Tang Qing looked outside the stage door and saw that the person calling her was a little girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a slender body, pretty appearance, student hair, and a plaid dress.
"Master Jiujin, my grandfather asked me to invite you."
"Invite me? Who is your grandfather?"
"My grandfather is Carpenter Wang."
"Oh, Master Wang's granddaughter, doesn't he live in the hospital?"
"My grandpa has gone home. My great-grandfather is dying. He asked me to come over and ask you to come."
"Ah?! Just wait a moment, I'll be right out!"
Tang Qing turned around and saw that his son had fallen asleep, so he whispered to his father-in-law and mother-in-law:
"Abba, Ama, Wang Banxian is dying. Carpenter Wang asked me to come over."
"I must ask you to shave your vagina."
"Maybe, Dad, can you let me use your shaving box? It's too troublesome for me to go back to the store to get it."
"No problem, just be careful and be more attentive."
The father-in-law took out his hair-shaving box and handed it to Tang Qing. After his retirement, he had been shaving the heads of neighbors in Laotaimen without charging any money.
"Qing, Wang Banxian and Wang Carpenter are okay, but Wang Carpenter's wife and daughter-in-law are not easy to use. You must be more careful and leave immediately after shaving."
The mother-in-law was worried and warned Tang Qing.
"Abba, Ama, I know, you should go to bed early, I'm going."
Tang Qing picked up his father-in-law's shaving box and headed to Carpenter Wang's house.
"Master Jiujin, you are going in the wrong direction. My grandfather lives in the Thousand People's Den."
The little girl reminded Tang Qing.
"Is your grandpa still living in the Thousand People's Den?"
"Um."
The little girl led the way, and Tang Qing followed behind.
Thousands of People's Massacre is located in the east of Yancheng City. It was originally a rural area on the outskirts of the city.
It is said that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's rebel army fought here with the Yuan soldiers and was defeated. The Yuan soldiers massacred more than a thousand rebels and buried them all here, so it is called the Thousand Man Trap.
Tang Qing remembered that Carpenter Wang and his family had already moved into a newly developed high-end residential area, or a large villa. Why was Wang Banxian still living in the Qianren Pit?
"Master Jiujin, can I ask you a question?"
"sure."
"Why do you, a woman and not very young, everyone call you Master Jiujin?"
"You have to ask your great-grandfather about this."
"Ask my grandpa?"
"Yeah, hee hee."
Tang Qing laughed.
It's really funny to think about the first time Wang Banxian called her "Master Jiujin" and then she cut off his long hair and shaved his head.
After so many years, Tang Qing would always laugh out loud whenever he recalled the scene of that day.
That was fourteen years ago, 1985, this year is 1999, and next year will be 2000, the millennium.
That summer, Tang Qing graduated from high school and spent her summer vacation waiting and suffering. In the end, the postman's uncle still didn't deliver her university admission notice.
The college entrance examination at that time was completely different from now. After passing the exam, you would first estimate your scores and then fill in your application.
You can imagine how difficult it is to fill out your application when you don't know what score you got in the test.
Tang Qing estimated that he could meet the admission criteria, so he filled in three completely unrelated schools and majors: medicine, journalism, and normal school.
The scores came out, and it turned out that she was only one point away from the admission line for normal school.
She locked herself in her room and cried for two days without eating or drinking, which frightened her parents.
Tang Qing was the only daughter in the family. She was only born when the two parents were 41 years old, and they loved her very much.
At that time, my father was the manager of the People's Barber Shop in Shancheng, and he was considered a person of some status. Seeing his precious daughter like this, he sat at the door of the room and persuaded her all day and night.
Tang Qing finally opened the door, and after Fen Zhuan Can Yun ate a bowl of chicken noodles cooked for her by her mother, she and her father went to the People's Barber Shop to relax.
Let’s talk about chicken noodles first.
Chicken noodle is a delicacy in Yancheng. It can be used as a staple food or as a snack. In the minds of Yancheng people, it is no less popular than hot dry noodles in Wuhan.
Chickens are eggs. Noodles, also called dried rice noodles, are made from indica rice through cooking, pressing and sun-drying. They are generally in the shape of a round cake, somewhat similar to the popular instant noodles.
Boil the water, put in the noodles and cook for a few minutes, then beat the eggs into the pot, add other seasonings you like, and a bowl of fragrant and delicious chicken noodles is served to your table, guaranteed to whet your appetite.
Before the 1990s, ordinary people in Shancheng would not cook and eat chicken noodles for no reason. They would only cook a bowl of chicken noodles for birthdays, confinement, or illness.
To express condolences and nourishment.
After eating the bowl of chicken noodles cooked by his mother, Tang Qing's depressed mood improved a little. When he arrived at the People's Barber Shop, he took the initiative to help his father mop the floor and wash the towels.
Neighbors sitting on two long rows of wooden benches waiting for their haircuts joked about Tang Qing from time to time, and Wang Banxian was the most enthusiastic among them.
At that time, Wang Banxian was already over eighty years old. He wore a gray robe all day long, with long hair tied on top of his head, and a long beard like Guan Gong. He always liked to tease Tang Qing, and when he saw Tang Qing, he always teased her.
.This day was no exception, but instead of joking with Tang Qing directly, he said to Tang Qing's father with a smile:
"Manager Tang, I think it's time for your career to come to an end."
Manager Tang, who was Tang Qing's father, who was washing a customer's hair, frowned, feeling displeased, and responded angrily:
"Wang Banxian, what are you talking about? I still have two years left before retirement!"
"Hey, Manager Tang, I guess you have to retire early."
"Why?"
"Master Jiu Jin has been born, and she will take your place as the boss of the People's Barber Shop."
"What is Master Jiujin? Have you drank too much wine again?"
"I haven't had a drop of wine today."
"You didn't drink today? That's rare!"
"I woke up early this morning and saw the magpies making noise at the door. I knew that a big happy event was going to happen in Yancheng. The happy event was going to happen at the People's Barber Shop, so I didn't even bother to drink it, so I hurried over."
"Really? Then have you figured out what great event our People's Barber Shop will have today?"
"Didn't I just say what I said just now? When Master Jiu Jin is born, you abdicate!"
"Fuck you, Wang Banxian, is it a great joy for me to abdicate? Do you really want me to abdicate?"
"No, no, your abdication is a normal and helpless thing. The big happy event should be the official birth of Master Jiu Jin!"
"I have no choice but to let the flowers fall, is it still normal? Let me tell you, we don't have a Jiu Jin master in the store, so why don't we play a piece of "Jiu Jin Girl" for you on the record player."
"Jiujin Girl" is a traditional Yue Opera play. People in Yancheng like the protagonist Jiujin Girl. She is clever and smart, and outsmarts the wealthy local man Shi Erlao and the mischievous third uncle, and takes out the anger of the poor.
"Manager Tang, I think your Master Jiu Jin will be a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times better than the Jiu Jin girl in the future. Sooner or later it will be written into the play."
"My Jiujin master?! Wang Banxian, where are you nagging and taunting my Qingqing for a long time?"
"Manager Tang, how dare I ridicule Master Jiujin? It's too late for me to respect her!"
"Fuck you, Wang Banxian, let's go. People are waiting to have their heads shaved. What's the point of you sitting here occupying a latrine and not shitting? If you want to talk under the big tree in Lushan Park, you might even be able to earn a fortune!"
When Tang Qing heard that Wang Banxian was joking about her, she went over with a mop in hand and gave him a swipe on his skinny back.
"Hey, Master Jiujin is beating someone up. It doesn't matter if I break this rotten tree. The key is that you, Master Jiujin, went in and ate steamed buns before you even ascended the throne. It will be very bad for your life!"
People in Yancheng jokingly refer to going to prison as eating bland steamed buns.
"You're still talking nonsense, let's see how I deal with you!"
Tang Qing threw away the mop and went over to get a pair of big scissors.
"Hey, Master Jiujin, please be merciful, please be merciful!"
Wang Banxian held his head in his hands and huddled up.