Chapter 39: Stepping Up

Wang Jiexiang’s resolve was broken the next day.

It happened before closing time. It was late, and there were fewer customers in the store. Most of the staff had free time on their hands and gathered in the back to rest. Some played with their phones, while others smoked.

Wang Jiexiang was folding the towels she had just dried. She could handle this task herself, so she let Jiang Bingbing sit down for a while.

The staff were chatting about trivial matters, and Wang Jiexiang noticed because she heard Jiang Bingbing shout, “Get lost, you’re so annoying.”

She turned her head towards the back and saw a male staff member with his head resting on Jiang Bingbing’s shoulder.

The man was like a piece of chewing gum, sticking to her. When Jiang Bingbing moved away, he followed. He was one of the more experienced barbers in the shop, and it was him who had pinched Wang Jiexiang’s waist last time.

“Bingbing, I’m so tired, can you give me a massage?”

Jiang Bingbing pushed his arm away, annoyed. “I charge for massages. Are you paying me?”

“Of course,” he replied smoothly, “If you massage me well, I’ll pay you.”

The other staff raised their eyebrows and exchanged glances. “Hao Ge, what kind of massage are you talking about?”

They looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

“This massage is very subtle. Our Bingbing’s little hands will massage you, making you feel more energetic, but you won’t be able to sleep at night.”

“Yeah, you used to be soft, but Bingbing’s technique… after she massages you, you’ll be all hot and restless, feeling terrible.”

The male staff shot a glance at the ones speaking, then grabbed Jiang Bingbing’s hand and placed it on his lap.

“You guys are really bad. Bingbing, don’t listen to them, come sit and help me massage.”

“No, thanks.” Jiang Bingbing’s expression was not very good. She tried to pull her hand away but was trapped by his tight grip.

Wang Jiexiang walked into the back room without saying a word. She turned the water temperature to the coldest setting, picked up the shower head, and splashed it on the men around Jiang Bingbing.

The male staff were caught off guard and jumped up from their chairs, scrambling to avoid the water, cursing loudly.

The store manager, who had been cutting hair, rushed in and snatched the shower head from Wang Jiexiang.

The man named Hao Ge was the angriest. He wiped his wet face, stormed over, and tried to hit Wang Jiexiang.

As his fist came down, she didn’t dodge, standing firm, glaring back at him defiantly.

“Enough,” the manager intervened, separating them. “There are still customers outside. What are you doing?”

“Who knows? Some crazy woman comes at me for no reason!” Hao Ge kicked over a chair, furious. “Damn it, you owe me an apology.”

“What have you done? What have you said? There are so many eyes here. You’re the one who needs to apologize.”

Wang Jiexiang stood up straight, facing him without backing down.

Hao Ge grabbed a tissue handed to him by someone and wiped his face. “Damn crazy bitch just jumps at me and bites. I’m curious, what did I do to you?”

“You touched Jiang Bingbing. She didn’t like it. You were harassing her. Everyone saw it.”

Her eyes were sharp, and her voice clear.

After she spoke, she scanned the room, meeting the gaze of everyone present.

People instinctively avoided her gaze.

The manager looked at Jiang Bingbing.

She was clearly startled by the situation, standing quietly in the corner without saying a word.

After weighing the situation, the manager chose to talk to Wang Jiexiang.

“I know you’re from the same place, and you’re close with her, but you can’t cause trouble in my store.”

“I didn’t cause trouble. It’s him, them,” Wang Jiexiang pointed out the men who had been involved earlier. “These people, they speak inappropriately, touch without consent.”

“We work here. We do our job and get paid. Your job is cutting hair. Our job is washing hair. There’s no reason we should be treated any less. You’re bullying us for no reason. Manager, isn’t that right?”

This was the first time Wang Jiexiang spoke so loudly in the barbershop, the first time since she came to the city. She bravely said what was on her mind.

In that moment, Wang Jiexiang wasn’t afraid of anything. Even if those men were to beat her to death on the spot, she wouldn’t care.

The customers, the drenched male staff, and the other employees all watched the manager.

Wang Jiexiang was in the right, and the manager had no way to back down.

“Don’t harass the girls in the shop again. Pay more attention in the future.” The manager turned to the men Wang Jiexiang had pointed out, scolding them briefly.

After that day, no one dared to provoke Wang Jiexiang.

Having seen her actions that day, everyone knew she wasn’t someone to mess with.

Led by Hao Ge, the barbers did their best to avoid her. When customers came in for a hair wash, a dye adjustment, or to plug in a blow dryer, they all called for Jiang Bingbing.

Jiang Bingbing was as busy as a spinning top, while Wang Jiexiang often found herself standing idle after finishing her tasks.

Evening was the peak time at the barbershop. When a customer arrived, Wang Jiexiang would proactively offer to help.

Hao Ge ignored Wang Jiexiang, saying to the customer, “Please wait a moment. Our hair washer is busy.”

“I’ll wash it…” Wang Jiexiang held a towel, ready to begin.

He didn’t look at her, simply saying, “Jiang Bingbing will do it.”

Wang Jiexiang was about to speak when he called into the back room, “Bingbing, hurry up, we have a new customer.”

“Okay, okay.” Jiang Bingbing wiped her hands and rushed out, flustered.

Wang Jiexiang stopped her and whispered in her ear, “The previous customer needs their hair dried, right? You stay with your customer. I’ll wash this one.”

“No need.” Jiang Bingbing’s attitude was strangely cold.

Honestly, Wang Jiexiang didn’t regret splashing the male staff with water.

But she seemed to have done something wrong.

After work, Wang Jiexiang stubbornly followed Jiang Bingbing, wanting to talk to her.

Jiang Bingbing sat at the alley entrance, smoking one cigarette after another.

Wang Jiexiang said a lot, asking many questions, but Jiang Bingbing only listened.

The smoke swirled, and between the two friends, something seemed to separate them, making it hard to read each other’s eyes.

After finishing her last cigarette, Jiang Bingbing finally spoke.

It was the only thing she said to Wang Jiexiang that night.

She said, “In life, you can’t avoid hardship. Everyone goes through it. Some pain you just have to endure. Only then will life get better.”

…

The work at the barbershop continued until the end of the month, and it was payday.

The manager handed Jiang Bingbing an envelope with the payment inside. Wang Jiexiang hadn’t received hers by closing time and couldn’t help but ask the manager.

The manager, chewing gum, casually replied, “You were a trial worker. Only regular staff get paid.”

Wang Jiexiang frowned. “But I was hired, how am I a trial worker? Besides, even if there was a trial period, you never told me. I had no idea.”

The manager scratched the back of his neck and changed the subject. “You caused so much trouble this month. I’m already being very generous not making you pay for the damages.”

“What trouble did I cause?”

She guessed he would bring up past issues, but the manager had previously defended her. How could he bring up old grievances now?

“If it’s because I splashed them with water last time, can they splash me back now?”

Wang Jiexiang had never faced such a situation before. In her panic, the boldness from that day was gone. All she could think was: No paycheck, no way out.

She was willing to apologize, even kneel, just to get paid…

“Jiexiang, I know you’re from the countryside, but you really don’t know how to speak.”

All the employees in the shop were present. The manager called them over to witness.

“Our regular customer, Sister Zhao, came in for a color touch-up. You told her her dark skin didn’t suit bright colors. She listened to you and didn’t dye her hair. Do you think you should compensate for that?”

“A male customer came in to cut his hair, and you recommended a hairstyle. You said, ‘Your hair is too thin, cutting it more will leave nothing.’ He just washed his hair and left.”

“And a few days ago, a female student came in for a straightening. You blew her hair and said, ‘You’re naturally curly. The straightening will only last a few weeks, then it’ll curl back.’ She felt it wasn’t worth it and didn’t straighten her hair.”

The manager spit out his gum and punched a few numbers on a calculator.

“Let me calculate how much money these losses cost.”

Wang Jiexiang’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at the ever-increasing numbers on the screen.

“I was just telling the truth… I didn’t know I had to compensate.”

Her words were light and powerless.

As the manager said, the numbers added up, and she would have to pay for the damages.

Wang Jiexiang looked around helplessly at her colleagues.

They stood with their hands in their pockets, their expressions saying, “This is none of our business.”

No one spoke up for her, not even Jiang Bingbing.

The manager handed her the calculator.

“Here, take a look at the numbers. I’ve been lenient with you. This is the shop’s rule. If you don’t like it, you can quit.”

Wang Jiexiang’s back bent.

“Bingbing,” the manager called a witness. “You’ve been working here for a while. You know the shop’s rules, right?”

She looked at Jiang Bingbing, clinging to the last bit of hope.

Jiang Bingbing nodded lightly.

It was probably the coldest day of the year. Wang Jiexiang left the barbershop, her pockets empty.