed."

"You really can get by with so little." Meng Tianyi's mouth stretched into a smile. Then, he said, "Let Uncle tell you something—I have a second aunt who is seventy-three years old. She has been widowed for over forty years. In the past, she stayed with my older brother. Now, my older brother has passed away and his wife took their kid and remarried. The old lady is alone now."

Gan Qing paused. "My condolences."

"It was last year. He died of old-age illness, it's nothing much." Meng Tianyi continued talking, "Everyone had discussed the matter and wanted her to move in with someone else but she was not willing to. She said that she has her own home and won't go to someone else's. Even though the old lady is still spirited and healthy, she's already at such an advanced age. Her home is a small two-bedroom. She stays in one room, the other one is empty. I want to look for a reliable person to accompany her. The old lady can take care of her own daily needs and you don't need to worry about house chores either. During the day, you can do what you need to do. You just need to accompany her when you go back at night. If there are tasks like changing light bulbs or climbing ladders, you can give a hand. If there's any medical emergency at night, help her call 120 and inform her relatives and friends. The rental can just be a token amount—we'll go with your current amount and it won't increase in the future."

Gan Qing listened and thought it was a brilliant thing. She said, "I definitely won't have a problem. Where does the old lady stay?"

"Rongxian Street," Meng Tianyi said. "No. 110 Courtyard."

Gan Qing first let out an oh. A few seconds later, she recalled something. Her hand slipped and broke off the crayfish tail. "It's… that Rongxian Street?"

"You don't know but that place it's not the same as the past anymore. Especially in the recent two years. House prices increased sharply and a lot of people sold off their homes when the price was high. Only a few of the old inhabitants are still there," Boss Meng quickly said in a low voice. "Furthermore, even if it's the old inhabitants, they don't know that you're… Why, don't you trust your Uncle Meng?"

"How could I not?" Gan Qing came back to herself and evaded Boss Meng's gaze. She lowered her head and smiled. "It's just… not very convenient. I know that you mean well. Furthermore, I heard that that area is now a school district. The rental for just a bedroom starts from three thousand. I would be taking too much advantage of you."

"Ai, what are you saying?"

Gan Qing slipped the last crayfish into her mouth, gathered the eating utensils efficiently, and even wiped the table. "If the old lady needs me for anything, just let me know. I'll come anytime you ask me to. I don't have other matters anyway. But let's not talk about moving in. I just paid the rent for half a year and they won't refund me. I'll lose too much if I move out now. If there's nothing else, I'm wrapping up work for the day and leaving now!"

"Gan'er-"

"Excuse me." Right then, a man's voice cut in. "This lady here, may I ask if you work at this shop?"

Gan Qing and Meng Tianyi turned around and saw that a policeman had walked up to the entrance of Dream of Stars. He had close-cropped hair and a pair of smiling eyes. He was quite fair and had a cheerful appearance. Even with his uniform, he didn't have much of a fearsome presence. He belonged to the type of police officer that people who were not locals would take one look at and want to go to him to ask for directions.

But Boss Meng unconsciously stood up and, perhaps intentionally or perhaps not, used his round and stout body to shield Gan Qing. Smiling widely, he asked, "This is my nephew's shop. He's not here at the moment. May I know… if something's the matter? We have a license. If you would like to have a look at it, I can bring it out for you."

The policeman's eyes skipped past him and landed on Gan Qing.

Boss Meng quickly said, "Oh, this is the cashier that our family hired. She's not a local girl. She came to Yanning barely a few months ago and isn't familiar with anything. If there's anything, you can just ask me."

Gan Qing didn't say a word. She stood quietly in the corner, like she was part of the decor. The oil-stained lamp above the stall at the side of the street emitted a dim light that fell on her. Barely half her face could be seen, and the light made her complexion look like that of old porcelain, and her eyes were looking meekly down.

"Don't be nervous," the policeman smiled gently. With both hands, he handed over his identification. "I've also just been transferred to this area recently. In the future, if you have any difficulties, you can look for me anytime."

Meng Tianyi didn't dare take the identification. Smiling all the while, his eyes quickly swept across the identification. Oh, this policeman's name was Yu Yan.

"It's like this. This evening, there was an unsuccessfully blackmail and extortion attempt nearby here. The victim was tricked and led away right here," Yu Yan said amiably to Gan Qing. "The victim said that the jiejie from this shop saw it happen and even pulled him back. Unfortunately, he didn't listen to her advice. Was that what happened? I don't have other intentions, I just want to understand the situation."

Gan Qing pressed her lips together and gave him a quick smile. Before she could say anything, her eyes slid to the side. It was like she was a little scared of strangers.

But for some unknown reason, Yu Yan felt that something was incongruous; yet, he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Luckily, a warm-hearted member of the public made a report in time and because of that, we made it there in time," Yu Yan said. "If I may make a bold guess, was it you who called the police?"

Boss Meng quickly said, "How is that possible-"

"Yeah." Gan Qing said.

The two of them spoke almost in unison. The fast-talking Boss Meng was so dumbstruck he was like a human stick.

Gan Qing quickly glanced at him, then explained softly. "Not many people use payphones nowadays. They'll find out immediately once they investigate."

"Oh." Boss Meng looked at her awkwardly, then looked at the policeman. "I… Well… There were a lot of customers in the afternoon. I didn't notice what was happening outside."

"It's not the first time that group of people did something like that. Usually, they trick someone to the little blind alley at the back and run away once they have extorted the money. I've bumped into them doing that before and roughly know where they will make their move," Gan Qing said softly. "Whenever I bump into them, I take a detour to avoid trouble and I don't tell anyone. Today, the child had just left my shop. That's why I did a bit more. We don't dare interfere in those people's business."

Yu Yan was briefly stunned. This lady seemed to know what he wanted to ask. In just a few words, she had cleared herself completely. His intuition told him that even if he asked further, he would probably not get any answers.

As he expected, Gan Qing started to answer "I don't know" to every question.

"Have they always been operating near this area?"

"I don't know."

"When they escape by jumping over the wall of the back lane, in which direction would they usually run off to?"

"I'm not sure."

"What about the previous victim? Do you recall any special characteristics?"

"I don't really remember anymore."

Yu Yan, "..."

Gan Qing's eyes swept around the area. Even though it was already very late, the people having supper at the nearby stalls hadn't completely left. A policeman in uniform standing here was attracting eyes from all directions. She seemed to be rather vexed and said softly, "I really don't know anything. If I had known that a phone call would summon you here, I wouldn't poke my nose into other people's business."

Boss Meng followed up, "That's right. Comrade Officer, people like us who operate small businesses can try to run away but can't escape in the end. These hoodlums ran away right after committing the crime and can't be caught. If they found out about this and come to trouble us in the future, who could bear it? Please spare us."

"Hoodlums that even Boss Meng is scared of can't be ordinary hoodlums, can they?" Right then, a sound came from the door of the car that was stopped at the intersection not far away. Yu Lanchuan got down from the car unhurriedly.

Because his shirt was torn, he decided that he might as well loosen all the buttons and pull it half out of his pants, with one half hanging loosely. When he moved, a sliver of skin from his chest down to the pit of his belly drifted in and out of sight. For the sake of fitting in with this wild image, he had even taken off his glasses and messed up his hair. One hand in his pocket, he walked over with a cold expression on his face.

The honest and upstanding police officer Yu Yan was extremely embarrassed because he felt that his companion was like a posterboy for a nightclub.

...The type that sold pleasures of the flesh and not pleasures of the mind.