The first place he stopped was Aunty Lui. In front of her stall, was a large bamboo mat filled with chili left out to dry out.
"Ravi! Have they paid a salary? You only come out here when they have paid you your salary." The woman with a large burn mark on her face greeted him, she pushed past some of her customers to stand in front of him.
"I said you were very handsome yet nobody believed me. So what made you decide to.."She gestured to his face, "Freshen up. Is it a girl? Our young Ravi has finally seen spring."
Ravi's face reddened against his wish. "What girl?" He whispered.
"Oh! I got it wrong. It is a boy instead. You should not be concerned with that kind of thing with me. You see Aunty is open-minded. I am not like all those old women. Oh, what do you have here? So cute." She reached out to pet the cat but the cat leapt away, reaching the old end of the cart.