Chapter 2 The First Bowl of Shaved Ice

Songfeng’s night market was livelier than Yulan had imagined. Red paper lanterns hung in rows along both sides of the street, and the smell of congee and hot tea drifted on the wind. Yulan pushed an old wooden cart borrowed from Uncle Chen, set up her stall at a corner of the market near the well, and lined up ten white porcelain bowls in a row.

Her first customer was a ten-year-old lantern seller who stood staring at the shaved ice without daring to come close. Yulan smiled and handed him a small bowl for free. “Try it first. If it’s good, pay me later.” The boy finished the bowl in a few bites, his eyes shining, and ran off to tell his friends across the whole market.

Before long a crowd had gathered around Yulan’s stall, but a big problem arrived when a young man in a gray watchman’s uniform walked up with a deep frown. “Who allowed you to set up a stall here?” he said curtly, then tried the shaved ice without meaning to. His expression changed at once, but he kept up his cold act all the same.

Yulan knew he was from the market patrol, so she handed him another bowl. “The officer may taste it first. I’ll apply for a permit tomorrow. Today I only ask to sell a single bowl.” The young man looked at her in silence for a long moment, then set a copper coin on the stall without a word and walked away.

When she packed up the stall late at night, the system appeared again. “First mission progress: sold 9 bowls of shaved ice, 1 bowl remaining.” And another line made Yulan frown. “Cold energy leakage detected from the cabinet. An observer is nearby.” She looked around the market, now quiet, and saw only the shadow of a person in black standing far off in front of a tea shop.