Alley Lights Are Warm: the Story of a Bowl of Wontons

When Lin Zhan met Shen Zhao for the first time, the street lights at the alley were shining dimly. He was squatting at the back door of the "Zhanji" wonton shop, holding half a piece of cold meat filling between his fingertips. Three skinny stray cats lay in front of him. "These are inedible, they contain salt." She walked over holding the freshly cooked chicken breast, and the porcelain bowl made a soft sound when it was placed on the bluestone. Shen Zhao raised his head, his eyelashes still stained with soot from the alley, but his eyes were as bright as rubbing stars, "Boss Boss, can you put an extra spoonful of shrimp skin in your wonton soup?" It was an evening in late autumn. Lin Zhan's wonton shop had just been open for three months, and the flow of customers was sparse. Shen Zhao became a regular customer. He came on time at 7:30 every day, ordered a bowl of fresh meat wontons, added two spoons of chili oil, sat by the window, and watched the sycamore trees outside the window falling leaves while eating. Sometimes Lin Zhan closes his stall late, and you can see him banging away at the car repair shop at the end of the alley. He holds a wrench in his oil-stained hands, but he can disassemble a bicycle chain more finely than a clock. It snowed heavily on the day of the winter solstice, so Lin Zhan cooked the dumplings in advance. As soon as he came out of the kitchen, he saw Shen Zhao standing at the door, with snow on his shoulders and an old iron box in his arms. "My mother used to say that during the Winter Solstice, you should eat dumplings with coins." He opened the iron box and found three shiny dimes lying inside. "Put them in your dumplings. Whoever eats them will have good luck in the coming year." Lin Zhan's eyes suddenly became hot. She remembered that the original intention of opening this wonton shop was to fulfill her grandmother's wish - her grandmother always said that a person's life would be considered in vain if he could warm other people's stomachs with a bowl of hot soup. Of the dumplings that day, Shen Zhao had two