Le roi des pilleurs de tombes

Chapitre 18

Xiaofen suddenly got a little angry: "Then don't help me! Get out! I still need to mop the floor and wash the blankets!"

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, this time not insisting on getting that damn haircut, and slowly got up.

The hostile sounds outside have disappeared.

The middle-aged man silently opened the iron gate and disappeared into the increasingly heavy rain.

Amidst the broadcast, Xiao Fen, left to clean up the mess alone, mopped the floor and washed the blankets...

3

More than a month later.

As dusk approached dinnertime, only one middle school student, who had just finished school, was getting a haircut in the barbershop.

A lone pair of scissors was cutting hair off a boy's head who had no special requests, while the other two female hairdressers were either flipping through well-worn exclusive reports and Jade magazines or watching television.

While peeking at the TV, Xiaofen tidied up the hair that had accumulated under the shampoo tub to prevent it from getting completely clogged.

In the past two years, chain convenience stores have sprung up, almost pushing traditional grocery stores off the streets. Five or six more fashion magazines have appeared in convenience stores, featuring the most fashionable hairstyles and outfits of young Japanese people. As a result, chain hair salons have also become popular, with salons like Kobayashi, Ransho, William & Mando, and others springing up like mushrooms after rain.

The semi-family-run hair salon where Xiaofen works was introduced to her by her aunt. The five hairdressers on duty are all at least in their thirties, and three of them are already mothers. Although they are all skilled, they are too lazy to learn how to cut the latest trendy hairstyles for young people. Compared to those bright and clean chain hair salons, the decor of this semi-family-run hair salon looks very old-fashioned.

If this shop doesn't completely transform, it will eventually be lost. Everyone knows that. The original owner said she planned to renovate after the New Year, but that was probably just talk. Where would she get the money?

Xiao Fen secretly prayed that if the shop really went out of business, she should at least hold on until she learned how to cut hair. Otherwise, if she immediately applied for a job at another shop, she would have to start as a shampoo girl.

As Xiaofen organized the medicine, her eyes involuntarily drifted to the row of drawers.

When will I have my own drawer with designer scissors?

The door opened, and the wind chimes rang.

The three barbers on duty naturally turned their heads, their vision instantly filled by two dark patches.

Two burly men in black entered the shop almost simultaneously, like two guardian statues.

The imposing men in black stepped aside, bowed slightly, and respectfully made way for a wide path.

A middle-aged man of average build, also dressed in a black suit, slowly walked into the store.

This unspoken aura belongs exclusively to gangsters who live amidst the clash of swords and shadows.

"..." The middle-aged man looked around, as if searching for something.

"..." The barber in the shop was dumbfounded, and even the scissors that were currently in motion froze.

"..." Xiao Fen held the dye, her mouth agape wider than anyone else's.

The middle-aged man and Xiaofen made eye contact, he coughed lightly, and then slowly walked towards Xiaofen.

"Um...um...you must have the wrong people?" The proprietress quickly stood up and stammered, "You are...um?you are...you are...you are...you are...you are...you are..." She had no idea what she was saying.

Ignoring everything else, the middle-aged man sat down in the same chair as a month ago, crossed his legs, and said casually to Xiao Fen, who was staring blankly at him in the mirror, "Get a haircut."

If you come here and don't get a haircut, what else is there to do?

Thinking about it, Xiaofen cheered herself up, picked up a can of shampoo, and walked behind the middle-aged man.

"Then let me wash your hair first."

Xiao Fen covered the middle-aged man with a blanket, then smeared a large amount of shampoo directly onto his greasy head, which resembled that of the God of Gamblers, Chow Yun-fat. She grabbed and grabbed, and the carefully styled God of Gamblers hairstyle instantly became unruly.

For Xiaofen, washing hair is just washing hair; there really isn't another way. At most, some customers prefer her to use their nails, while others prefer her to use her fingertips. So she started working on the foam at her usual pace. However, the atmosphere in the entire hair salon was really strange. The two doormen stood motionless, guarding behind the middle-aged man, only a step away from Xiaofen who was washing hair.

"Hey," Xiaofen said, clutching the foam, "Are you a 'pervert'?"

The middle-aged man seemed to be taken aback.

"You scoundrel? Are you and your two friends all scoundrels?"

"We are... the underworld."

"Isn't the underworld just thugs?" Xiao Fen frowned.

“That’s true. We’re hooligans.” The middle-aged man said with a half-smile, “It’s been so long since we’ve heard anyone call us hooligans, so we’re a little unaccustomed to it.”

“Some people call me hair assistant, saying it’s more respectful, but hair assistant is just a shampoo girl. Just call me shampoo girl, hair assistant sounds too high-class and weird.” Xiao Fen said dismissively, “So you guys are hooligans then.”

"Hmm," the middle-aged man replied stiffly.

"Are these two big thugs next to me your underlings?"

"yes."

“They have to go out if they don’t get a haircut, otherwise it’s hard for me to get anything done.”

The two burly thugs next to Xiaofen's face changed, their features contorted, but they dared not retaliate.

If you listen carefully, you can hear five hearts beating faster in the room at the same time.

"You all get out, go to the entrance... no." With his legs crossed, the middle-aged man said slowly, "Just wander around the alley entrance for a bit, then come pick me up in an hour."

"But brother!" the two henchmen said in unison.

The middle-aged man gave no further orders, but merely glanced at the two men in the mirror with a calm look. The two lackeys immediately lowered their heads and left the shop obediently, not daring to even look back.

Xiaofen hadn't tried to lower her voice, and everyone could hear her conversation with the gangster clearly, making the atmosphere in the shop even stranger. After the haircut, without even a shampoo, the middle school student who had been chatting and laughing hurriedly paid and left. Only the gangster remained in the shop.

Every barber pretended to be busy watching TV or reading magazines, but they were all uneasy. They were all looking for an excuse to finish work early and go home, so as not to be asked by the gangsters to cut their hair.

Aunt Zhang, who has a heart condition, was the first to complain: "Oh no! I forgot my husband was working overtime tonight, and I have to pick up the kids from their math tutoring. I'm so terrible, how can I be a mother like this?" She quickly packed her things and left.

Only the proprietress and two hairdressers on duty were left; if they didn't leave soon...

Sister Wang, her eyelids twitching, followed closely behind: "I have guests coming over, oh dear, how come I only remembered now? No, no... I haven't even bought the groceries yet!" She put the scissors in the drawer and locked it, grabbed her purse and ran out.

Two left at once, leaving only the proprietress and Sister Juan.

The proprietress glared at Sister Juan, whose buttocks had moved five centimeters off the chair. Helpless, Sister Juan had no choice but to stick her buttocks back onto the chair.

It's not like this guy hasn't cut hair before, so why is he bringing his underlings to stand guard today? He exudes an especially menacing aura.

Xiaofen's hair washing skills are impeccable; she's meticulous and gentle.

The comfort made the underworld boss squint his eyes into slits.

"Is there anything else that needs improvement?"

"..."

"Then I'm going to flush."

"good."

After washing her hair, Xiaofen quickly dried it until it was half-dry, and then Sister Juan automatically took her place.

The gangster who had just opened his eyes shrugged and looked at Sister Juan holding scissors in the mirror.

Sister Juan forced a smile: "What kind of hairstyle would you like?"

The gangster turned to look at Xiaofen, who was watching TV and laughing.

"I want her to cut it."

"Xiao Fen? She hasn't finished her apprenticeship yet, so I'll take over..."

"I want her to cut it."

The gangster's second sentence, delivered in a calm, repetitive tone, carried a natural air of authority.

Sister Juan had no choice but to quickly walk over to Xiao Fen, who was engrossed in watching TV.

"Me?" Xiao Fen asked incredulously.

"Go quickly." Sister Juan rolled her eyes.

"Me?" Xiao Fen was dumbfounded, pointing to herself, "I've graduated?"

"From now on, you've graduated." Sister Juan, gritting her teeth, turned the scissors upside down and handed them to Xiao Fen's palm. "Use my scissors for now; it shouldn't be too unfair to you. Quick, quick!"

And so, completely unprepared, Xiao Fen stood blankly behind the gangster, holding a pair of scissors with a cold glint in her eye, looking at this uninvited guest, and also at her somewhat unfamiliar reflection in the mirror.

Thanks to this gangster, my dream inexplicably came true. But...

"Let me make this clear first, I've only ever cut hair from plastic mannequin heads."

"Um."

There are sixty-six in total.

"So you don't dare cut my hair?" the gangster said with a hint of contempt.

"Yes, yes, yes, but I'm afraid you won't dare to cut my hair." Xiao Fen revealed a bright smile that even she herself had never seen before, and said, "Let's make it clear first, the first haircut I make will definitely not look very good."

And just like that, without giving the gangster a chance to back out, Xiao Fen swiftly cut him to pieces.

The first strand of hair, which is quite memorable, fell to the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey, you forgot to ask me which haircut I wanted," the gangster joked.

"This is my first time cutting, please don't give me any challenges." Xiaofen bit her lower lip and said matter-of-factly, "I only want to cut what I know how to do. Hmm, I'll cut the result of my practice these past few nights."

"That..." The gangster struggled to suppress the urge to laugh.

Click, click.

Xiao Fen decisively silenced the gangster with two stabs.

Then came the joyful clicking and clacking.

Out of caution, each cut was shallow, a testament to meticulous craftsmanship. With each cut, Xiaofen would step back to appreciate the "irreversible consequences" of the cut from a different angle, before devising how to continue the performance with the next cut.

The gangster simply closed his eyes, it was unclear whether he was feigning sleep or truly asleep.

Wow! Xiaofen's eyes have opened.

Wow, the professional scissors Sister Juan uses are amazing! The feel alone is different. The texture of cutting real hair is so different from cutting a wig. And the clean cut of the hair strands is so different too. Truly worthy of being called... truly worthy of being called... She marveled, and her hand moved faster and faster with the scissors.

Xiao Fen became more and more excited as she cut the fabric, while Sister Juan, who was observing from a distance, grew increasingly gloomy.

Judging from the change in the hair on the gangster's head, a bloody incident would occur in this shop in ten minutes.

"What should we do?" Sister Juan asked the landlady in a whisper.

"Wait a moment, you help her fix it." The proprietress was so weak she could barely hold onto the table leg.

"No. He can't be saved," Sister Juan said firmly.