Shengliver’s Note: Kudos to Junjie the Chinese teenager for her fearlessness.

By the time Jianchi and I arrived at the canteen on Monday afternoon, long queues had already formed at the counters. The rush from the classroom to the dining hall left us out of breath, totally spent. Without delay, we joined the queue which could lead to the meals we desired.

I was going to have tofu noodles, a canteen meal most popular with YYHSers. It is tasty, convenient and reasonably priced. Therefore, the queue I belonged to outgrew all the others. I waited, reading, my head bowed. Some minutes later, I realised that the ordering and serving had been progressing at a snail’s pace. Looking up, I found some students jumping the queue. What angered me was that the guy at the head of the line witnessed everything yet voiced no objections.

Just then a boy, hand in hand with his girlfriend, went straight to the counter and said bluntly to the cook behind it, “Two bowls of tofu noodles.”

Oh my God. Fury burst out of my heart. “Uncle, he cut in line,” I shouted to the cook. “We have been waiting for ages!” No response. I protested loudly again, and the cook shot a glance over.

Everyone else in the queue kept mum while I was complaining. I detected a trace of embarrassment in the cook’s eyes. However, the barefaced boy persisted, “Two bowls, and be quick.”

I couldn’t stand his behaviour. Ignoring the misbehaving boy, I went straight up to the counter and asked the server unwaveringly, “One bowl, please.”

The uncle froze for a moment before he filled my order promptly. I passed the helping of noodles over to the first person in the queue.

The brazen queue jumper, whose sweetheart was right there with him, glared at me. I glared back and faced him down. What did I fear?

Justice is done by killing injustice.