Chapter Three: The New Manager's First Midnight Meal

“Do you want to go back?” Zhou looked at the jar. Little Lamp stretched one thin finger against the glass. “I don't know where my homeland is,” he said. “But wherever she is—that is home.” The black drained from the pot. The fragrance of rice flooded the room. Su Li served a small bowl of blue-gray congee. Little Lamp poked her head from the jar like a drop of ink and ate, bite by bite. One by one, the lights returned. At last she gave a tiny burp, once again a soft black shadow. Zhou bowed deeply. Before leaving, he placed a lifetime ten-percent-discount card on the table. “Manager, we'll save you some oden whenever you're on night shift.” “I saved her life and only get ten percent?” “Employees aren't allowed to give twenty.”