The Man Who Lost Salt

Shen understood what the book meant by witness. He could give the reports to the press and delay Gu's purchase, but Xu would be exposed first. He brought her to Night Voyage and made shrimp-skin rice with lard. The rice had to be hot, the lard just melted, the dried shrimp fried until their edges curled, then finished with a spoonful of soy sauce. Xu began to cry halfway through the bowl. “My grandmother had a stall,” she said. “She always said a crowded place isn't dirty. It's people being alive.” Lin arrived with a lawyer. She advised Xu to submit the reports anonymously and let the public-interest lab and market vendors jointly request an open hearing. Shen agreed, then tore the cookbook page free and shoved it into the stove.