Chapter 142: An Undistinguished Hero
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was fall. Nightti arrived sooner and sooner.
“BBQ skewers! Co get so! 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 ti. 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 ho.”
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 ho 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 extrely 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 ti for working people returning ho had passed. Most students had gone ho by now as well. A few pedestrians were left on the sidewalk. So would stop for a few skewers to take ho or to eat right there.
They could get so more business if they went ho 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 ho 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 n.
Her husband didn’t agree. Pointing at the at 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 ho. It is still early.”
Aunt Li’s eyelids kept twitching. She felt even more uneasy. Sothing really bad might happen tonight.
“No. Let’s go! I want to go!” Aunt Li firmly shook her head, “Sothing 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 ti, a custor on a bicycle stopped to ask about the skewers. Her husband put a big smile on his face and got busy with the custor.
Up to the ceiling, Aunt Li raised her voice, “What do you an it is none of our business? Don’t you rember how our store was ruined?”
Seeing that the owners were having a fight, the custor left on his bicycle
That heartbreaking mont 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 ti, her husband was young and impulsive. Seeing the people trying to break into their store, he picked up his at cleaver to fight the intruders. In the end, he couldn’t stop them and was beaten up.
How could soone 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 ant for the custors, 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 soone 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 co 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 sa thing?” He was extrely 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 . Don’t bother! Last ti they were trying to break your arm. What if they stab your belly this ti? 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 astonishnt into admiration. Since she married him a long ti ago, she had a lot of feelings toward this man, the most important man in her life: bashfulness, anger, complaints, regret… For the first ti 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 ti 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 ho first. I will stay until nine. You go ho 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! Co get so! 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.
Ti 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 custor 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 imdiately.
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