Prologue

The person grinned and said, "I know. Bring two small dishes."

Well, I lit a cigarette and sat across from him

It is already midnight, and the guests have long since departed; the establishment is about to close.

At that moment, the sound of a bell rang, the door swung open, and a cold wind accompanied by freezing rain swept in. A middle-aged man wrapped in a dark raincoat entered the shop.

"No. I ran away." He took another sip of his drink and continued, "This is a long story. On such a long night, one feels truly lonely; it is better to share it with you."

A Chinese restaurant named "Northeastern People" located on West Broadway has a Chinese advertisement posted on the glass window at its entrance: "Cuihua, serve the sauerkraut"

"Boss, is there any white liquor for sale in the middle of the night?" It turned out to be a Chinese person, seemingly with an accent from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.

After a few drinks, that person began to talk more. He claimed to be surnamed Cai, a native of Shanghai, and also alone in Vancouver

Are you a business immigrant? I am guessing.

Hello, hi. I hurriedly greeted.

Hi. That person took off the raincoat, draped it over the back of the chair, and turned around

This is a person of East Asian descent, approximately 40 years old, slightly emaciated, and appears to be in a state of disarray

I smiled and pulled out a bottle of Beijing Erguotou from behind the bar, while saying to him: "This little shop of mine does not have a liquor license, you know."

I leaned against the now worn bar, gazing at the empty street, where the cold rain pattered softly. Sigh, at times like this, I always reminisce about the warm kang bed back in my hometown in Northeast China, a few bottles of old white liquor, and a bowl of boiled pork, truly delightful. ... But now, alone and far from home in a foreign land, I silently endure the cold night, waiting for guests who are almost impossible to come by. When will this end, I wonder ...

On this damp and rainy night, he told me an incredible story

The winter in Vancouver is characterized by continuous rain and gloominess