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Outside the home, Lijun walked underneath the black canvas of a late winter evening. Above, the full moon shone. He was always entranced by the full moon. It was always so complete, so whole. So beautiful<\/em>. His family had the congenital myth that if you bundled your one strongest desire, your one innermost wish, put it into a firework and shot it at the doll-faced saucer in the sky, it would come true. They didn\u2019t believe in silly stories anymore, but Lijun\u2019s blood came from an earlier time. He had already decided he would make a wish tonight and for what? He’d find that out eventually.<\/p>\n The clanging of the dinner bell summoned him and as he set his small box of toy-firecrackers to the side and dumped his day’s profits into a small jar, he shook his sandals off and stepped inside. So accustomed to the shelter his straw hat provided him while he sold his wares, he forgot to untie the chin strap, keeping the duoli upon his head. Everyone had already piled in between each other around the round table that had been filled with grilled fish, fried tofu, and pickled vegetables. A wholesome meal to share<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cHurry up,\u201d one of his aunts said, \u201cit\u2019s not polite to keep people waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n Picking up his chopsticks and a bowl of rice, Lijun struggled to squeeze in between two bulky arms, extending his chopsticks towards the side dishes through the flurry of carried food. His douli slipped askew on his head as he was bumped by another thick arm, and his chopsticks barely remained parallel in his trembling hand. It was only now that he realized that his knees had been marked red. Everyone else had been sitting on thin cushions. His eyes loomed over towards the grilled fish. Only one slab of white meat clung to its thin bones and as he reached for it, his chopsticks were slapped out of his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cOi, whaddya think yer doin\u2019? Damn, ya really don\u2019t get it do ya? Last piece always goes to father. Why doesn\u2019t that get through your thick head? Maybe it\u2019s \u2018cause ya wear that hat so much ya do stupid things like this,\u201d one of his relatives\u00a0said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, I just want\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid I say y\u2019could speak, idiot? Don\u2019t talk back!\u201d<\/p>\n Someone grabbed his hat and flung it towards the entrance of their home. The sound of his chin strap\u2019s fabric being torn out of place like the cries of an abandoned animal pierced Lijun\u2019s ears. Dropping his bowl of rice, he ran towards his hat. Without stopping, he picked his mangled hat up, put it on his head, sandaled his feet and met the night again.<\/p>\n