14: Wanting to Stay at Your House for One Night

Near the park, there was a small barber shop owned by an elderly man. Despite his old age, he had skilled hands and a good sense of aesthetics from the golden age of Hong Kong cinema and TV. Ling Yunfan often got his hair cut there.

Ling Yunfan pushed Ji Canghai towards the old man with a smile.

The old man slowly raised his pair of scissors and snipped the air a few times.

Ji Canghai, “…”

The weak and helpless Ji Canghai took a step back, but Ling Yunfan dragged him back and pushed him onto the chair with a sly smile.

The old man wrapped a cloth around Ji Canghai’s neck and, with a serious expression and quick movements, said, “Left green dragon, right white tiger^[1] He uses a popular saying “left green dragon, right white tiger” which refers to two mythical creatures in Chinese culture and humorously implies that his hair-cutting skills are just as … Continue reading, let’s give this boy a haircut for 15 yuan.”

Ling Yunfan cheered him on from the side, “Hey! Good quality and affordable prices!”

The old man replied, “The heavens are high and the earth is wide, who made you my old customer?”

Ling Yunfan gave him a thumbs up, “You really know how to flatter me!”

The old man joked, “Do you also want a facial treatment just like the river monster in Baota town?”

Ling Yunfan replied, “Don’t you dare. Look at his delicate skin and tender flesh. He won’t be able to withstand your facial treatment.”

The old man continued his dazzling moves and finally removed the cloth from Ji Canghai’s body, saying, “If heaven has feelings, it will grow old too^[2]The old man is cutting Jicanghai’s hair, and he is concerned about whether he will look good after the haircut. The old man assures him that he will look good, and uses a saying to convey the … Continue reading. Do you like the cut?”

Ji Canghai was still feeling dizzy from their exchange of banter. When he heard what the old man said, he suddenly froze, then nervously raised his head and looked in the mirror.

Sure enough, the old man was a skilled hairdresser, not simply cutting Ji Canghai’s hair short, but thinning it out and cutting it to just behind his ears. The finely-textured bangs fell to just above his eyebrows, giving him a clean and neat appearance.

Most importantly, after the haircut, Ji Canghai’s features were fully exposed, his youthful face still had a childish air, but his eyebrows and eyes showed a clear and elegant charm.

Ji Canghai stared at himself in the mirror as if he didn’t recognize himself. Then someone next to him said, “Your eyes are really beautiful.”

Ji Canghai turned his head in a daze and met Ling Yunfan’s smiling eyes. He heard Ling Yunfan say again, “It’s like they have stars hidden in them.”

So the stars fell from Ji Canghai’s deep eyes, landing on his chest and creating a huge pit in his heart, where they took root and sprouted wildly.

The old barber swept his eyes over Ji Canghai’s finely cut hair and laughed, “Little boy, your eyes take after your mother, don’t they? Your old grandpa here has seen and knows so much, I can tell at a glance!”

Ji Canghai was a bit absent-minded and murmured, “Take after my mother…”

Ling Yunfan smiled and said, “Old man, you can speak normally after all.”

The old barber said, “Hey! What do you mean? When have I ever not spoken normally?”

Ling Yunfan quickly said, “You speak normally, very normally, never abnormally. Old man, your haircuts are always so good, you’re amazing!”

The old barber replied, “The waters of the Yellow River flow into the sky, if you think it’s good, come back anytime!”

Ling Yunfan pulled Ji Canghai up and said, “Definitely, definitely, old man, we’ll be going now, bye-bye.”

On the way home, Ji Canghai kept fiddling with his hair, feeling somewhat uneasy.

So Ling Yunfan kept saying in his ear, “It looks good, really good.”

Ji Canghai showed a shy smile and whispered, “I don’t know if my mom will like my new hairstyle.”

Ling Yunfan said, “She will definitely like it!”

Ji Canghai replied with a sound “Mmm” and walked briskly.

When they arrived at the entrance of Ji Canghai’s residential area, they said goodbye to each other. Ling Yunfan wobbled back home, took off his shoes, and shouted, “Mom, I’m back.”

His mother was watching TV in the living room. She raised the remote to lower the volume and looked at Ling Yunfan, “You’re back? Hmm? Where is your basketball? Didn’t you bring it with you when you left?”

Damn it. Ling Yunfan slapped his head, “I forgot it at the barbershop! I’ll go get it.”

Ling Yunfan put his shoes back on, and ran all the way back to the barbershop. Although it was late at night, the old man hadn’t closed the shop. He was fanning himself with a palm leaf fan and waiting for him. He even kindly laughed at him, “You’re so young and forgetful.”

Ling Yunfan retrieved the basketball and took an old popsicle stick from the old man. He strolled home while eating the popsicle.

As he passed by the flower bed where Ji Canghai lived, Ling Yunfan habitually looked over.

The dim street lamp couldn’t shine into the shadow behind the flower bed. At first glance, it was pitch black and empty without anyone there.

Ling Yunfan, with the popsicle stick in his mouth, thought to himself, “It’s so late, there definitely won’t be anyone there. Why did I even bother looking?”

Just as Ling Yunfan was about to leave, he heard some short, choked sobs.

He suddenly stopped and listened carefully, but he couldn’t hear anything other than the rustling of leaves in the wind.

For a moment, Ling Yunfan thought he might have misheard and that it was just a cat or some other sound.

But, inexplicably, Ling Yunfan didn’t leave. Instead, he cautiously walked towards the flower bed.

When he saw the person hiding in the shadows behind the flower bed, Ling Yunfan’s heart skipped a beat in surprise.

Ji Canghai was sitting there, curled up in a ball with his knees hugged to his chest. The cool moonlight spilled into his eyes and tears silently slid down his cheeks.

“Ji Canghai? What are you doing crying here so late at night?” Ling Yunfan quickly bent down, feeling that he was still too tall, and knelt down, holding Ji Canghai’s shoulder. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Ji Canghai’s eyes were red and his eyelids were slightly swollen as if he had been crying for a while.

He looked at Ling Yunfan numbly, without making a scene, with calm despair in his eyes as he faced reality. He tiredly spoke, his voice hoarse, “She’s right, I shouldn’t have been born…”

“What are you talking about?” Ling Yunfan was completely confused. “Who said that?”

Ji Canghai’s eyes filled with tears, and he seemed like an electrical appliance that had short-circuited after being drenched in water. He didn’t respond to Ling Yunfan and just muttered to himself, repeating broken words, “No one likes me, they all hate me. Everyone hates me… You all have people who like you, but I don’t. No one has ever loved me, not at school, not at home, anywhere. They’re all fed up with me…”

“Ji Canghai.” Ling Yunfan straightened Ji Canghai’s shoulder and looked at him, “What’s the matter? Did your mother get angry because you cut your hair?”

“You don’t have to worry about me.” Ji Canghai choked up.

“How can I not care about you? Aren’t we friends?” Ling Yunfan said urgently.

Ji Canghai’s eyes flickered, looking up at Ling Yunfan, “Friends?”

“Yes.” Ling Yunfan nodded heavily.

Ji Canghai sobbed, “But don’t you think I’m annoying? I’m gloomy, weak, I can’t do anything right, I’m not good at anything.”

Ling Yunfan quickly said, “I think you’re great.”

Ji Canghai grabbed Ling Yunfan’s sleeve, like a drowning person grabbing a floating board, “Will you like me?”

Ling Yunfan didn’t hesitate and said quickly, “Of course I like you, why do you ask? We’ve been friends for a long time, and we’ll definitely be friends forever.”

Ji Canghai pleaded, “Can you hug me?”

Ling Yunfan didn’t hesitate, he reached out and hugged Ji Canghai tightly.

Warmth enveloped them, Ji Canghai leaned on Ling Yunfan’s shoulder, first trembling all over and crying for a while, and then gradually calming down.

Ling Yunfan felt his shoulder was wet, but he didn’t say anything and comforted Ji Canghai by gently patting his back, “Feeling better now?”

“Yeah.” Ji Canghai didn’t lift his head, his voice was nasal.

“What happened after all? It’s not because you cut your hair and your mother scolded you, right?” Ling Yunfan felt guilty, after all, he was the one who encouraged Ji Canghai to cut his hair.

Ji Canghai was silent for a long time and didn’t answer, instead, he said, “Can I stay at your house tonight? Just for one night.”

Ling Yunfan readily agreed, “Of course, come on.”