On Highway 90, Xu Yang sat in a ramen stall, dining on fish ramen and orange soda while the noisy chatter of children filled the adjacent arcade, the beat of background music exploding in repetition.
The food was nothing to write home about: a large bowl of alkaline noodles with a broth that mingled the taste of dried fish, topped with seaweed, fish cake, mushrooms, and an egg. The orange soda, an industrial product, had a universally consistent flavor—crisp and refreshing.
The ramen chef stood behind the open-air stove, humming a rock tune popular 20 years ago. Ever since the gangs were expelled and order restored in the lower-class districts, his business environment had improved significantly, and his days were looking up.
The community had also been transformed, and Xu Yang felt gratified by this change. After violent behavior was maximally curtailed, the number of pregnant women and outside immigrants increased, and more people were engaged in small businesses.
