The night deepened, and though this was the time when it got cool and many people would normally step out to enjoy the breeze, recent safety concerns meant no one dared to wander once it grew dark, with even shops closing early.
Inside an apartment on the sixth floor of the Jiayi Community, a middle-aged man with a pointy chin and monkey cheeks watched the pot, puffing his cheeks out and sucking them back in, forcibly swallowing the urge to vomit.
Seated opposite him was a man with mutton chop beards, who, wolfing down his food with ferocity, appeared particularly ghastly as he gobbled his meal.
Beside him lay two large iron basins, from which Mutton Chops would slice more whenever he finished what was on his plate.
"It's like biting on a stone!" Mutton Chops wiped the grease from his lips, giving the middle-aged man a glance, "You can act like this in front of me, but don't ever let them see you like this."