On a street corner in the old district stands a little restaurant that stays open late.
The owner, Zhou Jiming, doesn't take stories, only payment for meals. But everyone who eats here leaves behind something unfinished: an old friend who orders an extra meal every day, a scallion-free set meal sent to someone in the hospital, a farewell dinner that no one has yet touched.
Lin Xiaoman remembers what the customers say, while Zhou Jiming takes care of the cooking. They can hold onto an insulated bag, deliver a lunch, or make room at a table. But they can't forgive on anyone else's behalf, reconcile for them, or decide what they should do with the rest of their lives.
When the survey markers for the neighborhood's redevelopment reach the restaurant's door, life at the little eatery begins to change too. Customers come and go, and the choices and consequences they leave behind gradually reveal the unspoken lives of everyone who works there.
There is no meal here that can cure everything.
Just people who, before the steam fades, finally say what needs to be said and return what needs to be returned, then carry on with their lives as usual.
I really like the tone of this book. A late-night tavern witnesses the thoughts of all sentient beings and does not sell chicken soup for salvation. Hot rice can warm the body, but forgiveness and reconciliation can only be relied on by oneself. Fireworks in the Marketplace depicts the regrets and lives of ordinary people, which is real and poignant.