"Hey, the weather is crazy. The sky was full of stars just now. Why is it raining so heavily?"
"On a June day, don't you know what a child's face looks like? Don't tell me about ghosts at night, is it okay?"
"Alas, I haven't gone to Shanghai to have a white show, so don't know and don't be afraid of ghosts!"
"Nongga, the pig-killer, still talks about ghosts!"
"Aunt Shanghai, there are never any monsters in this world. The key is that you don't have any ghosts in your heart!"
A group of people were talking nonsense at the People's Barber Shop in Yancheng.
Bullshit is a Shancheng dialect, which means that a few people sit together and chat and talk nonsense.
The protagonists of the nonsense tonight at the People's Barber Shop are the Pig Killer and Shanghai Auntie.
A pig-butcher, as the name suggests, is a person who makes a living by killing pigs and selling their meat.
Auntie from Shanghai speaks Shanghainese, so she is naturally from Shanghai.
"Hey, hey, pig-butcher, why are you scolding me? Ala told me, Ala is walking and sitting upright, and my heart is at ease. I have never been afraid of any monsters!"
"Yes, yes, Shanghai aunt is always stubborn, how can she be afraid of ghosts?"
"Pig-butcher, I have a white knife going in and a red knife going out all day long. I pray to the Bodhisattva a lot on weekdays. Do more good deeds and accumulate some virtue, otherwise I won't be able to be reborn in the next life!"
"Hey, Auntie Shanghai, what age are we in? Do you still believe in superstition? Master Jiujin, next year is a thousand, what year is a thousand?"
"Millennium."
Tang Qing, a barber who was shaving a customer, responded.
Tang Qing weighed just nine pounds when she was born, so everyone used to call her "Master Jiujin".
"Master Jiu Jin" Tang Qing's family has been barbering for generations. His grandfather Tang Shao was responsible for the haircut all year round and traveled through the villages and alleys to cut people's hair. His father was the manager of the People's Barber Shop. Tang Qing graduated from high school and got a job in the People's Barber Shop.
The People's Barber Shop is located on the downtown street of Yancheng City, so you can imagine that it is in a prime location.
The name "Shàn" in Yancheng has its origins. It is said that the First Emperor of Qin traveled eastward to this small county in eastern Zhejiang. Seeing that there was an emperor's spirit here, he ordered fire and knife to cut and dig a pit to vent the emperor's anger. It was named "Yankeng".
Hence it comes.
The older generation in Yancheng have a deep affection for the People's Barber Shop. In the past, this shop was the only barbershop in the entire county. The two long wooden benches under the porch were always filled with people waiting for their haircuts.
There are eight barber chairs lined up in the shop of more than 200 square meters, and eight male and female barbers are busy from opening to closing, including Tang Qing.
Tang Qing had just started training at that time, so she was not very eye-catching among the masters because she had an average appearance and regular facial features. She was not tall either, at 1.63 meters, she was a standard ordinary person.
Nowadays, there are many kinds of hair and beauty shops in the streets and alleys of Yancheng. Among the people's barber shops, only Tang Qing is left.
Tang Qing's father hopes that Tang Qing can keep this old brand because he attaches great importance to the word "people" on the store's sign.
Now there are only two old-fashioned barber chairs left in the People's Barber Shop. Why did Tang Qing put two barber chairs when he was getting a haircut? Moreover, customers were never allowed to sit on one chair, and it was covered tightly with a plastic sheet.
When asked why, Tang Qing smiled and didn't answer.
Neighbors still like to come to the People's Barber Shop to sit for a while when they have nothing to do, especially those old people who are nostalgic. They have had their hair cut in the People's Barber Shop since they were young. They are used to sitting on the long wooden benches here and talking about the past and the present.
It's short and has its own fun.
Today, as usual, Tang Qing only focused on the work at hand and let them talk about it. Occasionally, she would be asked a question and she would give a concise answer.
"Hey, have you heard? That Granny Li Za got divorced and she even had a dozen tables of wine. It's normal to have a wedding banquet for a wedding, but you've never seen a banquet for a divorce. Isn't it strange?"
"What's all the fuss about? If Li Zapo doesn't make any noise for ten and a half months, is she still our Yancheng Li Zapo?"
"That's right, the Gazhong incident is a piece of cake for Yi!"
"Master Jiujin, Master Jiujin!"
A man rushed into the barber shop and was soaked to the skin.
The protagonists of the nonsense—the Pig Killer and the Shanghai Auntie—immediately shut their mouths, and everyone else stared at the visitor.
"Want a haircut? Wait a moment and wipe your face first."
Tang Qing did not raise his head, and threw a white towel to the visitor as he spoke. He was still thinking about the Li Zapo that the butcher and the Shanghai aunt were talking about just now.
"Master Jiujin, please give our old man a head shave!"
The visitor didn't pick up the towel, so he approached Tang Qing and panted.
"Um."
Tang Qing still lowered his head to shave.
"Master Jiujin, can you come over now?"
The person who came reached out his hand to pull Tang Qing.
"Hey, do you understand the truth? Master Jiujin is busy right now!"
The butcher came over and grabbed the visitor's arm.
"Are you out of your mind?"
Auntie from Shanghai came over and picked up the towel that fell on the floor.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Master Jiujin, you..."
The visitor wanted to speak but stopped.
"There's something wrong!"
"Strengthen your brain!"
The butcher and the Shanghai aunt looked at the man for a few times and then sat back on the wooden stools.
"Master Jiujin..."
The visitor came closer to Tang Qing and whispered a few words in her ear.
"Ah?! Let's go!"
Tang Qing immediately put down the razor, grabbed the shaving box, and rushed out of the People's Barber Shop.
"Hey, Master Jiujin, bring an umbrella!"
By the time the butcher chased him to the door, Tang Qing and the man were no longer visible in the heavy rain.
"It's raining heavily. Are you in a hurry to shave your vagina?"
Auntie Shanghai also walked to the door and looked around.
"Hey, you just told me not to talk nonsense at night, why did you just say that Master Jiujin is going to shave your vagina?"
"Pig-butcher, why are you so particular about time? I don't think it's right to ring tonight."
"What's wrong with you?"
"Look, is it strange that the rain is falling? No lightning or thunder, it just falls!"
"Don't tell me, a child's face in June? What's so strange about it?"
"No lightning, no thunder. The heavy rain is just weird!"
"Kachacha..."
"Rumble..."
Before the Shanghai aunt finished speaking, a bright bolt of lightning struck directly at the door of the People's Barber Shop, and a muffled thunder exploded over the city of Shan.
"Hasit Nimza (terrifying to death)!"
The Shanghai aunt ran to the store.
"thump!"
An old man was knocked to the ground by a Shanghai aunt.
"Hey, Master Wang, what are you doing to hit Ala?"
"Aunt Shanghai, you hit me, why are you complaining about me?"
"Master Wang, why are you just a piece of rotten shit? Why are you running away when there is a big thunder outside?"
The Shanghai aunt scolded her, but still stretched out her hand to pull up Carpenter Wang.
"I just feel like there's something strange tonight."
Carpenter Wang said as he poked his head out of the door of the barber shop.
"Hey, don't you think it's strange? Pig-butcher, listen to it, listen to it, what is Allah talking about?"
The pig-killer standing at the door did not respond to Aunt Shanghai, but approached Carpenter Wang and asked softly:
"Master Wang, what did that man say to Master Jiujin just now? Why is Master Jiujin leaving in such a hurry?"
Carpenter Wang did not answer the pig-butcher's question, but asked him nervously:
"Butcher, did you feel anything special when you grabbed that person's hand just now?"
"You speak first."
"You speak first."
"Hey, what are those two longevity guys doing? Why don't you think about it quickly and figure it out?"
"Aunt Shanghai, how did you feel when you picked up the towel just now?"
"Master Wang, don't ask, I don't care. Hey, is this white towel so wet?"
Auntie Shanghai turned back and took the white towel that had just fallen to the ground.
"That person has obviously not wiped it, so why is it so wet?"
"Hey, have you seen that person before?"
"No."
"Never seen that before."
"They are definitely not from Yancheng."
"If we are not from Yancheng, why would we ask Master Jiujin to shave our pubic heads at night?"
"Master Wang, how are you sure that person asked Master Jiujin to shave his vagina?"
"I just vaguely heard the word 'death'."
The people in the barber shop became nervous and wanted to go back to their homes, but the rain outside was really heavy and there were not that many rain gear in the shop.
"Pig-butcher, take a closer look. Why is there not a drop of water on this ground?"
"That's right, that man is soaked all over. Why isn't there a drop of water on the ground?"
"On the contrary, this white towel is full of water. Ouch, this pig butcher, I told you not to talk about ghosts in the night, but you do!"
"It seems that Master Jiujin will have a bad time tonight!"
Carpenter Wang's words made the people in the barber shop even more nervous. The timid people wrapped their clothes tightly and huddled in the corner, not daring to make a sound.
"No matter what, we can't go back tonight, we must wait until Master Jiujin comes back before we leave!"