Chapter 27: The Dead Man's Gut

The dumpling shop was a hole in the wall, literally—a jagged gap in the brick facade of an old tenement, patched with plywood and a hand-painted sign that read ‘Auntie Wu’s.’ The steam that billowed from the doorway smelled of pork, ginger, and something sweet, and it wrapped around Leo like a warm blanket as Mei Lin ducked inside.