He Guang’s ears were ringing. He gazed up at the hazy noon sky, his eyes still unfocused, bits of red, sulphury firecracker paper lodged in the various nooks and crannies along his body. With two sharp, focused exhalations, he expelled a cluster of scarlet detritus from each nostril then tentatively sat up. His head was killing him. The blast had thrown him to the ground with surprising force.

Wang Cheng, his business partner, was beaming. They had let off three hundred rounds of explosives in the area in front of their new perfume and pencil shop, which, by his calculations, would bring them massive profits of approximately 10,000 times the value of the fireworks. That would do nicely, to start with.

Business was bound to be good. Knee deep in tattered red paper, with more still raining down on them like bloody snow, it would be impossible for them to fail now.

The Strong Potential Fragrant Calligraphy MegaStore was now open for business!