(1)
“Up by two yuan…”
“Yeah, everything’s getting more expensive; if it didn’t, we wouldn’t even be able to eat.”
The Barber flicked away the cigarette butt in his hand, and the rain instantly snuffed it out.
“So, a haircut?”
“Yeah, a haircut.”
“Trim a bit?”
“Cut it shorter, don’t cover the ears.”
“Got it.”
The Barber slid open the dark blue glass door and casually switched on the daylight lamp inside the room.
The light was a harsh white, flickering faintly, making it a little uncomfortable to look at.
This cheap daylight lamp must have been used for many years—the tube had started to darken.
The hair swept into a corner of the shop, and the Barber touched the peeling chair before walking over to the sink.
“Come on, let’s wash your hair first.”
Anjing was already very familiar with this place; there was no feeling of dislike or anything—though every time she saw the yellowed sink with a chipped corner, she couldn’t help but grumble silently.
She came to this barbershop not just because it was cheap, but because the Barber rarely said a word.
There had never been an apprentice or extra barbers here—only the boss himself.
Apart from some small talk when meeting, he was mostly silent.
Unlike big salons that charged high prices and constantly pushed sales, making customers want to stuff their ears.
Her only ‘Meifa Salon’ experience was once in the Province Capital, that summer when she got a haircut and spent a full hundred yuan…
To be honest, she still couldn’t see what was so good about it.
Warm water flowed from the faucet.
The boss’s hair-washing was rough and quick, finishing in less than two minutes.
He casually draped a disinfected towel over Anjing’s head, then took down a plastic cape from the wall, flicking it a bit on the worn barber chair—probably to shake off dust and stray hair, though the move was quite careless.
“Sit here.”
He pointed to the chair near the door, a cigarette unlit between his lips.
“How do you want it done?”
“Uh… just shorter, not too long on the sides and back… you decide.”
“Alright.”
He nodded and covered Anjing with the plastic cape, then wiped the fogged mirror with his hand.
In the cracked mirror, a delicate little face appeared, the two tear moles like finishing touches that gave her face a unique charm.
The Barber picked up silver scissors and began snipping.
Every time this happened, Anjing felt like a roadside shrub being pruned by a gardener…
When others got haircuts, the time didn’t seem long, but when it was her turn, sitting still in the chair felt especially slow.
She habitually closed her eyes, waiting for time to pass.
Half asleep, half awake, the Barber had to lift her chin several times to raise her head, but she could only hold it up for about ten seconds before lowering it again.
“Boom—!!”
A thunderclap startled her awake, and she suddenly opened her eyes, feeling the whole world illuminated by a flash of white light.
The first thunder of spring this year.
It meant the real spring rain had arrived.
The heavy rain continued to pour.
The Barber had put down his scissors without her noticing and was gently patting her head with a sponge covered in tiny hair clippings.
“Want me to wash it again?”
“Uh… no, I’ll wash when I get home.”
“Okay.”
Anjing pulled a worn ten-yuan bill from her pocket, its corner torn and taped back together.
“Too shabby.”
Before Anjing could say, “I’ll get another one,” the Barber tossed the bill into the cash drawer and handed her a five-yuan note.
“Don’t use such shabby money next time.”
“This is what they gave me as change; I have no choice…”
“Hm.”
The Barber didn’t complain further.
After giving her the change, he lit the cigarette he held, then squatted by the door.
Anjing folded the money and slipped it into her pocket, then stepped out of the barbershop.
A flash of lightning tore across the pitch-black sky, briefly illuminating the city before darkness swallowed it again.
The thunder followed several seconds later, rolling slowly and endlessly across the distance…
***
(2)
It looked like this year’s Lantern Fair wouldn’t see the rain stopping.
Though it had lessened somewhat, the drizzle continued steadily.
Anjing opened her umbrella and walked slowly, glancing sideways at the farmland by the roadside and the village cottages blurred even more in the rain.
Since noon today, the sky had never brightened and had drifted straight into night.
In front of the greenhouses and the marketplace, all sorts of flower lanterns were displayed, but few pedestrians passed by, leaving the place somewhat deserted.
A girl dressed in pink held a red Paper Umbrella, standing at the busy traffic lights and looking this way.
When she saw Anjing, her eyes lit up and she hurried across the wet asphalt.
“Xiaojing!”
“Ah, is that… a Japanese kimono you’re wearing?”
“What kimono? This is Hanfu. My dad brought it back from a business trip to the Province Capital. How do you like it?”
She twirled under the umbrella like a little deer hopping through the rainy night.
“It’s beautiful.”
“The Paper Umbrella’s from West Lake too. It’s my first time using one like this.”
“It really suits your outfit.”
“Hehe—Xiaojing got a haircut?”
“Yeah.”
“Where did you get it done? It actually looks pretty cute.”
“Huh—?”
Anjing, who hadn’t really looked at herself in the mirror today, scratched her head.
“Cute?”
“Kind of a messy cute, like you just woke up half-asleep in the morning.”
“Maybe it’s because I didn’t dry it after showering, so it turned out like this.”
Anjing cleared her throat.
“Actually, I thought you’d get a buzz cut.”
“Huh?”
“Since you always insist you’re a boy, I figured maybe you’d go for a really ‘boyish’ haircut.”
“Using a girl’s body with such a short haircut, I’d probably hate looking at myself in the mirror after every shower…”
Anjing tugged the corner of her mouth.
“Sometimes, yeah. But you don’t have to be so obsessed. No matter how much you dress like it, you’re still a girl.”
“That’s surprising. To hear that from you, who always denies it so stubbornly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I just want to appreciate myself sometimes, okay? Like in games, some guys use female characters—not because they want to be women, just because they look nice.”
“Well, no need to explain so urgently.”
“Ahem!”
Zhu Ying laughed lightly, taking Anjing’s hand.
“Come on, let’s go see the Lantern Fair!”
“Ah, wait, wait, it’s slippery on rainy days…”
“But I’m hungry. I want to get something to eat.”
“You didn’t have dinner?”
“My parents went out for the Lantern Fair and didn’t make me dinner.”
“…Your parents sure know how to be romantic.”
“So I have to pitifully come find you to keep me company~”
“Where’s Hikaru Kiki?”
“She went back.”
“Why didn’t she come with you?”
“Of course she had stuff to do. Oh, Xiaojing, you’re looking but not touching—now you’re not even sparing Kiki!”
“I—I didn’t mean that!”
“I was going to share a jelly and kiss you today, but huh, guess not.”
“Tch, not interested.”
“Damn, I shouldn’t have asked!”
“Really not interested?”
“Of course not.”
“Xiaoying’s lips look so pink and soft today. Lip balm? Kiss—ah no! I don’t want to kiss!”
“Pfft…”
Zhu Ying rolled her eyes twice and laughed lightly as she walked ahead.
“Don’t regret it later, okay?”
“Tch!”
“What would jelly-flavored tongues feel like…”
“Not honest, Xiaojing~”
“!? You, you wouldn’t be…”
“What do you think?”
“Th-that’s not what I meant. I was just casually thinking out loud!”
“Mm-hmm, I believe you.”
Anjing could be absolutely certain that Zhu Ying’s words were a teasing jab at herself.
“Having a girlfriend who knows exactly what you’re thinking is scary…”
“I heard that, you know?”
“I wasn’t thinking anything! I wasn’t thinking anything! I wasn’t thinking anything—kiss? No, I wasn’t thinking anything…”
“Pfft…”
Zhu Ying covered her mouth, laughing so hard she trembled, her umbrella swaying along with her…
***
(3)
At the Lantern Fair, the most common lanterns were those shaped like flowers, but these traditional flower lanterns were usually just decorations—the stars were the uniquely shaped lanterns.
Some more traditional ones were lotus pedestals, Sun Wukong, and Guanyin Bodhisattva shapes.
Newer ones included Mickey Mouse and Snow White.
One wondered if Disney would come all the way here to sue for infringement…
“Xiaojing, Xiaojing, this lantern is a race car!”
“That’s here every year.”
“Really? Maybe it’s because I hardly come out for the Lantern Fair each year.”
Zhu Ying took a small bite of the grilled rice cake she’d bought at a fair stall.
The sweet and spicy sauce dripped slowly onto the ground.
But the rain washed it away quickly, leaving no trace.
The rain hadn’t stopped; in fact, it was falling harder now.
Most snack stalls were deserted, some vendors packing up early because of the worsening rain.
And it was only eight o’clock at night.
“Hey, Xiaojing, look at that, on the table.”
“Uh… a fox?”
“No, it’s that Fox Immortal Lady that Sun Wei mentioned that night.”
Zhu Ying excitedly dragged Anjing forward.
“It’s amazing they can make paper look so fluffy!”
“It really is…”
Anjing’s eyelids twitched.
“A fluffy Fox Immortal Lady…”