(1)
There were no ponds near the apartment, but there were quite a few farmlands. As more and more young people went out to work in cities, more fields were left idle. Many plots became barren, and with frequent rain, puddles of various sizes formed.
In this early summer, you could hear the sounds of those tenacious little creatures. That’s right—frogs.
If there were also cicadas chirping, it would be true summer.
The sun was sinking, the sky looking as if it were on fire, causing the clouds to boil along with it. A small, colorful bird perched under the eaves, seemingly avoiding the last rays of the evening sun, waiting for nightfall.
On top of the barbershop with its blue glass door, the simple three-character sign had finally fallen off completely, leaving only the barber’s lamp hanging on the wall, still emitting red and blue light despite no longer spinning.
Actually, there was another barbershop nearby, nicely decorated with several barbers, but not only was it expensive, their haircuts weren’t great either. When you specifically asked to keep the bangs long, they insisted on cutting them short. Several times you reiterated it was just a trim, but ended up either with a completely different hairstyle or one that looked exactly the same…
Yu Mingfei stopped going after two visits. Every time she passed that barbershop now, she would spit on the ground twice, expressing her contempt for those barbers’ lousy skills.
—The first time she went for a haircut, she asked for a short women’s cut with some messy layers, but they gave her a bowl cut.
The second time, she wanted a trim to grow out her hair, and again they gave her a bowl cut.
She got so angry she grabbed the store manager by the collar and had a big fight. It ended with them refunding her money for that haircut.
In Yu Mingfei’s view, those flashily dressed young barbers were nowhere near as reliable as the young barber at this old shop. The key point was that the latter could always grasp the core of what she wanted, and when uncertain, he wouldn’t just do it randomly—he would ask multiple times.
Probably because it had just reopened recently, there were more customers than usual—all people waiting for the door to open to get their hair cut.
When Yu Mingfei pushed open the door, there was already an elderly man and a middle-aged woman sitting inside, and a sleepy elementary school student with a red scarf was dozing off in the barber chair.
“So many people…” Yu Mingfei clicked her tongue, pulled the glass sliding door shut, blocking out the croaking of frogs.
“A haircut?” Li Fayuan asked without looking up.
“Yeah, just a trim, same as usual.”
“Coming right up.”
“A lot of people here. Should I grab a meal first?”
“That uncle is here to dye his hair, and that sister is here for a perm. It won’t take too much time.”
Dyeing and perming themselves require a long wait at the barbershop, but the barber won’t be busy the whole time—at least faster than a single haircut.
“Alright, I’ll wait then.” Yu Mingfei sat down on a worn-out stool, picked up a magazine from a simple bookshelf beside her, and started flipping through it casually.
It was a fashion magazine, which didn’t interest her much, but when she had nothing better to do, it served as a good way to kill time.
The white-haired old man and the middle-aged woman were chatting about their children, and the topic shifted to recent housing prices.
Yu Mingfei wasn’t interested, but their voices still made their way into her ears.
“Nowadays, no matter where you buy a house, it’ll be valuable in the future.”
“I don’t think prices will go up anymore. They’ve already risen so much, how can they keep rising?”
“Regardless, they won’t drop.”
“That’s right. The government won’t let housing prices fall.”
“You should buy sooner rather than later. When the time comes, the kids will need it for marriage.”
“You’re the one who should buy. Your kid is already in university. My grandson is still small.”
“Small doesn’t matter. Buying early won’t be a loss. Your family’s financial situation isn’t bad.”
“We’re thinking of buying in the province capital later. It’ll hold its value better there.”
“The capital is also stressful. Going there is tiring, and it’s far from home…”
Yu Mingfei rolled her eyes dramatically. She thought that if she had to buy a house, she’d buy one far away, far from her parents, to avoid their constant nagging.
“Ah, if only we had a granddaughter instead, we’d save money in the future.”
“What’s so good about a granddaughter?” The middle-aged woman made a face. “Once they marry, they belong to someone else. They’re a losing proposition.”
Yu Mingfei’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head.
And she couldn’t understand why such sexist remarks always came from women.
If she thought a granddaughter or daughter was a losing proposition, then wasn’t she herself a losing proposition?
Swoosh. Just then, the blue glass door opened again. An Jing, who had just put down her backpack, peeked inside.
“Fei Jie, is it your turn yet?”
“Almost.”
“Oh, I’ll wait outside.”
“Come in and sit. There’s a stool.”
“No, no, it’s too stuffy inside.” An Jing quickly waved her hand, closed the glass door again, and waved at a chubby little dog not far away, which seemed to belong to someone. The dog immediately trotted over happily, its small tail wagging like a propeller.
Around this old apartment complex, there was never a shortage of things to pass the time.
In the past, when she forgot her keys and no one was home, she would wander around like this, either petting cats and playing with dogs, or using her saved pocket money to play a couple of lottery games at the countryside store.
She’d never once won the grand prize—a game console.
As the sun slowly sank, the wind blowing through the alley picked up, sending empty plastic bags flying everywhere.
An Jing propped one foot against the wall, leaning back slightly. She watched as elementary school students with red scarves, covered in dust, dashed out of the alley, playing a game of cat and mouse.
Kids played many games, but this one had the widest appeal, from kindergarten to sixth grade. The greatest fun probably came from the small confrontations during the chase.
The interconnected alleys were a natural maze, perfect for this kind of chase game.
‘Did I used to be like that too?’
An Jing scratched her head, feeling her memories were vague.
‘Silly, carefree, and didn’t give a damn… Getting clothes so dirty, doesn’t that bother them?’
As she pondered, she suddenly understood a little why adults, who had also been children, didn’t understand children’s thoughts.
After growing up, people really do change a lot.
An Jing took out her phone and snapped a picture of the alley bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. She muttered to herself, “After I go to the province capital, I probably won’t come back much… Just as a memory.”
Days passed, plain and repetitive, but because of the impending separation, these final moments became especially memorable.
Maybe the details of what happened would be forgotten, but the bittersweet and liberating feeling would definitely be remembered.
—But thinking about adults who forget so many things, An Jing wasn’t sure if she would truly remember it deeply.
The little dog was still circling at her feet, waiting for a pet or a treat. Not far off, a little girl carrying an orange cat walked over, followed by a young man who looked like a slacker.
Beside him, a man in casual clothes looked very relaxed. He was kind of handsome, but still within the range of an ordinary person.
An Jing couldn’t help but take a few more looks at him. She felt like she had seen him somewhere before—not his appearance, but an indescribable aura.
“Brother Lu, it’s a sure bet to partner with me. Let’s open a mahjong parlor. We’ll charge more for electric mahjong tables and less for regular tables. Take a cut for tea every day. That’ll be a cozy life, absolutely profitable!”
“Sure.”
“Hey, it’s settled then. How much are you investing?”
“Five thousand.”
“Damn, don’t be so stingy! At least add a zero!”
“I don’t need a share. Just let me play mahjong for free.”
“Then consider five thousand as your premium VIP card. How about another five thousand to make it ten, and get a super premium VIP?”
“Sure.”
“Hey! I knew you were a good brother! It’s a deal then!”
The little girl reached the barbershop door before the two grown men. Swoosh, she slid open the door and ran in excitedly.
“Uncle Li, I came to play with my dad! He brought a friend too!”
“There’s a customer inside! Ning Ning, don’t cause trouble!” Another young man hurried into the room, picked up the little girl like a chick, and carried her over his shoulder.
As if drawn by some inexplicable force, An Jing instinctively looked at the young man walking in last.
He smiled as he looked at An Jing, gave a slight nod as he approached, as if he didn’t mind her staring straight at him.
“Hello.” He even greeted her.
This snapped An Jing back to reality. Awkwardly, she took two steps to the side.
“Ah? Uh, uh… h-hello…”
He didn’t say anything else, just silently walked into the shop. With so many people suddenly crowding into the small barbershop, it immediately felt cramped.
An Jing saw him turn around and couldn’t help but curiously stare at his back. The feeling was too strange—she felt she had seen him somewhere before, and figuring out who he was seemed subconsciously important.
‘Who is he… Strange, I can’t remember at all.’
An Jing patted her head.
‘Forget it, why am I thinking about this? I’ll stop…’
She crouched down and started playing with the chubby little dog again. The dog had just lain down to rest, but when it saw her reaching out, it excitedly stood up again and resumed wagging its fluffy short tail.
The summer evening time flowed slowly. The croaking of frogs in the puddles, the calls of homing birds, and the occasional car horns intertwined, playing the overture to this lively season.