At eleven o'clock at night, most of the hustle and bustle of the neon lights on the edge of the business district faded away, leaving only the 24-hour convenience store and a few barbecue stalls still shining with dazzling white lights.
Lu Ran leaned against the battery car, his helmet held in his arms, and his fingers slid repeatedly on the screen of his phone.
The number at the top of the screen stung his eyes - his father's dialysis fee today was still one hundred and seventy-three yuan short.
The night wind blew by, carrying with it the last bit of heat accumulated during the day.
He wiped his face, and his forehead was itchy with sweat sticking to his skin.
His throat was dry and his stomach was already empty, but he was not willing to buy a bottle of water that cost five yuan at the stall next to him.
The time in the upper left corner of the screen beat silently, like some kind of countdown.
Wait another ten minutes. If you still don't have an order, that's all for today.
Tomorrow... Tomorrow the cost gap will be even bigger.
My fingers hovered over the order-taking settings of the APP, and I hesitated for a few seconds.
Below that is the gray "High Price Blind Box" option, a small icon with a skull logo, and the words "Double the reward" in eye-catching red next to it.
