Amid the cheers of the crowd, seventeen-year-old Tang Qing cut off the long braid that Wang Banxian had kept for more than half a century.
"It's true, it's true. Master Jiujin is indeed extraordinary. I admit my failure. I admit my failure!"
Wang Banxian stroked his braided hair with his skinny hands, feeling regretful and helpless.
"You still call me Master Jiujin?!"
Tang Qing brought a clipper and a razor. After a quick push, the razor flew and covered Wang Banxian's head with a golden light, leaving nothing behind.
"Comfortable! Pleasant! Open and bright! Master Jiu Jin's craftsmanship is absolutely top-notch. Your father and your grandfather should worship you as their teacher!"
Wang Banxian touched his bald head, as happy as a three-year-old child.
"Are you talking about Master Jiujin? Look at how I shave your beard!"
Tang Qing raised the razor in his hand and was about to take action.
"Hey, Master Jiu Jin, you can never do this. You can't do this. I still recommend the Thirty-six Stratagems. Bye, bye..."
Wang Banxian lifted up his robe with one hand, covered his chin with the other, and stumbled out of the People's Barber Shop.
"Bye bye, you big pig!"
With a clipper in one hand and a razor in the other, Tang Qing stood majestically at the door of the People's Barber Shop, as if he had become the owner of the place.
"Master Jiujin, can you perm your hair?"
The little girl stopped and asked Tang Qing.
"Yes? What?"
Tang Qing and the little girl just walked on the East Bridge.
The Thousand Man's Pit where Wang Banxian is located is on the other side of the Shan River, passing through the East Bridge.
At this time, the East Bridge was very lively. People who came out to enjoy the coolness under the exposed lamps stood in groups on both sides of the bridge, relying on the railings or simply sitting on the steps of the sidewalk, bathing in the cool river breeze and talking about what they had seen and heard during the day.
.Cars are passing by in the middle of the bridge, and the shining car lights show that this small county in eastern Zhejiang is starting to get rich.
"I thought you only knew how to shave your head."
"I only know how to shave my head, but does perming it also count as shaving my head?"
“How can a perm be considered a head shave?”
"Do you think shaving your head is just shaving your head?"
"Isn't it?"
"No, what's your name?"
"My name is Wang Xinjie."
"Xinjie, this is a good name."
Tang Qing and Wang Xinjie walked and chatted all the way, and soon came to the Thousand People's Trap.
Qianrenkeng was originally a small rural village by the Shan River. Now it has become the largest urban village. Most of the people who come to work in Shan City from other places live here.
Wang Banxian's father, Wang Carpenter's grandfather, is said to be blind.
In the past, people in the village looked down upon their family because they were orphaned and widowed, and extremely poor.
But since he started fortune telling, his family's situation has changed greatly, and he actually took the lead in building a building.
"Master Jiujin, be careful."
Wang Xinjie led the way, turning back from time to time to remind Tang Qing.
The roads in the village are narrow and winding, and the ground is covered with vegetables, roots, and other garbage. If you accidentally step on a watermelon or banana peel, you are guaranteed to take a ride on the Ferris wheel.
This is not thrilling, but what is more deadly is that a basin of water for washing your feet is poured out, and a cigarette butt is thrown on top of your head after you take a free bath...
"Master Jiujin, here we are."
Under the guidance of Wang Xinjie, Tang Qing walked through the passes with fear and caution, and finally stood in front of a five-story building.
"Master Jiujin, you don't need to enter the gate, my grandpa lives next door."
Just as Tang Qing was about to step into the building, Wang Xinjie stopped her.
Next door? Next door is also a five-story building. Unexpectedly, the Wang family has quite a lot of assets.
Tang Qing turned around and walked towards the building next door, but just as he reached the gate and wanted to go in, Wang Xinjie shouted from behind:
"Master Jiujin, it's not your place, it's here."
Tang Qing looked back and saw Wang Xinjie standing in the middle of two buildings waving to her.
Huh? Here? This is obviously just a small corridor between two houses. How can anyone live there?
Tang Qing walked in and saw a bamboo shed set up in the passage, with more than ten people standing outside the shed.
It is built in the east and west, with a shed on the roof, a shed in front of the house, and a shed behind the house. It is commonplace and not surprising for an urban village like Qianrenkeng.
What surprised Tang Qing was that Wang Banxian was lying in this private bamboo shed.
"Xinjie, was your grandfather hit by a car outside?"
There is a rule in Yancheng that if a person dies unexpectedly outside due to a car accident, he cannot enter the home or the central hall.
"No."
"Then why did your grandfather and the others place your great-grandfather in this shed?"
"My great-grandfather originally lived in this shed."
"ah?!"
Tang Qing was not in ordinary shock. She stood there for several minutes and took a step forward. If Wang Xinjie hadn't come over to pull her, she wouldn't have been able to believe that this was the reality she saw.
"Damn old lady, you're going to die, why do you want to shave your head?"
"That's right, this money can't be saved."
"It's not just money for a haircut, it's also money for doing good things."
"No wonder she came here so quickly."
…
When Tang Qing walked into the bamboo shed, the women standing outside not only did not greet her, but also turned their heads with disgust.
With the help of dim street lights, Tang Qing saw Wang Banxian lying on the bed.
It's said to be a bed, but it's actually just a wooden board supported by four cement bricks.
Carpenter Wang knelt in front of the bed, his rickety back ribs clearly ridged under his wet gray sweatshirt.
"Master Jiujin, are you here?"
Wang Banxian raised his upper body and greeted Tang Qing.
"You, you, you..."
Tang Qing was a little confused when he saw that Wang Banxian was conscious.
"Master Jiujin, please come over this late at night."
"No trouble, how are you feeling?"
"You're fine. Can it be easier for you to shave if I sit up?"
"You'd better have a good rest. I'll come over to shave you during the day tomorrow."
"Master Jiujin, I originally wanted to shave during the day, but I couldn't contact you. This evening Xinjie came to see me, so I asked her to come over and invite you."
"You'd better have a good rest first. I'll come over during the day tomorrow to shave you."
"Master Jiujin, tomorrow is the Hungry Ghost Festival, so it would be better for me to go today, and I don't have to hold a funeral."
"What did you say?"
"Master Jiujin, you are a smart man. You should know everything about this situation."
"You'd better have a good rest."
"Master Jiujin, I thank you for cutting off my long braids fourteen years ago, which allowed me to live for so many more years. Today you shave my head again so that I can go away cleanly."
"You are in very good health. Take a good rest and don't think too much."
"Good health doesn't mean I can continue to live. I'm ninety-nine, that's enough. You can shave my head for me."
"I can't shave this head for you."
"Master Jiujin, I'm begging you as an old man, just do it for me."
"Master Wang, what's going on?"
Tang Qing asked Carpenter Wang who was kneeling on the ground.
After Tang Qing entered the bamboo shed, Carpenter Wang never made a sound and did not dare to look at Tang Qing.
"Master Jiujin, don't make things difficult for him. He looks so godly and careless outside, but it's hard for him at home too!"
Wang Banxian sat up from the bed.
"Why are you doing this when you are in good health?"
"I know in my heart whether my health is good or not, and I also know when it's time to leave. Your Master Jiu Jin will not let me down."
"Okay, I'll shave your head, but after shaving, you have a good rest. The neighbors at the People's Barber Shop are waiting for you to come over and talk nonsense."
Tang Qing opened the shaving box, took out the scarf and wrapped it around Wang Banxian first.
"Well done to the neighbors at the People's Barber Shop. I miss them too, but it's a pity that I don't dare or have the energy to go over and talk nonsense with them."
"Is there anything you dare not do? You are very energetic!"
Tang Qing shaved Wang Banxian's head while chatting with him.
"I'm really full of energy, but my heart is dead."
"What are you talking about again? The only bad thing about you is your mouth!"
"Yeah, I've been talking like this all my life, it's time to shut it up!"
"Oops, sorry."
Tang Qing paused his hand, knowing something was wrong, and a streak of blood oozed from Wang Banxian's head.