"Next time you come, you won't see him anymore."
"If I can't see him, so be it."
The middle-aged man didn't care much; the world is so vast, and with so many important things happening every day, who would mind whether one could see a once simple-minded fishmonger again or not.
"Let's go."
"Okay, see you next time."
...
"..."
Tie Chui sat on the bench behind his stall, his gaze slightly vacant as he watched the middle-aged man interacting with the vendor next door. He didn't know what he was thinking, but it was only after the man left that he slowly turned his head and fixed his gaze on the cigarette tucked behind the vendor's ear.
In this marketplace, many regular customers would hand a cigarette to the vendors while talking with them.
But... no one had ever handed one to him.