Chapter 38: The Hair Salon

After meeting the store manager, Wang Jiexiang was immediately hired.

Jiang Bingbing grabbed her hand and was overjoyed: “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you were looking for a job?”

Wang Jiexiang smiled awkwardly. She had just arrived in the city and desperately tried to meet her. Jiang Bingbing didn’t even leave a phone number, so how could she contact her?

“Jiexiang, we’ll look out for each other from now on. We can be as close as we were back home. If you don’t understand anything, just ask me.”

The good old friend from the past seemed to have returned all of a sudden. Jiang Bingbing’s attitude was warm and friendly.

Wang Jiexiang felt a warmth in her heart and responded loudly: “Okay!”

The role of a shampoo girl was not just about washing hair in the literal sense.

They were essentially the miscellaneous workers in the salon.

Washing hair, massaging, drying hair, cleaning dirty towels, folding towels, wiping windows, sweeping the floor—these were the most basic tasks for the day.

When customers arrived, they also had to serve tea, offer water, and recommend hairdressing services; when customers were impatient, they would have to chat with them and calm them down. If the hairstylist needed assistance, they were expected to be on standby at all times.

Her hands were constantly wet, drying and becoming damp again, and they wrinkled from soaking.

Wang Jiexiang bent her waist, never standing up from morning to night.

She was grateful to have a job. This job was busier than selling oil, meals were irregular, and she often had to work overtime. The advantage was that she finally had someone to talk to, and the salon was indoors, unlike a tent that was cold.

After becoming a shampoo girl for a week, Wang Jiexiang’s appearance had completely assimilated with her coworkers.

Her hair, originally black, was dyed a light flaxen color, and her waist-length straight hair was cut short and permed into shoulder-length curly wool.

Her old clothes were deemed outdated by Jiang Bingbing, who took her to the street market to buy a few new outfits.

The new clothes were trendy but of poor quality: the pants faded after one wash, and the sweater unraveled after only a few days of wear.

“The street market clothes are cheap. If they break, just throw them away and buy new ones,” Jiang Bingbing said casually, and Wang Jiexiang agreed with her mouth but couldn’t bear to throw away the clothes.

With her makeover complete, she gradually started to familiarize herself with the salon’s work.

Wang Jiexiang, as a new employee, was young and attractive.

Not only did regular customers like to ask her to wash their hair, but even the staff enjoyed chatting with her when they were free.

“Little sister, you’re so pitiful, working alone in the City?”

“Do you have any future plans? Why didn’t you go to school?”

“You’re so young, you should be studying for a better future.”

“What’s fun or tasty in your hometown? You don’t look like a countryside girl. You’re not dark or strong.”

“You’re so pretty, don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“How many boyfriends have you had? Is anyone chasing you?”

Wang Jiexiang was a talkative person, but at work, she became quiet.

She didn’t like the way they looked at her, with a light and superficial gaze; she didn’t like their tone, the subtle probing, and the condescending questions… What she disliked the most was when they spoke, suddenly making physical contact.

“Little sister, eat more, you’re as thin as a bamboo stick.”

Wang Jiexiang was holding a towel, walking down the corridor when a male coworker brushed past her. As he spoke, his hand slid around her waist and squeezed it hard.

She dropped the towel and angrily turned to glare at him: “What are you doing?”

The male coworker just laughed and said, “Oh, you’re so fierce, can’t I make a joke?”

“No,” Wang Jiexiang said, frowning and seriously trying to make him understand.

The more she acted this way, the more he deliberately provoked her.

“I’m so scared, are you going to hit me?”

He jokingly nudged her arm with his elbow.

Wang Jiexiang clenched her fist, no longer willing to tolerate it.

Jiang Bingbing appeared just in time and pulled her aside.

“You go clean up, don’t worry about the towel, I’ll take care of it.”

Wang Jiexiang’s face turned red with shame and anger: “Didn’t you see? He just squeezed my waist.”

Jiang Bingbing calmly replied, “I saw.”

She read her gaze, which seemed to say: He bullied you, so what?

The anger that had been burning in her chest was extinguished with a cold splash of water, and Wang Jiexiang’s clenched fist loosened.

She had crossed rivers and mountains to escape home, to avoid being looked down upon, to be valued, and to live a free life.

She had been too naive.

Living freely required capital. Forget about life; if she didn’t get her salary this month, she wouldn’t even survive.

The salon was bright and well-lit, but outside, it was dark, and on the streets, some people froze to death. She had to stay inside.

So, yes. She was bullied, but so what?

According to Jiang Bingbing, Wang Jiexiang swept the floor.

She lowered her head, sweeping carefully, not letting a single hair escape.

On the store manager’s birthday, the salon closed early for the first time, and her coworkers planned to go to a barbecue stall for drinks.

Wang Jiexiang joined them.

The meal was on someone else.

She had a free dinner, laughing and chatting with everyone, and ate to her heart’s content.

On the way home, passing the overpass, Wang Jiexiang unexpectedly ran into a vendor selling rabbits.

It was her favorite kind of rabbit.

This was undoubtedly the happiest moment of her day.

She quickly ran over and squatted in front of the cage, staring at the rabbits.

The winter wind was strong and cold, and both she and the rabbits were shivering. She looked at the cute little creatures, and her tightly closed lips suddenly opened.

“Hey, rabbits, you must have come from far away too, right?”

The rabbits perked up their ears and listened to her, their eyes locking with hers.

“Even if you come to this big City, you’re still trapped in a small cage. You have no choice, right?”

Wang Jiexiang sighed deeply.

The rabbits quietly gathered in front of the cage.

They were listening, and she spoke more passionately.

“It’s really cold in winter. Are you guys cold?”

“I wish I could grow thick white fur like you.”

“Did you eat enough today? You need to eat more.”

The emotions she had bottled up all day came pouring out.

She really wanted to pet them, touch their soft little paws that didn’t have pads.

But sadly, she couldn’t. The rabbits were locked in their cage, and Wang Jiexiang was locked outside.

They were both trapped.

Blinking her eyes, she felt her eyes sting, and her heart felt empty, as though there was a hole in it.

“Ah.”

The vendor noticed her staring blankly for a long time and became impatient.

“If you really like them, just buy one.”

Wang Jiexiang shook her head at him.

She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck, stood up, and walked away from the stall.

…

At her doorstep, Wang Jiexiang was stopped by her landlord.

“Girl, I didn’t take your deposit, but you can’t delay the rent any longer.”

Wang Jiexiang was confused: “Ah? I already paid this month’s rent.”

“I’m talking about next month’s rent,” the landlady paused, seeing her still puzzled, and explained further: “In the city, rent is paid a month in advance. You should have paid me at the beginning of the month.”

“Can I pay you by the end of the month?”

Wang Jiexiang had no money in her pocket. Forget about two hundred and fifty, she didn’t even have fifty.

“I lost my previous job, but I just got a new one. The shop doesn’t pay until the end of the month…”

As they spoke, her neighbor returned home.

The landlady greeted him.

“Little Yin, why are you so late?”

The neighbor nodded at her before entering his house.

Wang Jiexiang stood by the wall, thinking about the money, feeling listless and staring at the ground.

“Where were we?” The landlady turned to look at her. “Can you pay me the rent now?”

She rubbed her hands together, her voice soft: “I’m really sorry, I don’t have that much money right now…”

“Alright, the latest will be by the end of the month. This is the last time.”