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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 94: Lan Hair Salon
The sign read "Lan Hair Salon."
There must be many people named Lan on Earth, like Li Lan, Zhou Lan, Wang Lan, and of course, Han Lan.
I still remember the latest news about Han Lan. She was implicated in impersonating someone else (a deceased person) with ulterior motives and forged a fake diploma to sneak into a funeral home as an unqualified beautician. The funeral home, being humane, covered her hospital expenses but ultimately dismissed her.
Because of this incident, it seemed she couldn't accept it and became increasingly paranoid, almost on the brink of a breakdown.
But no matter what happened, her issues had nothing to do with me. Regardless of how I thought about it, it was all in the past. I wouldn't associate the barbershop that had always existed near Ma Wu Funeral Home with that girl Han Lan.
Things often happen when you least expect them. As I entered the barbershop, someone greeted me to take a seat. The voice sounded familiar; I looked up and was taken aback: "Han Lan."
"Brother Qi, getting a haircut?" Han Lan not only looked more spirited but also had a significantly improved attitude towards others.
"No, I'm just here to take a look."
It seemed that experiencing certain events could truly change a person. Han Lan had shed her previously affected demeanor and transformed into a calm and graceful girl who spoke and acted without hesitation. Although her voice hadn't completely returned to its original state and was slightly hoarse, she dressed casually. Gone was the facade she had put on; she brought me a glass of water with a genuine smile: "Brother Qi, have some water."
Another beautiful hairstylist caught my eye—she was stunning, petite with wavy hair, lightly made up, and exuded charm. She quickly glanced at me and flashed a professional smile while politely pointing to a chair: "Please wait a moment."
My heart was still on alert from the person watching outside Ma Wu Funeral Home; their attention was entirely focused outside. I politely replied, "Okay, thank you," while my eyes kept darting outside.
The barbershop had a television playing a drama—the 1987 version of Dream of the Red Chamber. I glanced at the screen but had no interest in watching it. I sat down casually as Han Lan went inside for a moment before coming back to me: "Brother Qi, it's time for your shampoo."
Perfect timing; if someone came to look for me now, they wouldn't see me. I followed Han Lan into the back room where there were three reclining shampoo stations—two were occupied by two young stylists from the '90s who were diligently attending to their clients.
The customer enjoying the shampoo was playing on WeChat, occasionally sending voice messages.
I lay back and asked Han Lan, "Did you open a barbershop?"
"It's not mine; it's my cousin's."
"Oh, I saw the sign says Lan Hair Salon."
"What does that matter? My cousin's name is also Lan, Sun Lan."
"Oh." The rich foam and her expertly applied pressure instantly made me feel relaxed. Coupled with the exhaustion from several long nights, I began to feel drowsy.
"Brother Qi, what do you think of my cousin?"
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. Han Lan was gazing up at the ceiling, where three price lists and recommendations were displayed. They essentially indicated the prices for different shampoo options and explained that towels were sanitized after each use. I didn't understand why Han Lan was asking this and wondered aloud, "What do you mean by 'how is she'?"
"Is she pretty?"
"Of course."
"You're still single; should I set you up with her?"
"Don't be silly. In my heart, you're the only one, Cousin. Just focus on washing my hair." I closed my eyes again to enjoy her fingers kneading and massaging my scalp.
"I'm envious of Cousin."
This time, I ignored her muttering to herself. I thought that after washing my hair and tidying up a bit, the people outside the Ma Wu Funeral Home would have left. The inner room for washing hair was separated from the outer area by a decorative lattice, so I could hear anyone coming in or going out since I was leaning against the lattice.
One of the two women from earlier had already gotten up to go outside and dry her hair, leaving the other one chatting intermittently with the Hair Washer.
The woman playing on WeChat said, "Hey handsome, have you heard any interesting stories?"
"What interesting story? Come out and tell me."
The woman was a Young Woman dressed in a way that suggested she was wealthy. Wealthy people have a different way of speaking. When I went into the inner room and lay down, she didn’t even glance my way. I thought about it for a moment; after all, she didn’t know me at all, so why would she look?
I chuckled to myself and continued to listen to their idle chatter.
The woman continued, "My sister's in-laws live in the suburbs. There's not much difference between the suburbs and the countryside; the conditions aren’t worse than in the city, and the air is fresh. I went there once and really enjoyed fishing by the river. After going once, I wanted to go again."
Clearly, what she was saying wasn’t very captivating, as the Hair Washer remained silent, diligently squeezing out the foam hidden in my hair.
The woman added, "But fresh air isn’t all that interesting; here’s something curious. My sister isn’t quite sure when that welfare home was built over there. In any case, it’s a fairly broad service-oriented welfare home that accepts Earthquake Orphans, lonely elderly people, and Homeless People with Disabilities. I heard not long ago that something happened at the welfare home—people mysteriously went missing without a trace."
The Hair Washer instinctively responded with an "oh" as he began another round of washing but didn’t engage further.
The woman continued, "What’s strange is that every night there are cries coming from that welfare home. The staff would go looking for the source of the cries but couldn’t find anything. People kept disappearing. My sister said they were going to close it down; residents living near the welfare home were so scared they reported it to the government. I don’t know what happened after that."
"Oh."
Han Lan remained silent beside me as I heard the woman asking the Hair Washer about his age and what he planned to do in the future.
I continued to keep my eyes closed. Just as I was about to sit up after washing my hair, I heard someone asking, "Who is the boss?"
I opened my eyes and glanced at the checkered pattern, seeing a person standing outside. This person was the man who had been leaning on the counter of Ma Wu Funeral Home. I quickly gestured for Han Lan to bring me a towel to cover my face; I really didn't want to be recognized.
Han Lan, not understanding my intention, brought over a towel and said, "You're all done washing; what do you want to do now?"
"Hot compress."
"Pfft, so you think your skin is good and you know how to take care of it." She gently placed the hot towel on my face and added, "Brother Qi, can I call you brother-in-law?"
I closed my eyes again, feeling the hot towel on my face. I sensed that the person outside had entered with the guidance of another hair washer, so I made a gesture for Han Lan to stop talking.
Han Lan understood my meaning and patted the towel. "You rest a bit; I'll come back in a moment."
How could I rest? I thought there wouldn't be any trouble in the barbershop, but unexpectedly that damn watcher came into the barbershop. I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. After Han Lan left, I hurriedly pressed down on the towel covering my face and quickly stepped out.
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