Chapter 21: Plastic Wrap

Jianshe Road Pedestrian Street isn’t long; it takes about fifteen minutes to walk from one end to the other. Both sides are lined with various clothing stores, shoe stores, jewelry shops, and food stalls. It’s not a high-end area; frankly, it’s just a commercial street selling mid- to low-priced clothes. I chose it because it was cheap, while she chose it because I didn’t agree to go to the even cheaper wholesale market.

It was hot. The mid-August afternoon sun at 2:30 was so intense it made the asphalt pavement ooze oil, and the air was thick with the smell…