Chapter 1: The Daily Luxury Commute to a Dishwashing Shift

In Chengdu, China, staff and patrons at a local restaurant routinely witnessed a baffling morning ritual. An elderly woman in her 60s would pull up to the venue step out of a sleek, luxury Bentley. But rather than walking in as an elite patron looking for fine dining, she would quietly head into the back, slip on a heavy-duty apron and rubber boots, and spend the next several hours scrubbing dirty dishes, pots, and pans alongside the kitchen staff.